A'Villan

Kevin Garnett was beast though.

You forgot the greatest of them all, Bobby Fischer. They all say he was completely bonkers, despite being the greatest chess player of all time. Then it turns out that the FBI did actually spy on him in the process of investigating his mother for a KGB connection. Hoover thought Russia wanted to recruit him or some business like that. Poor soul. He just wants to play chess and he's got the FBI running game on him.

Fun and true fact. I've been first hand witness to it.. If you lie on your back and move your legs as if you were riding a bicycle, emus are attracted to you and will walk over guaranteed. I was at an open range zoo, and a friend randomly lies on his back and does the leg motions, I ask what the hell he is doing.. "It's a thing, I want to know if it works he says" And what do you know, the emus come over to him from about 20meters away.

After about 5 years of no contact I'm going to have a meal and a beer with a former best friend. The police got involved on three occasions in the lead up to us going separate ways. This former friend openly bragged about and tried his best to humiliate me after he f*cked my girlfriend of just about a decade. So needless to say things got a little uncomfortable between us. So not sure it's the kind of awkward date you were looking for but it's what you've got to work with until someone else pipes up.

Final game of the regular season and it's not looking like I'll get a contract in Asia this time around. Still got the prospect of winning a championship though. My teammate is well ahead of me averaging 25ppg and has hit 40ppg twice. I am a leading 3pt scorer but didn't put up the numbers I was hoping to over the season. I averaged 10ppg 4rebounds 4assists and 2steals. Not enough to win the league MVP, or make a statement that will get me recruited professionally in Asia. However it's been a good learning curve, my teammate who is looking like MVP winner, has played professionally in Turkey, Spain and over here, and believe me he lives basketball. I never stop learning and aspiring to be better and after walking away from the game for 5 years I am just glad to be back among the players who are at the top of the game. Some of you may know the name Ben Simmons, NBA player, his half brother is an import over here who stands at 201cm as a shooting guard is another I've had to compete with. We match up directly this Saturday night should everything go to plan. He's a SG, same as me, and he's their top scorer and I'm our best defender. He's got just under 20cm on me, so I'll do my best not to get dunked on at one end and blocked at the other. I'm usually a go-to player for scoring as well, but perhaps not this week. I spoke to an old coach about rejoining a Melbourne based club at semi-professional level and he said I was more than welcome to rejoin for the coming preseason. Fast forward a month and he's been replaced as coach by one of the greatest players to grace Australia's NBL, Lanard Copeland. So I will have to impress him now. Still loving the game and not all that worried about the uncertainty or lack of a pay-cheque. I don't mind the grind and having to prove yourself all over again.

Tim Hardaway is running a clinic 30 minutes from where I live this coming Saturday, that's very tempting. I play my game Saturday evening and it's 1st vs 2nd in the final game of regular season. Winner takes top spot. Might head down and learn from one of the finest crossovers of all time and then rock some new moves that evening. I'm playing against Ben Simmons half brother who is a 6'7 shooting guard who averages 30ppg over here. Have a guess who's got to guard him? Yeah, I'm also shooting guard, only I stand at a towering 6ft. Hope that help defense is ready!

When you say wing it..? Are you talking about a scenario where you are confident and competent enough on the subject matter to improvise in the moment and for your delivery to flow freely? That I can understand, and I'm of the thought, that most people can develop the confidence to at least convey their message and capture interest just with relevant knowledge. It's when there's little concept for what should be said to the audience or even just poor concentration due to a distraction of some sorts that things can get uncomfortable.

It's interesting, the discussion point around the Koch's semi-annual seminars which are kept highly secret. I'd recommend anyone read that article if they haven't. The FEC, the independent agency that is supposed to serve as the watchdog over how money is raised and spent in American elections, is now unable to enforce the law. And here you have a consortium worth over 200 billion working in tandem to sway politics, using philanthropy groups so names don't have to be disclosed, and the rest of it..

Easy. He's 6'2.

They also have exact equal numbers for passes made and pass completion. To the decimal.

