A'Villan

My mistake. I was unaware Elphick was out for some weeks to come.

You play your best team. I am suggesting that Hause's performances at LB were good enough to earn him that place. Would you call Barcelona stupid for playing Mascherano at CB when he was traditionally a DM? What about Gary Medel too, was that also stupidity? Hause is not unfamiliar with playing at LB. He was quite impressive at times once he grew into the role. Due to their ability on the ball and ability to read the game, I think Tuanzebe and Mings are our ideal partnership at CB. I'm not knocking Taylor, I'm just suggesting there's competition.

Yes, I am aware of that. What I am alluding to is that if we cultivate a successful team with them, then playing for this club might become a more attractive prospect than returning to their parent club.

Well it would seem Dean Smith would agree with you, and I'll take his perspective as more qualified than mine. However, I see it like this, commendable as his efforts have been, Taylor absolutely can be dropped. Just like Hourihane has had to sit out, despite hefty contribution to our tallies. If we can introduce a dynamic that gives the team a greater edge over our opponents in some way, then by all means we should employ that strategy. Tuanzebe and Mings are both fantastic on the ball. Hause has been a bright light at LB in matches that ended with poor outcomes, through not fault of his own.

Probably a fair statement. Bruce obviously felt that way about it. I don't really know to what extent McCormack is a poor professional or if the case is just that he was a costly flop here.

Get him back in, partner him with Mings. Move Hause to LB. Make this team formidable. Show these young men they have a future with a big club at the top level. We've got McGinn and Grealish in midfield. Abraham up front. That's a young and extremely talented spine with Premier League written all over it.

I really don't get the disdain for McCormack. It's not his fault that we made a poor investment. Ross gave an interview recently about how he could've retired at Fulham and that the move to Villa was a mistake. We paid 12 million for a 30 year old who had peaked. Of course McCormack would snatch at the chance to play in the Premier League and earn a higher wage with Villa. Newcastle bought a then 20 year old Mitrovic for 15 million a year earlier. They got goals out of him and sold him on at a profit of 7 million. Mitrovic is apparently about to sell for 50 million to a Chinese team despite being branded as a trouble maker of sorts himself. Where is McCormack? Played 3 games this season for Motherwell. See the difference in transfer strategy? McCormack was captain of Fulham which makes me find it hard to believe he is as bad as people make out on here. He played roughly 20 games here for us during a period that wasn't great for anyone and didn't manage to bag the goals he did yesteryear. Time to move on. Forgive and forget.

You know what I love about football under Smith? The players have trust and faith in their teammates. It's inherent in every possession and it's so important. Players always have each other in mind. They don't second guess their decisions because everyone moves with purpose to support the others and fulfill their role. The ball moves faster than the man and we use that principle to knock it around and probe the lines of our opposition. This means that we can play at a tempo that is difficult to keep up with and movement that makes anticipating the next moment troublesome. Everyone is a threat because the mentality is never to sit back and make up the numbers, it's about getting involved and being on the front foot. I can only wonder what we might have achieved this season had Smith had last summer for transfers and pre-season preparations, as well as the first three months of the season. That last line is neither here nor there though. Looking forward from here.

When he was breaking into the first team there were questions surrounding his professionalism and future. There was obviously a time of maturation for Jack that came about when he chose to commit to developing as a footballer. From then on we've really seen him take the game and make it his, reaching new heights. I have every bit of confidence he will apply himself and reap the rewards from here. The volley that Grealish scored from the corner, or even the one he scored last season, they weren't one hit wonders. The amount of manipulating that football with his feet that he's done, with the level of concentrated effort, and audacity to test his skill level. He's really becoming more than just a talent, he's a hard working professional. Many are touted with promise, many boast great potential. Few have the commitment and ethic required. Keep it up Jack!

We have won 6 consecutive matches and only league leaders Norwich are on a better run of form. We currently occupy a playoff position, which is where we want to be. It gives us an advantage on teams that need to make up ground to qualify. However we are far from guaranteed a playoff place. There are still 6 games remaining for us, or 18 points. 12 teams are still in promotion contention I think. If our rise and current position is an instance where a team defies the odds and finds success, Middlesbrough is an instance of how quickly it can fall apart and come undone. Only Bolton who have scored the least goals and lost the most matches in the competition strikes me as a fixture that we are likely to be in command of. Rotherham and Milwall are fighting to survive in this league and while both are relegation candidates, they have everything to play for. Not to be slept on. Leeds, Norwich and Bristol all pose a challenge and threat that we can be certain will require our best efforts throughout the entirety of each match. Confidence and momentum do not result from achieving outcomes that we wish for. Outcomes are just a snapshot of a moment extracted for the purpose of perspective. Confidence and momentum manifest from the flow of experience that is present throughout the entire undertaking and reflect the quality of investment in the process. If you focus on outcomes purely and ignore the process then you will sabotage both. However if we commit fully to the process, outcomes will be what they should be. Fingers crossed. We can do this.

