Four away goals in one game after four goals away all season.

The contrast, in itself, paints a picture of just how poor Aston Villa had been this season under Paul Lambert, and how marked the improvement appears to have been under Tim Sherwood.

Whilst Sherwood didn’t hit the ground running instantly, his ability to both do the double – OK, the home league and cup double – over West Bromwich Albion and to instill confidence has been exactly the tonic that Villa needed this season.

I’ll be honest – I didn’t imagine that Randy Lerner was going to pull the trigger on Lambert this season, but after the Hull City game, it was painfully evident that Villa’s now-former manager had to go. Losing to Chelsea is one thing – though even that is not something a club the size of Villa should accept – but losing to, and not even competing against, Hull City away is pretty diabolical.

Getting back to the present moment, much will be made of the Villa result for a number of reasons. Firstly, because Gus Poyet looks increasingly like he is – or should be – headed for the exit door, but also because Sherwood appears to have galvanised Villa into a team that looks out-of-place in the bottom five.

Historically, of course, Villa are not a team that should be sitting in such a position, but their reality is hard to argue. Despite Randy Lerner’s desire to put the club on the map – and his commitment to financially backing both Martin O’Neill and Gerard Houllier – his tenure has been largely disappointing. If Sherwood can pull something out the bag, not only short term in terms of survival, but in longer term development of an academy that has produced little despite strong investment, Lerner may well have happened upon a man who saves him a fortune.

It is Lerner’s own experiences of Villa that have influenced the club’s trajectory, from the early peaks to the more recent troughs. Similarly, just as Lerner’s arrival brought a sense of optimism, his ongoing lack of structure has felt increasingly like a man who was winging it – a decent guy, but distinctly lacking in the ability to deliver.

Some may say that Sherwood’s early soundbites suggest that he could, in theory, be similarly winging it. A lack of experience combined with a cockiness certainly has the potential for issues, but Villa arguably were in a position this season where risk was everywhere – whether they changed manager or not – and Lambert staying was certainly part of that risk, leading to his removal.

Now that the Sherwood era is under way, there’s still risk there, but risk – like many things in life – is unavoidable. Villa must acknowledge their circumstances and position, but being overly concerned with looking down is what has led the club to some poor decisions in the latter years of Lerner’s reign. That Sherwood exudes a confidence – partially down to inexperience, partially down to a natural desire to attack opponents – is the tonic that Villa needed, at least if it can be delivered effectively.

Against Sunderland, the combination of Villa’s best away day combining with arguably the nadir of their opponent’s season, 4-0 was about as fair a result as one could expect. Before the game, my view was that 2-0 was feasible given Villa’s attacking mentality, but they proceeded to do even better.

That the likes of Charles N’Zogbia and Tom Cleverley seem like different players speaks volumes about the fact that one manager can make a player look great or poor – regardless of if they are either. Under Sherwood, a man who has more in common in attacking philosophy with Everton manager Roberto Martinez – who got good performances out of both N’Zogbia and Cleverley during his stint at Wigan Athletic – there appears to be an indication that attacking players will do better, a position validated by the upturn in performances for both Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Whether this attacking performance will be balanced by similarly solid defensive displays is something that can only be proven over time, but Villa’s four goals scored also included a lack of any conceded, proving that playing attacking football can still mean being tight defensively – even if the method of how it is achieved is different to a defensively focused team.

Over time, it is more likely that Sherwood will be involved in high scoring games – at both ends of the pitch – but deciding to discard the fear and replace it with a cocky, almost arrogant, swagger may well be the reason Villa survive this season, even if they still aren’t safe just yet.

Comments 203

  1. Hello Matt,

    Clearly you are uplifted by the latest result, and so say all of us!

    Just thinking about Lerner’s contribution to the club – that you refer to. For me it went wrong the day he put his trust in Faulkner. Lerner clearly trusted Faulkner’s views and thus we went through the series of managerial appointments we did, to the great detriment of the club. Anyhow, let’s hope all that is past now and that the “Bright Future” now becomes a reality.

  2. morning matt, wasn’t it nice to be the team dishing it out yesterday. I have similar concerns about our defensive side as it can’t be understated how poor Sunderland were yesterday. That said villa with a makeshift defence looked comfortable . Poor finishing in recent games by the opposition have given us victorys that could so easily gone otherwise even though we deserved them.
    TS when with Spurs had several heavy defeats to the top sides but beat the rest handily. Our games coming up should be more illuminating of where we are although I expect us to beat Swansea.
    I hope he is given a chance even if we are sold this summer, I find myself liking him and want to see him bring out this clubs potential from the developement side as so many have failed to do since the late 70’s

  3. Forgot to add, has fox just got lucky or was lerners love in with lambert the real reason lambert outstayed his welcome. Maybe fox is a smarter operator than we know as it looks like he is assembling the right back room staff for us to become the next Southampton. We are playing catchup and I believe this is the only way to go

  4. Mark/Matt,

    I believe we really have to take the +ves of what’s happening. I’m sure even TS knows that there are risks taken in his approach, and that he won’t so everything that suits everybody, but he can only do what he can with the resources he has available and *his* assessment of who are most ‘up’ for the challenge.

    If Villa end up with the 6 wins (even 5) that TS targeted, then anything else will be of secondary issue once survival is attained. And I believe we’ll be safe before we get to the last game.

    Then … Next season could see us with a new owner and we will see a new (I daren’t really say “bright”!) future…

  5. Very good leader Matt, summed us up nicely.
    Took a close squint at Zog yesterday, he takes up some great positions off the ball, he takes defenders/MF’s all over making space for others especially Bacuna. I looked at the team yesterday and thought any trouble may come down the flanks but we coped rally well and Bacuna looks as though he has a bit of confidence ( installed by TS ). Sherwood was talking about Bacuna as ‘a good rb for the future,’ so Hutton has a fight on which can only be good for AVFC.
    look at the difference at VP now that Faulkner & Lambert have gone, only the idiot that appointed them remains, hopefully he’ll be out of the door shortly too.
    I wouldn’t mind betting that TS has a few potential signings lined up, he obviously won’t know how much money he has available at the moment but he seems a bloke who rapidly maps the future out rather than wait for it the happen.

  6. Hello, Matt.

    It’s been a positive week, not going to expect too much, yet. It’s early days. Can Villa get up for it again? I think so, most of them seemed to be enjoying their footy agaist Sunderland, who were dire, actually felt sorry for them.
    Villa should be harder to beat now that key players seem to have got some of their mojo back.
    UTV

  7. I fell in Love with a Villa that battered team Derby 6-0, that battered the scum 5-1, that battered Bolton 5-0 etc.

    The last week has been great. This club should be going to wembley and beating teams 4-0 often.

    Hopefully we can stay up, win the cup and sell up

    What a great day yesterday was. Great to see all the Villa fans so happy again after years of hell. Lamberk took losing to the next level

  8. And as two thousand of us sang loud and proud

    ” We’ve got our Villa back, we’ve got our Villa back”

    And a special mention to the Sunderland fans. What a bunch of lovely fans. One asked if I wanted to follow to him to show me where I could park, a few were talking to us whilst we were walking to the ground, the same on the way out as well. All really nice

    And I don’t why but I’m in love with the Beasts second goal. What a header

  9. And I love the simplicity of how Sherwood has us set up. I love the 442 as you guys probably know by now

    We had 5 players in the box for our first goal. Under the twat, we were lucky if we had one. Delph and Clev were excellent

    And Lowton, love him again. If played a very key unsung hero role if you like. With so many body’s getting forward as well as Bacuna, he was tasked with a hold back full back role. Didn’t get beyond the ball unlike Bacuna, he just sat back along with the two centre backs. Did very well. Good to see Gabby giving a fuck about this club again as well

  10. Frem,

    I had an enjoyable time working at Sunderland in 2001/02 time – actually at nearby Washington, arriving there at the time just after 9/11!!!

