Aston Villa v Newcastle United Post-Match Thread

[pauliewalnuts]

Does this make 25% of our support glory-hunters?

Given the near total lack of glory, "adequacy seekers" would seem a better term.

[silhillvilla]

Does this make 25% of our support glory-hunters?

No, it makes 75% are ambulance chasers.

[Lastfootstamper]

Does this make 25% of our support glory-hunters?

Aren't we all glory-hunters, just that 20-odd thousand of us have more blind faith and eternal optimism than the other (arguably more sensible) 10,000?

[Chipsticks]

People aren't stupid. They can sniff out a lack of ambition a mile off.

Am I the only one who things that there's plenty of ambition about the club at the moment?

[silhillvilla]

People aren't stupid. They can sniff out a lack of ambition a mile off.

Am I the only one who things that there's plenty of ambition about the club at the moment?

Yes.

[Chipsticks]

People aren't stupid. They can sniff out a lack of ambition a mile off.

Am I the only one who things that there's plenty of ambition about the club at the moment?

Yes.

I think the signings have been very good and we're trying to sell the club so we can move onwards towards success. We've started the season well so I don't quite get why people think everything's gloomy and there's no hope.

[Toronto Villa]

People aren't stupid. They can sniff out a lack of ambition a mile off.

Am I the only one who things that there's plenty of ambition about the club at the moment?

I don't think our ambition is any more or less than the clubs we are competing with. That's my point to paulie. I appreciate that might appear a glossy assessment to him but I think it's the reality of the situation we are in irrespective of how much we've spent. Off course his version of reality is different to mine which is fine.

[pauliewalnuts]

People aren't stupid. They can sniff out a lack of ambition a mile off.

Am I the only one who things that there's plenty of ambition about the club at the moment?

I don't think our ambition is any more or less than the clubs we are competing with. That's my point to paulie. I appreciate that might appear a glossy assessment to him but I think it's the reality of the situation we are in irrespective of how much we've spent. Off course his version of reality is different to mine which is fine.

And doesn't the clubs we're currently "competing with" sort of say something about our ambition?

I am willing to be persuaded, though, so go on, tell me how we're being ambitious?

[Chipsticks]

People aren't stupid. They can sniff out a lack of ambition a mile off.

Am I the only one who things that there's plenty of ambition about the club at the moment?

I don't think our ambition is any more or less than the clubs we are competing with. That's my point to paulie. I appreciate that might appear a glossy assessment to him but I think it's the reality of the situation we are in irrespective of how much we've spent. Off course his version of reality is different to mine which is fine.

And doesn't the clubs we're currently "competing with" sort of say something about our ambition?

I am willing to be persuaded, though, so go on, tell me how we're being ambitious?

Finally signing experienced players and a holding midfielder. We have a better squad then 50% of the league at least, and we're in the process of trying to sell the club for the better. That's hardly going backwards.

[pauliewalnuts]

People aren't stupid. They can sniff out a lack of ambition a mile off.

Am I the only one who things that there's plenty of ambition about the club at the moment?

I don't think our ambition is any more or less than the clubs we are competing with. That's my point to paulie. I appreciate that might appear a glossy assessment to him but I think it's the reality of the situation we are in irrespective of how much we've spent. Off course his version of reality is different to mine which is fine.

And doesn't the clubs we're currently "competing with" sort of say something about our ambition?

I am willing to be persuaded, though, so go on, tell me how we're being ambitious?

Finally signing experienced players and a holding midfielder. We have a better squad then 50% of the league at least, and we're in the process of trying to sell the club for the better. That's hardly going backwards.

The last three years don't suggest we have a better squad than 50% of the league.

I also don't really see trying to sell the club as a sign of ambition - it's a sign of wanting to get out, which is half the problem.

Also, "signing a DM"? That's not really a shining example of ambition. I'd also suggest "not going backwards" is not really a great sign of ambition. If we went any further backwards, we'd be relegated.

There's nothing about the way we act that suggests we're currently aiming at much above not getting relegated before Randy can sell. I understand why that is it, but what I find it hard to accept is that our aims extend much beyond that.

Of course the manager wants to improve the squad. That goes without saying. But that's not the same thing as the club showing ambition - and intent - to improve markedly.

[PeterWithesShin]

We're going to be competing with the clubs from 8th place down this season. Same as we have for the vast majority of our history.

