briny_ear Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'm liking the idea that Roy Keane's possible appointment may be linked to sorting out our drinking culture. he would certainly come armed with a lot of first-hand experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mic09 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Saw an article on Newsnow where Ron Vlaar talks about Villa's drinking culture, specifically saying that a few of the other lads might have made the world cup (besides him, Guzan and Benteke (usually)) were it not for their drinking. I found it mildly interesting. Might explain some rationale behind appointing Keane? Cant see him standing for Weimann and co on the beer every weekend. I really really hope we hold onto Vlaar. I was only thinking the other day, our starting XI isnt THAT bad. Losing players like him, Delph and Benteke would be enormous. Like I mentioned a number of times, our young guns like their booze. According to a friend of mine who knows them, Andi and Cieran are to be seen out in brum more or less every saturday night. I can imagine this must spread wider than just these two I think there are rather more obvious reasons why Weimann and Clark were always fairly unlikely to play in the World Cup. yes, true; but what I am suggesting is that the problem might be more widespread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villarocker Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Vermaelen is off to United, I think that could rule out any potential move of Vlaar to them. Reckon they will sign another CB but my guess would be somebody 'world class', a big name. I think that United will be looking for more than just two defenders to replace Ferdinand and Vidic. The other defenders they have are poor and they would probably look to replace one or two of them too. Put yourself in Vlaar's shoes, regardless of how the rest of the World Cup goes for him and Holland. You can go to a club that's one of the top teams in the world, play alongside fella countrymen and for your national manager and maybe get a nice contract that pay good bonuses and a salary of around £50,000+ per week. Or, he can stay at a club that fights relegation season after season with an owner who clearly wants out and, surrounded by very average players. He may be on £30,000 per week salary with an improved offer of £45,000 in the pipeline, who knows? He's at the age where he probably has just one more move remaining in him and I can't see him staying faithful to Villa if he was given the chance to join United or, any other top club for that matter. I certainly wouldn't blame him for moving on either, as the future of Villa is completely in the lap of the Gods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I keep hearing about this supposed 'Villa drinking culture', and I'm not seeing what's supposed to be different between ourselves and other teams. Players from every club go drinking in city centres after games. I used to live in Manchester and saw the craziness that would go on down Deansgate Locks when women got word that the footballers had arrived. A lot of the theory seems to be left over from the misadventures of Collins & Co with a dollop of nonsense from that picture of players enjoying a beer on the team bus after the last game of the season. I await evidence that Villa is exceptional in some way in this area with bated breath. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mic09 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I keep hearing about this supposed 'Villa drinking culture', and I'm not seeing what's supposed to be different between ourselves and other teams. Players from every club go drinking in city centres after games. I used to live in Manchester and saw the craziness that would go on down Deansgate Locks when women got word that the footballers had arrived. A lot of the theory seems to be left over from the misadventures of Collins & Co with a dollop of nonsense from that picture of players enjoying a beer on the team bus after the last game of the season. I await evidence that Villa is exceptional in some way in this area with bated breath. I will play the role of a caring mother now, but this question needs to be adressed; 'would you jump off a bridge if all your friends did?' Just because the problem is widespread in all English clubs (one of the reasons for England's underachievements on the international scence) it doesnt mean that we can't fight with the problem in our team. Every little helps. If it would make Andi a little bit quicker and Clark a little bit more focused would you be against it? Edited June 17, 2014 by Mic09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I keep hearing about this supposed 'Villa drinking culture', and I'm not seeing what's supposed to be different between ourselves and other teams. Players from every club go drinking in city centres after games. I used to live in Manchester and saw the craziness that would go on down Deansgate Locks when women got word that the footballers had arrived. A lot of the theory seems to be left over from the misadventures of Collins & Co with a dollop of nonsense from that picture of players enjoying a beer on the team bus after the last game of the season. I await evidence that Villa is exceptional in some way in this area with bated breath. I will play the role of a caring mother now, but this question needs to be adressed; 'would you jump off a bridge if all your friends did?' Just because the problem is widespread in all English clubs (one of the reasons for England's underachievements on the international scence) it doesnt mean that we can't fight with the problem in our team. Every little helps. If it would make Andi a little bit quicker and Clark a little bit more focused would you be against it? I'm making the point that it isn't the reason for our poor performances. And while I'm not against anything that makes players better in theory, I'm also fairly realistic about the prospect of abstinence-only rules presented to wealthy young men in their early 20's. It's not all that obvious that the fines, suspensions, resentments and media fallout that would inevitably happen after players broke the rules would be any more beneficial. Paulo Di Canio had lots of niggling little rules, and they certainly didn't help the players respect him. If players are turning up to matches or training in anything other than top condition, they should be fined and made clear that that's not acceptable. I would assume something to this effect is in contracts anyway. But ultimately, they're not prisoners, and their free time is their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swerbs Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Our number 10 goes out more than once a week. