Dave-R

Yes I know what your saying, for so long it looked and sounded like we had or have a bunch of rejects the Dean Smith comes in and they all start playing a million times better. Our players devalued because of the crap performances and all because we were portly coached or in Bruce's case not coached at all. We have had players in where we have written them off because we thought they didn't pull their weight in the team, expensive signings as well, I do wonder what some of our rejects would be like under Smith. Do wonder if McCormack would of even fell out of favour under Smith, i do think managers like bruce who have there favourites and so quick to alienate other players relise that talent is going down the drain because of their actions, its not always the players fault, Dean seems to give everyone a fair chance. Smith for me certainly has opened my eyes up again, to be honest and because of 8 or more bad seasons of being managed, I was beginning to think Dean Smith's style of football was not only a myth but would we ever see it at Aston Villa. We deserve all of what should becoming back to villa down the road. The club, the fans they deserve success after the bleak times we have had to endure and it's amazing how the new owners are in it for the win and want to see success back at out club.. Since I joined this forums last season, I don't ever think I recall this forum where so many were enjoying the game again. The place is mostly filled with positive comments and us fans see the changes and have faith in the owners, coaches basically from the top down.

They sure do, is crazy that early this season our players looked out of touch with football, not as fit, puzzled, were like a jigsaw unable to fit any pieces together. Then Dean comes in and we now look explosive, attitudes have gone higher, fitness is up, tactics installed, their is a real belief in what they go and do, it's amazing. Good thing for Dean is he got his dream job in the end and he is going to do all he can do make villa shine..

I really enjoy listening to Dean, he is a breath of fresh air compared to bruce and others that have managed us.. I feel like our players are adopting Deans style fast which is great, but our players have always been a passionate bunch, it's crazy that bruce couldn't get out of them what Dean is, there is something really wrong with the way bruce manages. As it stands we should go to Birmingham city and do the business there, hope we do anyway and have faith we will come away with 3 points. Excellent score yesterday and Nyland seems to be improving, here's hoping he has another brilliant game against Birmingham city. I bet our owners are licking there lips as of late, everyone from top down to the bottom seems to be bringing this club back slowly, of course there are tons of hurdles to go but we have the squad for it. Nine points from top, it isn't much at all and it only requires those teams above us to slip up, it's so tight this season's championship is at the moment.

Brilliant result against an inform derby.

What even if it's bringing more coinage in, Its a name and the name doesn't change what we all love about Aston Villa, does not change the clubs history or how the club moves forward. We do unfortunately need to roll with the times. While other clubs are bringing in more funds from sponsor deals like this, if we don't it will be more of the same where we are staying in the past. We have to change on every level not just on the pitch. I am all for a name change myself, so long as Villa Park is still in there on the name..

No on what, addidas in the name or just the idea of a rename??

I think it's got a ring too it and would be one hell of a sponsor to tie with our stadiums name. Hope Nas is prepping that one and talking to the board.

Addidas maybe?? Aston Addidas Villa Park or Addidas Aston Villa Park, either way I would love that. I could see someone big coming in anyway, it's not only our club Aston Villa but it's Birmingham, the second biggest city in this country and one hell of a place for a sponsor to get recognised even more. It seems that our stadiums in this country are taking on names just as they have been doing in America for such a long time. The NFL, baseball and basketball stadiums are renown for name changes, even new stadiums because sponsorship is highly popular there. Anything so long as we get more income coming in and it helps our club out, but I'm with others I do hope it's not a gambling one, think it would be a bad move, is bad enough on our shirts. I've never been a fan of gambling sponsors, would much rather it be sportswear sponsorships. I would hold off on a sponsor till we go back up into the premier, it holds value if we were the team to win the championship or get promotion. Good decent sponsors would come our way, not to mention increase the value of the sponsorship if we was in the premier.

If you go to board meetings and your in with the top dogs and have only 0.5% you still have power, your in that room for a reason and that's to talk shop with the rest of the dogs in the room. Whoever thinks Nas doesn't have power seriously need to rethink why he would be sitting in a room full of others who do have power. 6% is alot still and gives him say so over what happens with addidas. Take Ubisoft for instance, they couldn't stand vivendi coming in and buying up parts of there company, which I totally understand given the shady approach of vivendi. Ubisoft have been independent for far too long, yet when vivendi started snapping up % in Ubisoft, ubisoft as a company do still have to listen to whatever vivendi have to say as they have a stake in the company now. Also if Nas put a plan in place to the board like this season's kits solt extremely well like 750% better than previous seasons, then don't see why it wouldn't go ahead. So long as the addidas board see money making opportunities and good return, they would sign a kit sponsor all day long, what company wouldn't with a 750% boost. All Nas would have to really do is make a claim that using Luke to design the shirts for next season is what made that 750% boost, addidas would be daft not to do a collaboration on that and the boost could and should be significantly higher, because who wouldn't like a luke/addidas shirt??? I would..

