Birmingham Mail and Villa coverage

[Matt C]

Utter delight in misery, it seems.

[robbo1874]

I honestly can't detect any glee in our misery there.

Guess it depends on your outlook? I'm fairly optimistic about this season and am looking to a mid-table finish (9th was my prediction)

Fuck them anyway, if you don't like what they print/publish, then don't read it. We all know they're looking for a reaction to generate website hits by being 'controversial' but that article was pretty accurate in my view.

[Villa in Denmark]

Anyone who ends a statement of position on the internet with "-FACT." comes across as a bit of a tit.

Anyone who ends a statement of position as a journalist in a published article with "-FACT." comes across as a complete twat.

The basic facts he uses to start his various points aren't contentious. His spin on them is the sort of barely contained glee at the potential for problems you'd expect on blues or stripey forums.

Compare and contrast with the Wolves article underneath, where the opening 3 paragraphs have virtually the same starting points, but the directions they go off in are completely different.

If the basic tone had been along the lines of what most people on here have pointed to

Yes it's a pisser losing Benteke and Elaphe obsoleta quadrivittata.
The signings we've made should mean the squad overall is stronger.
Home games should be a darn sight more entertaining than any point since McLeish (arguably MOM's second season)
Chance to lay foundations for the next few years.
Recruitment of players seems to be more professional than the last few years.
Then there's no problem. None of the above is outrageously positive.

And that's before you get into pure BS such as:
Moaning about attendances and the ground only 2/3 full when average attendances are still well over 3/4 full.

Bemoaning what we spend on transfer fees as to one of the reasons we don't attract the players we used to.
We've not exactly been shopping in the bargain buckets this summer, and even under MON when did we shop from the top two shelves? The signings this year are more reminiscent of signing Young and Milner. Paying top dollar for players who've demonstrated lots at a good standard, but still need to prove it at the highest levels.

Using Stoke and Southampton as examples of clubs giving it a go in the transfer market.
I've not kept tabs, but I'd question if there's another club in Europe that's gone through the player recruitment we've done this summer.

There's plenty to say about the points he raises that could be a lot more balanced without being a supine cheerleader.

[Legion]

Who wrote the article?

[dave.woodhall]

Who wrote the article?

Gregg Evans, their main Villa writer.

[silhillvilla]

Tim Sherwood’s ratio since taking over suggests he would have got very close to tenth-placed Crystal Palace’s total of 48 points had he been in charge for the whole of last season, so that is one positive to take into the new campaign.

The manager insists Villa will not be languishing near to the drop zone this season and let’s hope he’s right.

I don't think there's too much wrong with the article and the above snippet adds fair balance

[LeeB]

Try and read it whilst remembering the writer is a Stripey.

He spends the first two paragraphs digging at our suggestions that were a big club.

[silhillvilla]

Fair enough I didn't realise he was a stripey

[dave.woodhall]

The whole thrust of the article is straight out of rule one of the Stripey Guide to Football:
"The Villa ay a big club."

[Legion]

Who wrote the article?

Gregg Evans, their main Villa writer.

I'm not his biggest fan.

[Exeter 77]

Something I probably wouldn't have thought of a few years ago.

The more I read stuff the Mail put out and hear from the idiots at WM means the more I appreciate the (now fairly obvious) balance of Tom Ross.

[KevinGage]

If I was enough of a brain donor to read Olbiyun fanzines or forums, that's the kind of guff I would expect to read.

It's constant sly digs from the twat.

Things don't happen by accident, so I credit the Mail with enough awareness to have put him in deliberately. It's not for his writing ability, anyroad.

They might have been miffed at losing access towards the end of Lambert's time, so replacing Kendrick with that provocative little turd seems to be their riposte.

[aj2k77]

The whole thrust of the article is straight out of rule one of the Stripey Guide to Football:
"The Villa ay a big club."

It's also inaccurate as usual from Gregg.

The ground isn't 1/3 empty.
Swansea and Stoke haven't made more of splash in the transfer market (Swansea have spent less than £10m and Stoke less than £9m.
What are these unique ideas he mentions that Stoke and Swansea use to do well? He doesn't elaborate because it's just a throw away line.
Villa's away following will dwindle... if it hasn't by now watching Lamberts Aston Villa 0 it won't under Sherwood trying to win games.
Villa can't attract any players with personal ambition.

It's a shit article, both in it's inaccuracies and overwhelming negativity. One line saying Sherwood did Ok doesn't change it.

[saunders_heroes]

Baggie Bill been given the push from the Mail.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Baggie Bill been given the push from the Mail.

Was that the bloke who insisted them throwing seats at people was no big deal but us celebrating on the pitch was a threat to public safety?