If ever there was a day to need to ‘earn your spurs’, this was it – at Spurs.

There was something unsatisfactory about the home draw against QPR. Yes, Christian had spared our blushes, but we had not pulled away as we had hoped. We were given a lifeline, however, by QPR not overtaking us, but to follow it up Tim had a chance to show Spurs that they had been wrong about passing him up. The resulting Villa win and method had a touch of “Watch out Spurs, we’ll be up there giving you an even harder time next season.”

From keeper to striker, every Villa man was determined to play his part as a team. Some of the Villa players might be described as of the journeyman variety, but they kept together and did not flinch when the danger came, even when the mighty Clark left the field early. The keeper was well protected and they even tried to play football: it wasn’t all hoof, and Villa had the best two chances to score apart from the effort that mattered – Christian’s fifth in three matches.

The win also caused me to think back to November against Spurs and how Villa had led at half-time but fell mainly to ‘the big man’ being enticed into a foolish retaliation and thus ‘saw red’ in two ways. This time, Villa mainly kept their cool until late on, when Sanchez decided he didn’t want to play at Wembley after all. Silly man; is he so certain that Villa will get through to the final? Next week’s team might yet half consist of academy players with the injury and suspension list growing by the week.

There was something else extra fine about the win at Spurs. Last week the London press was pleased to inform us that Spurs had now provided more players to the England team than any other, a record that until that week had been held by Villa for many years. But going by today’s showing I saw little from Spurs’ English contingent that suggested they deserved their England record. For me, Delph and Cleverley consistently showed more enterprise and effort than anything those Spurs players could. Not that Cleverley is really a Villa player, though, and most likely will go elsewhere this summer. But we have Grealish – don’t we – if only he will decide if he is English!

The Spurs match was noteworthy for even yet another matter! Villa scored their twelfth league goal since the arrival of Sherwood, eight league games ago. That represents the same number of goals as Villa scored in the preceding twenty-five (yes, 25!) matches. In his short time, Villa have also added three wins to the five that we had obtained before Tim’s arrival. And to top it all, the matches involving teams around the Villa all went the right way (for Villa). Even Albion might get sucked into the panic at the bottom, but I would prefer to see Albion stay up.

As I surmised a few weeks ago, a fifteenth-place finish (or better) is on the cards for Villa.

UTV

PLEASE NOTE: I still have a few copies of ‘Aston Villa In A Nutshell’, a low-cost primer of Villa’s history added to all the main stats from 140 years of football. However, as we’re nearing the end of the season, I have decided to reduce the (UK only) price: one copy is now £6 (not £7) and a single order of three copies will only cost you £12 (£4 each). The book also contains an additional insert of more recent records added since the book was printed last year. Please click here for more info and link to my e-mail address to make your order – please do not use the on-line ordering facility for this offer. Thank you!

Comments 506

  1. get that book JL is selling , great read , makes a good prezzie as well ,

    Runtins /Brasil , our coach is leaving Brum at 7am so should be in Black Lion at around 9am , so dont get drunk next saturday , for some reason l have 2 villa shirts in my possession , home and away its the 32 RED.Com ones think they’re Large size , l will bring them and you 2 can sort which ones you want , think they were my nephews , l dont wear villa shirts , Runtins will bring that old reggae cd , Brasil do you want a copy ?.

    steamer all those chips and non got eaten last night, and lv been up since 7am cooking full english for the little (shits) Darlings !!. lv had last nights cold curry . luvly jubly , will drop over as lv had enough of them , thank fuck lv only got one kid ,
    still aint seen the game yet ,

  2. JL
    sorry mate , good read , and l would love the albion to get sucked in and go down , will move my villa flag onto other fence to piss my neighbour off ,

  3. What makes you think TC will go else where in the summer John? I actually hope we sign him up now and I’d like to think he’d be more than happy to join us. He isn’t exactly going to do much better than us is he. Maybe Everton or someone like The Saints

    Sanchez- Still don’t rate him. He’s still slow on the ball and makes me nervous. I think we can do better than him.

    The work rate was great.

    If Gabby is out, I hope Sinclair goes up top with The Beast and not Wiemann. His attempt at a one on one finish yesterday was the worst I’ve seen in football p. Passed it to Vorn.

    It’s so nice going to Wembley after a win. As Sherwood said, he wouldn’t have enjoyed Sunday if we lost yesterday

  4. Very nice read as per John.
    As you stated, the Spurs mob looked inferior to our lads, Mason is rubbish, Cleverly is far better but Spurs are one of the media luvvies.
    Strange how all these injured players are fit for the semi, i really hope Clark is fit, of the whole team he is the one thats stuck at it, won over the crowd and puts everything in week in week out, unlike one ‘legend.’
    Still not safe statistically but now QPR have lost we look better, although to be fair they had a go.
    It would be nice to see Olbyon drop, ‘orrible supporters and in reality a crappy little outfit, how are they valued at 200m ?
    Hope City stuff Untied.

  5. Thanks for the comments, fellers. 🙂

    Mark – it looks as though Gabby will miss the semi, but if Sinclair is truly available he would make a very interesting alternative would he not!

  6. B62
    dont worry mate and understand about Devon trip lol., will get that T-shirt to you someway , even the worcs meet up ,
    off to get me sunday dinner , rice n peas and curry goat )))

  7. yes JL as long as he brings his scoring boots, interesting to see how he’d gel with grealish too who’s more likely to see his runs as I think would the rejuvenated tekkers. what I really would like to see is Gil played too, got the feeling him and grealish would be on the same wavelength.

  8. Mark- The saving grace for City might be that we don’t play them for two weeks.’if we had them next week, I’d really fancy us. I think City will finally realise Ya ya can’t play in a two man midfield and will probably move him further forward. We can give them a game for sure though

  9. Nice piece John and great won for the Villa. Tactics Tim got it spot on for this one and we are close to being safe. If our survival probability was 60-40 before it would be 90-10 now. One win and a point here or there and we’re pretty much there. Hopefully that can come in the next 3 league games. Now its on to the next one…

    Real concern about the fitness of Clarke and Gabby, some may not mind the latter but it cant be said that he wasnt instrumental in the wins we have had recently. These injuries are threathening to end our cup run with a wimper, hopefully we can get Westwood or Sherwood back. Atm its a case of 1 in 1 out! This next match will be really interesting tactically.

  10. Good read as usual John. Such an important win that one, especially with the other results going our way as well. And good to see the whole team playing as a team ….. With some good tactics from Lord Tim.
    I think gabby could be important in the semi with the space that he would find and now that he is working well with the beast. Clark deserves to be there for the performances that he has put in this season.
    But for a change we actually have some good replacements to utilise if necessary.
    And on the subject of the semi – I hate to mention it but if anyone has a spare ticket then I’m happy to pay over the odds for it. I can get a ticket this week but can’t get up to VP because of work committments …. And I have never missed villa at Wembley starting with my first game there in 1971 against Spurs! But maybe the touts are an option……
    Oldvilla

  11. frem their defence has been poor this season I fancy tekkers to tear them a new one regardless.

    Ree no news yet so hopefully not bad injuries. I think he’ll stick with the diamond, got his fingers burnt at manure don’t think he will repeat that mistake again

  12. OldVilla,
    Tickets are very hard to get hold of mate, occasionally someone on the train or coach has a spare that they got for someone who’s let them down but i don’t know of any source at all. Good luck though.
    Mark,
    I’d love to see Gil swinging those crosses in for Tekkers with his left foot, i actually think he would be a huge player for us alongside CB.
    At least Sherwood admitted he made a mistake with his tictacs at OT.
    A comment on the Guardian site made me think today, it suggested that TS may eventually become England manager, when you think about it most England bosses are from Laandaan and are crepe and with the shortage of English managers in the EPL then TS looks very likely.

  13. OldVilla,
    Just had a squint at TVB and a poster has put this up “it’s now gone down to 3+ or 2+ booking history” i’d phone VP first thing on Monday.

  14. Nice article, John.

    Villa have a good chance in the FA Cup, depends how much they want it.
    Barring injury, Benteke will probably continue to score consistently, but others need to start scoring, too because they just aren’t at the moment.

  15. trinity- I think that’s the plan, tekkers is the focus, if he’s getting the majority of the ball there’s less chance anyone else we notch one although gabby and delph should of on sat.

  16. Mark

    Benteke better not get injured again. He’s obviously fit again for now.
    There’s little chance of others getting goals whether Benteke is there or not. They’re starting to look more likely.

  17. Mark
    Kozak, we know, can score goals, but he’s coming back from long term injury. It’ll take ages to get back into any form. I’m afraid, it’ll likely have to be Benteke doing 90% of the scoring in the meantime. I think Gabby and Sinclair will chip in with a couple.
    Wouldn’t it be fabulous if they could win just two more FA Cup matches? They could. Dreams are free. A lot of disappointment will be forgiven and forgotten if they did actually win it.

  18. Thanks Steamer – the problem is that I don’t live up in the area any more and you have to pick up the tickets from VP this week. And with work commitments I am tied up down in the London area all week so have no chance of getting there…….
    No problem though, I’m sure there will be a few for sale on the day from the touts so I’ll head down to Wembley and see what I can find.
    btw – are you on the Villa Hardcore site? There is mention of a place to drink before the game …..
    Cheers, Oldvilla

  19. It just occurred to me that if we beat Liverpool – we’re almost certainly in the Europa League next season.

    Not sure how I feel about that. It might help attract slightly better players – it might help us develop some fringe players. It might destroy an already small, injury prone squad.

  20. OldVilla,
    No mate, i’m not going on Sunday but S75 has arranged for three coachloads to meet at some pub in Kilburn, three stops from Wemberlee, no doubt he’ll put the pubs name on here before then.
    Tony,
    In its current form its a waste of space, when they re-organised the European Cup ECWC and UEFA Cup they destroyed three decent competitions just to make the European elite even wealthier, it hasn’t worked on a football viewpoint.

  21. Tony H
    I agree the Europa could be a poisoned chalice with our squad, but I just want us to keep playing well and winning matches, I’ll worry about the Europa next season if we make it. I’d love it if we are the ones that ruin Gerrards birthday, by knocking them out in the semi, I’m already fed up of hearing how nice a send off it would be for him to win the cup on his birthday before he goes to the states. Fuck him what about us, we haven’t won the cup since 1957 , there is no place for sentimentality, let’s go for the jugular and watch the scouters cry as their season goes down the bog.

  22. steamer
    you do surprise me sometimes (not often ) really like that tune ,

    oldvilla , the pub we are heading for is The Black Lion on the Kilburn High Street , lm meeting up with Runtins and Brasil , they better show up . lv given my ticket away . ))

  23. Mark – for once i think the diamond formation might not be suitable matching up against Liverpool’s formation. The injuries will play a big part imo, and thats what worries me most. Even if we do get Sinclair and Westwood back, they will be rusty. As we’ve seen from the QPR game, rushing back players who have just come back from injury in a high profile game is a big gamble. They are not at their best level, they need a game or 2 to get back to that, Cleverly especially looked mediocre against QPR the longer the game went on (decent first half tho) while he was immense against Spurs. Richardson also looked better but still a bit dodgy. Imagine Sterling running at him full pace?

    Atm we’re struggling to put out a competitive team, so its a really big ask to go and beat the scousers.

    Btw, been trying to call the ticket office the last few days and it was constantly engaged. Today I finally got through for them to say the only way to buy tickets now is in person at VP. Cant do that due to work so likely ill miss out. Have considered getting tickets off the touts but dont want to pay 5 or 6 times the face value.

  24. Ree,

    Perhaps we might just look at being in the Semi as a bonus, especially taking injuries to Clark and Gabby into account and (as you suggest) the return of Sinclair and Westwood may not see them at their best.

    If a good performance that will be good, if a win then that would be the icing on the cake i.m.o.

    Maybe it’s a day just to enjoy without any expectations.

  25. Still ecstatic over the win…really is a huge 3 points. Not getting carried away though, with games in hand for the teams below us.

    Was a great time to play spurs too, they were awful against utd and poor against burnley…def got there flip flops on!

    Hope the timing will be good against everton & especially west ham who have been dreadfull this year. Everton seem to be on a good run to be fair though.

    The Liverpool game will be very tough, all they have left to play for and they will be up for it. Just hoping for a good display, no injuies and a few goals.

    Being a cynic….is’nt it great for vlaar to show up and play well…..just before the semi at wembley….

  26. Still buzzing from Saturday, what a result/performance , I did say in hope that we’d get another weekend like the Sunderland win were results would go our way as well as our own.

    Feeling a bit more relaxed about picking up sufficient points to secure PL status and wouldn’t want to be a Hull or Baggy fan knowing what games are ahead for them.

    A new flag for the house has been ordered so the colours will be on show for the semi.

    To all those on this site going to the game or the pubs around have a great time, sing hard, drink harder and let’s ruin the media narrative of a goodbye present for Gerard, it’s Villa’s time to smile.

    UTV

  27. Trin,
    Whatever happens the Villa fans will light up Wemberlee, we always do, i ‘spose the media will only talk about the scousers though.

  28. Ree ,
    I quite fancy villa for this one . Diamond or 442 , both have their merit , though I do believe that the diamond would draw Liverpool out in order to hit them effectively on the counter. When Benteke has been on form , he’s destroyed liverpools centre-halve pairing every time he’s met them , I think he’ll punish them in this game too. Villa have nothing to lose and a lot of them are not likely to see Wembley again so I forsee a good game for us. Even with injuries , villa have the personel to handle Liverpool , don’t be drawn into an insecure mindset , this ones 50-50!

  29. As all have mentioned great win – well done the lads
    We finally see fight , desire and organization within our club along with a great togetherness —- things the have gradually delclined at the club under the previous manager

    ST75 thanks man – really looking forward to the meet – pity steamer isnt coming If any avl ers want me to bring some tunes to the meet let me know and also what type of music ? st75 your already covered on this

    Looks like this relegation marlarky could be put to bed pretty soon

    Moving forward i wonder if the sale goes through who will be the manager next season – I an not convienced that it will be TS

    like TS and no one is perfect but it always worries me when managers fall out with certain players and jack had and bad start under ts and Gil just hasnt had one — will be intersting to see what happens

    Steamz that cover is propa tings mate – really enjoyed that — putting the soul into pop there

  30. having watched liverpoo in the quarter I’m not that worried. the last time we met them with Benteke in this mood we pasted them 3-1. in the last 5 seasons we have won 3 times them 5 and 2 drawn and lets face it we have been poor for a long time.
    We have to go all out to win this, we may never get to this stage again so fuck it.

  31. On Cleverly — i would rather see Gardener in that birth in the team – if we are going to get someone else in i think we could do better — we have enough players with work rate —- we are crying out for one or two that natuarally can find a forward pass from midfield — all imo of course

  32. runtings I think Gardner would be great at the base of the diamond, he’s proving at forest as a DM he can defend, start attacks with his passing and get goals from long range, add to that his timing of runs into the box I think we have a gem for next season.

  33. Thanks John for the article.
    The Europa league is a poisoned chalice if the teams that get in don’t step up and spend a little money to give the team a more talented depth. Just look at Fulham. Was it Hull this year? Imo it kicks the stuffing out of a team. Much like being promoted, it’s a big step up. On the bright side the team becomes more desirable to players who want to play in Europe. Vlaar, Cleverly, And Sinclair would think differently come June and be more likely to sign up with Villa. (I would think). Benteke would be more likely to sign anew contract too. Villa would be in The drivers seat and not the other way round come transfer time.

    Big fingers small keyboard–what a hassle

  34. it says tickets still on sale for sun personal callers to villa park theyt have not sold out and we got 31,700 sames as the bin dippers so where are the other 26,000 then

  35. Runtings

    Agree about Cleves….allthough the work rate is there we need more if we are going to stay out of trouble. Assist and Goals from Midfield has been shocking for us over the years. I think at least 2 midfielders are needed in the summer.

    Sanchez, westwood, cleves and delph are all too samey. Allthough Delph has the ability to score and assist more….id like to see a real improvement from him next season….i highly rate him and would love him to fulfill is potential.

    Europa league would destroy us in the prem.

