jackbauer24

2 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

I think people would be a bit silly to suggest (and I'm not sure anyone has, really) that Torres will instantly and without question bench Mings. A combination of standard Villa self-loathing, recency bias, and underrating of Mings would all be at work there. Torres will surely have to earn his spot just like anyone else. Emery would be a fool to allow a shiny new player to knock out a club stalwart and squad leader. That would be downright Gerrardian. Emery's way too brilliant to do that.

Yes and no.

We're not talking a player who is signed on Wednesday and in the first team Saturday. They, and all the players, will have preseason to work together, fight for starting positions and earn their spots after the games in friendlies.

If Emery decided after a month and a half of preseason that Torres should be starting ahead of any of our long serving players, then I'd trust him and not think that was unfair or unreasonable.

But how does this work anyway? As in, if you're in an expensive seat an decide to move to a cheaper area but the club say there are no spaces?

When it got to relocation day, fans were basically told there was nowhere to move to!

So surely the club will just say there's no spaces to move to, so it's here or bye bye.

33 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

No one suggested. A question was asked. And roundly answered! I think that comparing people's natural revulsion to the allegations in the case of Greenwood with distaste and concern about a gambling sponsor is fallacious and nonsensical.  

Except you did suggest/ask whether we should look at him...but actually my point was that if fans suggest that the club should morally decline offers from betting companies however much they improve our bank balance, then it's reasonable to say fans should morally decline opportunities to sign questionable characters, however much they (may) improve our team. The link is not between the 'crimes' but as to whether football should try to be moral or sell its soul.

But anyway... back to random conjecture... 

If people want to complain about the sponsor on our shirt, they can hardly turn round and suggest we sign the likes of Greenwood. Works both ways!

I will not shed a tear for their relegation at all, but I do wonder if someone offered me their last ten year odd, would I take it?!

2013/14 Promoted to Premier League

2015/16 Premier League Champions

2016/17 Champions League football (QFs)

2019/20 Joint largest away win (0-9 vs Saints) and SFs of League Cup (Great day at VP!)

2020/21 FA Cup Winners and Community Shield

2022/23 Relegation to the Championship 

Hope it changes soon, but not many Villa fans will really know what that feels like living it.

Would you take it, even if you knew relegation was guaranteed ten years later?

So, who might you look at from relegated teams?

Saints; Ward-Prowse obviously... err... Walker-Peters perhaps?

Leeds; Harrison? Gnonto. Maybe Meslier?

Leicester; Maddison, Barnes, Tielemans... James Justin?

Slim pickings from that lot... have to just settle on Messi...

Most Villa fans undoubtedly want Europe, be it the Conference or whatever.

However, other than a relatively minor increase in income, I wonder how important it is for the club and prospective signings. When we're trying to sell Aston Villa to players in the summer, it will be about the big picture and hopes to challenge for Champions League... would Conference League football attract players any more than not being in it?

But obviously, as a fan, we all want to see European nights back at Villa Park. Sunday should be an electric atmosphere.

7 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

If you feel yourself getting down about a point, just remember that we’ve cost them Champions League football next year. That in itself is superb. 

Fairs fair, they cost us Champions League by making Gerrard a viable choice for manager at the start of the season! 

Just for the record, Brentford's final game of the season is vs Man City. So if they go above us/get Europe then they bloomin deserve it!

1 hour ago, rubberman said:

Given the trajectory we and spurs have been on, playoff for Europe would be great. (this year). 

I'm not sure I'm happy about spurs being the early game. I guess if they lose I'll be pleased but it puts more pressure on the Liverpool match, but if they win it'll be hard to enjoy our game whatever (unless 7-2 again) . Would be better if they were all the same time like on the last day. 

Spurs lose - free hit vs Liverpool

Spurs draw - basically a free hit vs Liverpool (it's going to final day)

Spurs win - we then hope Saints fancy some dignity against Brighton as we play at same time!

I don't think the result in the early match puts pressure on or off us really.

6 minutes ago, TomC said:

I think that our Europa League chances are pretty decent. This is what needs to happen:

We win both of our remaining matches. Easier said than done given that we're playing Liverpool and Brighton, but that would give us 63 points.

Spurs drop points in at least one match. That could very well happen against a good Brentford team or against a Leeds desperate to survive on the last day. That would give them 61 points tops.

Brighton drop points against either Manchester City or Soton (not likely against the latter, but highly likely against he former) and lose to us (as mentioned above). Loss to us, draw with City, win over Soton would give them 62 points.

Really, of all those contingencies, the one I'm most worried about is us beating Liverpool, and Klopp won't be in the stadium now to manage the match, so our chances just improved.

I'd say our odds are worse than 1-in-2 but better than 1-in-3. I can't help but be hopeful.

 

It's a touchline ban which is basically nothing in this day and age. He still picks the team, he still manages the game, he just does it from the stands. I highly doubt their is any statistical disadvantage to having coaches away from the bench other than inconvenience. 

