Well, it could have been worse couldn’t it?
It’s a home draw and although that would normally be a good thing, I don’t know how to view it given our home form over the last couple of seasons.
On second thoughts, surely that has to be good.
Then it’s Leicester, who over the years would have been a great draw for us.
But given that they beat us on their patch a couple of weeks back, it makes this a very interesting tie.
Regardless, I’d expect us to win this one and if we do, well, who knows how far we could go?
I can always dream can’t I?
I think you can say that this is loyalty, Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph decided to stay at the club a couple of months after talks started over his new contract, according to quotes carried by London24.
Delph was reportedly being tracked by Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, but has revealed that he instructed his agent not to talk to any third parties because he didn’t want to leave Villa Park.
“I told him to leave me alone as I want to focus on my football and get myself fit,” said Delph.
“He did as he was told. He’s a great guy and a great friend. If I have a bit of respect from someone I seem to get that easy bond with someone.”
“I knew probably about a week into it (two months of talks) I wanted to stay here.”
The admissions are extremely encouraging for any Aston Villa fans who may have feared that Delph’s new contract may have simply been an idea to generate a higher fee for him in the summer.
He made a commitment with his new long term contract and seems to be fully focused and determined to follow through on it.
Agents are responsible for brokering deals and netting large fees in the process, but Delph’s comments suggest there was never any real momentum behind him wanting to leave the club.
Tottenham and Liverpool could still make moves for him but it would take a very poor second half of the season for him to consider leaving Villa.
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The only thing, which could possibly change the tone of his comments is if the side gets relegated from the Premier League.
However, in that instance, Spurs and Liverpool would have to question the value in taking another look at a deal which would be very expensive.
How important will Delph be for Aston Villa over the rest of the season?
TOM FOX on Villa. Birmingham mail two hours ago, “The top five clubs from a revenue perspective are in a fairly different place to where we are now.
“I think top five is going to be very difficult for us in the period of three to five years.
“But we can get much closer to them in five years’ time.
“Ultimately we want to get ourselves back into a place where we can at least see those clubs and be within touching distance of a maybe a place in Europe.
“Our chairman has never been afraid to spend money on the club.
“But it is not sustainable and under the current regulations it is not allowable for a owner to come in and put all of the funds in that are necessary to compete at the top of the Premier League.
“We need to put the club in a better position though to be generating more of it’s own revenue.
“This is a big club and we need to be capturing more of the value from being Aston Villa football club than we are today.
“If we do that it takes the pressure off the owner to put nothing but his own money in which he has done significantly since he has purchased the club , sorry lads by then I’d might be curling my toes up.
“But we can get much closer to them in five years’ time.”
Strange comment that, why five years? Perhaps that’s how long before the will take to kick in and make it a more level playing field? Well whatever the reason go down and it’s back to the drawing board.
*The fair-play*
Another 5 yr plan yawn
CEO Tom Fox speaks to us which is a bonus he’s told us the plan and where we are going and I feel he will push Lerner in the right direction.On another note regarding players in Sinclair deal app back on utv
Your happy with another 5 years of Lamberk and lerner then?
No not happy but nothing I can do to get rid of either of them.Lerner is the owner who couldn’t give 2 hoots what you or I or anybody else thinks about his tenure.Lerner likes Lambert so does Tom Fox so just forget about it mate it’s a done deal and our opinions don’t mean shit.utv
True but we need to vote with our feet. Charm offensive will come out in a month or so when they start wanting STs renewed. That’s the perfect time to have our voices heard but people will still buy them in droves paying good money to watch shite
Milan fans did it with the Lazio Coppa Italia game, not even a quarter of their main stand had people in it and guess what… Inzaghi’s still there, Galliani, Berlusconi just don’t care.
While it might work for Villa, there’s a possibility that it won’t.
Total rubbish.
He says there is a 5-year-plan but doesn’t say what the plan is.
The club is being run by chimps from top to bottom.
They prefer to bring in another mercanary like Sinclair so thats Grealish’s career over before its even started.
The cluB is a joke.
