A'Villan

Senna was a great watch. Hopefully the Maradonna show is as good, I mean both pioneering talents of their craft, if not the greatest.

Just to iterate how out of touch I am with potential and ideal targets.. Would there be scope for us to sign any of the up and coming players from the Ajax side that should've made the CL final last season? I mean they were playing Tadic up front, who had a spell with Southampton. So surely they wouldn't be beyond reach, as long as a better offer doesn't come in.

Read yesterday that we are interested in Bradley Dack. Edit: Well, you can tell how up with current affairs and transfer rumours I am! Don't mind me.

I remember hearing a lot about DJ around the time Houllier got sick and for some time after. The report was usually that he was performing at his level at the time. I suppose he had to compete with the likes of Albrighton, Delph, Gardner, Bannan, Clark and Baker etc. as you only play so many youth, especially as the onset of our demise came.

Charles N'Zogbia came to Villa boasting better stats than the man he was to replace, Ashley Young. What a let down that was.

I play basketball semi-professionally and when I was out for 6 months last year my club arranged for me to see a specialist that takes care of our top tier footballers. I think the second tier in English football (the best for football worldwide) would be seen to by leading professionals and specialists. Not to suggest they are infallible though. We (Australian basketball) operate on a pittance compared to English football, and we still get players who have had trials with NBA teams. To give an idea of the standard. It's like any profession, the most committed and dedicated accumulate the most experience and whilst honing their craft learn the pitfalls as well as the strategies to succeed. I'm not saying you're wrong, you could be right, but from my point of view, if Mings technique is so unorthodox to the point of causing injury. Well he would feel it in his body when he made the movement to complete the technique, and also I feel like the injury would be related to the movement involved. Which I would've thought someone along the way might've identified his technique as unorthodox and assessed whether it was cause for his injury record. But you're certainly right. My 6 month injury last year apparently should have been three weeks. But I went to a GP before seeing the specialist and the GP's advice was costly.

Part of the game in my opinion. Some get away without picking up the injuries better than others. The demands on the body are quite strenuous at professional level. Mings has been a professional for 6 years now, and was involved with a professional club as a junior as well as receiving a football scholarship. If there was an aspect of his technique that was evidently going to cause him injury, there's a good chance it would've been identified at one of the institutions he has represented.

Good post, and made me crack a smile too. Part of my point is that the dog will go and do a doo-doo on the kitchen floor if it's not guided and taught that the backyard is the place for that. Furthermore, if we just let the doo-doo decompose wherever the dog has left it, it will soon stink up the place and create a minefield of headaches. So, as right as you may be, supporters who try to dissuade the 'teenagers and inbreds' from stinking up the place have their heart in the right place.

It really depends and will be determined by things that are beyond us, as is. I am confident with Dean Smith at the helm. I think we have made an excellent selection there. I can't foresee how our season will fare, but Smith has earned my support. Whether it be working with and getting the most out of players that perhaps aren't up to the grade, or players who set the standards. I think Smith will have us challenging. Our final league standing will be heavily influenced by which playing personnel we bring in, and the agility of their integration into whatever setup and approach Smith has in mind. I voted 10th, but I don't expect us to achieve like Wolves have, not this season. It will be interesting though, I think we have some ambitious people leading the way for Villa's foreseeable future. And it wouldn't surprise me if their nous matches their desire.

Just because things are a certain way, doesn't mean the assumption that it may be the only way is a safe one. Obsessing over other peoples business as a pastime, doesn't paint a picture of livelihood that I would imagine for my fellow supporters. I think kudos to those who can remain dignified and occupy their downtime in a manner without harassing an athlete about their future and private life. Mings may get an ego boost from this, but who and what does that serve? If he's going to indulge his ego, I'd want and hope it to be from his football and his conduct. This! Refreshing to read on so many levels.

Sure, it may be poor business model, as young talent is cheaper than established talent, and if they become successful command a larger fee than the original purchase price. However from a football perspective, it's got to be about having the personnel we need in order to practice the philosophy that Smith wants to instill, and reach our goals. Loans can be a good thing, depends on the circumstances.

Just thought I'd give you a heads up, this is out for private viewing now.

I successfully completed two units of my degree this week. Next week will conclude a few others before semester break!

