Villaboy69

It depends on your definition of class.

If it's completing umpteen short passes in your own half then yes he was class against Man U.

If it's completing umpteen passes with attacking intent and purpose I'd say he was not. My opinion from the games he played for us are the latter

When we went with Henson (86/87) Ellis had built them up to be the next Adidas effectively, they came out with a kit that whilst on first viewing was horrific, it had a certain edge to it.

Look at it now, it's iconic, same as that Muller 94 away top

Macron could have been next but this kit is too vanilla

Shame, real shame

That Henson kit is certainly iconic. It symbolises the (thankfully temporary) trashing of a proud and classy football club. And worse was to come with Hummel (well at least the first Hummel kit had a badge on it!)

Exactly, what is wrong with vanilla? I totally respect everyone's right to have an opinion. I just struggle to relate to this view that the basic Villa kit template is somehow boring.

Claret-body-blue-sleeves-white-shorts moves and inspires me, I think of many great Villa players to have worn it and how the design has stood the test of time and provides continuity. On a match day, when the players take their positions ready for kick-off, I love to think that this is exactly how it all looked 100 years ago.

Villa's traditional kit is the classiest football kit ever invented, it really is. I worry that Villa fans don't realise how lucky we are!

man you have got that so right. i think a few on here read and digest

Best shirt in terms of quality and look that we have had in years

I hate the thought that on a potentially historic day in the clubs history come May we could be climbing the Wembley steps wearing lime green

Paul Lambert' lime green army

Now what is there not to like about that. Claret body, blue sleeves, rampant lion mmmmmmmmm

This is a guy who has a fundamental flaw in his character and although I accept there has been signs of improvement towards the latter part of the season he is just as likely to flip to the SI that couldn't give a shit. Technically I agree that he is good but I do not see enough consistency or end product he spends too much time on the edge of the action with only fleeting contributions

What we should be doing is getting the new manager to bring in more quality within the squad so that SI can become a very useful member of that squad. imo SI is not good enough to warrant building a team around

I'm probably alone on here in thinking Ireland has been shite once again last season. How he got player of the season is a joke and is beyond me.

However, with 2 strong CM's behind him, I could definitely see him doing well playing support striker behind a finisher like Bent.

Note 2 strong CM's does NOT mean Herd and Clark! We need 2 quality signings there.

Ditto ^

Said the same before and got 'attacked' on here for saying it. He is shite and he really does not give a shit. Puts 80% effort in at most and for one excellent pass he does about 5 shit ones per game. Get rid off him. Prefer Bannan to be honest

:bonk:

Bannan better than Ireland. Yeah that little guy that knocks 60 yard passes to the opposition. Good call

I'm no Ireland lover - imo shit is a bit extreme but so are the calls for our team to be built around him. As for Bannan Championship player at best

If people can't see that Lambert is the real deal then they're beyond help.

I can't see that Ireland is the 'real deal' and its been suggest that I'm beyond help by some lol.

Thankfully on this occasion I do share your point of view.

Lambert would be my choice but if its not possible I really hope the board go for a young up and coming manager who has the bit between his teeth and takes no sh1t.

I really dont want us to go down the premiership experience crap that they came out with last time. That just gets you failed has beens. Much better to take a calculated gamble on a younger model

Villaboy69, Ireland is clearly head and shoulders above the rest of our team techinically.

You maybe surprised but I kind of agree with this but technique only gets you so far

I dont really see your point.... Your saying that he stands out because the rest of the team is shite, what would you prefer?? Would you prefer him to be at the level of our other players? He stands out because he is a very good football player, One of the only exciting things this season has been Ireland. I enjoy watching him play and am gutted when he is not in the team, we also clearly missed him when he was out injured recently.

[b]I wasn't saying he stands out from my point of view I was trying to say that his fleeting contributions make him stand out for other people due to the disappointing nature of our play this season

Your opinion of him being that he would be a very good squad player in a better team is a pointless thing to say aswell...

All I was trying to demonstrate was that imo is that he certainly would not get into any of the teams of the last 2/3 years and with a little investment in the squad his place in the team would come under serious threat. As we stand then yes I would include him in our 'best' starting eleven

Or maybe the fact that they couldnt get rid of him quick enough and replaced him with two of our players tells a more realistic story of his true ability

Or maybe the fact that they couldnt get rid of him quick enough and replaced him with two of our players tells a more realistic story of his true ability

I actually dont think that stephen ireland is shit i just believe that in a side so bereft of any attacking intent that the one or two moments were ireland produces sticks in everybodies mind and he ends up winning motm. for me the contributions of given herd clarke and even heskey were more fundamental to the winning of a point.