There was a 3 year plan. Young and Hungry we were told while shipping dead wood – Failed
Then a 5 year plan, Young and Hungry (with experience) – Failed again
Now another 5 year plan, as you Garethvilla a plan we fans don’t have a clue about?! It’s the blind leading the blind. Noone in reality has a clue what the plan is.
In contrast, I think Fox is a decent appointment but it will take years to repair the damage done at this point. When you break something it takes double the time to fix it.
Our club is at this point directionless and heading into an abyss. I still feel we’re right on for relegation this year.
All I got from that stupid Fox was “we’re not going to sack Paul”. So in other words “we know better than you the fans”.
I wonder if getting relegated is part of this ‘5-year-plan’?
What a pitiful Football Club we have become.
Totally unrecognisible from the Club that use to mean so much to me.
Where does he talk about a ‘five year plan’ – nowhere! All he gives is a realistic assessment of our position, what the owner can afford and the implications of FFP rules. Other than some mega rich buyer coming in what the hell do you expect him to say! The most revealing state to is that we are under performing in term of revenue generation for the brand that is Villa and his job is to rectify that which just happens to be his prime area of expertise. That is going to take time but it seems to me that RL made the right appointment in bringing Fox in.
On Delph; it’s really refreshing to hear what he has to say. I wish him well and hope he can become the leader and midfield general we need.
State to – statement bl***y predictive text!
Who the hell is going to be interested in the “brand” that is Aston Villa?
Nobody.
Delph’s comments were good aswell.
“I’m just a guy from a Bradford council estate”.
There ain’t too many on £55,000 per week that live on a Bradford council estate.
What planet are these moron’s on?
Gareth Villa – exactly how old are you? You’re comments are childish in the extreme.
He said by 2020 I think we are in 2015 that’s 5 years reading between the lines
Apparently Sinclair’s deal is back on, could be a loan with a view to a permanent in the summer. Sounds a lot better than Cleverley’s current loan to me! I actually like Sinclair and if he can half as good as he was at Swansea we’ll have some player!
I’d go with that never thought Cleverly would be an asset to Villa had that clumsy look about him. Sinclair however looks a better prospect for us, early days! and the thought of loan first buy later got to be good.
with delph resigned, midfield looks good. if he continues three or two defensive and a attacking one like in the diamond i can’t see where cleverley is fitting in this team. sanchez westy delph and bacuna all are better then cleverely then the two attacking players behind benteke are between, gil weimann gabby and sinclair if hes signs so i ask whats the point of paying cleverley wages if hes just a back up
On a related point, I think that now Fox has had time to assess all aspects of the Villa as a business we will start to see more statements from him about the changes he wants to put in place. As a proven developer of revenue steams, I would also expect him to be a good communicator (and please don’t respond with all the comments about us being lied to as successful business men like Fox need a high level of integrity to succeed).
whats total rubbish
is saying signing players like sinclair ends grealish career…. lmao. competition can’t improve him then his career will be up for sure. other young players face the same development. you get a chance and prove to everyone that you can keep the shirt. he started against blackpool and didn’t do anything.
spurs have to youngsters in their line up and both fought hard to get the shirt and both continue to play very well too keep the shirt, competition is good for players sumat we have lacked for years. gabby is another one who needs to wake up and face a fight for the place
Agree completely.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/hull-aston-villa-line-up-5060532
That link is about Demba Ba
We’ve bid 13m Euros . Sounds like a made up twitter story . We can dream.
“Reportedly the Clermont striker, Jordan Nkololo, is currently spending this week at Aston Villa on trial.
The Frenchman is also not involved in the plans of Ligue 2 side raising suspicions of a transfer move to the team struggling most for goals in the Premier League (11 this season)”
Syllas old club no? ffs
Oh no, we have a player on trial. That sounds terrible.
If anyone is looking for a definition of sinisysm all they need to do is read this blog!
If soneone is looking how to spell cynicism all they need to do is read a dictionary. 😉
And learn how to spell ‘someone’ too whilst they’re at it! Doh!
Bum Bum , I’ve always advocated you can have all the O levels and A levels, but you know what common sense is what your born with, some people more than others.
Scott Sinclair today utv