NeilS

I would love for us to give this competition a real good go next season, I don't want us to play a really weakened team with wholesale changes at any point in this competition next year. 1 or 2 younger players like Archer or Tim if they are not on loan somewhere then yes, but alongside our stronger 1st team players as a supplement. You can see from the players and fans at WHU how much it means to win this trophy. I want to experience that as well. We haven't won a trophy for so long, and I don't expect this trophy to be a gimme, but we stand as good a chance as any in this competition next season. Winning trophies becomes a habit, and we need to start somewhere. It has been too long!

Obligatory YouTube video I know we looked pretty solid towards the tail end of last season, but to go higher in the league you have to look for more depth and marginal gains. The nearer the top the more marginal gains you need to make to progress. Sadly this means some of our players we love may be replaced or supplemented along the way. Pau Torres is also hitting the prime of his career. He looks comfortable on the ball, and looks to be a better passer with progressive passes than either of our current two first choice Centre backs, this is what I would call a marginal gain. I also think there is still a big doubt over Carlos’ full recovery and getting such a serious injury at his age leaves a big question mark on him for next season. With the additional matches to be played, that is too big a risk in my opinion. Carlos may well prove to be over his injury, or could suffer a set back which then leaves us short should the worst happen. I say if Torres is willing to come, Emery wants him, then why not get him in. Chambers and Hause move on leaving us with 4 quality centre backs we can rely on, and like others have said Konsa can play RB very well.

Same here, and it’s way to complicated to worry about all the different permutations right now. With Emery as our manager, I don’t think we should fear anyone in this competition. Equally we should always remember Stevenage and respect our opponents. So I don’t believe in playing a weakened team whoever we draw. This will hopefully be a good run, and do some good to our co-efficient going forward.

Up until about a week ago I had never heard of this guy. Then again I don’t watch Champions League or La Liga matches as I don’t have Sky or BT sport subscriptions. I cannot be too disappointed as a result. He is not the only player out there that plays this role. I am sure Unai Emery and Villa will have a few exciting options lined up.

I was thinking this. I could be wrong, but I am sure he left briefly last summer before signing a deal a couple of weeks later for this season.

I must admit that when Cash went off injured early against Man City at home this season and Ash came on I feared the worst. I needn't have feared at all, he kept Foden in his pocket that day. Young has never let us down in any of the matches he has played, and has continued to surprise me as the season went on. He has kept himself supremely fit and was a top pro during his time with us, so I wish him all the best for the future (unless he is playing against us).

I think the very most we will get is £5m, and a saving on our wage bill. I don’t think Luton will go on a trolley dash splurge like Forest did, I see them banking the funds, and being more on the Norwich level of spending. I imagine the fee will probably be undisclosed fee, so we will never really know. I wish Marvelous well, he has been a solid pro who hasn’t quite cemented a regular first team spot with us. We have moved up a level in quality since we purchased him, and with Marv coming up to 30 he needs regular football and he can do that in the PL with Luton. Good luck MN, just not against us.

Well done to Brighton, they have desrved qualification this season as they have been a cosistantly good team throughout. I said a month or so ago that the fixture pile up after the FA Cup semi final may prove tricky for them and open the door for us if we finished strongly, but Brighton picked themselves up after the FA Cup disappointment and have done the business. Hopefully though they will mentally have their flip flops on come Sunday as they have already qualified for Europa League, but we can't rely on that so we will have to turn up and make sure we finish the job ourselves. We need a win and then there are no possibilities for Brentford or Spurs to nick 7th place from us. This would be a remarkable turnaround from where we were after Fulham away, when I feared we would be in a relegation battle all season. The appointment of Unai took away that fear straight away for me, but I did not expect we would perform as well as we have since his arrival. Come on Villa, it has been a tough ten years or so, lets do this and bring the good times back to Villa Park.

