brummie

70k? I can't believe anyone would pay Joey Barton that kind of money. Good player though he is, he's not worth that much.

I don't know if this has been posted already, but this is the new PSV Eindhoven away kit and is my favourite new kit for three reasons. Firstly, it looks like a 1970s Villa away kit I particularly liked (except red and white stripes on collar instead of claret and blue). Secondly, it looks like that fantastic Milan away kit (same colour disclaimer again). Thirdly, the design is simple and understated. I hope this is the template they use for our kit next year. http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/2850/psvawayam4.jpg

Yes, he looks infinitely happier on the right, he certainly did last season once he had settled down. Pearce is tactically absolutely clueless. As Dr Spectrum will attest.

I didnt see the game. Where did he play? Left or right? He's far more effective when played on the right. Massively so.

Ian Storey-Moore (completing the triumvirate of men with three, let alone two).

Oh, and although not football, and I don't really like watching rugby that much, every time i see that famous try in the Barbarians v All Blacks match in 1973, the commentary makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up "Kirkpatrick to Williams. This is great stuff. Phil Bennett covering, chased by Alistair Scown. Brilliant! Oh, that's brilliant! John Williams, Pullin, John Dawes. Great dummy! David, Tom David, the half-way line. Brilliant by Quinnell. This is Gareth Edwards. A dramatic start. What a score!"

1986 World Cup - France v Russia, Vasily Rats scores past Joel Bats, Motson screams "Rats beats Bats!" 1970s - Tottenham v Arsenal, Liam Brady scores a scorcher from the edge of the area, Motson again: "Oh! Look at that! Look at that!" But the daddy of them all for me: 1982 European Cup Final, Brian Moore: "Villa still hanging on at 0-0. Mortimer...Shaw...Williams prepared to adventure down the left. There’s a good ball played in for Tony Morley. Oh! It must be...And it is...Peter Withe!" The commentary accompanying the best moment of my life.

95 quid? Scandalous rip off.

I think the most interesting thing about this is the kids season tickets at 50 quid.

I absolutely agree. I fucking hate West Ham, the kitstealing cunts. Their desperation recently is laughable. I read today that they are prepared to pay Craig Bellamy 100k a week. I was reading kumb this week (seeing what they had to say about NRC), and there was a thread where they were talking about him, Barton and Parker. One of their ilk suggested that the obvious thing that West Ham had over Villa and Newcastle was their "history". It struck me as possibly the most bizarre thing I've ever seen on the internet. And I've seen those tubgirl pics. PS Luke Young at 2m would represent an excellent signing, imho

It does reflect a bit poorly on the bloke, and I absolutely see the situation from Dr Spectrum's position - he's got a bit of a nerve to expect anything, given the circumstances of his departure. Excellent player in need of a manager who'll give him a good slap around the gregory peck and get him in line.

Rod Little is a dreadful, dreadful twat, and best ignored.

Nope. Heard that there is another team that are doing this - Wigan selling STs at £13 a game was it? Thats for all the shite seats too - The ones in Wigan. *slaps thigh* theirs are 250 quid a season, and that's to watch a team which has both Emile Heskey and Titus Bramble in it. Actually, that sounds highly entertaining.

I sit in the expensive seats in the Trinity Road. I want them all segregated and a long way from me

Demolished within 2 years, apparently, but even so, it is an interesting move. I think we sold out 7 games last year, and although season ticket sales are apparently up 350 percent, which will help, it is still interesting to see the board do something which is almost visionary in approach. Even if it is a short term gesture, I wonder what impact it will have. I'm almost certain it will practically be a sanctioned standing area.

I think it is fair, they certainly are shite seats. For a few games last year against clubs who bring a taxi load (Blackburn, Bolton, Boro, Fulham etc), those seats were punted to our fans at 15 quid, and we just gave the away fans the overflow part in the lower Witton, and they were very popular tickets. 200 quid a season means a touch more than 10 pounds a match, which is awesome value. 50 quid for kids is a near negligible amount per match, which says something about trying to get future generations hooked (something which is difficult these days given prices)

From next season, Villa have moved the away fans from their usual spot behind the goal in the lower north stand (those of you who have been to games as an away fan at VP will know, these are fucking awful seats, next to no leg room and a poor view of the pitch) to the corner section, upper and lower, of the Witton Lane stand, so Villa fans will be behind that goal next year. What is interesting though, is that the club are announcing on Monday that they are punting season tickets in that section at 200 quid for adults, and *50* quid for kids. Apart from the fact that these will be easily the cheapest STs in the PL, this raises an interesting thought - firstly, the availability of exceptionally cheap season tickets concentrated in one part of the ground might lead to that part of the ground becoming more edgy / atmospheric. Secondly, is this the first indication of a premier club taking a German style approach of flogging tickets cheap as chips? The pile them high, flog them cheap approach, if you like? Thirdly, given that those seats are so fucking uncomfortable, and that pretty much the only way to put up with being there is to stand (as done by almost every set of away fans there last year), and given that the stewards take a pretty lax approach to standing in any case, is this effectively a tacit approval by the club of standing from home fans in an area where they specifically expect it (although the upper Holte mostly stands anyway), with prices pitched appropriately? Apols for the non Toon content, but I thought it was interesting. Oh, and don't bother with the "maybe you'll fill the ground every game then" comments, either, just in case you were thinking along such lines.