It may sound a bit of weak story considering I used the word abduction/kidnapping. But here it is.. In my early childhood I lived on a mountain that was covered by rainforest. Pretty secluded by all means. On the weekends I would visit my father in a different pocket of the mountain, where I didn't have anyone to visit within walking distance. So I would go play basketball by myself at the local school. during the daylight hours. To cut to the chase, one day a stranger approaches me and talks his way into joining me to play basketball. I was like maybe 8 years old and didn't really have a concept for the danger this man might pose, but in hindsight he was building that initial trust. So we play basketball for sometime and eventually it gets time for me to go home, he plays along with me saying that I would leave after this last match. Well when that time comes I remember going to pick my ball up and him snatching me violently in a bearhug and lifting me up off the ground. In the struggle that ensued I managed to get an elbow into his stomach or a kick to his nuts, something, and from then on I ran and didn't dare waste time looking back. About a km down the road and 150meters from my Dad's property, I take my first glance back, and I see a wicked smile that I will never forget, he's caught up. He grabs me again and this time I just shutdown crying and beg him to let me go because I'm just a kid. And he did.. I was inconsolable and collapsed upon entering the front door and the police visited not long after. They thought of him as someone trying to find a friend. We then learned that predators usually try 8 or 9 times before becoming successful. And I know intuitively this guy wasn't just socially challenged. He was manipulative and dangerous, every bone in my body knew there was no way this guy had anything but bad intentions. That area was actually a bit of a hotspot for predators with a number of reported attempts and it becoming a community focus. I saw that same man about 30 meters from our property on another occasion, not long after the incident, but I was with my father and was too scared to speak up. I think he might've been scoping the property in hindsight. I can't be certain though.

I think he's 5th for total key passes, 7th for key passes per game. Yes, it means the final pass that leads to a shot from a teammate. No it's not fair to say that the more passes a player makes, then the more key passes they will also have. Look at the numbers from this season if you don't believe me. There's a reason De Bruyne has/was best for key passes played and that's because he's a guy who can make attacks happen by playing in teammates with quality. You would know as a DLP yourself that you would have more key passes than a holding midfielder playing alongside you who might have just as many passes in general. The difference is one is a catalyst for an attacking move, whereas the other is often just used to work the defensive shape and doesn't have much attacking potency. I personally don't see where you are going with this. Yes, he is our main man at times, but he is also playing a different role to the one where he enjoyed creative license previously. He's more of a box-to-box midfielder at the moment, rather than an attacking midfielder who can position himself and reserve energy solely for the final third. As for crediting Grealish for the Luiz goal it is not absurd, I find your reluctance to acknowledge the importance of the less glorious aspects of play a bit frustrating. But I'm not going to go and start exaggerating things by calling your perspectives absurd or far-fetched, because they are different to how I would call it. Grealish attacks the left side of the box, draws in two defenders and the attention of everyone momentarily. His pass was basic yes, and so? How else should've he played it? The pass was weighted so that no defender could close out on Luiz, and gave Luiz a good chance to set himself to take on what was an excellent finish. I think Luiz would credit his teammate before taking insult as you suggest.

@StefanAVFC I was recently overlooked as best man by a friend who I am longest serving friend to from the time of his arrival in Australia from England. We've always been tight and when he told me he was getting married I thought I'd be best man, but he opted for another friend of his. Sometimes you have to understand that your feelings are about what you want, even if you feel like your way serves others best interests. Ultimately you should respect your friends freedom to make decisions for himself, regardless of whether or not you want that for them too. Allow him dignity of risk to make those mistakes that you're seeing him make, you can and should offer your counsel but do so tactfully as a friend. Then as other have mentioned previously, just do your best to make the most of the experience and be there for your friend if he needs you, in whatever way you can. I actually ended up missing the stags snowboarding trip that was organised for him because I am not in close contact with his other friend. That was disappointing to miss. I possibly won't be at the wedding either as flying to England for a few days and back again isn't something I'm committed to just yet. He was disappointed with that. We've discussed and agreed that our friendship can endure and prosper beyond the marriage, as it has for over a decade and some significant change for us both. Disappointment is part of negotiating life and as long as you don't live in that disappointment and let it define the experience, it will pass and you can find better ways to live. Same goes for your bond with this friend of yours who's getting married. It helps to be well prepared and familiar with your speech and its purpose when nerves are an issue, so you can focus on that and not any overwhelming anxieties. My sisters 21st everyone winged their speech except for me, I was so nervous, she's quite the socialite and I didn't want to disappoint, I'm her eldest brother. I was battling mental health and my own demons at the time of my and my peers 21st birthdays, I'm not sure if I ever attended one if I'm honest. I didn't know what was expected of me, all I knew was everyone made a big deal of the occasion and this was my only sisters big day. So I spent some hours putting pen to paper. If you can muster 750 words or 2-3 pages of content on this fella that is genuine and endearing, you've got yourself a 5 minute speech, and I back you to be a success. As I said, everyone (her boyfriend, our little brother and my mother) didn't prepare anything and winged it, which made for an awkward interval in the festivities. We had an entire pub booked out for us and the place was packed with all her friends and acquaintances, when speeches were announced I shat bricks. Thankfully my speech was really well received, people cheered and applauded and a few of her friends approached me afterward congratulating me on my effort. It was so basic. I simply discussed her qualities and development as a person, and what that's meant for me as a friend and sibling. I didn't go into specific scenarios. Most of, if not all of, those in attendance burst into laughter when I transitioned from heartfelt compliments about her to making a fart joke.. Just a reminder that she's human. It wasn't anything special but people appreciated that we were all there to celebrate my sister and that I had actually tried in regards to making speeches an enjoyable part of that.