    I came to know some S’land supporters whilst I was there. A grand bunch.

    It is very sad that the great club has never really managed to get going since WW2.

  11. steamer- the defensive side although potentially a problem is starting to be less so as we look a handful going forward. teams used to have no fear of us as we sat 30-40 yards out
    pumping balls to tekkers no problem for even the worst defenders. now they will have to have at least some caution,
    although we are still poor defending set pieces. will heads drop when we concede, I’d be surprised if they didn’t but I think we will get over that hoodoo. I am sincerly not bothered who we play any more as you feel at least we will give a good account of ourselves, been a long time coming but Christ does it feel good

  12. By the way, after watching the game in the pub they put on an exhibition of juggling from Twickenham, what was that all about ? some of the fat blokes couldn’t quite workout whether they were throwing the ball forwards or backwards and the ball handling was truly abysmal, perhaps they should get Ellery Hanley back as coach or even Sean Edwards, proper rugby players.

  13. JL, Mark & Frem,
    Great to be a Villan again isn’t it ? we weren’t bought up to be mediocre and most of the time under Lambert i’d have been delighted to be only mediocre.
    Always enjoyed trips to Sunderland, lovely, loyal fans who deserve better, i remember winning a few quid when they beat Leeds in the Cup Final, think it was the 20 notes that B6B borrowed.

  14. steamer- there’s a good reason self help gurus suggest keeping clear of negative people. I wonder how much was Lambert himself and not the situation a villa park? or even the situation bringing him down from his usual happy demeanour? Or the fact his mum used to tell him to be careful a lot .

  15. Ironically the way we’re playing now was the type of football Lambert was supposed to deliver. The team plays so much faster now. Early in the season when we spent most of the game sitting back we were so slow to transition from defense to attack. When we tried playing a possession style our passing and movement was like molasses rolling up a hill. It didn’t suit Chris because it was 1v4 in the box. It didn’t suit Gabby whose main asset is his pace. It didn’t suit Cleverly who likes to play quick 1-2s. What a night and day difference this is in every way.

    Maybe the Tim Sherwood act will wear thin. If he saves us and especially if he can deliver the Cup, I don’t care.

  16. Hi Matt n all

    the big difference in TS and all the other managers randy has employed is the ts likes to attack , motives well , has good enough coaching staff to support his phylosophy
    ,, deals with the pess well ,,, enjoying bringing young players thou and gives them a chance

    quite a big difference than what we are used to really

  17. A lovely weekend enhanced by the Villa,we aren`t suddenly a great side overnight,but it`s pleasing to see a team playing with confidence,enjoying their football,and MF players going over the halfway line.At one point in the 2nd half we were attacking and I noticed 5 Villa players in the S`land box a ,very positive approach on and off the field.

    Yesterday illustrated once again IMO how crepe players can look decent surrounded by quality players.O`

  18. A lovely weekend enhanced by the Villa,we aren`t suddenly a great side overnight,but it`s pleasing to see a team playing with confidence,enjoying their football,and MF players going over the halfway line.At one point in the 2nd half we were attacking and I noticed 5 Villa players in the S`land box a ,very positive approach on and off the field.

    Yesterday illustrated once again IMO how crepe players can look decent surrounded by quality players.O`Shea and Brown played at times with Ronaldo,Neville,Keane etc,and looked OK.Take `em out of that environment and surround `em with crepe and mediocrity and they are exposed as crepe of the highest order.

    Eff me Steamer earlier this week the UK Govt.payed off what remained of the WW1 debt,so I won`t hold me breath waiting for all the £20 notes that you lot owe me,but if you could pay my great,great grandkids please I`d be grateful,ta.

  19. I can’t stop watching the goals. If Arsneal scored our first goal, MOTD would have gone crazy about it. Lovely pass from clev into zoggy’s feet who then flicked it into a running Bacuna.

    All the goals were nice

    If Clev plays like he did yesterday then i’d have him on a free. Sinclair will be a hit and miss player but i’d still have him.

    Hopefully we won’t see players like Richardson and sissy again. there crap really. Hutton doesn’t deserve to come in at right back yet. A great performance from Bacuna

    442 is the way to go. Hopefully Gil as a future with us

  20. Great leader Matt,

    Your best this year, amazing how positives can change everyone, and good to see so many back here commenting, as well as seeing so many Lions Clubs showing themselves proudly on F/B once more.

    I am really pleased to see how well TS is bringing out the small squad that remains at VP, and wait with interest to see what he can do when all his loan players return, as we may have far more of a squad than some here believe. I do not feel that we necessarily need new owners to come in and splash the cash, as all we have ever needed was a manager who could develop the squad, and our own home grown talent.

    I also feel that Randy deserves a little more from the fans for the investment that he has put in the club, and why he put the brakes on, as I did not really think about the fact that he has put at least a third of his fortune into our club, and wonder how many fans appreciate that fact. Would we be willing to put a third of all we own into our hobby???? If he does sell up I do hope he gets a reasonable amount in return for his investment, as Villa Park certainly is one of the best in the country, and BMH is the same. At the end of the day, he is the only one that remains, and he has had the balls to continue changing things until he has got it right, so may be it is time we fans cut him a little slack.

    I also wanted to say how great it was to see Daniel Sturridge congratulating Rushian on his debut via twitter.

  21. PP,
    I put more than a third in buying all the beer watching the game at the pub.
    Lerner wouldn’t have got himself in the mire if he’d –
    a) Done the obvious and appointed people who knew both the game and the financial implications of running a club.
    2) Listened to the fans about football matters, Houllier and McCleish and latterly Lambert.
    I’d be delerious if we got a new owner with the ambition to even watch us occasionally but in particular to re-generate an ageing and increasingly tatty VP, if you look at major football countries around the world then ours, apart from Arsenal are either moderate or should be condemned.

  22. PP<

    Your comments about Lerner's spending are pretty fair, but to look after his expenditure properly, he needed to employ proper management skills through appropriate managers. This he singularly failed to do (arguably since 2009) until Fox and then TS appeared on the scene, so his expenditures are in reality a fine on himself. Nothing for the fans to give him much credit for, in my opinion.

  23. JL,

    I believe that a large portion of what he spent was on VP and BMH. It is easy to criticise. Steamers says he should have listened to the fans, and that is what he did when he appointed Lambert, and got rid of McCleish.
    When he appointed O’neill, he felt he had appointed the best, and not a single Villa fan would have argued at the time. Houllier’s appointment, failed in a large part to his health, and not hi managerial skills.

    Steamer, ST75 and the boys, I am sure will confirm that you have rarely spent a third of your wages, and still have sealed ones dating back to the 60’s which probably still contain some rare notes and coin…..and you certainly have not spent that amount buying their beer..!!!

  24. PP,

    Well, expenditure on infrastructure is a ‘given’, i.m.o. If your house needs repair you spend to fix it – right? Apart from which, any such expenditure only adds value to the property.

    There’s nothing particularly great about that in my view.

    As to O’Neill, he was put in place by Ellis as I recall, Paul, and Lerner clearly didn’t have the expertise at hand to tell him any different. And if Lambert was appointed because of what a few fans chanted at Norwich (and other comments, I admit, on the forums) then he is his own fool. They had made a *big* gaff in appointing McLeish and effectively panicked themselves into appointing what they imagined the fans wanted.

