MrDuck

Did Southampton end up keeping that hilarious statue they put up a few years back?

They had to take it down cos the supporters complained so much, but they put up a replacement soon after.

Still, worth having a chuckle again at the original...

It now seems fairly clear to me that we finished top 6 for 3 seasons in a row despite MON, not because of him.

'Arry in charge we wouldn't have diced with relegation like we had?

Well he got West Ham relegated before, a team which included the likes of Joe Cole, Frank Lampard, David James, Jermain Defoe etc etc.

Lampard wasn't in that team, and I'm not sure about Cole either...

I don't think Redknapp was in charge of then when they got relegated either. Wasn't it Roeder?

would you not agree that Ancelloti and Wilkins for example would not be a better choice?

That would just be too good. Thus, this being Villa, will not possibly happen.

Why upset the applecart at Villa? A connection has been built now between players and coaching/managing staff..The players understand the training thats required,stability is now getting established..Yet you want to undo all that and throw another spanner in the works? Why?

Seems to me we've got a few decent results and climbed the table since Houllier's been away from the club...

Replace him now. What we donna do next season if he has more health problems - which let's face it, its hardly out of the question is it? His health is not going to start getting any better at this age. Not worth the risk. It's the ideal time for a fresh start, and the sensible business decision.

My point is, could darren Bent adapt his game enough to score consistently against a top side over a season. After a few games, man utd would know his game and shut him out as they would with anyboby admittedly, but Id be more confident that - Torres (when on form), rooney, Villa, Tevez, Messi, Drogba, Ronaldo etc (who I believe to be the best strikers in the world) would be able to adapt there game more than Bent to score more often.

God, what an odd argument. What sort of league has you playing top sides every week? None.

Everywhere he's been he's scored goals. Now he's getting a chance for England... he's scoring goals. Does anyone doubt if he signed for Man Utd or Chelsea that he'd score bucket loads of goals?

He's **** great. End of. Why compare him to Ronaldo or Messi, totally different players. You can compare him to Rooney and Drogba... and lo and behold, he scores just as many goals. Whether you like it or not, he's one of the very best goalscorers in one of the world's top leagues. What more does he have to do?

Hodgson had no chance from the very outset. As soon as the fans knew he'd got the job ahead of Dalglish he was ****.

Isn't O'Neill's premier league tribunal this week?

I can't believe they don't count Fulham's 1886 Middlesex Senior Cup victory.

It's easy to sleep with beautiful women when you're a rich handsome bastard, but it's perhaps more of an achievement to get any sort of shag at all if you're a poor fat ****.

Rich fat ****/really ugly blokes can get plenty of beautiful women into bed! The only requirement is being rich! Peter Crouch, Wayne Rooney, Donald Trump, Paul Daniels???

Well yes. But the analogy stands either way!

Bayern were also in the CL final against Inter last season... alongside the double.. that is far better than Allardyce's achievements.

I know but they lost.

Allardyce got Bolton to the League Cup final but they also lost.

League Cup Final vs CL Final.. hmm which one is more of an achievement to get to?

Depends what club you're managing.

It's easy to sleep with beautiful women when you're a rich handsome bastard, but it's perhaps more of an achievement to get any sort of shag at all if you're a poor fat ****.

Wonder if Houllier will make it down for this one?

I still find it hard to believe anyone can become a professional footballer with one leg

Even at the age of 6, I've drilled into my nephew that you must always use your weak foot to make it stronger. Since doing so his left foot has come on a treat. It just baffles me how anyone can really be that one footed.

Very much this. I've been using both feet since I was little and I'm efficient with both now. Started out with simple exercises against a wall and just developed from there.

Yeah, tis shocking. It's your job. You train practically every day. Yet you can't learn how to use the other foot?

But almost relegated Wolfsberg doesnt get mentioned? Aswell as England not qualifying.

Of course it does.

But which is more impressive.

Van Gaal winning the Domestic Double with Bayern last season.

Or Allardyce getting Bolton promoted, established in the Premier League and qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history.

I would say the latter.

I too would say the latter.

And nobody knows the sort of football Allardyce might produce at a decent club with decent resources. All we can say with any certainty is that he does bloody well with what he gets given to work with.

Wouldn't be my first choice, but I wouldn't be upset if we got him.

Thanks to some fun experiences with a couple of Czech au pairs many years ago, I would heartily recommend going down this path :-D

bad and all as we've been we're 6 points off 7th

given the turmoil and injuries we've had, plus the fact that we've been adjusting to a new style of play, it's not exactly been the disaster some make out

Nonsense. Had we been sitting safely in 7-12th place all season then you may have a point. But the fact is we've been fighting relegation, and secured our top flight status with one game to go. Shocking, and most definitely qualifies as a disaster of a season!

There's only 50 footballers who make more than EUR4.2m?

And one of them is Wayne Bridge?!?!

I suspect Stoke will have everyone who isn't a City fan cheering them on. Dear God I hope they win!

In what is becoming an annual bit of hilarity, Boltons new home kit.

..eurgh.

Argh! My eyes! Make it stop!

Just had a quick rifle through their bluemoon site (yes Im that bored).

Seems Tevez is probably off in the summer, whilst the guesstimated net spend at the club is again likely to top £100m. This coming from some ITK guy who everyone creams over a la MYSTERYMAN,

Read somewhere yesterday that they're supposed to have made an offer too good to turn down for Xavi!

Good news!

I don't think Benitez is a bad manager, just not right for Villa. Houllier made it abundantly clear just how much he still loved Liverpool when he first joined us here, and managed to alienate a large portion of Villa fans as a result - most of which he'll struggle to ever get back on side. I don't have a problem with GH having a fondness for a former club, but ramming it down our throats was not a clever thing to do.

So the idea of Benitez coming in... someone else who ended his time at Anfield on a low note, someone else who still openly professes his love for all things Anfield, someone who still lives in the area (I think?) and who has recently been quoted as saying he'd love to go back and manage Liverpool again.... please no, keep him away from Villa Park.

I see that Hughes apparently has a get-out clause in his Fulham contract? Hmmm.

1) Sven

2) Moyes

3) Hughes

I hope your choice of 'Sven' is with tongue firmly in cheek!

Sven has a very good record. Wish we'd chosen him instead of GH when we had the chance.

He had money to spend at Leicester and by the looks of it won't get them promoted.

If you going to go that low then i'd prefer Warnock, but even he wouldn't be anywhere near my first choice.

Neither Sven or Warnock would be top choices for me either, but Sven is hardly the muppet some suggest on here.

I think Moyes or Jol would suit us best personally.

1) Sven

2) Moyes

3) Hughes

I hope your choice of 'Sven' is with tongue firmly in cheek!

Sven has a very good record. Wish we'd chosen him instead of GH when we had the chance.