This. When Roman first went to Chelsea, they did similar to us, signed some of the best players from outside the big clubs (Duff, Bridge, Geremi, Johnson, etc). It wasn't until they signed Crespo & Makelele though that people realised something huge was happening there. That's what we need. Just one world-class flair player (we need creativity anyway), that shows we're serious about winning things. Otherwise, Allardyce might as well have stayed at Bolton and continued what he was doing there. People forget that Chelsea's building program was under way ages before RA arrived on the scene, even they did things gradually.

Not wanting to be patronising here Brummie, but he would be an ideal player for Villa because his pace and running could drastically change your side offensively which I feel is where your major problems lie, until you can go out and get a much better all-rounder for the long-term. We already have a potent attack, what we now need is a Bellamy in midfield, someone who will drastically change how we operate in there so the already excellent forwards can really flourish. Oh, I agree with you in terms of his game, he is without doubt what we are missing. I worry about his temperament, though, and whether he'd unsettle what is a pretty settled dressing room. How much did he go to them from Blackburn for? 6 million? That's a pretty spectacular price hike in 12 months.

Bellamy is being punted around at 12m, apparently, which strikes me as a tad over the top. I really don't know what to make of the bloke. We've been linked with him and opinion is divided over him, as I guess it would be at pretty much any club he was linked with.

Spot on, Keefaz. If we finish 9th next season, and atleast maybe pushed for a European place, i'll be chuffed. Would be interesting to hear his thoughts - but i doubt Brummie is too displeased with Villa's final position, in spite of the potential they showed at the start of the season. Considering that they were a team that would inevitably have gone down sooner or later. I've mentioned it before, but if you'd asked our fans at the start of last season what we'd have been happy with, we'd have said mid table. The club was so incredibly fucked up after years of neglect, and we had no chance to move in the summer transfer market other than Petrov (who Lerner paid for before he'd even completed his takeover). We had a fantastic start, a dreadful middle, and a really brilliant close to the season. Optimism is sky high now, we're apparently going from our worst season ticket sales in years over last summer to the best in years this summer (up 350% compared to the same time last year, apparently). If we can continue improving, I'll be happy. A little optimism changes an awful lot and builds momentum. The really fantastic thing is that the club over the last year has gradually been changed from top to bottom, out of all recognition. We were - and to some extent, so were you - a frustrating basket case which needed picking up and given a hard fucking shake, everything was wrong, from the marketing dept stuck in the 1970s, to the small-time corner shop thinking of the board, the lack of ambition, the wasted potential. I'd say you've got problems of your own, different problems to ours possibly, but things that need sorting. A new manager and a new owner are going to need time to sort them out, so demanding top 6 finishes in year one is short termist and mental. You can do it one of two ways when you come into big money. The West Ham way, which is reckless, risky as fuck and at times bordering on desperation. Or you can use the money sensibly, change the club around at every level and look to evolve gradually. I'd much rather this and build for *consistent* ongoing success rather than spaff 50m pounds in one summer in a desperate gamble at instant success. Villa and Newcastle both have managers with strong personalities, characters, who are only going to get real success if they shape the club in their own image, they're the kinds of manager who'll want to build their own dynasties. The sensible thing to do is back them with the money, and let them get involved at every level. I know MON has his finger in absolutely everything at the club - right down to stuff like shirt design - and I strongly suspect you'll get the best out of SA if you let him do the same, he's that kind of manager too. All you can do is back him and give him time, it won't happen overnight. Seriously, all rivalries apart, football in this country needs clubs like Newcastle, Villa, Spurs and Everton to close the gap. The first three have got a chance now, but whilst one of them is obv much closer, none of them will do it overnight.

Let's hope they don't show FA Cup highlights on Turkish telly, eh? ;-)

Fulham are buying their kit through Nike's third party supplier. That is how Walsall wear Nike gear too. The only clubs supplied directly by Nike are Man U, Arsenal and Villa. I feel duty bound to point that out. Apparently at the last PL chairmen's meeting, much respect was accorded our people for getting Nike to go for a club which had just finished 11th in the table.

Firstly, he's obviously not realistically available. Other than that, he is wasted at full back, he's far better left side of midfield. Actually, he's been excellent centre midfield towards the end of the season. And 5m? I think not.

PS: a decent game against a totally-not-arsed Brazil XI and against a bunch of Baltic no-marks does not equate to a man who can do it against the big teams.