A'Villan

Played 14 hours of basketball between Friday and Sunday. Overdid it and ended up on the bench for most of the 2nd half of a finals fixture today because fatigue was an issue. Bit of a let down, I am meant to be a key scorer but didn't have it in me beyond the first half today. We squandered a comfortable first half lead to lose in the end. Four assessments due for uni this week and I managed to get none of them done over the weekend, hence why I won't volunteer at the homeless shelter tonight. So, this weekend serves as a good reminder for meeting my obligations and time management. Edit: On a plus note I've not had time to watch episode 4 or 5 of GOT, so got that to look forward to.

I remember being at child-care in the early days, one of my earlier memories. I called out "FIIIINIIIISHED" and to my rude surprise the lady charged with my care responded with the exact phrase, and I quote: "I'm not doing that for you...!" Ladies and gentlemen that moment in history was the catalyst for my technique, and here goes.. 4 ply of paper folded neat, ensures enough padding. 3 ply when the risk of seepage or a tear is zero. Thumb rests on the butt cheek, whilst the paper rests on the combined fingertips of the index, middle, ring and little finger. One firm swipe with fingertips to navigate the crevice of Uranus, covering as much ground as you can without overdoing it. Inspect the damage on the paper, this will indicate the quantity and area of remaining doo-doo. Fold the paper in half so that the damaged side faces inwards and has no chance to make contact anywhere undesirable. Another firm swipe, with concentrated effort on areas of the bum-holeo that need the attention, as indicated by paper trail. Repeat as needed. And on a side note, I swear people who wipe standing are like those who pull their pants down around their ankles when taking a wee-wee. Unnecessary and unbecoming.

Lampard was captain for their 2012 Champions League victory, and is quite notably more accomplished in regards to playing honours and records than Terry. But I see where you are coming from and agree. My post wasn't to undermine the ability of Dean Smith to perform on the biggest stage of his career, rather the opposite.

I wouldn't blame anyone for enjoying a hot shower. I know I do during Autumn and Winter over here. I came off a bit conceited and didn't mean to be pedantic about other peoples shower habits, it's not like there is evident hygiene concern. Except maybe some pong from my post. My bad.

Thought you could use a reminder, seeing as your back and legs, which make up a large portion of your body surface area, apparently don't get a scrub.

The conservative right-wing political party got re-elected at federal level in Australia yesterday. No one saw it coming. People are trying to fathom how it came to be. As in, people are trying to figure out how the masses elect a people that don't serve the masses. The headline for their campaign was, "Now is not the time for change'. I'm more inclined to vote for assassination than I am giving some of these mobsters a place on my ballot card.

I'm with @mjmooney on this one. The purpose of a shower is to wash and cleanse. Maybe for those in the UK it's for some warmth too. Just scrubbing the main culprits for odor is like only brushing the teeth visible when you smile. You're taking half measures to keep up appearances. We're not so run into the ground from our night long sleep that we can't wake up in the morning and accomplish the simple task of doing a whole body wash, are we?

This. We are favourites because what has come to pass is a 7-0 scoreline between us and Derby. And because of the perception that securing a playoff place sooner equates to superiority. Derby will have to do more soul-searching than us to find a way to come out on top of this fixture. That, in my mind, doesn't mean they are any less likely to come out on top. It just means that they must change the dynamic from what has come previously, to something that can provide.

The point was merely that the odds are not in favour of the attacking team to score at each attempt. Your Manchester City example is apt. City scored 6 goals from 23 attempts at goal. That's 25% conversion. In a cup final, that's about as good a victory as you'll see. City created a shot every 4 minutes for the entire 90 minutes. That's uncommon even for a team dominating a tie, and shows the disparity between the opponents. Earlier we saw Liverpool lose 3-0 to Barcelona, a scoreline that flattered the Catalans. 2nd leg comes around and Liverpool win 4-0 to record one of the all-time great comebacks. People are touting it as the greatest ever comeback in Champions League history, because no one expected Liverpool to overturn their deficit. This time the margins were in Liverpool's favour, and the result may seem to indicate that their was a dominant side in each game, when the chances in both were of similar quality. In order to successfully penetrate the lines of the opposition, attacking players must use the gaps, create space, work angles and have the skill to execute. We agree. Off-the-ball movement is equally crucial to unlocking defense and creating chances that can be finished. It's what made Barca the anomaly for passing sequences used in build up. Without the work of teammates putting themselves in purposeful positions, the man on the ball becomes the sole option, and those odds of scoring at each attempt get slimmer.

