wishywashy

17 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c4n1nkkyx5do

What a guy. And what owners we have.

12 minutes ago, ferguson1 said:

I imagine this means Daphne van Domselaar is leaving for Arsenal then? Would be a shame, as I think she’s been very good for us in her first season. Or just to replace Anna Leat maybe? 

She followed up that tweet saying that van Domselaar will probably go to Arsenal. If Leat is also off, I imagine Poor will become No.2?

Speaking of Vasco da Gama, they're currently involved in the latest drama at our sister club Vitoria. Vitoria are apparently losing their manager to them for free; there's been a public spat with the Vitoria chairman accusing him of breaking agreements and skipping out on team meetings, and the manager has in return filed a criminal complaint against the chairman for defamation.

Doesn't sound particularly ideal. They've had one of their best seasons in years too!

This is very, very interesting. From her interview she sounds like she's absolutely done with management for the time being, to keep that relationship going in a less intensive role would be great.

36 minutes ago, Indigo said:

I get you on this. Feel like folk love taking the word of Ornstein, Percy, Collomosse etc when it's news about incomings but write off anything that could perceived to be negative as being spurious speculation. There's been some numbers from Villa that would make anyone feel at least somewhat uneasy, and it's the nature if the beast these days that sometimes clubs have to move on players they ideally don't want to. We as fans obviously hope it won't happen - and it may not - but it's not some kind of miserable, bad fan mentality to acknowledge that the club probably aren't above selling any player if the offer is large enough.

Obviously in an ideal world we're just shifting the deadwood/squad filler and that'll do the job!

To be fair, everyone does this: every Villa fan absolutely did it with the whole Grealish saga, you'd have to have been soulless not to cling onto what hope we had at the time! I'll absolutely write off rumours about god forbid Dibu or Ginny if they ever picked up pace (hopefully they never will).

But we have an elite squad and a world-class management behind the scenes: we're thankfully no longer in the position where a sale of a single player is crunch time. The Rogers signing may take a lot of pressure off this dilemma, he's been an incredible bit of business whether he plays alongside Ramsey or ultimately replaces him.

If Monchi et al. manoeuvre this window as wonderfully as they did in January then we have absolutely nothing to worry about, even if we do have to say a reluctant goodbye.

28 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

It would be utterly stupid to sell him now and for a measly amount…the lowest his value could be.

I’m sick of this trend of people wanting players sold (that have been brilliant or immense for us) as soon as they are injured or going through any kind of blip/setback/challenge… it’s appalling… where have these cut throat entitled bar stewards (sorry but I’m fed up n miffed about this crap, it keeps recurring too… where is the loyalty in the fanbase that we demand from our players???) come from? I thought we had more class than that…

 

JJ gets fit and firing again, starts playing and performing well (as is the norm for him, still so young, only gonna keep getting better… plus he’s Villa through n through!), racks up the goals and assists… his value will skyrocket! But he’s ours… not to be moved on… don’t we want “one of our own” shining for us? Again… it makes me sick… why are some turning on these guys? I’d feel sick n miserable to see him turning out for any other side in the league too… 

Moreno (brought in as our first choice and replacement LB and was a visible upgrade, more effective and what Unai wanted!! Not his fault he got injured and not JJ’s that he did! What a partnership they were… cruelly deprived of that…)  was class and important, Luiz has been awesome and a massive part of why we are where we are now…

We need to appreciate these lads more…

Sorry to whoever may be offended… but it’s thick as shit to wanna sell JJ now for something like 50m when his value could soar to 80m+ when he’s back in the side and tearing it up again!! Unai values him highly…

Only gotta go back to before he was injured to see how highly rated, valued and adored he was…

What is all this “what have you done for me lately?” crap… we’re showing an ugly side…

Look, I'm pretty sure this is aimed at me, I love the passion but please calm! I'm not clamouring for him to be sold: I absolutely love the guy, I don't want him to leave!

I'm just looking at a lot of extremely reliable journalists saying that he could be an outgoing for c.£50m and pondering why, thanks to the crap financial rules, is something that Villa might be considering in this summer window! That's not what I want to happen at all!

2 minutes ago, paul514 said:

Who pays 50m for someone who has been injured all year?

