Cold. Numb. Without feeling.
No, that wasn’t a description of me on Monday night (though it could easily have been), but rather my feeling towards the club.
On a Monday night, Aston Villa managed to go ahead. As I’m writing that, I realise just exactly how pathetic it seems and sounds for me to be proselytising about merely scoring a goal but, hey, that’s where we are.
I’ll be honest, I’m not angry and I’m not upset. In fact, I’m so beyond that, I’m not bothered.
Whilst there’s a strong argument that many of the world’s worst tragedies were caused by people merely staying silent, it is hard to know what to do.
Realistically, the idea of us – the fans – going to buy the club is a practically impossible situation. Even trying to acquire 25% – a big enough part of the club to have some say – would cost around £35-50m depending on just how eager Randy Lerner is to sell.
If we assume the lowest amount, that still accounts for 35,000 people putting in £1000 each. Maybe that’s achievable, but is there an appetite? In addition, despite having fan involvement, there’s no guarantee that things are going to be easier, though many will argue that can’t get much worse.
Maybe, in a sense, me putting my season ticket money – along with a lot of other Villa fans – would be a way to at least be in control of Villa’s destiny, something many of us feel we most certainly aren’t.
The truth is that the system is broken due to disproportionate revenues being generated by TV based solely on Premier League survival. Stay in the top flight – even with the most dire football on the planet – and you’ll get £80m, even if you don’t sell a single seat at Villa Park to the fans.
It is perhaps this situation that illustrates the methods at Villa nowadays. Football has created the ability for a business to survive despite being devoid of entertainment, or even needing to attract fans to the ground. What kind of a world is that? Surely that can’t be right?
Whilst I’m a fan of the concept of splitting TV revenues evenly to avoid the top teams getting even richer, it is this situation that leaves survival – and little else – perfectly acceptable for Lerner and others like him.
If there was more to the TV money than just being in the top flight, maybe there would be impetus – both for Lerner to do more, but also to do more to attract fans to watch the game.
Instead, Villa fans face a cold, dark night, with no end in sight. Paul Lambert should, by all accounts, be close to losing his job but there’s an honest belief amongst fans that Villa could continue to lose and draw matches without the Scot losing his job.
If that’s the case – and mediocrity is the only objective for Villa – then I’m starting to think you can count me out. After 20 years of going to Villa Park, I can’t recall a time where I’ve felt less interested about travelling there to watch football.
I’m only one fan, but I think I speak for many to say that we’re getting bored of it all now. Premier League survival, as financially rewarding as it may be, seems scant recompense for watching a club we love starved of finances of ideas.
So, Randy, be careful what you do next. You’re in danger of not only alienating the non-regular fans, but also the hardcore like us too.
The Author
Matt Turvey
Matt is the owner of, and chief writer for, Aston Villa Life. He is also a columnist for the Wolverhampton Express & Star, appearing in the Kick Off pullout on Saturdays and the Final Whistle pullout the Monday after Aston Villa play, as well as every Thursday as a blogger on their website. He has previously been featured as a writer on Football365 and Life's A Pitch, and was a regular pundit for Sports Tonight TV on Sky.Comments 219
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Spot on Mat. It’s got the point where I’m not bothered now which is sad because I never thought that would happen. I used to be obsessed with Villa, devastated for days after we lost. I use to be a nervous reck on match days and at half time but now, nothing. I sit down at half times looking around thinking why the fuck am I here. As soon as the final whistle goes you get over what has just happened in a tick. I’ve never been numb when Clyne scored, I felt nothing, nothing. No anger, my heart didn’t sink like it use to.
That’s what The Berk has done. He’s vanished all feelings fans had to this club
Scary bt true thoughts Matt
The key thing is that Randy seems to have lost all ambition for the sporting progression of the club , n realising that he is now in a position to both recoup and make more money
it seems to have become a just buisines thing for Randy
I think we have mostly all had the hope and expection knocked out n this process
this could all be such a great oppertunity for Randy to allow the club to move forward in leaps and bounds without having to be out of pocket — If only he could realise that things could be so much different
The comments tonight make me very sad but also angry, there’s some great fans on this blog and to see them so disheartened through no fault of their own is sickening, what response will they get from the people responsible ? like it or lump it, theirs bugger all you can do about it, we know best. The main four people destroying OUR club are making fortunes out of failure, we know it and they know it, they’r SCUM.
Well said matt
Its just geting tedious now. Do villa deserve to be even in the championship not to mention the premiership. We’re living on past glories now and its embarrassing. Nothing against Lambert personally but please go now.
S75,
O’haras have a new ale out, winterstar, ale mixed with spices such as cinnamon. Very tasty.
Trin,
As i said on Monday, i think the worm may have turned,the fans who stayed away set an example to the ones who attended and i think they will now have second thoughts about wasting their time and money.
As someone said will Lambert use the excuse of weather and tv coverage for the gate when its dry and 20,000 are in VP. Its actually so obvious that the club is dying that the admin ( Fox ) should boot Lambert immediately before the situation is beyond hope.
Blimey Prox that sounds great, could do with a change of tipple.
Just met Mr & Mrs Lerwill, just how you imagined them, a real pleasure and the cats.
Runtingz,
The fans have been fed BS about Lerner attending games incognito, watching every game on satellite, in contact with his various stooges every day, bollox, he never and doesn’t give a crepe about AVFC, its fans, Brummies or anything that doesn’t make plenty of $$, he’s a vacuous twat who’s never done a days work in his pampered life just follows his whims and when he fucks up hides away from the consequences like the cowardly gobshite he is.
Bloody hell Prox , me and steamer was talking about you about an hour ago about the O’Hara beer , thanks mate will be seaching that out this weekend , hope the new jobs going well ,
you know when you read a post like Frem has just put on you really have to worry about the state of the club , its people like him who these clubs need , supporting the villa ,because you can see the young kids now wearing their Man city shirts in Brum , and there is nothing to entice them back to the villa in the future ,
met John Lerwill and his wife , great couple and had a good catch up , and talk about the villa , and thankfully JL has got books that hes written about the villa which people in the future can read, but l think a book about the Learner years will be a massive struggle and l wish him luck with that one, lol
oh well time to catch up on corrie ))
HH said that if we don’t get a big points total from our next four then the board will act. I hope so
We can’t defend, we can’t score so the points tally will be very low
I don’t think we will win again this year
S75,
Will pm you in the next few days, need to pick your professional brain on something.
On the beer thing , Guinness are getting in on the act now with a few ‘experimental’ stouts which are based on the journals of guinness workers from 1790. Crock of shit.
From. I have seen the hh thing people have been saying but where did it originally come from. What site.
Hi all. Miss me?
I missed ya guys but the blogs have been so much doom and gloom I just couldn’t do it.
Hey jp , welcome back.
Should you not be rioting though?
Alas my neck of the woods is still pretty nice. Southern call its about 90° with slight wind. And just people talking about it. Now LA and San Diego are getting some protests, but nothing like the east coast. But Yea. Shits getting a little heated and I might have to pull out my guy fuakes mask.
ok Prox , and thanks for the guiness stout warning
Dreary isn’t it? They must be laughing up their sleeves. This Villa thing is just the tip of the ice berg. The whole league is going to collapse. Watch the top teams in the Championship throw games so they won’t be promoted. Hahahaha.
I do like the colours though. Me thinks I will pay more attention to MLS next year. On a different note, the CFL (Canadian Football) championship game is being played at BC Place this Sunday. It will be on Wizziwig if you are interested. Usually a fine game. 11 PM Birmingham time.
Steamer
Amazing, isn’t it. A year ago your views were regarded (by some) as being near extreme. Now, you’re in the majority, at least on AVL.
One knows it’s bad when Mr Turvey admits to having doubts. It is, as you’ve written, very sad.
I agree that, “The whole league is going to collapse.” It only seems to be played between international breaks, anyway. It’s becoming a bore.
Spot on Matt, except I’m three ahead of the game. I was once fanatical, home and away without fail, Europe at the drop of a hat, but now I dont even go anywhere near villa park. The closest I get is my drive along the express way to work. Yes, I still read forums, yes it makes me mad, yes I think about it every day, but yes it’s completely liberating not having to go each week. Embarrassed to be a villa fan. Are you?
Had a call this morning off a villa mate asking if l could help him as his downstairs lights keep fading ! not unusual you might think , but this bloke is a proffessional happy clapper and l have told him such , as upto last week he was one of these lads still saying he thought pl would turn this around , well l gave him a bollicking as l knew just what he or some cowboy had done , he changed a couple of cieling lights and as usual he fucked up the neutrals , and switch wires , but what surprised me and left me flumoxed , he appologised to me for having a go at me when at Norwich at the last game when everyone was calling for lamberk , l told the ones around me , “we dont want him he’s not for us” and this row has gone on for the whole time this idiot has been here ,
lm dropping over to his house in an hour to sort the bollox he’s done on his house lighting and he’s dropping me a bottle of brandy over later , and it better be a big bottle ,
oh ! and if your thinking of changing a light fitting , get someone in who knows what they’re doing , because believe me you will always do what this twonk has done with the switch wire , my nephew left a light fitting in such a dangerous state that on changing the bulb that person would be dead , just a thought ,
l feel a long weekend coming on , with that bottle and prox’s new ale ,,,, and l think l will need it ,
have a good day all .