The most likely scenario is we lose to Liverpool. They've lost once at home, their form is currently brilliant and, frankly, they're a much better team that has underperformed most the year.

Therefore, our attention turns to Spurs vs Brentford and Brighton vs Saints. To have any hope of being about Spurs or Brighton we need them not to win those games. Arguably the Brighton v Saints game is more important as they then face Man City so should get nothing and we can at least go to theirs with it in our hands. Can't see Spurs getting less points than us from Brentford and Leeds compared to Liverpool and Brighton fixtures.

Weirdly, this weekend it is probably more important what Spurs and Brighton do than we do!

Whilst I would love European football... I was wondering if it really matters to Villa/ the players when it's not Champions League.

Commercially I'm guessing it is of minimal benefit unless CL, and also get the impression that players are no more likely to join us than if we finished 9th - they'll look at the project and the hopes of CL in the future?

Other than fans enjoyment, will it make any notable difference in income/ transfer power between if we come 5th or 9th? Just interested.

Nice looking up finally though.

I was thinking the danger comes that we start having something akin to what happens in America whereby the number of season tickets stays relatively stagnant and no one ever gives them up. They then sell match day tickets, either legally or illegally, to offset the cost or even make a profit in illegal ways. Selling through Villa means the club makes even more money from ticket sales with seats being sold for 100% plus commission on the resale... not sure what that is at the moment.

This is the case for sports like Basketball (Knicks), where the season tickets are sold to a select few but the secondary market is huge so games are full of tourists.

It has already crossed my mind. I will definitely renew my season ticket (no one wants to lose that privileged position considering waiting list) but if life dictates, I'll just have to be more willing to sell ticket during a season to make it affordable.

On 05/03/2023 at 13:11, fightoffyour said:

In NYC next Sunday. Villa vs West Ham will be on at 10am I think (clocks go forward in the US that morning so will be only 4 hours behind).

Legends pub the place to go? Supposedly doesn’t open til 11.

I've never known it not be open for a match, even the lunchtime (UK time) kickoffs.

I genuinely don't think there is any difference in quality between Traore and Bailey. But Traore has done more in a Villa shirt than Bailey.

Bailey is about 10% as good as he believes and about 00000.1% as good as his Dad/agent thinks.

If he's still a starter next season, something has gone massively wrong. We're starting every game with effectively 10 men.

I'm not bedwetting over the transfer window but it does feel a bit like an opportunity missed.

We're on a good run, there's a spark in our team (and fan base) and we've got ourselves in to an outside shot of 7th. So to go in to February very marginally worse as a squad does feel slightly disappointing. 

However, for the bigger picture and definitely for next season, we have cleared the decks and got some good money in without blowing our budget on overpriced panic/short term signings.

Just have to feel we've kind of 'declared' this season and have moved on and started to prep for 23/24. It does put a lot of pressure on a successful summer window now though, got to be looking at fairly significant investment if we are serious about challenging for European spots in the future.

On 13/01/2023 at 17:19, mottaloo said:

Just checked my phone and yes it supports e sim. 

Airalo app looks designed for idiots like me so will check it out soon, thanks

Also check out holafly as they were excellent on my Samsung S22.

E-Sim worked brilliantly in Manhattan in December and was very reasonably priced. 

He plays... he might join us afterwards! 

He doesn't play...he might be joining us immediately!

He's on the bench... he might be joining us soon!

He's happy he scored/ coming off the pitch... he's saying goodbyes

He's sad as he comes off/ leaves quickly... he's got to get on a plane to Birmingham tonight.

I don't know, but I'm beginning to suspect that no one can read anything other than what they want from any action or inaction from the player, manager, team or press...

We have a very strong recent history of turning very good or promising strikers in to absolute dross. So maybe this potential plan of buying average or underwhelming strikers is the way to go!!

If this is true, we've probably made some money (Ings), saved some wages and it won't greatly impact on our league position this year or our transfer plans for the summer. Therefore, probably a clever signing, but doubt it's one to move us forward either.

3 minutes ago, Pissflaps said:

Manager

Would have thought once they'd gone (assuming SG as opposed to DS), he'd be back involved.

Ah well, we move on!

1 hour ago, Pissflaps said:

He had a punch up with someone high up at the club, so his card was marked from then on basically. 

He felt very harshly treated and lashed out basically. 

By all accounts a really nice guy though.

I always suspected there was more to this than footballing reasons. He was, at worst, decent cover but also showed flashes of real potential... knew something had gone on behind the scenes.

"High up" mean management or players? Because it's pretty unusual not to get a load of public Instagram 'good luck' messages from other players.

I assumed he'd tried it on with another player's partner or something such was the blacklist regardless of management team. 

Bikes stolen from shed in walled back garden 2017

Sat Nav stolen from locked car 2018

Car stolen 2019 (keys in house while sleeping)

Moved 2020!

17 hours ago, SuperTed said:

I’m in New York next week and want to watch the Villa Leeds match. Is the Legends Pub still showing the games? 

It is. Was there Boxing Day watching us lose to Liverpool!