Let's be honest FFP is annoying, I can understand why it came in, which was to stop clubs going under, but I think it needs sorting out still. Those owners of clubs with money behind them can't just go out and do a man city anymore, which in turn is annoying for us. But it may not be so annoying for us because we may not be where we are now in terms of the Dean Smith plan being with us and getting a proper game plan under way, we would most likely still be throwing as much money at the situation to resolve a promotion back to the premier or at most under sanctions and in administration. I think we have two very smart and successful owners who know the rule book where ever they go and will sort Aston Villa out whatever it takes. It's been obvious lately that you don't need to do a man city anymore anyway to make a successful team. Our club has had a fair bit of revenue of shirt sales alone, far outselling previous seasons and continue to sell well. I think in terms of marketing and merchandising our club is kicking out really good sales and that is due to the large fan base we have around the world.

In the words of alfie(Tom hardy) from peaky blinders- Big often F**** small..

I can't see anyone coming in and paying that much for him, every team out there up in the premiership had that chance while we were in the blender (could of picked jack up for as low as 10 mill) the only club that seem interested were Tottenham which they fluffed up. Not only that but Tottenham won't come chasing again especially at that price there owner is a cheapskate for a start. I think Jack resigned because of the talks with our owners, I think Jack resigned knowing what there plans were. I also think Jack enjoys it way to much at villa and think he enjoys the challenge of the championship and how he's a target. His own brother came out and stated jack didn't want to go anywhere, all while all these ex players/managers and Brian clough kept chatting crap which in turn I think it was to cause more chaos at villa considering our circumstances at the time. It was like they wanted to see us with nothing left because they knew if jack had of gone it would of hurt us and left us heart broken more than it would of financially hurt us. I think there were alot of funny smells coming from all directions at that time, because that's what the media do. They all come out the wood work when something or someone is in trouble, they don't like to be the solution to problems, just to cause more problems on top of existing ones.

Henry is a disaster at the moment, still looking for his first win. I think Henry would of got us demoted from the championship. I think Dean Smith has a very good record considering what he has had to play with at brentford and Walsall. DS deserves the chance to take us up and if he does which I'm confident in him, his dream will of come true I guess. Taking his fav club into the premiership under his watch, it's his time to shine and he knows it. When I look at Dean on match days you see a man full of confidence in what he's doing, he has made teams that will go out there and pull other teams to bits all while those teams that were pulled to bits cost alot and still played a decent game. Dean Smith seems like a very intellectual man with an excellent understanding of the modern game, he has it in him to go far he does as a manager and win trophies , he just needs the rite backing.

The way it's going with this FFP every club will be investigated with in depth searching for all sorts. If FFP is to stand for what it's to bend and for then something is going to have to be done. As it stand every person who set up FFP and signed looks like they set it up all for nothing because there is obviously abuse to the system and it isn't working rite. The only way to sort the mess is to either abolish FFP or get strict with FFP and enforce the rules. Didn't Purslow reassure us we was working within the rules while he was sat next to Terry in that interview abit ago.

I know what your saying, but even some of those teams are spending more than what they have coming in all to stay on top. I think if the owners can afford it and want to spend it, well why not. Wonder how we would of faired if Wes and Nas had of come in before FFP, we will never know if they'd of gone to the lengths as to what man city did to become a top club again. It's not just the buying of an expensive team, the club's named over the past few days seem to be in breach of a fair few things ie the selling of player names abroad for high values all while saving in marketing income. There seems to be more allegations coming out and when a club is doing sly stuff and not disclosing it to the rite channels they should be made an example of I think or FFP means nothing. It wouldn't surprise me if the smaller clubs get done all while the bigger clubs dodge the bullet, because big or screws small somehow.

Has there even been any evidence there is a release clause in Jacks contract, I tend not to believe media and those that came out who are from other clubs ie managers stating there was one. I believe when we were in trouble and selling jack was a priority as we needed the coinage, the owners came in and put a stop to that and ritely so, it's about time we stopped feeding other teams with our talent. Remember Wes Edans does have sports experience, he's familiar in building a team and turned around the milwhakee bucks. I also think our new owners would want to come in and do things the rite way first time and it seems to be working. If the owners are lieing and that's if, then Purslow is also lieing, he actually talked about FFP on camera rite, all about staying within the rules, not breaching and working within the system and how he was one of those who signed to bring FFP in. I don't think our new owners are lieing or bending the rules, they have done an awful lot to remain just under the fine line of FFP it seems. I think somewhere along the way a team like man city breaching these rules is going to cost them, soon some club/clubs is going to be made an example of, it's only a matter of time before it happens, it would be crazy not to start with the recent storm of two big teams commiting FFP rule breaks.

