Well, that wasn’t pretty, was it?
I’m struggling to think of a more boring game and given that we’ve experienced plenty of them over the last few years, that’s saying something.
The whole game can probably be summed up by the lines from one of the commentators I was listening too, where he said;
“This is the Prem. This is supposed to be the best we’ve got”
And he was absolutely correct.
The standard of set pieces and balls in general, from both sides was woeful and backs up my claim that the Premiership is just a load of over-hyped rubbish.
I’m not going to go into the ins and outs of the game too much, as it really doesn’t matter and all that really did, was the result. Which we simply didn’t get.
On the face of it, a draw at the Baggies isn’t too bad a result really and I’d have happily taken it, if we weren’t in our current situation.
But we needed a win and the annoying thing is I think we could have got it, if we’d actually gone for it, as frankly Albion were no better and it could even be said that they were actually worse than us on the day.
Yes, maybe we should have had a penalty and I was calling the referee all sorts at the time, but my feeling was that he let a lot of things go, in an effort to keep the game flowing, something many fans have called for, for years.
It was a fairly robust type of game, just the sort you expect to see in a Derby and I was personally glad the ref did play it that way.
I doubt some of you will agree.
So in a game where I thought Gil looked bright, Gana worked hard and Ayew looked dangerous, again it doesn’t matter.
We needed the points, but ultimately didn’t get them.
Albion will comfortably survive, but we won’t, because it’s too late.
And that’s frustrating, given that we at least matched them today.
Good article. Backs up what Hitchens was saying recently…
http://sport360.com/article/football/english-premier-league/159461/inside-story-aston-villas-current-decline-is-30-years-in-the-making/
A very senior and well respected Birmingham business man once told me that Deadly’s problem is ‘that he knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing’. So true of his reign at Villa and interesting that Wragge said he was selling assets in 2005 to make the sale (of Villa) more attractive. If anyone asset stripped Villa to satisfy his pocket and stoke his ego it’s Ellis.
And we need the Ellis stand renamed – either after Dennis Mortimore or Sir Ron – absolute travesty being named after Deadly
They could change it to the Trevor Francis stand as for as I’m concerned, anything but the DE Stand.
far
Isn’t deadly still the president???
Yep – for life. Probably written into the sale contract – bet he gets paid as well!
Yea Giddy, of a banana republic.
SSN reporting debuchy deal back on.
I don’t believe a bloody thing now till they walk through the door, it could be a con.
I ‘ve a box of matches Giddy.
What the hell is going on. SSN (transfer centre blog) now saying Kalinic deal may be back on and was originally pulled because of Bunn’s good form. So which is true – this story or the one about a work permit? Talk about misinformation
Nothing says bullshit more than SSN says!
Don’t know what to believe is it another smokescreen by the club as the end of the window is near & FUCKall activity so far.
We need a friggin striker
…… And a miracle Giddy !
According to the Brum Mail, Villa are considering a second appeal for a work permit for Kalinic which clears up the report on SSN which has been removed! Now I’m confused here because it refers to a second appeal to the FA but I thought work permits were granted by the Home Office. Does anyone know why the FA are involved?
Just found this on their website if it helps
New work permit system
Required % of international matches over previous 24 months is determined by the player’s National Association’s official FIFA ranking:
FIFA 1-10: 30% and above
FIFA 11-20: 45% and above
FIFA 21-30: 60% and above
FIFA 31-50: 75% and above
Reference period reduced to 12 months for those players aged 21 or under at time of application
Read more at http://www.thefa.com/news/thefa/2015/mar/england-commission-update-work-permits-fa-chairman-greg-dyke#KGRlEY3TmkA6DW3E.99
There is a good deconstruction of the rules on 7500 site (sorry to mention other blog). It’s way more complex than the “games for country” thing. More weight is given (on a points system) for the size of transfer fee and wages of the player. So, the Sky 4 can get who they want, and other clubs need to tally up points by getting a player who has played lots of games for his country. Villa can up the transfer price and the wages to qualify him, but that is pretty absurd.
F@ck the FA
Thanks DSV and BWS but I’m still confused. As I read it the new work permit rules apply to non EEA countries but Croatia is a member of the EU and unless something has changed then you cannot restrict a citizen of the EU working in any other EU country – even the ‘mighty FA’ would struggle with that. So if he has to meet the 75% rule (as stated in one article) how does that square with Croatia being a member of the EU – or has Sky infiltrated the power base that is Brussels.
If Villa really are considering a second appeal then they must feel the FA have not interpreted their own rules fairly which would accord with your own skeptical view DSV.
Talk of Villa upping the price. If upped enough that might get more points and qualify him. No idea whether that would make the fee absurdly high. Talk of an increase around £1M or so. As for the EU point, I believe there is some delay in the UK government accepting the incoming Croatian nationals for another year or two. I think someone else has detailed this earlier.
Hitch your earlier comment regarding Deadly (‘that he knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing’.) Why does that not surprise me? Imo he’s been the ruin of the club.
Here’s a quote from the Grand Old Man of Aston Villa that Hollis would do well to to take on board – “Finance is important, but we should never forget that we are not talking about a mere business. This is the Aston Villa football club, and it deserves nothing short of the best.”
LOL obviously senile dementias kicking in since when have we ever had the best,I’ll go easy cus of his age but what utter bollox.
Right sentiment BWS about 30 years too late
Giddy, Hitchy those were the words of the Great Frederick Rinder who lead the re-organisation of the club’s administration in 1898 and his tenure has chair coincided with Villa’s most successful period and Villa’s first 6 championship wins.
So Giddy mate although a long long time ago and add on 80 – 81 -82- 83 we were at points in the past the very best.
And 30 to late Hitchy? Deadly put the spanner well and truly into those works and we then go and name a stand after the twat.
