brummie

Extending it to cover infrastructure or academies would be absolutely insane, and what's more, it wouldn't so much as be the final nail in the coffin of aspiring clubs who want to break the cartel, it would be the vat of concrete the coffin would be entombed in.

Of course it isn't the money and exposure of the Champions League, but I've had people say to me a lot this year "Why are you so arsed, it's only the Conference League". It's a fucking trophy, a European trophy FFS. Not only that, it's not really meant to have big, rich clubs in it, so we've got a really good chance of winning it, as has any English side in it. If you were in it next season, I'd absolutely lump on you to win it, as did I on us, and as did I think about doing (but errr, forget) for West Ham last year.

I think that one thing that is part of it is, during the money rush years of the Premier League, for clubs, we stopped being 'supporters' and started being 'customers'. The thing is, that works both ways - yeah, they can treat us as customers* (with the implied belief that we either like what we see or we don't and react economically by buying in or not, and if we don't like it, then there will be plenty of others that do). It also means, though, that we now have 20 years plus of fans who are used to being 'customers' and - crucially - are used to paying a lot of money to see a product which (in your case and ours) was until recently absolutely shit, for literally years on end. So when those people - and I am not finger pointing - go to matches and pay 800 quid for their season ticket rather than the 80 quid you'd have paid in, say, the 1980s, they rightly or wrongly start to expect more for their money. 40 years ago it was support your club through thick and thin. Nowadays, it's pay a fortune for the same thing, only with an expectation that you've a right to be entertained. * We've a great example at Villa at the moment - club are creating more 'GA+' tickets (General Admission plus) which means they have ringfenced 2,000 seats they don't sell as normal seats, and sell them to people who are prepared to pay an extra 40 quid per game to get access to a bar where maybe, just maybe they can get a drink (two drinks per game), and have nice toilets etc. What is causing much uproar about this is they're effectively getting the non-rank toilets, managing to get a drink and food at half time, which should be part of the standard deal for your 'GA' customer paying 68 quid for that seat.

I dunno, though, if deep down they're thinking it's almost certainly not going to work, then making it much harder to shift him by letting him win the most minor cup competition seems risky. Ultimately, I just hope they do the thing that creates them the most damage for the longest time possible. Fuck them, I hate Chelsea.

Imagine the sort of shameless human dross you find on match threads on Chelsea forums.

The only thing with that (Cameron Archer) is we don't know what price we are obliged to buy him back at. If we do end up buying him back, we'll almost certainly sell him immediately anyway. Bad career choice going to Sheffield United, though, he's barely getting a kick there under Wilder.

This isn't a comment on anything said on your match thread here, and it's something I have said before, but it is really - in a sociological / psychology of the crowd style - interesting how expectations change so much and so quickly. When you beat us last week, the day after, twitter, all social media, Villa forums etc, all choc full of people basically saying that we'd been 'found out', teams had totally sussed us out now, no way are we finishing top four, we'll probably lose next game etc etc. I looked at the VillaTalk match thread for that game and it was pretty much exactly as per above. I think, in the same way match threads absolutely contain spur of the moment, emotional criticisms, so do reactions following the match, at least for a while - they are intense and impulsive and massively critical during the game, but ebb a lot following it as rationality returns. What was interesting about that match in particular was yeah, we were fucking terrible from start to finish and it was a really bad result, but zoom out a bit and it's the first home league defeat in very nearly a year, which adds context. The bigger picture though is where it gets more interesting - you are a season ahead of us in terms of raised expectations, and it takes a while to set a new standard for a club, but what changes really, really quickly is fans' expectations, ie "we did really well in suchandsuch a time period, it is fucking disgraceful that we've just done this". I don't think any club is immune from that dynamic.

wolves = dogs basically.

regional disparaging slang term for Wolves.

For someone considered one of the best there are Alisson doesn’t half get involved in a lot of clangers.

Ha ha the Dogheads.

Mudryk has the worst tattoos I’ve ever seen. Even worse than that cunt Ed Sheeran.

Wouldn't say hate, it was only a loan after all, so that tends to limit things. He was so frustrating. I recall we took Arsenal apart at the Emirates and Barkley played an absolute blinder, but he'd then put in a series of Danny Drinkwater* performances. * Drinkwater is genuinely the provider of the a few of the worst performances I've ever seen from a Villa player since I started going in 1974 or thereabouts.

My god, though, Douglas Luiz is magnificent when he's really on it. The pass for Watkins for the second is disgusting.

This is spot on. We have literally no cover for him at the moment, as Duran - who is miles off being up to the standard yet - is out with a fucked hamstring. He doesn't - touch wood - ever get injured like you said, but even so, it keeps me awake at night wondering what would happen if he did. Diaby up front?

The assists figures are incredible. Amazing what Emery has done with him.

Didn't Burnley fight back from 2 down today for a point?

11 more and we go into second.

Spurs are a strange team, can play some really good stuff for a spell and then when the opponents inch up the intensity of the game, they look fucking terrible.

Well done, Jude. Greenwood is a fucking scumbag.

It's called The Arshavin Clause, was invented down the road in North London.

Dawson's Creek face.

This darts thing, which they are still doing, is the most hilariously desperate shit they’ve resorted to on deadline day. This time next year they may as well just show a couple of films or something. To be honest, it’s all been downhill since the peak of dildo-ear.

I reckon the big Greek lad at Forest just doesn't give a fuck and is one of those types who, having made a fortune, don't fully realise they're not masters of the universe. Their transfer activity is fucking insane. I'm half expecting them to sign me by 11.

Now showing Paul Merson playing darts FFS. Surely this is going to reach the point at which even Sky can't pretend anymore?