jackbauer24

Kings Heath, Moseley, Kings Norton are all horrifically poor value. Tiny houses, crappy areas and still high prices. Anything half decent is astronomical. And the current market makes it even worse, fighting over crap. I definitely sympathise. I mentioned the same issues i was having a few pages back, and whilst still a crazy, overinflated market, I should be completing on a house in Church Hill North (Redditch/Beoley border) earlyish next month. Much better but still not what I'd consider valuefor money!!

To improve you need to, primarily, replace the current starting players. Adding depth only helps you for the handful of games you need with injuries and suspensions. So we need to be aiming to sign players that can genuinely fight for that spot. There are some easier targets than others - Martinez clearly isn't going to be given much of a fight! But I think Mings, Luiz, McGinn, Traore, El Ghazi, Trez and, to some extent, Watkins all need a genuine challenge to their spot. If they become the back ups then we have improved as a team. Konsa is ahead of Mings for me. I'd like to see Guilbert back to genuinely challenge Cash but think Cash will win out. Still adds strength vs Elmo periods. Targett has zero threat to position but is only area on pitch I can see we'd be buying purely for back up. Grealish is a can of worms obviously. My knowledge of players outside Premier League is limited to non-existant so I'd be looking at the likes of Tuanzebe, Eze, Pereira, Buendia, Abraham. All would improve our starting line up. We'll probably go for none of them! Could be an interesting summer.

Aston Villa are 146 years old. For 19 of those years we had a circular badge (13%) so it is NOT traditional. For perspective, we've had 20 seasons where we haven't had claret shirts with blue sleeves. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to the home kit; claret body, blue sleeves and a CREST/SHIELD. Tweak, modernise, maybe do little gimmicks year to year or celebrate as a one off (maybe a round badge for one season to commemorate 50 years when we get there) but basically leave it alone. Change to circle on the behest of 40+ year old guys reminising about the glory years and we'll be in the same situation when the next generation reach our age craving the badge of the 90s with stripes etc. Funnily enough, most fans of other teams put our badge as one of the best in the division!

We've had some infuriating players over the years but he's right up there. One minute sublime, the next embarrassing. Today he was a world beater... til it required end product. Could, and really should, have put that game to bed several times over. I just think he's all natural ability which means the second he has to think it all goes to pot, so he sublimely controls, turns, nutmegs and goes on a run... Then his brain kicks in and he forgets to shoot, kicks the ground or plays a stupid ball. Think of his goals this season; largely first touch quality.

The Diana Silva and Mana Iwabuchi ones are a little bit of a surprise considering they came in with a bit of fanfare and were supposedly a sign of renewed ambition. Basically, looks like we're stripping back and starting again... or effectively withdrawing income?

I can't see how this is even a debate personally. The obvious, and only, rival would be Grealish and he's missed a huge chunk of the season and had quite a spell out of form. An ever present, who has matched our clean sheet record, improved our defence/GA record beyond comprehension and is single handly responsible for about 20% of our points this season. No brainer. I'll wonder what people watch if he doesn't win it. There is no reason for Villa fans who genuinely follow us to choose anyone else.

Frankly embarrassing. End of season, doesn't matter so if you want to put in that little effort then put on a load of kids. Elmo, Hause and Davis aren't Premier League players. Luiz is on an awful run of form. Ramsey isn't close to being ready, mostly physically. Grealish didn't have any impact, Watkins was quiet and Konsa struggled with Hause next to him. I said to my wife I'd be calm whatever as it doesn't matter... But I was fuming at that second half, it was embarrasing how little quality and effort there was. That's on Smith.

We can all use that stat but it doesn't work out favourably for him; This year you say 258mins and 1 goal, 1 assist. Let's go to last year... 657 minutes, 0 goals, 0 assists (7+ games) But that's Premier League, maybe he'd be prolific in Championship? Wait, we've been there... 18/19 147 mins, 0 goals, 0 assists (injured a lot for a young kid) 17/18 1635 minutes, 2 goals, 1 assist. (18+ games) Throw in the fact that actually if he's coming in it's because we're throwing kitchen sink at opposition so much more attacking and tyat is woeful. Hogan, McCormack, Heskey, Harewood are better... I could go on. Delfounso will have a better career than Davis. There's hope and then there's just blind faith and anyone who still sees Davis as having a future at anywhere near the top level of English football is quite simply hoping for a fairytale in my opinion.

My honest answer to that is 'form'. That was Keinan, it was typical Keinan, in fact I doubt anyone could tell me the difference between a good performance and a bad performance with him as the standard is so low. The other players actually impacted on the game. Unfortunately they were largely negative impacts!! But they all are/were capable of playing at in and around this level. They've shown it. Their form brings them down due to expectation and because they were actually involved in the game. Davis wasn't the worst because he wasn't involved. He stayed on 0 while others were minus.

