NeilS

A must win game, no doubts about this. We are next to useless away from home this season, so we must pick up maximum points against the lower teams at home. A win might give the team some confidence after some dreadful results, and keep our head above water until we get to January and can add some re-inforcements. I'm coming up to this game, I don't get to many games these days due to family commitments and lack of money, but I've been given a couple of tickets for this game from a supplier at work. I was looking forward to it a couple of weeks back, but I must admit that has been dampened in recent weeks. I hope to see a victory, and hope to bring good luck with me. Well I can hope.

I'm extremely excited, I've just booked my next holiday on a brand new cruise ship called the Titanic.

My reaction is one of relief. I am not too bothered how we got the result, the important thing is the boost in confidence gained from the win. When you're on a winless run, then to break that run is the important thing, then hope to build from there. The performances and results will improve with confidence. From my view of the MotD highlights. Delf took his goal superbly, and the shape and timing of his run was superb and belies his years. Ashley Young looked very lively, being involved with the first two goals and the unfairly disallowed goal. The Defence were caught out a few too many times for my liking. I would like to see Dunne and Cueller in the middle. Dunne wins over Collins due to the fact I think a Collins/Culler partnership would be too slow. Overall though, I'm pleased as I feared the worst when I saw the HT score and we'd been pegged back to 1-1.

Jesus this is one important game. Lose it and we're in a relegation battle? Ridiculous. On one match alone I agree, but I would say confidence in the team must be getting pretty low now after a few bad results. We've seen before how fragile our teams confidence can be. Lose this game, then we're up against it and looking to get something substantial from the next few games and they're a tough set of fixtures. Lose those, and we do find ourselves sitting very uncomfortably as we approach Christmas. When you're down there it all becomes very tense, and with the youngsters having to learn at the wrong end of the table.

A must win game, we need the win to boost our confidence and points levels before a tough run of matches. However, I think it'll be a close game with the odd goal in it.

To be fair success breeds higher expectations, we have seen similar things here when we don't beat a team that we all think we should be beating. I was talking to a friend who supports Spurs at the weekend, and he summed it up by saying he was gutted at losing to Bolton, as after they beat Inter he thought they were invincible. I think it was said a little tongue in cheek, but probably has a hint of truth in there somewhere.

This happened to me as well. Flicked on Sky Sports News thinking the game must have finished, and Jeff Stelling was saying the dreaded words. "Villa looking so much in control for most of the game, but there has been a late twist. Gutted. :cry: Our season is hanging in the balance at the moment, if we can't gain some momentum soon then we can write this season off. The one thing that concerns me is our lack of options up front. Even if fully fit our front line (with the exception of Gabby) doesn't strike fear into the opposition. This need addressing urgently.

This sums up my feeling as well. Can't really blame him for the squad and situation he has inherited. Our problems are mostly down to the lack of decent striker options. Gabby being injured, Heskey not really prolific goalscorer and Carew not on form. The only strange thing is the lack of Delfouneso, but I think that is more to do with the Fonz than GH.

Not that I've seen. That is nothing though, the season under Ramos when they nearly went down he vanished for about 3 months. It's classic Spurs fan behaviour. I used to get no end of grief during the mid to late 80's from my Spurs supporting school friends. They went very quiet in the early 90's when we gave them a few 5 goal poundings. One even disowned Spurs and said he no longer supported them after the 5-2 win at WHL. That is why I hate Spurs with such a passion. Most Spurs fans are quiet most of the time, but a slight hint of success and they're the cockiest bunch you'll ever find! Have you read the posts by Villa fans in this thread? All the reasons the Villa fans cite for hating Spurs fans are constantly on display by the Villa posters in this thread. I'm not saying it's all those posting here, but for every Glaston, there are 20 Villa contributors to this thread that are just as bad and often worse. I stuck up for Glaston a while ago and do feel he's not treated particuarly fairly, but at the same time, I don't think he's done himself any fabours in with his repsonses in the last few months. But it's a bit mental to call Spurs fans "the cockiest bunch you'll ever find" when you post at Villatalk. I'm not saying all Villa fans are cocky, but this certianly isn't the ideal forum in which to accuse another fan base of being so. It' like the KKK accusing the Nazi's of racism. I can only go on my own memories, and sadly Spurs fans have been the cockiest around in my living memory, maybe it is just the area of the country I live in? Yes you'll find cocky Villa fans on here, because it is a Villa fans website so strangely enough we'll outnumber Spurs fans on here. You'll also find lots of Villa fans on here who are far from cocky, and talk about Villa's hopes in a very realistic way.

