VillaAndLoyal

Has anyone actually heard how Stan is fairing?

What an utterly simplistic viewpoint you have expressed there. It is all Randy's fault ultimately, simple as that. Randy didn't just hand O'Neill a briefcase full of banknotes and say "here Martin, do your worst...". Mr Lerner kept approving ridiculous transfer and wage deals and thus committing financial suicide in the process. Every manager wastes money on shite signings, but as a manager if you've got a buffoon at the top which keeps giving you the money regardless then you're unlikely to moan about that fact. Randolph hasn't a clue about how to run a sports franchise, let alone an English football club, and it shows. It IS all Randy Lerner's fault, please wake up. He has run the club in an unsustainable way, employed non-football people to advise him, employed some of the worst managers seen at this football club for decades, and people are surprised we're on the brink of relegation? He has **** us over bigtime. McLeish is the symptom, yes. But Lerner is the cause.

Don't worry folks, we've got an honest bunch of lads and we're working on this in training. Honest.

Much the better side throughout? Really? I don't agree with your assesment of the game at all. Sunderland had the clear cut chances and could quite easily have had their 'goal' stand as the decision looked dubious at best. We could have played until Christmas and not scored. Sunderland were clearly a side flagging and out of form today, yet on the balance of play and from the chances created they should have won if anyone. I don't think we looked like we should have won by a couple of goals at all, I really don't. We battled well at times and did some good things defensively, but attacking wise we look completely and utterly clueless and yet again the game throws up more questions and uncertainty than answers. We now go into a must-win game against Bolton, which will be played in a half empty stadium, against a team battling for every result. A team who have already beaten us at Villa Park this season with their B-team. Half of our players look like they are going through the motions and we have a rudderless ship, squeaky bum time? Most definitely.

For England, I hope you mean Alex Ferguson. Read the comment in brackets, it's clear who I mean by that.

"Alex for England!!!" (after all: club before country...)

Risso! So true....

Surprised no one has mentioned Heskey as a candidate yet. In my opinion he has definitely been the most consistent player this season. Consistently shite.

I think Heskey will become a celebrity TV gardener. After all, he loves rolling around on the grass.

Even Shrewsbury Town fans can see what's wrong. http://blueandamber.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=78742

We have memorised the number in our household so whenever they ring (like this evening) we just ignore it.

I think getting the fans to turn around for a minute is a good idea. Whether it#s possible to get everyone on board, im not sure. That idiot Lerner would probably think we were doing the poznan and give mcleish a new deal Cheers mate, you just made me spit my drink over the screen!

I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again, I find it truly unfathomable that some fans still do not see that the single biggest problem at this football club is Randolph Lerner, not McLeish. Yes McLeish has been disgracefully bad since stepping foot in this club less than 12 months ago, but who hired him? Mr Lerner has also been a disgracefully bad owner in the core aspects of running a football club since he first stepped foot in Villa Park - and he's been here a lot longer than AMC. I'm completely fed up of trying to explain why his whole tenure, departing from the little aesthetic niceties he has laid down to appease those easily won over, has been a complete and utter failure from start to finish. Some people just do not 'get it'.

Stamps are expensive these days don't you know. Which is why he would send his lap-dog (Faulkner) to deliver it via AVFC recorded delivery :winkold:

A pedant points out that he's not the editor. I doubt he edited it. I agree with the sentiment re easy ride etc. but to blame him for editing decisions would be unfair. Alternatively he might have written it that way to start with, in which case it's an even fairer point. And I agree with Trent, Tim Abraham is very good. Also, to expand on that point, I think one thing we can all agree on is our current Board are not a fan of the media. I know for a fact that employees of the Club are banned from saying anything negative about the results/Villa in general and there have been reports that they have banned anti-McLeish/Lerner banners from the ground. All of this points to a very paranoid and dictatorial Board. The Birmingham Mail, like all newspapers, is struggling and relies massively on having a healthy relationship with the Villa. Do you honestly think it's surprising that ultra negative comments are edited somewhat? The last thing they want is being banned from approaching the Villa/ interviewing the manager etc - you may laugh - but it has happened at other Clubs and it could quite easily happen here unless the Mail 'play the game'. Mat Kendrick is fully aware of the fans' feelings and I'm sure he would, in an ideal world, love to report in a way which better represents the majority opinion of the fanbase. Like it or not, that is the situation and accusing Mat of having 'no backbone' really isn't looking at the bigger picture.

