MyLord

Gluttons for punishment, but we wouldn't have it any other way - it's going to feel great next few years when the last day is playing for Europa, then CL football, the league etc.

Surely somewhere around the ground will let people dressed up with silly clothes in? And the C&B army of course...

Going with the City fan from our office @OT, he seems to have turned into Mourinho over lunch though; "I'd rather have the points on the board" Rubbish, they've got one hand on the trophy and they don't like that pressure. Ultimately, I'd rather them win it than Liverpool (as would all the United fans here) but I'd really like to make them sweat for it tonight... 2-2, Bowery with all 4

Still going for the full kit ***** theme, but with a retro twist I think - so much choice!

Anybody know latest sales of how many are making the trip? Imagine we would have took many more had we not been safe, it wasn't £47 and been moved from March (my ticket still saying Sat 8th March so hope it works!)

Decided I'm not bringing my nephew to the game today, we have ST's and the last home game would usually be great for a little lad with the players' lap post-match, but it got ugly enough @Palace and Swansea for me to not want to risk putting him in what will be a very hostile Holte End if we lose tomorrow. I just hope the atmosphere starts positively, it's all we can do as fans for one last push, whether the players deserve it or not we're better than making it pesonal, we're the Villa and need to show the country our support is unbreakable for the club, no matter what.

Mine were delivered today along with free coach tix. Makes me feel sick thinking of needing something out of this game though, would be just as bad as going down @"Tha Lane" as it would at SHA for me

Surprised it's taken so long to dust this bad boy off and get Al Pacino back in for the annual relegation scrap team-talk; That's just got me well and truly up for it, same feeling as West Ham away 3 years ago and Sunderland last season - let's do 'em Villa boys, forget everybody else and get the Holte rocking like we know it should!

Haven't had mine yet Nor mine yet

FWIW I think Berson was highly underrated at the time. Really tidy player, did well in the few chances he got and never understood why DOL got rid so quickly

Vlaar, you mean? Vlaar lost the ball, but there really is no excuse for being beaten from that distance. Even if Brad started in a decent position, that shot (which started at the far right of his goal and ended up in his top-right hand corner) would still be pretty difficult to save IMO. I was right behind it, 5 rows back and must have been one of the only Villa fans who appreciated the difficulty of the technique and perfect execution. Sure it mightily annoyed me, not least as we were wet-through, but it was a quality finish that Guzan couldn't do much about from his starting position for me

Vlaar, you mean?

From my view he and Albrighton looked like the only 2 players coming over @FT, Ron was just a little bit too eager until he saw/heard the boos and abuse so he stopped and shrugged his shoulders. I can't blame him, he didn't exactly cover himself in glory for the Shelvey goal but some of the abuse he was getting is ridiculous seeing as he's our captain and, more importantly, one of our most consistant performers! FWIW I don't think the majority of abuse was aimed at him, certainly not around me, but the players do have to take responsibility for their performances, or lack thereof

So we should be blaming the club for letting a sprinter play football? Or do we blame his schools career advisor? How about the buck stops with the player who is regularly under performing. As for marc, he is only in his second spell of first team action, in no way can that be compared to Gabbys 9 years in the first team. There's two points here; 1 - If someone offered me a considerable amount of money to do something I wasn't particularly good at but could get away with, I would, as I imagine would the majority of people. When you throw into the fact that is playing football for the club you support, you wouldn't need to pay me anything, and even if I only had one decent attribute I.e. Gabby = pace then you'd give it a damn good go as he has up until past couple of seasons! 2 - Fair that Gabby can't be compared to Albrighton (FWIW I fell out with another ST holder in the Holte for berating Marc constantly since Christmas when he's been one of few with decentish performances), but equally I was reading Gerard and Agbonlahor in the same sentence, maybe I got a little confused... I'm struggling to understand your logic, if indeed any is being applied. You defend Gabby and say It's ok for him to "get away with it" and get paid very highly to do so (apparently being a villa fan too), yet you say "you wouldn't need to pay me anything"? He should be carrying this team in times of hardship, how many times has he done that? The poor fella on "The Call Centre" tried his best, it didn't stop Nev demoting him to sorting the mail. I hope the new manager shares this method. Haha fair play, made me laugh. Not getting into a "logic" argument on a Sunday morning, we're probably all too weary for that regarding the Villa currently anyway and would be going off topic; Top and bottom of it Gabby technically has never been good enough. When we had decent players around him he could hide a little more and nobody minded, but now the going is tough he's many people's scapegoat. I'd like to look at the bigger picture personally, in which Gabby is a very small cog, but all the best to everyone thinking he's our main worry atm

And that was sort of my point ironically, they're not comparable as aren't Gerrard and Gabby! Again, I like Marc and think he's been the tiniest of bright sparks this season, but if a few good crosses and showing a bit of fight is our level these days then I want a trial again

So we should be blaming the club for letting a sprinter play football? Or do we blame his schools career advisor? How about the buck stops with the player who is regularly under performing. As for marc, he is only in his second spell of first team action, in no way can that be compared to Gabbys 9 years in the first team. There's two points here; 1 - If someone offered me a considerable amount of money to do something I wasn't particularly good at but could get away with, I would, as I imagine would the majority of people. When you throw into the fact that is playing football for the club you support, you wouldn't need to pay me anything, and even if I only had one decent attribute I.e. Gabby = pace then you'd give it a damn good go as he has up until past couple of seasons! 2 - Fair that Gabby can't be compared to Albrighton (FWIW I fell out with another ST holder in the Holte for berating Marc constantly since Christmas when he's been one of few with decentish performances), but equally I was reading Gerard and Agbonlahor in the same sentence, maybe I got a little confused...

Not good enough, pure and simple. Can't help but feel a little sorry for him though (please reprieve from the standard ??k-a-week arguments) as it's not his fault he's been put into a struggling team, when he probably would look out of place in most PL centre defence partnerships - even the top teams! He clearly isn't going to improve his sharpness, distritution or penalties-per-game ratio any time soon, so us being reliant on him is ridiculous when we've had several transfer windows to sort it out now!

Well I hope the other 599ish Villans that travel get to see another victory at the Etihad, fans deserve better but I hope we drop the last verse of "My Lord" song going forwards!

And Marc Albrighton is no Raheem Sterling... But Gabby seems to be getting some unjust criticism when, as you point out, he's effectively been a sprinter playing football for 9 years

Left my car at VP from the game yesterday, plan was to pick it up and renew tomorrow but still being wet through and p***** off may change my mind - will sleep on it!

For what it's worth I agree with a lot of the stuff people are saying relating to Gabby's performances (or lack thereof), but why all of a sudden is everybody using him as a scapegoat? I was there today, and against Palace but to make out he alone has done something other players have not I.e. post match I just don't get. They're all a joke, they must know it, Vlaar looked embarassed to me at FT, it's almost as if the boos preceded the players coming over so they didn't bother, as they knew it would only anger us more!

Not long got back (and still wet through) from Swansea. Tbh I haven't got the energy anymore to have an opinion on our club - too much needs doing, there is no quick fix and until the whole ethos of the Villa changes we're papering over the deep cracks that everyone is a part of

Can't get to sleep so the early rise is going to be a ballache, positive daydreaming of 3-1 Villa; Bony to score first, Tonev to score last (the bet has to come in sometime!)

If only everyone who likes the round shaped-badge piped up when we had the supporter poll and swung the 2% deficit over the current shield design, maybe we wouldn't be having this debate!

Anybody know how many we've sold for this? Would like to think if it turns out important after the next couple of games we take a decent following!