Villarocker

Some of the comments on here make me laugh. Liverpool are a bigger club than Villa, whether we like it or not. Their owners have ambitions of playing Champions League football, whether they get it or not is a different subject altogether but the fact remains that they at least have those ambitions. Our owner doesn't even want to be here and is happy just to stay in the Premier League. The current ambitions of the two clubs are miles apart and I wouldn't blame Benteke for going somewhere where their sights are set a lot higher than ours. People also need to remind themselves that pre-Sherwood there was a lot of fans moaning about Benteke and how he was lazy and offering us nothing, saying we should have cashed in for £20m or however much it was that Spurs were offering us. I like the guy and wish we had a team of players around him to get the best out of him but, unfortunately for us, we have a lot of crap around him. If we can afford to fund those better players then keep him but, if we can't, we might as well cash in - if a club is willing to pay the right price - and use the money to rebuild.

The way I see it is like this: If Villa plan to have a net spend of say £25-30m this summer - without the sale of Benteke - then offer the man the biggest wages in the club's history and put decent players around him. If the club is planning a net spend of around £10-20m, I think that Sherwood should look at cashing in on Benteke and use the £32.5m to rebuild the team. If it's to Liverpool, make a deal whereby we get the asking price plus Origi on a season-long loan. But, I'd only entertain that sale if Sherwood can have all the transfer fee plus the original transfer kitty. A total transfer kitty of £60-70m - including other player sales - could see Sherwood do some serious damage in rebuilding that starting eleven.

We've had an history of buying players from relegated teams. I'd prefer something different.

You don't bang on about how we're going to have a go and then leave your player with the most assists on the bench. That was tactically poor.

Wigan and Small Heath won the cup against top opposition. Not because they were losers or winners - they just showed up and wanted it more. Our team, in terms of individual quality, had a better chance than the aforementioned teams but, they didn't want it. Sherwood's right. They've fought relegation for four years and as a result they've become used to losing.

Got to Birmingham New Street at 8am only to be told that our tickets tickets were only valid from Snow Hill or Moor Street. Walked to Snow Hill and got told all trains are from Moor Street. Walked to Moor Street and expected massive queues but found just a dozen or so fans. Walked through the gate and straight down to the platform and on to the train. No queues, no checks for tickets or of bags. Sat down at a seat with a table to stash all my gear on and loads of Villa fans all around with no need for standing. Got the Vodka and coke on the go and my brother sat opposite texting all his Liverpool, Everton, Man United and Coventry supporting mates and work colleagues - taking the piss. Come on the Villa!! I f**king love my club.

I can honestly see us losing 4-0 or 4-1 etc with them being 3-0 up by half time. I just think that Arsenal are the best at exposing teams who play an open game and with Villa opened wider than a wannabe wag's legs I fear what they will do to us tomorrow. For me, our only hope is that we can pose them such a threat that they instinctively drop deeper and don't pose such a threat at the other end. But, is "dropping deeper" an instinct of Arsenal's? I am not so sure. I sincerely hope and pray that we win, by hook or by crook but, I cannot help but feel that Arsenal will play us off the park tomorrow by exposing the gaps we leave.

I'm probably going to get slaughtered for even thinking this, and I even cannot believe I am thinking it. What if, Sherwood has already been told he only has something like, I don't know say £10m, to spend in the summer - plus any money he brings in from player sales - and he's throwing the Benteke buy-out clause into the open in the hope that it attracts a buyer. All done with the aim of giving him extra funds to spend in the summer. Sounds crazy, I know! But, could it be that he is that cocky he thinks that he can afford to sell Benteke because he believes he can get a replacement in plus reinforcements with the transfer fee? If that was to be the case, it would be one major gamble.

What can the thinking possibly be behind Sherwood's comments about Benteke having a buy-out clause? Surely, on the face of it, it would seem to be a move that sours the air of optimism ahead of the final. It's certainly going to put a dampener on things for a lot of fans who see Benteke as our main hope of staying in the Premier League next season. Is it that Sherwood knows that Benteke has a desire to leave the club this summer and thinks that, by announcing the buy-out clause, the fans will treat the game like a farewell to Benteke and that might bring one final excellent - maybe match-winning - performance out of the big man? Whatever the reason, it seems really strange to bring this to light on the eve of our biggest game for a long time.

Wouldn't be the worst deals that, Austin would score goals, think he'd be a similar signing to Dion Dublin, Heaton has had a solid season and would give Guzan more competition than Given, I like Trippier and teams like Spurs and Southampton want him. All those would probably cost 30m so more or less what Benteke will leave form. I don't see us in relegation danger with those coming in to strengthen what we have presently. A new CB is a must in the 10mill catagory though, not sure who They don't always have to be that high a fee, Toby Alderwielder has had an excellent season for Southampton and they or others can sign him for I think 7m. Vlaar only signed for 3m let's remember and for an international standard Centre back that's peanuts even if the injuries obviously bring that fee down. Just use the loan market if needs be. I always smile on here when people get offended when we're linked or attempt to bring in loan players....while teams above us sign players like Victor Moses and Alex Song on loan without fuss. Laursen was only 3m....you are right its quality first, fee second. admittedly we can't always get away with it.....but the spine must have better quality. And the calfs, hamstrings, knees, achilles etc

Come on the Villa - make us all proud and lift the FA Cup. What a chance for each of those players, and the manager, to become legends! in that order hopefully

They will have Walcott and Bellerin flying down our left side. We need pace to counter that and Gabby is our main asset for pace.

