MarkLillis

Just 8 points has us in 2nd place this time last season. I wonder what it will do for us this year?

I'm on this page with you weedman. Its such a good feeling having the number one English player in the Premier as one of us. I am also very much enjoying fans of our local rivals (some who consider themselves rational and knowledgeable fans) trying to back track on their previously and now almost totally discredited stances on him....

The English player he has clear similarities with is Gazza. For me he has a better temperament and physique. Next level he really is I'm genuinely starting to doubt anyone's football knowledge when they try say he isn't all that now..... Gareth are you listening?

This is true. A Liverpool fan i know has spent all summer posting reminders about how they are PL champions. After Sunday at first it was all fair play,enjoy it,we didn't turn up etc Yesterday he was reduced to posting a screen shot of the 2016 6-1 defeat.....they've had enough now and want it forgotten and reduced to some strange FIFA 2020 like blip, but while there is no PL football it won't go away.

Excellent work rate He protected Matty Cash throughout against a Fulham side that had a lot of the ball. I think his performance was the reason Traore was restricted to a cameo.

Aren’t they all? When was the last time you saw a middle age man in a football shirt that looked good? with the exception of retro shirts of course!

You have to have sympathy for their fans. Just like we had no choice whilst we watched Dr Tony nearly destroy us,they also have had little say in anything whilst GBS have been in charge.

There is no down side to signing a player like this. Fingers crossed.

I don't blame them.....quality is quality. They are serious players in the transfer market, if we were doing similar I wouldn't care!

Cant agree with the first line myself, as a child of the 70s and 80s all of those clubs have a certain pull about them. I would happily watch them play each other in the Championship (provided there aren't bigger or better matches available) although its less attractive without fans in the ground. However, you have a point about the CL and I really struggle to be motivated by the majority of matches involving only continental clubs....so yes I would most probably pick the Man City game. Back on topic... Whatever is said about Leeds (for my generation anyway...) they will always be relevant*. *For the record I don't think they are a big club, or back where they belong either ;))

I think this season is pretty close. We got rid of three “less traditional clubs” in one shot last year. I know it’s not political correct but I’m much happier watching Everton v Leeds than say Everton v Norwich. I get proper bored when super Sunday has no big names..I mean...Huddersfield!! Who ever wanted them in the Premier? Of course football needs to have integrity but we all know who the big clubs are and the Premier is a better place when those clubs are in good shape.

Sky Sports will put a negative spin on Villa spending habits. Us spending big money and it working out well dose not fit with the general narrative of - Leeds, Beilsa..Leeds, back in the big time ,Leeds, spending big on exciting players..... It seems like they have little interest in things working out for the Villa.

I agree with all of this. If we see one thing this season then please let it be a bit more fight against the top 6/8 teams Like the Arsenal game!

I think the majority football fans cant recognise a good player when they see one. They usually need to be told by other supporters,a newspaper or pundit that someone is good before they make their mind up! Are their opinions valid....yes. Should you be making your mind up based on those opinions…..no!

Yes. That season was a tough one.For some reason I remembered Leeds playing a bigger part.

It’s hard to tell what they will do. Bielsa has them playing a style that would give any side a difficult game.I think they have been the best championship side for three consecutive seasons. If you ask me they will be ok.They will claim big scalps (definitely Utd) and get the fans a bit excited but inevitably fail to keep it up over the whole season. If the fans are back towards the end of the season and they are in the relegation shake up then watch the wheels fall off as Elland Rd is a pressure cooker for big matches and not in a good way for the home team.

I cant remember when I last had no doubts about a signing. This guy can play

Yes it is.....

Seems like a lot of Villa fans have been so starved of talent in the last 10 years that they can recognise a good thing when they see it. If this does get over the line then we have landed a real player here. Strength, pace, awareness, intelligence and the right attitude. The top six will be linked with him this time next year. Welcome to Villa Ollie.

I’m not Rolta but.....as I see it it’s a 50% success rate. We bid for Matty Cash and it was successful We bid for Wilson and it failed. I have no idea how we’ve gone about it though.Maybe Dean Smith is sitting in a room picking names out of a hat....? Or maybe there’s a list...he said he had discussed a list with someone didn’t he?

Some of the idiots I heard and seen comment on Jack should read this. I really find it hard to see how blokes that (mostly) hark back to the seventies and idolise the maverick players of that generation cant see that Jack is a modern version of those guys. Skilful,confident,capable and tough with it. We must keep him at VP his future must be with Villa.

Fair enough. I find the belief that we have a scattergun approach to transfers a bit disconcerting therefore I would rather believe that a journalist is speculating (it’s not such a stretch of the imagination is it?).

Or maybe Percy has a scattergun approach to reporting and im guessing he doesn’t know who our priority targets are.

What choice do have but to have faith in the club? You can’t affect anything that they do... So sit back and believe that the owners who since taking over have appointed the manager and funded the players that have taken us from bottom half of the Championship to survival and a major cup final in two seasons. i believe they will get it right based on the results of their ownership so far. That is not blind faith,blind faith was believing in Dr Tony.