    All of that is certainly not evidence of a professional ownership, following on from the non-understandable appointment of Faulkner (effectively in 2009). I am pretty well agreed with you on Houllier, however, but the managerial skills lacking were in expecting Faulkner (a non-football man) to be able to deal with O’Neill and his mercurial attitude.

  25. PP,

    As some great ‘in the know’ football people have said, any football owner who has ‘let go’ people like Steve Stride and Fitzgerald effectively in favour of Faulkner must not be understanding the business they’re in.

  26. Burnley result was a real downer, and took gloss off what was an incredible result. Lambert looks more clueless each passing week.

    Sherwoods coaching,being on the training pitch and having mcdonald, petrov etc in place is so good after just having lambert!! The playersmust be 100 times happier and it shows.

    Still very nervous about april but burnley do have a horrible set of fixtures. Qpr and lester are doomed surly, so villa, burnley and sunderland fighting it out. Reckon hull will be safe.

    Gill will get a chance. When ts came in he said he is only thinking about staying up and not lomg term.

  27. I think Lerner has done ok in the money stakes considering he isn’t that rich in the scheme of billionaire land. where he fell down is he surrounded himself with yes men.

  28. I only meant that at least he spent it john, what he spent it on got pissed into the wind but many owners including our last kept things pretty tight.

  29. Newcastle slipping now after their 3-0 defeat by Everton…They may not yet be safe without Cisse for another 5 or 6 matches.Although they must feel that they can still get another 5 points before the end of the season, but it is looking more and more that it will take 40 or more points to avoid the drop, the way results are going.

    JL,
    Not sure why Randy and Steve Stride parted company, but that perhaps was his biggest failing, an.d not getting someone with football knowledge in. It has to be remembered that football is a totally different business to most of the American Sports and their set-up, i.e. the need for players with years of experience at the game, and playing together as a unit. I think he thought it could be run on similar lines to the set-ups over there.

  30. I think with Gil you’re looking at a couple things. If you’re going to attack there has to be a lot of graft. It may be the pace and style don’t quite suit him yet, and maybe he just doesn’t get stuck in quite as much. Likewise, just coming to the club, he may be less emotionally invested in staying in the top flight. Not that he’s “loser” but that it just might not be so embarrassing to him only having just arrived at the club and in the country. He’s clearly talented.

    But CNZ has been around a while and in just this situation. He’s a known fighter.

  31. Mark-

    I’ve been thinking the same thing about Lambert myself. I think the pressure of the remit got to him, the constraints, the struggle. He got more and more cautious, more and more down. Although he did try to get us passing, as many of us are saying it was very labored. This looks more like MON’s Villa going forward.

    Cue TS, and his devil-may-care, cocky and positive approach. There’s a freedom, but from what I’m reading/hearing, perhaps more hands on involvement also, going through video with players, etc. And he’s not afraid to put them under a certain degree of pressure/scrutiny. The “little club” stuff, the constant “we’ll be safe then on to next year” face he’s putting on things. The energy is different. He’s grabbed the spotlight, but he’s also putting responsibility on the players and saying they’re better than they’ve been showing.

  32. JC- when Gil first turned up he was the only player on the pitch to take a risk. Now TS has got the whole of the midfield and forwards taking risks but also putting the graft into their defensive roles, maybe his impact is lessened during training and maybe his defensive side isn’t up to muster. shame as he has the ability to beat a man or two.

  33. JC on Lambert I think that was the situe but the fact TS is instructing players in how to play specific roles shows how little real knowledge and instruction was being imparted by Lambert, Even though he regularly played players out of position.

  34. Mark-

    Exactly. I think he’s got a future, but if we’re winning without him, hard to argue for his inclusion at the moment. As Sherwood has said, players like Sinclair and Cleverly are playing for their careers. Same could be said for many of the Villa squad, in all honesty.

  35. That does seem to be the case, Mark. Which would be inexcusable on Lambert’s part. I would think if you’re relying on younger players, it goes without saying you’d have to be, would want to be, extremely hands-on.

  36. JC- every game there are players out on loan wishing the team well on twitter, there seems a real sense of comradeship that has come from the academy upwards. This seemed totally lacking even frowned on by Lambert and players realise that their career is in their own hands, Impress and you get a chance with TS. I have to say I’m loving it as it gives AV a more community feel to the club.

  37. JC- Great to see you, Jason and a few of the old faces creeping back. It got a bit toxic on here for a while, heres hoping a few more reappear. Off out for a pint have a good night/day

  38. Good points gentlemen

    I may possibly be over analyzing this but to me the inclusion and use of Hepburn Murphy at S`land,was TS`s way of laying down a marker,which says Grealish .19 you think you can walk in this team?Well there are younger players just as deserving,and you lads in your 20s get your act together,because I won`t wait for you.Step up,or ship out .we have younger and better coming through.Just a thought.

  39. b 6 i think it is a nod to all the young players he has spoken to all the loan players and told them they all have a future at villa park and will be back in the summer as for Grealish tim thinks he is great and he will be a regular starter next season and will carry on coming on for nzog this season he will not buy any new players until he has looked at all our loan players
    the likes of gil will play when fitter but how could you change the starting team yesterday

  40. JC, JD< MK and B6B

    Good to see all your comments and share the positive vibes that are coming through everywhere, and as I said earlier to have Sturridge, also commenting on Twitter, just shows the comraderie, amongst all our lads past and present.

  41. Brazil- Hepburn Murphy is the youngest looking player I have ever clapped eyes on, if TS is sending out a message there are plenty of expectant mothers around brum getting an internal kicking from there soon to be born children playing keep me ups in hope of a start.

  42. I think the current form of all the players is down to TS’ ability to instil confidence, who would have said lets fight to keep Cleverly just a few short weeks ago.

    But it’s a damning indictment on how badly Lamberk had let things slip, from player power over his number 2s to not having an effective plan A never mind a plan B.

    Enjoying being less fearful of 4.50pm on a Saturday

    UTV

  43. Lads and Lasses,

    Apologies for the late comment but I have just got back from buying a new telly, at 3.50 on Saturday my old one gave up the ghost, when I saw the score 0-4 I knew my telly was fooked so off I went to buy a new one.

    I sat down on Saturday night and watched the whole game in utter joy tinged with astonishment, how has Sherwood managed to instil such a change in our team, lets be honest Sunderland were awful but we had to beat them in fact I do not give a monkeys for their problems a few weeks ago that was us.

    Bacuna had his best game in a Villa shirt joined by a really competent back four, I thought the decision to pull Clark off so close to a suspension summed up the change at our club I just could not see Lambert even thinking about such a change which to be fair is understandable because we would never have been ahead under Lambert.

    Delph and Cleverley ran the game and TC looked like a really decent player when you consider we only had two recognized midfield players he made all the right decisions, if that’s the player then sign him up in the summer.

    Benteke was back to his best with Gabby proving he can play if he puts his mind to it, I like Sinclair I think there may be better to come from him but the big plus was CNZ, we have waited years to see him play like he did for Wigan and I have to be honest he was unplayable, his work rate was first class and his runs off the ball was a joy to watch.

    To go into a match with such an attacking line up was a master stroke by Sherwood, I have always said some managers are a good fit for certain clubs and lets hope TS has found his club, add to that he gave a 16 year old his debut and it crowned a perfect day.

    AVFC ITWT

  44. Darren I don’t think any player bar Gil was covering themselves in glory under Lambert. not even tekkers looked worth playing. the other exceptions IMO were clarke okore sanchez and hutton who kept at it.