Why is it so difficult to see he's simply not a Premier League/ Championship quality player?! (I'd argue League One!) Full 90 minutes, doesn't get many (which shows he demonstrates little in training) and really what did he do well? We had a lot of possession in the first half and yet he wasn't an option for our midfield. He should have been desperate to make an impact and yet he didn't bust a gut or create spaces or even win that many duels considering his strength. He strolled around like Barkley. Furthermore, the one time he got in to an advanced position he didn't have the sense to look up, and smashed a ball across the box to nobody. He should slow it down from that angle, look at the options. He doesn't create, he doesn't score and he actually doesn't work. He can hold the ball up by putting his body in the way of it and the opponent, but when it comes to doing anything with it he is severely lacking. Can we stop this dream of a miracle turnaround please. He wasn't close to the worst player on the pitch... But he was largely anonymous and completely ineffective. There is too much evidence he is not cut out for anything like this level.

My new favourite game now the season is finished for us... working out who is the worst player on the pitch each week. And it's fun! McGinn has decided not to play this week which is highly unusual. Fortunately, Luiz, Traore and Barkley have truly stepped up to the plate... Barkley is the favourite week in and week out and has been sublimely awful... air balls, misplaced passes, no tracking. Traore is challenging hard, a couple of good step overs followed by a waste of a ball or no ball at all. I'm not sure he's ever beaten a man. Luiz, well he's playing it differently, he's not trying to much to impress, preferring to just lose every duel going and not complete a success pass. Second half is going to be interesting... got a feeling one of them will walk away with it and money is on Traore this week. If Grealish makes is on he might influence Barkley enough to bring him back to mediocre, but Traore is on one of those insane days and there's no pulling him back from the brink.

"Not fit enough to start" This isn't a Grealish point, but I've never quite understood that philosophy with injured players returning. Especially key players. Surely, you DO start them. They then play 60 minutes or however long they can survive. But if you use them as a sub the risk of them breaking down after 5 minutes means you waste two subs. Furthermore, they can impact the game and get the team ahead - not coming on probably chasing the game. If they're not fit enough to start then my view is they're not fit to play. Is there a footballing reason for bringing injured players on at the end of games rather than the start of them?

Shameless... but I don't care! The place is incredible, not that I can compare it with much. The space is impressive and the offices upstairs overlook the gym and the training pitches which I imagine is quite useful (and very American). It really does look state of the art and I imagine it would impress future signings.

That was painful... Surely there can't be a worse team in the top division than that?! A point thanks to shocking finishing and the post.

You can see us winning every remaining game?! Against two teams in the top 4, two teams above us and a quite solid Crystal Palace? Our finish to last season was somewhat exceptional and the reason we stayed up. If we matched 8pts from the last five games I'd be pretty pleased!! Last night we were very good, but this calendar year we've been pretty awful, we're not suddenly winning six on the bounce. If we stay 10th or above I'll be pleasantly surprised!

I enjoy watching the women's football to some degree, can't say I get 'involved' in the game but I find it interesting. Been following their progress since the latter part of last season when they started getting more coverage. And whilst I agree it is ridiculous to compare with mens football, I must admit that the quality can be SO bad that it's difficult to work out why. Ok, biology, training, investment etc will have pushed some male sports to a different level but I'd wager in most top level sports, women would absolutely destroy Joe Public. Serena would crush us at tennis, Ronda Rousey would smash our faces in, Jessica Ennis would humiliate us at any of the ten decathlon events... But with football, I reckon some Sunday League/ even 5 a side teams would give the ladies teams a stern challenge. I'm not sure why that is really.

It is hard to judge a manager as it is so intrinsically linked to the quality of player they have at their disposal. The best managers in the world couldn't take Sunday league players to the Champions League. So, ultimately, it comes down to whether you think the manager is getting the most out of the players. I'd wager that such is Grealish's talent that nearly anyone could get Villa ticking over with him playing. So you look at more 'manageable' players... Do you think Smith is getting the most out of Mings, Traore, McGinn, Luiz and even Barkley? All of these have played a lot better. El Ghazi, Trezeguet and Davis are simply low quality. I don't know if I've arrived at an answer fully but there is a question to be asked. Based on the fact we have amongst the worst form in the league this calendar year; are we severely lacking quality or is the manager not getting the most from the tools available? Is losing Grealish a good enough reason for 1 win in last 8 games?

Champions League: Martinez Europa League: Konsa, Watkins Upper Premier League: Targett, Luiz (sometimes) Lower Premier League: Mings Championship: McGinn, Traore, El Ghazi League One: Elmo Super League: Barkley (all theory, doesn't exist) All with nothing to play for. Could be a long 90 minutes.

I think it's safe to say Man City aren't going to be phoning any time soon... Awful display tonight, didn't fight for or dominate a single duel. Every 50/50 ball he backed out of. I really think the midfield are having a battle to see who can be the worst each week. Luiz, McGinn, Nakamba, Barkley... There's barely a successful pass between them, never a decent tackle and absolutely no quality on the ball. Can we afford an entire new midfield?!

He's one of the best keepers in the league. If he had better distribution/kicking, he'd be one of the best keepers in the world.

