conorm

Thought we'd get one more season but not shocked by this news. The club's stance is a good one and, as many have said, we are in a pretty strong position. Great reaction here on VT - people really seem to have bought into the model and this situation shows exactly how it should work. It's difficult to see our best players go but we can definitely look to make gradual progress by investing the proceeds of any sale into several prospects covering several positions (energetic AM pls). As for Benteke's next club, ideally he'd go abroad but I guess that seems unlikely. Arsenal and Chelsea would be preferable - he goes to Spurs and they are almost complete, especially with AVB at the helm. Scary how we were challenging them just a few seasons ago. Let's hope a few are in for him so we can get this price up. Finally, if there was any doubt over it, Benteke has to go down as the league's signing of the season now; relatively low fee, low wages, saved us from relegation and tripled/quadrupled in value. That is textbook for a club like us and is a massive endorsement of Lambert's approach.

Much like CVByrne, it's the Irish connection in and around Italia 90 - Staunton, Houghton, Townsend and, of course, McGrath. Based in London/Surrey now though and, yeh, it's a rare thing to find anyone even vaguely interested in Villa.

Every company does this... Exactly. Look hard enough, and every sponsor has something to hate about it. So where do we draw the line? As a family club, an easy rule of thumb is Helen Lovejoy's "won't somebody please think of the children!". That is, if a child were engaged in the activity promoted by your sponsor - would it be grounds for prosecution? Can a child legally engage with a prostitute? Can a child legally drink alcohol? Can a child legally smoke cigarettes? Can a child legally walk into a Casino or place a bet? As such, you could do better than put a porn, alcohol, tobacco or gambling site on the front of your shirt. And that is the only point most of us are trying to get across. While I'm certain it makes good financial sense, it's personally disappointing that Villa signed DaftBet as their sponsor compared to a more "family" or "mainstream" business. Moral high ground? Nope. Do as you will. You don't have a problem with DaftBet? Good for you. As for me, I will show my displeasure by not buying the shirt. A sensible post and I agree that it is a personal matter as to whether Dafabet or similar offends. I couldn't care less (in that I care about the argument but Dafabet specifically sits fine with me) and, certainly, there are companies out there who have more dubious human rights records and ethical issues in the very way they do business - far and away more offensive than an otherwise straightforward gambling company. And, just like you say, it is a personal mater as to whether we engage with or support these companies. It is almost impossible to live in the modern world without doing so - all we can do is work within what we are personally comfortable with. And not buying the shirt is the sensible response given your personal objections. So, kudos for a mature and sensible post. However ( ), quoting Helen Lovejoy in all of this!? Wow. I mean, she may indeed be likely to cry out for the children in this situation - but you can be sure it would be in a scene which is ridiculing the very outrage that this thread is teeming with. If we are at the point where Helen Lovelyjoy is being wheeled out, we need to shut up shop and agree that we've gone over the top.

Are.As I suspected Carry on Both are correct. 'Is' refers to a singular which can be Aston Villa FC and 'are' refers to a collective, as in Aston Villa the group. Nevertheless, in football parlance my good man, surely the convention would be to use the collective term? Thread title change now we say. Onward to thread title change and freedom!! Phew! I mean ... Whew!

Never realised this thread was here. I'm a Ravens fan - and, no, not just since January

I was still nervous. I remember turning to a mate at 3-1 and saying "well at least that guarantees us a point". I wasn't being facetious. But our hunger and positivity going forward quickly had me thinking "actually this could be any score". At 3-1, I was still nervous for a period. And I don't know whether there was something specific which changed that or how it came about but it just hit me very suddenly that 4-1 was very possible. And it was one of those moments where you stop and realise how tense you are and just ... relax.

There are two more personal moments of the season for me, both coming in the Sunderland game. They don't relate to specific game incidents as such - more just "feelings" that we had well and truly turned it round. First was the crowd reaction to the Sunderland equaliser. Watching on a stream that evening, as the replays wrapped up and they returned to the action, you could hear what must have been every single Villa fan at VP roaring "Villa! Villa! Villa" in unison. It was such a defiant reaction to a setback and was such a contrast to the mood of just a few months previous. Secondly, and on the back of that, we were 3-1 up and where normally I would be tense as hell awaiting the inevitable onslaught as we allowed the opposition back into the game, I had what can only be described as a moment of clarity and it felt perfectly plausible for us to go and score more, rather than concede. It was the first time in years that I had felt optimistic and comfortable during a Villa game and finally confirmed our turnaround.