  45. Had a gander at TBAR yesterday and one of the lads has christened the new boy Russian Audrey-Hepburn, some funny Villans around.
    Talking to the dog walkers today and some of them who haven’t been down VP for a good while are buying tickets for Saturday, fantastic how after a dire spell your enthusiasm explodes with just a hint of better days to come.
    TS has shown just what a pathetic individual Lambert was, absolutely clueless. The happy clappers ought to be ashamed of themselves, by the way, where are they ?
    As mentioned above, nice to see Jason and John contributing again, the site wasn’t the same was it ?

  46. Steamer,

    Just shows doesn’t it – without happy fans the club gets totally sterile. The shortcomings of running a football club like Woolworths (now deceased!) have been shown up for what they are just by the appointment of a manager who has an inkling about what football is about.

  47. Mark,

    There was a massive bonus watching in black and white especially over the last four seasons in fact watching the Villa recently was like listening to the snooker on the radio with the latter only slightly more entertaining.

    Steamer,

    PLIATASIL come on you are making these things up now aren”t you.

    AVFC ITWT

  48. Cheers, Steamer, Paul…I’ve been keeping up with everyone’s thoughts. Good to see Jason back, indeed. And Kris even, the other day. Respect to all the stalwarts. The football didn’t help (what was there to say that hadn’t already been said?), but life is finally settling down just a bit.

  49. John, thats totally understandable, even diehard Villans of foty years or more were walking away, sterile doesn’t cover recent (non) events at VP.
    SWV,
    Who’s Pat Pending ?
    Frem,
    If Lambert goes to Sunderland thats another relegation spot taken.

  50. Gus has been sacked….rather he stayed, they might get new manager syndrome too.

    Man City losing has still wound me up, should be 6 clear.

    We are still in deep trouble on 28 points.

    Bloody TS has given me hope, i was better off being 100% sure we was down, better for my state of mind.

    Bring back Lambert

  51. Andrew, it depends who Sunderland get in. There’s been no new manager bounce at QPR, although we’ve done ok and so have Albion, and Palace have done better than ok with Pardew. It really hinges on who comes in and whether they can make an impact. Roy Keane was in the crowd on Saturday.

    I think they’ve got a load of wrong uns in the squad at Sunderland. Di Canio was right about them – possibly the only time he’s been right about anything. Poyet is a good manager but he was wrong to place any trust in his senior pros. They should have been booted, the same way we booted Richard Dunne.

  52. Andrew: We are still in deep trouble on 28 points.

    Ahhhhh, laddie, but the wheels they be a-turnin’ the right way now! … Previously the direction was the bog, but now it’s green fields and sunny days… 😉

  53. I may have started a very annoying trend it is like staring at one of those images to see the mona lisa although for the life of me I can never see them.

    Okay all stop now.

    AVFC ITWT

  54. Afternoon all, Poyet sacking has the potential to be a disaster for them, imo its too late in the season. Im glad we got Lambert out when we did, gave TS a real opportunity to set his ways in motion. I still rate Poyet as a manager, I have no idea why it didn’t work out for him after that roller coaster last year and miracle to stay in the league. Id have thought they’d kick on but it never materialised.

    There will be some sort of response from the players after this and all depends on who they get in, not exactly a bunch of great candidates. Their next few games are vital esp the geordies at home.

  55. At a guess, Steamer’s PLIATASIL was Paul Lambert is a twat and so is Lerner. Paul’s GACAOGH …I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

  56. Mooning Loofers

    GACAOGH????????????Are writing in effin gaelic now?

    Yes Mark,Audrey looked like an 11 year old,waiting outside the headmasters office to get the cane.

    ITYPLZXCNNRPO.

    No clue what this means but it seems essential on AVL these days to end a post with gobbledegook.

  57. And Andrew P wins first prize.
    SWV,
    You’d be sat there for a month working out the permatations.

    Things have certainly lightened up lately haven’t they ?

    RAC
    AA
    PJPROBY

  58. Lester and QPR are certs IMO,Hull have a respectable -GD,and with the 4 goals Saturday our -GD is now very similar to sides around us.
    I hope S`land and Burnley stay up,but not at our expense though.

    Forgot………………SOTC………..ABL.

  59. Andrew- I think we are going to make it mate, we have beaten one of the better survival managers in pullis twice, wet spam are on the verge of sacking sam, sland need a new manager, qpr are dog, leic doomed, hull horrendous run in and we look like a new team under TS.

    ITSALONGWAYTOTIPPERARY

  60. So I missed the first 20 odd minutes of the match… tuned in to the radio and heard…

    Another goal and the Stadium of Light!!! 4 Nil the wheels have well and truly fallen off….. The panic that came over me!!!!

    But then the realisation that Villa had just scored their 4th…. Feck me sideways!!!

    What a weekend….

    So nice to see Villa playing free flowing football… Benteke looking mean, Gabby looking like an actual proper football… I’m still on Cloud 9.

    Woooohooooo, and to top it all I think I think I’ve manage to arrange time off work for Wembley…

    Bring and Swansea, I hate Gary Monk and want to wipe that constant smug look off his face….

  61. Andrew P.

    My apolgies,I only saw your post today from about a week ago re S`land at VP when Uncle Frank took you on the pitch.

    No,I didn`t go on the field,I was of drinking age then and went on the lash.I remember it was a warm day 58,000 there,and thousands locked out,Brian Little scored a great goal.
    I met a S`land fan in town who had been beaten up and robbed,he didn`t have a penny or his ticket for the Football Special(REMEMBER THEM?).We had a whip round for him and put him on the train.

  62. Blimey how hated are we by Albion right now.Our U21s smashed theirs 3 nil.We did`em in the league,FA Cup and now the youngsters have peed all over `em.`Appy Days.

  63. steamer cant believe you have forgot Pat Pending , her real name was Pat Smythe , she was the thing sww picked up in the Gary Owen , first time he bought in the Broadway , Boots thought it was a new center half, she got the” Pending”moniker after she was heard saying to him in the bogs , ” thats pending whether you get me a guinness and barley wine ?” that was after he asked whether he’d get his leg over tonight !, , she dumped him when he couldnt keep up with her and she had to keep carrying him home , Dickie Doyle (no relation to JD on Here) did start sniffing around and sww got a bit upset till dickie explained he just wanted to know if wanted a job as his hod carrier ,
    l also cant believe sww bought her up on here ,

  64. Cheers mark…..i think!

    Dont like our fixtures at all. Its ok saying qpr and burnley last 2 home games, but if we are still in trouble anything could happen in those matches.

    Its going to be bloody tight

  65. andrew- not after we beat Swansea, wet spam, Everton and maybe get a point or 2 from the others, maybe even a surprise win, we won at Southampton and got battered and I think we are a stronger side now in every way. how we deal with defeat will be crucial. Swansea will be a good marker for us as they like to keep possession and we have had close to 60% recently too. they are unlike any of the teams we have played since TS got here.

    yodeleyihooooo

  66. Oh the horror. Reading fans on the pitch after beating Bradford. Well a few are anywhere. I’ve never seen such a low key celebration of a club getting to Wembley

    Seriously, the Pool fans I thought were supposed to be great ? I never hear them on telly. Reading fans couldn’t have been more quiet if they tired towards the end of tonight’s game

    Makes me glad of how passionate are fans are. Loved the passion against WBA and even though we are crap, 2 thousand still travel to Sunderland and sing there hearts all game

  67. ST75,

    I think you might be getting Pat mixed up with Fanta who i took out a few times she worked behind the bar at the hole in the wall, she took me home one night in her mini after a few late drinks and when we got by my house she said are you going to fuck me i said probably not tonight she said you fucking well are and locked the car doors, I always went for the shy birds.