    Would be nice in a year or too but next season is just important to stay out of bloody trouble for once.

  36. Steamer

    Haha i am a miserable bugger…until we are safe and learner has gone ill roll out a big cigar and believe we can beat the best.

    Until then pool will humiliate us, man city will smash us and the others will win there game in hand and put us in trouble again.

    Hoping for some injuries for pool tonight…shame there playing those bloody useless geordies. they wont lay a finger on them

  37. would like to see Gardner given a chance he has scored some crackers and he does pass the ball beter than shansez mind you even steamer used to pass better than him

  38. Thanks Steamer, the offer to pick up the ticket is much appreciated. I’ll try the ticket office and see if they will play ball, take my money and put the ticket to one side. If I can get through lol …..
    Not the right season to decide that with work and travelling abroad a lot, it was time to stop buying a season ticket :o(
    If not I can always save my money for the Final ……. :o))

  39. I hear you guys on pro’s and cons of uafa — i think as we are a much bigger/better club than the likes of hull/fulham so should be able to cope a little better
    Of course the squad also needs to improve , but we can at the very least use the cup to allow players than don’t always start to get games
    the uafa is also good grounding for any team that has champions lge ambitions and helps clubs to learn how to cope with europe as well as the premier lge
    If any new owners want to build something special i don’t think there is a better base than villa to try and do that with

  40. Run things
    Villa is a bigger club but Lerner has run them as a small club. I think it will take a bit of time for them to flex some muscle tHat hasn’t been used in a while.

  41. Steamer – B62 – I’d agree with both of you.

    I dislike the Europa league for being a massive waste of fixtures. and I’d like to see Villa doing well in any competition.

    Watching Liverpool Newcastle now. Liverpool should be out of sight but they’re letting Newcastle back in.

  42. Nice one Steamer! I’ll try them again tomorrow and see if I can do that.

    Prox – depends how Liverpool set up, most the season they have played 3 at the back and that has been most successful for them. Tonight they played 4, not sure if it’s cos of injuries or what. No Sturridge in the squad, is he being rested for the semi? It had to be toothless Newcastle they played tonight, pretty much a banker on their current form.

    The 3421 formation they have been playin I can see causing us a lot of problems. If they go 433 like tonight diamond might work well. Really wish we had a fully fit and match ready team to go try win this match, looking like it may well be a patch up job.

    Can’t see this as just a day out, this is our chance to make the final for the first time in 15 years – almost 50 years since we last won it! That is really bad for such a big club. I’m hoping we can overcome the odds, not just this weekend but against Arsenal who we will surely face in the final. It’s time for us to make history!

  43. Rags,
    It was a video on Vital Spurs.

    Frem,
    Bet he’s got more Jeerman coaching badges than Lamebert.

    Mark,
    Kane and 20m.

    Ian,
    Sorry i haven’t replied, bloomin’ email won’t work.

  44. Ree – 58 years since we won it – I was there!
    Re the Europa League – we would need to strengthen the squad if we were going to undertake a run in it.
    Having said that, I recall the times we were in another ‘mickey mouse’ European competition early in the season, we hit the ground running in the league but then dropped off exhausted by xmas.

  45. Clive – I forgot which decade we were in for a sec!

    Seriously though its been way too long since we’ve won it considering we’ve won the cup 7 times in total and thats still like 4th or 5th highest in the all time list.

    Also been trying the ticket line all morning, its been engaged!

  46. Whats the feeling about Sunday, can we do it, it will be tough, nothing can be really learned from the Newcastle game as Newcastle are poor and the league doesn’t lie so Liverpool are a good side but not a great side.

    I think we’ve developed a bit of a hoo doo over them as our recent record is decent against them. We are on the up in terms of performance levels, the only concern is the 11 that can be put out and what is available on the bench should changes be needed for injury or to turn a game.

    I hope to God that we challenge in this game as a minimum and give the scousers lots of issues to deal with as Benteke batters down the door. Can’t wait for Sunday.

    UTV

  47. Clive,

    And the last time we won the Cup it had been 37 years (less 5 years of war) since the previous success. We thought then that a success was overdue!

    Would our old great keeper Nigel Sims be able to get a ticket and also get to the final, I wonder … if we got there of course.

    Apart from him I think only Stan Crowther and Jackie Sewell are still alive of the ’57 team.

  48. Mark,

    Thanks for the link to the article on finance. A point, I easily forgot in the desperation to see the back of Lambert is the good job he and his staff did to keep us in the premier league in that first season. We didn’t always play such dire football in that first year either. It still baffles me slightly that after that decent job in the first season the team and the manager did not kick on, particularly in the second season. I remember watching us outplay Chelsea on the last day of the first season under Lambert until Benteke was sent off, giving me real hope that the hard days were behind us, how wrong I was.

  49. Rags- looking back at that second season the cost cutting was far from over, the bomb squad in full swing, injuries to key players and problems with staff. then along came the sale and further reduction in spending, that’s why we have the likes of cole,senderos, richardson etc cheap experience. Followed by a massive loss in confidence by the players and manager, I guess the strain was too much for a young squad and a manager that created his own problems in the end, the rest is history

  50. Steamer,

    Thanks for the correction! Yes, it was Mac who of course is still there, not Stan.

    Arguably Sims and Mac were Villa’s two most outstanding players in those days. Strange how they’ve survived and most not.

  51. JL,
    Big Nige for me was always the best of a very good list of Villa keepers, Sidebottom, Withers, Rimmer, Spink and Bozzie, i did think the way Guzan was improving he would top the list but he seems to have stood still in his developement.
    For years i’ve told stories about Sim’s kicking, i’ve never seen anyone kick the ball so far with such little effort.

  52. Steamer,

    Yes!! His goalkicks (with the heavy ball as well) amazed a lot of people.

    But it’s his saves that I clearly remember, especially in his younger days. Apart from Withers I doubt that I’ve seen such a spectacular Villa keeper.

  53. Frem,

    I note your reply to my article regarding Cleverley and why he might go.

    I’ve just been reminded by a press article that it would seem Cleverley would have to take a £30k wage drop to sign on at Villa. Clearly if the Gunners or someone of that ilk comes along, they will pay his asking price, I’d think.

  54. Yes, Andrew, I thought that GH was doing alright considering. If we’d known what was to come after him we might have been kinder towards him at the time! 😉

  55. great minds steamer i was going to say the same thing — as the takeover talk seems more and more likely i get the feeling that they will want there own man — if they have real ambition of taking villa into a top 4 team i would fear for TS longterm future with us

    this Jesus gezza who faced TS in the uafa reckons he has no ability re tactics and if the new board know there stuff they are likely to share that view — would be a shame for TS though – he has a lot to learn but also is a bright young manager

  56. Mark,

    I can’t get over this “be considerate to Lambert” notion you’re putting across…!

    One of the big gripes is that he brought in a lot of very average and/or inexperienced players that were almost certainly going to keep us towards the bottom. And also he brought in younger players from outside without trying our academy players, who might have saved more money and achieved at least the same.

    OK, he did bring in Vlaar and Tekkers, and later Okore and Sanchez, but Vlaar’s regular injuries left us very exposed at CB.

    Then there’s the case of the “bomb squad”, of which he had to rehabilitate Zoggy and Hutton, and TS is making sounds that Bent should be back at VP.

    Plus the pack of mastiff trainers he brought in.

    For me he left every semblance of a person not really knowing his right arm from his left. The players seem to think he was a likeable feller, though, so good luck to him.

  57. As far as GH goes we were going south with virtually mons squad so I can’t say he was doing ok, he was in hospital when McAllister pulled off two unexpected wins to jump to 9th. god knows what would of happened next season with more rats leaving and the cost cutting.

  58. JL you can bash him all you like mate doesn’t bother me. He was asked to rebuild the squad on less wages and did it, which was a feat whilst staying in the prem and I can appreciate that. Rumours of other better qualified managers turning the job down because of what they were asked to do abound and I’m inclined to believe them.

  59. Rags: … after that decent job in the first season…

    A season that saw us gain our record defeat (0-8) at Chelsea and 15 goals against and zero for in three successive games?

    By January the situation looked very bleak. Then Tekkers returned and decided to play at his best. He (assisted mainly by Gabby and Vlaar’s return) kept us up.

    And over those three and a half seasons from 2011 we had the most appalling home record. Villa Park has never seen anything like it. Horrible.

  60. Mark,

    I’m not saying you’re wrong in that respect, and you’re right in inferring that it was the chaiman/CEO that were really the culpable ones.

    However, going by what Lambert actually did (and not in a very clever way), it was a sad blot on a great club’s record.

  61. Yeah you read correctly the decent job he did in the first season. I’m not going to micro manage points like you, I could, but I won’t.

  62. MON – GH – AM – PL all were substandard managers with no future in the game – no vision – and dinosor tactics

    none of them should be anywhere near a club like the Villa

    out of all of the PL was the worst and thats saying something

    the wage reduction excuse really winds me up as TS is showing who himself is very inexperienced — a half decent manager will be mid table with villa at the very least and the squads we have had should never be relegation threatened imo

    nothing but shocking management is the reason we fell so low

    look at half the squads in the prem and they are not of the class of what we have and had — shocking

  63. Still reading the blog, but not a lot to add to comments already made, except to agree with the comments about “Nigger- or are we not allowed to use his nickname now” Sims and Colin Withers, probably the only decent player we took off the Blue-noses..!!

  64. wage reduction was a fact, it had to happen or the club could of gone under. I don’t know of any other club who have attempted this while in the prem, usually its when they are relegated. TS is getting the best out of what resulted from that there is no doubt.
    could someone else have done it better? of course but where was this shining knight with prem experience ( a prerequisite don’t forget of Lerners ) prepared to put his rep on the line? Factor in who was appointing him and its a minor miracle we are still here. after all they allowed MON to run riot with the wages and then appointed other numpties that worsened it. you have to say the lack of football knowledge from above was less than Lamberts ability.

  65. Rags: I’m not going to micro manage points like you, I could, but I won’t.

    I’m disappointed that you think that way, Rags. To me that was a horrible period that was forgiven only due to the end-of-season recovery. But soon after the start of the second season the performances went back to as they were in the first-half of the first season.

    My view is that first season can only be looked at +vely in the light of the end-of-season recovery and hope given for the next season – which then came to nothing.

  66. Paul: Colin Withers, probably the only decent player we took off the Blue-noses..!!

    Don’t forget Alec Leake!! 😉 (to those who are scratching their heads he starred in Villa’s cup win in 1905!

    And at least Colin was already a Villa supporter – he went to Blews on loan! 😉

  67. Lambert for Dortmund, bet the Schalke fans have their fingers crossed.
    Runtingz,
    Agree mate, put all their talents together and you still couldn’t find a decent manager.
    Mark,
    if Lambert hadn’t taken the job Lerner would have HAD to change the terms of employment and produce more $$$, he came for the money, even if he failed he knew he’d make a mint, surely he wasn’t dim enough to think he was worthy.

  68. I think its been obvious from day one that the bloke is completely devoid of talent and integrity and has an overrated opinion of his talents, the word that springs to mind is …..knob.

  69. JL,
    The mealies have done quite well out of us though, Stan Lynn, Bobby Thomson and especially Ron Wylie although we had ’em with Cammie Fraser.

  70. Big Colin was an inspector at the Rover when i ran the place, he was in the same inter departmental football team as Denis Thwaites, they never won it though other teams had the likes of Phil Mullen who scored a trillion goals for Kiddy.

  71. JL,

    Clearly you are aware of the good things about that first season under Lambert so why would I bother making the points? Do you really think I was not aware of losing to Chelsea 8-0 and so on. I factor the negative points into my assessment just like you do in terms of the positive ones. It’s your opinion and me stating things you already know isn’t going to convince you otherwise.

    UTV

  72. JL come on mate, I’m not saying Lambert was a genius but I don’t suppose the arrival of 11 new faces in season one and 7 more in season two and the departure of 11 previous first teamers could of effected our form in any way could it?
    Second season Benteke was scoring regularly then got injured we lost okore plus numerous others.
    to be honest if we didn’t have tekkers now we would be down. some things haven’t changed

  73. Rags,

    Sure – you clearly have a view which is yours and if I can’t change it then so be it.

    But I feel that if you were aware as I am of the history of the club going back to the year dot, you would see that 0-8 result as being the pit of the pits. No – I’m not aware of “good things” about that season except a fortunate recovery.

    There have been many “negative points” in Villa’s history, but that period up to January was one of the most negative periods I can recall since 1968 – probably the worst half season we have had since then apart from 1986-87.

    And then it got worse…

    So I take my hat off to you if you can see anything much +ve in Lambert’s career to want to highlight about 10 games of something resembling a good performance. I can’t, but there you are … you’re you and I’m me … 😉

  74. steamer that’s the point he couldn’t spend that was the start of FFP, he had to waive £90 mil as it was, if it wasn’t Lambert it could of been someone worse nobody wanted to come

  75. Mark,

    Those numbers you speak of were Lambert’s decision. Therefore what happened afterwards was his responsibility.

    It was all exacerbated by the fact that having acquired those players he couldn’t get them to play a decent game. Look at the difference in the same players since the arrival of TS!

  76. we got a semi sunday . surely theres enough to talk about , fuck lamberk , he’s gone and l couldnt give a round of fucks where he’s going or whatever other club he’s gonna fuck up ,
    JL your right mate the berk could,nt get them playing but TS has give it a go , l remember B62 saying a manager change would work aka rowett down the noses , lm not a fan of ts but at least he’s trying

    Runtins l been told we hit Kilburn at 9-30 . text me when your near the pub and even though l dont know what you look like l will keep an eye out , ))

    Brasil . wear your plaster cast mate , Fast Eddie reckons you owe him some beer and dont forget the £20

    steamer
    Craig Hasson got 2 tickets off the troop aid , good cause and he does deserve it , kosova twice, iraq twice and afghan about 8 times .

  77. JL
    have you seen that headline about Bradford , seems the chairman at the time had been linked with 8 attempts of arson, if true he should be strung up ,
    mind you the holte pub comes to mind , how many times was that set alight

  78. JL,

    ‘If you were aware of the clubs history like I am’. Just wow. You sir are incredibly patronising. I’d get over myself if I were you.

    I personally take a more holistic view of the season, rather than 3 games in Dec/Jan. As I said before you will be aware of this things but I’ll humour you… In that season we had a centre forward score 24 goals, beat Liverpool at Anfield, signed the best player to play for Aston Villa since Dwight Yorke, beat Sunderland 6-1, had very little money to spend on wages and fees, lost numerous good players to the bomb squad and transfer, had to sign players from leagues 1 and 2 and managed to be a premier league club at the end of this. I give the manager credit for survival. I don’t believe in luck. I think he matched the expectations of the football club in staying in the league. He did a decent job when you consider the wider context of the financial position of the club and the strength and age of the playing squad.

  79. JL its taken Van Gaal half a season to get a tune out of a hugely talented squad so I’m not surprised that an inexperienced team struggled with a inexperianced manager, would like to have seen TS improve mcleishs team without huge changes.

    Can you tell me if there has ever been a turnover of players as large as the one we had under Lambert? and what happened? I’m guessing it wasn’t pretty

  80. Rags: You sir are incredibly patronising. I’d get over myself if I were you.

    That comment is a joke, isn’t it? Anyway, I’ll ignore it…

    If you’d care to read what I said I was *not* talking specifically about 3 games but the rest of the season apart from about the last 10 league games, and the other seasons too. What could be more “holistic” than that?.

    I also said that you have your opinion and if that is it then so be it. You seem to want to give Lambert some credit come what may, so as you have presented no new tangible facts to argue over (there’s no argument about your points on Benteke), I can’t say anything else on the matter.

    UTV

  81. Mark,

    I think I gave my answer to those points before. Lambert created the situation for himself and then bored the socks off everyone as well as creating an awful performance record at VP.

