Five Ken McNaughts

According to the IFAB’s new laws on handball, the close-quarters ricochet onto Bernardo’s hand should only be a factor if it leads to a goal. In general play, it remains ‘accidental’ and not an offence. In other words, had the ricochet off Bernardo’s hand reached Sterling, and been put into the net, the goal would have been disallowed (but since that never happened, Bernardo has not committed an offence and the handball by Alexander-Arnold should be viewed in isolation). It is a glaring paradox in the new handball laws.

Probably my first, last and only post in this thread. If it wasn't for a few Friday Guinness, I wouldn't have dived into any dreaded politics at all. I personally don't care how anyone voted in the referendum. My own family was split. All of us rational, intelligent, well-meaning people. I have long since stepped away from the whole thing on account of the venom, labels and stereotypes from the chaos-mongers in the media. There are successful European nations inside the EU, and successful European nations outside the EU. Both possible results were perfectly reasonable outcomes for the 650 public servants (MPs) at Westminster to implement, in conjunction with fellow professional people in Brussels (rather than everyone on all sides regressing to the playground sandpit). I highlight your point, @NurembergVillan, only to make the minor observation that the campaign to leave the EU championed a reconnection with the 2.5bn, largely non-white, members of the Commonwealth – over what was viewed / portrayed as protectionist EU policies – and an immigration system that would put EU and Commonwealth citizens (of all colours) on a level playing field. I think that point is sometimes in danger of slipping down the Orwellian memory hole, so I mention it here and tiptoe away, back to my preferred position of non-combatant in this. Peace, love and respect to all of you. I hope everyone can play nicely. Back to the Guinness...

Jack’s mum: “Hi, son. How did it go against Brighton today? I heard the England boss was watching.” Jack: “Total waste of time. Red card.” Mum: “You got yourself sent off?” Jack: “What? No, I got one of their guys sent off. Then I got a goal. Then I got an assist. Then I got man of the match.” Mum: “So why was that a waste of time?” Jack: “I dunno, that’s just what the England boss said.” Mum: “Well, did he say anything nice?” Jack: “Yeah, he said if I keep on trying hard then one day I could be as good as…” Mum: “Zidane? Pirlo?” Jack: “… Callum Hudson-Odoi.”

I think the free-for-season-ticket-holders gesture was well intentioned but ultimately backfired. From the Trinity Upper I could see the only part of the Doug Ellis that was packed (and doing the most singing) was the area that is usually away seating. These were also the seats that made it to general sale. I think a lot more fans who usually miss out on league games would have jumped at the chance to see Villa for a tenner – and made the most of the experience – had the regular cup ticketing been in place. I suspect we managed to miss out on a crowd in the high 30s, a better atmosphere and higher gate receipts.

That's not your, or anyone else's, honest held opinion, mate. "Screwdriver"? A thing that's good at "winding up". We get it.

Yep, that's a rather disappointing crowd. Seems the record attendance memo didn't quite make it to B6. But a 2-1 win and three wins from three keeps Villa Women joint top (second on goal difference). If this does actually turn into a promotion campaign, I am sure any Spring matches at Villa Park will pull in a few more.

Not surprised the bookies are finding this one hard to call. I can see a narrow Villa win. One-goal margin. With a deafening Villa Park dragging the lads over the line again. Would also love to have a totally anonymous ref, who saw his role as merely facilitating a fair sporting contest between two sides (pure crazy talk, I know).

Not quite the sentence involving "Kevin Friend" and "investigative committee" that I have been hoping to read.

Is that you, David Cameron?

Villa Women playing Blackburn at Villa Park tomorrow. Might well have gone out of curiosity had I been free. I'm sure the club will be hoping to smash the 1,600 record from last season. I wonder what a game against Blues on an international weekend would draw if the women's side went up (there looks to be pretty healthy crowd at the Etihad today).

