brummie

We need to spend a lot. We didn't spend much the last year, so the money is definitely there, he just needs to get deals sewn up quickly this year. Mellberg - although I fucking love the bloke - has been on a downward slop for two years now, but has done well at RB for us this season. He wouldnt have got a game had we had a dedicated RB at the club. I'm going to miss him, though. Carson will be sent back, I reckon. Barry I think will stay. We've got a lot of spending to do. Sorensen will also be leaving and Taylor our sub keeper is very iffy. Luke Moore will make his move to Albion permanent, and Patrik Berger is not getting a new contract. An awful lot of work to do this summer, but I am incredibly optimistic. I'm also frustrated though. If he can do this with the smallest squad in the league, then what might he have done with more bodies, if he hadnt ballsed up the January window? He's a really infuriating manager in many ways, but I absolutely love the guy and wouldn't want anyone else.

^^^^ this ^^^^ is all true. The gap between the Sky4 and the rest is huge.

Scored more goals than anyone except Man United this season. Not dull. A traditional, quality winger in Ashley Young? Not dull. The pace of Agbonlahor? Not dull. Combined with the power of Carew? Not dull. The passing of Barry? Not dull. Currently in with a very good chance of finishing 5th, two years after having looked odds on for relegation, and not even having started spending properly yet? Not dull. I admire your optimism, but you're just pretending other teams don't exist and not really providing any arguments to back up your theory. It was indeed a great result at WHL but by that measure, West Ham have beaten Man U the last three times they've played. All hail next year's champions from East London. Everton dull and workmanlike? And fifth in the league. It is a very competitive league and will get more so. If you read my post again, you'll see that I didn't say Villa, the team or the players, were dull. CentrePaddock said Villa were dull, I was conceding that he could possibly view Villa as such, but I refuted everything else he said. For the record, I don't think Villa are in any way shape of form dull, nor is MON an uninspiring manager. You said you I admire my optimism (for Spurs presumably), I hadn't realised I had. My predictions for 08/09 were: 5. Aston Villa 6. Everton 7. Tottenham Hotspur 8. Portsmouth 9. Newcastle United 10. Blackburn with the proviso that Pompey could easily go above Spurs and take 7th. If you'd like to explain where my optimism stems from, I'll be happy to be enlightened. BTW, my comments to CentrePaddock regarding the away score at Villa referred to Newcastle's match, not Spurs'. I don't think CP would have been too bothered how Spurs got on there tbh. The quotes were bollocksed up, i was quoting your post, but actually replying to centrepaddock, sorry! I was admiring centrepaddock's optimism as well, not yours, MJ! Cross purposes innit.

Oooh check you out! Grow up, I'm not biting.

Scored more goals than anyone except Man United this season. Not dull. A traditional, quality winger in Ashley Young? Not dull. The pace of Agbonlahor? Not dull. Combined with the power of Carew? Not dull. The passing of Barry? Not dull. Currently in with a very good chance of finishing 5th, two years after having looked odds on for relegation, and not even having started spending properly yet? Not dull. I admire your optimism, but you're just pretending other teams don't exist and not really providing any arguments to back up your theory. It was indeed a great result at WHL but by that measure, West Ham have beaten Man U the last three times they've played. All hail next year's champions from East London. Everton dull and workmanlike? And fifth in the league. It is a very competitive league and will get more so. Villa at the moment remind me very much of Robson's Newcastle. A Shearer would have you in the top 3 in my opinion. Villa should go all out for Villa, he could be the man for you guys. I don't think scoring goals is actually a problem for Villa at the moment. No, but a top top striker would really change the dimension of the Villa team, allowing them to defend from the front much like we did with Griffin, bramble, O'Brien and Bernard in defence. A goalkeeper (not Carson) A right side midfielder (Milner would do) A right back (preferably two - Nelson from Benfica will prob be one) A left back (god knows who) A goal scorer (god knows) That's what we need to really push on next season.

Scored more goals than anyone except Man United this season. Not dull. A traditional, quality winger in Ashley Young? Not dull. The pace of Agbonlahor? Not dull. Combined with the power of Carew? Not dull. The passing of Barry? Not dull. Currently in with a very good chance of finishing 5th, two years after having looked odds on for relegation, and not even having started spending properly yet? Not dull. I admire your optimism, but you're just pretending other teams don't exist and not really providing any arguments to back up your theory. It was indeed a great result at WHL but by that measure, West Ham have beaten Man U the last three times they've played. All hail next year's champions from East London. Everton dull and workmanlike? And fifth in the league. It is a very competitive league and will get more so.