Ornstein mentioned Newcastle and Bayern as interested suitors back in January: again, with the belief that we were looking for around £50m. That guy's practically the oracle of football journalism, so there's no reason to doubt that it was real. Given there was that level of interest in him despite having just started 4 league games all season, I don't think it's a stretch to think teams won't still be in for him.

For the record, I absolutely do not want him sold (nor am I remotely turning on him!). He's one of our own and an incredible player. The rumoured interest in him absolutely attests to that more than anything. If he does get sold, it's because of absolutely awful football finance rules that terribly encourage the sale of homegrown academy players and work hard to sap these fairytales out of the game.

It's just looking at our business with Rogers and the very reliable media links for several months that it's probably something that Villa are looking to do, as it is something that is (very sadly) encouraged by football finance rules.

4 minutes ago, paul514 said:

I’m very sure he won’t be sold this summer 

I wish so too, I'd absolutely hate to see him go as he's our starboy: but that's now two of the most prominent Villa journos in Collomosse and Tanswell who have said we'd consider bids for him at around £50m (Tanswell said it in one of his podcasts). There clearly is a strong possibility.

27 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I can't see it being a problem - United, Chelsea, City and Arsenal have all had manufacturers logos in their seat patterns and I think still do.

 

Thanks, couldn't think of any examples. Clearly doesn't matter as long as the seats are filled!

1 minute ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

You say this... But there are literally quotes from Emery saying he has no intention of selling him.

As a couple pages back posted by @Jas10

To be honest, I think that's really the only answer he can give to questions like that. He can't really go round publicly saying that a player like Ramsey is up for sale, both for the sake of our potential negotiating position in the summer and would just be plain bizarre to say that during our run in for Europe. I don't think we can read too much into that because it'd be a bit baffling if he said anything different, regardless of what the actual circumstances are.

I think it's abundantly clear that Ramsey is probably off at this point: practically every single article from the likes of Collomosse repeat that he's one that Villa are very open to selling. A similar replacement has been signed in Rogers and he's already up to speed: so thanks to some very clever planning his sale wouldn't really impact the team.

Collomosse has also said that we're looking to move on some financially expensive players like Digne and Coutinho. Duran is another named possible outgoing: Chelsea are interested and renowned for some silly bids, if one comes in for him that'd mean a big big profit then it'd represent a nice easy profit on a player with question marks.

You'd probably get more than enough funds to add some UCL quality to our squad and deal with PSR, especially if our motion to relax it goes through.

2 hours ago, Lichfield Dean said:

Somebody in the comments suggests that the AV on the seats is going to be replaced by the Adidas logo? Are they actually serious about that?

If true, I wonder if this is okay with UEFA ground regulations? I assume it would probably be but I know they're quite picky about club sponsorships in their competitions, and stadium sponsors are no exception.

2 hours ago, thabucks said:

It is baffling the lack of social media content across all the platforms when it comes to the Club projects and infrastructure works. Based on what I’ve seen, apparently only younger people appear to use them based on the output of trash. You would’ve thought TikTok videos on the brookvale academy building, plans for the warehouse, the terrace view fit out would’ve gathered an audience. Social media engagements is one of the tools to measure success and can be leveraged and utilised to show prospective partners in order to get better deals. We have to rely on workmen posting videos to know what is going on … 

It's bizarre. The most information we've gotten about the plans for and around Villa Park within the past year have been from a 3 minute segment of an interview with the President last week, and an article in the NYT where Wes Edens was interviewed: and the focus of the article wasn't even Villa! 

It's such an all round strange situation where we are genuinely begging to be hyped up and teased by something the club are actively working on right now, and for whatever reason the higher ups at Villa are just saying No.

Investigating and trying to resolve why VAR goal reviews can take *minutes* (which isn't a problem with the VAR system itself at all but those using it and the rules surrounding it) would be a far better use of everyone's time. 

One of its more bizarre implementations is that it can spend minutes going through every single phase of play leading up to a goal but can't quickly suggest that the referee give out yellows that they may have missed (being human and not being all-seeing) is genuinely mindboggling. I think that kind of example shows how the implementation of VAR can mean it leans less into the role of a Video Assistant Referee but a Video Referee at times (especially its role in determining whether goals are valid), which absolutely shouldn't be happening.

I'd definitely get rid of the pitch-side monitor though: it takes up way, way too much time and the fact that the on-field call virtually always gets overturned speaks for itself in how pointless it is for how much time it takes up.

