Shomin Geki

Yeah... oh boy... The way I see things is that players and their representatives are now extremely savvy and aware of the 'bigger picture' in football. Just think about how much scouting, fitness monitoring, performance analysis, and so on, has evolved in the past few years. Everyone knows the game has changed. So promising young players now know which teams they can prosper in, in the way that various clubs throughout Europe deliberately set themselves up as a stepping stone, collecting raw young talent and selling it on for a profit. Many teams in the Belgium, Dutch and Scandinavian leagues do this. It ain't the prettiest, but adapt or die and all that. Why can't Aston Villa be the preferred destination for brilliant promise that wants to get a game and develop? And quite frankly why not go for that?

Actually I do expect a lot more from footballers. Or I expect others to remind them of their responsibilities. Look at the activities of someone like Craig Bellamy or Javier Zanetti or Lilian Thuram. You really can't admire those players and give the spoiled babies a free pass. I guess it says more about the cossetted amorality of so many privileged people in the world today. How would you feel if your workplace was responsible for thousands of deaths and countless human rights violations and you had to smile and pretend to be part of a big party? You don't dance on graves, so don't play football on them. I would, frankly, lose a lot of respect for anyone who was prepared to do that. If we can't ask for more humility and conscientiousness from **** footballers then we're pretty screwed. I think we're too accepting of rocket polishers. And I think a lot of it has to do with cowardice.

Mauler! I remember once, maybe during a friendly (?), Neil Ruddock wearing a shirt sporting the name 'Razor'. There was a fine afterwards. None of that in Blighty, thank you very much! With the money we're frisbeeing around of late I'm sure Randy could afford just one mad game of nothing but hard bastard prison nicknames on the back. Let's say we do it when we play...hmmm.... let's say Liverpool.

P.S. The takeover actually went through, didn't it?

Just got in. This is all:

People comparing Crespo to the second coming of Luna? Well, I'm reminded of this. Luna is the first one, Crespo the last...

Ah, The Villatalk Veretout thread, reigniting my love affair with the 'Refresh' button. I'm personally very intrigued to look at footage from his international forays. I know its only the u21s but international football requires an intriguing different skillset to club football. I'd like to see his versatility and maturity, the latter being of particular importance for this new Villa side. Oh, and if this transfer window is all some kind of coma fantasy and I'm about to wake up to the grinning mugs of Bakary Sako, Tom Cleverley and Massimo Luongo holding up the Villa shirt, do me a favour and pull the plug. We've come a long way, baby...

Hang on, so Charlie Z is replacing Blatter right?

Let's say that Benteke and Delph's front crawl was a little more potent than Gabriel 'driftwood' Agbonlahor. Yes, Villa fans are discovering a mean streak of late. But, hey, it's a French Revolution, heads are gonna roll.

They all laughed when John Gregory initiated Project Brainwash French Indie Kids fifteen years ago. Are they laughing now? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astonvilla Soft power, man, soft power.

People always find exceptions to received football wisdom. The Cannavaro Was Short... argument. Good feet for a big man etc. There are always exceptions, but perhaps there's one exception to that. Can you name me a top footballer, Hell, even a decent one, who has poor feet? Baker has poor feet. Notably poor feet. Like a spooked deer's feet set in lumpen concrete.

Yeah, Gabby ain't good enough. He cruises. A crucial year for the chap. He can do a job against the more timid defences in the league, and as an impact sub. I really think Gabby needs to get nastier, get in the faces of opponents, niggle, hassle, push, pull. That may be his best bet for this team. I'm reminded of Laursen revealing the toughest player he ever faced was the Grand Imp of Turbo-Devilry Himself, Craig Bellamy.

The times they have a-changed, unfortunately. Who is a class act these days?

Oh, I have massive sympathy for you friend. I leave the macho screwface talk to the amateurs. Yeah, it stinks, but we can remain clean. Be the change you wish to see, and all that. In my experience this feeling passes, but admittedly my passion isn't what it was. But, hey, this **** summer, man... I'll do my best to try and keep the good end up.

True story.

Well... yeahhh... alright then...sure... Adebayor? Okay. Sherwood is like the arrested-development mate egging you on to do things you really shouldn't be doing. HEY, LET'S GO CLUBBING, RIGHT NOW! Er, Tim, it's half twelve on a Friday and I'm 32. BUT THERE WILL BE GIRLS AND IT'LL BE LIKE THE OLD TIMES AND I WANNA SEE IF YOU STILL GOT YOUR MOVES. Alright, I suppose, Tim, one little shimmy won't hurt. SMASH CUT TO....... I rather like it. Gets the old belly queasily fiery. And who doesn't love spending the entire weekend not being able to hear anything?

That defence is total garbage the centre halfs are just not upto it richards is a rb okore and clark are ok but baker and senderos are terrible. I think neglecting the defence would be a major mistake we need to get quality from front to back. Senderos was one of our best players before he got hurt Senderos was a relative rock in a shocking side. It would be like retaining a Mongol barbarian to fight in World War 2.