Michael ………yes mate ,embarrassed 110%
Jennykins . morning xxxxxxx
ceiling
Prox: ale mixed with spices such as cinnamon. Very tasty.
To talk about *real* healthy stuff why not try Ainsley Harriott’s Indian soup … it’s full of cinnamon and really does clean your innards out nicely.
There … what a lovely advice to start the day! 😉
Philip Hughes
What a tragedy. And the bowler was a good friend of his too … he must be devastated.
Matt
Interesting (and welcome) that you’ve written this article now.
But to go back a few months you stated that you felt that a takeover of VP would take some time and I said then I thought not. But it’s interesting to observe that there appears to be nothing moving in the sale and therefore my optimism was false.
The non-movement may also be indicative that there’s no potential owner who would buy the club out of feeling but only for reasons of pure business … therefore creating a worry that a new owner may be just another Lerner, or worse.
But I suppose that once you are wanting hundreds of millions then it does turn into just a business venture for someone and that we can’t realistically hope for anything else.
Therefore if Lerner would stay but somehow tactfully persuaded to use commonsense and put a football man onto the board, that might still be the better solution.
So maybe a tactic should be for a petition to be drawn up actually *demanding* for a recognised football man to be on the board and if not then to expect continued depletion of support from the fans.
Agree JL, what a tragedy. Sean Abbott the bowler, going to take a while to recover. More depressing news, as if Villa wasn’t enough.
Its a very sad day when you read the AVL and there is not one ounce of optimism in twenty posts, its a defining moment to see us all of the same mind possibly the best Villa blog around with sensible views generally from the whole populace, we now have a virtual across the board agreement.
We knew that those first few games were a false dawn but it gave some fans sheer blind optimism, we knew it would not last but it gave some fans hope, we knew that Lerner and Lambert were jointly ruining the club but some felt they would turn it round, today I think we all know the very sad truth.
The problem being is where do we go from here, the club in its current format will be relegated of that I am quite certain, players are going to be leaving in January to be replaced by others who again will not be up to the job, we have a manager who is so far out of his depth it is almost cruel to watch him struggle, we have a club owner who is raping the club for every penny just so he can cut his losses.
We are just innocent bystanders watching a car crash happen unable to do a single thing to change what happens in the future, it is a sad and sorry state of affairs that our once great club is a shadow of its former self, built over centuries ruined in just a few years.
AVFC RIP
Prox,
You want to pick S75’s brain ? at least pick one that works.
Trin,
I take no satisfaction in that mate.
Michael is a good example of a true Villan waiting for just a spark to encourage his return, there’s thousands like him out there and that’s the tragedy.
Matt was always so enthusiastic, you could almost weep for these people.
John,
I think Lerner regards himself as a football man, he once read a copy of Shoot in 1966.
Welcome back JP, S75 was talking about you only yesterday, stick with us mate.
Strange how the day after saying Robinson should stay out on loan because it’ll improve him, Lambert recalls him, dipstick or what, is he lying or just mental ?
hi matt and co
the whole situation is a mess, what the fans would like to see IMO (apart from a hanging) if the club isn’t getting sold is clarification of what they are doing? The occasional corporate statements from villa park with big smiley faces is like spitting in our tea and saying would you like sugar with that. we would like some honesty please.
if I take an outsiders view and analyse what has been going on I can understand what we have been seeing, cost cutting at first to comply, disguised as young and hungry and poorly implemented by Lambert but achieved none the less.Followed by old and cheap, get us through the season while I sell and you can have a big contract. all orchestrated by a clueless owner poorly advised or too arrogant to listen or seek out good advice.
the question I would like to ask is at what point will Lerner be satisfied he’s got his money back? and either fuck off (preferred) or spend on the team? or has he truly sunk so low as to except a survival for profit plan for the business/team? if he isn’t going to spend then Lambert has to go as he isn’t capable of sustaining that model or apparently understands we want to see football not dunkirk re-enacted each week. If apple started producing crap products even the most die hard users would desert them and thats were villa are at
maybe we should adopt a local to brum lower league club but turn up with villa scarves at least we would have something less depressing to moan about
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-players-just-not-8093662
Unfortunately, a great article Matt, and also sad that Frem has reached such a point. I understand totally what he means, as my last few visits to VP, I felt exactly the same, just numb, no anger, just no feeling, immune to it all. The best part of the day would be talking to other fans, having a couple of pints of Guinness and maybe meeting a couple of legends. Complete Matt Kendricks very in depth survey yesterday, and hope that many others have too.
Time may be close for PL and RK to go, maybe with Sid taking over temporarily, and us seeing a lot more from some of our young players. The only pleasure out of Monday was seeing Kieran Clark having a great game, may be the time is coming for some of the Villa youth to show what they can do.
With regard to fans making a bid for a stake of just 25%, it really may not be as difficult as Matt feels to stump up the money, because, for the average fan to find maybe a £1000 share would be a struggle, but there will be other fans who would not bat an eye at spending £10,000 or even £100,000 to have a say in the club’s future. there is also the economics of local businesses investing in their own future. How many of the surrounding shops and businesses would benefit from a vibrant Villa?
Maybe it is time for Citizen Khan and the Sparkhill Mosque to step forward and make a bid…..!!!
The Steamers also have a hidden slush fund from money that was creamed off from rounds of drinks back in the sixties and have been invested in offshore funds….!!!
PP,
All i had was a poxy 20 squid and Mark snaffled that.
PP,
Regarding Clark,i always rated the lad at the lower levels but lost faith last season, so pleasantly surprised at his performance on Monday. Remember Fred Turnbull, absolutely hopeless until a LC Cup tie vs Burnley at VP, he had a great game that night and never looked back until injury finished him. Lets hope Clark develops in a similar fashion, know he loves Villa.
The way AVFC treats its supporters is a disgrace, lies, lies and silence, any dissent and yer out, just put up with this shite.
steamer- clarke surprised me too, going from clueless to leader, maybe thats the switch that needs to go on in his head, when there is nobody to defer to he takes charge?
as for the £20 that you gave me that you borrowed from st75 who lent it from brasil who lent it from me, its in an offshore account called the channel via the reindeer pub in banbury and the river thames
Clark is a very frustrating player. I use to rate him massively. Under Houllier he came on leaps and bounds. Scored 2 against Arsenal, scored a 90th min equaliser against Chelsea from a lovely cross from Albri ( A winger)
There’s has Been games where is has done well and hen others where he fecks it but so does everyone around him. I’d stick with the Clark/ Okore paring. Vlaar is off and Dross can’t stay fit
ST75- How did he leave the light for it to be ready to kill someone ?
And Robbinson will jus rot like Grealish has
At least the fans would have an ounce of respect if The Berk started Grealish and Robbo on sat
Talking of Burnley, we never win at Turf Moor, a real bogey ground, bit like VP.
Re: Clark
He has shown up well in the past and did well on Monday, so there’s clearly something in him.
Maybe he’s just suffered as a result of the changing managers.
Everywhere is a bogey ground for us Steamer. I’m going to it, first away game this season. Not expecting 3 points though. Apparently it’s a shite stadium. Looks pretty crap on TV. Hope the away fans turn on him
to be honest burnleys win at stoke was due more to dodgy defending by stoke. maybe Lamberts love for breaking records will see us win? if we defend as we did at the weekend and gobby can use his pace I can see a win on the cards. from what I can remember burnley aren’t a kick and rush side but don’t dominate possession either. might be a case of both teams wondering what the round thing is. Lambert might even get ambitious and allow players into their half.
Matt, fine piece as usual. You’re far from the only one as the comments here for years and the article below illustrates.
http://football.chrisnee.co.uk/2014/11/aston-villas-empty-seats-villa-problem.html
JL- I think clarkes problems are typical of a young player, lacks confidence and lets others take the lead. you see it in sides of all standards, decent players following players with less talent just because they are older and more vocal. maybe its an indictment on the way we manage the youngsters full stop regardless of the current management. what makes southamptons academy players stand out is their maturity, you don’t see it much in ours. Grealish has it mentally as did Barry IMO
steve w- good article, I wonder if the increased price for away support is an attempt to claw back some losses from support being down? if so will we see less away support or will they come to see the easy points secured?
Like everyone else my heart sank on Monday night when Clyne scored and I am not coping well with this constant battle to stay in the nether regions of the EPL. I agree there are big problems with the structure of the EPL which make it very hard to compete with the big four Chelsea, utd, citee and Arsenal.
The Champions league is beginning to evolve in the same way already arsenal look at getting out of the group stages as success and expectations don’t really go beyond that and 3/4 in EPL. Monday wasn’t all bad and cones off the back of a tough run of fixtures and the Spurs RADAR performance. Okore has quality stamped right through him and Clarke deserved MOM. Although depleted we do now have a squad with some depth, considering we were arguably playing our 4 th and 5 th placed centre backs and our three star outfield players were missing a point at home to the team 2 nd in the league was admirable. Would love to see Jack Grealish get the last 30 minutes of each game, great to see the development of Callum Robinson hope he also gets some minutes. See still some enthusiasm there but!!!