Pretty pathetic really. Ok, you're miles behind them in quality so at least match them for effort and desire. We were so lazy, so passive, so nonchalant about it all. Short passes,silly flicks and no one busting a gut. Martinez would be a truly world class keeper if he had better distribution, could see the difference between the two keepers today. Defensively we continue to throw our bodies at everything but the quality is low. I gave Targett MOTM for his defensive display as it was the most assured of anyone but going forward he was awful. Cash was lazy and stupid with the two yellows, they were both due to not being bothered. The midfield is horrific. I'm not even sure what to say anymore. Luiz and McGinn gave such silly balls away constantly. Luiz couldn't be bothered to challenge anyone. Watkins working hard but little to feed off as usual. I'm surprised we haven't been fined for breaking Covid rules as these lot have been on the beach for weeks now. I really question the work ethic of this team. Smith looked as though he found it all hilarious at the end slapping Pep's hand and giving him a hug. Shows the attitude of the team at the moment - nothing to play for.

Isn't this just the MLS Mark II? Closed shop, franchises... Threw money at aging superstars looking for a final payday. Didn't take off, never became a big league. JP Morgan may finance the first couple of years, but eventually the money dries up. If you don't get mainstream media support they kill it. Online only sports won't succeed without interest from mainstream media and sponsors need a wide audience. I think the vitroil towards it will heavily impact viewing figures - you could even see community clubs taking their place and gaining more supporters. Get Sky, Amazon, BT and the European media outlets to agree not to stream or pay anything other than passing interest to it and it dies. An independent media outlet won't succeed and will inevitably try to rinse every penny from already disillusioned fans. Then 8 or 9 of those teams quickly realise they are now also rans in the new league and subscriptions fall further. This can be stopped abruptly if the media companies come together, the football authorities stand strong and penalise/exclude these teams and if players unite in saying they have no interest in constantly travelling and being away from their families for months on end with no chance of glory and no international careers. One thing remains the same, it will be the fans who have the least say and the most to lose, for all clubs in and out the Super League.

If I was an Arsenal fan, I think I'd be more worried about this than I am as a Villa fan. Villa got relegated and I enjoyed, mostly, our years in the Championship. Different standard, but fun, competitive and interesting. Then we got promoted and had the drama of a last day survival. This year the incredible start which is probably fizzling out to still a solid season. So if this happens, I think I'd be fine with watching whatever standard of football we're left with. But if I'm an Arsenal fan, I probably get to watch us lose 9 times out of ten. I don't get to see any success even at a lower level. It's just infinite pain, infinite embarrassment with no light at the end of the tunnel. After being seen as a massive club all of the average fans life, they suddenly become the Burnley of the new league. It's like they don't understand SOMEONE has to be the small fish. It might be a closed league, but you're never seeing success again ever. Then half way through the season, the 'competition' is over. You gain nothing from 2nd down and there is no relegation to fight so all tension disappears. Tottenham vs Chelsea is the new Brighton vs Southampton but without the fear and passion of relegation thrown in. Basically a friendly. The league may take a little pain for a year or two but sometimes you have to make a stand. Scotland did it in a 2 team league by expelling Rangers. The league suffered a bit but Rangers came back. Remove these teams until they forfeit their place in the SL, they will be back one day. The league won't work, the money will dry up, the plastic fans who like the idea now will get bored, the players will want to play for their national teams and back they'll come starting at the bottom of the league trying to fight back. Get Sky, BT and Amazon to agree to maintain their current financial packages and not show SL games and you starve the new league of exposure and sponsorship. Most fans would probably adopt another team - Wimbledon/MK Dons springs to mind when you push a fanbase too far.

Can I point out that if William McGregor had done this in 1888, all the teams who want to be in the Super League wouldn't even exist* *except they would as people would have got bored if it and they'd have had to revert to a priper competition eventually.

Genuinely think it'd be my 'out' if Villa were involved in any way. Over the years (30+) you realise that the bad times far outweigh the good ones. The logic and reality of supporting Villa is that it will mostly be pain... But logic is irrelevant as I love this club and have followed them through thick and thin. But if Villa got involved in this, or it destroys football completely, then I'd just walk away, I'd be done. And this is why it misses the point so much, forget the money, it's the illogical side - the passion if you will! You get excited because you've known the pain, you get interested because it's always different, you get nervous because you can win and lose. Will, for example, Arsenal be happy being the bottom team forever in a mini league? Will fans suddenly realise someone needs to be the small fish in a pond? And why bother being an invited guest in their league (as they suggest five places may be awarded on domestic league merit) as success is irrelevant. I can't see it getting very far and I'd love to see some current managers and players from these teams coming out and saying "no thanks". 1st step, fine them for bringing game in to disrepute. If they carry on, ban them from domestic league completely. Finally, if they carry on, completely nobble them by banning players from international football. I can see quite a backlash from their own supporters too, Man City and Chelsea fans are newer 'big teams', Spurs are barely that anyway, Arsenal would arguably be the whipping boys - the fans of these teams aren't quite as deluded, self-important and entitled as Liverpool and United fans. This will die, but it's the scars it leaves behind that will mould the future of football.