You'll probably receive anthrax through the post now from Mr Lerner.

So what exactly are we going to do as fans/supporters? The whole Club is falling apart a little more so every week. We have: -An absent and incompetent Board. -An ever-present incompetent manager. -Players (particularly senior ones) who clearly don't give a shit if we get relegated or not. -Fans fighting and arguing with each other on a weekly basis. -A very realistic chance of getting relegated. -Little or no recognition of our current plight in the media, who seem to think everything is largely 'transitional'. Surely we cannot stand and do nothing for much longer? The people running this Club sure as hell won't save us - so perhaps we're going to have to act and sharpish. But how? I quite like the idea (however unrealistic) of trying to get as many supporters as possible to boycott the Sunderland game. With the power of the media and social networking sites I'm sure quite a campaign could be started this week and, whilst it might not mean an empty stadium, I'm sure we could get another 5,000 or so regulars to boycott the match. This would probably bring the "official" attendance down towards the 25,000 to 27,000 mark - and people might just sit up and take note. There are the traditional protests at the ground and chanting at the game - but what use is this if Randy Lerner is sipping cocktails somewhere in America? Thought I would put it out there. I'm sick of watching this Club sink further into the abyss. Quite ironic, some might say, on the anniversary of the Titanic sinking.

It's hard to call actually. Which manager is the biggest word removed? I'd have neither anywhere near this Club if it was my choice. O'Neill will be getting both barrels from me.

This /\ Already spent my ST money for next year on something guarenteed to give me years of enjoyment, not 19 games of misery and dis-enjoyment. I voted no-Mcleish. He's actually had enough time to work his magic. And it made me ill. Don't enjoy it anymore... Other factors for me include; - spending time with my family on one of only two days off a week I get. - other hobbies and interests that currently give me more enjoyment and value for money - costs of getting to and from the game (train, bus, car or whatever) - top flight football is shite and broken, filled with greed and overpaid (disgustingly overpaid), ungrateful and cheating players (Ashley Young for Man U against QPR). - Shit refs... and always in favour of the big teams; look at Chelsea and Man U games at the weekend. You all know it to be true. - Life's too short to be wasting time getting depressed at Villa Park. So long and thanks for all the fish. Raver will return when the shroud of the dark side has been lifted from VP. How much do Thai Bride's cost to hire these days?

Yes, this has been happening all season. Off the top of my head I can remember major rows breaking out at Man City at home, Arsenal away, Swansea away, Newcastle away. There are far more I've probably not been witness to. If there's one thing the Villa away support is known for - it's our gallows humour. And everyone is entitled to their opinion but for me I think it's class that, despite everything, our fans can still have a bit of a laugh at the game instead of sitting/standing in silence. The blokes who had a go at you, were they trying to start off other chants? Not likely. I would have also asked them were they also in attendance at Liverpool away last season in minus 10 degree temperatures when our fans were doing the same? Again, not likely. Ignore those who turn their anger on other Villa supporters - they really haven't got a clue. Anyway.... "3-0, and you f*cked it up!"

I don't even know what to say. The Villa fans were class today - singing for practically 90 minutes and never turned on the players once. I have to focus on our fans otherwise I might be tempted to look for a rope - as the rest of our Club is plummeting quicker than Ashley Young when he steps on the IOD strapped to Ciaran's leg. I never liked Young when he was a Villa player - check my previous posts if you like - and today proved exactly why. Yes, he might be a decent player, but he's a classless little prick who heaps shame on his club. How can United be pleased to have cheated themselves to another title? And to the 40-year-old Man Yoo 'fan' who said to three of us after the game 'you better hide those colours' and 'you got done today' among other things - you are as classless as the over-paid players you watch week-in-week-out. Grow up. Football is **** shite.

why is he clueless for saying that? of course we're aiming for europe. it's not realistic, but that's the aim. it wouldve been the aim at the start of the season, and it wouldve been the aim at christmas What you fail to mention though is that aims quite clearly change depending on circumstance however. And it was quite clear at Christmas time that saying such a thing was both moronic and just served to widen the ever-growing gap between the fans and the Board.

With a big fat cigar.

It wouldn't matter, Lerner knows **** all about football, he wouldn't know a good game from a bad one. And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the overall problem.

You've got more chance of getting in the starting 11 than this has selling out.