There is absolutely no way I would consider a 350 mile round trip to see it ( Tuesdays game) or another home game this season, that’s mainly down to the boring football scraping away for points and the scheduling for TV. Sundays traffics a killer! midweek needs an overnight stay and straight into work is brutal. Went to Hull away last year which although 0-0 was the most boring game of football ever, I went to 5-6 games and didn’t see a goal ( we are talking 200 quid days out with the kids) went to sleep at a game for the first time ever away at West Ham away the season before. Christmas last yr was brutal the last minute loss to palace the bore draw with Swansea. Cheered up only by Chalton v Cardiff 4-3 in between.
Villa till I die and love footfall but now finding better value watching championship football and early round FA cup. Worcester V Coventry, Bromley v Dartford passion personified, thrills spills, fans with no teeth who have 12 sugars in their tea ( and that’s just me). Charlton v Millwall last Saturday ( best chant of The season Charlton to Millwall… “Jeremy Kyle is coming for you.. He’s coming for you..” ). Will sample the misery Tuesday at Palace but failing that hope to see you all at Scunthorpe v the mighty but homeless Blue and Whites for a proper game of footie on the 7th … UTV
Frem,
A dump, and always cold and windy, the mild used to be the same colour as the bitter but it was the first ground i visited that had a chip shop in it. They’ve had some great players in the past, i remember them winning the league in 1958 and for a town of 60,000 they used to get good gates too.
Hey Steamer
I did put in the plural- Steamers, so not just your personal finance.., wasn’t there a goffer who you gave the £5 note in those days, to get the round, and he pocketed the change, probably has a villa in Spain now…..as well as the offshore account…I remember a barman at the Toby Jug in Castle Bromwich, who if he did not get a tip added a bit on the price of a round, and if anyone challenged him, he was so quick at adding up, he confused them and made it come to even more, they would apologise, and say should they pay the difference, as they were obviously undercharged on the previous round…..Ron, a hero,….our tips in those days (filling cigar tins) paid for our Xmas…
I agree with all the comments on Clark, and I am sure given the chance he will live up to his full potential, as could many of our other youngsters….remember Mercer’s Minors….
Ivo,
Funny mate, never lose yer sense of humour.
Apparently Okore has said that he may be off in Jan because he’s been fit for weeks and Lamebert wouldn’t play him, Lowton off too on loan, they just can’t wait to get away the dummy and then don’t want to come back, WTF is wrong with Fox and Lerner, can’t they see the obvious ? the man is poison.
In regards to Clark along with all of our players i have alway maintaned that we have a much better squad than there performances and lge positions
With the aweful style of football it is imo very difficult for the players to progress and develop
Imo we play the worst style of football in the lge and have the most prehistoric tactics thefore we will never see real progression of our players under this manager or any other simular manager
As JL pointed out it may not be the best thing to get a new chairman , the ideal thing would be for the chairman to find the deterination to get the right people in place to allow the club to try and fullfil the massive potential that is currently being ignored
I have been feeling like you lot for some time – I expressed myself in the Evening Mail villa FB page as follows:-
Randy Lerner hang your head in shame; if anybody YOU are the one to blame.
You took the reins just like unwanted presents and then disdainfully handed them to successive incompetents.
You missed the writing on the wall; the fans gave you the warning call You failed to take the called for action needed to avoid the fall
And now we rest in ignominy, a team of lower rank So here’s my message to you, why don’t you GO HOME YANK?
Where there’s life there’s hope – allegedly!
Randy should look closely at the likes of southhampton who are massivly over achieving – have great assets in there club and havent actually spent a penny in real terms in fact they have made cash duing this rise and continue to do so
Strange isn’t it Steamer? It isn’t as if they aren’t Lambert’s signings, which might have explained it. Robinson will now presumably take Bent’s place on the bench, nothing else. He then probably won’t even make that once Benteke is back and Agbonlahor or Weimann gets to hit the pine.
Read a report of the U-21’s which said Grealish “ran the show.” If he gets a chance I wouldn’t be surprised if Lambert & Keane were willing him to fail so they could keep playing the same turgid nobodies.
And finally yes Steamers told us all along that PL was no where near good enough and i was gulity of backing PL for well over a season before i realised they lads were spot on
I think while we possibly would be able to buy a stake in the club as fans if fans set up a trust to attempt to buy it we would get a lot more postive action from the club and the press would be constantly made aware that villa fans have backbone and will not except the club being run into the ground
Re: the chairman. I’m not sure whether it is realistic to expect him to change course after being wedded to mediocrity for so long. Actually not mediocrity, that would be a vast improvement.
The only way any improvement will come is with completely new personnel as the management is rotten from top to bottom.
would’nt be able to buy soz
Mark: I think clarkes problems are typical of a young player, lacks confidence and lets others take the lead….
That view would be acceptable to me if we had seen evidence of him lacking confidence in his earlier years in the first team. But he didn’t show any such lack … from his first game for one or two seasons he was a viable, confident, option. He even scored goals.
His downturn in form seems to have taken place somewhere in the changeover of managers and (was it McLeish?) who tried to play him in some kind of midfield role. My guess his lack of confidence started from then … he no longer understood what he really was in the team.
So the root cause of his downturn for me is in the repeated changover of managers and their varied demands. And, let’s face it, the constant change of managers and fashions has put paid to any effective planning for the past 4 years.
Runtings,
I can honestly say none of us take any gratification in trying to warn others we were in shitten strasse, I and many of the others have supported the Villa for 50 years, we have fought for our club, gone to court and spent nights in Steelhouse Lane because we loved and were proud of this club, and now it has come to this, I struggle to see us competing ever again on the level of a few years back, certainly not in my lifetime anyhow, now that’s what makes me really sad, the decline is horrendous and is looking to get worse.
Is there anyone out there who can save our club?
AVFC RIP
Jl- sorry mate to me Clarke has always been error prone I cannot remember him being anything else. Gets turned a lot as he stays too tight to his man. He’s had his moments maybe 3-4 matches where he shone. One where he played in midfield and scored 2 of the goals your talking about I think I remember. Monday night he was a different player best I have seen him imo.
The point is the likes of Davis , Cahill etc had to leave to achieve their potential. Our academy used to produce success at that level but fails to produce at top level. Our team is littered with could of beens in the last 20 years. Barry is the best we have produced in our shirt in that time and unfortunately gabby the second pretty poor.
Clive, You havn’t met S75 yet.
Thats right Steve, you’d think Grealish was a 16 year old weakling, he’s had half a season in Lge 1 and thats tough, so he must be lacking the skills ? Nooooooooo he’s got 50 times the ability of any of the others, its just that Lamebert doesn’t like his haircut ( honest ). since when do you pick a team on haircuts ?
Runtingz- I hate to piss on your bonfire mate but Southampton have had plenty of financial trouble recently . I thought the same as you but they had to sell players after saying they wouldn’t. Also the added tv money saved their bacon. Still think they are the way to go though.
I think it’s the reality for teams outside the champs league but there’s no need to play poor football
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26813363
Davis and Cahill didn’t leave for footballing reasons, considering the mediocrity of our recent managers they certainly have over inflated ego’s.
if all you lot donate the 20 quids you owe me i could buy Real Madrid never mind Villa.
Surely theirs a way to dilute Lerners shares and infuse some capital into the club, re-float ans sell 51%, In Jeermany the fans must own 51% apparently, thats why they can afford to spend December in Birmingham.
Was up town on Saturday and walked past a stall with a sign outside, Coaching badges just like Herr Lameberts only 2-50, cheaper than a jar of saurkraut.
Mark
Sometimes I think you and I wonder around each in his own universe – perhaps we do! 🙂
No, I saw Clark on his debut in 2009 and he impressed me then. He got a good write up. And I think that level of confidence went on for some time.
Anyhow, not to worry – fans always see things differently …
It looks like Southampton could of ended up right in the shizer just shows you what a bubble we live in as fans
http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/04/why-southampton-are-in-no-position-to-replace-their-star-players-4820147/
Mark,
I agree with Steamer about Cahill and Davis. E-g-o figures a lot in decision making in footballers, and though I liked both of those players I still don’t think they’re all that great. Cahill regularly makes an error and some of his fouling is a bit too much sometimes. Gabby would have got past him neatly but for being hauled back at their last meet. I don’t think Cahill even received a yellow for that. He gets away with murder – just like Terry it would seem.
Steamer- they left because the manager failed see there quality and potential and bought such Jems as Zak night and salifou priceless.
JL. One day we will meet and it will make more sense 😉
Jl- Cahill was going to Man City but they pulled out, I think he would be a better player if he’d gone there instead of partnering terry . Doesn’t Davis play for Southampton or and captain Northern Ireland ? Where are zat and salifou now?
