brummie

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.

Watching you this season, you remind me of us in 1986-7. There certainly seems to be a similar feeling about your club as we had then.

Three or four weeks ago, Man City were "fucking doomed" because all those players were bought on the never never, they were selling players behind the manager's back to get some cash back in to the club, and the owner had had his assets frozen. Fast forward a few weeks and they're the richest club in the world, and in the January window they're bidding 200m for our Lord Jesus Christ. Football is surreal. Happenings at Newcastle the last few weeks have been surreal. Whatever happens in the next few weeks will probably be even more surreal, but there's no guarantee it will be bad. When nobody gave a flying fuck about the game, let alone was able and willing to invest hundreds of millions, if you were in this situation after a few games, you were fucked, but these days it is all different.

Crikey.

We don't get any free.

Thought your crowd was decent. Let's be honest, it is the early rounds of the CC, nobody gives a flying fuck. I didn't go to ours last night. 20 quid to watch the reserves play QPR? Nein danke. The reason yours is getting mentioned is purely because they get to spin it out as a boycott, whereas it was probably every bit as much people saying "I can't be fucking bothered with it", and who could blame them?

When seeing Gazza's problems, I often wonder whether his great celebrity pals of the 90s, Danny Baker and Chris Evans are around to help him now he really needs it. I don't know the answer, but I suspect not. I hope he's OK. I'll never forget seeing him as a teenager swanning around the centre of the park with his chest stuck out, full of himself, like he owned the fucking pitch. Most of the time, he did.

You know what, I'm going to start supporting the Villa. Don't bother. We lost at home to QPR tonight. Fucking disgrace. Only 21k there, too. Bigger disgrace.

"He's got fuck all to lose" Like previous toon legend KK, you mean? Hmmm.

QPR beating Villa.

Your lot not much better at the minute I know. I saw that one coming, though, that's why I'm sitting here nice and warm rather than at the match.

I might have to go back to the living room and watch the Inspector Lynley Mysteries with the Mrs if this match doesn't perk up soon.

Dont worry. That will get ignored by every form of media tomorrow That's a decent crowd. We're playing QPR at home tomorrow. Things are going well, there's an air of optimism around the club, but I'm not paying 20 quid to watch the reserves play a CC team. Strangely, Villa wanted to pitch it at 10 quid for this match but QPR wouldn't agree to price it so low. Couple that with the stories about them hiking their prices this week (50 quid to watch CC football?) and maybe, just maybe being supposedly ultra rich is a double edged sword.

Who signed Robinho ? Exactly, so Mark Hughes said to the new blokes, on the last day of the window: "Get me Robinho. And Berbatov. And Torres. Fuck it, let's bd for all those goal bothering motherfuckers!"

I'm full of trepidation in getting involved in this thread, but as a neutral (although as one who spent a lot of time watching Newcastle in the late 80s), on the most obvious level the key is to look at the state of the ground in the late 80s and look at it now, look at the crowds back then and look at them now. First time I went to SJP I actually thought I'd gone to the wrong place, that I'd turned up at some kind of dilapidated athletics stadium. I'd never actually seen a ground open at both ends in the top flight. I've enjoyed reading the pyramidtastic threads on here about your old board, but it is interesting that - again, on the most superficial level, and simplifying things - a lot of Villa fans would say that the problem with our esteemed former chairman was that he never, ever showed any ambition whereas yours did. Look at the effect it had when your board showed that ambition, and look at the upturn in our fortunes now our new board in showing some. In a bizarre, twisted way, whilst I understand why feeligns to FFS are as they are, if you look at the way things changed at your club over, what, more than a decade, you got some things right and - this is the bizarre bit - showed an example. Speculate to accumulate. Sorry if that makes no sense, it is quite hard to explain what I'm trying to say. Made harder since a few pints after work

I'd never put too much faith in any claim that potential buyer x has said he will invest y millions in the transfer market. What would be the point in giving out figures at this stage?