So, it appears to be kick West Ham day. I'll bite. And kick, obviously, they love a scrap don't they them loveable Green Street Hooligan rogues! Growing up in Essex is hard on a football fan. Luckily I chose early. And I chose well. Almost all Essex football types are the worst. It's all Spurs and West Ham with a few try-too-hard Leyton Orient 'purists'. A lot of the 'spooky' new immigrants from Africa and the Islamic World are Arsenal, so naturally I have a soft spot for Wenger's velvet warriors. The Spurs and West Ham fans may appear to be quite similar beasts but there is a significance difference. The trajectory of many football fans goes like this: Dad or older brother introduces you, you love it, you play it, you get emotional, it has the drama and emotion of fantasies and stories, but with the pure fun of a game. So, it's great. Naturally, you're hooked. You couldn't quit if you tried. It's a life sentence. But there comes a time when the football fan becomes status-aware. Some teams are more fashionable than others. Sports can get you girls, or at least give you the illusion of a meaty chase. Adolescent stags jostle for position, and so on. Haircuts are changed, slang is adopted, the 'family' becomes the tribe (or worse 'the gang'), your team becomes a chance to express, and exaggerate, your newfound boymanliness. Maybe a shirt is burned in the process, say Southgate 96 or Ronaldo '06. So you walk and talk like you own the place. Until... the hormones fade, real life takes over, you realise the aggro ain't worth it and you settle into a nice quiet life of fists-clenched beside the sofa/under the office desk/holding the firstborn (delete as appropriate) with the occasional violent burst of passion. Because it is, after all, the beautiful game and you genuinely love it for what it is. You dream of finding someone special enough to tell them just how real your secret love is. Yet some people get stuck in phase two well past the time when the phrase 'sloppy seconds' or 'jagerbomb' has any cultural capital. And they mix the ardours of real life with the pumped machismo of lad football culture. And the haircuts become tattoos and mannered struts. And the 'colourful' banter becomes threats shouted at passersby and tourettes obscenities muttered under cidery breath. And they still think the same thing about girls, like Don Logan in Sexy Beast (who is of course a Hammer). And perhaps a shirt, or two, is burned, a hilarious stag-night prank or your best mates in a pique of misplaced jealous rage. And they walk like they own the place, but know their time is up. So they proceed to headbutt the clock. These are West Ham fans and they're as real as West Side Story, give or take a few sly elbows and glassings. And this is why we don't want them playing in our park. The beautiful game they are not. But how about the difference between these guys and Spurs fans? Well, Spurs fans wanna be like the Hammers, they just don't have the balls.

What excites me the most is the stressing of his excellent link up play in all the reports. Linking midfield with attack is a problem we need to address. That and his apparent workrate.

Maybe a little off-topic but does anyone have any idea how the press throughout Europe are responding to the newfound spending power of the Premier League? Someone earlier pointed out how crazy it was that aside from the top European teams any club in the PL can pretty much outbid any other side on the continent. Am I over-egging it or does it have shades of the dominion Real and Barca have over Spanish football? How worried/pissed are they in Spain, Italy, France, Germany etc? How about the fans?

Very interesting point. I think you may be correct. When Major Tim talked about our losing mentality he seemed spot on. We lack character, we lack characters. Too many hands on hips, too few lost causes chased. I was reading an interesting interview with Michael Essien who discussed Mourinho. Essien made two telling points. Firstly, Mourinho is all about ego, which is to say certainty, which, when applied correctly, can give a ruthless edge to a potent taskmaster. And secondly, he disclosed that Mourinho has a brilliant knack of being able to pinpoint the very best method to motivate each individual. Obviously the two are related. A colossal ego sculpting the egos of his flock. It's a leap certainly but with player-management increasingly important the much-derided Sherwood ego could be a real asset. Problem is, many big egos are like giants. In their prime they stomp majestically, but when they fall they fall hard. Anyway, Ayew...

If Gil doesn't play 90+ minutes of every single match I will go on a murdering rampage. I liked this post largely because of your location. What are the chances you kill someone in your gene pool? Another like awaits if you post lustrous yet threatening beard pictures.

Good thing Major Tim seems to be a strong character. Either Adebayor plays for him, and we're all sunshine, or he doesn't, and that's that. I can't see someone like Sherwood being a pushover or a soft touch. Sherwood's favourites will be whomever works for him and who works hardest. So, it works out, or Adebayor is a fool we haven't suffered gladly. The real question is what effect this would have on the team as a whole. And yeah, I'm kinda warming to the idea. Sometimes having a crazyfool in your team can be a real injection of something.

Although not quite the same part of world history, there are definite parallels with what is depicted in The Act of Killing, which I cannot recommend highly enough. It's a tough watch, yet there are genuinely hilarious and bizarre moments and honestly one of the most astonishing and disturbing scenes I've ever seen in a documentary. I'm yet to see the follow-up, The Look of Silence, which is playing scarcely in jolly old London. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375605/

Yikes, people getting nervous! How about a bunch of you Birmingham guys camp outside Villa Park like its transfer deadline day and shame the club into a quick deal. Sir Dildohead, your stage is set! Trust, people, believe!