I guess one is a position the other is a role. You can be a defensive midfielder and play the DLP role, or you can be a defensive midfielder that plays the holding role. Both operate in the same area of the pitch, however one is tasked with protecting the back four, and will generally hold that space to enable attacking players license up front. The other, the DLP, is tasked with making crucial passing decisions which determine the initial tempo of an attack and if the ball will be played square, wide or direct. I agree with what you've said about the qualities and traits wanted in a player given their role. However it's hard to pigeonhole because often each player will be slightly unique. Intensity, work rate and ability to anticipate and thwart opposition attacks with tackles and intercepts are key when the role of a DM is to provide protection for the back four. Passing range, reading of the game, positional awareness, vision and an advanced technical ability are ideal traits for the DLP role. But again pigeonholing it all doesn't really account for the different tactics and formations employed from one manager to the next, as well as the varying skill-sets of players.

Don't mind me. I don't even bet. I'm just sharing my thoughts on the matter. Perhaps not worded as well as I'd intended. That's great that you bet with amounts that are affordable. I only lend what I can afford to lose, so I can relate to the wisdom in that principle. However the aim of placing a bet is in the hope that it comes good and you gain on your initial investment, yes? So all I'm saying is I can't really understand why you bet against the team you support, as in doing so you are guaranteed disappointment one way or the other. Villa wins, you're betting outcome is not what you wanted, Villa loses, then the outcome of the game is not what you wanted. As I said, don't mind me, I just can't understand why of all the bets that can be made, why you'd choose that one.

I love Villa but I need money, and to get it, I'm banking on the worst possible scenario for my club. If I succeed then the club fails, if the club succeeds then I made a poor investment. I'm not disputing anyone's ability to win themselves some money by betting against their team. I just can't really imagine a scenario where there's not a disappointment as a result of doing so. You're either apathetic about the success of the club or apathetic about the success of your dollar.

@KenjiOgiwara You do realise Grealish is the 4th most fouled played and 5th best in the league for key passes played across the entire league. He also passes with a 86% success rate. This doesn't really align with your notion that Grealish makes more square passes than he should and slows down the pace of an attack unnecessarily. It's quite the opposite. He covered the pitch in 3 or 4 touches against Spurs and still played a ball that ended with an attempt for Trezeguet. He's assisted Luiz from out-wide in the final third with a pass that allowed Luiz enough time on the ball to adjust himself and score. He and David Silva are averaging 40.7 passes per game, would you say David Silva overuses the ball? Grealish has double the key passes of Silva, same success rate for passes. As for his shooting, his ability to create space for a shot isn't his best asset, and he is often accompanied by intense attention from one or multiple defenders wherever he gets it.. So often a clear shot on goal isn't really something that's available to him, even from the top of the box, so to find the space to shoot into is difficult. He's basically shooting from around the top of the box, with a defender man-marking him, add a line of defense, plus a goalie to beat, so attempts are tough to make. Shots on target are either going to get deflected or find a very narrow angle and hit the back of the net. To do the latter deliberately is a difficult skill to execute. That's why a lot of his shots are attempts to curl them into the top corner, he's aware that the bulk of the goal is covered by defenders. Inevitably many will go wide of the mark.

