Chindie

Liverpool v Lyon Last season... Ryan Babel, on the left, picks up the ball journeys forward, looks up... a 25 yard curler will see him score, and it's set up perfectly to do so... he pushes the ball out of his feet, swings back his right leg, he sees the headlines already from this screamer... he miskicks it hilariously, with the outside of his boot, the ball curls brilliantly away from goal, so badly it goes out for a throw in right by the opposite corner flag. Hundreds of miles away 5 lads in a house in Aberystwyth piss themselves laughing at the ineptitude. Will never forget that. I always said he could be a good player if used properly, i.e. as purely a striker. I don't think he can now.

That Everton performance was chuffing awful, it's fantastic we managed to get the win and it's nice to see a blood and thunder defence scrape the win but the midfield wasn't doing it's job at all, hence why we had so much pressure on us. If Nigel was so much the Makalele, we'd not have been half under that much pressure because he'd have been able to stop thing pretty much single handedly and get the ball to our players. What actually happened was he spent the entire half, along with the rest of the team to be honest, doing last ditch defending. It's impressive, but it ain't good. And I wish the Bolton match would just be put to bed, they were shocking that game. They were probably worse than West Ham this season. You could have won that with Douglas Bader in midfield.

Did i??? :? Yes Plan C or D could be considered 3rd or 4th choice. And you didn't put in a single word of doubt there. 'KM is not 1st choice Chind! He is plan C or D'. Thats a definitive in my book

I knew someone would pick up on that. I'm speculating. It may not happen. Nowhere do I say it will. Wiggy did however say he was definitely 3rd or 4th choice. Which we don't know. He might be. I have my doubts. I also believe the General has already said that 'Premier League experience' includes playing in it. Which MacDonald did at the top end of things. We might not sign him. I'll not be surprised if we do, though I hope we don't. If we do, it'll be an atrocious appointment and a betrayal.

Nice. I only ask because quite a few people seem to miss the... I guess it's an epilogue.

We don't know that Wiggy. Even if he were a back up plan, theres a distinct chance we could end up having to use that back up plan. And since rumour had it that the board was rather keen on MacDonald until he pissed his chances (we'd hope...) up the wall with the ineptitude at Newcastle and home to Rapid, now that he has seemingly finally decided he'd not mind the job (the time it's taken him to decide this should set off warning lights like Blackpool Pleasure Beach that he isn't the man for the job, even if the performances and impression he gives off hadn't already gave you a good idea) I wouldn't be surprised to see his stock rise again. The board at the moment seems to have '£' in front of their eyes, and specifically don't want to see them leave their vision, and what MacDonald most definitely is, is cheap. I would not be surprised to see him appointed. It'd be, in my view, the most awful appointment we could say, that would say rather a lot about Aston Villa in 2010, and thats no mean feat since just about every other manager we're likely to get I also think is bollocks in some way or another.

An appointment of MacDonald will be an unacceptable betrayal.

Have you completely ended it?

If he dropped his delusions of grandeur ('I'm a box to box to midfielder'...), learnt to be disciplined as a holding player, sitting in midfield and keeping it simple, learnt more positional play from that position, read the game from that position much better (rather than do what he does now, which is react to whats happening rather than snuff it out with his presence/position), learnt to nick the ball off a player like Petrov can, rather than steam in, learnt to control a ball with finesse, learnt how to hold possession, and never ever took a shot again in his life, I'd think he'd be great. Sadly, what he actually does is steam into someone, either make a sliding tackle or just kick it off their toe to everywhere but his own possession, normally just into some free space for another runner from their end to grab onto (and thus starting the whole charade again until it falls to a Villa man or into touch). The times when he intercepts a pass, or is passed to, he 90% of the time either dwells on the ball for an age during which time he seems unable to control the thing and gets pounced on by everything within 20yards, buggering any approach play up, or if he chooses to run with it he punts it miles away from his foot, hasn't the vision or the skill to regularly create anything, and then cocks it up somehow. The amount of times he just runs towards goal and you just know not a thing is going through his head other than 'FORWARD!'. After which he either loses the ball or some other way **** up the attack and generally leaves us short, similar to Laursen when he went through his 'must head everything' phase, left holes all over the shop. If he could manage to become a simple holding player, I'd be singing his praises. If he could manage to become an Essien type all action mid, I'd be singing his praises. Unfortunately, what he is, is a shit box to box player who thinks holding is beneath him, with **** all skill (and I believe the defensive side of the game is a skill, and it isn't all just tackling, it's positional) and atrocious technique at just about everything, and no brain. His endeavour is fantastic but we're past that. 'Trying' only gets you so far, at the sharp end you need to start backing it up with something else, and he can't. Or won't. He is at best a squad player, ideally should have been out the door a while ago, and only hasn't been seemingly because we've been unable to purchase someone to make him obsolete, which is a travesty. O'Neills worst signing, in my view, by miles. Big-ish money on potential he's never filled and never had threatened to fulfill. A decent season when we were still pretty mediocre, and the moment he had helped us past that point his first team use expired unless his potential became fulfilled and he became 'The Makelele with Legs'. He didn't. Thats why I'm not a fan. (Though of course we've heard all that and the counters before...). I'm not that surprised he's quite so liked. People love a trier, and those who look to be working hard.