    AVFC ITWT

  68. SWW
    just one slight exaggeration there concerning Fanta , NO way did she have a mini car , FFS she would never have been able to get in it !! always surprised me how she squeezed behind the hole in the wall bar , l remember the little black dress she squeezed into and she asked me ” does my arse look big in this ?” l asked her ” what the dress or the bar ?? ! “, Ole Dewar who was behind the bar at the time nearly choked on his nuts , he was eating .

    Frem its a myth , the mighty kop ! my arse !! they sing at the kick off for all of 2 mins as they know the cameras might be on them , then its gone , and not being biased but l used to have arguements with noses and before the fucking all seater came into being , l was able to say to the noses , see The Holte End , it holds more than you get in the whole of your ground , and when that was in full flow it was a choker , 60s 70s and 80s spent some great times on the Left side , where the steamers formed , IMO all seater killed the atmosphere mate , even small clubs could generate a roar ,

  69. ST75 agreed all seater took away a lot of the excitement,as you say 60,70 80s.the noise was incredible,and when we scored the surge forward with excitement and emotion what a feeling .i,m.a bit old now but wish it could come back.great days.

  70. Rob Hunt , Ditto mate , l feel for the likes of Frem , l think the only way they can feel a little bit of that is at away games where the away section always seem to stand , but in them days as the surge happened you would hug and lean into people you didnt know and somehow become friends , , we have the memories mate

  71. Bang on, you could be having a gargle or just be walking around town and someone will tap you on the shoulder and start a conversation about AVFC, you may not have a clue who they are, but they remember you from ‘this game in 1975.’
    I’ve been going to that dump, Anfield, since 1965?6?, the most overrated club, supporters, anything in footy, as St75 said, five minutes at the start and thats it, and if you score early it becomes a library.
    Noisiest fans –
    1 – Villa
    2- Newcastle
    3- Used to be Everton
    Cockenees support anyone who has a successful spell, the biggest club down there is Guildford Untied.

  72. Rob,
    One of our lads took a few balloons down in the late 70’s, within weeks their were thousands on the Holte and there is a famous photo of the old Baseball Ground, Derby with a mass of C & B balloons covering the entire stand and the fans singing a deafening rendition of Mull of Kintyre, why ???

  73. Morning all , and lovely to see the old faithfuls returning like John Clark. 🙂

    An excellent and considered leader Matt – I agree with totally. I still can’t quite believe what is happening – as whilst I expected a “new manager honey moon period” what we are seeing bucks the trend somewhat. The first two games – where you would expect the NM response were disappointing – it looked like same old same old. But then two WEB games and then Sunderland and we have made outstanding improvements. And I mean outstanding. THe individual players have grown in stature , in sklll not to mention belief and confidence. When did we last see so many completed passes from our players. This is more than just a “playing for the new manager”. This looks like better preparation in training and what is probably TS most obvious difference to PL – he is a great motivater – at this stage. . For I have to temper my excitement with your ” That Sherwood exudes a confidence – partially down to inexperience, partially down to a natural desire to attack opponents – is the tonic that Villa needed, at least if it can be delivered effectively.”. BEcause Tim Sherwood is making it look easy – and surely it aint that easy is it ?

    Love the Russian Audrey Hepburn name Steamer 🙂 Just as I am loving him. When you see the clip of him co ming onto the Stadium of Light, in front of 45,000 , he looked like he was about to fight with lions, not play with them. I just wanted to give him a big hug – he is one year younger than my eldest daughter – ujnbelievable. THis would never have happened under PL – and it will happen under TS because he is there watching them train whilst PL didn’t. He has the under 21s training and playing along side the seniors so he can see first hand the talent we have got. This is a very exciting prospect.

    The commentator also said that TS had been playing videos of Nzogs earlier games when he was at his best to him. John C referred to this. THis is what any good sports psychologist would be doing – when players lose confidence they needed to be reminded that they can do it and remind them of how they were and what better way than play them old footage. The form is temporary , class is permanent angle. Why weren’t they doing it before. Instead of putting Teckers on the bench – get his positive vibes back and make a vid of his best bits. I am actually doing this with a 14 year old British team member I am coaching at the moment with great results. There is nothing worse than seeing talent being wasted. And we have seen too much of this at AV. This is another improvement TS is making. Were past incumbants too arrogant to seek outside help I wonder.

    WHich brings us to GIl – the player who just before Lambert left was being heralded as our saviour. It just shows you how tenuous your popularity is in football. TS has said that he doesn’t leave people out because he doesn’t like them. (ok – he would say that wouldn’t he ) But, for now, I am prepared to believe him. He is picking relegation battlers – and maybe a team which is bonding through shared experiences and familiarity – Gil is very much new kid on the block. For all we know TS may have said to Gil – don’t worry you will be in my plans once the danger is over. He seems to be the sort of man manager who speaks to the players, unlike Paul Lambert – who admitted that “he never saw DB to explain anyting and if reports are to be believed was in Scotland more than B6”.

    As for SUnderland – if you saw the body language of the players on Saturday, I felt sorry for GUs. THey’d already distanced themselves from him – and they let him down big time. Gutless IMO.

    Swansea – no problem. WE are riding high and Swansea are looking more and more fragile now Bony has gone. Tim Sherwood may be playing our meteoric rise down in the press – but I am sure that in that dressing room they are punching the air thinking we can take on anyone. And why not because that is how I feel !!
    A

  74. With Russian Audrey Hepburn – TS obviously wanted to reward the lad for his hard work in the under 18s – and what a reward – and also I heard our away fans singing “there is only one Stylian Petrov” Was he there Frem ? Just too much emotion for one day !

  75. Tim SHerewood was also asked whether Stan would be leading out the players at Wembley. I don’t know if this will happen but he replied “What a great idea”. I would love this – how inspiring for our lads to be led out by Stan – who has had to face the hardest fight of all and come through it with dignity. I think this would be amazing.

  76. Jenny-you seem happy and sprightly today.
    I think the team can play with a bit more freedom under Sherwood. He’s kind of shown faith in the players by just telling them to have a go and not worry too much about mistakes. The players seem to have responded positively. It probably took a couple of games to get used to the idea. That may partially explain the initial losses.
    It’s early days. Let’s just wish TS and Villa the best for now. Hopefully they can keep up all the way to safety and the FA Cup.

  77. Trinity – I am sure you are right – it would take a couple of games to shed the past way of playing. You are also right about it being early days – note to self – don’t get carried away!!!!! – but that first half on Saturday ……………! 🙂

  78. Jenny
    l had a lucky escape as she had this disgusting habit of leaning her boobs on the bar and she could’nt turn round quick enough , as they were stuck between the carling and fosters pumps !! ))

    Steamer Big Pete , with the balloons , balloons got about 10 of us in a sticky situation at Stoke , as you know we went on their end and stood there and blew the boonies up , then all hell broke loose for about 2 mins , we had about 20 cops all around us , strange thing is they never removed us , fun and games at the end though , lol , never forget that day at Derby , pete must have bought a box full for everyone , it happened because he’d been to a party the night before and forgot he had them till the saturday in the pub , do you remember the Smurf hat at that brilliant day at Arsenal , well it was the head cover off the coach seat and it was light blue , so l put it on and all the steamers were asking where l got it from , when l told them , about 6 others went back and took theirs , lv still got mine in the loft , happy happy days

  79. I would have loved to of been in the Holte in the times ST75. It’s still great at times now, like the FA cup against WBA but it should be like that every match.
    That’s why I’m trying to get to more away games, the atmosphere is great. I’m still hoping to go to a few more this season. You mention hugging people you’ve never seen before when you score, exact thing happened twice to me on sat. Two in front were both American guys, both turned around and hugged me when our 3rd went in and they guy to my right hugged me when our first or second went in:) The 4th goal I was just in disbelief and didn’t know what to do.