    Anyway, as with Rags, we seem to be arguing for the sake of it, and there are better things to look forward to. I hope! 😉

  82. JL yes you are has the mrs burnt your shed down? 😉

    and I was quite serious when I asked

    “Can you tell me if there has ever been a turnover of players as large as the one we had under Lambert? and what happened? “

  83. Mark,

    You might be serious, but I don’t follow the purport of the question. No, I do not believe there was a previous occasion (until recent years I don’t think we’ve had a manager who would be so daft), but the point is that Lambert himself chose to do what he did (he said he did) so whatever occurred subsequently is his responsibility.

  84. Any forecasts for Sunday ? I understand Lee Mason is ref so its gonna be difficult because he’s worse than crepe, i’d expect at least one Pool penalty and a Villa sending off but fortunately LFC are rubbish and Benteke will seek and destroy….. unless he’s the one that Mason sends off, probably for tying his boot laces in an aggressive way. I’m going for goals, 3-2 to Villa.

  85. Gg scores again!

    When the new owners come i dont expect a change of manager at all. I would not be surprised one iota if fox is doing there work now. Too much change is going on behind the scenes to start over. Fully expect ts and fox to work with new owners.

    Ffp means no one is going to come in and chuck serious cash at us….youth and a structured system way forward…..arsenal, saints, swans route

  86. JD
    let me know if your serious about tickets for chris fight as orders go in monday , we will be all meeting in the figure of 8 pub on broad street
    cheers .

    l think it will be the ref we have to beat as well as the calm down gang , l see hillsboro bought up before the game for stevie me , sadly a little club like Bradford gets no mention ever , and dont ever mention heysel , fucking hate scousers as much as noses

    Morning Jenny xxxxx

  87. st75 i will send my mobile via fb and hopefully you can send me yours —- would so love to been the landan scousers – they really think they are the best club ever and most are arm chair supporters

    Interesting on giving lambert credit – i won’t add too it though

    PP using that word is safe in the right company but i would reccommend using it around the parts of south london i am familiar with

  88. Hi All…just want to say hi again to everyone – i used to visit/contribute quite a lot before but a few life episodes later and i was gone… in particular big thanks to Matt T for always encouraging me and i’ll definitely be a regular visitor again

    guys maybe some of you’s have seen this site before but if you are old skool Villa and want that retro chic this summer check this out: http://retroshirthaven.com/collections/aston-villa/products/aston-villa-1984-85-home-shirt.

    i’m not on to advertise that site just thought some might be interested – i bought one myself and its an absolute quality reproduction so wanted to share.

  89. S75,

    Have just read about the Bradford fire insinuation in today’s paper…

    Horrific story … it does seem too much of a coincidence that six business fires under his watch had occurred within the preceding 20 years. The football stadium one was the last in the sequence …

  90. I’ve an older shirt than the 84/85 season however time has been unkind in that it’s shrunk enough that my 4 year old fits it nicely.

    There really should be a separate thread about our impending semi-final, biggest game of the season at least until we play money city.

    i’ll take a 5-4 to whoever in the Arse Reading game and a boring 1 nil win to us on Sunday, I’ll be in the Irish Villans pub of choice Murrays for the game and off to the theatre to see my girls dance, hopefully i’ll be locked and embarass my wife.

    UTV

  91. ST75,

    You got a semi on sunday you lucky barsteward, phnaarr.

    Remember going to Notts County lots of years ago and they had a similar wooden stand to Bradford all along one side that they always gave us, I remember taking pint glasses into the ground and we would piss in them and pour it down the cracks, classy I know, but underneath the stand was full of all types of rubbish another disaster waiting to happen.

    AVFC ITWT

  92. Hello Eamonn, hows things ? Strangley enough your name came up in conversation last week in a chat about the early days of AVL, don’t worry it was very complimentary.
    Some of the replica shirts you see couldn’t be called “exact” replicas but the one with Didier Six in the advert can, Villa used to sell the ECW le Coq shirt as a replica, it wasn’t.
    Hope you make a comeback, i found you knowledge of both foreign and domestic footy outstanding, what with JL too we’ll be the envy of the other blogs.
    Darren,
    Sorry you couldn’t get a ticket mate, 26,000 corporates out there, nice to see the genuine fans looked after innit ?

  93. SWV,
    Remember the 6-0 game at Notts County when Geddis scored plenty, i don’t, but i remember that huge pie in that club at the back of said stand, luvverly jubbly and washed down with a good gargle. We had some good laughs in the olden days going all over in my Capri didn’t we ?

  94. Steamer,

    I personally loved the Dolomite you know the shitty green one, I think we drove to Coventry one Saturday in it and we got lost and we followed the car in front which had a Skyblues sticker on, the knob was”nt going to the game and we ended up on his drive in Folseshill, happy days.

    It is strange I sometimes lie in my cell daydreaming and all the memories come flooding back.

    Where you watching the game sunday.

    AVFC ITWT

  95. Steamer,

    Yeah that’s the one all those bloody Triumphs look the same, except for the 2.5 injection Jammie had, we went to Maine Road one new years eve and he drove us back down the M6 at over 100mph and it was snowing really heavy, we were back in under an hour including traffic, I was in the back praying to the good Lord hoping he would not let me die before shagging that bird I was meeting at the Top Rank.

    AVFC ITWT

  96. SWW , thats bollox about the bird at the Top Rank, 1 they wouldnt let animals in
    2 her labrador bit you and you couldnt play the next day .
    wake up mate ,

    l will be wearing my 1971 silk scarf sunday and lucky gold thong ,

    Steamer
    thanks for the hand with the decking today !!!

    Talking about cars and away games . in the villa hooligan book , l put the tale about going in foxy’s car what a fucking day that was so sureal , me ,roff ,jb our leader melvin ,and foxy in his brand new MK3 cortina ,

  97. Wembley tickets arrived today. Was told that I had got two but they would try to get me some more. Was delighted to receive 4 this morning.

    Can’t wait. I just hope the unemployed bin dippers don’t spoil the day with their loutish behaviour. I’m taking my 6 year old daughter who is very excited.

    Eamonn – Good to see you are still alive. I have got that very shirt – it arrived last week and I will be wearing it at Wembley on Sunday.

  98. Droyd,
    I’m organsing a grand draw to raise funds for the electoral running costs of the Labour Party, you wouldn’t like to donate those tickets would you ?

  99. SWV,
    Was that when we went in the City supporters club ? not sure if i was with you, or was it the night game ? I used to enjoy going to Maine Road, not keen on these plastic and glass eyesores.
    Slag my motors off at your peril, i remember your first car was a Sinclair C5.

  100. JL- thanks for answering that, I didn’t think there would of been considering the huge loss of money involved. allowed as always by the management.
    the way he did it wasn’t great but I don’t believe the players we had at the time would of kept us in the prem when the previous 2 managers had nearly sunk us with that squad Plus the level of player we put money into were not that great either. add to that all the best players were sold or over the hill. of the regular youth players we used most have not pulled up trees elsewhere or are still in the team.
    just my opinion

  101. just had a nasty fright whilst walking down coleshill high street , big advert announcing PP will be in town to do a talk on organic gardening , thank fuck l read the small print , it was Pamela Pears . needed a bloody big cider and brandy after that ,

    loved the old man city , that was chris miahs first away game when he was about 6 yrs old , loved that place as they’re meat and potatoe pies were brill , l had 4 that day , funny as not the same at the etihad .

    steamer we could go on a few raids during the night , those stakes they use for the election posters are just the right size for those bird tables mate , loved green when it was my birthday , Green monster , all the white spirits , topped with Diamond white and a shot of creme dementh , in a pint glass , l still hold the Greenman FC record for downing in 7 seconds , got a certificate as well , didnt help on my cv though ,

  102. Not sure I’ve seen it mentioned on this site, apologies if it has but apparently both teams will have ‘their songs’ played before the game. Villa will go first with this classic that to the best of my knowledge has never been sung at Villa Park by our fans en mass.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMnSZIqra7M

    Bloody awful cheesy guff. We all know what Liverpool’s song is. I might be in the concourse for a while longer than initially anticipated.

  103. Mark,

    I see where you’re coming from, but switching one squad for another nearly overnight doesn’t usually work, do it?

    But in any case I see the most important task of the manager is in being able to motivate his players and write a playing script that can work, and in those departments I felt he was hugely lacking. It could be that maybe he was too much a so-called ‘player’s manager’ – very much on empathy terms with “his boys”. Straight-talking from Keane didn’t go down well under Lambert’s watch, though I read that Richardson (who played under Keane at Sunderland) was OK about it.

    With Lambert wanting to cuddle his players all the time and the motivation and strategy aspects either not present or just not working, signing new players didn’t have much of an affect. .

    Like Keane, TS appears to put the ball in the players court and says to ’em straight it’s their job to get out there and do the business – making them wake up to their responsibilities.

  104. JL no it doesnt thats why i’m amazed he managed it for two seasons. as a man manager he was crap to pally by far and I suspect taken the piss out of by culverhouse too. tactically crap as you say but somehow kept us up.

    When you look at the money lost, waived and wasted you have to think the pressure was on to lower wages and quickly. I think in less urgent times he would of done it differently, whether the outcome would of been the same we will never know and by next season we wont give a crap if we survive.

    rags- no fecking way, with sabbath, elo, zepplin and many more brum bands to choose from that is it??!!

  105. hsame clive that one of the best centre forwards we have had in modern times played in 3 successive relegation craps.
    maybe we will be calling an fa cup win the benteke final 😉

  106. Mark,

    Would he (PL) have done things differently, you wonder, given different financial constraints.

    I don’t quite agree that is an unknown quantity as his abilities in motivation seemed incredibly lacking, I doubt his ability at all at anything but a small/medium club. Why would a less urgent situation make a big difference to his ability to get players to perform and achieve as befits a big club?

  107. JL as you rightly said bringing in lots of inexperienced players to add to a lot of disgruntled and unmotivated players was never going to be easy or perhaps wise.

    so to me that says either the players he brought in were of decent standard and ran themselves or he managed to get something out of a poor bunch, which is it? when you look at the almost comical goings on and the erratic form then compare it to the clubs struggling around us we were almost farcical. other clubs looked better run yet went down? its a puzzle.

    the only reason we survived 1st season Benteke, 2nd not so much, we were worse at defending but scored more goals from more sources, this season better defence crap up top until yet again benteke looks like saving us. without him I think we would be stuffed.

    To me it seemed what ever the fans craved that’s what Lambert went for, 1st season all counter attacking, 2nd we wanted clean sheets and goals from midfield we got some, 3rd we wanted creative players got cole and gil but bizarrely improved defensively and became negative and possession obsessed, again what some asked for.

    TS is by far the better motivator and its a shame we cant look at an alternate universe to see how he would of done given the same position and objectives. we may well find when he starts bringing in players it gets worse? I doubt it but you never know, for now he’s doing ok with Lamberts squad. similar I think to pardew and pulis with palace, improvement without spending. what happens when they have the reins for longer isn’t always as good.

  108. sorry jl went off on one 🙂 to answer your question I think the financials were a massive factor, having to select decent prospects on low wages (young and hungry) whilst simultaneously reducing the wage bill by getting rid of the better payed Isn’t easy in the prem, especially when nobody would buy them.

    He had little margin for error and I suspect was focused on players not costing us much in the long term verses having a free rein. that had to effect quality on the field.
    managers don’t play football footballers do, motivation is the missing factor and I suspect it was too much all in one go for him as the signs of strain just got more and more, or as you say he just hasn’t got it at this level. so even more remarkable that we stayed up.

    TS has nowhere near the same pressure really.

  109. Morning all.
    The only thing stopping me being excited by the trip to wembley is playing the fudgin granny shaggers. Media love in on making 30th May Stevie G day. Saw a load of scouse work colleagues last week in jeermany who told me they weren’t going to the semi as they were saving their money for the final – WINKERS the lot of them.
    Imagine we will all have to hold a minutes silence for some tragedy that they caused to themselves before the game to boot.
    Would love it if we beat them……
    WASUWASU !!

  110. just got a feeling , a Benteke hat-trick , could be the cider talking ,

    Bibulus
    chris has a world title fight next saturday at the NIA , also it is on the tv live on Spike TV( BAMMA 20) i think its channel 160 on sky , part of channel 5 , weird you know as he still looking for sponsors , seamus Macklin MGM dropped at his house and sponsoring him for this fight ,

    got a comedy charity do tonight and daughter supporting Final Funk tomorrow at Great Barr , then up at 6am sunday . monday l will be comotose . all the best all

  111. From a purely selfish perspective I can’t help but think the minutes silence and the songs before the game should not happen in the interest of equality! The psychological advantage with be with pool, as if the Gerrard nonsense wasn’t enough! It will feel with a home game for them. In terms of the song I’d have much preferred Kumbaya, at least it means something to us as fans and would get us all singing. It wasn’t even an option in the vote.

    This song thing has pissed me off much more than it should! On the plus side Michael Oliver is the ref, I think he’s the dogs.

  112. Rags
    Listened to that song from your link – surely its some kind of joke ? Imagine the fans will simply roll out some of our best songs to drown it out.
    75 Seems strange a world title contender cant get any sponsors – what gym does he use for training? Is it firewalkers?

  113. Bibulus, lets hope so mate!

    Clive, the impression I get from the guardian article is Benteke will be off in the summer. At least we’ve got a few months to get used to the idea! He also seems right up for Sunday, I reckon the pool players will actively try and get him send off or injured.

  114. Steamer,

    The most I know about organic gardening is that it is literally a load of shite……Not sure who Pamela is..Will have to Google….Nice to know i still turn you to drink…..and Have many memories of the Rover…..worked in Personnel in Acocks Green……in the good old days….!!

    Runts……seem to remember Jim Davidson had the same problem with his dog’s name in Brixton…..

  115. Rumour has it…Younis Kaboul and Lewis Holtby to join Villa iun cut price deals to replace Vlaar and Cleverley….who Villa can’t afford on the wage bill…

  116. Mark: I think the financials were a massive factor, having to select decent prospects on low wages (young and hungry) whilst simultaneously reducing the wage bill by getting rid of the better payed Isn’t easy in the prem, especially when nobody would buy them.

    You use the word “having to”, Mark, but I go back to what I said before. Lambert himself has said that it was all his decision on who was to go and who was brought in. So there’s no way he can now merely squirm out of it and say it was all down to “financials”, apart from the fact that it was the criteria set. How he went about it was his pigeon and it was done crudely and without much success. Indeed. I would claim that the only +ve thing (of significance) that Lambert seems to have achieved was the signing of Benteke! – and even that was a risk as fans of his former club stated that he missed more chances than he scored, and that was in the Belgian League!

  117. Jl i use the words having to because what was the alternative ? Buy 2-3 over priced higher risk high earners as mcleish did?
    As i said we couldnt shift the ones we had. Imo it wasnt a case of applying the icing we needed half a cake first. So low risk alternatives were sort.
    didnt paddy reilly come back from liverpool with the remit to scout such players one rumoured as being benteke?
    Im sure lambert had discussed the alternatives wit lerner before lerner

  118. Mark,

    The actual thing that PL came up with was an approach that was foolhardy. It didn’t produce much by way of intended savings anyway, for goodness sake! His first approach should have been to ensure there was enough experience in the team and a more gradual exodus and replacement rather than what was done.

  119. They should have chosen a song that the fans have heard of not this dirge. Oddly enough the bloke who wrote Holte Enders in the Sky, I’ll Never Forget the Day I Wore My Villa Rosette and most of the 70’s anthems has been in the caff the last two days, hadn’t seen him for over 25 years.
    Of coursewe should remember that football is all about LFC, Stevie Me, Hillsborough and Heysel, well Hillsborough anyway and never mind Bradford City, message to FA, no-one likes these self pitying twats, stop all this minutes silence crepe and FFS stop crawling to this scummy club.

  120. Mark,
    Paddy has only been here a few months, McCleish made a note of Benteke when he was manager.
    The only positive from Lamberts spell at VP is that at least its over.

    I hear Clark is out for the season, real shame, if anyone deserved to play at the London industrial estate it was him. People who slate Vlaar should give him credit, i think he’s been a good influence on CC.

  121. Have to agree with you Steamer over Lambert……It’s Over…..It’s time to call it a day……..He broke more records than the local DJ……and he broke loads…..clumsy twat…..DJ Alcoholic and the Liquor Roadshow…..came from Catford yer know….!!

