R.Bear

I would say Ross McCormack was our worst ever signing. We played it safe by signing a proven Championship goal scorer or so we thought. Not a gamble, just guaranteed goals so paid the premium for it. Unfortunately as has often been the case with Villa, proven goalscorers seem to forget how to score when they sign for us. Instead we signed a fat, useless waste of space with an attitude even worse than his performances. Then top it off we had to pay him a promotion bonus despite not playing for us for two years. Wesley was rubbish but he was a gamble, tried his best and suffered that awful injury. McCormack was just a disaster from start to finish.

Pretty nice start although I'm reliably informed that we play all 19 teams home and away throughout the season so it really doesnt matter the order we play them

The tired excuse is such bollocks. Germany just battered Italy, are they tired? Belgium thrashed Poland 6-1 a few days ago, are they tired? In any other year we would be playing a World Cup right now. No-one would dare use that excuse then. Every team and player in this comp have played a full season. It's a pathetic cowardly excuse.

The boos at full-time will be deafening. I bet Channel 4 are delighted they bought the rights to England's Nation's League games games

England have played Hungary three times 7 months, all in competitive games, scored one goal and havent won any of them.

Southgate is very lucky he has money in the bank because this set of results is one of the worst by any England manager in history. In competitive games too. It would get anyone else the sack, no doubt about that.

He rarely ever scores in finals or big games. Goalless at Euro 2016. He didnt score in the knockout rounds at the 2018 World Cup after the pen against Colombia, was rubbish at the start of the Euros and was only ok by the end of them. He was lucky his pen against Denmark was saved directly at him. He's never delivered when it matters for England in a tourney.

People say this far too much. There are some good players in the squad but not many great ones and the centre backs and goalkeeper are nothing more than ok. None of the midfielders are world class and Harry Kane blows hot and cold. Individually, this team isnt a patch on the golden generation. Not even close. They've been more successful sure but this myth that this is some embarrassment of riches is nonsense. There are at least 6 teams with better squads at the World Cup.

Really? You "cant believe it"? Yeah its one of the biggest anomalies in the space time continuum that England's most successful manager in 50 years is still manager. How do we possibly get our heads around it?!

This is where Southgate is damned if he does and damned if he doesnt. If he doesnt play Grealish then the usual suspect will be up in arms. If he does start him and he plays well and/or England get a result then the same people will be saying "we told you so". If he doesnt have a good game then it will be "Southgate doesnt know how to get the best out of him". Whatever happens and whatever he does, he cant win. The fans moaning have no accountability. They arent the ones who have to face the media answering the questions. I'm not feeling sorry for him but he's backed himself into a corner now with no way out. Well other than winning the World Cup.

Well that's put me in my place. How about enlightening me as to what you disagree with and let's discuss this like adults?

Utter bollocks. Glenn Hoddle was one of the most gifted English players of his generation and the England team should have been built around him. So if you win the title and European Cup, that means you should automatically be capped by your country? That Villa team was the definition of more than the sum of its parts. Without stars so its not a surprise. Much like Forest before them and their team were hardly capped either. I never understand why so many Villa fans moan about these so called injustices. The FA is out to get us, the refs favour anyone we're playing. It's absolute drivel and embarrassingly small time.

We're going back 40 years for an example are we? Besides, Peter Withe was in the 1982 England World Cup squad.

These games from an England point of view really mean nothing. In the sense that whatever England do, good or bad, all that they will be judged on is the World Cup. Southgate is playing with house money. That said, if they have a poor WC, people will say the seeds were sewn during the Nation's League performances or lack of them.

Hi there!

I hear this all the time. Can someone give me some examples of players who didnt get capped because of who they played for? It's a myth. If you're good enough, you'll get picked. As for Le Tissier, I didnt say anything about his ability. He just would never have made it at a top club. He didnt have the drive or work rate. His legacy is a non existent international career, no European appearances and no winners medals (or even cup finals). A great YouTube package and a legend at Southampton. Whoopee do. This is why I laugh when people mention "loyalty". Who wouldn't turn down a big move for more money, world class teammates, trophies and fame. Only an idiot or a painfully unambitious coward like Le Tissier. Jack made the right move for him and I don't care how many Villa fans whine about it.

Do people still buy this? The reason Le Tissier didnt join a bigger club wasnt because of loyalty. It was because if he played for a big club he wouldnt get away with being lazy and out of shape. There would be expectations and he would be expected to perform week in week out against the best and in Europe. He took the easy option of being first name of the teamsheet no matter what and being worshipped by Soton's fans. Le Tissier for a big club would have been like he was for England, rubbish and ineffectual. Plus he is a total gobshite with twisted views and anything he says to backtrack on them is just to obtain media work. There's a reason Southampton are distancing themselves from him.

How many West Ham fans do you ever see or speak too? How often do you hear that phrase? England winning the World Cup bothers you because of what some fans of a club supposedly say? How are West Ham a "proper club"? What is a "proper club"? Why does it matter who a player plays for when they represent their country? What was so wrong with the squad that played Hungary and why dont you respect or support it? If I was being polite I would say this post was nonsensical. If I was being less polite I would describe it as unequivocal nonsense. Luckily I'm polite.

Yet they were the better team in both games. This isnt a game of FIFA. It isnt just about how many star players you have. What you're really saying is "England and Belgium have more famous players". Italy were the best team at Euro 2020 which is why they won it. Same with Greece.

They finished 3rd place at the World Cup and in both tournaments lost only to the winners. He's also won virtually every qualifying game he's managed. People forget that only one team can actually win a tournament and teams that dont aren't automatically bottlers or have wasted their talent. Sometimes you just lose to a better side. You can say Belgium have underachieved if you like but Martinez has done a really good job and saying otherwise is incorrect.

I'd hate to be Scottish right now. It would have been somewhat tolerable missing out on the World Cup again if Ukraine had qualified in a "greater good" kind of way. Instead they get to watch a home nation qualify for the first time in nearly triple the time they've waited

I see a lot of people slagging off Martin Tyler on Twitter. I didnt realise he was so disliked these days.

I wonder if the opening ceremony will be before that game or before Qatar later that day I always assumed this was because an opening game featuring Qatar is so uninspiring that they put Netherlands vs Senegal first so it wouldn't be a massive damp squib. A host nation where 99.9% of people couldnt name a single player, probably in their entire history

Signings like this just baffle me. Signing a striker from one of the "lesser" leagues is always a risk even when they have scored a bucketload. Wesley hadnt done that so you assumed the scouts had seen something his record didnt display. No, he was useless. However it could forgiven as a "gamble" if it was a free or very cheap transfer. But no, he cost a fortune. The injury was horrible luck of course but the writing was already on the wall. One of Villa's worst Premier League signings.

Even at this late stage its surreal that Qatar is actually hosting a World Cup. Reasons not to... Bribed their way to hosting Worker deaths Humans rights violations Discrimination against homosexuals and others, alcohol bans Having to rip up multiple continents entire football schedule to accommodate Multiple stadiums in one city, something never allowed outside of one in previous competitions due to by FIFA regulations Stadiums built that will host a handful of games and never be used again Not enough hotels to house fans Very strong chance of empty stadiums as per other competitions hosted in Qatar Hosts with zero football pedigree All this at a time of protests, kneeling, marches etc to push for equality the world over and all the Confederations, teams and players just say "ok" and accept it. There has been a full 12 years for sense to prevail and change the host but nope, barely a hint of it. Everyone just allowed it to happen.