Mark,
A mate of mine was a coach at VP when Cahill was breaking thru’, i mentioned that he looked a good prospect, he looked me in the eye and said “He won’t make it here,’ personality clash with MoN, regarding Davis,who i rated, apparently a row evolved about a tat that MoN objected to ( Not sure on this one ) but Cahill definitely was a victim of a clash of personalities, then again Zat Knight was a hell of a player.
steamer- not surprised MON had a big head for a wee man and he could be an idiot for someone people say is intelligent. we played davis out left
as i remember he’s now southamptons link player between mid and attack a no10
I suppose. Was the tattoo of mons daughter? . cahill was rough around the edges but he scored a few even as a youngster. Best thing about zat knight was he didn’t need a feather duster, think he’s gone back to basketball in the states
JL- most defenders get away with murder these days, makes my blood boil. then again it’s rare to see an incident where both players haven’t got a handful of each others shirt . the six second rule for keepers all but forgotten along with taking throw in from the correct position. my pet hate is “he’s using his upper body strength” also known as obstruction backing in etc 🙂
Mark ok i understand that they have outlaid for a new training ground ect but in terms of players in and out they are making a massive profit — this coupled with tv money and doing so well on the pitch put them overall in a fantastic position — does it not ?
is this what Lambert has done with bent ns n’zogbia?
http://metro.co.uk/2014/11/26/victorian-post-mortem-photographs-are-as-creepy-as-they-sound-4963836/
Lionheart,
If you come on here tonight, take my advice about that knob on the other site, ignore the argumentative rissole.
Mark: Doesn’t Davis play for Southampton or and captain Northern Ireland ?
Yes, he first played for NI when at Villa and was a key player in their side back then that beat England.
But when he left Villa he went to Rangers and the affect of that was akin to what happened to Mark Walters. You get plenty of glory playing for Celtic or Rangers (then) against mostly weak sides and then to reintroduce yourself into the English top-flight is one heck of a change. It’s only in the past year (I think) that Davis has re-emerged. Before that he was not getting into the Saints team regularly as I recall.
But in terms of his function and how he performs it I wouldn’t rate him any better than, say, Cleverley.
Lamberk getting his excuses in already for Burnley
Tom Cleverly is bloody useless
And conformation Lamberk knows nothing
” Nzogbia is playing decent ”
Feck of Lamberk
runtigz- you’d think so but if it wasn’t for the extra £25m eventually agreed tv money this season they would be in trouble. they spent £50m this summer pulled in 92m had to pay about 25m towards last years transfers plus £30m for the training ground. they were also running at something in the region of 106% of income wage bill because of bonuses paid for promotion. apparently Cortese had promised champs league to a lot of players and wages to go with it.
just search
“southampton fc financial troubles ” in google theres loads on it like this
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/leisure/11142479/Southampton-FC-targets-sustainable-growth.html
its worth a read as it shows how transparent their dealings are compared to villa and the fact they have a plan and how they went about it
JL- I can’t say i’ve seen much of him at southampton but he was mentioned as one of the reasons they were so poor by gary neville as they missed his link play. i quite agree on the rangers thing but what if he’d stayed in the prem? granted some players take till their latter years to blossom maybe he’s one? he’s still only 29
Haven’t posted on here for a while.. nothing to say really.. the club is slowly dying..
Lerner has completely conned us.. and we like mugs lets him.. the whole Club up for sale garbage meant in the summer we ‘accepted’ that we will spend a few pennies in a summer that had the highest TV revenue money coming in ever.. We also gave PL a chance because we thought we were up for sale so let him stay short term.. Four games in the clown got a new contract.. going against everything in the summer and a slap in the face for us fans..
Now we are stuck with two clowns.. PL and RK.. Lerner won’t sack them or appoint anyone decent.. Delph and Vlaar are one foot out the door.. Benteke won’t be far behind..
Next summer will be the same old shite in terms of transfer fee and wages esp if PL is still around..
We might just scrape it and stay up playing rubbish football..
Depressing times..!!
Frem the idiot put one of the earth wires into the phase loop and everything earthed became live when the light was switched on , the thick ear l gave him lasted for ages ,
remember the end of last season saying we should pick a non-league team once a month and go and spend the day down there , and the general feeling l got was , fuck off it would be shit ! well it would’nt have been as bad as what some of you are paying upto £40 for , now its being mentioned maybe we should do it , just make sure you arses bring the money you owe me , could start the new year and pick a london one and meet up with Runtins ,
Steamer at least l got a few cells to pick , if brains were gunpowder you or sww would’nt have enough to blow you cap off ,
sww try this , stick your finger up your arse and give yourself a twirl !!!!!!
found this while looking at southampton’s dealings to see how they operate. one thing that it turned up is the BPL’s version of ffp is different to eufa’s, and if you get into europe you may fall foul of their ffp rules. this means success in terms of making it into the top 6 carries a threat for teams living on the breadline as eufas cap is a third of the BPL’s. so for some teams being between 7th and 17th makes better financial sense. ffp is rapidly widening the gap in the prem
http://redsloscf.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/southampton-fc-martin-samuel-and_29.html
Mark nice one for the links — i did have someone explain to me that fairplay only really kicks in properly on european qualification
In terms of a club like southampton i think they are doing what is needed to go to the next level and they way that is deloping they will only become bigger and better
Villans looking at southampton with envy – who would have thought that could be possible
In the flip side Mark the points in your last post supports the argument for a chairman to see a club purely as a money making exersise with the only condition to garrentee big cash rewards is premier survival
The powers that be must be loving it at the moment but if they don’t get the balance right half empty stadiums will make the lge less attractive to the worldwide audience thus leaving sponsor pulling out left right and centre
lambert moaning about injuries,well going by monday non performance from top 6 injured players wouldnt changed much,3centre halvesout defence done well and in all fair nessthats only 3 goals in last 3 matches one a fluke free kick the other 2gabby wasnt picking up his man,and in that time 2 goals scored and maybe 2 more shots on target,yes delph would have gave a bit of energy but thats it .benteke just coming back to fitness wasnt supposed to be back much before xmas any how.lamberts squad no width no number 10 no idea
Mark: i quite agree on the rangers thing but what if [Davis had] stayed in the prem?
As I said before, I didn’t think that highly of him. I thought he might have developed into a David Platt sort of player but without being as good.
runtingz- just turned this up its a mind blower, this article breaks down southamptons methods and a think i’m probably right in saying it makes villas methods look like a sunday teams
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/11140340/The-inside-story-of-Southamptons-brilliant-start-to-the-Premier-League-season-under-Ronald-Koeman.html
JL- whatever your thoughts on davis have a read of this, could explain why he’s doing so well at southampton and that goes for bertrand too
Mark,
If he’s settled well there then good luck to him. But it has taken him a long time to settle down … he’s just now at the height of his career of course.
from what i can make of this article wages can only be paid from money the club generates excluding BPL tv money? if right then randy cannot afford to lose match day revenue as we will end up with a lower income and the same wage bill. we are allowed to be in the red about £25m over a 3 year period any more and you’re fined, a couple more low gates should have the desired effect. this ffp shit is complicated but could actually work for us.
http://redsloscf.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/the-glass-ceiling-part-four.html
sorry should of been 105m over 3 years this explains it better
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2274957/Financial-Fair-Play-Premier-League-agree-financial-cap-clubs-face-points-deduction.html
Watching Villa is bad enough, and now I try to dodge what Lamberk says before and after games because it makes me even more angry
He says Gabby and Wiemann will find there scoring touch. Hahhaha. He’s gunna keep playing them then and not Grealish.
He says he has certain style of football. Indeed, and it’s painful on the eyes. He keeps playing 433 but notice how he never buys players to fit that system ?
Why can’t he just say ” How we are playing is disgraceful. It’s not good enough, I know that, the players know that”
Have some honesty for once, but he knows he can convince Fox to keep him on
This sums him up
” No, listen, I don’t know”
Twat
Low intellect, low class, low life.
Great to see Pete Colley drilling Lamberk now that the Doogan chap has left
Frem- where did you find HH’s comments about that PL has 3 weeks to save his job.
Zoggy and Bent shouldnt be anywhere near the team. I think loaning him out and bring Callum back is the only good PL has done all season
Things I dont agree with:
Greanlish not playing
Okore not playing
Zoggy still starts with no goals and I think only 1 assist
PL saying “we have a right go at em” them we only have one shot on target
The lack of shots from open play
PL’s substitutions
i’m just trying to work if staying in this league will be as profitable as we seem to think. especially with falling attendance and negative publicity.
the wage for our crap team is in the ballpark of 72m, tv money is 80m, more if we finish higher (unlikely). villa made 36m from the gates +sponsors last tax year this year its likely to be less as nobody is turning up. according to this prem wage cap we can spend 54m of tv money on wages this year, leaving the club to make 18m up to pay the wages. if the gate receipts plummet and sponsor fuck off and placings remain low Lerner will not be getting much of his reported 330m back anytime soon.
considering we will need to spend more money for players (- what we get for delph and vlaar) if we made the same as last tax year we’d have potentially 42 mil minus running costs to invest in players (god knows what figure that would be) lets say he spends 20m and runnings costs are 10m? thats a potential profit of 12m? is that so great on a 330m investment? also considering we are due to pay up in 2018 interest owed on loans made to us I can’t see how its worth it.
this is all very loosely done but it seems obvious that being successful in the premier league top 8 is much more lucrative (placing money for 1st is 25m + plus televised appearances and increased gates) than scratching about at the bottom.