  122. steamer I’m sure he’s been involved with us previously and went to liverpool then returned

    “Fox will lean heavily on Paddy Reilly, who returned to Villa in November to become director of recruitment after a spell at Liverpool. Reilly would ordinarily be spending his time identifying players and overseeing scouting – the word inside the club is that he was the man who identified Christian Benteke and kept pushing for the Belgian to be signed from Genk back in 2012 – but he has now emerged as a hugely influential figure when it comes to identifying Lambert’s replacement.”

    http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/feb/12/aston-villa-managerial-vacancy-paul-lambert-director-of-football

  123. JL I’d agree but for the fact we were under pressure to comply with FFP and did so by the skin of our teeth. If the so called bomb squad plus other unwanted players had been sold in that first season or at least by the end of it things would of looked very different on the wage front and better quality’s buys allowed don’t you think? as it was it didn’t happen that way.

    the article I posted above talks of Steve McLaren being approached in 2011, on reflection its a shame the fans kicked up isn’t it?

    steamer- awful for clarke and us, one in one out fecking injuries.

  124. S75 ,
    Thanks for the invite pal but I’m afraid I’m gonna be out of circulation for a while . We had a house fire in my parents place and we’re rebuilding it at the minute , so between that and my “proper” job , I’m gonna be running around like a blue -arsed fly for quite a while to come . Tell me .. know any good spark’s ?

  125. Mark,

    All it proves is that Lambert threw caution to the wind and took on the Villa job out of shear ambition, not the wherewithal in being able to do a good enough job. The buck stays with him – he said so.

  126. Afternoon all, to all you lucky people on the way to Wemberleee on Sunday – have the best time, don’t forget to laugh at the scousers, it’s all going to go well and we’ll win 3 – 1 :o)
    Thought I’d got a ticket yesterday but by today it was no more ……..
    I think the team will enjoy the game and hopefully play with a bit of freedom – although it will be interesting to see what the team actually is on the day. Anyone else think Gil would have a great time out there in all that space?
    Anyway, let’s hope we’ll be back on Monday on AVL talking about going to the final …….

  127. JL- he also said a lot of other things that Lerner felt compelled to refute did he not? as for shear ambition I’d be worried if a manager already in the prem wasn’t ambitious and backed himself. Here’s £5mil Mr Lambert and your dream job! no thanks I’m not good enough 😉

    Listen John for some reason you think I’m bigging up Lambert, I’m not, I just appreciate the magnitude of the job he took on and the fact we have survived this far in incredible circumstance usually surrounding a club that have already gone down. Others seem to think the financial carry on had no baring and would of gone smoothly if only
    someone else was in charge, maybe, maybe not. I happen to think in the circumstances we got off lightly and will be paying £30mil less in wages by the end of this season putting us in a good place to rebuild.

    not that long ago I thought it was to late to get rid of him and you had similar doubts, I admit I was wrong and wish he’d gone last season, hindsights wonderful.

  128. old villa- was just thinking that if Gabbys out Gil might get a run, TS can be unpredictable. I’m hearing now that he’s too lightweight and needs to work in the gym!? I give up

  129. PP- where did you get that rumour ?

    Cleverley isn’t even ours to to do a swap deal for, and Vlaar won’t be either unless we give him a new contract

    Sunday- Can’t wait. Hope we have a few players fit like Gabby. If not, Sinclair up top hopefully

    Apparently Westwood is out in the summer because he’s not creative enough. Sanchez is fucked as well then

  130. Mark: not that long ago I thought it was to late to get rid of him and you had similar doubts, I admit I was wrong and wish he’d gone last season, hindsights wonderful.

    Yes, I thought it was too late [in the season] – but not because I wanted him to stay!! It just seemed by then we had run out of steam completely, and in fact TS’s job has proven to be not easy to re-stimulate the players back into life! I thought it was probably not possible for a new manager to come in at that stage to make a difference, but the situation became so terrible that a replacement became an absolute necessity. By the time he did go I’d lost faith in him completely – and I didn’t have more than a small amount before.

  131. JL I think we all lost faith. but prior to that there were an awful lot of us prepared to give him time because of the circumstances and in the hope funds would be released for some quality . probably only the steamers hated him from the off maybe even before he was born.

    I’m not knocking what TS has done I like him he hides nothing. He basically told them to grow up and do what they are supposed to. But all things considered he has nothing to lose, so I don’t think he’s under anywhere near the same strain Lambert was. next season if he’s still here and I hope he is we will see what he can do.

    Frem- I think we could see another merry go round of transfers this summer, the problem I see with that is the best players we have bar maybe delph could be off so what will he be adding to? Vlaar, tekkers, sinclair, cleverly the list is long.

  132. Prox
    sorry to hear that mate , house fires a terrible thing especially trying to get rid of the smoke smell , been to quite a few , chip pan, overloads ect ,
    you could do the electrics yourself if it wasnt for this bloody part P dont know if its law over there mate . all you would need is a copy of a book called “On site Guide” its all in there and we have to carry a copy ,
    ring mains , you would pick it up no problem , any problems though , e-mail me ,
    jemmelectrical@yahoo.co.uk , happy to help mate ,

    you could type in ELECSA and see if they have any sparks near you registered , theres also NICEIC, Napit , all registry companies that assess all Part P electricians .

    all the best Prox ,

  133. Mark,
    Alopogies, i’d never even heard of the bloke never mind at VP.
    Regarding McClaren and others, at the time Villans thought they weren’t good enough, in my mind nothings changed except we’re now beggars rather than choosers, not good enough then, still not good enough.
    As for Gil being lightweight, Cowans was similar and he didn’t amount to much did he ?
    OldVilla,
    Sickener, still, you’re only a fan, what do you want with a ticket when the prawn sarnie mob need them ? The games gone to bollox.
    JL,
    He was getting the tintack anyway, unlike here the Naarwich CEO was the big frog and he’d seen through Lambert who was spending all his time in Jockland ( Ring any bells ).
    Frem,
    Did you write that you wanted Gabby fit ? wash your mouth out.
    If you see St75 at Wemberlee don’t go on the pop with him you’ll end up 20 quid out of pocket and bored rigid with his Dublin story.

    I have a feeling Vlaar may stay.

  134. yes mark you can , over here its about £350 , you have to be careful , thats why l mentioned the on-site guide” work to that and they cant be shafting you ,with you aint done that right , but l can do it for £100 , seen it loads over here ,

    Steamer
    the dublin story has been put to bed now ………………………………until next season anyway , and Frems ok on the cash front , he has a full time job now , l do hope Runtins and brasil bring their wallets though , and Brasil has sorted a pub for us to watch the game , you know there’s going to be around 200 in that pub from 9-30am , l dont think half of them will remember the game let alone see it ,.

    steamer, Arnie soon showed them prawn sarnie blokes the door when he bought those 3 wembley season tickets , they could,nt handle him , his son texted us to go to their exclusive pub!! and give him hand , they really are oinks , even though they’re villa ,

  135. Steamer,

    Vlaar may stay but only as this injury record would out bigger clubs off for me. In the end, despite his obvious class we may be better saying goodbye to him and backing Okore for that right sided berth.

    Frem, you feeling alright mate!?

  136. no worries mate, neither did I steamer until we re-employed him. Its shocking that we now have to target being a second tier team with the likes of Everton, spurs, Southampton. these past five years we have stood still to survive while others have marched on. With the right owners I think we can be at least the best of the rest in three years

  137. ST75- part p’s a joke mate, my dad was a lecky all his life but cant wire a plug in a house without it, even though he maintained whole factories. yet my mate did it in a week so he could do the odd bit when he worked as a decorator and knows feck all

  138. Steamer – thanks for your thoughts, I know what you’re saying but it still hurts not to be there mate. If we get to the final then I will remortgage to get a ticket lol.
    Steamer75 – is that SH on your signature pic with the sunglasses on?
    Btw – I was Pete (old) in the Villa Villains book, wrote about Swansea, Cardiff, Preston and a few other trips in the old 3rd division.
    Do you believe in the Villa? Ohhh yeahhhhh ………

  139. OV,
    I’ll get my copy out and have a another read.
    Its actually a very good likeness of St75.
    Do you believe in the Villa ?………….sometimes.

  140. Thanks for that boys but nobody was hurt and it was only possessions at the end of the day , so no real biggie..
    I was just pulling your leg on the lecky thing mate, thats all sorted , though i do appreciate your offer and i will contact you soon about a different matter which i mentioned before .
    Anyway , bring on the dippers , THAT city is ours on sunday.

  141. Good Evenjng all .
    Thank you for the leader John , true to form an excellent and entertaining read.
    I would also second ST75s recommendation of John L’s books – I am half way through reading one (superb) and have also seen the ‘Aston Villa the first super club ‘ courtesy of ST75 and I am overwhelmed by the information, research and blood sweat and tears which must have gone into this 500 page Aston Villa history book . It is an amazing achievement , I can only wonder at the thousands of hours that this book (not to mention the others) must have taken you to write John.

    I have been catching up on the site tonight, it having taken me a week to get over the excitement of meeting ST75, Steamer and ST75’s beautiful daughter Jessie.
    I agree with you Steamer , can’t see the AV song as particularly inspiring as the tempo is all wrong , it’s not a well known tune like HH silver lining and no one will know the words – apart from that it’s great 🙂
    Darren Bent scored a beauty plus a pen the other night .
    “The former Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland star has scored 10 goals and created as many chances in 13 Championship appearances so far this season, while having a pass accuracy of 74% and a shot accuracy of 63%. “.

    I think we could upset the bin dippers on Sunday , the pressure is on them as favourites and on Rodgers .

    Steamer – loving the classic soul CD – my girls plug in their ear phones as soon as I put it on in the car – what do they know:-)

    Have a wonderful time at Wembley to all who are going – I will be thinking of you ! Runtingz and Brazil – sorry not to meet you … Next time hopefully x

  142. Hello Jenny – we’ve missed you!

    I am equally overwhelmed to read your comment on The First Superclub book, and I thank you sincerely for that.

    Unfortunately I’m now trying to get it re-published (with updates, having previously self-published) but I’m getting the cold shoulder from publishers. In most cases they don’t even reply.

  143. Mark: I think we all lost faith. but prior to that there were an awful lot of us prepared to give him time because of the circumstances and in the hope funds would be released for some quality.

    Mmmmm … y-e-e-e-e-s … but it was also that you have to give a new manager some time to show what he can do, and I think the reason why even in that first season we gave him room was because we (I at least) thought that it was essentially Lerner’s fault that caused the lowering of Villa’ ability. And though the root cause was indeed Lerner, only latterly did we find out that certain detail decisions (re: ‘bomb squad’) were Lambert’s choice.

    The end to season one (as it happened) finished reasonably OK, but season two led us through even more bizarre experiences when Lambert’s methods became more evident. If Lerner had been able to sell the club during last summer it could be that this season may have started with a new manager and the problem (hopefully) would have been solved, but instead we had PL holding things together with a lot of holes in his bucket.

  144. Morning.

    Hopefully Palace hammer WBA, Everton hammer Burnley and Swansea hammer Leicester.

    If Reading beat Arsenal that would be great as well.

    Can’t wait for tomorrow

  145. Hi Jenny dont know about you being ok is Ted ok , did he need a transfusion after biting steamer and you should have put steamer in the cage .great to meet up . and will get something sorted for a worcs meet, Ted done nothing wrong . and no Brasil we didnt take her money , like you ,.
    OV
    L2R- Me , paul ali, dave willock , steve goddard, Hicky, mark stewart.
    front , wizza, roff, granny , all steamers and that was at Brittles 50th , and all meeting in Kilburn tomorrow morning ,

    Mark Part P is just a rip off and money maker , unless the job had to go through building regs with the council , l got a STAR Letter in Professional Electrician on how easy it is to get round having electrical work done on your house with out Part P , l pulled out of it , stuff nearly £2000 a year in fees ect , it was bought in as NIC EIC were on its knees and needed to make electricians register and l had what looked like a 18 year old coming out to check my paperwork and then a previous job to tell me l was a competent spark after 35 years in the job , l had him in knots about the crap , coventry fan no less !! , l had one come one year , he came from Derby and this is no word of a lie , he just about got through my front door , and of all the chairs , he sat in the armchair , and l had to take all my paperwork ect over to him , then l had to take him to look at a job l had done , and thats when the trouble started , he was about 30+ stone and was stuck solid in the chair , l had to get my neighbour to come round and help me pull him out the chair , that chair went to the tip the following day . and when we got outside he got into his car (4×4) and told me he trusted my work and we will leave the site visit , he told me he was a spark and still done jobs on the side , but being that size l dont know how he would of, steamer he made coog look anorexic !! , l dont have a problem with people being over weight as we dont really now the circumstances of the weight issue , but he must have had this problem with other spark visits , Part P was just one scam allowed to happen legally ,
    well lm winding up for a session to get in the mood for tomorrow , Jessie got a gig tonight , supporting Final Funk , in albion territory , so should be able to have a bit of fun tonight ,

    have a great weekend all and probably be back here tuesday as monday l will be good for fuck all . then its the wind up for Chris’s fight saturday ,

  146. PP,
    Don’t know if your interested but Dionne Warwick, Roberta Flack, Mary Wilson ( Supremes ) and THE DRIFTERS are on at the Barclaycard Arena on 4th October.

    Jenny,
    They probably can’t understand that the songs have WORDS not grunts and obscenities. If Elvis was around today he’d have to change his name to EP*$*>Z and audition in front of Simon Cowell.

    Slumberland must have a death wish if they appoint Lamebert, they’ll be walking out well before half time, bleedin’ yanks haven’t a clue about football.

    Hope everyone has a good time in the industrial estate on Sunday, even if we lose i’m certain that the cockenees will be impressed with our supporters. Hope you can get off the car park before 12pm.
    Also hope the happy clappers missed out on tickets.

  147. ST75- don’t get me started on weight issues, very few have hormone problems that they haven’t brought on by eating junk. if you want to lose weight and be healthy eat what your supposed to not manufactured crap.

  148. Steamer: even if we lose i’m certain that the cockenees will be impressed with our supporters.

    Very true. And the prowess of Villa’s supporters goes back a very long time: it’s quite a tradition.

  149. S75: Part P is just a rip off and money maker

    Yes, and perhaps more relevant it’s all part of the move to have standard people doing standard things. We’ll all look like alphas, betas and gammas soon! (a la Huxley in ‘Brave New World’).

  150. To those going to Wembley, have a good time in London, just enjoy the day.
    I’ll be watching the game on TV or a dodgy stream. It starts at 11pm here.

  151. JL,
    According to the Mail Grealish is related to Billy Garraty, good omen.
    Heard Bacuna is RB don’t know what the full team is though. I think he’ll have to push him outside.
    Getting more confident by the hour.

  152. Mark , the reason l wont assume someone is fat for the sake of it , is because l had a very close mate who tried everything to keep his weight down , ate all the so-called healthy stuff ,which cost a fucking fortune , but he just couldnt lose an ounce and because of the stigma he topped himself , l look at the price Chris pays for his so called organic food and its a joke , plus l dont trust all this organic stuff, how do we know its organic , anyone can throw a bit of compost over the veg and display them on a stall calling it super food , my neice is the opposite , she eats a bag of chips with half a loaf and is still a size 8 and she been doing it for 30 odd years , anyway l still got 7 easter eggs to finish off

    now if your talking ugly , theres even a few on here who look like they fell out of a big tree and hit every branch on the way down , sww must have fell out of about 6 and he abuses the word ugly

  153. Steamer,

    Garraty relative, eh? Now there’s an interesting oldie…

    When he first came to the Villa he was a striker (in 1899 or so he scored 29 in his first full season I think, when they played 34 league games in the season).

