brummie

Its like i'm reading the same thing twice except the words "lambert" and "lerner" were replaced by "Ashley" and "Pardew" eerily familiar. yep, it is exactly the same. in fact, I am starting to think Lerner is using you as his case study to follow.

You need to attack our left side, get balls into the box. We can't cope with it. Everyone has worked it out. Even Bradford.

We've given up. You'll easily win this one, with your new signings. Read this: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-manager-paul-lambert-1241001 and imagine how that feels for us. Club effectively accepted it. We are done for.

Only now can I speak of the horror show that was Tuesday. Barring some excellent transfer window work in the next seven days, we are going down, we are done for. Lambert still has a decent amount of support - and I support him, too - but the "tactics" of the last half hour against Bradford were a horror show. Play with five strikers and hoof the ball at them hopefully, whilst meanwhile, fourth division defenders head the balls away effortlessly. I wouldn't fucking mind, but in the first half, we looked totally in control, Bradford barely left their half. Then the usual feeble inability to defend corners, and the inevitable total collapse of confidence. I genuinely think the last four weeks have been the most depressing month in the time I've supported Villa, and I went to my first match in 1973, and have seen us go from European champions to second division in five seasons, so there's a lot of depressed periods to compare it with.

You're all wasting your time discussing this one. This is 0-0. This is the most 0-0 game ever. You won't see a game more goalless than this one.

I don't think it's too much worse than most major cities TBH, it's tainted by graffiti/litter/dog poo/cigarette buds and like every city has its grim areas. Still a beautiful place to visit though. Napoli, now there's a shithole. The last time I went to Naples, there was a taxi driver strike, in which they were refusing to pick up or drop off people at the airport. I therefore had to walk out of the airport, and up a road, before I could get one. Exiting the airport, the very first thing I saw was an enormous dead rat, just lying there in the middle of the street. Weird. Naples is a hole (google Naples refuse collection for an idea of the problems it has), but it is also an amazing city in many senses. I went to see Napoli play Inter, and it was one of the best football experiences ever. Aye when we went the garbage collectors were on strike, but I think this is a continuous problem. It definitely has a lot of charm despite the problems, was there in the summer so didn't get to go to the San Paolo. In fact I've been to Italy 7 or 8 times and I've only ever been during the summer, which is a shame as I'd love to take in football while I was there. What year did you have a season ticket for Milan/Inter? The garbage problem isn't so much to do with strikes as it is organised crime, and the mafia involved in all sorts of horrible shit, dumping toxic waste in the country side, whilst mountains of rubbish build up in the city. 96-97 was my Milan ST season, but I also went a fair amount in 95-6 and 97-8. I'd only ever go and watch Inter if i had friends or family over, and they fancied a game, and it was Inter at home.

Really? Not sure I'd agree with that. I've been to the San Siro probably 30 times (season ticket holder one year), and I always thought the walk from the metro station to the stadium along the tree lined avenue was quite nice. I guess it depends which area you approach from. One thing I will say, the San Siro is one of the truly epic sights in football, the first time you see it. From outside, it just - to my eyes - looks absolutely beautiful. Mind you, I am aware that I am maybe exaggerating that as a result of the 1990 WC, which is my favourite (for lots of reasons, some not to do with actual football) Have walked from the Metro up and I must say there was a lot of dodgy geezers about, atmosphere was a bit weird (playing Napoli though ) and the graffiti along that tree-lined avenue was grim to say the least. Don't speak Italian but Gays and Negros need not apply around there from what we could make out. All-in-all, a strange experience Graffiti is just an Italian thing, really. I lived in Northern Italy for a few years, and you get used to the racism (not that it excuses it in any way shape or form). Although, to be quite honest, the worst racism I ever saw at Milan matches was directed at southern Italians (or 'terroni', as they'd call them).

Rome's tremendous. Bit twitchy at night but it's a super place to go to. What do you mean by twitchy? I was planning to go there later this year. Italian cities have more of an overt drug problem than English ones do. Heroin is stil a major problem, so there's always a slight element of danger to be had, but I don't think there's too much to worry about. Rome is a truly fantastic city, though. In terms of history, I'd say only Florence gets anywhere near it, but Rome also has an elegance and a swank to it than Florence doesn't have.

Not about the Bernabeu, but our fans had horrendous problems at Atletico Madrid - basically coppers laying in, truncheons flying, for absolutely no reason. Compare that with our trip to Bilbao, which I went on, and I don't think there's a single Villa fan alive who went to that who will say he's had a better away trip since. Great city, great people.

Rome's tremendous. Bit twitchy at night but it's a super place to go to. Totally agree. A fantastic city, with amazing history. It's fucking ace.

I don't think it's too much worse than most major cities TBH, it's tainted by graffiti/litter/dog poo/cigarette buds and like every city has its grim areas. Still a beautiful place to visit though. Napoli, now there's a shithole. The last time I went to Naples, there was a taxi driver strike, in which they were refusing to pick up or drop off people at the airport. I therefore had to walk out of the airport, and up a road, before I could get one. Exiting the airport, the very first thing I saw was an enormous dead rat, just lying there in the middle of the street. Weird. Naples is a hole (google Naples refuse collection for an idea of the problems it has), but it is also an amazing city in many senses. I went to see Napoli play Inter, and it was one of the best football experiences ever.