    Jenny- I was rooting for Murphy to come on and at one point it looked like he was going to get Westwood and Wiemann on ( Sanchez was on by this point) I was gutted when Wiemann came on, another dire display by him. It was to see the young lad come on and he did all right.

    We did sing ” there’s only one Stylian Petrov” yes. I don’t know where he was though. I don’t know if he’s been in the dugouts but I’m guessing he’s in the stands somewhere

  80. I can’t wait for next season of we stay up. Might have European football 🙂 can’t wait to see who Sherwood signs. Can’t wait to see the youth getting a good chance and our current players improving. I love the fact Sherwood has said we train as hard as we play In matches

    I bet under Lamberk training was walk in the park. No wonder we didn’t score late goals

  81. First chance to comment, great weekend Aston Villa wise, goal difference v our rivals improved, dragged Sunderland into the mire even more so. Too late for new manager syndrome to work for them, how would Advocaat or anyone else assess the team, get them playing and still survive with 9 games left, if Sunderland were relegated then I don’t think we’d see them back in the Premier League anytime soon.

    Bring on the Swans but I do need to catch up on how well they played or didn’t play v Liverpool to know how tough this game will be.

    Anyway Happy Paddy’s Day to you all the Lifers, stuck in work but at least I can log on here.

  82. Late to comment as I’m still in a daze; brilliant and when we were scoring those goals I thought of faithful old Frem who must have been delirious. Well done mate for supporting the team through thick and thin.

    Good comment on Daisy Cutter – (quote) I, like many people, like to think I’m right most of the time, but I’m happy to admit when I’m wrong. I think it’s a healthy aspect of human personality. It helps us grow and learn as people. So it’s with a gritted tooth smile that I must admit that I was wrong about Tim Sherwood, and so were all of you. Or at least we appear to be right now. The target of much derision and hilarious Vines after his appointment and subsequent press conferences, Sherwood has nonetheless gotten more out of this Aston Villa team than Paul Lambert managed since the start of the season. I don’t want to admit though that Sherwood is a good manager, because then what does that mean? It essentially knocks all of our football worlds upside down. If he is good, with his clichés, back pats, geezer smile and lost, desolate eyes, what does that make Pep Guardiola? Are triangles even a thing? Did we imagine it all? Are Bayern even that good of a side or are we seeing it through the eyes of those not yet educated sufficiently to Sherwoodism? I’m not sure, maybe there is space on this spinning piece of rock and water for both kinds of managerial “styles”, maybe none of us know half as much about football as we thought. Maybe Tim is the future. After all, 59% really isn’t a bad win percentage.(unquote)

    Would Lambert have had the awareness to take Clark off when we were 4-0 up in the knowledge that one more yellow would mean suspension – TS is an aware manager.

    And in keeping with the new trend – am I bothered if Leicester, Sunderland and Hull go down? To quote Kevin Bloody Wilson DILLIGAF!

  83. Trinity/Jenny,

    Yes, I agree that (in the state the players were in) an automatic switch over was probably an unrealistic expectancy.

    Mind you, we nearly grabbed a draw against Stoke, but foiled by an injury-time penalty. Our recovery was really signalled by … our own injury-time penalty!

  84. Clive,

    May I suggest that all Villa needed was a manager who was +ve in his approach and could translate that enthusiasm and change of emphasis to the team.

    It didn’t have to be Sherwood … but it needed someone like him. The kind of positivity that dear old Bobby Robson (what a talent) used to transmit into his teams, though I think that Robson had more class. But never mind, Sherwood has the no-nonsense and balanced approach and skills that Villa need … and will see us through the short/medium term I’m sure.

    Having seen him do wonders with Spurs players, my only fear when he came here was that he might have been restricted by his Spurs experience – but not a bit of it.

    Just *how far* TS can take Villa will be the question – but for now that kind of question is probably on hold! 😉

  85. Clive,

    To add … who gets relegated would not usually be of much concern to me, but (being a historian and knowing how much Sunderland contributed to the game before WW1) I am saddened that that club has not been able to lift off since WW2, apart from the odd bit of light like the 1974 cup final.

    Back in the early 1890s, Sunderland had a really great team and used to bash Villa around something rotten until Villa woke themselves up.

    I still remember that great game in division 2 in 1975 when Villa beat Sunderland 2-0 at a time when the black cats had some really fine players – Montgomery in goal, Watson at c-b, Tueart on the left-wing. But Villa showed ’em who was boss and Sunderland failed to get promoted. They lost their stars because of that.

    And while we’re talking about fans coming on the pitch, that was one of the greatest displays of fan power on show that day.

    Sentimentality on my part? Maybe. But if there was another team I were to take an interest in, Sunderland would be on my short list. Definitely not Leicester or Hull, though.

  86. I agree John – remember Trevor Ford? and Bob Stokoe? Of course the wheel keeps turning and the greats of Accrington Stanley and Preston NE are a shadow of their former selves – the list could go on with Forest, Leeds, Blackpool.. Unfortunately there is no room for sentimentality when your own club is in dire straits, but I know where you are coming from.
    Let’s see where the future takes us.

  87. What did we do before nostalgia?

    Loving the walk down memory lane and unforgettable days standing on the Holte, the coach used to pick up from Dale End outside the Hole, always one sometimes two, a hundred lads all like minded to have a good drink up and watch their team, there was nothing that would stop us getting to the game, sat on the coach with tins of beer and bottles of bulls blood the atmosphere was always electric wether we was off to Millwall or Mansfield.

    It would be impossible to replicate those days there are too many hurdles put in your way, restrictions on travel, on drinking on standing, I mean can you imagine back in the 70s and 80s being arrested at the turnstile for being drunk and trying to enter a football stadium, none of our lads would have ever watched a game today, the worlds gone H & S mad and taken with it the atmosphere we used to crave.

    AVFC ITWT

  88. Steamer / ST75,

    Remember the day we took two coaches up to Anfield all top lads, we were driving towards the ground and got held up in traffic, this boozer emptied and they started throwing glasses and bottles at our buses, never shy to turn down an invitation to have a dance our coaches unloaded and gave this lot the biggest hiding, I remember them trying to scramble to get back in the pub.

    We were on the Anfield Road end separated by a line of coppers and one of their lot a bearded knob looked a bit like Percys twin brother would wait until the crowd were engrossed in play and he would run through the line of OB and give a Villa fan a dig, the sneaky bastard did this three or four times until we made our move on him, suffice to say he never ventured through the line again, the scousers used to come around by the park where the coaches were parked after the game but we always gave them something to take home.

    AVFC ITWT

  89. Clive,

    Names? … Len Shackleton also comes to mind.

    … and Bobby Charlton!! … How many know that Sunderland thought they had so much talent they decided to let Bobby go to Man U!

  90. I remember Foxy he had a tooth missing for ages ,and a real gruff voice,he sounded hoarse permanently,does this sound like him?He had a fight on a footy special I was on-Sunderland- over a game of cards.

    John,I too wantS`Land to stay up,like the club and fans.

  91. Clive,

    You know that Accrington Stanley was not the original Accrington that was a member of the original FL? They went out of existence yonks ago. Stanley is another club.

