Aston Villa v Middlesbrough League Cup Exit Thread

[Ads]

We may still be Aston Villa, but we're currently in the bottom half of division 2, spent the summer signing cheap or free players as we can't spend much money and just pulled 11k for the first time in over a quarter of a century.
It's in part thinking that just being Aston Villa is enough that's led us to this shite situation that we're struggling to get ourselves out of. Just as the same thinking led to the mess we found ourselves back in the late 60s. And it was the cup runs as a lower league side in 70/71 and 74/75 that helped us achieve what we did in 77-83. If we didn't have that cup run in 74/75 then there's a decent chance we wouldn't have signed at least 1 of Mortimer or Gray. If we don't sign one of those there may well have been no '77 and/or 80-82. 

I very much doubt any of us like the reality of where we are at the moment, doesn't mean we can just ignore it either.

Spent the summer signing Premier League players on low fees and big wages to augment a bloated squad, that any other club in the division would like to dip their mucky hand into the proverbial pot and scoop out 4 or 5 who would instantly improve their lot.

Being proud that we're Aston Villa and not some fucking two bit shit house club who pine for missing out on playing a big club in the next round, has absolutely fuck all to do with why we are where we are.

Its not the 1970s. Its 2017 where we can afford to pay John Terry £60k a week. People talk about Bruce being lost to the game, such is the shift in two years. Whether that has any relevance or not, your comments are so far removed, we may as well be talking about a different sport. You're talking as if 1992/93 did not happen and the quarter of a century that has followed.

[Ads]

We may still be Aston Villa, but we're currently in the bottom half of division 2, spent the summer signing cheap or free players as we can't spend much money and just pulled 11k for the first time in over a quarter of a century.
It's in part thinking that just being Aston Villa is enough that's led us to this shite situation that we're struggling to get ourselves out of. Just as the same thinking led to the mess we found ourselves back in the late 60s. And it was the cup runs as a lower league side in 70/71 and 74/75 that helped us achieve what we did in 77-83. If we didn't have that cup run in 74/75 then there's a decent chance we wouldn't have signed at least 1 of Mortimer or Gray. If we don't sign one of those there may well have been no '77 and/or 80-82. 

I very much doubt any of us like the reality of where we are at the moment, doesn't mean we can just ignore it either.

We may still be Aston Villa, but we're currently in the bottom half of division 2, spent the summer signing cheap or free players as we can't spend much money and just pulled 11k for the first time in over a quarter of a century.
It's in part thinking that just being Aston Villa is enough that's led us to this shite situation that we're struggling to get ourselves out of. Just as the same thinking led to the mess we found ourselves back in the late 60s. And it was the cup runs as a lower league side in 70/71 and 74/75 that helped us achieve what we did in 77-83. If we didn't have that cup run in 74/75 then there's a decent chance we wouldn't have signed at least 1 of Mortimer or Gray. If we don't sign one of those there may well have been no '77 and/or 80-82. 

I very much doubt any of us like the reality of where we are at the moment, doesn't mean we can just ignore it either.

Well said. I wonder if Ads will tear you apart!  Just think we could have drawn Spurs at Wembley in the last 16 with a win last night. No doubt more than 11k would have gone to that and, as you say, it could have been the springboard we needed. 

I am being trolled here fucking surely. Jesus titty fucking H Christ.

Well played, you've got me.

[PeterWithesShin]

And we both know our summer dealings would have been very different if we weren't hampered by FFP. There's a difference between being proud to be Villa, and thinking that just being Villa is enough to win promotion and not worry about finances and FFP.  When you're in division 2, 92/93 may as well not have happened as down here you are still massively dependent on club generated income rather than TV money. We received less than £7m last season for prize and TV money. If we were in the top flight no one would give a shite apart from it's yet another missed chance at a trophy.

[chrisw1]

I'm with ADS here.  Pining for a big draw against a big club like Liverpool or Spurs to boost the coffers is fucking ridiculous.