There's talent everywhere. El Ghazi averaged double digits in goals over two seasons with Ajax. Look at them at the moment. Champions League semi's holding their own. Last I checked Marko Marin was available for less than a million pounds!

I see where you're coming from. I kind of meant the football world. Those that know him, those that matter. Regardless, he'll be viewed by tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands.

May not be the Champions League final Jack, but this is your platform to show the world what you've got, and it's a football pitch all the same.

So possibly the most inexperienced man in dealing with a fixture of this significance will be Dean Smith on Monday. Perhaps slightly unexpectedly, that's to our favour, and no hindrance to our chances of gaining promotion in my mind. His position and status in world football has been humble up until now, despite earning his way into one of the better divisions in the world. The modesty in which he has operated with has allowed him to focus on what's important, the fundamentals. Work ethic, detailed knowledge and philosophy. Smith envisions an approach that is applicable to any footballing side. Age, gender and level are insignificant. Ego is the only obstacle in this way of playing. We see Mourinho talk about football heritage and whether or not his players have the capacity to perform for United. Smith doesn't know any better than the budget at Brentford and Walsall. Smith has to develop his players to the standards he expects. It's on him if it doesn't come to. The unassuming nature of Smith's football life has allowed him to concentrate on what's essential to his role, to coach football, in the game we all love. That's how it appears to me.

You're mate might be right. We've done it comprehensively twice this season. They've not scored and we've got seven goals against them. But it's a different game in so many ways in this meeting. Everything to be gained over one fixture. A year worth of commitment on the line. Temptation to be audacious will be everpresent. There will be place for bold displays, but impertinent ambitions will likely prove costly. This is true both of tactics instilled by coaches and the moment-to-moment decisions of the players as the game plays out. It's Derby who have more soul searching to do to come up with a performance that will merit the desired outcome. I only hope that the line above doesn't become the very thing that unravels us during the match. But I don't even want to indulge doubt about our game. Maybe I'm wrong, but I expect Smith to send those players out the Aston Villa way, 'Prepared'. In life, you won't always be motivated, and that's why you must learn discipline. I believe that will be true of this decisive football encounter too. Who wouldn't be motivated to go out and win the playoff final? The urge to win will be unanimous, despite being uniquely reflected from one individual to the next. I'm sure Lampard will have an influential way of inspiring in his team the kind of confidence he had going into the big games as a player. Who knows maybe more so than Smith. Smith's never really performed on these stages in any capacity outside of his own mind. I know why I was backing Smith even when the disgruntled groans from supporters were so many, and loud, that it seemed like he may not last a season. I backed Smith because despite the results being poor, we had shown that we could be better than any other side, at the fundamental aspects of the game. We have not strayed in our focus on those fundamentals and developing them to our needs. I guess the outcomes speak for themselves at this point. Quietly confident.. UTV!

Hope everyone going has the best time. Make it sound like a home game and make sure you leave that ground knowing you were part of the Villa team that gave it everything. I'll be screaming at a screen from somewhere here in Australia.

Because football requires a team to penetrate past the lines of opposition and put the ball inside the posts. Even at a standstill, two lines of four men cover just under half the goal line for width and height. With their arm span at full width, those two lines cover double the space between the goal posts. With one leg outstretched, eight men of average height (6ft) cover nearly exactly the width of the goal (10cm short). Without wanting to go on a huge tangent about the space covered by our opponents once we reach the final third, and how it relates to difficulty to score.. You can see through basic math and stats that when an opposition has one or even two lines of defenders, added to that a goalkeeper.. When all are standing between the ball and the goal, and are able to anticipate and react to the movement before attackers reach their intended target.. It makes the angles and space allowed for a successful attempt at goal quite minimal. This is why we see so few successful attempts in proportion to total attempts. An average for the best player for 'key passes' made, from any given team, generally makes up for about 1% of a teams total passes made. This is probably why, statistically speaking, direct play yields a higher goal rate per pass made over possession football, because lines of defending are surpassed quicker.. This is probably why crosses, again, statistically, yield the highest chance of creating a goal from open play, because lines of defenders can be outdone by skilled delivery and runs.

That's one for the 'Player You've Forgotten About Thread'.

Michael Johnson. Man City's prodigy. And Carlos Tevez. Underrated I reckon. Kind of like Yaya Toure. People just didn't like them for whatever reason.