    Of the other teams you mention, PNE is indeed a shadow of it’s former self. They began to die when Tom Finney and ex-Villan Tommy Thompson retired in 1960-time – what a scoring pair they were – 200 goals between them in 4 seasons. When Villa went down to Div 3 in 1970, it was PNE that went down with ’em – both for the first time at that level. But PNE have never properly recovered.

    But Blackpool and Leeds? Yes, they’re remembered for many a post-war feat, but they are young clubs and pre-WW2 were hardly known about.

    Any sentimentality I have is for the great teams of pre-WW1 days. Of that lot, only the Villa and Everton are the only ones that have maintained a strong presence in the top-flight.

  92. clive
    l’ll see where we are at the end of the season before l go overboard on TS , and April will be interesting , but yes lm happy at the moment ,
    and the answers on Lamberk , no he would,nt have noticed the clarke tally , the bloke was clueless and my Norwich mates are pissed off we never kept him , never wanted him from day 1 , thankfully for me l will have forgotten all the crap with him very soon , as my short term memory is shot , as some of the gits on here already know , but l keep a notebook on me so l know who owes me money

  93. S75

    I take issue with you regarding the Pool fans.Don`t you know they are living breathing saints?The best,most loyal ,best behaved in the world so says the Lpool dominated BBC.
    It must have been Orient fans up there for a day out ,or Lincoln fans perhaps that attacked your coaches.

  94. To think Lambert played Gabby and Wiemann in creative roles ey. Thank feck he’s gone.
    It’s nice to see Gabby up front in a simple role. Use your speed. Get in behind. He’s no winger or link man. He’s a speed machine.

    Anyway, just watched the highlights of the under 21’s beat WBA 3 nothing. Gil god a lovely assist for Burke. Nice to see. Grealish got a nice goal to. Wiemann started and didn’t touch the ball. It’s a shame because he was good two years back.

    UTV

  95. solar eclipse this friday then , saw one once in 1976 outside The Hole in wall , lovely sunny day and Fanta came out the pub and proceeded to pick up the empty glasses , blacked out the whole of Dale end ,

  96. Frem i read the report on the under 21-s game as i didnt renew my subcription due to Lambert and his clan trying to destroy our acadamy

    Burke was out injured for a long time last season but he has scord a lot of goals at youth level, I don’t think he is that young anymore – around 22 now but not sure

    hopefully he contunues to do what he has been doing for years and finally break through

    Still mourn Daniel Johnson being sold has i have thought for years that this lad has some proper european player swag about him

    bless up jen – glad your liking the funk – been catching up on it there is so much more good stuff out there

  97. on another note what will happen to the copper who has now admitted to causing the Hillsborough murders as for me that is what they where i dont like scousers but to see them young kids laid out was a disgrace the basters should be shot and all the rest it was the wicked witch of the west Thatcher who was behind the cover up for me and down to that bent ba sterd copper all seater grounds come about now this bas tard has owned up why cannot we have standing back any thoughts

  98. JD

    That was a tragic day,and nobody I mean nobody should have to suffer a loved one not coming home from a match.You expect them to come in the door,excited ,disappointed full of detail about the game and the day,not to receive a phone call asking you to come and identify a body.
    I am not privy to any of the evidence,so can`t give a comment based on knowledge,but I have the opinion that no one comes out of that day with any credit,except perhaps the Forest supporters and ambulance staff who did their best,as did many coppers I suppose,although they have been tainted by the ones who fabricated their statements.A very sensitive topic,so I had better not write anymore,as to my opinion of the Pool fans on the day and since.

  99. Jamie Redknapp has revealed in The Daily Mail that Tim Sherwood had told him what Aston Villa’s “biggest problem” was when he took over.

    “I was speaking to Tim Sherwood a few weeks ago and he said the biggest problem at Aston Villa was that the players were paralysed by fear,”

  100. Graham- I saw an interview with Clark yesterday on AVTV where he mentioned the same thing.

    I wonder why they were so scared to make mistakes? It’s not like Lamberk didn’t make any was it

  101. Hello people, are we really not going to be told when our semi-final will be played until after the Liverpool Blackburn replay in 3 weeks time? Time was, television revised it’s schedules to screen live football matches. Now it appears that football matches are arranged to solely satisfy the demands of the broadcasters. I get the financial imperative behind it all but this is the tail wagging the dog to the extreme.

    It should be a no-brainer anyway. The dirty Blues are playing at Watford and Albion are playing at Palace on Saturday 18 April. It would therefore be sensible for us to play on Sunday 19 April and for the FA to make that announcement sooner rather than later so that we can start making our travel arrangements. I know common sense won’t enter the equation but I would love the football authorities to dictate their terms to the broadcasters for once.

    AVFC IGALBOC

  102. IGALBOC, mmmm can you hang on for about ten years.

    Dog walker ST holder told me today that some ST holders would be allowed TEN tickets each, definitely not fair. He’s been a ST holder on and off for over forty years and has missed one cup game out of the four and reckons he may not qualify, Lerner ought to give his up or that regular visitor Prince Saxe – Coburg.

  103. Hello Steamer, don’t believe everything the dog walkers tell you. It’s definitely one ticket per season ticket holder and every season ticket holder is guaranteed a semi-final ticket.

    AVFC IGALBOC

  104. Andrew P
    that would have been the dog not the walker , telling steamer that about the ST holders allocation .. mind you lv seen em and to be fair l’d speak to the dogs as well

  105. Steamer, Villa have been really fair with this. Sales windows open earlier depending on how many years you’ve had a season ticket for and how many FA Cup ties you’be been to. I’ve been a mug punter, sorry, loyal season ticket holder for over ten years and have been to 3 of the 4 FA Cup ties this season so I can buy my tickets from Friday morning. The dog walker, assuming he hasn’t had a season ticket for more than 5 consecutive seasons, can buy his from 9:00 a.m. on Monday 23 March 15 because he’s been to 3 FA Cup ties.

    I’ll slag them off when they deserve it, and sometimes when they don’t, but generally they’ve always been pretty good with ticket allocations. In the good old days, I’m pretty sure I used to be able to get 3 tickets for finals – one with my season ticket, one because my old man bought me a share in Villa around 1970 and another by cutting the vouchers out of my programmes, but I’ve got to say it’s fairer now.

  106. S75, that’s why I’ve got greyhounds. They’re like the goldfish of the dog world. Lazy as hell so you don’t have to walk them and they can barely remember the way to the front door anyway. Stupid but very affectionate ..like a good woman!

    AVFC, IGALBOC

  107. Yes, i think he misunderstood, from what i’ve read and what you’ve told me they’ve got it right. One of the other blogs seems to think that even when the ST holders have taken their allocation some will be on general sale.

  108. Hi Steamer,

    Villa have an allocation of over 30,000 tickets, so that there should be a ticket for everyone who is a regular fan, whether they have a season ticket or not, and it is strictly one per person.

  109. PP,
    Thats fair, its all you want, i’m not going anyway but some folk who bleed for AV have stayed away this season, i hope they get lucky.

  110. Andrew P , i take it your wife wasnt in the room when you typed that statement lol,

    steamer been over to yours about 2pm , did Bella take you over the park ?