We're already only two games away from being the most half decent side outside the top four. Our problem is going to be strengthening the squad enough over the summer, given the players we know are leaving, and the ones we've needed all season but got away with not having this year.

I did some work for NUFC a few years back and the one thing I was told was never to use red, thought it was mackems that was the problem, but they corrected me and said the colour was banned ever since we wore it against Hereford Utd! What happened against Hereford United, then? I'm joking.

5. Villa (if we buy well) 6. Everton 7. Spurs 8. Newcastle 9. Manchester City 10. Portsmouth I don't think anyone's going to break the top four with any permanency though. Wasn't too long ago we were talking about how Liverpool were under threat in a dreadful season, but they've easily held onto fourth and will have raked it in from the CL run. re Spurs, hasn't Steve Bruce got more points for Wigan since taking over than Ramos has for Spurs in the same number of games?

I renewed today. I sit directly in front of the six most miserable football fans in Britain. So you can all consider yourself lucky by comparison.

brummie man, read it again. How dare you puncture my ill advised and uninformed emotional rant with your logic and reason, Wullie. How dare you!

He reminds me of Tony Barton (although Barton was at the club a long time before taking over) in that he's taken over part way through and quietly gone about his work. Say what you like about Grant but Chelsea are in the CL final and have a decent chance of winning the league with two games to go. He does look like Herbet Lom, and he does look a bit like he's part reptile, but I like him. His piece he said about Holocaust Day and his ancestors was, i thought, very dignified. He's taken a lot of shit this season, so good luck to the bloke. Sooner him than that gobby Taggart twat anyway. Now for a lie down.

I'm going for a lie down.

What an absolute fucking cunt. I don't care if it is tongue in cheek, it has set me off. Line two says it all when he refers to "Premiership tie". It is a match, not a tie, you stupid fucking NewFootballFan. People like that make me want to puke up one of my kidneys. Fuck off back to dressage or whatever you used to wank yourself into a frenzy over before you found "footy".

Kris Marshall, her husband on those TV ads, who suffered those head injuries in that car accident this week, is a big, big Villa fan. Spotted at lots of away matches, too. I always thought he was a cock when he was in that My Family bollocks, then i found out he was a Villan and changed my mind. There's a thread on one of our forums about his accident, and it turned into people drooling at his MILFy Mrs in the ads within about three posts. Esther Hall, her name is. She nice.

Penalties with no run up = stupid.

Jesus. If this were Villa in a European semi final, and it went to penalties, I wouldn't be able to watch it. Would genuinely leave the stadium / switch the telly off.

Stopping the known hooligans won't be enough, though. On trips like that, the normally placid have a tendency to get too pissed and drawn into things. The only positive thing is that it isn't Liverpool - Man United. Can you imagine the carnage that would be?

Who cares. I just hope the hotel rooms are incredibly expensive, they can't get flights, and the coppers are nervous and heavy handed. Not really. Well, not entirely.

At least any new fans to either Newcastle or Villa can't be accused of that I know. Death to underachieving football clubs! Allah akbar!!! Oh, hang on a sec ...

I hate Man United more than anyone, but there is absolutely no doubt Liverpool have far, far more plastic gloryhunters. Death to gloryhunters. There is NO excuse for them whatsoever. They're the absolute lowest of the low.

Avram Grant = Tony Barton. I now want them to win it. I like the chap.

Come on Chelsea, I fucking hate Liverpool. I also want Steve Gerrard to get booked and miss the final (if they get through). Same for John Terry. "JT" and "Stevie G" - stick it up your cunts, you cunts.

Now that I do agree with. The Champions League makes me want to vomit, it is everything which is wrong with football. And while they're at it, they can put the UEFA Cup back to its old format, and reinstate the Cup Winners Cup. Although I also think they should go back to doing commentary from games abroad over crackly phone lines, so I'm a bit of a traditionalist.

I think on the surface it would be excellent, although it is easy for me to say this, as we already have loads of English players. However, the concentration it would create of the best English players at the top 4 is a very valid point. So I'm not sure.