BWS – you put me to shame. To think I attributed those great words from such an icon of our heritage to Deadly – I am mortified. I really should have known about leopards and spots!
OLL – very difficult to compare such differing eras. I have some sympathy with your views regarding Lerner – the financial landscape if the prem has changed massively in a very short period of time and Lerner from being a rich owner in 2006 has seen his influence usurped by the financial crash (personal problems) and the rise of the super rich clubs but you are right in saying he should have bailed out done time ago rather than hanging on.
I’m not so sympathetic to Ellis though. Whilst many fans berate Lerner for lining his own pockets (whether real or not) the true culprit over many years, in my view, was Ellis.
It seems you know the man better than I and may feel my view is jaundiced.
It matters little who we sign, we are down…. We are having a little run of ok form at the moment and that is it….
Norwich are on 23 points from 23 games, so if they continue averaging the same points, they will finish on 38, for us to get to 39 points, we will have to collect more points in the last 15 games than the top 4 have averaged until this date, or more than treble our average point per game average… which is impossible !
Thanks Randy !!
My misunderstanding & yes he’s still a twat, my memory don’t go back to those days Thb MATE never heard of him shall I go as far as saying those were the good old days.
Shit BWS, your older than me mate, 1898? yep remember it well. any chance we can repeat it. tell you what lads I’ve a copy the first programme that Villa put out, will have to scan an show you all one day.
Show it me Bill? I was there mate 🙂
I’d love to see it Bill.
I got a bargain a couple of years back (well I thought it was) every home program from 80/81 including friendlies. They didn’t sell on Ebay so I sent the guy an email and made a cheeky offer (around £20) and he accepted, happy days mate.
I spent many hours talking to Ellis, usually in planes or at airports, but I have never met Lerner. Both suffered from the same problem though to a different scale in different eras. Their pockets were not deep enough.
Top level football today is an ego-trip or insurance policy for super-rich people with a flawed character. Because there are some like this in every league in Europe, only similar people with bottomless pots of cash can compete. Ellis and Lerner both thought they had enough money until the idiots upped the ante. Ellis then made, and Lerner is making – the same mistake of hanging on. When you first know you have not got the money to compete you must sell up and walk away. Neither did which has lost them more money and all support.
No point in complaining about the costs and trying to penny-pinch while saying “I am surrounded by Idiots!” Of course you are, you’re in the Asylum – the only thing to do is find a madman on the outside who wants your seat at the table.
Insurance policy? One that comes with a hefty premium!
But just does that work out, Tax or something?
Yes insurance against drinking some radioactive tea or walking into a poisoned umbrella. Mr Abramovitch has seen his lesser known countrymen suffer such ends, even in London. But the hoo-ha if the Chelsea owner were to meet a suspicious fate might just make it not worthwhile. So it does come with a hefty premium, but it is life insurance.
The old Litvinenko cocktail.
Apologies the reply above should have followed this post OLL – having problems with the iPad
I do not dislike Ellis either as a man or as Chairman of the club. As I said he hung on too long, but his excuse was he did take up references to ensure he was selling to somebody with a genuine interest in football and specifically Villa
When Ellis did investigate: several potential buyers seemed to be people with dubious records and questionable sources of cash. I do not know how general that case was, but I remember one name being mentioned who was soon on the run.
I agreed with him that Lerner seemed to be a man with enough clean money, and Ellis seemed to have picked someone who would take the club forward. But then the Arab money arrived and added a zero to everything.
Peter grant has some nerve talking about villa fans,he was part of a management team that took a term from 6,6,6,9 to 16 in table
Talk about wages given zog 2 highest paid players of all time,means managed 30 mins football for his wages,never mind 4 year contract plus 4.5 m for Hutton peter grant stones glasshouses come to mind
Well he was chief mafia, he also owns laundry shops that wasn’t mean’t for clothes. Just paper. Oops illegibley.
Sendeross has left by mutual consent.SSN
As others sign players, we show them the door!
Would Debuchy offer us anything in our current plight? With Richards moving over to right back and the back 4 looking more settled of late I’d argue that we don’t really need him. Scoring has been the big problem, so would have been more beneficial to see a centre forward come in on loan.
Richards has hardly been impressive though, and we can still sign more than one player which some don’t seem to get. Not every penny we have is going to go to Debuchy’s loan signing.
‘we can still sign more than one player…’
Well let’s start then! One would be good right now.
We need several new players in and personally I can’t stand these last minute deals that we always seem to get ourselves into.
Just in case you’re wondering IMHO we need these players for next season in the Championship, we need to start rebuilding now not once we’re down.
Pat57, exactly, you can almost feel how Villa are working, let’s wait and when the window closed, we can wait to find out who getting pushed out at the next window. Then we get players that only come for the money. We won’t sign anyone now, not with Lerners ideas we won’t, all the people he’s put in to Villa will go with the flow? Make or break and hope.
The only players we will sign on permanent deals are those who will have a profitable sell on value. Fox has made it clear that the remit is to only sign players that can then be sold for a profit.
If that is the way we go then there really is no point in following the club. Hollis and Fox have both said that the club needs it’s fans support. With the remit in place only a complete idiot would spend their hard earned on AVFC knowing as soon as we get a decent player coming through he’ll be sold and the money given to Lerner meaning we will never build a decent team under this regime.
The club has been killed but will be resurrected once The Yanks have fucked off.
This debuchy links boring me now he either wants to come or he doesn’t,kalinic FUCK knows I very much doubt it.I I hope REMI takes a good look at his position in the club cus I’d put my house on it he gave the club a number of targets to look at which more than likely was filed in the bin. Can’t see no one coming in & let’s wait for the laundry list of bullshite excuses coming out of the club’s PR machine why.