Not that I've seen. That is nothing though, the season under Ramos when they nearly went down he vanished for about 3 months. It's classic Spurs fan behaviour. I used to get no end of grief during the mid to late 80's from my Spurs supporting school friends. They went very quiet in the early 90's when we gave them a few 5 goal poundings. One even disowned Spurs and said he no longer supported them after the 5-2 win at WHL. That is why I hate Spurs with such a passion. Most Spurs fans are quiet most of the time, but a slight hint of success and they're the cockiest bunch you'll ever find!

I see he has only recently signed a 1 year player coaching deal with MK Dons, he may choose to join up with us at the end of the season when his contract expires.

The usual route is to speak to manager you want, see if they're interested. Give them the nod, they quit their job out of the blue, then get employed within a week. Managers old team claim tapping up, new team say proove it. Manager then gets Judas taunts thrown at him whenever his teams turns up to play his previous club. That is how the football world works imo.

I fall into the happy category. I think he'll do alright here, I'm not 100% sure whether he'll attain the top 4 position that we crave as it is harder now than it was 6 years ago, but he has as good a chance as many of the candidates listed. It will be interesting to see a bit more invention in the transfer market. Hopefully he can unearth the next Zidane for us, and by that I don't mean the Togolese Zidane.

If by failures you mean winning trophies. Then yes none of Jol, Moyes and Hughes have had the same amount of failures as Houllier.

I agree, I don't recall Villa ever hiring a manager in the past who has won as much silverware in their career. Fingers crossed that he may add to that tally in his time here.

I'm confused by this statement. Didn't Lippi win the World Cup with Italy?

youve shown ur true colours there mate. Whooooooooooooah there matey boy. Season ticket holder since 1983 Have you ? if so you may remember the next quote "Joining Villa was the biggest mistake of my career" by A Mr A. Curbishley True colours - what a f...ing cheek ! I was there when we got relegated against Norwich (or was it Wednesday the week after - cant remember now) , I was standing at Swindon when we nearly had another Hillsborough (well first as it hadnt happened yet) , I was with us when Jo venglos couldn't understand us, I have been there through a fecking lot of thin. maybe, I've just had enough of spending £850 on ST's, £40 per fortnight on petrol, £20 per fortnight on food / drink, around £200 on cup tickets (plus the fuel) , plus around £600 a yera on away trips and the rest ! Put it this way , when you went 25yrs without missing a home game, 9 years without missing a domestic away game, and 4 yrs without missing a Euro away game. THEN FECKING SHOW YOUR TRUE COLOURS Twonk That's hilarious. I hope we appoint Curbishley just to see your reaction. It could be worse.... they could appoint Steve Hodge

I'm sure MON thinks he timed it perfectly. Exactly - deliberately leaving when we had no other options to fall back on. In any other line of work if you leave without giving your notice period its a serious disciplinary issue. Can you be sacked for doing so? :? I guess the only option is to seek compensation from MON for not giving proper notice. If the boot was on the other foot MON would want compensating if he was sacked without a years notice as stipulated in his contract. I doubt that Randy will follow this route though as it doesn't help our current predicament.

Let me guess..... you don't want Klinsmann, you haven't forgiven him for his headbutt attack on Bosnich's knee all those years ago?

If you mean regarding the cost cutting, and managing within our means, then I think we're in the same boat as 18 of the other 20 Premiership teams. Only Man City and Chelsea have any money it seems.

Last seen making dodgy adverts (for Mars) about believing England would win the World Cup.

Just read that. Anyone who knows how much it's worth? Or if FIAT will be on the back as is shown on the OS? I don't think having a sponsor on the back of the shirt would be allowed in the Premiership. I think they have done that just for show. They will take over from Seat, which means they will have their name plastered about the ground, on the board behind the MotD interview spot, and in the match day programmes etc.

One of the things that annoys me most about this Milner situation is, that only about 6-8 months ago Milner was singing MON and Villa's praises. He was basically saying how playing for a settled club with a settled manager, not a manager conveyor belt like at Newcastle, was improving his game. Now 6 months down the line, Man City wave a wad of cash at him and those thoughts leave his mind, the manager conveyor belt won't be a problem for him anymore, because let's face it Mancini will probably be fired by Christmas if they don't look like getting Champs League. Footballers eh, imo you can't believe a word that comes out of their mouths.

This is exactly what I said to my Wife. Also if they were going to fix it, they would not break the record by over a second.

Exactly, it is what MM hinted at a few weeks back. Milner is now trying to cover himself in my opinion. I'd like to add that we owe no favours to Man City, especially after they mucked us about with the Richard Dunne transfer last summer.