Leon Bailey

[Clark W Griswold]

When he was bad it looked like all the different bits of his body were being controlled by different remotes. Now it's all one coherent fluid motion. The ways he finds to spin and run out of trouble in our right back area...we haven't had someone do that this well since Grealish.

Trying to explain to my son that there have been a few Villa players down the years who, whenever they receive the ball, the crowd start to take notice and get excited. For me it was Walters, Daley and Grealish but I reckon Bailey could well be up there.

That’s probably the kiss of death….

I'd add Ashley Young mk I to that. There was a sense that something would happen when we got the ball to him.

He was great, well until he went to Man Utd and kept sticking his trailing leg out in the penalty area.

Add Merson to the list as well. Daley had games where the opposing players might as well have not been there, he did what he liked, just his final ball lacked a lot of the time. I was a big fan though. With Grealish, more often than not when he got the ball i just thought 'free kicking coming up'. Not to be sniffed at mind, it did take the pressure off the rest of the team when we weren't very good.

[Smithy]

He has become the player we all thought or hoped he would become and now in really good, exciting form.  Mind you, it does help when defenders allow him to shift the ball to his left foot.  Same again in the next two games and we'll be very happy.

Go and look at his assists vs Everton and Arsenal. Sometimes defenders have done their research and will do anything to avoid letting him inside on his left foot.  When that happens, he can go outside into all the space he is being offered, cross with his right and get assists (for Ollie and McGinn in those examples).

As long as the forwards know what to do and where to be when he's forced outside, I have no problem with defenders making it harder for him to get on his left.  The more they set up to avoid letting him on his left, the more room they have to give him to go outside on his right, and he's already shown he can create goals that way.

I imagine he's an absolute nightmare to play against in his current form.  Pacy, tricky, and can score or create by going round either side of you.  I'd hate to see a player like him up against us.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I see Tony Morley waving trying to get a mention.  When he received the ball and his head went down...

John Gidman deserves a mention too.

[Percy McCarthy]

So, apparently Butler said there’s an option to join a ‘bigger’ club in his lovely new contract.

[chrisw1]

FFS.

[Smithy]

So, apparently Butler said there’s an option to join a ‘bigger’ club in his lovely new contract.

I wouldn't read too much into that.  We know what Butler is like. Also, minimum release fee clauses are pretty standard these days, and as long as it's set high enough, I don't see the problem.  If he wants to join Real Madrid for £150m, allowing Monchi and Unai to have that money for a rebuild, then I'll drive him there myself :-)

[Toronto Villa]

It's probably a release fee. Not exactly a surprise these days. Our jopb as a club is to convince our best players to stay. We have failed time and again to do that over many decades. We finally have a manager and structure to keep our best players for longer. We need to be relevant. At the top end of the table and in with a chance of winning trophies every year to get the best players and keep the best players.

[PaulWinch again]

So, apparently Butler said there’s an option to join a ‘bigger’ club in his lovely new contract.

I would from an actual contractual point of view how you draft that - what is the definition of “bigger” and how does it get agreed?

[Toronto Villa]

Any club that can afford the release clause I would imagine. Which eliminates most clubs in the world. Especially in an era of FFP.

[Dogtanian]

I've heard of clauses that state things like 'champions league clubs' etc., but yeah, if the release fee is high enough then it's only going to be someone with megabucks that pay it anyway.

[Clark W Griswold]

So, apparently Butler said there’s an option to join a ‘bigger’ club in his lovely new contract.

I would from an actual contractual point of view how you draft that - what is the definition of “bigger” and how does it get agreed?

I'd say it doesn't, it's just Butler being a twat and using that terminology. He really is a twat, thankfully he's kept his gob shut so far more than i expected but there's time. I should say its a general release clause most likely based on value.

[PeterWithesShin]

A release clause doesn't guarantee he'd leave anyway. Lets say Fulham met it in the summer, there's fuck all chance he'd go there. And i'd imagine it will be near £100m, which limits it to a handful of clubs that could pay that, and if they have that much to spend I doubt it would be on Bailey.

[Toronto Villa]

So, apparently Butler said there’s an option to join a ‘bigger’ club in his lovely new contract.

I would from an actual contractual point of view how you draft that - what is the definition of “bigger” and how does it get agreed?

I'd say it doesn't, it's just Butler being a twat and using that terminology. He really is a twat, thankfully he's kept his gob shut so far more than i expected but there's time. I should say its a general release clause most likely based on value.

If you read about what Butler has done for Bailey in his life I think he's far from a twat. Now, could he maybe choose his words better or not be so public? Sure. But I don't know that makes him a twat.

[Dogtanian]

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1754513588704677956?s=20

He's happy to stay!

[Risso]

https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1754513588704677956?s=20

He's happy to stay!

Nothing to do with Bailey, but what an abomination Twitter is these days. Look at all those absolutely nonsensical replies from Blue Tick bots clogging up the tweet.

"Why don't they sign cristiano and bring him to Europe"
"Poch sacked yet"
"Happy birthday CR7"
"Thought Windows is closed"
"Happy Birthday Ronaldo"
"Looking forward to the deal" x 7.

Well played, Elon. Not a single reply from a genuine Villa fan anywhere near the top.