    In 1905 he played a deep Ronnie Allen type role and caused confusion in the Newcastle ranks as they just weren’t expecting it. They reckon he played an absolute star role as a ball player (reminiscent of Archie Hunter it’s said) and must have passed his skills to JG! Perhaps JG is Garraty’s reincarnation! 😉

  154. st75 nobody fat because they want to be except sumo wrestlers mate, sorry about your friend. so much new info has come to light in the last 10 years it certainly could of helped him.
    One area of research is about the bugs in your intestines or gut biome. people who tend to have to much of certain types put on weight because the critters tell the body to store fat to keep their host alive. anti-biotics create havoc in our guts and are in factory meats, the water supply and given by doctors for anything. Also what you eat feeds them too, it shapes the community you have and its effects hormones and other factors.
    one thing proper organic foods don’t have is pesticides which also kill the gut biome lowering immunity and creating inflammation in the body. best to grow your own even if its cress 🙂
    Some people seem to thrive on rubbish but it rarely lasts forever and they are certainly not in the majority. Personally I eat a high fat diet.

  155. Well Ted the dog has calmed down in the biting front since your visit ST75 🙂 I felt dreadful Steamer that he had drawn blood !
    B6 Brasil – they were perfect gentlemen and brought me some really cool CDs – got onto the rare reggae now and it’s a classic .
    On the semi final front , I see Tim is sticking with Shay Given which I think is honourable . He got us to the semi so he should keep his place . Some may not agree but I am delighted for Shay . I pray he does well and doesn’t come in for the Guzan would v saved that criticism.

    It’s not being televised by the BBC – why ??!!!!!!
    Semi final and not on national tv. Very disappointing .

  156. It is on the BBC Jenny

    WBA are now safe. Leicester are flying. 20th before today but now only 4 points of us. At least Burnley are losing

  157. I hope are game doesn’t go to penalties who would take them? tekkers is the only one in the present team bar probably cole that’s taken one under pressure. I reckon delph, grealish, westwood if picked, sinclair and gabby if playing. Bakuna maybe, Vlaar? Okore? would be a lottery

  158. I promise you it’s on the BBC 🙂 I’m watching it now. Reading doing well

    What do we do if Pool stop Benteke ? They will play 3 centre backs. Just worry if they stop him, they stop us

  159. I think he’s wised up to that, or at least I hope. Skirtel will be playing and he is pretty physical but is also not match fit, I think tekkers will eat him alive because he’s begun to move much more and the centre halves wont want to follow especially if gabbys fit. Although sinclairs pretty quick too

  160. Jen,
    Don’t worry about Ted, it was a pleasure being bitten by him.
    Pity Sakho’s not playing, ye gods he’s pathetic, if thats what passes for an international then i’m getting my Winit Mercury’s out of the cupboard. Skyrtels crepe too, this is an easy win for the Claret & Blue, mark my words.
    Good luck to AVFC and all our great fans.

  161. Hi Steamer,

    “Getting more confident by the hour”.

    After all the misery that we have suffered over the past 5 years, it really is wonderful to hear you make that statement. I share your confidence completely. Villa cannot lose – we never expected to reach the semis. Remember our first game – we were lucky to beat Blackpool. What a difference TS has made – not just in playing terms, but in the lifting the mood and morale that surrounds everything that is Aston Villa Football Club. Going to watch Villa had all the joy of working at an undertakers. Now we’re off to destroy Gerrard’s last pitiful hopes to crown his career with a trophy!!

    Enjoy the game tomorrow. My son and I are really buzzing for it. As you have rightly said: Getting more confident by the hour!!!

  162. I’ve learnt over the last few seasons not to expect too much from our Villa. I do want them to win.

    Tim Sherwood has more will to win than Paul Lambert. Victory seems to mean more and he takes the domestic cups more seriously, not just as an insignificant nuisance, remembering Lambo’s poorly timed comments on the FA Cup, impeding one’s chances at PL survival.

    Sherwood’s unproven as a long term manager. He’d like a chance to prove himself and I suspect Villa is a good fit for him because he seems wise enough to seek the right help from the right people. That might, ultimately, have been Lambert’s downfall.

    Lambert didn’t develop Villa’s younger players, a genuine cause for concern. Sherwood will give it a right go:).

    Villa go into today’s game as underdogs, but I think they’ll go there imbued with the belief they can topple Pool. It’ll come down to who has the most belief because, even though, Pool have generally better players, they can be rattled and lose their shape.

  163. Disappointed Gerrard is starting today. He loves playing us and can hurt anyone from anywhere on the pitch.

    We will need to be right on it. Delph and Clev will need to be top class and gabby or Sinclair will need to the help the beast out

    Wonder how a 523 will match against a diamond formation

    COYVB !!!!

  164. Frem fuck stevie me , enjoy the day mate , keep safe

    Brasil /Runtins l got your £20s , and dont forget mine ,

    have a good sunday all .
    bloody 5am and having to go to town now , jeeezzzzz

  165. I’m hoping for a good result for Villa tonight. Hope the ref spots Skrtel aggressively holding in the penalty area – he does it all the time and never gets penalised.
    I prefer Arsenal in the final to Reading as Reading’s energy in that game, if repeated, would have devastated our midfield. Arsenal are more steady in the build up and leave themselves open when they press too high, so I expect our counter-attacking options will produce the result we want.
    UTV

  166. Morning all

    ST75- I will now. We’ve done that Just Park you said mate so cheers for that. And also a huge thanks for those pictures and letters you sent me. I’ll keep an eye Out on my tickets and wallets 🙂

    Have a great day all

  167. Went past Gods Little Acre a couple of hours ago, as you would expect thousands of Villans with their flags etc, really great to see. Villans are special, ok a few have let the club down in recent years but you can’t account for stupidity in backing Ginger and Lamebert, still, they’ve gone, with the other muppet to join them shortly and hopefully, normal service will be resumed.
    Just wondering, when we beat them will the FA hold a memorial service for LFC.
    Anyway,a stroll in the park that should have been built in Brum, 3-1 with Pool scoring a penalty given for a Phantom dive by Stevie”Tom Daly” Me.
    Sorry to miss B6B and Runtingz, try not to drop off when St75 bangs on about Dublin.

  168. Someone on another blog reckons this is the that team trained for the semi –
    Given
    Hutton
    Vlaar
    Clarke
    Richardson
    Delph
    Cleverly
    Bacuna
    Grealish
    Benteke
    Agbonglahor.
    Clark fit, but then,so is Agbonglahor.

  169. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3045214/Jack-Grealish-history-Aston-Villa-midfielder-walks-Wembley-face-Liverpool.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

    Fascinating article on Grealish and his great great grandfather , who lifted the FA cup in 1905. Can’t wait to see him walk out at Wembley – what dreams are made of. Thank goodness for TS – as Jack was dangerously close to going out on loan when falling out of the squad a few months ago . Will Stan Petrov lead them out – I can feel the tears welling up already !!!!

  170. FA Cup semi-final team news: Villa v Liverpool
    The team line-ups have been revealed for this afternoon’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Liverpool.
    Villa have made four changes to the team that recorded a 1-0 win over Tottenham last weekend.
    Shay Given comes in for Brad Guzan, while Nathan Baker, Ashley Westwood and Charles N’Zogbia have replaced Ciaran Clark, Carlos Sanchez and Gabby Agbonlahor.
    VILLA: Given, Bacuna, Baker, Vlaar, Richardson, Westwood, Delph (c), Cleverley, Grealish, N’Zogbia, Benteke. Subs: Guzan, Okore, Sinclair, Weimann, Cole, Lowton, Gil.
    LIVERPOOL: Mignolet, Can, Skrtel, Lovren, Moreno, Allen, Henderson, Gerrard, Markovic, Coutinho, Sterling. Subs: Jones, Johnson, Toure, Lambert, Manquillo, Borini, Balotelli.

  171. well I hope we score a load Clive because I wouldn’t fancy holding out with a 1 goal lead, no midfield options on the bench to shore it up all attacking. looking at the line up could be 4-3, to nervous to give a score.

  172. Vlaar and Baker have to be on their game then.
    No outright replacement for Agbonlahor, would have preferred a little less reliance on Grealish to get in goalscoring positions so i would expect him to give his neck and be replaced by Sinclair c60 minutes.

  173. I’m surprised by Nzogbia unless we are going one up top or grealish is pushing up? I think those two will click together as will sinclair, cant remember them being together other than pre season

  174. if Grealish gets the ball in their box They will take him down no doubt, they haven’t faced him yet. Cant help wishing Gardener had been brought back.

  175. McManaman and the welsh cock, not one positive about villa, should of played guzan blah blah, vlaar not good enough to face stirling blah blah, wankers the pair of them.

  176. Be ironic if Gil came on a scored the winner.
    Lets face it, we’re not going to get a fair whack from the media, fa, officials anyone.

  177. well folks more than matched them, shame about the deflected goal but class reply from us, wish there was some way to get sinclair and Gil on without losing grealish. midfield three working well

  178. 97% of Grealish’s passes found feet, thats a good reason why Lamebert deserved the boot.
    When i think that some Villans take great pleasure in slagging JG off, its unbelievable.

  179. Apart from playing some very good footy,the lads showed a previously undetected character, can’t fault any of them. What a difference from that miserable anti football we used to play. Well done TS and the lads.
    Thank you all the Blues and Olbyon vermin who have posted their best wishes, we’ll let you know about it later.
    A few must have thought i’d gone round the hatrack a few months ago when i suggested JG would have been in the full England team if PL had given him a chance, well we could have him and GG in the national team next year.

  180. Definitely steamer, we pissed their England midfielders and now we are going to replace them. Grealish is going to be all over the papers tomorrow


  181. I am very proud of the lads today.

    *Never* have I seen a Liverpool team made to look so toothless – in the second half at any rate.

    My only complaint is that we had chances to make it 3-1 and I can only conclude that the players delight in keeping their fans on the edge of their seats!

    Now … we have *never* played Arsenal in the last stages of the FA Cup. Time to show ’em, eh?

  182. JL feels like we have arrived, gives us a chance of keeping and attracting a few players, Lambert must have stabbed his Tim Sherwood voodoo doll to bits while watching that, Pride of the Midlands

  183. Someone did mention that a giro doesn’t stretch to two Wemberlee trips from L’Pool.
    Some of the ex players who are pundits are amazing, Rush sounds like the village, Owen & Shearer are totally boring, Wright is thick and the others are ignorant or biased.

  184. steamer- Takes a lot of skill to talk for 3 hours about why villa should step aside for such a great side. At least Rodgers isn’t delusional. wonder if Runtingz has got any money left mate?

  185. Rodgers was very complimentary towards Villa after the game.
    St75 took a mint with him, you’ll hear the story tomorrow no doubt.
    JL,
    Dunno how you’ve taken this stress for so long, i’m worn out.

  186. Hey. Sunny day. What a game. I really like what I see going forward. Do you think 40 plus are possible for a final standing?

  187. Awesome and deserved result.
    Good to see this team has the belief to go all the way, which we all hope they do. One more game to history. An FA Cup win will mean so much to the fans and the players. Is 2015 our year? FA Cup and PL survival.
    Winning the FA Cup might spur the new owners into investing a lot more for the new season.
    COYVB

  188. Ian if we play as well as we have in the last two games I don’t see why not, other than Bentekes regained form the emergence of Grealish as the link between him and the midfield has been the biggest factor in our form IMO

  189. All one way now Ian & Trin.
    Looks like Stevie Me is spending his 35th in front of the TV. I bet BBC and Sky send the camera’s round.

    Cilla, Ringo, Tarby, your boys took a hell of a beating.

  190. YESSS!!!!!!!

    What a game, what a performance! Thats the best Iv seen Villa play for a long long time, ill have to do some thinking to see when we dominated a ‘top’ team like we did today. At times it was even tiki take, dare I say it. Thought it was the right decision to play 3 in midfield, bringing Westwood back, who was immense today in a barely noticeable way. Delph captain fantastic, drove us on to the win. Benteke quality, looked like he was playing false 9 more than anything today. Thought the decision today to play Nzogbia an Grealish as two ‘no 10’s’ in free roles was great, they popped up all over the place and the interplay was brilliant. What can you say about the boy Grealish? Quality.

    It was a brilliant performance by all the lads, now we just need to win that final!! Really proud of the boys!

    UTV!!!

  191. ree- its what I’ve been waiting for, someone on Grealish’s wavelength makes all the difference to the lad. Cleverly worked tirelessly but not on the same planet as Grealish. totally agree on Westwood unsung hero today. tekkers back to his first season best drifting wide, Liverwho didn’t no how to play him, Skirtel their best defender had no-one to mark and we didn’t just lump the ball forward we worked it. Absolutely superb performance by the team and manager.

    best comment of the day “even great teams lose games sometimes” steve McManaman the knob

  192. I was wrong on a post earlier – we don’t get Europe unless we win the FA Cup.

    UEFA confirmed the rule change a while ago.

    We need two wins to be safe and then can look forward to a proper final. I’ll be looking for tickets or a London proper pub filled with the Villa.

    I should say – we should have won today by three or four. We need to be more clinical.

    I worried N’Zogbia and Richardson could have done better but aside of those – what a great performance.

    UTV 1874

  193. Ian its true they have changed it for the next three years. to be fare arse don’t worry me if we maintain this form and the injuries don’t get worse. Baker out for the season I heard.

    tony H- Nzogbia just doesn’t have that killer instinct or finish for me, wish Gil would get a run in his place, him and Grealish come be pretty special together, richardson is ther by default. wonder if TS could make a player out of bennett or Luna? I suppose there are limits 🙂

  194. well done villa boys,really proud of jack grealish he was great.. ,hes one of us,played his heart out.every body did their bit fantasticly.

  195. it woud be nice to win the uefa cup . we never won it back in day.

    radio 5 and talk sport, hilarious, begging villa fans to call them to talk about it.

  196. As for TS and tactics thought playing 2 10’s meant we didn’t overcommit the fullbacks and that kept the space minimal for liverpool to exploit. we had to fuck up to let them in

  197. You know, all this talk that’s been said about Sterling these past few weeks, yet in Grealish was a player whose affect on the match was 500% greater than Sterling’s contribution, i.m.h.o. Grealish had a hand in both Villa’s goals and much else besides.

    Sterling looks as though he doesn’t care unless he knows he’s got the beating of a full-back.

    And Steamer – I’m plum tuckered out, mate! And do you know what, I’ve got this feeling Villa are going to get that Cup.

  198. jl- Yes deny him space to exploit his pace and Stirling struggles, Grealish doesn’t rely on pace just quick feet and brain, what is he worth if Stirlings worth £30 mil?

    Off out for a gargle to celebrate have a happy evening villans

  199. Absolutely fantastic performance, better than Pool all the way round. Was very happy for the fans, saw tears of joy…been a long time coming, something to cheer about.

    Agree with all on Grealish, the boy has acclimated very quickly and is full of confidence. Really couldn’t believe how well we passed and moved.

    Like others, I’ve no idea how TS will do long term. But he’s certainly lifted the cloud for now and is starting to get the potential out of the side. I certainly hope the performance, and the opponent, will carry the side through now. They know they can punch evenly with Spurs and Liverpool in big games, can score goals and protect a lead. Couldn’t be happier.

  200. “NO PASSION, NO BOTTLE, NO COMMITMENT, NO FIGHT DISGRACEFUL”. First caller on Talk Sport a Liverpool Fan 🙂 Hilarious
    How many times have we said that about Aston Villa players these last three seasons. But not today – the players who were deemed as not good enough , were magnificent – each and every one of them. All credit to Tim Sherwood, he got his tactics right – press them early – don’t hold back and we won the psychological battle from the start. Even Brodgers admitted that his players couldn’t handle the pressure of the ‘big games”. Did you notice how well we can pass ! We played with passion, belief and dare I say it technical skill and ability. Where did that come from ! So deflated were Liverpool, that I was confident that even if it did go to extra time, we would have won. How can a team that put on a such a stunning performance like that be 4 points from the drop. Aston VIlla – performing like that can beat anyone. Well done Tim Sherwood and the boys.!!

  201. Hope all the lifers had a great day, whether you were there or not, it’s communities like this that are the heartbeat of our grand club. Up the Villa X

  202. What a fantastic day! would not have missed it for the world. To be there and be part of the whole atmosphere was truly amazing, and thanks to Bob Moore and the Somerset Lions for getting me there and back.

