We're a selling club

[Villa'Zawg]

Percy's quite right about the hat-stands. There are people on here who have been and are still willing to argue that nothing has changed in Randy's approach.

Absolutely and there are others even more mad that think Randy should keep throwing money at the club, despite the financial black hole we've found ourselves in. Thank god Paul Faulkner came to the rescue, eh VD? (winky)

They could have put Doug back in charge rather than Faulkner. Same or better job delivered with more panache.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Percy's quite right about the hat-stands. There are people on here who have been and are still willing to argue that nothing has changed in Randy's approach.

Absolutely and there are others even more mad that think Randy should keep throwing money at the club, despite the financial black hole we've found ourselves in. Thank god Paul Faulkner came to the rescue, eh VD? (winky)

They could have put Doug back in charge rather than Faulkner. Same or better job delivered with more panache.

Interesting point. Doug would never have allowed us to be in such a ridiculous financial situation. Saying that, like Lerner, Doug allowed Gregory to spend a fortune on a load of aging, over paid players, so maybe we're better off with Faulkner afterall.

[Percy McCarthy]

Bloody hell Percy, this is Villadawg on a football forum we are talking about, not Martin Luther King!

Did I get carried away? Perhaps I should have said 'I generally agree with him and I'm grateful that he keeps posting about this stuff and putting up with the brick-bats from his detractors because they'd have tired me out by now'.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Perhaps I should have said 'I generally agree with him and I'm grateful that he keeps posting about this stuff and putting up with the brick-bats from his detractors because they'd have tired me out by now'.

I think it's more to do with you age, Grandad. (winky)

[adrenachrome]

Bloody hell Percy, this is Villadawg on a football forum we are talking about, not Martin Luther King!

Did I get carried away? Perhaps I should have said 'I generally agree with him and I'm grateful that he keeps posting about this stuff and putting up with the brick-bats from his detractors because they'd have tired me out by now'.

I would also like to add my support for the Villadawg Theorem, which is often misconstrued in the binary world that is the internet message board.

[Dave Cooper please]

Only slightly Perce! Actually I'm with you, while I just can't get my head around why people are so miserable when we are a month away from kick-off and we don't know who might be coming in or how the existing squad will perform under our new manager, I do appreciate those who are willing to continually fight their corner.
Given that I am more in admiration of the likes of Toronto and John M and the ubiquitous Chris Smith who are fighting their own particular corner of optimism despite being massively outnumbered by the miserablists who seem to have written this season off before it has started.
Villadawg is a renowned battler on this forum, but he's got the tide of popular opinion with him at the moment.

[hilts_coolerking]

... we are a month away from kick-off and we don't know who might be coming in or how the existing squad will perform under our new manager

That's precisely why people are apprehensive.  Under those conditions I can't understand how some people are so optimistic.

[Dave Cooper please]

... we are a month away from kick-off and we don't know who might be coming in or how the existing squad will perform under our new manager

That's precisely why people are apprehensive.  Under those conditions I can't understand how some people are so optimistic.

Look, we don't know, even in one of our apparent worst seasons for ages last season we finished ninth. We have a decent squad already, we will be adding to it, we won't go down.

I'd rather look to the positives and hope we prove a lot of people wrong rather than dwell on the negatives and convince myself we're doomed.
Once again, watching football is your hobby, it's something you do for entertainment, try to enjoy it eh?

[hilts_coolerking]

we won't go down.

That being offered as a positive about the forthcoming season neatly sums up the club's trajectory over the last 12 months and is reason enough to be looking forward without much optimism.

[Toronto Villa]

... we are a month away from kick-off and we don't know who might be coming in or how the existing squad will perform under our new manager

That's precisely why people are apprehensive.  Under those conditions I can't understand how some people are so optimistic.

Look, we don't know, even in one of our apparent worst seasons for ages last season we finished ninth. We have a decent squad already, we will be adding to it, we won't go down.

I'd rather look to the positives and hope we prove a lot of people wrong rather than dwell on the negatives and convince myself we're doomed.
Once again, watching football is your hobby, it's something you do for entertainment, try to enjoy it eh?

That's my take too. Sure things haven't gone all to plan. Off course the choice of manager could have been better. Yes, our finances could be better so that we can compete at the top. And yes, I want to keep a hold of our best players. I get all of that. But what I also know is that our squad is still very good. We have players that might have something to prove with a manager who really wants to prove everyone wrong.

The season is a month away. That's still a long time to sign the players we will need for the upcoming season. I don't buy this "they need time to settle in" bollocks. Darren Bent came in having never played for us and single handedly rescued our season. Good players can do that.

I want to put behind the disappointment of last season. And it was disappointing. I hope the club learned a lot from that. I want AM to now create a solid stable environment whereby the players can just concentrate on playing. That the only reason we make the headlines this season is our football, and not all of the other shit that happened last year. I want this manager to be successful because it makes my club successful. I want Stephen Ireland to be Superman again, and I want our kids to have good role models amongst the senior pros. Villa is fucking great club, and hopefully with a bit of stability we can get back to that.

[Dave Cooper please]

we won't go down.

That being offered as a positive about the forthcoming season neatly sums up the club's trajectory over the last 12 months and is reason enough to be looking forward without much optimism.

Oh bollocks Hilts! I was just offering that up as a fob to the multitude who think we will! I reckon we're a shoo in for upper mid-table and given the rub of the green we might even pip Liverpool for a Euro spot. Not fantastic I'll grant you, but better than the average consensus on here I reckon.

Are you going to even try to enjoy watching us next season?

[hilts_coolerking]

Are you going to even try to enjoy watching us next season?

I'll enjoy watching us next season if we play good football and do well, no different than you.  Do I think that's likely?  Not to the same extent as you do, for the reasons you gave above plus McLeish's track record and the sale of Young and Downing.

[Dave Cooper please]

If we get N'Zog and allow Albrighton an extended run we'll be no worse off, plus the emerging talent of Delph, the enigma that is Makoun, maybe we'll have Parker pulling the strings, the possibility of Gabby and Bent forming a relationship up front....

Yeah, you're right, it's all shit, might as well give up now.

[Legion]

Add Bannan to that.

[Rigadon]

If we get N'Zog and allow Albrighton an extended run we'll be no worse off, plus the emerging talent of Delph, the enigma that is Makoun, maybe we'll have Parker pulling the strings, the possibility of Gabby and Bent forming a relationship up front....

Yeah, you're right, it's all shit, might as well give up now.

Stop being so, so... positive will you.  EVERYTHING is SHIT.  You hear?