Enda

Years ago English clubs ruled Europe - they had very very few 'foreigners' in the sides so English talent flourished - now is the chance to pick up that sort of talent and PL is looking to do that - but not the EXPENSIVE stuff JG and MON went after

In fairness the game has been moving away from "quality, no nonsense, English" football for a long time. It's a thing of the past.

Look at Stoke.

All the better if you can pick up a Messi-esque player from just outside of Swindon, but it doesn't seem that likely.

Not really, to be honest. I'm more likely to toss in a few quid if I know it's going straight to VT as opposed to some tshirt producer, etc.

Not trying to piss in your corn flakes here - just giving you an honest answer.

A 0-0 that will bring tears of boredom

I can see it ending -1 all.

I worked for a Jewish guy recently, the jews and money stereotype is very accurate! So I concur we need a Jew on the board!

**** hell...

I saw a black guy recently. He stole my wallet. I'm never talking to a black guy ever again.

Why would I do that? I don't rate either of them.

CI's got a point. For a combined transfer fee of 250k, they're good squad players.

Villa team this evening: Guzan, Baker, Clark, Westwood, Stevens, Bannan, Holman, Lowton, Agbonlahor , Weimann, Benteke.

Baker starts

Looks like 4-4-2 to me.

Guzan

Lowton Baker Clark Stevens

Holman Bannan Westwood Gabby

Weimann Bentke

Biggest match in a long time...anything less than a win is a disaster

Few jabs of morphine needed here. A draw is not a disaster here, and the QPR game at the end of last season was more important.

I like him.

Splendid jaw line.

Ghey.

Not a half bad footballer is this lad.

I still think we need a better LB. That said, he's had the grand total of three league starts. Against three of the best five or six teams in the league. He is doing himself proud and, in fairness, we can't complain about him.

Fingers crossed he keeps improving.

'held on against Arsenal?'

Apart from the last 5 minutes I thought we were the better team throughout.

In fairness, when Vlaar went off and Enda Stevens was up against Arshavin, were you saying "I think we're gonna win this one"?

We all would have accepted that result before the game.

Should have beaten Utd.

Hammered against City.

Held on against Arsenal.

The up and down season continues

Tuesday will be a big match for us. We'll stay up, but it will give us a lot of confidence if we win.

Game will be over before HT me thinks...

Wouldn't be that confident. We always concede in the second half

Very, very strange to see that team/squad selection.

Lambert, what are you at? I hope you have something up your sleeve.

From the Twitter machine,

No player in Europe's top 5 leagues has successfully blocked more crosses in a game than Enda Stevens on his debut vs Manchester United (6)

As much as I wanted to fight it, as I was sitting there watches us take a two goal lead I just knew we wouldn't be winning it today. It's just what United do against the Villa.

Sad but true

Also flew in a brilliant cross at one stage, too.

He did a lot better than many of us expected. Far from a nightmare of a debut. Well done to him, and shame on us for giving him more backing.

I still think it's the weakest part of the starting XI, but on the basis of largely keeping Valenica quiet he's challenging Bennett for that starting place.

Please explain to me what else we have from that, that is visible on the league table.

Looking only at the effect on the league table right now is your problem.

There's 1-0 loss where you show absolutely no desire and where on another day you'd have been thumped 4-0. And there's a 3-2 loss (still 1 goal difference) where you create chances and on another day you'd have taken all three points.

Just because the result is the same doesn't mean everything. The evaluation of the performance is how you determine what's going to happen over the rest of the season.

Heartbroken. Same old, same old. At least I like Hernandez more than Macheda.

Annoying when people say that was a great performance.... We freaking lost!

Nonsense.

Pathetic performance overall. All we have got from that is an even worse goal difference. Yippee.

Generally goal difference gets worse when you lose.

No offence but you come across as not having the first clue about football.

But if we signed him and he performed well, he may move on to pastures new.....

He'd be delighted to come to sunny Brum. The weather is friesin in Poland.

I see the Irish U19s beat PSV U19s 2-0 today.

Herd said on Twitter there's nothing to it at all.

First of all, he played fantastically well yesterday.

But how many long balls/long passes did he aim at Benteke's head yesterday? Was I the only one thinking that it was all a bit Stoke?

He should have done better. Keeper got under pressure (well done Gabby) and had to overhead-kick it out. Came to Ireland about 25 yards out who volleyed it first time. Didn't connect with it right and it was going five yards wide.

Should have done better, but it was it dipping and moving reasonably fast so not exactly a sitter either. If it had been a normal cross and Ireland just didn't strike it properly, nobody would have said anything. The open goal made it much worse.

Dodgy video of it here - http://www.101greatg...-v-aston-villa/

For once we agree on something. Lambert should play the same team against Man U. We are expected to lose so why not go out and give it a go. We might even cause an upset by doing that rather than setting the team up to defend for ninety minutes which wouldn't work anyway.

Lambert should pick the team most likely to get a result. That's not the same thing as setting up the defend or trying to look brave but getting hammered.

I'd put Ireland/Holman on the wing and put KEA in the middle with Bannan and Westwood. I know I rate KEA much more than most people at the moment but we'll need that extra bite in midfield to have a chance IMO.

I havent watched MOTD yet - got it recorded, but is it right that they didn't show Ireland's chance? My dad was telling me about it - should have buried it then Gabby hit the post from an offside position ?

He should have done better. Keeper got under pressure (well done Gabby) and had to overhead-kick it out. Came to Ireland about 25 yards out who volleyed it first time. Didn't connect with it right and it was going five yards wide.

Should have done better, but it was it dipping and moving reasonably fast so not exactly a sitter either. If it had been a normal cross and Ireland just didn't strike it properly, nobody would have said anything. The open goal made it much worse.