I think we are the best team as well as obviously being the form team of who's left. That said Derby is the only team remaining that we have beaten this season. I'm less concerned with Albion than I am Leeds. I just know Bielsa will be doing all that one can in these moments. Prepare to the best of your ability. And the mad man has ability. But this is not the time for highlighting any doubts I have and my ignorance in regard to how things will play out. These times are for faith, hope and celebrating our team. Love what you said about testing ourselves against the best and seeing how far we can go with it. That's what sports about, it's never about making up the numbers. I'm a sucker for romance, and it is quite romantic to have Grealish and Smith at the helm. Both are proving that they are more than ready to challenge the best going around. Then you look at the rise of the Milwaukee Bucks, and it would seem we have an owner who can make it happen for us too. I mean so far so good, right?

I definitely see your point, and I realise that for United, even as they are, 4-0 to Everton is unacceptable. I don't see consecutive losses to a Wolves team that will join the European elite as of next year, due to this years efforts, as anything but disappointing United's people. Remember they have also taken some big scalps and recorded some hefty wins under Ole. I really don't see how they have been found out.

Have they? I just checked their record under Ole and.. Apart from the 4-0 to Everton and the losses to Wolves, they have only lost Europe's elite. City, Arsenal, Barcelona etc. Hardly condemning for a new manager who's had to turn a sh** show around, with a squad that's 'just a bit shit'.

Last time I saw a Mourinho team play was United against West Ham in the Premier League.. Completely uninspired. West Ham scored within minutes and United just had nothing on offer. I switched off, went to bed. In the morning I saw that the scoreline had got worse for Mourinho. Mourinho has broken records (for the better) with Madrid, won the treble with Inter, won the Champions League as an underdog with Porto. Of course it doesn't end there.. But I'm not here to get my nose brown kissing ass.. I'm curious to know what went so wrong for him at United. I am open to the idea it was Pogba alone.. We had an import who had played in the NBA for the Washington Wizards come over and join the team I was playing for at the time.. This import and the head coach didn't see eye-to-eye, and because of the caliber of this import, having NBA experience and everything, the club sided with the import. This coach had brought unprecedented success to the club and had been a member for at least 20 years. He was demoted to a lesser role within the club due to the fallout. The toxicity between the two saw multiple players boycott training. It was a mess. All because these two grown ass men couldn't learn to work together.. Obviously whatever happened at United would be different. But Mourinho leaves and all of a sudden they look like European elite again. Doesn't make sense.

Maradonna could manipulate the ball and had a quality of touch that makes Messi look like a less capable understudy. I've not seen anyone control the ball like Maradonna. You think Messi has good close control? Well, add Ronaldinho's array of technical ability, Zidane's genius and audacity, and Brazilian Ronaldo's zeal and knack for goals.. You can start to appreciate why Maradonna is part of the discussion, if not the discussion. Quality of opposition doesn't take away the sheer excellence of what he could do. May have been mentioned, in Maradonna's time, defenders would take you out in order to stop the attack. Like sliding rugby at the best of times. Only adding to the difficulty.. As far as I've seen, Messi has a superior passing game, which certainly deserves a lot of credit. Maradonna would still run rings around defenders, I'm certain of that.

When we were linked with Coutinho, I think it was under Lambert, Liverpool got him for 8.5million. I was disappointed. He ended up at Barca for over 100million. 5 or so years later, and I'd be disheartened, shattered even, for us to lose Grealish for the 'objectively fair' 25-30million. Jack's talent and what I think we'll come to see, leadership, is going to be invaluable for this club.. If Fabian Delph can win the league with City and likewise Ashley Young with United.. The sky is the limit for Grealish. Young's still playing and starting for United.. Jack's got the world at his feet.

Taylor has been very handy on the ball recently. I too would prefer to see Hause, but I'm not going to deny Taylor the praise he deserves. He plays smart wall passes and overlaps in the early phases of attack which allow us width in build up and allows Smith's circulation play to move from third to third. No, Taylor's role generally doesn't have much purpose beyond the middle third of the pitch, you won't see him playing the penetrating pass that's been built towards. That's fine, as long as he covers the ground necessary to pressure the opponent into errors and doesn't over commit in defense... Then I'm more than happy for him to play a facilitator role with wall passes and overlaps that don't take him too far out of his depth and compromise us on the transition.