Bruce couldn't give a shit about the cup this season and rightly so when all that really matters is promotion.  So he picked a side to protect the first team who have 3 matches in 8 days next week and to give much needed game time to the fringe players and kids.

It didn't pan out, but if we get 7-9 points from those games then it will have been worth it.

[cdbearsfan]

Decent effort by Surrey Villain, he reeled me in too. Fair play.

[PeterWithesShin]

There's difference between pining for it and seeing the benefits of it. If we'd have got through i'd have wanted a home draw against the shittest team left in it, same as I always do.

[chrisw1]

There's difference between pining for it and seeing the benefits of it. If we'd have got through i'd have wanted a home draw against the shittest team left in it, same as I always do.

I'm not sure the benefits outweigh keeping the first team fresh for a massively important run of games and giving the fringe players a run out.  And if Elphicks goal had been given things may have been different anyway.

There's lots of things to criticise Bruce about at the moment and for me he is right on the brink, but last nights selection isn't one of them as far as I'm concerned.

[Legion]

We can't play ourselves, though.

[Clampy]

I'm all in favour of blooding a few youngsters in these games but see no reason why Bruce felt the need to rest the entire first team with Saturday's game in mind. This merely creates the same pressure on him to get a result as M'ON did when he took the opportunity to play a reserve side v Moscow with the Stoke game coming up.

The only difference being we were challenging for the Champions League places then and now we aren't challenging for anything!

Saw the Bruce interview post match and he didn't seem overly bothered - whether he looks so relaxed post match Saturday evening will depend entirely on the result I think. He's almost made the game must win with these changes

If you don't think we're challenging for anything, why is the game a must win?

I don't believe we are challenging for anything but Bruce clearly does; that's why I believe he has made the game must win

Of course he does, why wouldn't he?

I'm struggling to get your point - I believe the next game is almost a must win because of Bruce's team selection last night - he decided to write off the cup because we 'need' those players for Saturday - fail to win the game on Saturday now and he will be under even more pressure.

Regardless of whatever team he'd put out last night, he would have been under pressure to win on Saturday anyway. He hasn't put himself under any extra presure, it's been on him since he's been here. Last night's team selection makes not a jot of difference, even if we'd won the game.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Last time we were in the second division we played Liverpool at home in the cup and it was a massive occasion. Live on telly, full house, fantastic atmosphere, fantastic manager. Back in the days when the Cup meant something and every team went out to win every game. Nobody thought about a cup run affecting our promotion, everyone just wanted to win something. Feel sorry for people who never got to enjoy such experiences   

[PeterWithesShin]

I haven't overly disagreed with the selection apart from picking both Samba and Elphic which had disaster written all over it. I've disagreed with the viewpoint that a club screwed by FFP should turn their nose up at half a million.

[Surrey Villain]

We can't play ourselves, though.

Pity there isn't a 'like' button on here like Facebook so you can just click and not have to write something.

[PeterWithesShin]

Last time we were in the second division we played Liverpool at home in the cup and it was a massive occasion. Live on telly, full house, fantastic atmosphere, fantastic manager. Back in the days when the Cup meant something and every team went out to win every game. Nobody thought about a cup run affecting our promotion, everyone just wanted to win something. Feel sorry for people who never got to enjoy such experiences   

That was the last time we had 46K for a game.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Last time we were in the second division we played Liverpool at home in the cup and it was a massive occasion. Live on telly, full house, fantastic atmosphere, fantastic manager. Back in the days when the Cup meant something and every team went out to win every game. Nobody thought about a cup run affecting our promotion, everyone just wanted to win something. Feel sorry for people who never got to enjoy such experiences   

That was the last time we had 46K for a game.

Was it also the game where we all held up a red card before the kick off? the "say no to ID cards" campaign? or am I getting mixed up? Jesus, how much things have changed

[class-of-82]

it was the game where ray Houghton took a free kick about 20 yards from where the foul  was for liverpools first goal