Wezbid

If you wanted a calender full of tits, there are better out there my friend. *Disclaimer, I don't really think Ayew is.

The goals will come, I'm sure. The promising sign is that he's still getting into these positions and it hasn't been 'coached out of him' as some joke/seriously say in regards to players. The best in the World miss sitters. If he stopped making these runs into the box and being in such positions then I'd worry. I know it counts for nothing in regards to this one match but we need to think bigger picture. You wouldn't get the likes of Westwood putting himself in these sorts of chances. The guy will be good for us, I am fully confident of it.

For the sake of Villa, stop going to away games you selfish tw@!

Getting closer. Positive.

He's backing vocals to Right Said Fred. Left Side Jord.

I can smell an assist for him tonight. There's a pun in there...

Please retire, Pozi, he needs to be a distant Football Italia player only James Richardson remembers.

I didn't put in any leg work myself but my Mum sent off a card to Villa in the 95/96 season, without my knowledge. She didn't expect anything back talking to her about it when I was more grown up. I was turning 11 myself at the time. It meant the world. Signatures I remember on the card include: Gary Charles, Andy Townsend, Ian Taylor, Paul McGrath, Steve Staunton, Carl Tiler, Mark Bosnich, Dwight Yorke, Savo Milosevic, Ugo Ehiogu, Tommy Johnson, Julian Joachim, Mark Draper, Alan Wright, Riccardo Scimeca, Michael Oakes and a longer message from Gareth Southgate. It was rammed and it's something I'll never forget even if I don't physically have it anymore. There was a happy birthday written on separate paper from Brian Little too. That was to a little Welsh boy with no ties to the club other than my parents giving me a blank claret kit years before and deciding it was Villa. It's another world these days but as Metallica sang, "The memory remains".

The guy oozes class, he tries to keep it on the deck and knows when to go long. Him and Hourihane together are the makings of pure bliss. 2 highly intelligent players with ability in the ball and the grit between their teeth to do the dirty work when we haven't got it. For all the emphasis on our ott spending, the midfield pairing of those two looks like a bargain to me long term.

I absolutely agree. Jedinak is crucial at the moment but I think Bruce is aware of that given the results since his return. I don't doubt for a second that another DM is on his radar for the summer. He's signed the likes of Mo Diame in the past so I have a bit of faith.

Bruce didn't spend the money on Kodjia, McCormack, Tishbola, Chester etc etc so quite why you're associating him with that I don't know. He's spent big on Hogan, that's it, Lansbury looks a snip around £3m, Hourihane and Bree for a combined, £6m or whatever it was looks like smart and good investment and far from paying over the odds. Taylor has added security down the left whilst making about £6m on that deal. His transfers seem to make sense and decent value for money in the whole. Hogan is the big punt and his scoring record is undeniable, hence why he was expected to go to the Prem, if anywhere. You can't lump Di Matteo's spending as if Bruce sanctioned them too. It just shows how heavily one sided you see things.

Also, criticising the guy for relegations twice from the Prem, in all his time as manager of some pretty shite clubs is scraping the barrel, getting them promoted straight away back up, btw. I'm not saying he's brilliant but **** me, he deserves a bit of respect. The first manager to finish higher than Villa in the Prem since 1970's at Birmingham. Keeping them in the Prem for so long was an achievement itself whether people like it or not. He got them to the top division for the first time in about 17 years I think it was and then repeatedly had them competing. As ever, with football and football message boards, maybe the truth lies somewhere in between and he is alright rather than a wizard or a complete moron. I am sick to death of this for/against bollocks in every 'discussion', when the reality is probably somewhere in between, same goes for the player discussions too.

Advocating sacking a manager if he gets us up. Genius.

I hope the ambulance was quick. Knee Thor, knee Thor, knee Thor.

His beard's alright too.

Ashley Young is/was a top end Premiership player. Nothing wrong in wanting that but we're a Championship club at present. Those players aren't in this league in the main. The challenge is to find the next one. Adomah has quality. He can score and assist. He has flaws no doubt but to expect him to be a Villa-era Young is seriously harsh imo. Marcus Maddison is someone I would love us to go for though. He has the ability and potential to make it all the way.

Haha, the thing is though that these days it's hard to tell when people are being sarcastic and just generally sticking the boot in. @DCJonah is a poster I respect but of late I can't tell what's real and what's not in terms of praise in player threads! (Not specifically relating to Jonah I must stress, just relating to when a post is sincere or not). Kodja's scoring record is fine for us, if he released the ball quicker and more often he would actually have a much bigger goal tally in my view. As I've previously said, he's not in the next level of strikers for this reason alone. He's quicker, as strong and more creative in terms of chances for himself than say, Troy Deeney, but Deeney knows how to hold the ball up to more effect and when to play in others instead of keeping your head down and not being aware of others around. I don't know whether we can recreate break scenarios in training time after time until his instincts turn to playing in others or if that sort of thing is just ingrained. As frustrating as he is, he does work hard and does find the net, even if it's not as much as he realistically could. I think we need to get over the very large fee, I understand why we did it. Just judge him on what he brings to the team. Forever saying he's not worth this or that doesn't do anybody any favours other than an excuse to have a pop. His major flaw is infuriating but he also has much to offer and I don't expect defenders look forward to playing against him.

Utter bilge.

Couldn't Xia/Recon have paid Lerner the amount as part of the purchase price of the club rather than it being on the club's head, or is better for the club to be in the red to avoid tax. Either way, Lerner would have to pay the same amount of tax on it I would guess?

Wow, I didn't realise he's only 18, what a prospect/decent squad player (now) we have!

I don't make many games as I'm not a local but god damn is parking/transport an issue. It took me an hour to get out of Birmingham last time I drove. Shame we can't just have 20,000 car spaces under the ground, although that would just end up a bottle neck too. If you've grown up on 30,000/40,000 crowds every week it's probably just the norm and no biggie smalls but I'm used to 3,500/4000 crowds usually at home and I'm away in 5/10 mins. I'm sure there's no simple answer but gridlock after every game shouldn't just be expected and the norm. It would drive me mental having to do that all the time. On the plus side I still have 3 years of Wittertainment podcasts to catch up with.

Imagine if, when all the fans started to sing, sounded like Sam Cooke