Barcelona is a fabulous City The area around the San Giro is really terrible, dodgy as. Friends Mum got mugged in Barcelona, first day there an all. I had the worlds shittest mugger try to attempt to mug me and some randoms. A group of us were stumbling back from a bar crawl, carrying a barely conscious American lad and got asked to hand over our phones and wallets. Basically turned into a "no" - "hand them over" back and forth argument for 2 or 3 minutes and he just walked away. Some skinheads tried to mug me and my mate in Budapest in 1992. They were pathetic. They approached us, looking menacing, then their leader shouted something in Hungarian, we replied in English along the lines of "errr, don't understand". At that point, they seemed flustered by our foreignness, and their leader cleared his throat, adopted his best accent, and said "Do you have any forints for us?" We said no, they accepted the answer, and walked on. Shittest muggers ever. This was, obv, soon into their transition to capitalism, I imagine two decades of the ravages of unrestrained capitalism and the pursuit of profit have managed to improve their muggers.

Really? Not sure I'd agree with that. I've been to the San Siro probably 30 times (season ticket holder one year), and I always thought the walk from the metro station to the stadium along the tree lined avenue was quite nice. I guess it depends which area you approach from. One thing I will say, the San Siro is one of the truly epic sights in football, the first time you see it. From outside, it just - to my eyes - looks absolutely beautiful. Mind you, I am aware that I am maybe exaggerating that as a result of the 1990 WC, which is my favourite (for lots of reasons, some not to do with actual football)

Same in Italy. I never understood why, probably because the media there always refer to it as an "industrial, grey and isolated city in the north east" This is largely because Britain is one of the most capital-centric countries in the world. You basically have London, then - as far as foreigners are concerned - nothing else worth bothering about. France is just as bad. re Italian press, it's funny, but if you go to, say, Milan, outside of a relatively small area in the city centre, you are quickly into some of the most depressing urban environments in western europe - great chunks of the city are taken up by housing projects that look like Caeucescu designed them. That's true, outside the centre "bit" Milan is hideous, absolutely hideous Although, on the flip side, as a filthy rich footballer, you're perfectly able to get yourself a lovely pad on Lake Como, which isn't too far away. I believe that's where Jose lived when at Inter. Passed it on a train from Milan to Switzerland once, very nice part of the world indeed It is beautiful, as are all the lakes.

Same in Italy. I never understood why, probably because the media there always refer to it as an "industrial, grey and isolated city in the north east" This is largely because Britain is one of the most capital-centric countries in the world. You basically have London, then - as far as foreigners are concerned - nothing else worth bothering about. France is just as bad. re Italian press, it's funny, but if you go to, say, Milan, outside of a relatively small area in the city centre, you are quickly into some of the most depressing urban environments in western europe - great chunks of the city are taken up by housing projects that look like Caeucescu designed them. That's true, outside the centre "bit" Milan is hideous, absolutely hideous Milan is the only place I've wanted to cut short a holiday from. The place is a f***ing s***-tip (outside of the actual city centre). f***ing awful place. And I live in Seaham. milans city centre wasn't that great either. some nice bits round by that cathedral but just a modern, living , working city centre really. That's their city centre imo! Stayed in a hotel near their main train station to the North (10 minutes from city centre) and it was about as insipid and dull as you're going to get. People associate 'Milan' with glamour, fashion, glitz and a bit of panache. Truth is that's it's a bit of a hovel. Milan central station is a horrible hole. When I lived over there, you'd see junkies shooting up in broad daylight around there. My mate lived in a road along the side of the station, and used to go to work in the morning and find junkies asleep in his car.

Same in Italy. I never understood why, probably because the media there always refer to it as an "industrial, grey and isolated city in the north east" This is largely because Britain is one of the most capital-centric countries in the world. You basically have London, then - as far as foreigners are concerned - nothing else worth bothering about. France is just as bad. re Italian press, it's funny, but if you go to, say, Milan, outside of a relatively small area in the city centre, you are quickly into some of the most depressing urban environments in western europe - great chunks of the city are taken up by housing projects that look like Caeucescu designed them. That's true, outside the centre "bit" Milan is hideous, absolutely hideous Although, on the flip side, as a filthy rich footballer, you're perfectly able to get yourself a lovely pad on Lake Como, which isn't too far away.

Same in Italy. I never understood why, probably because the media there always refer to it as an "industrial, grey and isolated city in the north east" This is largely because Britain is one of the most capital-centric countries in the world. You basically have London, then - as far as foreigners are concerned - nothing else worth bothering about. France is just as bad. re Italian press, it's funny, but if you go to, say, Milan, outside of a relatively small area in the city centre, you are quickly into some of the most depressing urban environments in western europe - great chunks of the city are taken up by housing projects that look like Caeucescu designed them.

Really looking forward to our semi final tomorrow. Been watching youtube videos of our 94 turnaround of 3-1 from the first leg against Tranmere. One of the best, most atmospheric matches I've ever been to at VP. On the up side, it fired me to believe we'll be alright tomorow. On the down side, it made me wonder at what a fantastically entertaining side Big Ron put together largely with the money we got from selling David Platt, then i reflect on the money we've wasted over the last five years and where it has got us. Somewhat depressing.

I saw him in Eldon Square once, at WH Smiths. His wife had enormous hair, and Mirandinha was just smiling a lot, whilst walking around, looking like he didn't know what he was doing.

Now DEFEND !!!! That's where the problems start. I don't think I can watch the rest of this, I am so fucking nervous.

What a fucking goal that was

We are utterly awful 0-0 No goals in this one if we played all weekend, tbh

Who you got up next? Three points there for you.

Shit the bed Had to score.

I've watched most of your match and am gobsmacked, frankly. Not very good at all. If I arrived from space and was told you finished where you did last year, I would refuse to believe it.