nobler

It would be typical Villa to get the books in order and then get relegated

But having the books in order is excellent news if we are relegated. 

 

Newcastle really is a massive game for us. If we can't pick up at least a point against a team who have been on the beach since Christmas then I fear we are royally screwed. For what its worth I think we will get that point.

Hull was a massive game for us. Stoke was a massive game for us. 0 points. What's going to change? The team obviously isn't good enough and is unable to pick up the points required.

 

Indeed. Every new game seems to be the next 'must win' game, when we lose to Newcastle it'll be the game after that, but in reality the Hull and Stoke games are where we've really blown it, two crucial games, mainly because of Hull able to pull away and Stoke at home, with the injuries they have and poor form they were in, we simply had to pick up points. I think those games we'll look back at when relegated as key games. 

We're actually going to finish 20th 

Because Sanchez has obvious quality. He has the ability to dictate tempo, create space for himself and pull strings. He may be struggling but there's a world of difference between a player with natural ability, trying and failing to a player who hides and cannot get into a game at all. It may take Sanchez a year to get up to the standard requirements, maybe even 18 months, but we've seen more than enough to stick by the guy. He can be a key player for us, it's just there may be some tough patches of form for him until then. 

Edit: Sorry Sanchez discussion in the Westwood thread.

First game I haven't been dreading in a really long time. Really interested to see how we'll approach the game. 

 

@bazzabannan25  16m

16 minutes ago

@AVFCOfficial great to see kev Mac return boys will be buzzing great appointment

Little Barry's buzzing!

Think this is a great draw. A derby, two great old clubs and a trip to Wembley for the winner. Bring it on! 

and Woods Hermit 

Well, he didn't mention our European Cup win, so it's a good start

Gil not on the bench either. Guess he's injured.

I personally don't think there's any chance we will even look at Sherwood.

If they can make Villa roar again like this I'll be more than content.

Turned up to +11

SACCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKEEEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

 

I think some might be surprised who'd stay if they're content with their contracts.

This post contradicts your other one 

 

Eh?

I was pointing out that if there isn't a clause, then it's pretty hard to shift someone on a good contract.

I think some might be surprised who'd stay if they're content with their contracts.

If he was going to be sacked based on losing to Hull then the club would have announced his removal by now. I think that all that's left to do is to hope that Lambert and the team can turn things around. I doubt losing to Leicester will make any difference to Randy's thinking either.

That's not necessarily true. It's two weeks until our next important game. Lerner and Fox can afford to not make a rash decision for a few days at least. They may have decided that enough is enough last night but still want Lambert working with the players each day until they've identified a new manager. Sacking him with absolutely no plan and where to go next would be even more chaotic, particularly as there's not even an assistant manager to steady the ship for a while.

There is a real sense that we will go this year, it'll finally happen. Other years it hasn't felt quite as defeatist as this and we've always picked up points in patches. This year the rows of defeats and continuous negative record breaks just seem endless and well, we cannot even score a goal. It really feels like a squad of players that just don't have any fight in them at all. I think we'll actually finish 19th. 

I agree that we can't achieve anything significant under Lerner's ownership but I do believe that it's possible to not be fighting relegation every single season. I accept that we will continue to be stale and make up the numbers with him owning the club but I also believe that after the top 6 or 7 clubs everyone else is also in a pretty similar situation, we just prop up the league for the big boys. In a league dictated by money I still believe that good management exists, I still believe that we can have a style and identity, be organised and hard to beat even on a small budget and have a team to at least be a little bit proud of. Lambert hasn't given us any of this after all this time. What even are we? What's our style? Our plan? We're just complete nothingness under his management.

The lads responsible for the banner last night got back from Hull last night and hung it on Villa Park gates for Villa to no doubt remove this morning!!

 

Well, to be fair, someone probably needed to get through the gate. 

It's a lesson though I guess in how much of a risk it is to hire such an inexperienced manager off the back of a couple of good seasons to control a side in such a difficult league. Lambert has certain qualities, or a quality, mainly a decent eye for a player on a budget but after that there's nothing. He comes across to me as a man who believes he's more intelligent than he actually is. I think he studies European styles, modern styles but just does not have the ability to execute it, which ends up confusing himself and his players and ultimately just becomes an unorganised mess. Basically, it's just the sign of not being good enough at this level. 