    Villa were amazing and young Jack gave the performance of his life… The ‘pool fans going away from Wembley were all congratulating the Villa fans and saying how much we deserved it. Have now to make arrangements for the final…!!!!

    So glad to see everyone so happy on here. Just hope we can find enough players to see out the season. If we lost the final the Euro place now goes back to next club in the league….So we must win..!!!!

  203. Boom what a day what a result , and to quote the bar staff in two pubs we managed to get into, we’ve never seen anything like you lot, you’re like locusts, every where was drunk dry, and so loud!!! Now roll on the final ps I’m smashed started 0800 home by 2230 🙂

  204. Ps no booze left In either tesco or sainsburys and all pubs were full by 10/11am, downside of taking that many fans was the crappy moor St station queuing system

  205. I bin thinkin’ ’bout the Final…

    We all too well know that we lost 0-3 and 0-5 to the Gooners this season, but the first one was due mostly to the fact that half of the team had an illness. The second one was when we had really sunk so low that Lambert was already packing his bags and waiting for his P45.

    This upcoming Final will be a BIG spectacle i.m.o. I’ll take Villa to win 3-2.

  206. The other thing that gives me good vibes is that back in 2000 the semi was a pretty dull affair that had to be settled by penalties. And Villa barely turned up for the final itself.

    This time, what a difference! It’s as though the upsurge is taking place just at the right time.

  207. Hope you’ve all recovered from your thick heads by now – what a performance. Every Villa player performed to their best ability let’s face it and some deserved extra credit – Benteke for selfless lay-offs, Grealish for his mature performance, Delph for a master class and I think Cleverly who displayed his true benefit to a Villa midfield. But I think high praise to Sherwood for his tactical nous in leaving Gabby out in favour of two number 10s and out thinking Brodgers. Yes it is Gerard’s year – he’s past his sell by date.
    One thing that pleased me was the fact we have started putting players on the posts for corners where we have been particularly vulnerable (something I advocated a few posts ago) – and how that saved us near the end.
    City are looking a little fragile now – let’s hope the lads have some energy left for that game. Maybe TS will let them have a couple of days rest

  208. What a day that was for all Villans, lets be honest after the last four years we really deserved that result, Sherwood has put the pride back into AVFC, the fans were magnificent all game and I loved the looks on the scousers faces come the end.

    Every player played his part but a special mention must go to young Jack I thought he had a tremendous game, full of running and confidence probably only eclipsed by Delph who was a worthy MOM.

    In Tim we Trust, lets get safe in the league and then we can look forward to the final.

    AVFC ITWT

  209. THATS why were villa fans. Superb day and a performance which ive been waiting for for years.

    Delph my motm…the midfield was his. Thats his target now every game, should be getting near 10 goals a season with his ability.

    Allthough im too old to look good in a shirt, im getting one with grealish on the back…..ability, villa fan, been at villa all his life, brummie, socks rolled down. I love him.

  210. Now back to reality.

    2 fit cb for rest of season.
    3 clubs below us with game in hand.
    Lester looking likely to stay up
    Man city away next
    Ts total refusal to try gill even as a sub (the only one negative i have with ts)
    The cups all well and good but we are very much in the mire and after sat the table could look horrid.
    Lets not be like pompey and wigan

  211. Yes, Delph was immense, 94% success with his passes, i think he’s grown into international football and leadership at club level, still, some will moan.
    If you mark each player individually no-one came out with less than 8 imo and Given hardly touched the ball.
    This will give our great city a huge boost, we are fortunate being the only club in Birmingham, we should make the most of it and hopefully our new owners were watching.
    What an indictment on Roy Hodgson that less than 12 months ago Gerrard was captaining England in the WC, a shambles of a player, yet Hodgson, apparently couldn’t see his decline.

  212. jeez, i’m hanging this morning, roll on 5pm and home for dinner and bed.

    What a day, had the pleasure of Jack’s uncle for company, his grandfather was there as well, what a day for the Grealish family, absolute gents and arranging to meet up after the Everton game.

    The pride in their eyes watching one of their own command on such a big stage. What a game, i’m hoarse from shouting at a telly, every single player stood strong and made Liverpool look pedestrian. Thank you TS for giving us Villa fans more special memories, how this sets us up for the PL run in.

    From Jack’s uncle, Gil and TS have settled their differences and he’s very much part of the team again.

    Well done to all the Villan fans who travelled far and wide to give the boys support.

    UTV UTV UTV

  213. Well at least the adrenaline has subsided a little, never been so wound up over a game, courtesy of the scouse commentary.

    If we carry this form forward to the weekend watch out city.
    all played there part but benteke, grealish, delph,Vlaar and westwood, were the cream. A little sad that a burgeoning team may be pulled apart this summer.

    glad to hear that about Gil Graham and hoping Grealish gets the England call up (sorry mate) he is a special talent, so unselfish yesterday and like all great players always had time and space, couldn’t be prouder. Isn’t it Ironic that the 10 we all craved was here already if he had just been given starts last season like he should have.

  214. Forgot to mention earlier but how could Aston Villa have the audacity to spoil Stevie Me”s big day, he was the England captain and loved by the nation and we bugger his final season up.

    AVFC ITWT

  215. there’s a lot of talk about how liverpoo didn’t turn up yesterday, I find it very annoying that they cant accept another explanation is out there, they were out thought and out played. stevie me, Henderson, stirling all England internationals simply couldn’t deal with our energy and passing in midfield. at least Rodgers was honest.

    http://paisleygates.com/?p=22687

  216. Wow wow wow.

    What a day, what a performance. It wasn’t a lucky win, we played well yet again and the fans were epic.It was great to see the players and fans at the end. The players just love making the fans go through all the emotions don’t they

    Jack Grealish, wm word. we all knew he had talent but he took it to a new level. he will be a better footballer than Sterling will ever be. Sahme Baker is out for the season, and Clark

    There is still a lot off work to do to stay up which I hope the players don’t forget

    we could stay up, win a cup and have European football 🙂 Would be great for this club to build on with new owners

    Bring on City !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  217. Oh it’s the best feeling in the world Mark. I don’t know what it feels like to see Villa win a trophy but yesterday can’t be far off the feeling. i will die a happy man as long as I see us win a good cup 🙂 I just pray we will go on and win now

    I’m just glad things are finally looking up for the club. There must have been a time this season when the players hated the club like we did, but I think they will all be wanting to stay at us now.

  218. Mark – I loved this bit – only goalkeeper Simon Mignolet finished in the position in which he started to confirm the impression they had been an unsightly mess throughout.

  219. yes clive they had to change because we imposed are game on them not because they were poor on the day, just shell shocked because we dominated them

  220. Some great photos of the lads celebrating there win – seems to be a huge amount of belief between or team at the minite

    I had the honor of meeting st75 and b6b yesterday ,, top day ,, top lads — lets do it again for the final

  221. Morning Lifers

    Had a top day yesterday,with great company,S75 and Runtingz and many others ,drank too much probably but what a result .We even met a gracious Pool fan in the pub.S75 keep quiet about my local it`s a secret.
    Delighted for you Frem,you chose the right club,well it chose you,hang in there good times are around the corner COYVB.

  222. There was talk of Westwood being sold in the summer but he was very good yesterday. Couldn’t help but think a trio of Westy, Clev and Delph could be a very decent midfield next season with Grealish at the tip.

    If we can keep Benteke and add an even better strike partner for him we could fly. We need two full backs and a keeper for sure

  223. westwood was superb and started endless attacks with some quick passing something the more physical Sanchez doesn’t quite do for me. delph and cleverly energy especially more than make up for westwoods size

  224. Morning people. Great performance and fantastic day out. Mark, you’re right Okore had stopped playing, but he did that for their first goal as well.

    At the game I thought Bacuna did really well, then watched the highlights after I got back last night and he didn’t have a kick. Westwood did play well.

    B6toBrasil, give up the name of that boozer. Need to find somewhere to drink for the final. Pubs in Wembley yesterday were rammed, crap or shut.

    IGALBOC

  225. What a great day to be a Villa fan! Still buzzing not just over the victory but the performance. Lots of talk about Liverpool being poor but I think David James said it best on BT, we made them look poor by being so good! Also a lot being made on the disallowed goal, as Mark says our players stopped playing when the whistle went so it wasnt a guaranteed goal, Okore could have still got back at him.

    Also think its harsh people saying the linesman should have spotted that, if you look at the linesman he had head turned to Gerrard (I think it was him) hen he played the ball 50 or so yards away, Balo was onside, but when he turned his head back he looked 100% offside so you cant denigrate his decision. Personally I think there should be a LOT more technology used to help make the correct decision. If we can have goal line technology within a few seconds then surely we can have offside technology. The linesman cant look in 2 directions at the same time, the split second it takes for him to turn his head makes all the difference. Also think we should have video technology for dubious penalties and red card tackles. But hey, It worked in our favour yesterday so cant really complain! They had a bit of luck in the deflection for their goal too.

    Stevie G was pretty much anonymous, apart from the corner header… I get so nervous at corners cos besides Baker, who’s out, we dont have anybody commanding enough to take charge of the situation. Every time there is a corner we look like conceding, not just yesterday. We need to sort that out.Think Gerrard and Henderson cant play in the same team cos Hendo allows Gerrard to take the leader role, when Gerrard is not playing Hendo assumes that role and becomes twice the player and performs better than him, hence Rodgers leaving him out so often. He wouldnt have played yest if Leiva wasnt injured. Sterling aint playing with confidence, his contract situation taking its toll. Also no way he was gonna win a ball in the air first half.

    Enough about Liverpool! The Villa boys did us proud. I have to admit I might have underestimated Grealish a bit, thought he would develop into a good player but he’s looking like he may develop into a really good player. A word on Westwood and the ‘story’ in the papers that he was being dropped. I get the feeling that Sherwood was being a bit sly and leaking that info to the press intentionally just so that he could get a reaction out of him in the game. He certainly played as well as I have ever seen.

    Another word on Tactics Tim, it has to be said that he got his tactics spot on. The 2 10’s worked really well as did Benteke sticking to Can. Forced the tactically superior Rodgers to change his tactics multiple times and nothing worked for him. We were the better team and wanted it more. When you trump the opposition on tactics and desire, then more often than not you will win.

  226. Ree- Agree about corners. I feel like that was where they would get there goal if it was to come. We are a very small side

    Sherwood- two games in a row now his tactics have been spot on

  227. ree- people were worried about benteke being stopped by
    their three centre half’s but I knew he’d pull them out left, its what he did first season and works a treat for him. because he’s a big lad they don’t expect him top be mobile or good on the ball. Arse will have to think twice how to play us, in the last game against them tekkers was static in the centre waiting for crosses and easy to mark, he’ll give them nightmares.
    I expect he will be sold for £40m come seasons end

  228. On the point about corners and lacking defensive aerial ability, it might be okay if we took better advantage of chances at the other end!

    I’m pushing my luck to complain about anything yesterday, but we did have chances to go 3-up and were wasted, thereby putting more pressure on the defence to keep the scoreline at 2-1. It’s only after we went 2-1 up that Liverpool started to get heading chances, and mainly because Mario was present I suspect.

    Is there any other team we have to play this season that has any great header of the ball? If so, that could be our Achylles.Heel, though I suspect that we don’t have much to be afraid of in that department.

  229. I never thought I’d say it, but I really want us to sign Clev now. He’s turned into a really decent player.

    That is so something we have to address in the summer our lack of height. With Hutton and Sissy we have two taller full backs but neither good going forwards.

  230. SWV, is that right though? Isn’t it 50,000 tickets for the finalists with the allocation linked to the competing clubs average attendances? So Arsenal get a bigger share because their average crown is bigger than ours.

  231. SWV, I’ve just had an email from Kidder Lions which confirms our allocation is 22,500. There are around 17,000 season ticket holders, club staff and players probably take around 500. Doesn’t leave too many for non-season ticket holders.

  232. Andrew – I reckon it will be 25k each like last year, which is still way too small an allocation. 20k to the football family? Seriously? I mean I understand on a commercial level the need for Club Wembley to sell their tickets at marked up prices, but 20k tickets for people who probably are not active supporters? Thats a joke.

    I dont fancy my chances of getting myself a ticket at this rate. I mean I could have got a semi-final ticket if I took a day off work and went down to VP and got one in person. I decided against it… maybe I should have… But now with this allocation itll be next to impossible getting a ticket!

  233. Cleverly has done very well indeed under TS but i hope we don’t sign him — he works hard but barely passes forwards — if we want workhorse players surely our acadamy can provide that — would rather see GG there next season and cleverly in a everton shirt

  234. I dont think Cleverly will sign for us. Its not a bad signing for us tbh, his energy really works well in TS’s side (if sometime a bit like a headless chicken), but his wages will be way too high. I read somewhere that he is on 80k a week and would have to cut it by 30k a week for Villa to have any interest in signing him. He aint worth 80k, even on a free. He is a decent footballer but does have obvious limitations. GG might not get around as much as him but is a better bet for us long term imo. I wouldnt be totally against signing Cleverly but not on obscene wages.

  235. I’m looking at all our centre mids being a victim of Lamberk’s tactics, sorry to bring him up but how do you accomodate Cleverly, Delph, Westwood and Sanchez in one team and whoever you drop for a three man midfield, how do you accomodate players who are similar without one or both looking average.

    If (big if) Cleverly stayed with us then he’d need to be given a clear role that isn’t Delph’s as Delph is far better box to box and playing forward passes then Cleverly has been allowed to show. if Cleverly is there to break up play and protect the back four then Westwood does that job better and i do believe Sanchez once he comes up to speed would do that job better than Westwood.

    Something for the summer to sort out, but this will be a key summer, new owners, is Fox/Sherwood part of the new set up, certainly given all the hires being made he isn’t planning to finish up on May 30. We can look forward to much greater coverage in the papers putting Villa back on the map.

    Finally great to see so many kids at the final, what better way to keep the future of Villa support by being successful long after we kick the bucket Villa will be around forever.

    Thankfully, not all the media are concerned with us being party poopers and that our play/tactics/performance have been acknolwedged and credit to Rodgers for being the first to say it or else we’d only be reading about Liverpool being denied by dodgy linesmen.

    Don’t worry Mark i’ve been called worse and being biased want Grealish to be brilliant for us first and then Ireland, he’d get more game time with Ireland and in my opinion be a victim to the England pecking order if he declared for the country of his birth.

    The hunt has begun for two final tickets, corporate or otherwise, any help greatly appreciated

    UTV

  236. Andy,

    Hull definitely got 25k last year and lets be honest we have a bigger average gate, which in all fairness should not be a consideration, why give Arsenal an advantage with having a bigger support.

    AVFC ITWT

  237. Darren,
    I read something that MON said about Grealish, it was quite dismissive of him,in fact i thought it was insulting, he mentioned that JG may have expected 15-20 games this season but hasn’t even played that many, obviously a defence of his pal Lambert’s reluctance to select him. He also said that the Scotland game was too big for him !!!. Jacks dad wants him to play for Ireland but i’m not sure about Jack, i reckon he’ll choose England, possibly more perceived prestige, dunno.

  238. GG is over 6′ and will add height to MF as well as goals.

    Nice, if TS really has made up with Carles.

    Runtingz & B6B,
    You got your 20 quid then.

  239. Some of the Villa banners, Peter McParland – Bournemouth, possibly Rags, Chicago, may be Chicago Villan.
    Seeing those happy Villans bought a lump to my throat.

  240. Question for JL, having seen every Villa CF since Archie Hunter how would you rate Benteke ? I know you were a big fan of Hitchens and Ford. I’ve only being going to VP since 1962 and just missed GH but would go with –
    1 – Andy Gray.
    2 – Benteke.
    3 – Tony Hateley.
    4 – Peter Withe.
    5 – Dalian Atkinson.
    6 – Keith Leonard.
    7 – Savo Milosevic.
    Not counting inside forwards like Brian Little, Gary Shaw, Dwight Yorke, Dean Saunders, Paul Merson, Benito Carbone.

  241. I’m worrying about the summer already.

    Will we get new owners ? Won’t we ? Will Sherwood stay ? Won’t he ? Who do we sell ? Who do we sign ?