Edit: Nevermind, found it Did the documentary thread get deleted or merged? Can't find it anywhere. I can't recall and want to check who was interested in viewing a film that was unavailable at the time but has since been released for private viewing.

Alternatively to other suggestions made, you could buy a tent grow room for a hydroponic setup and cultivate your plant that way. If you have a wardrobe or decent sized cupboard that you can use for it, then you can keep it private with ease. The setup will cost a few hundred dollars. It depends, but a single plant can potentially yield a pound, which is more than sufficient for personal use. You can make multiple joints from a gram, there's twenty-eight grams to an ounce, sixteen ounces to a pound. You'd be set for some time after each harvest. The benefit of hydroponic systems is that you can grow whenever you like, as long as you take adequate care of the setup and plant(s) then you're good.

Sounds like you'll be a source of strength and understanding for her then. If I can offer a final piece of unsolicited advice, it would be to do your own research on bulimia, source only information you feel relevant and qualitative to her situation. Then be subtle and tactful in how you approach things, whether checking to see how she is, or encouraging her to practice good and healthily. Self worth and image are related, although I understand the distinction between your partner and the girl I knew, as you've outlined, different people and circumstance. With a poor self image, it is difficult to have strong self worth, and visa-versa. The two work in congruence. Perception and awareness of self will determine our understanding. We've discussed this fella before, and her brothers from memory. I have some relatives who have lost touch with decency, and I refuse to cross paths with one in particular. I don't really take any satisfaction from bad mouthing people, it's not the most constructive way of addressing the issue either, so I can relate to your hesitation in doing so. It's wise to pick our battles, and that often means dealing with conflict as opposed to adopting an apathetic outlook, leading to issues remaining unresolved. We all have light within us, and we all have the shadow of darkness. Accepting that allows us the insight to develop the former and heal the latter. Learning to see that passing judgement and prejudice serves nothing and nobody, then frees us to explore the depths of our bond to one another and our community. I'm not his biggest fan, and I'm not sure that it would be all that helpful, but Louis Theroux has an episode/documentary on bulimia and anorexia.

It was only as recent as 50 years ago Cointelpro was used to assassinate Fred Hampton, a 21 year old who ran a free breakfast program, organised weekly rallies, taught political education classes every morning at 6am, and launched a project for community supervision of the police. He was a leader and a true advocate for all people. Not detained, assassinated. So it comes as little surprise that preventative measures were taken, without justification or accountability of their warrants, to interfere with something they didn't want going ahead.

There's a local bookstore that I go to which makes me happy. So much so that I will donate the very books that I purchased from them back to the store. Unless of course I plan on reading or referencing the book again in future. Libraries and bookstores are cornerstones of sharing wisdom, knowledge and experience. Must be supported and not taken for granted! I'm reading a book on sociology at the moment. It's interesting stuff, fascinating even.

Not that's going to give you any useful insight. I knew one girl who was quite bad with it and had to go to rehab. From the little exposure I've had to it, self worth seems to be an issue. This girl was a bit of a socialite, absolutely gorgeous. At a guess she was just consumed and overwhelmed by the constant bombardment of what and who's hot. Self image can often become distorted when we start basing our perceptions on what other people seem to be at surface level as the benchmark for our own beauty. Anyway, for all I know that's got nothing to do with you partners situation. Hope that she gets through it. There's something that you can do, I think anyway, and I'm confident you're already on to it, and that is to be aware that it's probably quite a sensitive issue for her. I'm not saying you need to walk on eggshells, nothing of the sort. Just be considerate of the fact that her experience is different to yours. If you come across some good advice in relation to bulimia for example, it might be interesting to you, but it may not be for her. No need to advertise and announce every practice.

Not since the Patriot Act and Anti-terrorism laws came to be. Not sure what they're like in the UK but they are far reaching in Australia and the U.S

Don't they have some form of transfer restrictions in place as well, making any managers options limited to what's within the club? Edit: Which also happens to consist of 40 loan players, so not exactly skint for personnel..

Thankfully his stats aren't bad either. 10 goals and 9 assists is not a bad haul in any of Europe's top tiers. He also managed to score 1 in every 3 in the Champions League.

Reads the game superbly. Great defensively and can pick a pass. Would be very happy with this addition.

The outfit just makes you look insatiable..

As long as it doesn't actually threaten the investments and power structure, then we can continue on because we're 'free' otherwise.