That's just my opinion really, he has ideas but he lacks getting the discipline out of his players to do it, he just can't find ways. When he leaves here I imagine he'll get a crack at a Championship or League 1 job but I imagine he'll just fizzle away. He'd be a great DoF for someone but in five years time I wouldn't be surprised to see his as number 2 at Annan Athletic or something. 

Stan's write up tonight:

 

 

 

Let's rewind several years to President Emeritus Doug Ellis selling our club to Mr Randy Learner, owner of Clevland Browns sports franchise and very wealthy man.

Many Villa fans were excited, as in the new Premier League era the only way to get into the Champions League and get continued success was to embrace the billionaire sugar daddy, wherever he came from and whatever his motive.

I remember talking on the radio at the time and welcomed Mr Lerner but with the caveat that investment into our great club was sensible, sustainable and that the hope would be he would be around for the long haul, and not walk out on the club.

There were the odd sightings of the quiet man, sipping pints, roars of USA USA at Villa Park and the odd Stars and Stripes flag in the Holte and to be honest then i started to worry.

Why?

Aston Villa is one of the great European Clubs. Make no mistake, we founded the league that is now so profitable around the world, conducted our business in a way that other clubs modeled themselves on, have the 4th most successful trophy haul in the land ( notwithstanding the new oil money/clubs ) , and our proud history should always be taken care of, embraced and enhanced by whoever has the honour of running the club.

So when rumours of overspending, Chief Executives "learning on the job", having a short term "Champions League or bust" philosophy became a reality 3 or so years ago, the relegation timer started to tick.

It's unusual for us Villa fans. We've never sold our soul like some clubs, we've been a consistent in the Premier League and Football League by the values that we need to embrace right now. Low key, prudent spending, bringing through local talent, shrewd spending and support at the grandest of old stadia which is the envy of many clubs has seen us be competitive virtually for the entirety of our 140 years.

That's how we've done it for 140 years, not 20 years or 4 years like some, 140 years, and we need to go back to basics now before it's too late.

We have a choice Villa fans, do the same as everyone else and hope that some megalomaniac from Russia or an Emirate takes us over, rebrands us with gaudy signs, plasters their company over our listed Trinity walls or we do it another way.

That way, with the increase in broadcast money would see us, Villa fans take a significant and long term interest in our club, and start negotiating immediately with Mr Lerner to this aim, to let us be heard, to let us buy some of our club and like great German clubs that manage to do this, be competitive, be solvent and most importantly be stable.

Aston Villa is a unique football club, and at the moment on and off the pitch is in a state quite simply because we did not do enough as Villa fans to ask which direction, which model we wanted OUR club to go in.

Mr Lerner, i hope you read this and understand that however far away you are, however little you take interest in our club on the ground in Aston or at Bodymoor Heath, you can make a huge difference right now by engaging with the fans or fans groups face to face, come over and engage with people who want to help Villa on and off the pitch and make sure that your legacy ( which i'm sure you wanted to be a positive one) can and will have a happy ending.


If you can sell, and stay a very wealthy man by dropping the asking price, then please do that, to ensure that the club can start to move forward with some belief and purpose rather than the negative, stale atmosphere currently which helps no one. It doesn't help the fans, players, day to day staff or manager, so please effect change now. It was part of your remit as guardian of the club when you chose to buy this grand old club. To leave it in a better state than you found it.

You aren't doing that at the moment.

For Villa fans, i remember the old man Deadly coming into the Villa dressing room on the first day of every pre season.

'Remember one thing, you're playing for England's grandest football club".

It would be wise for us all as fans, players, manager and owner to remember that right now.

Mr Lerner, if you can't do it, let us take some of the slack and have our say at our club. Let us in, let us have a stake in Aston Villa Football Club.

Up The Villa.

13 cup finals   Is this a record amount in the cliché 'x amount of cup finals' quote.