While his career says he must be better than what we have seen, he always looked like he was playing in oven gloves to me. So many shots just pushed straight back into the danger zone. I would imagine he doesn't cut a very happy figure around the training ground. Shame for everyone that we couldn't move him on, really.

EDIT: I will move my rather specific (abd slightly dull) VAR question to the Video Assistant Referee Thread. On another note, I watched this Jack Grealish highlights video while thinking about the suggestion of @sne that Jack could do a job on the left. It is interesting to see how comfortable and effective he is in this part of the pitch. And no slouch either. Depending on how much restructuring our midfield requires in the weeks ahead, I wouldn't necessarily rule out the option.

I'm disappointed we haven't heard more from Villa regarding the Jack Grealish situation. I know the FA rules say we can't appeal the yellow card, but that's exactly what the Scottish FA rules used to say until two years ago. Then a couple of teams kicked up a big fuss over blatant fouls given as simulation and the SFA were forced into a re-think. Now cards wrongly given for diving can be reviewed and revoked in Scotland. Why is this common sense approach totally beyond our own FA? Why are we not hammering on their door with the Grealish case? The only argument we ever hear for the long list of things that can't be reviewed – compared to the tiny list of things that can – is something to do with "workload". Cry me a river! I've never heard such nonsense. In what other profession can someone be accused of dishonesty, then told – by that profession's governing body, no less – that they have NO RIGHT to object and clear their name? Against an allegation that was demonstrably false?!? What kind of Orwellian bullshit is this? And how is the FA's stance even legal in wider employment law? These clowns and their panels have plenty of time to go looking for something that isn't there (remember the laughable "Grealish cleared to play in second leg" headlines after the first match against West Brom?). But when it comes to doing the simple, obvious and right thing to clear up an injustice, they want to hide behind illogical and unfair rules as if they are unchallengeable holy scripture. Heavy-handed, authoritarian, bullying behaviour is what it is. A court with a prosecution but no defence. All from the people who want to talk to you about "Respect". So, come on Villa. Even if it gets us nowhere. Let's have an official complaint against Kevin Friend and a press release calling on the FA to change their rules. I, for one, would feel better for it.

Did not know that. Thanks for the book tip. Am currently reading "Aston Villa: A Nostalgic Look at a Century of the Club." Could look at those old pictures all day long. It got me thinking – I would love to see the the new owners invite Peter McParland to be guest of honour for a home game this season. The idea of him taking the applause from a sell-out Villa Park singing his name is enough to give anyone goosebumps. North American sports do so much more to honour past heroes (as Wes Edens will well know). We should do these things, not just wait for the black armband days.

@The Fun Factory I was looking at that exact same patch of seats today as I was booking a couple for the Burnley game (ended up in Trinity upper again). Like you say, I'm surprised they can't call them "Extreme Restricted View" and sell them at a knockdown price. It's more money for the club and more Villa voices in the ground, after all. I hadn't thought of any Health & Safety / Falling over the edge reasons for non-sale, though your comment did remind me of playing "Lemmings" on the Amiga 500. This new "Gas Lamp Lounge" in the North Stand sounds interesting (from the promotional piece on the official website at least). Someone mentioned on this thread that the North Stand hospitality boxes were all being knocked through and I guess this is the result of it. So, a kind of budget executive experience with tickets for the lounge starting from £75? Sounds very good in principle. I'm already thinking birthday treat for my old dad. Just hope they have made a good job of it.

VillaTalkers were already pointing out this very thing by half-time in the match thread. The front-loading of just under half the Villa team with yellow cards – while Palace enjoyed diplomatic immunity – all but guaranteed the last 30-40 minutes of this match would be 11 v 10. And so it proved. It is actually a very clever way to orchestrate a desired outcome – no controversial incidents for Match of the Day's 5 minutes, no interest from the wider football world... just set the match going in one direction and let nature take its course. Apart from a bunch of "whinging Villa fans" it would all have been so wonderfully under the radar. Unfortunately for Kevin Friend, as the ball rolled to Henri Lansbury in the 96th minute, his steering of this match hit a bloody big problem. I mean, how's your luck, Kev? 15 seconds from exiting stage left with a classic dimpled smirk. Of the two options available (hope that Lansbury misses, or simply "out" his agenda with a ludicrous decision) Friend chose the latter. Was that agenda personal, or broader? That, I couldnt possibly know. I do know it was clearly observable.