Hi J.P
He said it on twitter. Said he’s spoke to Fox, god knows if it’s true though. I hope so cus he can’t stay at this club much longer when the next four games go wrong
Spot on with the list. Grealish has to start games as does Okore now
shots on target – 20th
goals scored – 20th
Chances created – 20th
Conversion rate – 20th
Shooting accuracy- 20th
That’s our record this season
Apologies if someone has put this up already
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11677/9582140/transfer-news-aston-villa-boss-paul-lambert-defends-decision-to-loan-darren-bent-to-brighton?utm_source=dlvr.it
We are a sinking ship – and even the players can’t wait to bail out. From that interview we learn that DB asked to go out on loan a month ago , and Robinson said he was gutted at being recalled. The players must hate playing the “system of football” that PL refers to in the above – which had no room for a 1 goal in 2 game striker. Clearly, DB is no where near that now after being messed around, training with the under 21s – the unwanted pariah – used for 5 mins pointless subs – but oh what could have been if Pl had played to his strength and teamed him with Benteke from the start.
this is my favorite line jen
“Charles N’Zogbia is playing pretty decently and Joe Cole is nearly fully fit. So there are certainly goals within the team” what a knob
In that interview PL also said that Nzog was playing better – that was the biggest delusion of the week. He was disposed every time he got the ball. At least the Sky interviewer asked some probing questions for a change .
Frem, I saw that record. Given that we are bottom in everything, it makes no sense that the usual suspects are first on the team sheet each week. At least there is no way that Okore can be left out now after his strong performance on Monday.
Cole and Zoggy have probably scored 5 goals between them in 3 years
Jenny- but yet Lamberk said gabby and Wiemann will find there goal scoring touch. He’s going to keep playing them
Pete Colley was laying the pressure on the Berk today and one of his questions he asked were are the players feeling comfortable because they know they won’t get dropped
What do you think he will say when only 20 k are at the next home game and it’s a sunny day ?
I hate the man so much it’s got to the point when winning games might be bad thing because he will stay on. We win one, lose 4 but that’s good enough for Randy
I feel the same Frem, The joy of winning is dampened by the fact that it secures PLs job. I can’t see how the players can still believe in him We will win the odd game – but it changes nothing. The falling gate may have some influence on RL though – as it is a bad advertisement for the sale.
Evening ST75 xxx sorry about the missing e mails – they got stuck in my draft folder .
Mark – when he said that about Zog I questioned whether I was watching the paroody version of PL!. I have never seen Zog playing so badly as he did on Monday night ( and that is something) As for Joe Cole – it could be along wait !
It still makes me laugh – I wish he would do another one – there’s enough material!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FHiNIfmCYU
The players must feel the same towards him as the fans do
Can you imagine what goes through there head every Monday morning at training when Lamberk says, ” right lads, we are gunna work on 433 formation again this week. Yes, that’s right, the same formation I’ve played for about year week in week out. The same formation that has nearly got us relegated 2 seasons straight. The same formation where we lost 12 home games in a single season. The same formation where my forward players scored 7 goals between them in 38 games. The same formation where we can’t string two passes together. The same formation where we lost 6 games in a row. Right, let’s get to work”
I can’t remember the last time I actually looked forward to going to Villa. Football should be a pleasure, not a pain
The full version
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rphCEiJ7cuk
You love that Vid don’t you 🙂 It’s epic
Sad thing is, it’s not far away from the truth on how he actually speaks after games
” They boys gave 110, no, 120 % tonight “
I still love it and the thing is Frem – the parody version was going on about losing 4 on the bounce and we have actually beaten that now. The “I told the lads it was going to be a tough month and it was” he said this season too. It is still the same but we have broken new records. It is the only sane way to look at villa now – for comedy value.
My favourite bit is on Benteke
” He was in the box 3 times tonight. That’s fantastic”
That is mine too ” he was in the box 3 times tonight, cant ask more than that – ok one was a goal kick and he was tying his boot lace” haha but the scary thing is it has become reality “I can assure Aston VIlla fans I will be working day and night to bring in average players to this football club …….. and we are working day and night to ensure we finish in the bottom five” 🙂
A lot of people are saying the next 4 games are the ones that will save PL whereas I believe a poor run could see him given the boot. There are simply no excuses given the opposition but knowing PL’s luck, he’ll fluke a win and a draw and remain until Feb/March at least.
Dee
Probably.
I guess the only real way for fans to buy Villa would be if the club were to drop a couple of divisions.
Which poses some interesting questions. Would Villa still maintain its fan base? I think so because it’s a community club, some of the international fans might disappear. Not me. I’ll support Villa and visit VP when I’m in England. It doesn’t matter what division Villa is in. TV money is killing English PL football. 2-3 decades ago British teams lined up and took turns winning the European Cup.
Can a club decline promotion these days? I think this has been done before. If money isn’t the most important thing, this is possible. It won’t attract elite players, but that doesn’t mean the footy is any less entertaining.
Perhaps, the truest indicator of a “big club” would be its ability to say NO to the lure of Prem League TV money and instead serve the people it was set up to serve outside of the PL and outside of business comes first interests.
Anyway, the FA needs to realise that the Prem League is rapidly losing its lustre. TV is saturated with football.
Well, that’s my little Friday rant.
1-2 on Saturday. Villa to win one.
Have a nice weekend all Villans.
So, will it be the same 4.3.3 at Turf Moor?
I would like to see something different within the constraints of our injury list of course:
Guzan, Hutton, Okore, Clark, Cissokho
Diamond Westwood in front of defence, Sanchez left and Cleverley (would prefer Bacuna) right and Grealish behind the front 2
Ideally Gabby and Benteke but looks like settling for Weimann this match and definitely not Nzogbia
Of course this is unlikely to materialise
Clive,
Are you a complete madman, trying to change the system are you mental, Lambert has had the players working on this system for the best part of three years and now we have it nearly cracked YOU want to change it , its radical I give you that but also a touch insane.
Once Benteke gets back we will launch the ball up to him in the hope he can score a overhead kick from 45 yards, Gabby and Wiemann will run around him like headless chickens chasing the opposition defenders, our midfield will run and chase until they have no breath left and when we finally steal the ball they will pass it back to Guzan to kick as far up field as possible, our defence will defend our goal like a bunch of jessies and will not be allowed to venture over the half way line just in case they get caught out, this is the Dortmund way the model we have nearly perfected.
You do not win a champions league medal and not have a worldly knowledge of football tactics, change now at our peril.
AVFC RIP
Nice to see other fans (Man City in this case) praising Villa fans within a rant about the structurally enforced tedium of merely existing in the Premier League.
http://www.thedaisycutter.co.uk/2014/11/how-supporters-became-the-new-villains-of-modern-football/
Christ on a bike just when you think things cannot get any worse this happens the good Lord is surely a nose,
http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/dads-army-film-ian-lavender-4705160
AVFC RIP
we actually played a 4231 on monday lads,even though i know it looked like our usual 46.
i would stick with the defence a: they did well and B: all the others are injured.
mid would be westwood and sanchez sitting with cleverly on the right grealish out left and richardson central gabby up top. grealish and richardson can interchange
(I have a hope robinson comes on with 1/2 hour to go and scores 2 😉 )
what i think we will see is same as monday but maybe richardson in for nzogbia but the way knob head is talking nzogbia will play.
Lambert is bemoaning injuries and i don’t blame him all his best players are unavailable. you only have to look at liverpool to see how a 2nd place team have ended up toothless without sturridge and suarez . that said doesn’t excuse playing so cautiously that it makes you wonder if you’re watching one team of 22 on a pitch.
I think if we get a result which i think we will, we may even win the next 4 with the return of benteke as we are now playing the bottom half teams but you never know with villa. this means Lambert won’t be going anywhere unless forced out by non-attendance or protest
I put an article up about yesterday (amongst many 🙂 ) about southampton methods. it struck that me how open that club is and how professionally they are run. the football director les reed has incredible knowledge and along with the other quality staff makes ours look amateurish. watch this video with a box of hankies (steady) as you will want to weep before the end
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=southampton+fc+reed&FORM=VIRE3#view=detail&mid=B3DA1F084C503AD2E38CB3DA1F084C503AD2E38C
southwestvillan
Better the peril you (don’t) know than to lapse into obscurity. As you say Lambert has perfected our tactics over a long period but he keeps changing the cast list.
He’s Bent on destruction.
I would just like to think he might think outside the box – according to the U-tube video Benteke only gets inside the box 3 times a game!
You have to be laugh otherwise you would cry!
UTV
Keane’s resigned
steve w- brilliant article and one we should heed well
Roy Keane resigns, the rats are deserting the sinking ship, Doogan last week, Keane this, I’m praying it’s Lambert next followed by Randy.