Lerner seems philosophical in that interview. He also seems like he's hurting too. I trust that he will still look after us whilst still owner, even if not in charge of the day-to-day running of the club. Still, the sooner we have a new owner the sooner we can start to move the club forward again.

I literally have no idea how you can come to that conclusion. He doesnt say that at all, just he envys how they've been run well. I read Lerner's comments as; The elite will remain the same and bit part players like us will feed off them by over-charging them for any of our players that they want to buy from us. Hardly inspiring but, sadly, probably true about how the Premier League now works.

Nobody is moaning that Sherwood wants people with the right attitude at the club. That's what you just said. People are surprised more than anything that he called players who are currently playing for him "losers". That's astonishing to me. I haven't moaned about it. It might be a catalyst that causes us to kick on and win the FA cup. But I still think its an astonishing thing to say. Better than telling them they're great players and keep doing what they're doing Is it? When we've actually been playing well under Sherwood and have an FA Cup final coming up? Like I said you might be right, it might be the catalyst that motivates us to go and win the cup. But it's a pretty startling way to do it. Surely those he is referring to will know who they are? So many times in the past there have been fans slashing managers for pussy-footing around the players and now someone has come in and decided to tell it how it is, he gets stick for it from parts of the fanbase. If Sherwood sees behind the scenes that there are players not earning their corn and who he thinks have the wrong mentality for where he wants to go, fair play to him for speaking out and letting them know he won't stand for it. I just hope he gets to buy the players he wants and doesn't have to cherry pick the lower leagues because of lack of funding.

Sherwood needs to spend money or, no matter what people think, we will be back down in the relegation battle. The teams that finished just above us, such as Leicester and Newcastle will invest to avoid similar campaigns. If we go into next season with just adding a couple of Swindon players and another low-cost player here and there will not, in my opinion, be enough to make us comfortable next season. I would like to see a new centre back, who costs money (no freebies), to come in and challenge for a starting place. I would also like a new left back as none of Richardson, Bennett or Cissokho have proven up to the job. Keep Cissokho in reserve maybe but that's about it. I would also like to see the back of Gabby too. We've played counter-attacking for so long just to utilise his pace and we showed in the cup semi final against Liverpool that we don't need to do that. I'd like to see another striker come in to the club so we have two starting forwards who can regularly score goals, instead of just having Benteke. If Benteke goes in the summer - God help us!

Surely we all have to admit that, overall, he's done an excellent job so far. He said we'd stay up and, once we left the bottom three, we wouldn't return in to it - mission accomplished. When he arrived he said we would reach the cup final, joking or not, we made it. For those achievements he must be applauded as I have no doubts that, if Lambert was still here, we would have been relegated and wouldn't have another game left to play. Looking forward, I do share that concern about Sherwood's style of management. The gung-ho style of football will work in some games but it will mean getting thrashed in others. It will be interesting to see if he can buy players who are capable of producing more solid displays. Or, does he not prefer that type of football? I am not keen on the apparent treatment of Guzan and Gil. But, we don't know what goes on behind the scenes. Maybe they've done or said something wrong? I just hope Sherwood isn't the type to freeze players out based on just a bad game or two. Having said that, if he was that type, wouldn't Vlaar and Richardson be out too? I've liked what I've seen from him so far but I am still not entirely convinced of Tim Sherwood being the next best thing. I hope he is and that he can take us away from this downward spiral that we seem to have been in for the last few years. But, I will go into next season with an open mind and a nagging concern about how the season will pan out, rather than the way I wish I could feel - comfortable in the knowledge that we will be fine and never looking over our shoulders at relegation.

Really negative to say this but, if we win the cup and don't do a lot of buying in the summer, I can see us in another relegation battle next season. These players in a Europa League campaign, and trying to stave off relegation, scares the life out of me.

I wish I shared your optimism. Right now, I'm fearing Villa being on the wrong end of a goalfest.

I hope the big man stays but, if his mind is already thinking about leaving, the cup final will probably be the last time we see him in a Villa shirt. Therefore, I'd love the fans to sing a new song for him at Wembley. Something for the Cup final occasion. Something like this, or better of course: To the tune of Glory, Glory, Hallelujah. My eyes have seen the glory of the rising of the Lord. He wears the number twenty and he came here from abroad. He's Christian Benteke and we know he's gonna score. And, the Villa will lift the cup. Glory, Glory Aston Villa. Glory, Glory Aston Villa. Glory, Glory Aston Villa We're the greatest club in the world.

To the tune of Glory, Glory, Hallelujah. My eyes have seen the glory of the rising of the Lord. He wears the number twenty and he came here from abroad. He's Christian Benteke and we know he's gonna score. And, the Villa will lift the cup. Glory, Glory Aston Villa. Glory, Glory Aston Villa. Glory, Glory Aston Villa We're the greatest club in the world.

In 2000 my brother and I paid £80 each for our tickets. We got split up at the stadium and I had the tickets. After missing the first 15 minutes of the game I decided to sell his ticket and got £80 off a tout. Bearing that in mind says to me that tickets bought around the stadium will not be cheap .

There's no way we should be looking to replace Guzan as he's been the main reason behind our survival in recent years. A couple of errors here and there there is normal for keepers, just look at Joe Hart! Other positions in the team need addressing before Guzan ever gets looked at.

Block 532 row 13. To be honest, as long as I'm in there I couldn't give a toss where I'm sat.

Why would you force cats to wear underwear? They weren't wearing underwear of their own - they were in his!