But getting rid of VAR as a whole doesn't solve any underlying issues.

I dunno about scrapping it entirely. So many of the problems that VAR has are part of wider, significant issues of the state of refereeing in this country. The rules of the game are as clear as mud (They've changed what handball is several times), the genuinely bizarre and nonsensical rules surrounding when it can and can't be used, and the state of refereeing altogether is the most dire it's ever been. Getting rid of VAR because referees have no idea how to use it effectively is tackling a symptom rather than the root cause.

The problem is that any efforts (if at all) to try and get these referees to be consistent in using VAR clearly hasn't worked...

6 minutes ago, useless said:

Manager Carla Ward said: “Rachel is someone I’d previously worked with before her arrival at Aston Villa, and she has become a prominent figure within the playing squad ever since she joined us a couple of seasons ago. Her experience and leadership has played a hugely important part in our success in recent years and that will remain invaluable in 2024/25.”

Seems strange to have a quote like that from a departing manager

Could be a deal, quote and all, that was all sorted out and ready before Ward decided to depart, and has only just been announced? Otherwise it is a tad strange, yes, would have expected Billiard to be the one to give the quote otherwise

2 hours ago, Jas10 said:

• It's not Sánchez-Pizjuán, it's Birmingham. John McGinn starred in an epic moment in the historic Aston Villa celebration for getting his ticket to the next Champions League. The captain of the villains, with beer in hand, started singing... the anthem of the Centennial of Seville! The reason goes beyond the relationship that now unites the English team with the Hispanics after the arrival of Monchi, Unai Emery or Diego Carlos to Villa Park. McGinn's grandfather was president of the Scottish Federation when Juande Ramos' Sevilla won their second Europa League in Glasgow. That night in May 2007, the protagonist of this story fell madly in love with the anthem during the final against Espanyol. Such was his impression that he continued to watch videos and ended up learning, in his own way, the lyrics of El Arrebato.

•  

• His grandfather was president of the Scottish Federation when Sevilla won UEFA in Glasgow

• He fell in love with the anthem during the final against Espanyol

• Monchi, present at the April Fair: "Seville is always missed"
   

• Night of celebration at the Aston Villa. The team trained by Unai Emery and directed, at least in terms of signings, by Monchi, got this past Wednesday its place of access to the Champions League more than 40 years later and between hugs and screams, John McGinn, captain of the English team, left a very striking image: clinging to his beer... and singing the anthem of Seville.

 

The story of John McGinn, Scottish, and Sevilla - beyond Unai Emery, Monchi and some member of the coaching staff - has a long journey. The grandfather of the Aston Villa captain was the president of the Scottish Football Federation when Sevilla won their second UEFA in Glasgow, against Espanyol.

 

The night Andrés Palop signed a historic milestone, McGinn and his grandfather lived the appointment at the stadium, and the now captain of Aston Villa was captivated by the anthem of the Seville centenary

 

 

His eyes lit up, and, with a few years less, the now soccer player fell in love with the chants and the atmosphere imposed that night by the Sevilla fans. Such was his impression that he continued watching videos and ended up learning, in his own way - as you can see in the video above of the news - the anthem of El Arrebato.

Monchi, Unai Emery... Diego Carlos and Lenglet

John McGinn, however, was not the only one who found it strange to celebrate without the Sevillist anthem. At the feast of the English ensemble there were several that were well known, and much better than the Scotsman, the red-and-white chant.

Next to him, during the night, there were the aforementioned Monchi and Unai Emery, as it could not be otherwise, but there were also two former Sevilla players such as Diego Carlos and Clement Lenglet, two soccer players who, possibly, reached their best level in Nervión and who heard many, many, many times the anthem of the centenary.

A special date for Unai Emery

If this whole story wasn't curious enough, we could add one more fact: for Unai Emery, May 14 will always be special. In addition to achieving the long-awaited qualification for the Champions League last Tuesday, the coach celebrated the tenth anniversary of his first Europa League with Sevilla. Two notable milestones on the same date.

McGinn singing Spanish anthems is not something I knew I needed but I want more

Quote

ASTON VILLA is looking for a 'magical' player for the Champions League. He has already sounded out Baena... And now CARLOS SOLER

At PSG they see it as good if he continues but if he wants to leave they will not make it difficult for him, they value his work very highly

In Spain he is VERY valued 
@relevo

Bit of a merry go round!