Dr T has pulled the trigger

[Ian.]

It has reached the point where I would consider literally sacrificing a player if it would appease the gods and win us a match.

I hope that's not a threat? This site will be closed down at this rate.

No, it's a really, really obscure Monty Python quote.

Phew, that's ok. I was going to start wondering if the disappearance of Tshibola had anything to do with you.

[LeeB]

What about Woy?

[Stirchley Villain]

17th... not quite going to plan is it?

Your point being?

That is my point.

Do you have a degree in stating the obvious?

Why would I need a degree to state the obvious?

[Richard E]

17th... not quite going to plan is it?

Your point being?

That is my point.

Do you have a degree in stating the obvious?

Why would I need a degree to state the obvious?

You need a degree for everything these days. Look how many graduates there are stacking shelves in supermarkets.

[tomd2103]

That's steve Bruce that got SHA promoted and a poor Hull side promoted, twice.  Once a recently as last season.  I'd take him.

Bruce will possibly get us promoted but will hit his ceiling real fast thereafter. We should be looking longer-term than that (as Dr.T has stated). I think RDM deserves another month at least before we even consider another managerial change.

After the start we've made, I think most of us would take that wouldn't we?  Way too early to be writing De Matteo off at this point though.

[olaftab]

You need a degree for everything these days. Look how many graduates there are stacking shelves in supermarkets.

Stacking shelves is not a menial task. It is an art form requiring extra-ordinary dexterity combined with supreme athleticism and head for detail. I know as I did it in my student days and it greatly contributed to my education and turned me into a "Captain of Industry" that I am today. Please do not treat stacking shelves in similar vein to trivial pursuits like...errr like Accounting or Law.

[Richard E]

You need a degree for everything these days. Look how many graduates there are stacking shelves in supermarkets.

Stacking shelves is not a menial task. It is an art form requiring extra-ordinary dexterity combined with supreme athleticism and head for detail. I know as I did it in my student days and it greatly contributed to my education and turned me into a "Captain of Industry" that I am today. Please do not treat stacking shelves in similar vein to trivial pursuits like...errr like Accounting or Law.

I was originally going to end my comment with 'or teaching' but decided it would not reflect well on me.

[Des Little]

You need a degree for everything these days. Look how many graduates there are stacking shelves in supermarkets.

Stacking shelves is not a menial task. It is an art form requiring extra-ordinary dexterity combined with supreme athleticism and head for detail. I know as I did it in my student days and it greatly contributed to my education and turned me into a "Captain of Industry" that I am today. Please do not treat stacking shelves in similar vein to trivial pursuits like...errr like Accounting or Law.

You are Mr Logic and I claim my (new plastic) £5

[SoccerHQ]

I still think some people are clearly in denail about how big this rebuild job is and how hard it's going to be to get out this league anytime soon.

Give it a chance FFS, it was always going to be a BIG job, just throwing money at it isn't going to make it any easier for a new team to gel. It's going to take time, it always was

I still think it could take three seasons. And no amount of changing managers/players is going to change that.

Yep. People getting into an almighty panic after 7 games is astonshing.

In recent years we've sacked our last three managers when they've gone into 1 win in 9/10/11 games terrority.

RDM is very close to that now and as I've said before imo Dr Tony will not let things drift like Lerner did under Lambert.

You have to see this from the owners perspective, he is not going to spend 150m (the 3 seasons to get promoted line) to get us to the prem. Eventually you have to take a step back, stop throw money and say stop. 50m should be more than good enough at this level to get promotion.

I'd agree this season would be a write off if we still had Richards and Lescott as CBs, Hutton as RB and Sinclair upfront but we don't, we have good players for this level.

Robbie needs to win some games and quick.

[brian green]

I have made my decision to stop hurting myself and indirectly my family by cutting to a small number of Villa games I attend from this time onwards.  However, I would like to believe that Tony Xia will take RDM, Steve Clarke and Kevin Bond aside in a private room somewhere and say "Start winning games or I WILL sack you".
The hidden dichotomy of modern football is that managers and coaches really don't give a shit about the supporters.  To them we are an irrelevance to be tossed the odd palliative sound bite cliché from time to time.  The owners on the other hand know that the fanbase underpins a huge part of their investment.  RDM could walk away from the club a substantially even richer man than when he came.  Just like O'Neill, Houllier, McLeish, Lambert, Sherwood, and Garde.  Tony Xia on the other hand sees millions going down the toilet with every losing game.  The motor that drives our recovery if and when it comes is going to be the owner, not the manager.

[mr underhill]

lots there to agree with. I am not going to subject my family to self indulgent hissy fits any longer just because we can't resemble a competitive football team, so I'm going to be very selective about when I attend future games for the sake of my sanity and blood pressure. If Tony decides to pull the trigger now I wouldn't blame him and it wouldn't bother me one iota how that was perceived by the media and wider football community. In the last two seasons, we've spent around £100m gross on players, more than enough for successive management teams to have got them to play a half decent tune. If RDM can't do it soon he should go. Bruce gets on my tits but has a decent track record of getting teams up.

[eamonn]

Tyrone was the driver.

I hope Adomah isn't packing the same amount of lard as Tyrone (or Gabby for that matter).
"Get-away driver?! What the phuck can he get away from?!"

[Clampy]

Someone on another thread said at the end of their post 'we haven't got the points we deserve' which I thought was about right. Other than Luton and Bristol City, you could arguably say that we've deserved to win every game we've played but naivety, switching off and shoddy defending have cost us. Take away the last minute goals, we'd be up in the play off area's and we're only 5 points off them anyway but people are just seeing that we're 17th and deciding it's a disaster. Huddersfield are top but it doesn't mean they're going to stay there.

[Ger Regan]

Someone on another thread said at the end of their post 'we haven't got the points we deserve' which I thought was about right. Other than Luton and Bristol City, you could arguably say that we've deserved to win every game we've played but naivety, switching off and shoddy defending have cost us. Take away the last minute goals, we'd be up in the play off area's and we're only 5 points off them anyway but people are just seeing that we're 17th and deciding it's a disaster. Huddersfield are top but it doesn't mean they're going to stay there.

It sounded as if we fully deserved not to win on Wednesday, but the general point may stand.

[brian green]

I don't look at 17th and think it is a disaster.  The individual blows even as bad as relegation you can ride and come back for more.  It is the endless repetition, over and over again of the same mistakes on the field and by implication in the boardroom and at the training ground.  That is the disaster.  The Brentford game was Bradford and Notts County and Wycombe revisited.  I have had enough of false dawns and better tomorrows.  I saw four centre forwards in front of a bad and unfit/overrated midfield pairing and I despaired.  I have had enough of despairing.  There is more to life than football.