GeordieVillan

I'm glad someone mentioned this - there was a decent turnout, and fair play to everyone who pays their money to come and watch the team when we are awful to watch. However, I have to say, some supporters behaviour suprises me! Maybe I'm boring, but our away fans spend most of the time goading the home teams fans and the police and stewards (not just chants, but physically turning away from the game and watching the opposition fans rather than watching the game! I don't get it, if you've paid 30 quid for a ticket plus travel etc. you would think that watching the majority of the match would be a priority. I also think its a sign of the times that we need to goad Sunderland fans, other than Darrent Bent and Steve Bruce, we don't have much rivalry with them or history (I don't think so anyway), so why when we go 1-0 up do we need to turn on their fans and tell they are shit etc when they havn't provoked us at all other than chants about Darren Bent. If we are a bigger club than them, we should have the class to not even bother singing about them. Its like the Birmingham argument, we are bigger and better than them (in theory) so we shouldn't waste our time focussing on them! Also, I thought the stewards and police were brilliant yesterday, they let the away fans stand up for the whole match without complaint, but still come muppets manage to get in trouble. Like I said, maybe I'm just boring! Are you a Sunderland fan in disguise? I assume you made the trip up yesterday or this just a 1 off? Away games are different and mockery of the home fans is always expected, especially with the whole Darren Bent situation going on aswell. But it's the same when away fans come to Villa Park. It just happens, and some blokes give it alot worse than others. When they equalised 2-2 yesterday the Police were having more trouble holding their fans back than they did for any of our lot throughout the whole game! I also got something thrown at me and **** all was done about it yet one of our lot go threw straight out. I'm not excusing the behaviour of any Sunderland fans, I'm just telling you what I saw, I've got no reason to lie. Just because I make a point which doesn't agree with the consensus i.e. our away fans are great and do nothing and we get hard done by, I don't see how that makes me any less of a villa fan than anyone else. I go to 4-5 away games a season (the most I can given where I live and what I earn), rather than home games, because the atmosphere and the fans are better in general - but that doesn't mean I should close my eyes and ignore when people are being rocket polishers. Being a policeman, at football and in general, is a very tough job, and I think it pathetic that people seem to have no respect for police these days. Stewards is one thing, but police officers are totally different.

He's currently playing well I think, but he should not be playing 90 minutes, he hasn't got the legs for it and it leaves gaps in the second half of every game he plays in

Agree, lets see how it goes, he'll need time though. He can tackle and defend, no doubt about that, and he never bottles a tackle. He'll need to improve his passing (and the players around need to actually move to make space), but lets give him a go

Couldn't disagree more to be honest, and I've just posted about this. Where I was sitting, the police and stewards did everything they could not to get involved, but there were some real idiots (mainly young lads, can't even have been 20 years old any of them) who were effing and jeffing at police when they were just stood there doing nothing! I have to say, this is the first time I've been sober in the away end for a while, and it was very eye-opening!

I'm glad someone mentioned this - there was a decent turnout, and fair play to everyone who pays their money to come and watch the team when we are awful to watch. However, I have to say, some supporters behaviour suprises me! Maybe I'm boring, but our away fans spend most of the time goading the home teams fans and the police and stewards (not just chants, but physically turning away from the game and watching the opposition fans rather than watching the game! I don't get it, if you've paid 30 quid for a ticket plus travel etc. you would think that watching the majority of the match would be a priority. I also think its a sign of the times that we need to goad Sunderland fans, other than Darrent Bent and Steve Bruce, we don't have much rivalry with them or history (I don't think so anyway), so why when we go 1-0 up do we need to turn on their fans and tell they are shit etc when they havn't provoked us at all other than chants about Darren Bent. If we are a bigger club than them, we should have the class to not even bother singing about them. Its like the Birmingham argument, we are bigger and better than them (in theory) so we shouldn't waste our time focussing on them! Also, I thought the stewards and police were brilliant yesterday, they let the away fans stand up for the whole match without complaint, but still come muppets manage to get in trouble. Like I said, maybe I'm just boring!