We are in freefall next stop the championship
Steve,
We knew it was coming if we were all honest enough and to be fair I am glad he has gone, just what he brought to the table only Lambert knows, at least when Lambert does get the bullet we have not got to endure another idiot.
AVFC RIP
steve w. you can see it now Lambert saying in the dressing room “right lads is everyone behind me?” as Keane sneeks out
this should mean the end for Lambert but probably won’t , who’s the next assistant santa or the grinch
Steve: Keane’s resigned
You put it in small print but I’m amazed to find it’s true!
Is this all about the supposed Delph fall-out?
At least he won’t be the next manager!!!!
Good riddance he did fuck all but promote his book and cause controversy , it’s a pity Lambert didn’t fuck off with him, defeat to Burnley should heap the pressure on
Keane says on Sky he was having difficulty in combining the two roles, well the ROI do not play again until March 29th 2015 so in truth he could have put all his time into getting Villa out of the shit, another fraud that we have been paying good money to just walk away from our royal mess, fuck off Keane and don”t let the door hit you on the arse you useless prick.
AVFC RIP
I am shocked but not surprised if that makes sense.
The body language between RK and PL has been sterile and distant for the last six weeks at least if not longer. No communication or warmth between them at all . You would think they were strangers. I am shocked because of the timing – looks like it was a “I’ve had enough of this rubbish” type moment. “He has left the club with immediate effect” is the official statement. We can only guess what has gone on – but maybe he just didn’t agree with PL tactics, selections and way of play. I just cant see RK There are rumours that Bent had a row with PL after being brought on for the last 10 mins on Monday – but who knows. He did look surprised when he was told to warm up . No doubt it will be in his next book !! I noticed PL striding off on his own after Monday’s game, RK wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
Bad news for villa fans – the only hope of entertainment we had was RK blowing a gasket on the touchline – now even that has gone!!!!
RK is not a number 2 – it was always going to be short lived, particularly when he probably considers himself more knowledgeable than PL It may last longer with MON because MON is older and has done more in management. RK admitted about a month ago that he found no 2 being difficult as he couldn’t make the decisions.
I would never agree with RK’s style of management but fair play – his comment when he went into the dressing room was probably deserved – because some of them are – starting with the manager !
It was sudden as the telex from AV to TS (yes telex !!!) said that RK came into the office this morning and said he couldn’t combine both roles, Ireland and Aston VIlla) (in otherwords, didn’t like not being able to pick the team and decide the tactics).
That could be good and bad Mark. If he was hanging round to pick up Lambert’s job he must have concluded that Lambert is here to stay.
At least the excuse for not sacking Lambert as RK will take over has gone now .
No doubt the players will be pleased he has gone – and may put in more effort at BUrnley like players always do – find that extra gear – when they have orchestrated a coach’s demise. It’s a sort of “it was his fault not ours” mentality.
I don’t think it will make any difference to us at all. Just another excuse for them for their 20th positions in every aspect of football (bar the table).
Jen,
Yes the truth will out eventually, the rumour about a spat with Delph is of particular interest, so who next for the seat of heat next to Lambert, lets try to get someone with championship experience.
AVFC RIP
We are laughing stock of the league that’s for sure
A defeat tomorrow will wrap it all up
We all know Lamberk will say if we lose that Keane going was a massive blow too the players
I think it more likely that RK told PL where to stick his job, as he could no longer be involved in the c**p going on….and then walked out…..
Which is why it is stated that he resigned with immediate effect…..normal term for showing the two fingers…!!
Maybe he will return when PL gets the sack on Wednesday morning if there are not 6 points on the board……
More likely is that Sid will take over in the not too distant future, then you will get honest appraisal, as he always does so with his young charges…
I think so too Paul, particularly as they only found out this morning.
Poor old Sid, into the frying pan yet again !
SWV – I bet they’ve brought cakes into BMH to celebrate 🙂
This was an almost prophetic headline to our article Cold Dull No Feeling did our Matt know Keane was on his way.
AVFC RIP
Jen,
Lets hope they are Rock cakes they can chuck at Lambert when he shows up. #keanesaknob
I just hope Sid stays away for his own good, we know he loves the Villa but do we need to put him back in the firing line.
AVFC RIP
PP- we play again mid week as well?
Just saw Southamptons goal on TV for the first time and the lack of emotion from our players when Clyne scored is frightening
Enjoy this piece from the Mail
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-stubble-trouble-day-7914582
A great funny piece by Matt.
Frem
away to Crystal palace on Tuesday.
Wow
You can now win the Villa dugouts, providing you can take them away…..
The new bomb proof, sound proof and fan proof dugouts will be in place in time for the next home game against Leicester City……!!!!!!
to be honest I’d get rid of the lot, the days of jobs for the boys and he’s won this as a player, he’s villa through and through are over. I don’t care if the coach is from non league as long as he’s knows what’s needed and keeps up with all the latest innovations.sport is a science these days not a retirement plan for ex players.
paul p- I think your right, why walk out just before a game indeed two in quick succession if lamberts your mate you stay until a new coach is sorted. Timing is all wrong for it to be planned
Maybe Roy is off to the jungle after all……….watch this space……and Ant & Deck…
They could then return as the new comedy team at VP…at least we would get more laughs…
Mark
Sid is the only consistent guy left, and he is doing a fine job with the young players, and does not mess about. He is straight talking and honest..part of a dying breed at VP.
Roy could be in the jungle by Saturday night…..See him and Edwina do battle…..makes for great telly…!!!……and another fistful of dollars in his pocket, rather than getting the sack with PL.
The only flicker of hope i have is for someone out there to buy our club.
Until that happens im done. I don’t think Learner will sack Lambert even if we go down.
I hate Learner i hate Lambert, i hate most of our players, i hate our kit i hate the way we play i hate the atmosphere at villa park i hate the way i hate villa
Villa’s black Friday offer……Cheap tickets for Leicester game….!!!!!!
PP- Wouldn’t be surprised to see him end up in the jungle
that’s two huge games then for the Berk in the space of 4 days. Hopefully will be the end of him
Disappointed we didn’t get as much entertainment value from RK as expected.
Can’t blame him for making good money at Villa. PL has said that RK’s appointment was always going to be short term, anyway. So, why on earth did they hire RK in the first place?
I’m hoping the next week will se the end of Lamberk
3 games in a week against teams we should beating
We know we won’t so even our board will have to sack Lamberk after
Talk of Pullis
The storm has been gathering for some time now, and those doubters amongst have been finally convinced there’s something rotten at the club … and though he appears to be the ‘nice guy’, the responsibility has to be laid at the chairman’s feet.
Unless there is a miraculous recovery these next few games, the storm must surely come to a climax. Whether or not the chairman has the balls to introduce radical changes to his way of running the club is a moot point, however. I can’t see Graham Taylor being appointed to the board and in the absence of any action of that kind then the chairman is only likely to tinker some more.
It’s occurred to me that the departure of Keane’s departure is akin to the manner of O’Neill’s departure. That Keane is working with O’Neill makes me wonder…
Paul p- what do you base your view of Sid on? A lot of the youngsters are out on loan, the u21 Hardly ever win but I think the u18 do ok. I have nothing against Sid as he is a straight up bloke but compared to Southampton villa have a shotgun approach to development . Winning at that level is not everything but it’s the only marker we have .What inside info have you got your holding back?
jL- we need a man with vision and contacts like cortese was at Southampton . He radically overhauled there club and formed the blueprint for what you see now. The fact he’s no longer there means nothing as they follow an effective set of processes. Can you see Lerner doing that or finding someone who can , I wish he could but I don’t think so.
I am so over Roy Keane, a spot on the arse of villas history
mark,
My view of Sid is based on the performances when he has the players, and when he hasn’t,. listening to his debriefs after games, how it went, and what he tried to do to change it. I have met him personally and liked him, and as a player loved him. Three generations at least. His Dad was the groundsman, and now his son plays for us, and is coming on well.
Something must be afoot at VP…..No news on the OS as is normal.
No interview with Lambert
No Friday media news.
No news on Keane’s resignation.
No interviews with on board players..
Watch this space for breaking news……
Tony Pulis????
Lads – some of you would simply detonate if he became the manager.
If you’re sick of hoof ball now, wait until he puts a team of Ryan Shawcrosses together.
Jesus.
I mean Jesus Christ lads.
Sorry to see Keane go. I suppose we’ll have to wait until the next book to see what really happened.
I don’t massively rate Lambert but, to be fair, that dude couldn’t buy a piece of good luck.
Every single person who could let him down, has done at one point or another.
Thanks in advance for the barbs I’ll get for making that last point…
John, the similarity is there isn’t it.
PL can say short term all he likes, but at his introduction it wasn’t envisaged he would give throw in his cards the day before a massive six pointer run.
RK hasn’t had the impact I thought he would have – we had glimmers of improvement at the start of the season which some people put down to Keane. I was one of them. We did seem to have more guts and attacking intent so who knows whether Keane has left because he can’t sit by and watch negative football and a playing not to lose mentality. To see Gabby and Clark face a camera and say ” we would have taken a point before the game” would have been an anathema to him. Settling for a draw would be so alien to RK and saying it to millions of viewers was taking the p.ss.
