philgetaway

Yeah, it's annoying how he passes it sideways to where our best players are playing.

We need a 30 year old experienced GK as cover. Gollini has played well so far apart from the 2 errors - that has essentially cost us 3 points over the two games. Cant afford for his form/Morale to drop and have Bunn to pick-up the pieces.

First 11 looking good. They just ran out of gas yesterday. Early season, warm evening, we really put a shift in first half, was always going to be hard to maintain for 90. Need some squad depth now, so we can play this way for 90. I'm sure this will come though. Why have Baker/Richards and Hutton on the bench last night? Hepburn-Murphy would have been a better option. GG seems to be struggling for form.

Good decision closing the upper. Atmosphere has been much better, with the stadium being full in the areas that are open.

Wouldnt have McCormack or Elphik near this one. Get McCormack on the training ground and get him fit for the league. Couldnt care less about this competition, but we need to start winning games, its been a long time.

Gollini: Thought he had a decent game in all. Good positioning and made a few saves. Poor kick for the goal sure, but we were unlucky as it still hit Elphik twice before it fell into their players path. Hutton: I want to like him, his attitude, and he looks hard as nails, but he really isn't very good. Defensively he was poor (more so first half), and his crossing is awful. Elphik: This guy was a legend in the making. Winning headers, being brave, just what we needed. Constantly talking throughout the game. Only thing is that he didn't want to play as much as I thought. Between him and Baker, there was little responsibility on the ball. This will need to change, especially at VP. Baker: Decent performance, and as we now, very brave. Cissokho: I don't think I have a problem with Cissokho being our LB with Amavi. They both offer something different and can alternate through the season. Gardner: He didn't really do well at all. Gave the ball away a lot first half, always looking for a first time 40 yarder. Could have been booked before he did as well. Only player who's shirt wasn't wet through at HT. Westwood: Decent from westwood, showed a variation of passes. Got on the end of a few knock downs, should have maybe scored. Bacuna: Poor first half, he didn't really know how to play the position. Better second half, but we could do better then this surely? Ayew: I think he needs to play up front. He shouldn't be doing the donkey work going backwards. Yes, selfish at time, but after last season if he gave the ball away to a team mate he wouldn't get it back, I think he can trust McCormack to play him back in. Mccormack: Looks good. Just get him fit and he will be the link man we've missed for so long. Should have scored his chance though, that was the difference between the two teams, and our 12m man missed his. Gestede: Bloody useless. If we're not playing with wingers there is no point. Saying that, we put balls in the box second half, and he was standing on the edge of the box! Our centre half has come off with a bandage round his head. Gustede isn't giving our opposition that sort of game. Ref - McCormack through on goal first half? Elphiks booking? 2nd booking for bringing Hutton down? Peno on Baker?

Fair play if we take near 6k to Barnsley on at Tuesday nit!

Would be great, but can't see it. is this an actual link?

Ross McCormack turns 30 in two weeks. About to move for another eight-figure sum. Never played a Premier League game. Utter madness. (off twitter) I don't care though. The new wave football fans that want to be bankers can do one. SAF signed RVP at 31 to win a league... I'm hoping this guy gets us promoted.

Big Tone said we have sold 20k on Twitter. Also said Newcastle have sold 33k. Also said it wouid be good to get VP full again, and is up for reopening the trinity if needs be.

Yeah fair point, and that does read like a lot - 26 games. But in theory it's just over half the fixtures in this marathon league. Plus 1 of our wins last season was against Norwich, and we didn't lose to Newcastle, two sides some claim are in better shape than us! But yeah, you obviously have to win games to get promoted. It really is a marathon. There are SEVEN games in April.... SEVEN.... 21 points for the taking. With our current squad depth and a January window, I'd like to think we would be at least in the playoffs.

Boro lost 9 games a drew another 11 last season and got promoted automatically. We we will lose games in the league - we just need everyone to stay calm and not dig players out early doors. Sheff Wednesdays successful last season was based on home form - they only lost 2! Will be a tough first game.

Ha! Knowing Sinclair's footballing drive, he would turn it down anyway.

When will he bit fit? Is he at least in brum?

If we announced the signing of a striker, from Lazio, for 7m today, where we stand, we would be buzzin. Appreciate he's had long injuries though.

Celtic will buy Sinclair, but only if they qualify for the CL. Otherwise they can't afford him. My mate works up there for the club. just illustrates how things take time and have dependencies.

