brummie

There's some footage on youtube of Shearer inadvisedly taking the whole NUFC squad for a walk down Broad Street before the final game of the season, and waking past boozers full of Villa fans. What on earth possessed him? Should have gone the canal route, round the Mailbox, that way, much nicer.

If i had to bet on one of Curbishley or Shearer to get you back up at first pop - as in, actually betting with my own money - I would go for Curbishley I appreciate the emotional thing with Shearer, but he has no experience as a manager other than those last eight games and the time since, which must surely have put him off ever moving into management. Curbishley is immensely experienced, and has done the job with little money, which - assuming there is no sale - is the sort of conditions he will need to work in. For all the quoting managers who have done well with no previous experience (and, incidentally, Guardiola, Klinsmann, Van Basten all went to jobs where they had money / pulling power / good players at their disposal, whilst Keane is hardly a shining example), for every great player who has done well, there are at least 10 who have done absolutely shag all. What you need now, in my opinion, is a hard, cool, unemotional assessment of what is best to get you back up. I just can't believe that Shearer falls into that category.

Who are you looking to replace Barry with Brummie, any names? I know you said he certainly wasn't your best player last season but would you be comfortable with Petrov, Sidwell and Reo-Coker being your central midfield options (correct me accordingly)? I like the look of Defour when I have seen him playing for Standard in Europe. I hope we sign a slightly different kind of player to Barry (which is the only thing about Defour, how different is he?) as last year our massive, massive weakness was in the centre of midfield, where Petrov and Barry were too often showing themselves to be exactly the same player. Reo-Coker will be off, I reckon. I think we'll sign a more obvious Barry replacement, but will probably get someone like Huddlestone in to boost numbers. Our defence is what needs bolstering. I want an experienced CB to play alongside Cuellar or Davies and bring the best out of them as Laursen did. Distin would be spot on. Have you seen how many games the Europa League involves next season? Christ. It looks daunting.

Carew and money to Spurs for Jenas, say the Daily Mail. Honestly, I know it isn't their fault (not always anyway), but is it any wonder Spurs are so hated when the media publishes truly laughable shit like that? What next? Ashley Young plus cash for Didier Zokora? Agbonlahor, The Trinity Road stand and 10 million pounds for Kevin Prince-Boateng? Nigel Reo-Coker and 50m for the ghost of Danny Blanchflower?

I'm taking that with a massive, massive pinch of salt, but if we bought him I'd actually properly kill myself.

The 'fit and proper persons' test just proves they're not criminals and stuff I think. If that's what you're getting at. And was passed by Thaksin Shinawatra, which says all you need to know about it.

I know I said this already today, but for my money this is the most cunty thing Ashley has done. Basically, it equates to "I don't care whether they can fund the club, I don't care what their motives are, I don't care where their money comes from, I just want 100m" What an utter, utter cunt, just for that alone, leaving aside all the other stuff. I wonder how he managed to become such a successful businessman, given that he shows not even the slightest hint of understanding how people think, and how to do things the right way. So now, he's simulataneously pimping the club to anyone - ANYONE - with 100m to invest, whilst saying how keen he is to bail out, whilst trying to convince Shearer to become manager (although nobody knows who potential new owners will want) and whilst sticking most of the squad on the books of some shonky agency with the instruction "get rid, quick" - not a thought to what the manager will want to do. I know I'm preaching to the converted here, but honest to god, I couldn't imagine a more inept, insensitive, short termist "leader" if I tried.

I'm forming a party to contest at least 500 constitutencies at the next general election.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_gJMCSTp8SGs/ScuCX4bjvPI/AAAAAAAACCM/rssGdT7hu_g/s400/Aston-Villa-92-Home.gif Mid 1990s winner. Although This is the only football shirt I wear, and the only one I own and ever intend to own http://www.scoredraw.com/images/shirts/Aston-Villa/product/VILLA-81H.jpg Retro shirts = where it is at.

With the Everton shirt, I really liked the classic one of the mid 80s which it is based on, and with which they had all that success (that was a fucking great side, I am convinced that had Heysel not happened, that side would have won the European Cup). This execution of it is absolutely terrible though. It is like presenting a new built Georgian style Barratts home on a motorway friendly estate in homage to Georgian architecture. By which i mean it is absolutely fucking without taste.

"first to offer >100m will get the club" So, even at this late stage, not a scintilla of the notion that he might have a duty of care to make sure the club ended up in good hands? Even Doug Ellis made sure he did that. What a cunt Ashley is.

Darius is a smashing lad, and the best Spike Lee lookalike we've ever had playing for us, but I wouldn't back him to score twenty goals in the Edgbaston Paper Boys League, sadly.

I honestly don't think our finest fiction writers could have invented such an utterly, utterly fucking clueless owner. When I read that email thing earlier today, I genuinely thought "that can't be true, must be a joke", but no there it is. And as for the wisdom of putting the club so desperately on the market whilst trying to reach agreement with someone to be your new manager, well fucking hell. My heart goes out to you. I walked past the Sports Direct unit in the Bull Ring today. Even that looked a dreadful fucking mess.

No smoke without fire? "There is no way that we have offered Michael a two-year contract at almost £3m per season, with a further 12 month option dependent on injuries and goals. It's more like 2 and a half" That's exactly how I read it too.

I dunno about this. On a pay as you play deal maybe or somet contract with the right to kick him out if injuries give us the excuse. I wonder if MON will see this as the chance to play him alongside Heskey all the frigging time, though.

Breaking Gossip indeed, as in made up by most of the newspapers yesterday some time.

Harris is the Mr Big when it comes to brokering takeovers of football clubs. He was the person who got Lerner's takeover of us through (they're big mates apparently). He also got Shinawatra in at Man City, though, on the negative side.

Not for long you won't be, not now he's reduced the price so much.

Football eating itself. Yet more proof.

Leitch built the beautiful old Trinity Road stand at Villa Park, with its gables and stately home style steps / entrance, which Ellis tore down. Shame on him, that's the one thing above all others I can never forgive him for.

Bentley? Is the Milner experiment over already then? I don't know. There is a rumour MON wants to play him through the middle, apparently.

Which is precisely what Villa fans were saying about Gareth Barry last week, and we'd already had a year of him bleating about wanting to go and sit on Gerrard's lap at Liverpool. Naive to assume that any player wont have their head turned by the kind of money Man City have now.

I don't think he will either. What'd be the point? I think the kneecap thing will also be prime in his mind, even if all the other obvious obstacles were removed. Watch out for City, though. They're far from finished.

I read something the other day that said that Everton only stand to make about 6m a year extra from the move to the new stadium. Goodison is currently a bit of a mess, and a ground from a bygone age, but in my book that's exactly why, if you leave and go to some bland-o-drome, another little piece of football history will die. I'd take a trip to Goodison - poor facilities, bad view and all - over a trip to something like the Riverside absolutely every day of the week. I hope you don't move.

Villa after Lescott and Bentley, according to a slew of unreliable sources. Bentley I wouldn't be too fussed about, so long as the price is right. Lescott we'd have to pay a shit load of money in fee and a chunky-assed salary to have any hope at all of dislodging him, even before convincing him it is a move worth making. This would be where it starts going stupid. Man City fuck us off with their greater-than-ours financial muscle. We then take it out on someone else with our greater-than-yours financial muscle, and on it goes. Plus, he's apparently got some very real problems with a major local gang which would probably keep him away from the area, in any case.