My observations having just got back from the game - 1) We play N'Zogbia on the right and Heskey (or Gabby at times) on the right. Neither offer anything. If he's going to play them, wide, why not play N'Zogiba left and Heskey right, so they can at least try to go out wide once in the game! 2) We were crying out for width, the fans were literally chanting for Albrighton, we made no subs until we went 2-1 up (which we didn't deserve), when he brought Albrighton on then. Don't know what logic was there, he wasn't going to help defensively. 3) I've read a few comments on this thread saying Warnock played well, I can't believe it, I must have been watching a different game. I thought Warnock was awful going forward, as was Hutton. 4) I thought Dunne and Collins did ok, but I don't know why we keep conceding late goals. 5) Petrov scored a cracking goal, played decent otherwise. Herd work hard, and puts his foot in, but if he is our centre midfield first choice now, I think we should be worried. 6) Gabby looks great, very sharp. Bent looked ok, missed a great chance, but starved of service otherwise. 7) I go watch this game every year, and its rarely entertaining. But we looked really poor today, and lacking in confidence all over. We can keep the ball, there's no doubt about that, but we go nowhere with it and then invariably one of the back just hoofs it forward. We lost 1-0 last year in this match, but we played much better as a team and should have won (we passed it around and at times Sunderland couldn't get near us). Sunderland should have won today I think. We were not unlucky today, or robed by the referee, we were lucky to get a point. I'm not a panic merchant, but these are worrying times. We've got problems all over. I don't think we'll get relegated, because there are worse teams than us, but this is going to be a long season. I'm really disappointed, as I had high hopes for McLeish, but he's turned us into this Birmingham team very quickly. I'm losing hope again, just like before MON arrived. Must do better.

I think a 5 year deal is fine. We have always traditionally had one experienced keeper and one younger goalkeeper as back up. Hopefully he can help the youngsters, who should have already learnt from Friedel. Imagine if we gave him a 2 year deal and then in two years he went for free to e.g. Arsenal after showing himself to still be top class. The club would be criticised for that. Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Alot more goalkeepers are playing until late thirties and 40 now.

I'm not sure the board will 'walk away' from this. The manager clearly wants the player, and the player is clearly needed, not only to bolster the squad but also to bring some positivity to the club. Thats not ITK, just my reading of the situation. I don't think we have a Plan B, so I think we will continue to negotiate, and probably end up paying slightly more. If we could give them one of our unwanted players in exchange, that would be marvellous.

I posted very early on in this thread when people were being negative about this signing, but if this deal has been done, then I think it really is fantastic. 1) Great goalkeeper, consistently in the top goalkeepers in the league up until Joe Hart took his place at City 2) A leader, has captained Newcastle, Ireland and Man City in the past (I believe) 3) Loads of experience at the highest level 4) As well as being a good shopstopper etc, he is well known for being a talker and communicating with back four 5) I can only assume that he would sign for us if he has been assured we will be going in the right direction, and the only way to do that will be by signing quality players. He easily could have stayed at City and picked up his wages and played the odd game here and there and won medals. I'm being optimistic yeah, but hopefully this is just the first of the quality signings...

No reason why he can't be in and around the squad this year and then we can see what he can do. I don't think he's first choice yet, but he might be at some point in the near future....

No its not. Not for the money being mentioned anyway! But this is what I don't understand. Clubs are paying over the odds throughout the league, and villa fans complain that we don't compete. And we seem to be going for what in my eyes is the best goalkeepers possibly available to us (I think he is better than Foster and Green, and experience counts for alot), and everyone is complaining! I have no doubt that the people in charge of the club know what is affordable and what is not. If they are prepared to pay it, thats their choice, I for one won't complain if we pay over the odds to sign a bloody good player! Does it not also send a message that we can sign good players and pay top wages? Granted he's not a player who is going to cause a rush of season ticket sales, but if I was a player at the club or player potentially coming to the club, this would signing would certainly encourage me.