I've opened up a can of whoop-ass, haven't I?! Perhaps rightly so.. I appreciate the replies and the discussion. I enjoy reading your perspectives. Everyone who's responded showing patience with me. I'll get back to the last few soon. I'd like to offer a response worth reading and don't want to be misrepresented by a rushed post.

The sarcasm is strong with this one. The congratulations belongs to us both. Your commentary helped elicit my response. I can definitely get on a soapbox at times though.

I take little issue with Muslims or their belief. We all inherit beliefs and culture. We are TOLD that we live in a free-thinking, speaking and democratic state, many see it that way. That's entirely your prerogative. This is the 'All Purpose Religion Thread'. So you'll understand my interest, I hope.

Another good post. You don't come across as sanctimonious, more down to earth. If you're a dick most days I hope it's a fun-loving one and not the type that pees in an apple juice bottle and leaves it in the fridge.

This speaks to me. And probably deserves a better reply than what's to come, it's bedtime for me though. What I mean by bandwagon is in line with the dictionary definition. If you find it hard to establish what I mean sometimes on account of me being inarticulate or poorly written, I apologise. If I am exercising your brain then I am just paying it forward. I hope it's a bit of both at least, but wouldn't be surprised if it's the former. Being positive is like going up a mountain, you scale your way to the top with utmost care. Being negative is like sliding down a hill, and requires little effort.

I like the spirit of 'pushing on all fronts'. However I find it a bit hard to believe you don't prioritise your time and goals. What's more important, the local basketball teams fundraiser, or 20% of the Middle East living on $2 or less a day? What does the emergency department address first, A'Villan's broken finger or chrisp65 who's potentially about to lose his life? In a survey done by the organisation I volunteer for, over 70% of Melbourne's homeless reported sexual abuse as a child. So yes there is no doubt some issues around sexuality and identity prevalent among those members of the community.

Even if it is a choice, go ahead. Everybody is getting around the homosexuality bandwagon. Universal truth is not measured in mass appeal. Does Muhammad (not the prophet, the kid in Gaza) choose his Muslim heritage? Could you say that in teaching same sex marriage you are brainwashing children? It certainly wouldn't be a popular statement. I could post an article if you are interested in this. The word 'homosexuality' didn't show up in translations of the bible until 1946 apparently. Further to this, there is over 2000+ bible verses on poverty. On the rich and poor. And yet, all anyone wants to talk about these days are six Bible verses that “condemn homosexuality.”

Sure. I attended a rally for the homeless sometime last year. It was not short of promotion and advertisement. When I arrived, to my disappointment, there was a handful of people there signing a petition with one of the organisers. There were more homeless present than supporters present. I signed the petition and left a bit surprised. Literally two minutes into my way home, I am met by thousands of people rallying for same sex marriage rights. They closed down the main street of Melbourne with their protest. That sort of thing. Do you see my point? It was a massive focus, if not focal point, in a recent federal election here. $122 million of tax payer dollars were pumped into the whole plebiscite on same sex marriage.

Social services removing Johnny from his parent(s) is a thing too. As is Johnny with a single parent, for a variety of reasons. Education on mental illness doesn't commence until the age of 16, when the psychology class becomes available. Do we need a feminist class for young girls under the age of 12? I just don't understand the hype around homosexuality and also the disdain for religion. There's various sources that tell you that nowhere in the bible does it speak against homosexuality. Apparently there are roughly 6 passages regarding homosexuality that are misinterpreted and taken out of context in the entirety of the bible.

I have my moments..

Even many of our support had written us off, and here you are with enough faith to put money on us to come good! Obviously I hope we get promoted but I hope you get your bonus while we do it. A modest bet on the team you support paying out at 25-1, you beauty!

This kind of scares me, if I'm honest. Mainly because I'm so uncertain about it all. Here you have someone with a public platform putting words of a derogatory nature into the mouth of someone else, and people are championing it? What about healthy loving heterosexual families? Are they not fundamental to society? Are these parents not trusted to nurture their children as they see fit? Before anyone calls me homophobic, like in the above post, two of my closest friends were/are gay. One I've known for over a decade, the other for nearly two. Our friendships going the distance because of affinity and acceptance of one another, even with our differences.

@villakram Let's do some further contemplating.. You're concerned for Muslim women? Within the United States Armed Forces, an estimated 20,000 annual cases of sexual assault saw under 300 convictions. In times of war, military justice is handed over to a court composed of wholly or predominantly of soldiers. The U.S is always at war. If this is the culture within the ranks of the U.S Armed Forces, you can only imagine what the culture would be like when on foreign soil. $600 billion on the military per year and over 4,000 active nukes. Imagine the terror when being invaded by that. And you're concerned about Muslim women? Or was that just a cheap shot at Muslim men? Patriotism or humanity? Profit or planet? From your posts I would of thought that you saw it clear, but if I am reading you correctly, I'm not so sure on this occasion.

Probably a safe bet that the bookies can afford to lose £21 in order to save the probable loss of over £200. Tell 'em they're dreaming. £50 minimum, and that's because you're a generous bastard!