Kuwabatake Sanjuro

Good result

One slight glimmer of hope for ye is the fact that Labour win the personality contest this time. I recall last election that an idiot footballer from the roughest part of Liverpool in Jon Walters voted tory on the basis of Ed Miliband being so pathetic (look natural Ed etc.). Just an example but I still maintain that Miliband's weirdness cost Labour massively last time, the tables have turned this time with May being seen as an empty coward while Corbyn has been very good at communicating with the public and he has substance as a person regardless of your opinions of him. It might be enough to get Labour close.

Do what Rupert tells you.

I'd be very happy with Sanogo on a free to be honest especially if wages were modest. No shame in not making it at Arsenal and the loan deals he's had were poorly chosen. Milik and injuries kept him out of the Ajax team, Charlton were garbage while Palace were managed by Pardew. He does seem injury prone though.

Preston coninuing to pillage the LOI for bargains, Kevin O'Connor added to the signing of Sean Maguire from runaway league leaders Cork City. Both signed for a pittance and likely to be on tiny money in comparison to what Villa regularly squander. 

Sorry if this has been discussed before but as outsider looking in with will Labour and the SNPs go into coalition if the numbers work out. Lib Dems should be irrelelevent and it is not inconceivable that the tories will have say 315-320 seats, Labour on roughly 280, SNP on around 45 guaranteed. The bookies aren't giving odds on Labour SNP though so I presume it is out of the question which is madness considering they would be the two most compatible parties to provide a good coalition government.

2 hours ago, GNeeUs said:

Aberdeen fan here. Ryan Jack is nowhere near our level. Villa scouts were up here last season to watch him and were gone by 1/2 time. An absolute nothing midfielder.

Fair enough then. Is there anyone in that Aberdeen team worth a look at? Hayes and Rooney have done well there but Scottish football is their ceiling you'd imagine. Hayes was very poor for Ireland against Iceland a couple of months back.

To give him a fair description, he would be a holding midfielder who gets on the ball and keeps things ticking over well. He'd be less sheepish than the player Westwood became.

42 minutes ago, alreadyexists said:

I don't really watch any Scottish football, what kind of CM is he? 

A bit like Ashley Westwood.

Ryan Jack on a free from Aberdeen would be a sensible type of transfer for the club where we are at the moment. Very tidy central midfielder.

He is set to join Rangers but surely wages here would be a lot better. Harry Redknapp is at the Scottish cup final too scouting players.

A reckless tackle and probably a top level career ender for Coleman. Bale's tackle on O'Shea was dirtier and more of an attempt of a leg break in my view, the ref's leniency there led to players taking liberties and Taylor got carried away with terrible consequences. He won't be right in the head to play for a couple of weeks anyway.

On another note Ramsey and a couple of other Welsh players were a disgrace for protesting the red card when a fellow pro is on the ground with his leg broke in 2.

Rotherham and Bristol are the 2 worst teams in the league for the past while so I wouldn't be getting carried away. The wins have bought Bruce time so he probably deserves until the end of the season at this stage before re-evaluating the situation. Wyness, Round and co still should have plan for every eventuality though.

On 12/18/2016 at 21:42, HanoiVillan said:

The concern with Mo Farah is that whatever you award him just increases what he has to give back later

That day is getting closer thankfully. Salazar in the news again.

Graham Burke scored on his debut for Shamrock Rovers last night then disgraced himself with a horror challenge:

https://www.balls.ie/football/graham-burke-tackle-359868

Sacking him after a defeat to Derby tomorrow would be risky as the two big games against Bristol and Rotherham coming up quick with Huddersfield away the following Tuesday. Anything less than 6 points from the next 5 games ending with Sheffield Wednesday at home on the 11th of March should see him gone. That would give the new manager (who should be lined up already) a week to prepare for a crucial game against Wigan.

Of course we could go on a great run and win our next 5 games and I'll look rather silly.

1 hour ago, Zatman said:

I mentioned that when he got the job. His willingness to give youth a chance is non-existent. Probably count on one hand amount of youngsters he has given a chance to

The only homegrown player of note that he has brought through that I can think of is Jordan Henderson, I thought he may have played a part in developing Andy Johnson years ago but he sold him fairly quickly after taking over to sign Clinton Morrison instead.

Andrew Robertson was a good signing who got his chance when young.

Anything less than 4 points from Bristol and Rotherham and League 1 is on the horizon. I'd expect defeats in the other 2 games.

Stam and Wagner are non runners and if they were interested now I wouldn't be interested. Both look like very good managers doing excellent jobs but if they were the type to leave their teams in the lurch while in the hunt for promotion to go to a relegation struggler for more money it wouldn't reflect well on their personalities.

In the summer sure if circumstances are right.

And that isn't going to change under the current manager.

3 minutes ago, mykeyb said:

Fans ambitions change. Right now I'd take staying in this division as a reasonable ambition

It won't take a lot to stay up, just an average manager with balls. The only problem with that is that we would have to sack an average manager again next season when under performing and start again. No half measures, get the right man in now and build from there.

Only 32 but injuries lost him his contract at Panathinaikos according to wikipedia. Could probably do a job still if we are defending deep and playing for draws and he is a mercenary so he should fit in well.

Not a terrible night, still a cushion to Wigan, Venky's might shoot themselves in the foot but they could do well with their next appointment. Burton picked up a decent away point but Brentford and QPR are both safe enough now. Everyone from ourselves and below still in danger, SHA will scrape a few points up somewhere even if they are every bit as much in freefall.

Why are Dean Smith, Rowett and Warburton the most mentioned managers still. They'd all keep Villa up but have fans lost all sense of ambition at all that they will settle for bog standard championship managers. This is meant to be a big club with a supposedly wealthy owner who wants to go places, no more half measures for me.

9 minutes ago, Zatman said:

could be below Burton tonight and 4 points behind much maligned QPR 

A QPR win would be good as it keeps Wigan a bit back.