Can't believe the negative reaction to this. Experienced premier league goalkeeper, not at all 'dodgy', highly rated by fans at every team he's played for (including Man City where he doesn't play regularly), would probably walk into 75% of other teams in the league, was rated as one of the best goalkeepers in the league up until last year when Joe Hart came on the scene. Add to this that he will probably take a pay-cut to come to us, which shows a hunger to actually play football. This is an absolute no brainer. Also can't believe that we as fans complain that the club won't spend big money and won't pay big wages to compete, and then when its suggested we all say "we should pay that much for him"! For me, if we got Given, it would be fantastic start to the 're-building' under McCleish.

There will always be a few people who think differently, but i reckon if you put up a satisfaction poll, then you would probably get 90%+ in the dissatisfied category. I would say that of those 90%+, that 80%+ of them would be because of his playing style, and maybe maximum 20% for the sha connection. I agree with the first bit, you would get 90% dissatisfied. But to say that only 20% would be because of the SHA connection is a bit of an understatement (bit = major). If we were getting McCleish straight from e.g. Rangers, or hypthetically he had just took down e.g Newcastle, or Wigan or the like, I think more people would be prepared to give him a chance. They wouldn't be happy but hey would give him a chance. You would end up with alot of people in the "neither satisfied nor dissatisfied group" (if there was one). But, I have to stress, I don't want him for both reasons.

Exactly, the silence is deafening. Which to me says only one thing - we are close to appointing a new manager, I expect an announcement in the very near future. Whether its McCleish or not, I don't know - however the only logical reason for the club keeping shtum at this time with the Pannu going off it, the media hurling abuse at us from all angles and the fans going insane - is that we are very close to agreeing terms with our new manager. I'm not ITK, just trying to see the logic in this.

I agree, up until the last few weeks I always liked Pat Murphy and thought that he was one of the good reporters when it came to Villa i.e. fair and straight to the point, not overly negative and not overly positive. But he has been a massive prick over the appointment (or lack of) the new manager. I can only assume it because we are conducting our business privately and not letting on to the press. I'm sure this doesn't make their job easier and they therefore have to make stories and are often pissed off off about the whole thing!

Do you think if its McCleish he would bring back Gardner and Ridgewell. Worst silver lining ever? Yes I think so too. I wouldn't be happy if its McCleish, I don't think any Villa fan would be happy, but some could probably live with it. If it is McCleish, or if the Board even have talks with him, I think they are taking a big risk, potentially risking their entire credibility on this. I would be suprised to hear "Sack the Board" chants etc. Also, if its McCleish, on some level I have to say fair play to Randy, and McCleish, they've got some balls. The only thing I can think of in my lifetime that was anything like this was when George Graham went to manage Spurs. Anyway, I think everyone needs to calm down. There is nothing concrete on this at all. If those words were that of the General, it still doesn't actually mean anything, he may just have been hypothesising or deflecting attention, or trying to explain to "Richard" that the fans have already ensured the board ignored McClaren and they can't do this with every possible candidate - thats not how you run a football club. Saying that, I don't want McCleish, but I think I will refrain from going absolutely mental until I see a press conference where he is unveiled as manager. Until then I will cling to the hope that we are after Ranieri (my first choice) as he is decent enough 'name' and has good premiership experience. In summary - people need to calm down before they have a coronary.

Please play Ashley Young wide, right or left, but please play him wide. If not Gabby up front with Bent, a midfield 3 of Makoun and two from Petrov/Reo/Bradley/Bannan.... And what has Carlos got to do for a start!

Brilliant result, and for the first time in a while I don't think you can question the efforts of the players, they all gave 100%, and I think showed that they are behind the manager - all positive. Brilliant for Bent to score - I can't even remember the last time we had a striker anticipate a rebound and score?! I have to say though, it was backs to the wall - and we were a bit lucky, but its about time we got some luck. I know its great that Bent scored, but I have to say that I thought Dzeko (spell check) looked a class player. We might have a better goalscorer though!

i.e. They are much more powerful than us!

Where is Reo?

