Doug

You might believe you have bought the right to voice an opinion, but don't be under the illusion that it's going to have anything other than a negative effect on the targeted player and the rest of the team. If you still think knocking your own teams confidence rather than supporting them during the game is a good thing then I can't argue with that, but please stay away from SJP. Booing at SJP is a world away from booing Ashley Clole and is absolutely unacceptable IMO

It came over as patently obvious in his replies last night that Stan has no comprehension of how low an opinion the man in the street has of people like Cole who revel in the selfish playboy lifestyle they lead without a care in the world or any respect for the rest of us. I believe the inequalities in society are going to have to change in the hard times ahead. I can think of no better place than starting with the unsustainable excesses of footballer renumeration and talkshow hosts who have the priviledge of using the airways in our homes to thrus their opinions onto us. I am afraid I had to turn Stan off last night as an opportunity to boo Ashley Cole would be too good too miss for me. I understand the team motivation argument but there is a bigger context to set the treatment of Cole into for me. Cole would do well to analise this and have a good look at himself as a result. A retrostpective reflection of times past would not go amiss for Stan either to understand why the public may react the way we do.

This club was definitely going down under Allardyce if Ashley had not got rid. All the signs were there. Losing to Derby, 0-3 10mns in v Pompey we were in freefall man. Anyone who couldnt see that has not seen a relegation season before. It took 2 months for KK to stop the rot. also it was evident that Ashley wanted to make a go of his new toy, but he has to realise now that this club is not a toy or an impassive item to be bartered about in some sort of jumble sale. It is a living breathing host to thousands of our passions and dreams. If he doesnt hurry up and sell quickly without hanging on for a profit he could end up in danger from the people the club really belongs to ie us.

I dont believe hes being touted around It'll be press bullshit, He wont have been asked or will have any intention of returning now.

The Bubbles burst!

How can the prat pick a has been like Beckham yet leave Englands most prolific striker out.

Pleased for Joe K because his crap from the press will be diluted a little after gaining a point. It has to be said though, how shit were Everton.

I cannot quite work out the preoccupation with what others might think of us; who cares? I personally couldn't give a damn what anyone thinks about the club or us lot as fans but I do have a little bit of self pride and I'd rather our manager dealt with such issues in a professional way. He has a responsibility as a role model and leader of the club to be as professional as he can in every area of his duties. He'd be the first to kick up a stink if a player told him to f*** off because he didn't like being told where to play. You would expect the press to be proffessional and present the news in an impartial and accurate way but they patently have not when it comes to us for ages now. Bird and his pals deserves to have their teeth knocked out not just to be sworn at so JK has gone back up in my estimation for getting stuck into them albeit only verbally.

A total WOFT

We must never sign another striker who is lazy, slow, obviously past his best, is here for the pay packet only, has no heart for it, and is keen to be convalescing all the time from real or percieved injuries. Why not extend that philosophy to cover all positions on the park and we may be looking for the right people for once. In other words no more Vidukas.

For fans like me who in my case have a 400 mile round trip to the match and back, we are likely to be the first to fall by the wayside. It takes a lot of effort to attend even a few home games a season. There are probably thousands of fans in this category and it is easy to see how the gates can slip when in such bad times.

Kinnear has fallen at the first hurdle in opening his gob about KK and Shearer waiting to come in. If he had a modicum of intelligence he would realise that repeating that particular speculation would be seized on and spun out of all proportion. I fear I have him weighed up already as another in a long line of previously talented footballers on the field but who are dim off it. Luckily for them the closed shop mentality and jobs for the boys approach that prevails in pro football ensures they stay on and make lucrative careers for themselves. God help us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNssIhS7ATc

The press will be orgasming over the way this is already being spun without them even having to start it off this time. Kinnear would have been better not repeating what was probably just a jibe from Ashley saying let them have their Geordie heroes KK and Shearer after the club is sold. Neither of them will be coming man so stop playing into the presses clutches by talking it up.

Worth a reprise

They should realise people are feeling the pinch (credit crunch etc.) and focus on what price would ensure a full ground rather than how much they can get away with charging. The product on show does not warrant paying above a fiver IMO and I,m afraid you are dead right with your match prediction.

Back on subject, Ashley paid the debt off not to mention the 27 mill outstanding transfer sum which I think came on top of that. There are people on here who think 70million quid is not a big sum, which I find amazing.

And, to contradict myself, if you follow this "natural area of support" argument, Villa would be playing in front of 100k every other week. But we're not. My conclusion from this is that the whole "we've got x millon people on our area" argument doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. Villa are the best supported Midlands side but you will see as many Man U or Liverpool shirts as Villa shirts in the areas just outside Birmingham. consider this factor IMO not one of these teams would get 50K fans turning up if they had not won even a domestic trophy for over half a century.

The level headedness of this thread is an oasis of calm and sensible rational assesment of the situation. It feels like being with the survivors in the film "Iam legend" before the zombies attack

I hardly think we've got the most secure of futures now, do you? We lost a manager. I hardly think that jeopardizes the future of the club. We'll get a new manager and move on. Yeah, into the Championship... Funny you should mention that, don't forget that's where we would be right now if Ashley hadn't come in and made changes when he did. Very true.

People seem to dismiss paying off 80million debt and balancing some 27million outstanding transfer dues as if they are insignificant sums. Surely this cannot be disregarded when gauging how much can be spent on players in the transfer window. How many of the people reacting so abusively would pay off such staggering sums if they had the oportunity.

How tight money is you would be doing really well to get even half of the 50,000 people to put 4 quid in each imo. Thats almost a weeks money for MO

Mike 'Mr. Micawber' Ashley, "Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery". Hard to argue with the logic of those classical sentiments. Ashleys way is the only way to ensure survival through the black hole of modern football finance.

Agreed. We should hope that the 2 new signings are up to the standard of the other 2 Argies and Guthrie then things wont seem so bleak if we can get a good result next week.

How on earth does O'Leary get a mention? Along with Ron Atkinson living proof that it is possible to fool some of the people all of the time. I,ll go for Mark Mghee failing that how about Billy Smart. His circus has been struggling lately.