Villa players in nightclub brawl (Evening Mail video)

[Summers]

Can't James Collins just go away? Is there anything good about him at all?

He puts his body on the line and is a committed defender. So yeah..

[Monty]

Can't James Collins just go away? Is there anything good about him at all?

He puts his body on the line and is a committed defender. So yeah..

Otherwise known as having no positional sense, no distribution and a tendency to dive in. So, a committed but thoroughly flawed defender, an unprofessional human stain and a bad role model for our young players. He can go.

[Diablo]

The question has to be who is responsible for organising the end of season awards at such a crucial time in the season?
The awards should never have taken place (as Given said in his radio interview). You'd think McLeish would learn from last year with Blues after their end of season "awards" altercation (although he seems hell bent on repeating everything he did last season sadly without the League Cup win unfortunately).

Something like this is inevitable so I don't really blame the players - mix players, night club, doormen, rival fans? women? and you've got the inevitable cack cocktail.
Whoever organised the event should be fined as well. Maybe Gabby is the brightest one after all? It shows a certain degree of intelligence to not even turn up at the farce of an awards ceremony.

Roll on the end of the season - FFS

[Summers]

Can't James Collins just go away? Is there anything good about him at all?

He puts his body on the line and is a committed defender. So yeah..

Otherwise known as having no positional sense, no distribution and a tendency to dive in. So, a committed but thoroughly flawed defender, an unprofessional human stain and a bad role model for our young players. He can go.

See what you want to see. Herd is the guy kicking off, I don't see Collins goading anyone or egging him on.

[Rick_avfc]

Whats Collins actually done wrong in this brawl, fracas or whatever you want to call it?  Too much stick aimed at him for just being there.  Would any of you lot have been this abusive to these players if they went out and didnt get into this over hyped issue?  I guess not.  A bit of negative press and all sorts of tosh comes out of peoples mouths.

The guys have apologised, been disciplined and payed money to the leaukemia charities.  Time to move on folks.  bigger things to be concerned about like premiership survival.

[Monty]

Can't James Collins just go away? Is there anything good about him at all?

He puts his body on the line and is a committed defender. So yeah..

Otherwise known as having no positional sense, no distribution and a tendency to dive in. So, a committed but thoroughly flawed defender, an unprofessional human stain and a bad role model for our young players. He can go.

See what you want to see. Herd is the guy kicking off, I don't see Collins goading anyone or egging him on.

If he'd done nothing wrong why would he be apologising so unreservedly? Delph mentioned his mitigating circumstances, wouldn't Collins? Besides, look at the very beginning of the video, looks very much like Collins having a go. He's held back after that. Herd was the one caught on camera kicking off the most, but Collins was involved in that as well, almost certain of it.

[not3bad]

If he'd done nothing wrong why would he be apologising so unreservedly? Delph mentioned his mitigating circumstances, wouldn't Collins?

Because he realised that since he was there that he needs to take responsibility and that offering excuses wouldn't do any good?

[DB]

Massive massive overreaction in my opinion. Don't see what's wrong with players having a few drinks on a night out. Nobody knows what happened inside the club, so why have a go at Herd? Yes, he's lost his temper, but it's only the media that makes it reflect badly on the club. If you don't take it to heart, then you'll soon see this stuff just happens - he is human.

I like to see it as a good thing - at least he's got aggression.

Yes, but that's the issue - it's now all over the TV / press, not showing the Villa in a good light is it? It doesn't matter what went on, the media made a story out of it (whether you agree or dis-agree with how they reported it), the outcome is it's not helping us one bit.

PS all this crap about Herd showing agression so he can do it vs Spurs...what? Is this the 1970's? Since when does agression make a top quality footballer? Football has moved past this 'get stuck in lads, give them a few kicks' attitude...?

So? What difference does that make to anyone? Getting dragged into the media hype is ridiculous.

Football has moved past kicking people up in the air, yes, a long time ago. But it hasn't moved past getting stuck in. I made the comment at the end reasonably light heartedly... Herd shows aggression anyway IMO.

Re media, yes, but it's happened now the club have to deal with the fallout.

I'd rather players at Villa had skill, drive, passion and ability otherwise we'd have likes of David Speedie, Vinne Jones and Francis Benali.

These are grown men and have to be responsible for their actions.

[Monty]

If he'd done nothing wrong why would he be apologising so unreservedly? Delph mentioned his mitigating circumstances, wouldn't Collins?

Because he realised that since he was there that he needs to take responsibility and that offering excuses wouldn't do any good?

Well I presume these statements were vetted thoroughly by the club. Delph's excuses were given along with an apology for just being there, why shouldn't Collins say something along the lines of "though I wasn't involved in any physicality, I feel I should take responsibility as a senior player blah blah blah"? It would have been very easy.

[KevinGage]

The one potential downside to getting a new manager is that Collins, Warnock, Dunne and co will be issued with  another clean slate.  To add to the collection. I know the latter two weren't involved in this particular incident, but they are a symptom of everything that has been wrong with the club since 2010 onwards. 

Both had decent first seasons, but at any other similar sized club they'd have been bombed out long before now.

Not that I'm advocating sticking with Big Eck just for the benefit of seeing them moved on.  In a 'lesser-of-two-evils' type of way, I think we can just about endure another 12 months of them on the books (though hopefully not in the first XI all that much) if the trade off is we have a more competent manager.  In the case of Warnock and Dunne, I think that will take them up to the end of their contracts anyroad.

[Nirog72]

All this angst and it's clearly just a misunderstanding caused by the name of the venue.

[PeterWithe]

What sort of  idiot kicks a door and tells it to fuck off?

Jim Morrisons wife?

[Ads]

It’s a bit embarrassing, going at a door like Johnny Ten Men, but I cannot get worked up over this as some have.

 

[Ads]

Maybe I am missing something here, but can anybody explain how this is symptomatic of our decline?

Whether we were top or bottom, the players would still have gone out for a drink and Herd would still have kicked off.

I have been in Mechu when Custard Pants was getting tanked up and we were sitting 3rd in the table. Was that symptomatic of our success?

It seems all a bit please somebody think of the children. Or have I missed something here?

[PeterWithe]

The door hinges seem a bit tight, wants a bit of WD40 on it.