  111. Heres a question to get some debate going, TS’s positivity has swept through the villa team and fans in a way I have never seen at this club before. Brummies are a self depreciating bunch and that can be construed as moaning or negative ( sorry to all you non brummie villa fans if you don’t get this ). Contrast TS with Lambert who seemed fairly reserved and insular. question is how much did we and the situation affect Lambert? or was it the other way around? TS seems a strong character and the whole world seems to fall in behind him like a positive Adolph Hitler, are we witnessing a great managers berth or social engineering at its finest?
    OK its several questions 😉

  112. just watched Lowtons and Bentekes goals against Swansea at VP it was the start of tekkers run of goals. both cracking goals too, Is it Saturday yet? 🙂

  113. Morning Lifers

    Mark,I feel PL dreaded interaction with the media,and did it out of necessity.TS relishes the spotlight,and is a natural geezeer,cheeky chappie with them.
    I don`t think Lambert is negative in his own life,but from a footy perspective,he approached the games with fear,anxiety and trepidation,and this spread to the players.He set up and played the same whether it was Orient or Chelsea.He had and has a lets not get beat we`re set up not to lose mentality,and as we all know,this resulted in loss after loss,week in week out.
    To touch on your point,I think PL`s approach did`nt rub off on the fans or was as a result of the fans.He was digging himself in a hole,but he kept digging hoping something would change,instead of making the situation change.

  114. Hello lifers,

    Just been looking at the fixtures for ourselves Burnley Hull and Sunderland, based on my powers of seeing into the future and god like footballing knowledge I can legitimately and conclusively reveal who is going to be relegated.

    I see… Steve Bruce… he’s… crying…not about Darren Bent shagging his daughter this time…

    In all seriousness though I think if Burnley can beat Hull on the 9th of May Hull go down. Hull have to play: Chelsea next then Swansea (a) Saints (a) Pool (h) Palace (a) Arsenal (h) Burnley(h) Spurs (a) Man Yoo (h). How many points do you think Hull can gain from that? 3 or 4 maybe? That leaves them on 32.

    You can get 3/1 for them going down too, I’m lumping on that!

    In terms of us there is no danger what so ever.

  115. Steamer,

    To be fair to Lamberk (never thought I’d say that) GG’s injuries set him back miles, he’s just recovered any sort of form at forest. I was speaking to my pal whose a Brighten season ticket holder. He said Gardner was horrible, worst than Bennett.

  116. Mark,
    i won’t go into the psychology of Lambert other than to say he was a gormless shithead who’s not worthy of a job cleaning the bogs out at St, Andy’s.
    Tommy Docs arrival was probably a bigger event in our history, he quadrupled gates and turned around an almost impossible situation, he was sacked the next year.
    John Gregory also did an amazing job, he didn’t last long either, understand where i’m going ?
    I’ll give TS three full years at VP before he either throws a strop and walks or upsets our new owner or, even worse, he buggers up the whole club and is booted. I think he’ll do well but won’t be able to resist an offer from a Sky 6 club if they come calling. He’d probably have been fired now if Herbs was still at VP.
    IFHE

  117. Brasil- I agree to a point mate but I think the misery fed off itself in the end in a closed loop. I find it amazing that the team we see now were capable of such dross a month ago. It really paints managers as Svengali types rather than tacticians. Look at Man City a wealth of talent a good manager but somethings is missing, a leader maybe? I don’t know because tms arrival has been that dramatic.

  118. Rags,
    Love to see Bruce relegated, no talent and no integrity.
    Could tell you a story about Bruces scratched face on MotD and how he got it.

  119. Steamer think it will depend a lot on the sale, if he’s backed and gets the best out of the academy 3 years if he wins the cup this season 1 🙂
    If he goes to a top 4club would his style piss people off too much? at villa he has a group of players that had hit rock bottom, Jimmy cranky could of cheered them up. Sometimes fate has a massive say in things

  120. I know! Great to see he has cracked it at Forest though, a welcome addition to the squad for next season. Could it spell the end for Westwood?

  121. Rags- being crap at brightens required, at forest he has a decent manager and this is his first season since god knows, would take a while to trust your legs won’t break. If he could show half of his potential for us I’d take that he’d still be better than what we have imo

  122. No doubt GG had to go away on loan. He had not played 90 mins of proper footy for years and we all know his injury set backs!

    At Forest he may well of salvaged one last chance at VP.

  123. andrew- I think when you have been out so long and had such bad luck it must be tough mentally. don’t think we can discount the upturn at villa park and the prospect of being given a chance either as motivation. as Rags said he was average at brighton but has come alive at Forest. GG is a massive villa fan and the thought of not making it here must weigh on his mind although he always seems a cheery sort of bloke.

  124. Thanks for that Ajax link Mark,how great are the claret shorts?Claret or blue shorts ,not white look great IMO.
    Carruthers another we thought was destined for great things,is he still at MK Dons?

  125. Thanks Mark. I was at that Ajax game. Gardner looked like it was all ahead of him. Daniel Johnson played well too.

    Steamer, Rags, I think Bruce claimed he got the scratches on his face after he tried to stop someone stealing his daughter’s car. Version I heard was that they came courtesy of the wife of an orange coloured ex-Villa player. Apparently the ex-player’s wife was bitch slapping Bruce’s daughter because she was having it away with the orange footballer and Bruce got in the middle of it ….allegedly.

  126. Nice links Mark, I remember watching that run thinking Johnson and Caruthers had potential… but Gardner was head and shoulders above them. Shame about the injuries. I also remember reading about an interview with Wilshere and Henderson when they were still young and they were asked whos the best player in that England under 21 group and they said Gardner!

    That next gen run went pretty far I think, quaters or semis? Cant believe we let Johnson go for that cheap. Is Carruthers on loan or permanent sale?

    Brasil – agree with you about the claret or blue shorts, def look better. Those are our colours anyways, why do we have white shorts?

  127. Frem . wembley , perksy running a coach and stopping at Kilburn , getting tube to wembley (3 stops) , after game back to Kilburn , stop awhile then home , last time his coach was still in the wembley car-park 2 hours later , let me know mate,

  128. brasil- its ironic that we were supposed to be interested in Deli Ali for our midfield and so we sold them the bloke who’s now running there midfield and getting better reviews

  129. Brasil
    l know we do end up in some shitholes , last time we had the use of a club which was a branch for Rangers , ironic or what ! , if l go wembley , do you and Runtins fancy meeting up ,

  130. Jack Watts – R.I.P.

    AVST announcement:

    It is with great sadness that we hear of the death of Jack Watts, Aston Villa’s longest serving employee. Jack was 96 and had been a Villa supporter for 93 years, and was a Dunkirk veteran. He will be known to many as a tour guide at Villa Park and his devotion to our Club never wavered, and he was great company. At this very sad time we send our condolences to his wife Edna and their family.

    Glad to say that I had chance to have a few chats and a joke with Jack when I was at VP.

    His main topic of conversation was Billy Walker – he of the knock-knees.

    Nice man. Great fan and great ambassador for the club.

  131. What a shame about Jack Watts, i went on one of those tours and he was a mine of information, i read loads of articles on him and he seemed a really nice bloke, RIP.
    Andrew P,
    Bang on.
    Mark,
    They sacked McMumble far too late didn’t they ? You win the Next-Gen and how many made the first team ? disgraceful, Lambert did unbelievable damage to AVFC, the worst manager by a country mile that we’ve had in our history and probably the worst of any club in England during my lifetime, pitiful, hope the happy clappers are pleased.

  132. Gardner is the complete footballer, read an article about an interview with him, Wilshire and Sturridge, the reporter asked DS and JW who the best player was out of the three, both said GG. Wilshire is total crepe and isn’t fit to lace GG’s boots.

  133. Sorry Ree, just repeated and misquoted the article you read, when you mentioned Henderson it must have thrown me, Henderson and Wilshire England MF, ha ha ha ha ha .

  134. JL,
    Norman Edwards made a point of those knock knees in his cartoons didn’t he ? i’m sure i had a booklet of his Villa cartoons somewhere.

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