Not to mention it had the opposite effect on QPR - they crumbled after that match after winning 2 on the trot before. Oh completely. It was even more than a 6-pointer - there was the 6 point swing itself plus the boost to our confidence topped with the shattering of theirs. Like I say; monumental.

As some have said, there have been moments on top of moments all of which have got us to where we are now but the game which was the real turning point IMO is the QPR game and the moment of that game is undoubtedly Gabby's equaliser in 1st half stoppage time. It's easy to forget just how bleak things seemed at the time but QPR were actually buoyant when they visited VP and there was a real sense that they could be putting a run together. True, we were coming off the back of the Reading victory with confidence returning but a defeat here would have shattered that, with QPR drawing to within a point of us with a victory. Our fragile form could have disappeared if we bottled this one. And so, already 1-0 down and with half time approaching, Bosingwa smashes a free kick against the post and seconds later, deep into stoppage time, Lowton lofts in a cross for Gabby to nod home. QPR should by rights have been out of sight but instead we went into the break on a massive high. We came out rampant in the 2nd half and the rest is history. Honourable mention goes to Benteke's winner in the same game (and Weimann's determined work to set it up) for obvious reasons but, by then, the Gabby goal had had its effect and we had gone from pretenders (optimistic but fragile) to the real deal (genuine belief that we could survive). By the time Townsend scored, we knew we could and should still turn the game around again. There have been other massive moments since - notably Lowton at Stoke and Gabby's 2nd at Norwich - but they have only been possible (or significant) thanks to that monumental QPR victory which set us on our way.

Seriously though, if we beat Norwich on Sat, not only are we looking good - it puts them right up against it. Tough game against West Brom then City on the last day. I have them going down, on 39 on goal diff.

He's lost the dressing, not the sauce. I'll give you that. Well played I didn't even see it coming! Thank you sir. Oil get back on topic by saying I hope we Caesar chance on Saturday. #quitwhileyoureahead

@ghostgoal has written a good piece on why Wigan's late surge last year might be difficult to reproduce. Martinez essentially changed to 3-4-3 in Jan, with the introduction of Beausejour. This took team's by surprise and allowed Wigan to go on a run. With Rodallega and Moses gone, no January reinforcements and no surprise tactics sprung, Martinez doesn't have the same cards up his sleeve. That's not to say they won't pull it off again but their "traditional" surge isn't so traditional and isn't just down to an ability to pull results from nowhere. http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/15129/8674834/All-out-of-surprises (apologies if link is long - on phone, will fix later if broken)

He's lost the dressing, not the sauce.

The GD is so tight that it shouldn't really be viewed as a half point cushion. After all, in your Norwich-draw scenario, Wigan would implicitly close the GD gap if they were to close the actual points gap. Still in our hands, of course, but no way we should think the GD is a cushion. I was wary of the Sunderland game but always had this as a win. Like another poster has said, I feel *less* confident now, oddly, as expectations have changed but I'd like to think we can still see it through. Knowing a win will (more or less) make us safe is such a better perspective for the players than thinking a loss would kill us. 2-0 Villa (last chance for a clean sheet IMHO)

Milner a great shout. Yorke obviously legendary - just don't think our strikers are too problematic at the moment.

F365 have been running a fun feature on which three players fans would bring back to enhance their current team. So, who do you think would best help the Villa cause at the moment? For me, we are obviously missing leadership, experience and defensive stability so I would bring McGrath and Laursen back without a shadow of a doubt. My last pick is a bit trickier. There are lots of great options for midfield - the composure of Cowans, the spirit of Taylor and the grit of Richardson - but for me something we have lacked for years is a link with the attack, a thrust from midfield which allows to take a game to opponents. And so, despite him not being a unanimous fan favourite, I'd give my third place to Platt. How about you?

Great link thanks.