Do me a favour mate. Its clear Sheff Wed have been stalling over the prices and allocation. Villa said they would have an update on Monday, and they ended up waiting on Sheffield until Friday. The price is a disgrace. I wouldn't mind if Villa took the bare minimum allocation to prove a point. Even though we know we can sell 4K, I wouldn't mind us taking a hit on this one. SW have us as a CAT 1 game. They have Leeds following week as a CAT 2 game - so cheaper tickets. With this in mind, who else in the league is a fookin CAT 1? It's the Championship ffs.

They've made the sizes on smaller so smaller kids have to take an Adults shirt at and Adults price

Away to Luton in the League Cup

Good to see the OS all over the new fixtures being released.

Fair play to Big Tone if he did offer Moyes the job, even though Hollis suggested Pearson, as reported. Moyes was/is clearly the stand-out candidate, and the idea that logic has prevailed for once at Villa and we offered the job is refreshing. I remember when Mark Hughes was available to Lerner and we ended up with Mcleish or waited 3 months for Houillier to serve his notice period - I can't remember who it was. Shame if he has turned i down, no idea who we get now. Unconvinced by Pearson and RDM - Martinez did well building Swansea.

Maybe Big Tone is taking cash out the back-door to bring to the Villa?

Yep, very true. How much will the club get in parachute payments? I am massively over-simplifying things I know, but say he gets a loan out for 60m. Buys us, and pays the loan back with the parachute payment. Leaving us with an owner with no money? His profile has gone through the roof though, with logical claims of us being a top three club in the world and so on........

Forgot you need subscription... Here it is from the FT: The Chinese business group which has agreed to buy Aston Villa football club admitted on Friday that it controlled only one listed company, not the five previously claimed in a press release. The admission raises questions about the due diligence on Tony Xia, the businessman behind the deal. He is chairman of the Recon Group, a Beijing and Hangzhou based private holding company which controls 75 per cent of Lotus Health Group, a large producer of the food additive MSG. On the website of the Aston Villa football club, a biography of Mr Xia — posted on May 18 when the sale was announced — reads: “Recon Group is a privately owned holding company that owns the controlling interest in five publicly listed companies on the Hong Kong and Chinese stock exchanges.” The Recon Group website appears to show the group has several listed subsidiaries, however stock exchange filings show that Recon Group only has a significant stake in Lotus Health. A Hangzhou-based spokesman for Recon reached by telephone on Friday, who identified himself only as Mr Jin, admitted the company “currently only has controlling share in Lotus Health”. Meanwhile, he said: “The acquisition deals for the remaining four companies are still being finalised and should come out soon.” He declined to name the companies. The Recon Group said the mistaken information contained in the press release had been the result of a “miscommunication” with Aston Villa, and they would ask the football club to change the wording of the statement. The information raises questions not just about the truthfulness of the claims surrounding Mr Xia’s business dealings, but about the financial health of Mr Xia’s business group, which agreed this week to pay an undisclosed sum for Villa. Last month, Lotus — Recon’s only verifiable asset — announced it had made a net loss in 2015 of Rmb508.5m ($77.6m) on revenues of Rmb1.7bn, compared with a net profit of Rmb23.9m the previous year. Lotus produces 150,000 tonnes of MSG, exporting to more than 70 countries every year, according to Shanghai stock exchange filings, as well as other food additives. Recon Group’s other revenues were unclear as the group does not appear to have ever published an audited financial statement. In addition Mr Jin denied an assertion by Steve Hollis, Villa’s Chairman, who was quoted on Thursday saying that Mr Xia had helped to build the Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing. “Again, you need to ask him but he is responsible for the Bird’s Nest in Beijing and some of the other major iconic developments in China” Mr Hollis was quoted in an article in the Birmingham Mail. “Xia was never involved in the planning or designing of the Bird’s Nest stadium. Xia’s expertise is in urban design” said Mr Jin. A spokesman for Aston Villa confirmed that Mr Hollis was accurately quoted, but said he was not sure what information Mr Hollis was citing.

http://on.ft.com/1YI8Nn7 The Chinese business group which has agreed to buy Aston Villa football club admitted on Friday that it controlled only one listed company, not the five previously claimed in a press release. The admission raises questions about the due diligence on Tony Xia, the businessman behind the deal. “Xia was never involved in the planning or designing of the Bird’s Nest stadium. Xia’s expertise is in urban design”