Transition or "We are where we are"?

[richard moore]

Thanks Simba, rousing stuff. Not sure GT is the essence of new style thinking about football but your general gist is very much in the right direction. It would be lovely to be thought of as playing really attractive football game in, game out with really exciting youngsters at the helm. Of course, it is more complicated than that - Man City would just buy them all up regardless - but it is a nice thought and far more appetising than any notion of Heskey, Hutton, Collins, Warnock et al...

[Billy Walker]

Thanks Simba, rousing stuff. Not sure GT is the essence of new style thinking about football but your general gist is very much in the right direction. It would be lovely to be thought of as playing really attractive football game in, game out with really exciting youngsters at the helm. Of course, it is more complicated than that - Man City would just buy them all up regardless - but it is a nice thought and far more appetising than any notion of Heskey, Hutton, Collins, Warnock et al...

The point you make about our youngsters and Man City buying them all up is a  good one, Richard.   I would hope, as part of our planning, we would have a strategy in place whereby our lads would stick with us.  This type of thing has to be a strand of our long-term planning.  I know very little about the laws governing football, wages and so on, but I hope  we have a bit of vision at the club in order to think outside the box and keep a winning young side together for years to come.

[Simba]

You are right about GT of course. But I would love to find a true Villa man, Cowans or someone to re-start with perhaps an older head ( not tactics necessarily but man management issues particularly) to see him through. With Gabby as our Villa man on the pitch and the Bannans, Herds, Gardners, etc surrounded by experience we could at least have the Holte shaking the roof again. Amazing what it can do. And we do have reserve and youth coaches who can win games. With style. See Next gen.

Whoever said it was right: it is like someone nicked our kit..atm.

First rule in this Utopian declaration of independance, Richard,  is "no cynicism" so no, we don't let Man City nick them. If 'arry can hold on to Modric we can hold onto the Youngs of the World.

I am off to make supper.

[Clampy]

I don't see any reason for us to be in that much of a tranisitional period on the pitch. We've got players at the club already who could turn us into a decent premiership team, if we had a manager who was brave enough to use them.

[Simba]

....."if we had a manager who was brave enough to use them".      We are the 99%.

and a vision that insisted this forward thinking manager do so without depriving him of his job in the short term.

[Simba]

Oh, and thanks Mark for the thread. Steam venter and dream creator combined.

[Chris Smith]

It's all very well doing the rabble rousing, we are Villa stuff but it's totally meaningless. The truth is there are few people alive who have witnessed us win the league more than once. We're a club that averages around 35k on the PL era, decent but not great. What other than a sense of our one history entitles us to anything? It's like a bloke who used to be a bit of a hit with the ladies who has let himself go but still thinking he can pull anyone.

I honestly think that a section of our support is in denial about our place in the scene of things and the financial reality that the club are now working to.

[Iago]

It's all very well doing the rabble rousing, we are Villa stuff but it's totally meaningless. The truth is there are few people alive who have witnessed us win the league more than once. We're a club that averages around 35k on the PL era, decent but not great. What other than a sense of our one history entitles us to anything? It's like a bloke who used to be a bit of a hit with the ladies who has let himself go but still thinking he can pull anyone.

I honestly think that a section of our support is in denial about our place in the scene of things and the financial reality that the club are now working to.

I do not see any harm in having pride in the club and expecting/hoping for some success. The majority of supporters are aware that winning the Premier League is beyond us. However, we deserve to have better than AM as manager.

And as for rabble-rousing, it has been the owner and CEO who have attempted to rouse the supporters with our past successes. Sadly, they did not take that enthusiasm into the managerial search.

[Simba]

Hi Chris,

Yes I was waiting for this one.

Meaningless. Of course, as the comment on this thread cannot effect the decisions within the club.

Denial. No, all of us know where we are.

Entitlement. We have won very little in ninety years. Is that what you mean?

Rabble rousing. Yes guilty.

So, a thread asks quite 'where we are". And we have some fun demanding change. On terms we cannot control but wtf.  Still, we create a dream scenario for fun and you do the usual and condemn it on the basis of, what ? Current fact. Well done.

Anyone can condemn on that basis. And if the dreamers took notice we would not have the  good things that make life worthwhile. Oh shit, you burk, what is that stupid round thing? A wheel. Shit that was childish , sorry. New metaphore please...

Have a pint Chris. Have a think. I am personally a businessman who understands the balance sheet. I retired at 42. Buying, fixing and selling big companies. Sorry about that gents, necessary.

Chris, give us a chance to positive dream a bit because atm we have none with the Club as it is.
And your posts are generally positive.

It has been a good thread with intelligent, articulate debate. Fun and a bit Churchilian at times. But most of us are frustrated. So, join in or destroy.

What is your strategic plan? BTW.

[Billy Walker]

It's all very well doing the rabble rousing, we are Villa stuff but it's totally meaningless. The truth is there are few people alive who have witnessed us win the league more than once. We're a club that averages around 35k on the PL era, decent but not great. What other than a sense of our one history entitles us to anything? It's like a bloke who used to be a bit of a hit with the ladies who has let himself go but still thinking he can pull anyone.

I honestly think that a section of our support is in denial about our place in the scene of things and the financial reality that the club are now working to.

Our current place in the scheme of things is not set in stone.  And it's not set in stone for any other club either.  I think success and winning trophies can come with ambition, planning and hard work.  The odds seem to be against us at the moment but if the spirit is there you can overcome them.   A key ingredient for any kind of success is belief.  I don't think I can stop believing that Villa will be the very best again.  We're too great a club with too great a place in the game to just give up and throw in the towel. 

[Simba]

It's all very well doing the rabble rousing, we are Villa stuff but it's totally meaningless. The truth is there are few people alive who have witnessed us win the league more than once. We're a club that averages around 35k on the PL era, decent but not great. What other than a sense of our one history entitles us to anything? It's like a bloke who used to be a bit of a hit with the ladies who has let himself go but still thinking he can pull anyone.

I honestly think that a section of our support is in denial about our place in the scene of things and the financial reality that the club are now working to.

Our current place in the scheme of things is not set in stone.  And it's not set in stone for any other club either.  I think success and winning trophies can come with ambition, planning and hard work.  The odds seem to be against us at the moment but if the spirit is there you can overcome them.   A key ingredient for any kind of success is belief.  I don't think I can stop believing that Villa will be the very best again.  We're too great a club with too great a place in the game to just give up and throw in the towel. 

IMHO that should be on the front page of the next Annual Report. Brilliant.

[Chris Smith]

Simba, so fucking what that you stopped working when you were 42. Do you think i'm going to be impressed just because you have a few bob? How has that got anything to do with the financial reality tay the club find themselves at the moment? That's the point of the thread. There's nothing wrong with misty eyed romanticism, that's what the memories section is for, but you've just hijacked it for your own ends and then got all arsey because I've tried to bring you back to reality.

The fact of the matter is that to be self sufficient we have had to trim the wage bill, surely a businessman as brilliant as you can understand that.

[Slaphead]

It's like a bloke who used to be a bit of a hit with the ladies who has let himself go but still thinking he can pull anyone.

You have just described me there, its a horrible reality.

[Iago]

The financial reality does not concern me, I want us to be self-sufficient and run in the correct manner, although, it is too often used as an excuse for poor performances/results on the pitch.

The product on the pitch is my main concern. If we can bring some excitement back to that area, we will have a great chance of success.

[Legion]

Last season was transitional. This season is more questionable as to the current state of affairs.