brummie

re the cup draw, I am actually relatively happy with that. We seem to have a good record against Liverpool, so long as it's not on our own ground. We even won there this season. Just glad to have avoided Arsenal (although they're another team we have a not-bad record against, once more so long as it's not on our own ground). Anyway, the upshot of all this is that it is our year for the cup. Finally.

Also begs the question why people like Phil Neville's commentary? they mistake him for his brother and think it's cool to like it? Or maybe they just flick BT Sport on, hear three seconds of Michael Owen's pointless, nasal droning, and think "ah well, could be worse".

Too right, I absolutely fucking hate it. Apparently Villa is a "gigantic club" according to Tim He's right, although I refuse to believe he said htat. It'd be "gigantic football club". Hence the annoyance. STOP SAYING IT, WE KNOW YOU DON'T MEAN A FUCKING BINGO CLUB.

Too right, I absolutely fucking hate it.

I'm imagining that's the first time in about 2 centuries that events on the pitch at Villa Park have resembled in any way, shape, or form, events on the pitch at Barcelona.

Quality. Probably running from the dildo guy. I like how he keeps his flag perfectly by his side. It reminds me of the 'Super Phun Thyme' episode of South Park where the guys from the 1864 place wouldn't break character The last time I saw someone hit that speed across Villa Park, it was Tony Daley.

Anyway, despite all ^^^^^ I don't really care too much. Finally, something going right. And goals. And wins. Amazing.

They were in 2000 ah ok, 15 is a canny long time, just ask the Mackems. Strictly speaking, we went there in 2010 in the FA Cup, when Chelsea casually dismissed us without leaving first gear. We went there twice that year, lost both matches and I reckon managed one shot on target in 180 minutes football. 2000 was even fucking worse, that was horrific. Anyway, we've had a horrific four years, especially at home. We've had the two worse home league seasons in our history the last two years and this year was looking worse. It means a lot, which probably explains the over-excitement, and it was against Albion - although that only matters if you're a Villa fan from north of the city. I can honestly say, Albion mean absolutely nothing to me, no more animosity to them than Stoke City, it's not a derby match, despite the 4 miles between the two grounds. However, really, how fucking small time, running on before the end. Not only that, but we're pissing it two nil, about to win, and they're risking the game getting abandoned if it gets bad enough. Incredibly small time. Although I suspect a lot of it is to do with it being played in the evening on a Saturday, which surprises me quite a lot, especially with them getting 6000 tickets. Even though for me it's no derby against Albion, given that the police usually make us play Birmingham with a midday kick off, and the last time they didnt (CCC semi final at their place) it turned into a pitch invasion and gigantic rumble in the city centre, I am quite amazed they played this game at this time.

*blows imaginary smoke from end of imaginary pistols*

We've appointed Stan Petrov first team coach. Good. Good man, apparently knows his shit on the training pitch.

I can't imagine Kenwright will let you spend two and a half seasons licking the ringpiece of relegation before doing something like Lerner did, at least. I was surprised, until the other day I didn't notice you had sunk so slow. You're edging down towards the dropzone in a cunningly stealthy manner.

Fucking hell!

It's about time we had a bit of luck, to be honest. Eight shots on target tonight, apparently. I reckon our last eight on target under Lambert would stretch back over at least six games. And I'm not even joking.

http://i.imgur.com/uD8nhEx.jpg

Improves our chances. I don't know why Sherwood brought him back. Okore is better. Vlaar is half arsed and never totally fit.

I'm going to become gay for the duration of the tournament. And drink twice as much. Just to make a statement.