Maybe management is never going to be his forte – football has changed and whether they deserve the title w23nkers as he allegedly gave them , there is more emphasis on the bling that he hated about the Beckham class, and less desire to play the game for the combat and the winning. A great player doesn’t make a good manager nor AM. He looked like he had lost interest in AV when we started sliding down from the no 2 position. Did he feel he just couldn’t take any more of the bizarre substitutions and negative tactics without having the authority to make a difference. Who knows but on RK’s past behaviour, he will not have handed in his notice without a few f words and home truths on the way. 🙂
More from the Mail on Saturday’s game and also link to villa fan’s blog for the Mail.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/burnley-v-aston-villa-five-8186011
Love your synopsis, Jenny … 🙂
Totally agree with your thoughts Jen……..
Time for the AVL management team to take over. I am sure there is a wealth of experience amongst us that could make a difference, and save this great club….
Tony H – no barbs from me 🙂
Culverhouse and Karsa were allegedly sacked – so did they let him down ? THey’d been with him 8 years so PL knew and should have know what type of coach Culverhouse was.
The timing of RK is hard for PL – which suggests there was a bust up and “can’t take any more” which has been building up for some time.
John and Paul 🙂
Will make fascinating reading if the reason does come out – one thing about RK – he doesn’t mince his words !
Definately Paul, Frem could have his 4.4.2 at last !
Mark,
Graham Taylor (remember?) turned Villa round from the rubbish heap in 1987 to 1990, so he did a job for Villa that’s akin to what Cortese did at Southampton.
OK, it’s now 27 years further on and I think GT is 70 now, but he knows Villa and its fans and would guide the chairman in the right direction. But (as said) I doubt he would get the chance even though I understand GT has been up for the challenge.
Jenny: Will make fascinating reading if the reason does come out…
It happened a bit late for his book, unfortunately! Bad timing that…
Great news Keane leaving mainly because it surely is another nail in PL’s coffin
Pullis is another old school type manager and wont bring exciting football to the club if we got him – saying that he is clearly much better than PL
PP- I think there is no interview up because Pete Colley destroyed him now there was no Doogan protecting him.
Jenny- remember when we played with Wingers and two up top? Oh the good old days. At least Pullis would get us playing with width
On his day in 2007, we beat Blackburn away 4-0
young, Carew, Barry, Petrov Laursen all started
Have a good one folks…..off to find some tlc in Bristol to relieve the frustration…Catch you all soon….
Rumors going around certain social media saying lambo has gone
paulp- fair enough mate was hoping for some inside goss.
JL- oh I certainly remember graham for me it would depend on how current he’s stayed in his thinking , has he far reaching contacts outside of uk? I doubt many foreign players would even remember who he is. if he laid concrete protocols for the staff of villa to go by it certainly didn’t last long. time has indeed moved on, not so long back we were discovering that the continentals put emphasis on diet and recovery and other mystical things, i think villa have bought a rolls royce in BMH but have failed to look at the credentials of the drivers or read the manual. this is down to the vision of the owners past and present. southamptons owner had a vision of what he wanted for the club and went out and found someone to implement it in cortese someone who thinks outside the box, ours needs to go to specsavers or put himself in a box
tony h- if lambert fell in a barrell of bosoms he’d come out sucking his thumb, maybe he used up his luck with Norwich? I think the saying is the harder I work the luckier I get
Mark: I certainly remember graham for me it would depend on how current he’s stayed in his thinking , has he far reaching contacts outside of uk? I doubt many foreign players would even remember who he is. if he laid concrete protocols for the staff of villa to go by it certainly didn’t last long. time has indeed moved on…
Mate, I expected that reply. And you make these points assuming I’ve not considered them. But the point is that GT understands Villa and the Villans, plus his huge experience.
I am sure that GT would point (which is what I said before) the chairman to the kind of thing that needs doing. Whether the foundation he left 24 years ago still remains is immaterial. The point is that he did it and we have a big thank you to offer to him for it.
GT knows what’s required, I have no doubt, and i.m.o. is precisely the kind of wise and experienced head we need to direct a turnaround. It’s not just a vision of coaching that’s required but someone who understands all the aspects of running a football club – valuable experience he also gained at Watford under Elton John.
from sky sports , no sacking i’m afraid
Aston Villa have announced that assistant manager Roy Keane has left the club with immediate effect.
The 43-year-old had been splitting his time between acting as Paul Lambert’s assistant at Villa Park and his role as Republic of Ireland boss Martin O’Neill’s number two.
However, with Villa just two points clear of the Premier League drop zone, Keane has departed a day before they face Burnley in a vital encounter at Turf Moor.
Keane said: “Ultimately, my roles with Villa and Ireland, and combining my commitment to these, has become too much.
“It isn’t fair to either Villa or Ireland, so I’ve made this decision. I’d like to thank Paul for giving me a great opportunity to come to a brilliant football club.
“I’ve really enjoyed my experiences at Villa and I wish the management team, the players, the supporters and the club nothing but the best going forward.”
Lambert said on Friday morning: “Roy came to me this morning and he informed me that, ultimately, the difficulty of combining both roles has prompted his decision, which I respect totally.
“In the brief period we have worked together he has been great in the role and I understand his reasons for leaving.”
And Aston Villa CEO Tom Fox said: “We thank Roy for his time at the club and we wish him the best with Ireland.
“Our focus now will be on working with Paul to identify the right person to work alongside him and to help us continue on our journey to return the club to its rightful place in the Premier League.”
A club statement added: “Manager Paul Lambert will look to fill the position as soon as is practically possible and the club will support these efforts to secure the right appointment for the long-term.”
I just love these “love in” types of good byes from administration that have been let go.
How it actually went: Fuck you! Fuck you, fuck you! You’re a git Lambert. And you’re an asshole Keane. If you dropped off the face of the world I wouldn’t give a shit. Me either. Go fuck yourself. If you had a brain it would die of lonelyness. If you had two they would fight. Fuck off. Tell Lerner he’s and idiot. Want to step outside? I’ll go get Delph. Coward, have a nice day I’m off to Ireland
yep i saw it only from one sorce and wishful thinking kicked in immeadetly
JL- keep your hair on fella, he may well have the experience we need, he might not. I have got the right to question it haven’t I? you could say the previous owner had loads of experience and worked with mr turner too but would you take his advice? because presumably he will have given randy some. the unfortunate thing is there is no-one at villa to access who’s worth listening to. I don’t trust randy to get it right 😉
Mark – my name’s not “fella”.
And I lost my hair a long time ago! 😉
I’d prefer to hear Jenny’s comments on things like this because my experience is that when you have an attachment to something then you work that much more to make that something work best. If you examine GT he works from his heart and has always retained a close interest in anything Villa, and still has an attachment.
Too much attachment can be a bad thing, but I’d rather trust someone who has a real and meaningful connection with the club than someone who has done something elsewhere that might have been right for that place, but not for Villa.
I am certain that GT would always do his utmost for Villa to get a good result. And if that isn’t a good enough qualification, then I’d like to know what is!
JL interesting thought on GT
For me just like lambert he is a dinosar manager who’s methods would not be effective in the modern game and his style of play would not allow the club to progress
We need young blood with fresh ideas and someone who’s style of play has a lot to do with ball retention and attacking play
The only old school manager ex villa that fits that bill for me is big ron
“tony h- if lambert fell in a barrell of bosoms he’d come out sucking his thumb,”
Mark – I’m robbing that.
Brilliant.
Roy has gone – no big deal. We all know the big problem is Lambert. However, can we go and offer Steve Clarke a number 2 position. That guy can actually coach teams how to play football.
The Man City article was probably the best one i’ve read for 20 years, thanks Steve.
Keane should have gone when Lamebert signed his contract, he knew he wasn’t going to replace him then and has done nothing since, Pity that Lamebert hasn’t the guts to admit failure.
Remember who told you about Delph giving him a battering, about time i got one right.
a couple of weeks ago i suggested Keane leaving would be the best thing he could do, i only hope that he reveals the dark secrets from Villa over the past six months and let the entire football world know what trio of twats we have destroying us.
Keanes departure seems to indicate that Lerner has dug his heels in and won’t boot Lamebert at any cost irrespective of results, and even financial disaster, he knows it all and is never wrong.
Regarding Fox, he isn’t an employee of AVFC he’s an employee of Lerner’s, whatever he does, he does for his master, not the club, he’d happily close the club down if Lerner told him to, his job is to garner as much money for Lerner as he can, that Villa is a sinking ship is of no consequence.
John L – Graham Taylor are you serious???? Do i not like that!!
Runtings: For me just like lambert he is a dinosar manager who’s methods would not be effective in the modern game and his style of play would not allow the club to progress
But I wasn’t proposing him as Lambert’s replacement, mate! 😉
It could be that not a lot of people know what GT did behind the scenes between 1987 and 1990. He came in and found the club in a deplorable state … methods, attitudes … the lot. He turned the situation upside down and produced a team that finished as league runner-up in 1990.
