brummie

Carlos Cuellar on his way back to Rangers for 2m, by all accounts. Curious one, that. Frozen out by Houllier, dumped at right back by MON (mind you, MON dumped so many people at RB, even after he went out and bought two proper ones, if he was still here it would probably have been my turn soon enough), not really had a chance for ages.

Football fans are funny, really. If you read our forums, our lot are slashing their wrists over transfers in the same way you are, except a lot of them see you as having done good business this summer. Transfer windows really do bring out all the paranoias we have.

Footballers are such fucking arseholes.

People have been saying this for weeks, but I still don't see why it's such a given. Villa seem like a club in decline to me, I'm not so sure Zoggy would be keen to go there. They had enough money to buy him after selling Young anyway, I suppose. In decline in what way? We've sold a player we knew was going all year, and to the champions, and we've sold one who threw tantrums about getting his move. So long as we reinvest wisely, we'll be absolutely fine. We've also started shedding a lot of the utter, utter dross that MON left us with, so whilst I'd say decline is somewhat over the top, consoldiation makes more sense. Happy to accept your opinion is more accurate than mine probably, I just mean that you've sold the two players who were absolutely key to your success. At least they seemed to be from an outsider's point of view. True, but, I repeat, one went to the champions (if Man United want your player, he goes, ask Spurs about that) for 17m with one year left on his contract, and one has submitted a transfer request to go to Liverpool. It happens to all clubs, and it is unfuriating. Spurs will sell Modric, Liverpool sold Alonso, Torres and Mascherano, Arsenal will lose Fabregas and Nasri ... happens everywhere.

N'Zogbia in presumably then? £10m (ish) and an extra £10m to strengthen the squad out a bit? Given apparently is going to happen. I hope N'Zogbia comes in. To be honest, had i been offered the chance of a straight swap of N'Zogbia for Downing, I'd have gone for it. We need a left back, as we can't trust Warnock to get his head right, and something in the centre of defence, I think.

People have been saying this for weeks, but I still don't see why it's such a given. Villa seem like a club in decline to me, I'm not so sure Zoggy would be keen to go there. They had enough money to buy him after selling Young anyway, I suppose. In decline in what way? We've sold a player we knew was going all year, and to the champions, and we've sold one who threw tantrums about getting his move. So long as we reinvest wisely, we'll be absolutely fine. We've also started shedding a lot of the utter, utter dross that MON left us with, so whilst I'd say decline is somewhat over the top, consoldiation makes more sense.

Downing is a self centred cunt for engineering this after we bought him knowing he'd be on crutches for months. I'd rather have kept him, he's a more than decent player, but if it is true that it is 20m then that is well, well over the top, and we've got some money to buy a replacement. Liverpool are certainly going for it, but, really Downing + Adam + Carroll + Henderson for 85 million pounds? Looks a bit silly to me.

Don't believe anything that little spunkweasel - or any other footballer - says.

Finally, after a season and post season of being force fed meaty dog shit, something to bring a smile to the face.

That would be a really bad move on Liverpool's part. Not to mention terrible maths.

Who did I slate just before they left? I slated Barry on here for at least two entire years, and I never slated Milner at all.

Fairwell Ashley. It is best for both him and the club that he goes, and it is very good money. He has traded on his reputation for at least two years now, so this is his chance to really do it, as he won't be able to hide. We based ourselves far too much on him the last two seasons, this will force us to change.

Craig Gardner is decent if unspectacular. Good shot on him, works hard. No surprise to see him back in the PL. His brother Gary is going to be 10 times the player, though.

Well said, Wullie. I too hope Spurs keep Modric. it is bad enough us losing Milner and then Young, but if it continues to happen to Spurs, who have actually just been in the CL, it makes you wonder why bother trying to get there. Can't get into the CL? Lose your best players. Get into the CL but don't stay there for good? Lose them anyway, as they've had a taste. Someone said the other day that football in this country is largely about four clubs who pretty much monopolise the CL places, then there are six or so more clubs (the likes of Villa, Newcastle, Everton, Spurs) who seem to be on a cycle of challenging for a bit, then fading for a bit, then challenging for a bit, then fading. It's like a hamster wheel of frustration. If it isn't the clubs who are traditionally there, it now includes Man City who have won the lottery, crashed the party and are prepared to pay mental money for players to sit on their arses on their bench "just in case" If you want to see what is wrong with the English game, look at really promising players like Sturridge, who go to Chelsea in the knowledge they'll sit on the fucking bench while a load of expensive foreign show ponies get the big gigs. It is all fucked beyond belief.