I am of the same mindset, it is impossible to tell the truth from the rubbish so why get upset by it. Yes, It would be a sad day if Emi were to leave this summer, but the thing that consoles me if it happens is that the club will receive a large sum of money and that we finally have an elite manager to help find a replacement. Previously under the likes of Big Eck, Sherwood and even Deano, we have sold key players but the manager hasn't bought the best replacements or hasn't been able to get the best out of those replacements. This has resulted in us going backwards and us wasting millions upon millions of pounds on wages and transfers. I don't have that fear with Emery at the helm. I know he won't get them all right, but I reckon his success rate on transfers will be far superior to those I mentioned earlier.

Liverpool FC have some of the most one eyed fans going. They never get any decisions go for them, and they can do no wrong. Best ignored, as it is pointless trying to converse with someone like that.

It looks like Everton are about to get some investment firm chuck some money their way. I cannot say I know alot about these guys, but I guess it brings in some cash to help finish their new ground after the loss of their Russian investor who's name escapes me. Everton Investment Everton have reached an exclusivity agreement with New York-based company MSP Sports Capital for investment in the club, BBC Sport understands. Sources have said the deal is not yet done but talks are progressing between the two parties over future funding. MSP look to have jumped ahead of 777 Partners, who have been in talks over a takeover from owner Farhad Moshiri. Everton are currently two points above the Premier League's relegation zone with one game remaining this season. MSP are believed to be looking for a 25% stake with a preferential share structure, not equity in the club, so would be paid back in interest. MSP Sports Capital describe themselves as investors in sports teams, leagues and businesses that 'pursue ambitious, challenging tasks'. Their current portfolio includes European clubs such as Brondby in Denmark, Augsburg in Germany and Estoril of Portugal. Their chairman, Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi, is the vice-chairman of McLaren and also a minority owner of NBA team Phoenix Suns. He attended the defeat by Southampton in January at Goodison Park and his net worth was valued at £2.9bn by the Paddock Magazine in 2021.

Haha, we have been watching this series as well. The misses tutted when the Go Go Gadget Boots turned into Ski's. It is an enjoyable enough watch though, as long as you don't take it too seriously. It is definitely TV for the end of a hard day, when you don't want to have to think too hard.

Pleased with the point, would have taken that beforehand. I must admit that I feared the worst when 10 mins added time went up. Well played Villa we have come a long way under Unai Emery. 7th place is in our reach now, but there is still a long way to go. We just need to better Brentford and Spurs results and we are there. 7th place was unthinkable in January. Let’s do this!

I see Collymore is suggesting Digne to Newcastle as a viable alternative to Tierney. What happened with Targett there? He seems to have dropped off the radar, and it would be a kick in the teeth to be replaced by Digne again. SVC suggests Digne as a decent option for Newcastle United Stan Collymore, has suggested who Howe might want to bring in if he isn’t able to get a deal for Kieran Tierney over the line. “In terms of who Eddie Howe should target if he misses out on Tierney, I think Lucas Digne would be a great alternative,” Collymore said in an exclusive interview. “Alex Moreno has come in at Aston Villa and has made himself Unai Emery’s first-choice left-back so you would think Digne could be a player that moves on in the summer. “He’s a senior international that has represented France on 46 occasions so he has a wealth of experience. He’s also played for some big clubs and isn’t yet 30 years old so he could be a decent option for the Magpies to consider. Howe would certainly improve him too.” Given Digne’s experience at Paris Saint-Germain, Roma and Barcelona, the Frenchman could be a solid addition for a club that is clearly going places.

Your first error is to give credit to anything Dermot Gallagher says. He was a useless referee in his day, epitomised by his failure to red card Ben Thatcher for his assault on Pedro Mendes. He pretty much always backs his buddies from PGMOL because it is the code they all adhere to. Your second error is to watch Sky who pander to all the SL6, and would be happiest if they were all winning every week. Did they mention why Ollie Watkins foul wasn’t given as a penalty? If I were a betting man I would say not.