[Toronto Villa]

It says something about the state of football today and the barriers that have been created to stop us and clubs like us from competing at the top end of the table. What would it take to compete with the clubs you want to from where we are right now? Because short a stupidly rich owner coming in and even then finding FFP in his way it's not going to happen. We are currently competing against all of the clubs  other than those that most people would consider title contenders or CL position chasers. Sorry to say but any more than that is not going to happen overnight and given where we've been the last couple of years I'd take not fighting relegation for one year as a starting point. The squad we have right now and with a couple more players coming in and those returning should see us comfortably to that position. We don't need to spend 30m to do that.

[pauliewalnuts]

It says something about the state of football today and the barriers that have been created to stop us and clubs like us from competing at the top end of the table. What would it take to compete with the clubs you want to from where we are right now? Because short a stupidly rich owner coming in and even then finding FFP in his way it's not going to happen. We are currently competing against all of the clubs  other than those that most people would consider title contenders or CL position chasers. It's not going to happen overnight and given where we've been the last couple of years I'd take not fighting relegation for one year as a starting point. The squad we have right now and with a couple more players coming in and those returning should see us comfortably to that position. We don't need to spend 30m to do that.

The reason we are not competing at the top of the table, or even in the top half, is nothing whatsoever to do with barriers created by FFP, it is to do with the financial and mental retreat of our owner from our club.

It doesn't take stupid riches to spend more than 7m or so improving what was already a pathetic squad.

I'll hail that ambition you mention - i.e. the extra players we need - when I actually see it happen, because thus far, there hasn't been much demonstration of intent.

Like I said, we want to not get relegated, and for someone to buy us in the meantime. I understand that, I understand why Randy sees it that way, and I understand why he is making it that way, but I am not going to start to pretend we're just some equal partner in a bunch of 12-14 sides with nothing much to play for.

The evidence of the last three years, and the evidence of our summer business thus far suggests we're really about not going down, something we've narrowly avoided in recent times, and I have seen nothing whatsoever to suggest things have changed much in the meantime.

[Chipsticks]

People aren't stupid. They can sniff out a lack of ambition a mile off.

Am I the only one who things that there's plenty of ambition about the club at the moment?

I don't think our ambition is any more or less than the clubs we are competing with. That's my point to paulie. I appreciate that might appear a glossy assessment to him but I think it's the reality of the situation we are in irrespective of how much we've spent. Off course his version of reality is different to mine which is fine.

And doesn't the clubs we're currently "competing with" sort of say something about our ambition?

I am willing to be persuaded, though, so go on, tell me how we're being ambitious?

Finally signing experienced players and a holding midfielder. We have a better squad then 50% of the league at least, and we're in the process of trying to sell the club for the better. That's hardly going backwards.

The last three years don't suggest we have a better squad than 50% of the league.

I also don't really see trying to sell the club as a sign of ambition - it's a sign of wanting to get out, which is half the problem.

Also, "signing a DM"? That's not really a shining example of ambition. I'd also suggest "not going backwards" is not really a great sign of ambition. If we went any further backwards, we'd be relegated.

There's nothing about the way we act that suggests we're currently aiming at much above not getting relegated before Randy can sell. I understand why that is it, but what I find it hard to accept is that our aims extend much beyond that.

Of course the manager wants to improve the squad. That goes without saying. But that's not the same thing as the club showing ambition - and intent - to improve markedly.

- I'm not talking about the last three years. I'm talking about this one.
- I think Sanchez is a top player, but it's too early to tell.
- Disagree, out ambition is far above avoiding relegation.

[pauliewalnuts]

Where is the evidence to suggest we're aiming far above avoiding relegation? I'm willing to listen and be convinced. I just can't see any.

I agree, Sanchez might turn out to be brilliant, but I really don't see how signing one player for 4m is a sign of significant ambition.

I keep saying this, but don't get me wrong, I entirely understand that Randy has lost interest - he has as good as told us he has, he's spoken, has said he wants out, it could not get any clearer than that. I totally get it. I totally get that he's clearly going to spend as little time and money as he can before selling us.

I understand that as well.

I totally get the concept of us being effectively in deep freeze until he moves us on. All of that makes sense. So does the evidence of the last three years. All of that, I get it. I understand it. I don't like it, but i see why he is doing it.

I just haven't seen anything whatsoever to suggest that, despite all the above, we really have any ambition beyond the bare minimum - survival.