    On the selling front, Wiemann would be number 1. Richardson. Cole. Sendeross

  242. Hey Steamer – Keith Leonard I thought was a very under-rated centre forward, didnt look all that mobile but could do it when he tried …… I also thought John Woodward had the makings before he got injured.
    And agree with SWV – no Andy Lochhead? He scored some great and very important goals and never gave less than 110% (copyright Ron Saunders)
    1962 was the year I was first taken down Villa Park as well mate – and told that this was my club and not to go to the dark side of the city lol. Against Sheff Weds it was, stood up the Witton End and someone used the word ‘ruddy’ ………… I was quite shocked ……

  243. Steamer,

    I’d add JPA to that list, did you not rate him? Not sure where as only been watching the Villa since the mid 90’s

  244. Darren- I think JG is about to emerge as too big a talent to be ignored. Reckon GG will emerge under TS next season too.
    I hope he picks England as the thought of him delph, kane, rooney amongst others linking up would make England more than just handy. the lad has no nerves so I think he’ll fit right into international life better than he has the league.

    Gray was my favourite CF but for overall game play Benteke is rapidly looking one of the best I’ve ever seen for any team especially for such a big lad and he’s been playing in a poor side

  245. Good call, OldVilla, on John Woodward. He started brilliantly for Villa but he didn’t o much after that injury 3 or 4 games into his Villa career. Leonard also didn’t get too many games before he got crocked. Lochhead I’d say ‘no’ only because he didn’t play in the top-flight for Villa. He certainly didn’t do much while in Division 2 and we have to thank him for his efforts in helping to get us out of the third tier. He was way past his best when he came to Villa though super to watch in Division 3.

    Derek ‘Doc’ Pace is another name. His lack of inches was his main stumbling block but he might otherwise have been a great one. He caused us no end of problems when he played For Sheffield United against us after his transfer and scored a hat-trick for them in Villa’s only defeat at home in 1959-60. He was 12th man for the 1957 Cup Final but didn’t even get a medal.

    So, my top-7 selection of traditional-type CFs since 1948. The Doog is listed here even though he came to his best after he left Villa, but I saw him play some cracking stuff when he felt like it.

    I feel that Yorkie should also be listed here but in some respects he wasn’t a CF. George Edwards is another post-war player that could act in various forward positions and be equally brilliant in them all (I’m told), but just before my time.

    1 – Gerry Hitchens.
    2 – Christian Benteke.
    3 – Trevor Ford
    4 – Peter Withe
    5 – Tony Hateley.
    6 – Derek Dougan.
    7 – Dalian Atkinson.

  246. Rags, good point on JPA, and also Dion Dublin of course!!!

    My revised list:

    1 – Gerry Hitchens.
    2 – Christian Benteke.
    3 – Trevor Ford
    4 – Peter Withe
    5 – JPA
    6 – Tony Hateley.
    7 – Derek Dougan.
    8 – Dalian Atkinson.
    9 — Dion Dublin

  247. John,

    We can agree to disagree about big Andy but facts and figures sometimes never tell the full story, he was probably the first No 9 who made an impression on me, I loved his physicality defenders would quake in their boots just at the sight of him running at them, he still works at Burnley now on match days and still looks a hard bugger, definitely in my top five.

    AVFC ITWT

  248. SWV,

    No insult intended, and I don’t disagree with you on his impact in those third tier days.

    I’m simply trying to keep it to top-flight players as I think that way you’re technically comparing like with like, plus the fact they all played against the best centre-halves of their time.

  249. I thought Luke Nillis would have been a top striker for us too – he scored that wordly vs chelsea then got injuired and had to retire – loads of ability a real shame.

    Steamz i think the lads were suffering from a bout of sun stoke as i had to sneakto the bar to get them drinks as they kept shoving me away when i tried to get a round in 🙂

  250. Rod,

    Perhaps my list should just show a top 5 or 6 as after that I think we’re talking of much of a muchness, Carew included i.m.o.

    Though Carew scored a few he didn’t really grab me sorry to say.

  251. yes runtingz I liked Nillis gutted when he got injured looked the real deal.
    If st75 and brazil were pushing you away must of been dementia setting in. Did they mention the £20 they owe me

  252. Forgot Dion too.
    Big John blew too hot & cold for me, great on his day but ….

    Runtingz,
    Did he try and pass one of those duds on to you ?
    I think he had a day in today with those cd’s you burned, especially the reggae one.

  253. the buzz around grealish has started in earnest today comparisons are being made to all and sundry, I think he’ll make his own legend. Can’t think of anyone bar maybe little that had a similar style and close control.
    listened to talk sport a few times today and every time there was someone bemoaning liverpools fortunes, not once was there a villa fan saying we’ve had it shit for years.

    http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/04/20/redknapp-jack-grealish-reminds-me-of-steve-mcmanaman/?

  254. prox- good shout, socrates from an era where personnel grooming and underpant space meant nothing. what a team they were even their names were brilliant.

  255. Bloody steamer banging on my door this morning , marvelous
    anyway had a great day and great company , Brasil done it again , how does he manage it , thats £40 now ,
    the pub we was in was Brondes Age ,, dont ask ! on Kilburn High Street ,
    coach is all booked for final even if we dont get a ticket , just going to do the same ,

    SWW
    JB was on form , about 6 scousers walked in the pub and he said jokingly” l would’nt come in here it’ll kick off ” turned and walked out pretty smartly , there was already about 6 in there and as they were going , Jb shouted ” every body listen please , these are leaving so check for your wallets and purses now ” ))
    Runtins /Brasil ,
    hope them shirts fit , if they’re to big blame steamer as he tried them on for size , but were too small ,

    now if we cant get tickets we should all meet up down there anyway and what with the allocation which is a bloody joke with these fucking prawn sandwich tossers getting 50-000 , we can have a piss up and while lm sober at the start l could just try and take in how Brasil manages to get that money off me ,
    well lm off up the pub for a hair of the dog as they say and wind the nose barman up

    Frem
    hope you had a great time mate , B62 seems like he did , oh and how shit is Birmingham city center , when we got back we treid to get in the square peg only to be told , no colours only one had a scarf , the place was empty , then the crown , sorry were closing in 15 mins , so we ended up in scruffy murphys with the goths , second city ??? my arse

  256. went out for a few in Banbury last night and bumped into two old Banbarian villa boys who had been sat behind the commentators, apparently Savage was savaged for the full 90 mins, aint life sweet 🙂

  257. told yo all Jack was the best footballer at the club and was laughed at not laughing now he as i said will be world class and i said he was a far better player than sterling he is class great day yesterday and as for the center forwards andy grey was on another planet to all the rest and he aint even in a top ten best center forward we ever had 12 to 1 to beat man city got to be worth a few bob what price jack is in the videos of him at notts county he as always been class but it has taken areal football guy to see it in sherwood if lambert was here as jack said he would be on loan at notts forest the wa nker

  258. told you all Jack was the best footballer at the club and was laughed at not laughing now he as i said will be world class and i said he was a far better player than sterling he is class great day yesterday and as for the center forwards andy grey was on another planet to all the rest and he aint even in a top ten best center forward we ever had 12 to 1 to beat man city got to be worth a few bob what price jack is in the videos of him at notts county he as always been class but it has taken areal football guy to see it in sherwood if lambert was here as jack said he would be on loan at notts forest the wa nker

  259. All you out of town Villans contact your local non-lge or Sunday team for tickets, every affiliated club gets TWO tickets and most don’t get applied for. If you don’t know anyone just pop in on match day, someone will point out the club secretary and if he seems reluctant just offer him a tenner or whatever.
    JD,
    Was it you or another John Doyle giving TS some welly after the Swanseee game ?

  260. Mark- Delph always looks like he’s about to break someone. Love him. I loved when the pool players came out the for the warm up, all you could hear was Boo’s. Our fans out sang them all game. Pool fans even said so them selfs

    I text Matt after the game. He was very happy then for sure 🙂

  261. We may well be on the verge of a bit of greatness. Maybe. It’s been a painful 5 years, even under MON it all ended in pain, and the years before that with Taylor and DO were dark days

    Maybe now and the next few months we will see the great Villa back.

    Survival first. FA cup win and Europe next. New owners soon after who hopefully have money and a plan and who keep our best players

    I hope

  262. Thanks for that Rags. I’m in pain I was laughing so much

    ” He’s offside. He’s a fucking mile off side. We’ve been robbed ” 🙂

    It really is how Pool fans think. They think they should win things because they think they are The victims all the time

  263. Frem,

    It’s been creasing me all day!

    ‘He’s got more tools than fucking inspector gadget’

    ‘Lenny Henry’s offside!’ 😀

  264. steamer it was me giving him welly as he got it wrong that day but it seems that as i said now the players are getting properly fit we are ending the season a fresh team as the fitness levels rise and did it not show on sunday as for the cup tickets yes only 22500 for each team i posted that fans should contact the local fa where they live i got 4 from leeds last time we where at wembley against chelskie i will have to do the same this time as i cannot get tickets for final as there are 10,000less than sunday

  265. Did you watch the Man U commentary also ? Just as good

    James Nursey saying we will have Chinese ownership. Not sure what to make of that. They make me feel uneasy for some reason. Rather they be from USA but then again Randy leaner is also

  266. Na, didn’t see that one,I’ll have to check it out though! I think when you look at the Chinese or south Asian/ south-east Asian ventures, in the premier league at least, they have been catastrophic failures. Just look at the shit, Blackburn and Cardiff. I pray to god that doesn’t happen even if it means keeping Lerner here for longer; sometimes it’s a case of better the devil you know.

  267. is it just me but in my eyes given is so superior to Guzan it is untrue like for corners given has two on the posts basic things guzan does not and has cost us goals given talks to back 4 a lot more and his kicking is 700% better than guzans he is more solid and the back 4 always know where he is lets face facts he has played in 5 games and we have won 5 what is better than that

  268. So tonight’s news

    We have interested owners who also consider buying west Brom. Personally don’t want anyone who wants to buy a shite product like that

    Vlaar might stay and we are close to signing Sakho from Wolves

  269. ST75,

    JB and Tony were both funny fuckers always game for a laugh and more, was there a decent turnout from the lads on sunday, hopefully will make the final daaawn in Laandaan village would like to keep up my record of watching the Villa in every major final over nearly fifty years but will not take a ticket off a regular fan but if I can steal one off a gooner then I will go in if not I will stay in the boozer and but all your beer as usual, tell Steamer I will expect a full turnout and that includes him and Percy.

    AVFC ITWT

  270. now we are not the laughing stock of the prem we will be linked with every tom dick and harry between now and june.

    JD- not much to call between the two imo obviously Given is much older so Guzan is the future but your right he seems to be much calmer and organised. that said he’s playing in the cup Vs the misery of the league can’t be all that great for Guzan.

    I was calling for Grealish to start last season let alone this, the way we played under Lambert though I doubt he would of had the same impact. you only have to look at benteke now to then and pretty much the whole squad its night and day.

    Rags that commentary is superb, my fave “that showed more skill than when Evel Knievel drove through Ethiopia with a pastie on his head” 🙂

  271. Mark,

    Your comment about Grealish and how he would have been limited under Lambert is right – he *was* limited as it was, and the difference for all the players is now clear now we have a manager who is uncluttered in his thinking.

    As Steamer would say, it was those Jeerman badges. You sometimes wonder if Lambert had to translate his thinking into German and back again to decide what to do next. And that through a Scots language filter as well! 🙂

    As for TS I’m beginning to like Cockneys!

  272. JL- I think TS see’s the players potential for what it can be and doesn’t pigeon hole them. Lambert saw JG as a winger and a kid. Lambert was governed by fear in the end and TS isn’t.

  273. Rags,
    St75 showed me that yesterday, one of the funniest things i’ve ever heard, beyond hilarious.

    The Chinese are beginning to take Shoccer sheriously, take a squint at their stadia, billionaires every hundred yards, VP could be re-named the Mao Zedong Palace of Sporting Prowess or something just as classy and the star on our crest would be a red one, i’m all for it.

  274. Building on Frem’s and Mark’s comments I think one of the indirect benefits about Sunday’s performance/result is that we are being taken seriously as a club again, by players both internal and external to the club. If Sakho chooses Villa over West Brom and whoever else is in for him that will be symbolic of that. I bet Cleverly has thought twice about Everton too now.

    I think there are two clubs that realistically would need Benteke that he would leave for now, Man Yoo and PSG if they sell Canvani to Man Yoo. I don’t see him going to Germany to learn a new language/culture, he seems happy in England. Really hope we can offer him a big pay rise, I think he’s worth up to 100,000 a week.

    As for Vlaar I’m much more relaxed about the situation, still think he leaves though as he’ll be offered big money to go to Turkey or Germany and we won’t match it.

    Apparently TS has been attending Forest games to keep tabs on GG, great news! He’s also tipped to pick up Tom Carroll and Massimo Lugano from his Spurs days. We could have one hell of an exciting young and vibrant midfield come August!

    I guess it will mean the end for Charlie, Gill and Westwood although what a game he had Sunday- thank god Sanchez was suspended 😉

  275. Rags I think benteke he would be a shoe in for arsenal, we played some intricate stuff on Sunday. where he differs from from they have is he will shoot when he has a chance, when you think of the chances they create he’d get 40 a season. hope he comes over all romantic and stays though.

    JL- “cluttered thinking” would suggest more than one thought at a time, surely not 😉

  276. He would leave for Arsenal no doubt. I don’t think Wenger will go for him though unless Giroud gets a long term injury. I also heard from somewhere that when Tekkers agent was touting him to all and sundry after the first season he was banned from Arsenal’s facilities. Could be complete bs though that.

  277. getting over exited now but could we tempt Milner back?
    hard work and creativity, we could forget cleverly.
    Delph, Milner and GG in one midfield it drips goals. need to lie down now 🙂

  278. haha, doubtful Mark now there’s a player I can see Wenger picking up. Wenger is a strange one- he’s never one for having too many strikers but he’ll quite happily have 10 attacking midfielders on the books. But hey I guess if Arsenal don’t go for him, Man Yoo don’t and Chelsea don’t we stand half a chance!

  279. Worringly i think the mancs will go for tekkers and maybe citeh who are set to overhall there squad

    With the imminant takeover thou and tekkers being our best asset i would have thought the first thing they would do is sit him down , let him know the aims of the club and give him the money his skills are worth to the club

    the chinese lot sound like the best option mentioned so far and would open up the asian market for villa which could send our revenue rocketing

    Vlarr wanting to stay as well – what a difference 8wks makes as we have gone from the most negitive club in the lge to one of the most positive

    Mark – they pushed me away from the bar but they had about 5hrs head start on me so maybe it was just the beer talking 🙂

    Milner another good player but like barry he will decline over the next few years so personally i would prefer more up and coming talent

    exciting times ahead prehaps

  280. runtingz- that explains things Brasils only used to halfs 😉

    only mentioned milner as like cleverly he’d be on a free, twice the player for similar wage if the 80,000 is to be believed, worth a three year contract while other players mature?

  281. Runtings: what a difference 8wks makes

    Not ‘alf! 🙂

    The fact that the same players are playing at an utterly different level speaks volumes and invites as many questions about went on before as the ability of TS to create this playing approach, including the players’ positivity.

    Only a manager with “cluttered thinking” (i.e. jumbled thinking, Mark!) and negativity could create what went on before in contrast.

    There is such a margin of difference that the temptation might be to think of TS as potentially the greatest manager that walked into VP, but the reality of the lowly state of coaching and management that went on before has to be recognised to put it all into perspective.

    In fact it’s a bit like the changeover from Vic Crowe to Ron Saunders in how the same players grew into a new stature. In Vic’s case he did achieve a lot for Villa, but he was working at a lower level in the league.

  282. Milner

    Though I like him I think that Delph has grown considerably of late and after Sunday’s performance I’m thinking that Westwood’s got a lot more in his tank than I thought. With GG, and Sanchez as backup, I’d say we already have a fine middle 3.

    But … I wouldn’t say no if Milner did return – for a third spell!

  283. What an amazing day out that was on Sunday. What a performance from our boys. Our fans were as magnificent as you would expect on such an occasion.