Betting against Aston Villa would bring about the kind of cognitive dissonance I could do without. It's almost a contradiction in terms and I am thinking it would bring about mental unrest and conflict of interest. How could it not? "I want to lose money so that the team I support wins" "I want to win money from the loss of the team that I am supposed to want to win"

So important to get optimal points from a game early on and establish ourselves as a team that can win games. I feared for Smith in this regard, despite being confident in the team assembled on and off the pitch, nothing had been proven beyond our status in the league. I was wary that outcomes might not be indicative of our input. or that a slow start in regards to points may bring about uncertainty Smith's plans and our direction. Merely reminding ourselves that we were competitive and on another day could've got something from games in which we lost won't be enough. At some point results are a must. Winning against Everton means confidence is gained and fears alleviated. The pressure that Smith and his team have on them to survive becomes approval for the time being. In my mind, every game we play except for Arsenal between now and the end of October we need to be looking for the win in each game. It's a kind run and chance for momentum. Taking a haul of 15 from a possible 18 would be such statement of intent that no one was expecting, it would really set us up wonderfully every way you look at it. Crystal Palace, West Ham, Burnley, Norwich and Brighton are all games in which you would hope we add to our points total should we want to retain Premier League status. We've not played much football since Houllier in which we've been confident of the team on the pitch, that could change with our upcoming run of fixtures. I'm just thankful Smith has a view to win every game we play.

Hard to argue a lot of that because it's hypothetical, but I think all of it is well reasoned. I don't agree but I think you make a valid point that Bournemouth put the onus on us. However, I'm curious, in regards to the Bournemouth game, where do their two goals come from outside of our two mistakes? Spurs didn't score for over 70minutes against us. On the point of mistakes, you are saying that you believe they will continue to occur, for the reasons outlined, until tactics are rectified and amended to a better standard of play. I don't think there's any arguing that the two goals that Bournemouth scored were consequence of individual errors and had nothing to do with Smith's tactics. The remainder of that game saw us take control of possession retention and chances created, so that's, in my view, not really a case in point for your argument. Jota, Trezeguet, Grealish and McGinn scored or assisted 12, 18, 12 and 16 respectively in the divisions they played in last season. Half of that in the PL would be an okay haul. Grealish and Mcginn already adding to their tally this season, and McGinn in particular showing we'll be a threat from midfield. Grealish's transition break was nice against Spurs. Luiz's goal and even that dummy weren't half bad, all we needed was for the dummy to be in our attacking third and not theirs! Might have been a stroke of genius. While I'm not disagreeing with you in regards to where goals will come from, or am I super confident in individuals who are yet to prove themselves, I'm not pessimistic either.

At a guess it's down to the quality of scorers on court and the fact that more training is done at club level. When I play domestic we hit between 40-80 points pg per side. When I play professionally each team would typically hit between 70-110 pg. Higher percentage scorers and offense structured to make the most of that means more successful attempts from one play to the next. Sometimes at the Olympics a team will score as low as 50 points, whereas in the NBA an individual is more likely to score that than a team. Totally agree with LaVine and Markonnen comment. Valentine's back isn't he? Which isn't a big inclusion, but a definite plus. You know Coby White got votes in the most categories of any rookie (he was tied with one other) for the upcoming season in regard to Rookie of The Year. He polled votes in each of these categories (voted by his peers): Rookie of The Year, Best Career, Biggest Steal, Best Defender and Best Playmaker.

I won't name names and apologies if this is unwelcome or even against the rules.. But I've just seen one Villa supporter get another into some trouble. There's a market for people who want and can afford the real jersey, which I'm guessing the majority of, if not all people would prefer. Think about that.. The majority if not all customers want what you're selling. Not the fakes. Have a think and don't be so trigger happy the next time you want to have a criminal record put on somebody. It might have consequences for their quality of life, for the remainder of their life. And in this case for what? I'm just asking that you make that assessment for yourself.

Never thought I'd be a fan of a Lady Gaga song, but this one's on the playlist for sure.

@mjmooney That one's getting framed and straight to the trophy cabinet.