As a manager he would of course not fit the bill today, but as an experienced elder statesman of football he could sit on Villa’s board and advise what needs to be done based on well-worn principles and his contacts. When it comes to knowing about people and the Villa, there are few competitors to him as a candidate.
Always loathed Taylor’s football philosophy which nearly destroyed English football,he became England manager by winning two Division 4 Championships. A former Villa MF once told me what an arrogant twat he was.
runtingz- just heard a shout for steve mcclaren on the radio, what do you think? derby play good football. he wouldn’t have been my first choice but he’s done a lot since losing the england job.
JL- as much as its nice to retain the villa faithful it doesn’t mean they are the right fit either but I know what you mean. we all know theres a lot of difference between having an opinion and being wise, I look enviously at southampton’s set up, they put suggestions together from all levels of the club before making big decisions but it has to fit to their central ethos which is entertaining football played by their own academy players where possible. i’d say cortese would be a good fit but probably too strong for lerner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicola_Cortese
Steamer,
I’m surprised about your comments there. And when it comes to what a player thinks of a manager, there may be a another reason for it that he doesn’t want to tell.
He should not have been England manager, agreed, but he did get Watford to league runner-up and cup finalist status, and Villa to a league runner-up finish – not just Division 4 honours, mate!
And he also discovered and brought through John Barnes and David Platt, and found Dwight Yorke. And perhaps above all, he signed Paul McGrath.
JL- didn’t he fall out with herbert over club policy on his second stint at villa?
Mark,
Yes, I can see your point, and that’s indeed what Villa should grow to. But I feel that Villa need to be shaken up pretty quickly to start making that kind of environment a longer-term reality … and that’s why I still back GT to sit on Villa’s board – not for anything else.
Mark,
Look, GT knew he was going to have a sticky time with Doug and to retain his sense of integrity GT removed himself from the job. I don’t blame him at all and credit him for getting out before he tarnished his own good name.
Doug was difficult enough before 2000 but as he got older (and also developed severe illness) Doug was even further removed from reality I feel.
Oh, by the way, it was GT who found Peter Crouch and always said he’d become an England international.
And what did O’Leary do? Didn’t he sell him to Southampton for something like £2m , who in turn sold him to Liverpool only 12 months later for £7m?
K JL had got the wrong end of the stick there – i just saw GT and had a rant 🙂
mcClaren is not my ideal mark but to be fair there are many many guys that would do a better job than lambert for us including mcClaren
Runtings,
No probs. There are not many managers who don’t invite criticism, but GT’s heart (and wisdom) is of the right texture for Villa.
JL- I take your point on doug, but it shows that no matter what systems get put in place its doomed if you have an arrogant man in charge. it needs to be a system serving the community that supports it and bigger than one man’s whims or it wont last long.
liverpool had it for a while but it got distilled the further it got from shankly/paisley i think, man utds success has come from two men that i know of, busby and fergusson they were the club, when they left so did success.
… as an advisor to the chairman of course!!
JL- I think Lambert has done the same with Helenius, time will tell
Mark: I take your point on doug, but it shows that no matter what systems get put in place its doomed if you have an arrogant man in charge…
If you are inferring Lerner as being the arrogant man, I agree that’s a major difficulty. And because of his arrogance I think the chances of having a football man on his board are zilch.
In which case, unless the club gets sold to someone who can do better, we know what the outcome will be…
jl- as much as corsese was instrumental at southampton it was the owner Markus Liebherr that set the moral tone and ethos for the club, a very ethical man it seems.
just what we need
Mark … I have no reason to think that Lerner doesn’t have sound moral principles. Indeed I suspect he does … but it would appear that as a businessman and especially in sport, he seems to understand little and seems to think his view has to rule even when all goes wrong. Well, that’s how it seems just now.
ho ho fucking ho 🙂
Irish Excuse Myth
The former Manchester United midfielder came to Villa with an in-built excuse to leave, one which he played this morning after informing Paul Lambert he was indeed off.
‘Ultimately, my roles with Villa and Ireland and combining my commitment to these have become too much,’ Keane said.
‘It isn’t fair to either Villa or Ireland, so I’ve made this decision.”
Well, considering Ireland don’t have a game until the 29th March 2015 (against Poland) you’d think the hard part in terms of juggling the jobs was done for Keane. With Villa approaching four key games – Burnley, Crystal Palace, Leicester and West Brom – that will no doubt determine Lambert’s future, his timing to leave is odd.
JL- yes he holds on to tight john, but when you employ people without the necessary knowledge you probably get a bit edgy as your money goes down the gurgler
bit of news from villa hove albion
http://www.northstandchat.com/content.php?349-Albion-seek-to-extend-Gardner-deal&s=0688edf60602d8849f0746ea3a102321
As usual rumours of why Keane left
Some saying he fell out with players after a poor training session, some saying he had no input on anything ( wouldn’t surprise me, we are the same style as last season) what ever it is, he’s left cus we are shite
How does Lamberk expect us to score ? Full backs can’t cross, midfielders do nothing, no forward creativity. Dire dire dire. Tomorrow will be a painful watch and I get to sit 6 hours on a coach to watch 🙂
You’ll enjoy it Frem, It’ll give you a taste of what to expect next season when we’re in the Championship and the following season in Lge 1.
Have a nasty feeling we’re entering another period of cutbacks with all the departures so soon after Fox arrived. I think Lerner wants his $$ back sooner rather than later so he can sell to some middle east despot or mass murderer, he just wants out.
No bad thing keano gone, at least it puts us in the spot light and more pressure added.
Just saw Paul Mcgrath on RTE news and he’s not happy with keane . On the plus side , paul is looking very well.
I am an admirer of Keane but you are what you do and this smells very like what MON did. My gut reaction is… no honour .
stemer
where do cutbacks stop we must have smallest squad if you discount all the crap out on loan, entering the busiest spell of matches and bar benteke none of other 5 players out back anytime soon. it really is a sinking ship academy coach left in summer faulkner walked head of communications walked culverhouse karsa sacked replaced by keane he walked note it was only one replacing 2, it will not be long before fox goes like all rest ceo, does lerner not realise if villa playing well and up the above halfway would be a lot easier sold,who wants to buy when so much discontent bad publicity going on,we are all over media and they are starting to notice all the broken records.this should make it easier to get a manager the fans will give him time, o lerner tried this already after mcleish but he was not as bad as this knob
4 thousand of us going tomorrow. That’s pretty amazing for how dire the manager and players are
Hopefully we can hound Lamberk out of this club tomoz
James,
I honestly think that AVFC is an afterthought with Lerner, he has other projects now and just regards us a an irritation, even though we cost him a packet. Every family has a thicko and he’s the Lerner family contribution, even his own employees called him ‘the most insignificant billionaire in the world.’
No-one with genuine ambition would give Villa a second thought now, if you look at our team, even 4 years ago, it had a lot of quality, we’ve just been dragged down by bad admin appointments and decisions by those appointments, basically our admin has been clueless and i think Fox will turn out to be the worst one yet, whereas Chubby was clueless, his incompetence was diluted by his ignorance, i think Fox knows exactly what his job is and relishes playing the big frog, anyway, we’ll soon see if we lose the next three.
Lamebert makes McKnob look like Pep, how i miss the good times arf arf.
When i look at the people that Lerner employs i cringe, i wouldn’t trust ANY of them but some people will do anything for a job, i’d be fuckin embarrassed to say i was a Villa employee its bad enough being a supporter.
Prox,
Admire that man so much.
Lamberk admits Delph could go in Jan.
He’s said” when the time is right we will speak to him”
Erm, Hello. The time to soak to him was a year ago at least.
It gets worse and worse
Some very interesting posts tonight .
One thing that stood out for me when I read Paul Mcgrath’s book was the love he had for Graham Taylor . I would put it as strong as that . He looked upon him as his saviour quite literally . I will post an extract tomorrow – it’s easy to find and you couldn’t get higher praise for GT as a manager or as a human being . From memory , GT opened his home to Paul and this , during a torrid drinking time yet GT had the sensitivity and kindness to take him under his wing , support him, inspite of his off pitch problems . He said he was full of energy , bright and never judgmental . The inference was that if GT hadn’t been his manager , his life would have panned out very differently , and would not have been able to achieve the spectacular greatness that he did at AV. He was after all , at that time , a player cast on the scrap heap with broken knees . From Paul’s account , GT was a very special man .
WHATS IT ALL ABOUT ALFIE?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2853651/Roy-Keane-going-two-jobs-difficult-claims-former-Aston-Villa-Ireland-defender-Paul-McGrath.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490
Of to VP in a bit to catch the coach. Over 4 thousand going
It’s a huge next 7 days for the Berk which if goes wrong will hopefully end in
I better see a masterclass today to give fans hope. No 433 dire football
Or otherwise, I hope 4 thousand angry Villans scream for his head.
See you later
Jenny: GT was a very special man
A Villa fan wrote to me yesterday and talked about GT whom she met and got to know reasonably well in a business transaction…
She said: “[He’s] a lovely man, and a gentleman to deal with.”
There you are. When you take Paul M’s testimony into account you get what was my impression … a man who stands by his word and will do everything he can to get things right.