Its an attacking team, but I think it could work if he plays Downing in the middle with Petrov. If he does, then I think Downing is key to this match. If he is playing Ashley Young at centre-mid with Petrov, then they could rape us, metaphorically, and literally. I have to say, its great to see a team and think "wow we are really going to go for a win". Even if we play with just Bent up front, the players he's picked are attacking ones.

Agbonlahor left, Downing right, and Young in the hole/up front. Didn't work, and it was obvious it wasn't working, and he didn't change it. Bizarre. I read somewhere that often when new managers come in, they try to do something different from the last manager to make their mark, and so they are credited with success i.e. in this case, if he did exactly the same as MON then people would say "its MON's team anyway, Houllier hasn't done anything". That is the only reason I can see for putting Ashley Young up front, and persevering with it so long, even though he's been shit this season (or shit compared to how he can be out wide - he shows glimpses of it every time he is in a wide position). I've been sticking up for Houllier, and think that with a good trasnfer window, bringing in his own players it might still work. The problem is, I always thought it would be a very average season (or worse than average) and he would build for next year - but he's not getting the results for even a below average season. He needs time, but he needs to earn that time himself. Alot of questions now - How long does Randy wait to do something? How long can he stick with his man? How long can we be in the bottom three and GH remain in post? If we get rid of GH, realistically who are we going to appoint manager? Does he give GH money to spend knowing that we could conceivably lose our next 3 games and be in an even worse position? Based on what we've seen over Xmas - bearing in mind the bright result was Chelsea, and they lost tonight against Wolves - I think we should be worried. If GH is staying, then he needs money to buy players, even if we can't ship out the deadwood (players GH doesn't want). If thats not going to happen, then I'm afraid I would get rid IF there is viable alternative. Sad times.

I've been sticking up for him, but that was awful. Really awful. I don't get the Downing on the right wing, Agbonlahor on the right wing and Ashley Young 'in the hole' formation. Why not play them in there actualy positions and then switch it around to change it up. All 3 were shit today, and Heskey carried them. And I think that being played out of position was the reason why they were shit. Put Ashley Young on the **** wing, he is a liability off the front man. The commentator on the stream was so baised, he definitely wanted Villa to lose - was it Paul Walsh? Even he could see Houllier's tactics were wrong, and he mentioned it about 50 times, the rocket polisher. Sadly he was right though.

Can I ask? Who actually cares? What has Ireland done to deserve this thread and this debate? I for one am happy that the manager is trying to get rid of players that he doesn't want, which is something that the previous manager failed to do (and no I'm not having a go at MON, I liked MON). Seems to me like this is just another example of Houllier trying to act on something which we all complained about under the previous manager i.e. failure to get players off the wage that he doesn't need. Now if Houllier doesn't want Ireland, or other players, I don't care how he mistreats or upsets them, as long as he gets them out of the club asap. Do these players actually care about our club? I don't think so. My view would be that Houllier is not a bad man manager, he just chooses the players that he wants to manage well, and the ones that he wants to get rid of. I havn't heard a single complaint or bad story come out from Young, Downing, Heskey, or any of the young players - could it be because these guys are playing (ok/well), and the manager wants to keep them?????? People are going absolutely crazy on here. The fact is, Houllier doesn't want Ireland, Ireland should have never been signed in the first place (side point), and that means that Houllier should get rid. I don't care how he does it, just do it quickly and get him off the wage bill. If Houllier has somehow management to convince Ireland to submit a transfer request himself, and thus Ireland forfeits some bonus/fees he is due, then to my mind Houllier has pulled one out of the bag. To my mind, Houllier knows he has to sell before he can buy, more to get players off the wage bill than to recoup transfer fees. I expect to see departures in January and the summer, some for fees lower than we expect perhaps, but this necessary for Houllier to bring in his own players. Time will tell, but I have no complaints about Houlliers treatment of players, as the players he has supposedly been mistreating have all been performing badly. And, just to confirm, no I am not happy with performances on the pitch, and results do need to improve. And I think they will.

I havn't read all 600 pages, so apologies if this has already been posted - but would anyone have John Gregory back? I think I would. Definitely rather have him than Houllier.