He seems incredibly confident. I am always in awe of people like that, whichever line of work they are in, people who are just so pumped with their view of their own ability. I am the same age as him and spend most of my time undergoing a nascent mid-life crisis and thinking how I don't have half the confidence when I was 26 rather than 46, so I am extra respectful of people the same age who are the opposite. Confidence alone won't be enough, but, despite the truly mind bogglingly shit performances of over two years (and I know I go on about them on here, but honestly, believe me, if anything, I've been understating things), there isn't a huge amount wrong with this team. The squad is now pretty decent, there are decent players to choose from in most positions, and we can, when we try, do the basics quite well. We can also defend (our GD is about not scoring rather than not defending). There isn't a huge amount wrong, and that is why people got so fucking annoyed with Lambert. For about a year, we (the fans) have been saying "why the FUCK do we never get midfielders into the box? We'd find it much easier if we did", yet Lambert never seemed to spot it. Sherwood, it seems, saw it and had a word at half time, and lo and behold, we start to do it in the second half, and win. It was like finally seeing something you've missed for years. Just the simple stuff being put right. I am much more hopeful we can improve now.

I've calmed down a bit now. Come to the realisation that at least from Saturday on it won't continue to be a total re-run of almost every match for the last two years.

Football cares solely about money and trophies Quick edit for you there. Look at the teams clubs field in the FAC, and the attendances watching them, for an example of that. Your username just made me laugh quite a lot. Excellent work.

As I keep saying on here, there's a sort of Yo Sushi style conveyor belt of shitness in English football, going round and round, with managers who have achieved nothing hopping on and off and picking up immense amounts of money, and getting jobs which really should be going to significantly better managers, only to get sacked a year later and hop back on the belt. Bruce, Pardew, Redknapp (FFS), Pearce the likes of those.

I thought you had to have that licence before you could even manage in the PL? That's supposed to be the case but they've granted exceptions in the past if you're actually in the middle of the course - think it takes quite a while to do the whole thing. Lambert did his in Germany. Clearly, his German isn't up to much, as he didn't learn a great deal.

What was interesting today (well, the second half) was that, for the first time in about 2 years, we got midfielders into the box. I make no claim to know a huge amount about tactics, but that was a glaringly obvious problem Lambert had. Play two midfielders who are really the same player (Cleverley, Westwood), and another who is not hugely dissimilar (Delph) and have then stand next to each other in the middle of the pitch for 88 of the 90 minutes, making no attempt to get into the box. Meanwhile Weimann and (when playing) Agbonlahor would get sucked back into midfield, leaving Benteke alone up front, in a different fucking postcode, getting more and more frustrated. Anyone watching that, though, who wonders why Villa fans have been unhappy needs to realise, that first half, that is what we have been watching EVERY MATCH at home for the last five years under Lambert and McLeish particularly, and Houllier a fair amount. In fact, even when we finished sixth three times in a row under O'Neill, home matches were awful, as we didn't get to counter attack so just had zero idea what to do. I doubt there's another club in the top flight for whom home matches have been so eye bleedingly horrific as ours for almost ten years.

I thought you had to have that licence before you could even manage in the PL?

Yes, but I'd suggest that taking over a club in sixth place, with a squad like theirs, having already been there as assistant manager, and keeping them where they were in the first place, is really nothing to suggest he can turn around a club sat in 18th place having lost five games in a row and scored two goals in 15 hours of football If we were sixth now and he was our assistant manager anyway, I wouldn't be that bothered, but we're not, and he isn't.

He is a bit dim and clearly unqualified for the job. That's about it, really. He isn't a horrid Redknapp style crook, he isn't a mendacious turd like Pardew, he isn't a vile lizard-troll hybrid like Allardyce. He's just woefully unqualified for the job. We are in serious trouble. We've just lost five games in a row and have scored two goals in our last ten league games. And what's more, that has come after two and a bit seasons of equally awful records. If we'd just finished 13th or something, I might understand it, but anyone, anyone who thinks that a rookie manager with a shitforbrains intelligence problem who has managed a total of 22 matches in any league is going to turn around a club sat in 18th position with that sort of problem is fucking insane. Or Randy Lerner. I absolutely despair of these people, despair.