I don't have a problem with loans out and loans in if it's for the development of our players and to get more experienced players in. But there is a fine line with loans that we shouldnt cross, those players who are having club troubles, falling out with the team, injury prone, not even put on the bench and struggling. Our club can do without those players who dont even make the bench who are hoping a club like us will come along and help revive a career that is dwindling at there current club, well those type of players we should not go for in loans. We have the money and if we aren't going to breach FFP, I don't see why we can't move for inform players, not mess around with the loan market all for the sake of saving penny's. We have rich sugar daddy's, take advantage of it all so long as the players brought in are doing there job..

Yeah that would be rite us being the brentford v bruce aston villa which I'm hoping becomes his sheffield Wednesday. I live in Sheffield as well and I am so going to let rip on any Wednesday fan if they have bruce, deffo going to that game. We owe both sheffield teams anyway. The stick I got wearing my villa shirt in Sheffield at the time of our losses under bruce, I was like yeah so what your all still irrelevant and could put both Wednesday and utd together and still couldn't be as big as villa Will be so much fun to watch I think us v a bruce team, pumped for that. All it needs is bruce to say yes to Wednesday and it's on. Do wonder though if Bruce will actually change and train his players, change tactics as it should be obvious by now to him where he went wrong. Don't think it would bother Dean though, should imagine he would love that fixture as much as the players and will have a cheeky grin on his face saying hope your ready bruce again.

Clarke looks fast on the ball he does.. RHM made some good passes and had some good attempts on goal, very good player. Brie, good up and coming scorer. Sarkic, if only he had of dropped for the ball, he mite of stopped that last goal to take reading ahead to win at the end, it happens. Plenty of goals though from both sides, we certainly have potential.

We all know the mess bruce left us in, but we will pull through it under DS. I just feel sorry for whichever team gets bruce next, maybe the sheffield Wednesday fans who are calling for the club to get bruce will heed my warning lol.. Next week bruce maybe back in the championship, which I would love because I would love to see how we play against his team, I'd expect DS and co to hand out a thrashing, I certainly hope our players would be excited for that game..

I'd say it is better for a club if the man in charge of the team isn't the only one giving the nod on transfers, money won't be wasted and we won't get players who can't fill there roles. I would myself want as many people giving me advice as possible on every matter taking a club forward. The more info the more you can say, rite this player is the one, or no thank you I've heard to much bad vibes from those around me that he isn't going to fit in with us.

Think the difference between bruce and Smith for a start is Smith isn't stuck in his ways, bruce is. Then there is the fact that Smith will listen to others, that's why he has those around him for technical advice he may be missing. A group of people always talking, listening, giving there opinion and if things go wrong it isn't just one person fault and they can plan ahead together. Bruce was the dog wasn't he, didn't listen didn't do anything with players, take advice on, definitely set in his way and stubborn which led to that crappy outcome of results under his rule this season, he does need to change and DS coming in only proves that. I never want Henry, I'd of much rather of given Terry the nod on his own if Smith had not of come in to be honest. I think Henry would of been a disaster for us..

Do you know the one thing I really like is the fact it's great Dean Smith has arrived and is getting plans placed and sorted, changing the way we play and it feels and looks like real football again. Just one thing though, how could the previous owners of our club be so damn blind to all this that it took wes and nas to come in, to find what we need in a coach/manager. We have surely suffered under old regimes who lined there pockets with the sale of our stars, wouldn't bring the rite people in to keep us on top of football. We have a long way to go now before we are back on top of football but I do actually feel it, a movement a different vibe from owners rite down to players, feels like the grey skies are lifting over villa park. Dean Smith what can you say but I'm glad he is here and all I can say is I wished I hadn't of said I'm willing to support bruce abit more, not from what I've seen and heard from DS and company, it's been ever so different and much better.. Dino football is gone I think, shows how managers who don't, still need to go out and still train players and show them a good solid game plan, instead of throwing there players out and let them Hoofball

Build up was wonderful, Grealish had a great goal at what could of been a very tough angle for alot of players, he deserved every bit of that goal. Hopefully this is the start of a wonderful run.

Well I would consider that a success especially when the resources were not there and DS had to do with what he had available. I think it was only a matter of time before DS made his team challenge for the championship title and be ready to put a few teams in the premier on notice, that they have arrived and your going to struggle against us. I think some people don't realise that good things take time to happen and certainly don't see a run of finishes that maintain a position as a healthy strong finish. It is one thing to make a position in a league that is so difficult as is, but to keep it the season after or after that says alot about the way DS coaches.