brummie

Incidentally, I genuinely think Lerner has had some sort of nervous breakdown. He just went nuts when he appointed McLeish (who makes Allardyce look like Guardiola) and just lost interest overnight. Since then it has been offensively bad. Three consecutive seasons which are amongst the worst I have ever seen, especially at home. He just doesn't give a shit any more.

I'm not surprised it was such a poor crowd. We have spent a total 6.5m this summer, on a squad that has finished 15th, 15th and 16th the last few seasons. Now the owner wants out, he thinks that means he can stop even pretending we are trying. I know so many people who haven't renewed. Last season we lost more home games than we had in any year since 1874, ie when we were founded. I believe we won four home league games. Still, we only won one more the season before. Lerner has no ambition beyond survival, none at all and people have decided they've had enough. I'm not bothering until we change owner. I had my first season ticket in 1975, didn't renew last season and this season I am not bothering at all until we show some ambition.

Massive plus for us - two clean sheets in a row, first time in years. We need Benteke and Kozak back.

That's a fair question, I don't know if they did or not, but I just find it depressing that it all ends with Gazza looking like that, and it's hard not to conclude he's short of friends.

Either that, or be back here and looked after by his family. As I said elsewhere earlier, am not sure how all of his hangers-on can look themselves in the mirror. I often find myself wondering where Chris Evans and Danny Baker are while this is going on, because I seem to recall them spending most of the late 1990s carrying him from pub to pub.

So expect a 4-5 Ha, possibly, yes. I won't be there. Some of our crowds this season will be awful. This has been the most depressing close-season I can remember in decades, I can't believe anyone has been stupid enough to give these idiots the money up front for the season ticket.

Just saw this tonight: http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~4088897,00.html Good idea publicising it.

"Banter" is the most fucking brain dead word out there. It is basically "vague excuse for being a brainless twat". To hear that from the LMA is just beyond belief.

Crikey, this is truly the meeting of two clubs who have just stopped bothering to fucking try.

I remember when I moved to Newcastle to be a student in the mid 80s, going to SJP to watch a match for the first time, and seeing this kid, with a really distinctive running style, chest puffed out, head held back, and he was swanning around the pitch like he owned it, absolutely fearless, and the best player on the pitch. To look at those photos now is so very, very sad. Poor bloke.

The thing is, that was our most convincing defensive performance in absolutely ages. We didn't even look remotely under pressure today. Had we played the defence we played most of last season, it would have been a totally different story. Hutton played very well, as did Cissokho for that matter. Honestly, I am entirely realistic about our defence, I have seen us cave in under the slightest pressure for most of the last two years, so that was a huge improvement.

It's looking amazingly like we learned to defend over the summer.

We are, apparently, talking to Carlos Sanchez, Colombian DM. Which surprisingly would be just what we needed, and even more surprisingly, will involve a fee - although only 4m euros.

Indeed. Look at Scott Sinclair, last seen unable to force his way into Albion's starting XI. Things have got so bad for him, he's getting linked with a move to us.

Aly Cissokho. I said to my brother tonight, "I honestly don't know anything about him" My brother said: "You remember when we played Liverpool last season, and we both agreed that their left back was one of the worst defenders we'd ever seen? The one where you said he made Alan Hutton look like Cafu? That one?" "Yes?" "That's him". That's three left backs bought and one loaned for a season from Lambo in two years. Meanwhile, if I rocked up at the training ground tomorrow, I reckon I'd be at least a contender to get into our midfield.

That's fine if it happens soon. It's what happens in the meantime that worries me. Yeah it's not gonna be pretty watching you lot this season. We can wallow together. I can't wait for the season to end.

That's fine if it happens soon. It's what happens in the meantime that worries me.

Last year of their contracts, eh? It's perhaps a little comforting that other clubs have joined us in 'Mission: Mediocrity' We have absolutely zero ambition beyond staying up, zero. At least you've paid some money for some actual decent players. I appreciate that you're not exactly oozing ambition to put it lightly, but you at least have that.

Well, they could be like us. A chairman who, after three years of clearly not giving a shit, has come out and said "hey, I don't give a shit, I want to sell" which seems to mean he has a ready made excuse to not spend any money. We're such a mess, the CEO has left, and is now being covered by the CFO (who apparently doesn't know what a football looks like), our squad last season was nowhere near good enough but we've signed three players, all free transfers, two absolutely shit and one mediocre at best, and we clearly have next to no money to spend. On top of that, we've got a manager who, in 12 months, managed to go from the most supported (despite terrible results) Villa manager I've ever seen, to one with the support of pretty much nobody, still in charge, so bad was last season. The sooner someone buys us, the better, because if we go through the whole season like this, we're screwed. I don't even care if they're not particularly rich, I just want them to care. Lerner is nuts. For four years, one of the best chairmen, was over here for games all the time, turned up at LC matches at third division clubs, even got himself a Villa tattoo, really impressive, then gets divorced, meets some new bird who apparently hates football and hates him being abroad a lot, so decides he doesn't give a shit any more. We have a squad which has finished 15th twice and 16th in the last three seasons, and one which is absolutely nowhere near good enough, and we've added Joe Fucking Cole, Senderos and Kieran Richardson to it. Meanwhile, two of our four best players last year (Vlaar and Delph) are entering the last year of their deals with no new contracts offered yet, as Lerner won't commit to anything like that. Vlaar isn't even that fucking good, FFS, he was pretty iffy last season and is made of glass, but he's Paolo Fucking Maldini compared to the rest of our defence.

He's really not very good at all. I appreciate he was playing for us, so could have been dragged down to our level, but I saw absolutely nothing to make me think I'd want us to spend the 8m or so he'd cost to get him permanently.

I know football is based largely on long running hatreds and decades old grievances, but the sport is much better for it when we realise that there is far more we have in common as supporters than divides us. This fundraising demonstrates that perfectly, well done to all involved.

Why would Swansea sell him for almost nothing after a decent last season? Last year of his contract, maybe?

We are apparently signing Ki Sung-yueng from Swansea for £1.5m Now that's a decent signing, if true.

Cole, Senderos, Richardson. I feel like crying. This is it until Lerner sells. The most abrupt loss of interest in English football, I'm afraid. Truly shocking. Our ambition until he fucks off is purely to stay up and no more. Which is understandable, but what if it takes three years to sell the club?

We've appointed Roy Keane as assistant manager. What could possibly go wrong there?