I can’t recall seeing Lo Celso ever play, what kind of role would he play in our midfield? Going off the stats (not the full story I know) he hasn’t been a prolific scorer. The brief YouTube clips (i know, I know) that I have seen make him look like a link man or someone who would sit deep in front of the back four and transition play. By that I mean a role like better version/ more combative version of Ashley Westwood who can break up play and thread a good pass forward? Is that fair, or wide of the mark?

That used to be the case, for instance Gabby being fouled by sha in a match where their player grazed the ball then bought Gabby down. Penalty awarded. Then for some bizarre reason, a couple of seasons ago we had a last minute penalty overturned against I think Brighton. Because the ball had grazed the studs of their player before he bought down our player Trezeguet. So I think the rule has been changed at some point, albeit a daft change as the way you interpret the rule should be correct. The law makers of the game do nobody any favours with changing the rules. A little bit of a tidy up to clear up a rule is fine, but a change to the way something is interpreted just adds further confusion.

He is obviously still raw and work in progress, but looks to be strong and reasonably quick with potential. I have two concerns that come to mind after watching im live for the first time on Saturday. Firstly a small concern is that he needs to calm down in certain situations, he lunged in on one tackle on the half way line which was unnecessary, that should come with experience. The main concern for me was when he had an ideal opportunity to play Ollie clean through late on in the match on Saturday. If he had used his right foot to curl the pass around the only Spurs defender it was a simple enough pass, but he stretched and tried to use the outside of his left foot and hit it straight to the Spurs defender. It was not there to be passed like that, and he appears to be very one footed. Hopefully this was a rush to the head, and his use of his right foot can be improved.

I think that was the tackle that finally got Romero the yellow. He should have already been on one for kicking through the back of Watkins leg earlier for the free kick from which Dougie scored.

I am not sure the defender touched it. I have watched it again on IPlayer, on the MotD highlights they show the tackle from behind the defender/front on view to Ollie and I really can't see a touch by the defender on the ball. Maybe I am being blind, or maybe with the aid of slow motion or a snickometer it becomes apparent but Ollie flicks it round him as he dives in in my opinion. That adds to your quickest check of all time comment, it was not obvious if there was a defenders touch at first glance. I doubt they gave it more than a seconds glance especially considering how long they took on Kane's penalty claim. I was going to add that Ollie needs to learn the dark arts of milking these fouls a bit more to get the decisions, but then recall Lloris taking him out a couple of seasons ago at WHL which couldn't have been a more blatant penalty. I am wondering whether Ollie coming through the Football pyramid and learning his trade away from the PL he hasn't been programmed in the dark arts. I do think you are right about the England regulars getting favours from referees, that has always been a thing since I was watching as a young lad. I recall Shilton dropping a crossed ball with nobody within a foot of him at VP and being awarded a free kick. Bryan Robson seemed to get away with a lot as well.

Yep, but they do need to answer that. I know they won’t though, or they will just shrug it off. I would love to bump into The VAR official, present him with the two decisions and hear him squirm as he tries to explain the difference in ruling. I can understand different people having different interpretations in different matches, this one there is no excuse.

Even if the VAR can justify that as an obvious error and a penalty, which I am sure they will. They need to then explain why Watkins being clattered into by the Spurs defender in the box in the first half wasn’t treated the same. Watkins was clearly fouled after he had passed the ball!

Also to add, Our game is not a blood and thunder, kick and rush style game, but a more considered slow build up play. We should be ok as a result of that style of play in my opinion.

Yeah I know, it has been this way since I started following Villa in the early 80’s. It is bloody frustrating that we are referee’d to different standards in the same match, especially when they have the technology to see much more clearly. They just choose not to now, it is blatant.

And the one on Watkins from yesterday, same VAR who thought Kane’s was a penalty , but didn’t think Watkins was fouled. No consistency from the same Ref. I think it was Jarred Gillette on VAR, questions need to be asked why he took two very different decisions in the same game?