    Benteke and Delph were absolutely outstanding. Cleverley was everywhere – had a great game. I was also impressed with Grealish for the first time. His link up play was outstanding and despite not being quick, he has an ability to ghost past players. Needs to look more of a goal threat (which I believe will come) and we could have a serious prospect on our hands.

    I was concerned that Benteke was missing a strike partner but N’Zogbia and Grealish did the business. Sherwood completely did Rodgers tactically. It didn’t require a brain surgeon to spot that our weakness is in the full back areas with Hutton and Cissokho injured. Rodgers didn’t exploit that and played into our hands by not playing with wingers.

    Arsenal are beatable in the final but only if we can put in another inspired performance like we did on Sunday.

    After all the shit we have endured over the past 5 years, it finally feels good to be a Villa fan again.

    I can’t wait for the final.

  284. Spurs do make me laugh – it is only because we have been so poorly run that they can even dream of taken a villa player — but in reality it no more than a sidewards step going to them at best – and if we continue to improve it will be a backwards step =- so dream on spurs

    Milner is a very good player and i have always been a fan — so its not that i don’t rate him but more thinking ahead – and not wanting to end up with over the hill players which we recently had a squad full of — saying that if he came i would welcome him all the same

    I am a great believer in putting 18 to 24yrs olds of good enough potential together and watch the grow together into a top side hence my attidude to older players who can only go downwards

    Also the acadamy should be held in more value that it has been under the shocking last 2 managers — if we can have 7 or 8 of them at least in the 25 man squad — this way you also get an unbreakable togetherness and a team the fans can relate too imo

  285. Agree with you Mark about 60 posts ago, Grealish has made a name for himself beyond VP that will mean it would be foolish for the FA not to talk to him about declaring for England, I’d be disappointed we desperately need creativity in a team of plodders but Ireland has indirectly given you a good few players down the years and England has directly given us a few good players and some crap ones.

    I think the one problem that Lamberk had with Jack is he saw him as a luxury player and given the way we were playing had no choice but to bench him or put him out on loan. Lamberk was trying to grind out results instead of win games by imposing on teams. Thank god Jack didn’t walk and stood by the club and what a better platform to express yourself than Wembley, no worries about relegation, just go out and play and he did in spades

    GG will be back in the Villa fold for next season and given every opportunity, it’s the TS way, I am so bouyed by the weekend and the belief the players now have in their own ability. Roll on money city.

    UTV

  286. Love a MF of Milner, GG, JG and Delph, got the lot. Milner said he enjoyed playing at Villa more than any of his clubs, he’s a multi-millionaire and IMO a deal can be done.

    If CB does go i think Liverpoo will be in there with Spuds and Untied, Juventus will have a few quid if they sell Pogba, not Jeermany though. Apart from Untied i don’t think he’ll better himself. If the new owners show ambition with a couple of top signings then i don’t see any reason why CB won’t stay if offered a bigger contract, which he’s worth.
    I think Vlaar has been a very good player for us when fit, with his dodgy knees it will limit potential buyers, i hope he stays and continues to develop Clark, Baker and Donacien.

  287. Runtingz,
    Agree again,Lamebert could have given Siegrist, Johnson, Drennan, Burke, Gardner and Grealish a decent taste of first team footy, we’d now have a young vibrant, improving squad with immense potential, but Lamebert is totally negative as he was as a player, beyond destructive, just low class, low quality scum who got lucky.

  288. Its looking more and more likely that Benteke will leave given his form and the vultures circling. But who will he go to? Not City they have only just bought Bony who is similar but inferior to Benteke and bought for £27m. What price for Benteke? Not £20m that laughable article from the spurs fan above. He would be worth at least £30m-£40m. With that we can do some good shopping but he is a huge player to replace.

    Chelski have Costa and Remy, they could try their luck just to prevent their rivals from snatching him but FFP wont allow them to stretch that far. I really hope he doesnt end up there. Utd are talking about buying Cavani for big money, and he is a really good player, but imo Benteke is as good and def has the potential to be even better. Liverpool would have to sell Balotelli before being able to afford Benteke, they have a lot of rebuilding to do… how far can their finances stretch?

    Arsenal out of the top clubs seems the most likely destination imo. They have the money and he could fit into their play style, although imo he’s better when going slightly more direct to him.

    In all honesty, we know he see’s Villa as a stepping stone to something bigger. If he does go Id love it if he goes out on a bang in the final against the team that might buy him. Best case scenario would be he enjoys playing under TS so much he decides to stick around for a while, it could happen… he has talked about how much more he is enjoying his football now. But we have to be realistic, money talks!

  289. On Milner, if there was a chance and he was on similar wages to Cleverly… I would take Milner all day long. Quality player underused at City. He’s similar to Delph imo, hard working and no shortage of quality. Only issue being can they work together, imo they can. Probably just a pipe dread tho.

    GG coming back more matured from his role at Forest will be a big plus. Means that we possibly dont need to shell out on another MF if Cleverly goes. Maybe a young up and comer with potential as back up. What ever happened to Powell at Utd? He looked a real good prospect before being sent out on loan and disappearing.

  290. Tickets are now on sale, why do the FA allow the agencies to have the tickets and rob the fans ?
    When Wemberlee was being built all the talk was of the fans getting more tickets so now we have a crepe stadium in the middle of an industrial estate with less tickets going to the clubs involved, i think it a scandal but of course we all expected it, ‘effing Lying Labour Party.

  291. milner is a good pro his age doesn’t worry me. he’s teetotal and ultra fit, we would get three years from him and would inspire the younger lads a whole lot more than two game cole. if there’s one thing we have learned is we need a balance of experience

  292. Steamz ” effing Lying Labour Party” — wash your mouth out with soap and water – Droyd will be livid at that comment 🙂

    Ree — i am hoping that you are wrong about tekkers seeing us as a stepping stone — of course after season one he had his head turned but then saw the error of his way and now looks really happy at villa

    i sense a lot of togetherness from the group and with the geeeerman mistro on his bike the lads look happy and relaxed — takeover — if the owner have ambition it will show in a contact for teks

    We should never forget that run in the right way the sky is the limit for a club like villa who are historically a much much bigger club that citeh or chelsea — only man u and the gooners are in our class

    my money is on tekkers staying and spearheading the villa revolution

  293. Hope you’re right Runtings I’m think it’s 50/50.If Man Yoo come in for him he’s gone. The good thing is he’s on about £50,000 at the moment so there’s some room to improve that. Honestly everything is up in the air until Lerner sells up or decides to stay.

  294. trouble is we are unlikely to offer him chumps league for a good while, he’ll get £150,000
    at manure/arse and regular punts at the title and europe. he’s 25 this year so 5 good years left if he doesn’t get injured and that ain’t long

  295. Benteke

    There’s no doubt that he wants to play at the very top and that may force a decision to leave this summer as he’s the age now to prosper having settled in the PL.

    But he said that after the season end he will go on holiday, ponder on it while he’s doing some snorkling and announce afterwards what he’s going to do.

    I’d say it’s 50-50 either way taking into account that he likes working with Tim. Thing is, if Villa get an offer above £30m for him I can’t see they’ll want to stand in his way. As you’re all saying, money talks and in more ways than one – the club won’t want to miss out on some lolly.

  296. I remember too well what happened when Gerry Hitchens was sold to Italy.

    So much money (for those days) was got but it never got spent properly and the club slid downwards a few years after that.

    As with the issue at the time of Hitchens, the question is will Villa be determined enough for success that they’ll offer CB a huge contract to keep him *and* get more trophies?

  297. John, I’d say that’s about right- the only reason I’m even at 50/50 is because the top teams in England outside of Man Yoo have world class target men already. I keep hearing 2025 Mil banded about. If he leaves for anything under £30 Mil I think we’d be short changed. If he left for Spurs/Liverpool I would be a bit bitter as we look like we can challenge those clubs again next season.

  298. Rags,

    Yes. And if Villa’s new owners have any real ambition they should try to keep CB at *almost* any cost. That way it will attract other good players to Villa knowing that the club is ambitious.

    But an offer of over £30m will be very difficult to resist – *some* big team will be interested for sure no matter who’s on their books. I feel sure Spurs/Pool won’t even get a look-in.

  299. Realistically we are not going to get top 4 and more cups for us means league cup and FA, cant see any reason to stay if that’s the pull.
    But if he continues as he is, scores a couple in the final by summer he will be worth £30-40 mil if we get enough teams interested. I hope he goes abroad if he does.

  300. If he scores in the cup final and we win I’ll drive him to Old Trafford! Maybe the best thing we can hope for is a bidding war, or a 95th minute Ruptured Achilles Tendon!

  301. no matter who comes in there is still the small matter of our turnover and FFP. if we start handing 80,000+ wages to tekkers, cleverly, others will want it and we cant afford it. that’s why fox is saying 5 year plan as he needs to increase our revenue. we will see in the summer who the owners are and the plans they have.

  302. K guys i am gonna stick my neck out hear and say we can make top 4

    considering what we have been through that sounds mad even saying it myself — but

    With the right investement — good attacking football and tekkers at the head — good manegement – why not

    the premier lge aint all that these days — i see chelski – man u and the gooners maintaining there status but citeh will need to be in transition to replace there becoming over the hill nuclius of a sqaud

    liverpoo — spurs paaa

    Believe

  303. Runtings,

    Anything’s possible mate! As people have been saying so much depends on ownership. I think Man Yoo, Many City (Under Klopp) and Chelsea are untouchable in the short term at least and if I’m being honest so are Arsenal. FFP just makes their position even more secure, Man City just responsor their own ground for the amount of money they want to so FFP doesn’t apply to them in any meaningful way, Man Yoo’s revenue is more than they could ever spend anyway and Chelsea seem to send Russian mafia bosses to Everton, PSG and whoever else to sell them crepe for tens of millions.

    I do wish I was around in the era where football wasn’t decided by bank balances

  304. Steamer
    forgot to tell you , Brasil and Runtins had the pleasure of meeting Camden !!!!

    Also heard last night that fucking german wanker has bottled the fight and pulled out , all his bravado the last few weeks saying he was going to have fun in the ring and it wont go the distance and then last week noticed not a word , fucking shit it after seeing what Chris can do , BAMMA have been in touch and the spanish champion has said he will take the fight , the tosser has closed his F/B page as well as british abuse started flying at him ,

  305. this is the main take away from that article

    “Villa will have to be aware of the restriction whereby clubs whose player wage bill is more than £52 million will only be allowed to increase their wages by £4 million per season for the next three years. This only applies to the income from TV money, so if Villa want to “go for it” and substantially increase their wages, they will have to grow revenue via new sponsorship deals, higher gate receipts or profits from player sales.”

  306. Rags: I do wish I was around in the era where football wasn’t decided by bank balances

    You’ll not believe this but it was Villa who became the big spenders in the 1890s (!!) and to such an extent it helped bring in the fixed (capped) wage in 1901 that lasted until 1961.

    Players like Charlie Athersmith were the country’s top money earners in 1897 until 1901. Strangely, some top players (like John Devey) didn’t haggle for higher wages – they were just happy to get what they were given.

  307. Of course we will sell some players and some contracts will end to give us some leeway but I cant see any big money buys or people on huge wages happening, will be happy to be wrong.

    st75 didn’t realise he was on the piss up, hope chris’s fight goes ahead to much work for it to come to feck all

  308. I think Benteke is a 50/50 too. I do get that feeling he’s really enjoying it atm. Also think we need to tie him down on a better contract. Id be willing to bet he had a clause in the last contract that could lead to us missing out on more cash

  309. Runtings – what have you been smoking with that prediction? Gimme some of that!!

    Like it or not the top 4 are miles ahead of us. Liverpool and Spurs also far ahead. Realistically with this team playing to full potential we could be at Southampton’s or Swansea’s level not much more that that.

  310. As we came out of Wembley on Sunday after the game there were a couple of middle-aged, middle-class Scousers wearing big scarves, you know the type of people. They were surrounded by hundreds of us and a Villa fan next to them piped up with ‘hold on to your wallets lads – the Scousers are here’. One Scouser lifted his hands up, not sure why – he wasn’t about to start throwing right-handers or anything. Anyway, he was wearing black leather gloves – he must have been the only person in a crowd of over 86,000 people wearing gloves. We were all staring at these gloves and the Villa lad said ‘fucking hell, he’s worried about leaving finger prints’. The Scouser just shook his head and slunk off.

    It might have been one of those things which was funny at the time and loses something if you weren’t there, but I’m still laughing about it now.

  311. the dust has settled, we need few points for safety,
    next season even with new owners why change sherwood with a 4big signings average 10m would like to see a squad of
    new keeper ,given, steer
    hutton, bacuna cissko new left back
    clark okore baker new centre back
    sanchez delph 2 centre mids
    sinclair grealish gil zog
    benteke gabby kozak robinson new striker
    i know thats 6 but think only 4 for first team don t think cleverly worth big wages can get better value,ifvlar wants to stay ok ship out
    guzan lowton bennet luna sendross cole richardson westwood 1 good game does forgive 3 years of misery wieman bent
    with right additions no reason why we can t compete with pool spurs everton again especiallyif we keep benteke

  312. Rags 🙂 if you had some of mine you would proberbly just chill out to some music in silent bliss and have my horrendous spelling and grammar on here

    i still maintaine what i said though but only if the right owners come in

    fairplay ruling as Mark points out keeps the clubs already on top on top but as citeh have shown were there’s a will there’s a way,,, they have broke the rules put are yet to be punished and i think fifa,uafa will end up excepting there explanation for who they claim to be withn the rules

  313. I’ve never seen AVL this positive. It’s good to see.
    It’s amazing what a bit of success can bring. We’re not safe in the PL, though, nor have we won the FA Cup, yet. Sherwood’s right to publicly announce that we need to get a few points in the PL before the FA Cup final at the end of May, against a team that has scored 8 times against Villa this year. If Villa can get those vital points, it’ll not only mean PL survival, it’ll also mean Villa won’t be returning to Wembley with an inferiority complex against a team many will be expecting to put Villa back in its place.
    The Man City game will be interesting. IMO, they’re not too dissimilar to Arsenal. Even a point from that match would be fine, but to beat them would be fantastic. Can Villa live up to greater expectations? We’ll soon see. I think, they’ll survive in the PL.
    Villa will probably survive in the PL because there are at least three worse teams. The FA Cup will come down to the day. However, against a team that has scored 8 times and has a clean sheet against Villa this past year, Villa is clearlly the underdog. Villans, who are traveling to Wembley, should just once again, enjoy the day. Who knows? We might win it.

  314. Runtings for President!

    You know, Runtings might well be right!

    I was blown away (as was Dion Dublin on MoTD) about how good Villa were on Sunday, and if that can be developed then there’s no end to the possibilities.

    However, I’m not expecting it – merely living in a dreamworld for now! 😉

  315. Runtings, I hadn’t noticed chap to be honest, it’s not a fucking spelling competition anyway,grammar nazi’s can bore off as far as I’m concerned!

    Been watching some videos of Bacary Sako seems to take a good free kick, good with both feet, quick and strong. I suppose anyone can look good on youtube though! Has anyone seen him play live or have any good mates who support the Wolves? What do they think of him?

  316. I think the “liverpool had an off day” might just work in our favor against city. when they find out how good we are at the moment it will be too late. quite a few sides have grabbed points off them this season

  317. Rags
    l know some , mates , not good mates though,(wolves) some say have him , others like him, that Franks numpty on WM on saying he cant understand other midland fans not wanting the villa to win on sunday or the final now , these twats in the studio really need a check up . and as l have said before about Tom Dross , he bangs on about wanting all the midlands team to win , Bullshit , he hates the villa ,

    Jenny you would have loved it there , Carl Chinn out of his tree , he loves the steamers and always finds us at games , he must still have a hangover , l did tell him about you but no doubt l will have to remind ,

    might have 4 tickets for the final , just that they may be in the Arsenal end , well l think l will have to gaffer tape Jb and my brothers mouth up ,

    2-1 at manc city

    yes Mark bit of a pisstake at the moment , he’s ready for him . whatever fight he takes saturday its on SPIKE TV 160 sky, 31 BT

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