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mic09 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I'm not trying to be argumentative, but I keep hearing about this supposed 'Villa drinking culture', and I'm not seeing what's supposed to be different between ourselves and other teams. Players from every club go drinking in city centres after games. I used to live in Manchester and saw the craziness that would go on down Deansgate Locks when women got word that the footballers had arrived. A lot of the theory seems to be left over from the misadventures of Collins & Co with a dollop of nonsense from that picture of players enjoying a beer on the team bus after the last game of the season. I await evidence that Villa is exceptional in some way in this area with bated breath. I will play the role of a caring mother now, but this question needs to be adressed; 'would you jump off a bridge if all your friends did?' Just because the problem is widespread in all English clubs (one of the reasons for England's underachievements on the international scence) it doesnt mean that we can't fight with the problem in our team. Every little helps. If it would make Andi a little bit quicker and Clark a little bit more focused would you be against it? I'm making the point that it isn't the reason for our poor performances. And while I'm not against anything that makes players better in theory, I'm also fairly realistic about the prospect of abstinence-only rules presented to wealthy young men in their early 20's. It's not all that obvious that the fines, suspensions, resentments and media fallout that would inevitably happen after players broke the rules would be any more beneficial. Paulo Di Canio had lots of niggling little rules, and they certainly didn't help the players respect him. If players are turning up to matches or training in anything other than top condition, they should be fined and made clear that that's not acceptable. I would assume something to this effect is in contracts anyway. But ultimately, they're not prisoners, and their free time is their own. I dont want to go away from Vlaar topic too much (does this issue deserve it's own thread?) but if you could get a coach that will teach those kids who have way too much money and dont know how to waste it so they go out and get pissed all too often (of course, in their own time) than maybe its a good idea to somehow 'fix' their mentality. Why is Ronaldo the best player in the world? Because he spends hours after training practicing, going to the gym and doing laps around the ground. At the same time, our own Andi, Mr. No.10, goes around Michu in Birmingham buing himself 2-4-1 Vodka Red Bulls. Yes, mentality and commintment are the reasons why our players are poorer than they actually are 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Out of the english based players I know Delph does not drink. Not sure on the rest. Our muslim players for the most won't drink i.e. Al Ahmadi, Sylla, Okore. Edit: Although I don't drink, if I did and was a professional athlethe I would not drink until I finished playing. Surely you need to be at 100% when you are playing sport at the elite level. Paul McGrath notwithstanding. Especially in this day and age when fitness and focus is so important. Edited June 17, 2014 by omariqy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelboyVilla Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Out of the english based players I know Delph does not drink. Not sure on the rest. Our muslim players for the most won't drink i.e. Al Ahmadi, Sylla, Okore. Edit: Although I don't drink, if I did and was a professional athlethe I would not drink until I finished playing. Surely you need to be at 100% when you are playing sport at the elite level. Paul McGrath notwithstanding. Especially in this day and age when fitness and focus is so important. Some of the heaviest drinkers I know are 'Muslim'? I won't blame Vlaar for wanting to leave for one of the biggest clubs in the World and Manure will be looking for at least 4 defenders I should imagine and Vlaar would be good value at around £4m and £50k to £75k per week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaglint Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Our number 10 goes out more than once a week. And it shows! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omariqy Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 (edited) Out of the english based players I know Delph does not drink. Not sure on the rest. Our muslim players for the most won't drink i.e. Al Ahmadi, Sylla, Okore. Edit: Although I don't drink, if I did and was a professional athlethe I would not drink until I finished playing. Surely you need to be at 100% when you are playing sport at the elite level. Paul McGrath notwithstanding. Especially in this day and age when fitness and focus is so important. Some of the heaviest drinkers I know are 'Muslim'? I won't blame Vlaar for wanting to leave for one of the biggest clubs in the World and Manure will be looking for at least 4 defenders I should imagine and Vlaar would be good value at around £4m and £50k to £75k per week? Ok then. I was talking about our players though. Edited June 17, 2014 by omariqy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazzap24 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Personally, I think it Alcohol abstinence should be written into every players contract and they should be tested regularly. It's not the 80's/90's anymore. The old Harry Redknapp school of a beer or two does no harm is gone. Altleticism plays as much of a part in the modern game now as skill does (at the very top level anyway) and players need to have every edge they can. I don't think it's asking too much that players be told to abstain from a drug that causes harm to the body and can effect performance/recovery during a season. They can do pretty much anything they want with exceptions of drugs, it can't be that hard surely? Vlaar's attitude to drinking needs to become the norm at our club, not the exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amo69 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Vermaelen is off to United, I think that could rule out any potential move of Vlaar to them. Reckon they will sign another CB but my guess would be somebody 'world class', a big name. I think that United will be looking for more than just two defenders to replace Ferdinand and Vidic. The other defenders they have are poor and they would probably look to replace one or two of them too. Put yourself in Vlaar's shoes, regardless of how the rest of the World Cup goes for him and Holland. You can go to a club that's one of the top teams in the world, play alongside fella countrymen and for your national manager and maybe get a nice contract that pay good bonuses and a salary of around £50,000+ per week. Or, he can stay at a club that fights relegation season after season with an owner who clearly wants out and, surrounded by very average players. He may be on £30,000 per week salary with an improved offer of £45,000 in the pipeline, who knows? He's at the age where he probably has just one more move remaining in him and I can't see him staying faithful to Villa if he was given the chance to join United or, any other top club for that matter. I certainly wouldn't blame him for moving on either, as the future of Villa is completely in the lap of the Gods. I've been saying this for weeks. I just threw in a few words like 'inevitable' and 'get used to it' for effect Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mic09 Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Personally, I think it Alcohol abstinence should be written into every players contract and they should be tested regularly. It's not the 80's/90's anymore. The old Harry Redknapp school of a beer or two does no harm is gone. Altleticism plays as much of a part in the modern game now as skill does (at the very top level anyway) and players need to have every edge they can. I don't think it's asking too much that players be told to abstain from a drug that causes harm to the body and can effect performance/recovery during a season. They can do pretty much anything they want with exceptions of drugs, it can't be that hard surely? Vlaar's attitude to drinking needs to become the norm at our club, not the exception. exactly. It is not simply a matter of 'who is the better footballer' but also 'who is the better athlete'. It is not the 80's, and now professional sportsmen are machines. Every inch matters. Personally, I think it Alcohol abstinence should be written into every players contract and they should be tested regularly. It's not the 80's/90's anymore. The old Harry Redknapp school of a beer or two does no harm is gone. Altleticism plays as much of a part in the modern game now as skill does (at the very top level anyway) and players need to have every edge they can. I don't think it's asking too much that players be told to abstain from a drug that causes harm to the body and can effect performance/recovery during a season. They can do pretty much anything they want with exceptions of drugs, it can't be that hard surely? Vlaar's attitude to drinking needs to become the norm at our club, not the exception. exactly. It is not simply a matter of 'who is the better footballer' but also 'who is the better athlete'. It is not the 80's, and now professional sportsmen are machines. Every inch matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nazvfc Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 Yeah my ex wife used to say that too. Made one feel rather inadequate. Personally think size don't matter.... Oh sorry my bad. Thought we were on about something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaw_nuff Posted June 17, 2014 Share Posted June 17, 2014 I hear that Steven Gerrard likes nothing better than a glass of sparkling water and a debate about the finer points of Phil Collins' musical ability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dn1982 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) . Edited June 18, 2014 by dn1982 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 a beer or two does no harm is gone. For most people a beer or two does no harm as all the alcohol gets removed from your system inside ~3 or 4 hours. For a professional athlete who's metabolism is much higher than the average Joe you can probably half that time (at least). The problem isn't having a beer or two it's players staying out late and/or getting drunk. Having a couple of glasses of wine with dinner or two beers every now and then does no harm. To suggest they should be forced to abstain from alcohol as part of their contract is ludicrous IMO. They are humans not robots. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Ha ha. Odd discussion to be having in the Ron Vlaar thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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