[quote="Stevo985 Never got round to seeing it at the cinema. A mate of mine says it's the funniest film he's ever seen. I'll definitely be picking it up!

I'll be sure to let you know ahead of time if I'm intending to be a tad facetious, I know you like having the answers given to you.

Lots of people believe in the Bible. Indeed, I beseech you sir, go forth, through this land, and preach the word, that the Sainted Nigel is shite, and should henceforth not sully our shirt nor sour our glorious pitch, nor spread his lies, and that his followers be condemning themselves to an eternity of mediocrity, and poor passing, and atrocious forward play, and touches to shame a rapist that hasn't had any in quite some time, and lo, just generally all round a bit shite play. Spread the holy word sir.

Preach.

3 years. Something else that, in my view, puts this speculation into lunacy territory.

Four Lions was released today I think. Thoroughly recommended, never laughed like that in a cinema til seeing it. Not just a stupid comedy either, has some valid points underneath.

Normally I'd be uncomfortable saying that as well Snowy.

So remeber folks, place your bets on this at SkyBet, here at SkyBet we really like your money and will look after it, surely you can waste a fiver on this, it's almost worth it, look at the odds! Of course it's gonna happen! Remember, SkyBet

So not a fan it's turned into all out hate.

...too much money put on, no longer worth the risk to them, and so the book is closed. Rather like a casino having a limit on a roulette table - Chances are they'll still win, but if they don't, they'd rather not risk going bust. Nothing to see here.

Oh I don't doubt he's connected. Does he have a record of being right when he hears anything? The Barnetta thing doesn't really help, and having had a quick mooch on his twitter he doesn't seem to rumour monger much. When he does, is he right? I just doubt his use here. Whats 'a fairly decent job'? Is Stoke a fairly decent job? Forest? Is Everton a fairly decent job, or a pretty good job? Is Small Heath a fairly decent job, or a **** steaming pile of horse manure job? Is a serious stir a good thing? A serious stir in the football generally? Or a serious stir, for all the wrong reasons, in the Villa fan base? And so on. He's really not said much for us all to get excited over. I suppose anything is better than nothing, but I'm not holding my breath. As for the money people chucked at Moyes signing, it'd be better used elsewhere, that ain't happening.

I think it might be worth taking this Tor-Kristian Karlsen's words with a big pinch of salt, this isn't the first time he's been mentioned here, the last time he was linking us with Barnetta, back in July. What he's said is also spectacularly vague.

There'll be a lot of happy bookies about the land on the back on this.

Already contracted to Turkey, has been for a while to take over in September, he didn't hang around when Chelsea came knocking, he certainly won't do so for us. I doubt you will ever see him manage long term full time in the UK to be honest. The thought of Sven in charge makes me retch a little.

Should never have won that. Great defensive performance, Collins and Friedel in particular, but I hope we won't have to do that kinda thing too much more often, as I don't think the team, nor the fanbase, could manage that kind of nerves week in week out. The Everton games will be the end of me, thats about 5 on the trot I've been near a coronary.

Really good play from Gabby there.