The way Cahill throws out his arms and then his left leg, creating a "wall", no part of which gets anywhere near the ball as he brings Jack down... (again, thanks to @LakotaDakota for that particular clip). In the women's World Cup version of VAR, that's a penalty and a yellow for Cahill all day long. Yet in the Premier League version of VAR it's "no reason to overturn the 'dive' decision". Seriously, what the hell is happening this season? Then we have Dele Alli doing an absolute Superman dive against Arsenal – with a foot of clear daylight between him and the defender – while the ref and VAR couldn't care less and the commentator gives it the old "to be fair he got straight back up" (yeah, it's called embarrassment, mate). But how can we expect any better from our officials when a PL ref of 11 years, Peter Walton, can sit on the BT Sport sofa and say "Definitely the right call – Grealish was clearly trying to buy a foul" while half a dozen ex-pros laugh at him in disbelief? Premier League officiating is the laughing stock of the world right now.

Well, fair enough. Though I have put that assumption about refs not actively cheating on hold for now

I do appreciate your technical efforts, @LakotaDakota, even if we don't quite see it the same way. However, I think a court would be asked to disregard all the clips that begin AFTER the impact. That is really not fair and just ends up playing tricks on the eye (your most recent clip looks more like something that might do the rounds on other clubs' message boards and give a completely false impression of Jack's actions). Your clip that is headed "closer to real speed" is the only one that gives fair evidence. It shows Jack's entire body being catapulted to the right by Cahill's impact on his thigh, with the exception of the one part of his body BENEATH the point of impact – his lower left leg. I rather suspect his left leg stopped moving "naturally" because of the aforementioned massive impact (which flipped Gary Cahill over like a bowling pin)

I agree with the comments of @KenjiOgiwara and @Keyblade and have a few issues with the new clip and the given interpretation. For a start, it begins just AFTER Cahill's left knee/thigh has smashed into Jack's left thigh – Cahill's left leg is already on the rebound from it and, as we know, he was floored by the impact. (I appreciate that the moment of impact in that angle's original footage is obscured by Kevin Friend, but he would not have been obscuring his own view – so it is not quite true to say this is the view he would have had). Secondly, it is suggested that Grealish's left foot is thrown out to the left in an unnatural way. I disagree. The left foot actually doesn't move a great deal at all. The REST of Jack – everywhere above the left knee – moves to the right quite significantly, in keeping with a forceful impact above the left knee. This is what magnifies the impression / illusion of the left leg being "thrown out". Jack was clattered. He did nothing wrong whatsoever.

Without wanting to wade too far into the above Elmo debate (I'm a Guilbert fan – though Elmo has regained my respect since his Leeds Xmas nightmare), I do think it's perfectly fair for people to form reasoned opinions based on what they observe in pre-season, while taking full account of the level of opposition. Apart from fitness, that's kind of the point of pre-season, isn't it? I'd be pretty disappointed if all the coaches pooled their notes after the Leipzig game and it amounted to one scribbled line of "It's just pre-season!".

Some of the comments beneath the official Premier League Tweet of the result are hilarious. Not many things get the entire football world to agree. (All except BT Sport's go-to VAR expert, ex-ref Peter Walton, who maintains Grealish was caught cheating and that this whole affair is a well-earned feather in the cap for referees and their video assistants).

Feel like I actually hit the bar there as I was thinking it was during the run-in!

I'm guessing the last time we got close to that would have been battling Spurs for 4th under O'Neill. No idea if we did it though.