brummie

Incidentally, I don;t understand why he's shoe horned Barry in there. He's been wank this season, Spurs away excepted.

I think one of our failings is that England have one decent game and we think they're world beaters. Capello will get it right, but we can't expect them to be brilliant every game. The result is the important thing, and we'll win this match.

What about tradition? What about history? I couldn't give a toss if they knocked down all four stands of Villa Park (the oldest wasn't even built when i started going, and I'm only 40), but they'd stop playing on that patch of grass over my dead fucking body. Jesus. if clubs like Newcastle, Villa, Everton, Spurs start shitting over their history in the name of saving a few quid or having something which looks like some identikit EuroBowl stadium, or a bigger version of the Reebok, we might as well fucking give up. The heart of English football is dying already. Traditional historic clubs playing in bigger versions of the Riverside? No fucking thanks. This post was brought to you in conjunction with the drink gin and tonic. Supporting late night internet ramblings worldwide.

Incidentally, anyone with half a fucking brain knows Villa are going to win it. *peruses Istanbul travel guide*

Aye, but they won't be in it that long though. They've been shit in the league and in the UEFA cup, don't see any reason why anyone would consider them to be favourites. Spurs irritate me as much as the next man, but I feel duty bound to point this out. Bookmakers odds do not just reflect who they think will win the competition. They also reflect the desire of the bookmaker to minimise their financial risk. That's why, every world cup England are 3rd favourites or something at 8/1 or some stupid odds. It isn't because the bookies think they really are 3rd most likely to win. It is because there are millions of drooling cretins in this country who believe the Fat Frank, Stevie G and JT hype machines, then go spazzing down to Laddies with their 10 quid to have a flutter on us winning it. The bookies then bring the odds in to manage their risk.

Difficult group for us. Although it could have been much worse. Hope we get Ajax away.

Spurs UEFA Cup group Spurs Spartak Moscow Udinese Dinamo Zagreb Nijmegen Tricky.

Liverpool are the luckiest club on earth. I mean thjat in a "you make your own luck" sense, too, but fucking hell.

Chelsea are playing superbly, incidentally. They're going to piss the league this year.

What is it with you and "The Villa"? My best mate supports them and drums it into my head. That's what they're called. "The Villa", mainly in this region, but by a lot of people in football. I'm referring to the definite article.

Well. We were ok, nothing much really happened. Litex were a more than half decent side, they pass the ball around very well, and that Brazilian "Tom" is a decent player. I hope we get the same group as Spurs in the next stages.

When people talk about incredibly rich people - like Ambani - potentially buying football clubs, there seems to be a tendency that they're automatically going to splurge a lot of cash on the club, do an Abramhovic, if you like. These people aren't interested in it purely as they've no other way to spend their cash.They're interested in clubs because they are high profile businesses with the extra cachet of being rather flash businesses to own. People just assume that whichever billiionaire has 7 or 8 billion, so that means he can easily afford, say, a billion on (whichever) club so that means that he will spend that kind of money. It is like football suddenly became some kind of Top Trumps.

Watching reserve team football is excellent. You get to see what is coming through and it gives you a good overview of the way things are going and who looks like they can make it to the first team. You also get in for nowt (ST holders), and you get in and out with no traffic hell.

Ah. Cheers. Price freeze or none, that's a big ask to expect people to sign up for three seasons.

This three years up front thing I've heard mention on here. What is it about? You effectively buy a three year ST? At a big discount?

who? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Rupert 3.3 Billion is not enough, He'll have hardly any free cash flow after (if) he invests in the club. It's about the same as Ashley when he took over. Ha ha. Does anyone think any investor is going to invest the major part of their wealth in some football club they'd probably never heard of until it got trendy to invest in football clubs? Assuming revenues of at least 30m from TV rights, plus other income, plus a readiness to back the manager to the tune of a decent extra wad when he needs it, it does not need to cost hundreds of millions every year to develop a successful club. Oh, hang on, are you serious? I've just realised you may have been joking.

Sounds great. I have to say, I disagree with that sentiment. I like what they're saying - they're proposing a sensible business plan, and they seem like they want to run the club sensibly. If they are going to do that - and if will pump all the money turned over by the club back into the club - plus some more if they can raise it - then it's more than enough for me! Isn't that what Ashley said he'd do? Isn't that also the sensible way to do it? We can't all expect to be the next Man City (although, to be honest, Man City were last the 'next big thing' last season and that turned out to be bollocks).

I know the obvious counter arguments, and please take it at face value, but when we last got relegated in 1987, I had the fucking time of my life travelling around shit hole grounds for away matches. Those that are old enough (I'm not) to remember our Third Division seasons say it was even better. Anyway, it won't happen.

They really are an unbelievable shambles. Tottenham, year after year, all fart and absolutely no shit.

except that Man U appointed Alex Ferguson in the November, and Arsenal appointed Wenger in September 1996. Bad timing ? Although Man United then gave Ferguson 3 years to win them something, and 6 to win the league.

He is. Seems to have come on as a manager quite a lot. Cracking move by Birmingham to drive him out Read on one of our forums that he was at our game against Sunderland yesterday. As he walked towards the entrance, one of our lot said "you did the right thing getting away from that lot, Steve" "You're not wrong there", his reply.

Talking of hypothetical situations re injuries is all well and good, but I wonder, why do some clubs - I'm thinking you and West Ham here - have so many problems with injuries? The players you buy has something to do with it, but we've also bought players with a dodgy injury background (ie Laursen and Carew), yet we don't have problems to the same extent. Could it be something to do with training / recuperation facilities? Worth thinking about? Curtis Davies is back and in the first team way ahead of what was expected when he did his achilles. Last season we only had Carew out for any length of time. Coincidence?

Bruce is doing a good job at Wigan.

Shite, mixed him up with Agbonlahor position-wise Still very much a class A player though, Young. Agbonlahor is a superb finisher. His goal against Everton at home last season where he picked a 40 yard ball out of the air and slotted it past the keeper was a fantastic finish. He's got an awful lot to learn, though, in terms of getting himself in the right position at the right time. re Young, there are several better players in the league at the moment, but I don't really care about them, i just like what he does for us. I'm hoping that John Robertson will get Milner crossing the ball as well as he got Young doing it.

Ashley Young. I'd use his shit for toothpaste. And pay him for the honour of doing so.