Good thread, good debate and good post here. Agree with most this except the final paragraph which absolved MON of any responsibility towards the longer-term well-being of the club. He got results in his time here, no doubt, but the ends don't necessarily justify the means. On a signing by signing basis, it is really quite easy to say "good" or "bad" and plenty of had a go in this very thread. But if you widen "signings" to mean "transfers", the debate becomes much more interesting. Transfers are more than just players and their performances and I think the typical MON transfer was weak when taken as a package. Most consisted of average to good players at pretty high cost and high wages, under-used and with little to no resale value. I know you have argued that resale values don't come inti the equation for clubs or club owners but I feel certain they do.

Looking forward to Lambert finally signing and this thread closing

Highly enjoyable read (as always from Michael Cox). Very refreshing to see coaches making proactive tactical changes to suit the context of the specific game, or even portion of the game. Excited to think we can look forward to these insights ourselves next season. Incidentally, the final para was impressive in its prescience: "Hopefully the mutual respect between the two will continue – we could do with less unsavoury bickering between managers of the biggest clubs in the country and when those coaches depart, Rodgers and Lambert should be regarded as contenders to replace them."

Best quote ever 100% agreed. It simultaneously makes no sense and hits the nail on the head.

Probably not. Will be interesting what McLeish has to say on the matter if he gets another job. I was watching SSN earlier and they brought it up again and were going on about how that would've made things hard for him but the guy at Bodymoor made a point of saying that in the end his SHA connections were meaningless as it was the results and standard of football that got fans on his back. If he was in any way a competent manager, he would have turned round any minority bearing a Blues grudge. A complete red herring. The stats are overwhelming (goals scored / conceded from set pieces / corners, number of draws, number of losses, points accumulated, etc.) and that's before we even get to the fearfully dire approach to playing the game. As soon as the inevitable Norwich loss was confirmed, he had to go. No owner of AVFC could have it on his record that he allowed a season like that go by without pulling the trigger. I'm not expecting miracles next season - far from it - but I am looking forward to players playing with optimism and a little bit of freedom. Jeez, we don't ask for much.

Absolutely overjoyed and relieved. After yesterday's result confirmed such a record-breakingly awful season he simply had to go. For the dignity of the club alone, he could never survive such a disastrous season. Having said that, Randy et al are complicit in this shambles and I think they now see the only way forward is to be magnanimous about that. Season ticket sales will be helped of course. And in a sense he is being made a scapegoat. The appointment needs to be right this time round. I think the fans can buy into the need for patience if the right moves are made - hence the apparent support for Martinez here last year IIRC. The club statement does seem to suggest humble pie is being eaten and O am hopeful that the next appointment will be a positive one. Doesn't mean we can compete any time soon though - but that's football. Also, will the media finally acknowledge that the Blues-link was always a red herring when it came McLeish's unpopularity?

Not having a pop at McLeish but Young should have been subbed at half time he got injured in the first half and was struggling....Blackburn scored attacking down his side could have cost us the match. Delph will become a Villa legend if he can stay fit!!! Young was injured. I saw him limping before HT after a particularly nasty challenge off Dunne and he struggled with Hoillet after , who is a very good LW. Luke came out 2nd half looking decidely lack lustre and it was this that gave Hoillet chance to put in a sublime cross which Pederson buried. Ok, this makes sense. I didn't see the 1st half so hadn't realised he had picked up an injury. It adds up, though, as Hoilett (who is a good player, as you say) got a hell of a lot of joy at the start of the 2nd half and LY was very half-hearted in the challenge leading to the goal. WHY, maybe AM should have made the switch earlier. He gambled, I guess, and acted swiftly when the gamble failed.

Caught the second half which, I understand, wasn't as assured as the first. Still looked comfortable though. Delph looks like a class act - comes to collect, turns well, gives it quickly. A bit hot-headed. But, yeh, MOTM for me. You could see about midway through the 2nd half N'Zogbia really seemed to get a burst of confidence and wanted it all he time. Made an outstanding dribble to the byline and cut it across where 9 times out of 10 you would have expected Bent to be to tap home. Bannan looked lively after coming on. Kudos to McLesih for switching it up at the back. I am assuming L Young wasn't injured and was removed so that Warnock could nullify Hoillet who was killing us on our right. Correct me if I'm wrong...