What i really cant believe is this notion that we should build a team around him.

Ireland is only 'standing out' because of the lack of quality within the squad and because of the negative tactics employed by our manager. i can guarantee that if we improved the quality of our side we would soon be moaning about how little he contribute and how much more we expect from him.

Its all about the perception of his ability. when he first came our perception/expectations of him were high and when he was surrounded by better quality he failed to deliver. now the quality is lower he 'stands out'

my opinion of him is that he would make a very good squad player in a better team

I actually dont think that stephen ireland is shit i just believe that in a side so bereft of any attacking intent that the one or two moments were ireland produces sticks in everybodies mind and he ends up winning motm. for me the contributions of given herd clarke and even heskey were more fundamental to the winning of a point.

What i really cant believe is this notion that we should build a team around him.

Ireland is only 'standing out' because of the lack of quality within the squad and because of the negative tactics employed by our manager. i can guarantee that if we improved the quality of our side we would soon be moaning about how little he contribute and how much more we expect from him.

Its all about the perception of his ability. when he first came our perception/expectations of him were high and when he was surrounded by better quality he failed to deliver. now the quality is lower he 'stands out'

my opinion of him is that he would make a very good squad player in a better team

Yep another ' brilliant' performance

One or two nice touches and passes followed by huge periods of nothing. yet these one or two moments of brilliance seem enough to get him motm.

Oh well we are easily pleased since we become so mind numbingly boring and predictable

I dont think the media get it. do you. they aren't the ones that have to sit through it week in week out

idiots shouldnt comment on things they know so little about

And what a joke the extra allocation was. Originally we weren't able to go as it clashed with other committments, these changed so I was really please so see this extra allocation come up.

When I eventually got through I was told that I was only allowed to buy 2 tickets, How ridiculous is that. I have been to 13 away games this season and purchased every one of these in a block of 5, for Me, my son, my dad. my mate and his son.

So despite my booking reference history which clearly shows 5 individuals I wasn't allowed to buy them and as a result I now have no tickets.

pfffff pathetic

I know we are crying out for some crumbs of comfort in this most putrid of seasons but come on.

Stephen Ireland had played less than 50% of the season. His form up until Xmas was average at best. He has produced one stand out performance at Chelsea and since then I'll accept that his form, attitude and committment have certainly shown a marked improvement.

But player of the season Do me a favour

If we're taking promising foreigners then I'll have Solskjaer. He walked the Norwegian league with Molde giving them their first ever title using very attacking football. I'm told that's like taking Fulham and walking the Premier League.

I'd gamble on Solskjaer to, not sure he's ready yet but if we wait to long he might get snapped up by a bigger club.

Not sure winning the title with Molde is anywhere like winning it with Fulham thou, they are a pretty decent club by Tippeliga standards althou they have been anything but consistant in rescent years. I'd say it's more like winning the Eredivisie with Twente. And we all know what happened when McClaren moved to Wolfsburg...

And we'd get a letter of recommendation from Sir Alex

We really have lowered our standards and expectations, when we are praying for Stephen Ireland to be our main man.

Haha - So a player (Attacking Midfielder?) who has played in only 17 of 36 premiership games, scored one goal and probably no more than a couple of assists is our player of the season.

Man alive that says it all about how shit we have been this season

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Taken almost 30 years ago about three weeks after our triumph in Rotterdam

How football has changed, Can you imagine the Captain of the European Champions doing something like this nowadays

We have lost 5 away all season, all to teams in the top 6

Man City

Man Utd

Arsenal

Spurs

Newcastle

With that record you would think we can get a point at Norwich at least

we must have a pretty good manager and played some pretty good football to gave arecord like that

We have lost 5 away all season, all to teams in the top 6

Man City

Man Utd

Arsenal

Spurs

Newcastle

With that record you would think we can get a point at Norwich at least

we must have a pretty good manager and played some pretty good football to gave arecord like that

Yes but we also had some idiots chanting - 'Let him Die'

I know this is gonna sound extremely pessamistic but how many Sheffield United fans said.

'We can't go down West Ham have got to go to Old Trafford and Win were safe'

We could lose to Spurs Draw with Norwich and still get relegated.

The last day of the season is gonna be a nightmare unless we beat Spurs and I can't see that happening