Anyway, fuck this shit. Im going to punch the wall really fucking hard, then go to bed. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and it won't be true.

I'd have kept Houllier on, without a question. Despite a season of turmoil, dreadful injuries, and four different managers, we still finished ninth. I was far from convinced with him, but there were signs he was changing the way we played. McLeish is just an O'Neill lite.

I'd love to think that'd happen, but honestly, this has got disaster written over it in letters so large, you could see it from space. I've seen some bewildering stuff happen at Villa over the years, but really, nothing that matches this. It's the disaster we all think it's going to be, or he pulls off moderate success. What would be an acceptable start, mid season position and end? If he's the right end of mid table coming up to xmas and has money to spend, would things ease up on him? It all depends what sort of football he's going to play. That's what people are most worried about. The Blues connection is just a peripheral annoyance. If he starts playing his ten men behind the ball thing at home, he's going to get rightly slaughtered for it.

It seems incredible to say this, but yes, I think it is. He was brilliant till about 18 months ago. In fact, in some ways, he still is. That shit in the press last year about selling club, no money blah blah blah, then we go and spend 25-30 odd million in January blew that away. That's not the problem. The problem is that he's in the US most of the time (although, despite the shite in the press, he attends most games), and his management team over here doesn't include a single person versed in the industry. There's a chap whoi worked with Ellis for about 25 years, Steve Stride, who ran the club day to day before retiring when Lerner took over. He's forgotten more than the current board know about the game. He's on a few UEFA committees now. Knows the industry inside out. The best thing they could do would beg him to come back The worst thing has been the utter farce of appointing a new manager. You'd have thought that, two months ago when Houllier was taken to hospital, we'd have been urgently putting a back up plan into action. But no, we didn't. We did fuck all, then finally, when we'd spent a fortune getting rid of Houllier, started asking around for permission to speak to people, like some outmoded gentleman club. We then got royally shafted by Dave Whelan, who took Lerner for an utter mug, made ourselves look idiots over McLaren, ruled out a host of candidates because they didnt have PL experience, got stroppy over the way Hughes left Fulham, because Lerner didn't like it (despite Hughes having a clause in his contract allowing him to), then realised that it wasn't working, but by that time we'd ruled out or thoroughly annoyed all the remaining candidates, so finally decided to play dirty, but by that time had inexplicably settled on McLeish. We even interviewed Benitez, but amazingly, our fuckwitted CEO, Paul Faulkner, got into an argument with him, and he left after 15 minutes. An argument, FFS. Utter disaster from start to finish.

I thought about it, but to be honest, although it'd give me a kick to tell them to stick it up their arses, I've been going for 35 years now, so I'm mentally welded to them. You can change your car, you can change your job or your wife, but you are stuck with your shit fuking team for life. We know all too well. Ain't that the truth.

I'd love to think that'd happen, but honestly, this has got disaster written over it in letters so large, you could see it from space. I've seen some bewildering stuff happen at Villa over the years, but really, nothing that matches this.

We're appointing Alex McLeish. At this point, Sam Allardyce would have been worth a punt.

I thought about it, but to be honest, although it'd give me a kick to tell them to stick it up their arses, I've been going for 35 years now, so I'm mentally welded to them.

Could have been worse, could have been Strachan. There's not a lot in it, to be honest. Oh, and it is apparently true that Quique Sanchez Flores was touting himself for the job, which just makes it even more gut wrenching than it already was. I renewed my season ticket last week. f***ing great timing. Sounds similar to the summer where Deschamps & Mancini said they'd manage us, and instead we gave Roeder the gig full-time. Did you know Roeder's working for us now? Does a lot of scouting for us. Probably scouting Dirk Kuyt (he says, proudly latching on to an old in-joke).

Downing won't be going anywhere. Even less likely after the shit storm of this week. That defence thing, looking at their record last season, I think they conceded one goal less than our comedy defence did. I'll take Foster, mind.

Could have been worse, could have been Strachan. There's not a lot in it, to be honest. Oh, and it is apparently true that Quique Sanchez Flores was touting himself for the job, which just makes it even more gut wrenching than it already was. I renewed my season ticket last week. Fucking great timing.