dn1982

I'd take Huddlestone and Curtis Davies from Hull. Both are on a free I think. They're probably finishing there PL contract but I think we could match it so would be attractive to both. We will need experienced Championship players and getting these 2 would enable us to get shot of Richards, Lescott and Sanchez. Added to bringing back Gardner and Baker we wouldn't be far off sorted in CB and CM. That'll just leave GK RB CF positions. 

16 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

For me he's not done enough to deserve the opportunity to be our manager next season. We are not a charity. 

Unless something changes he should be sacked after the final game. 

What happens then? We get a manager in who has all pre season to assess the players then realises when it's too late they're a bunch of clearings in the woods and is stuck with them until Jan by which time he gets the sack? Remi needs to go early or not at all. We need next seasons manager in place before the squad breaks for the summer so he knows what they're like. 

Just now, Czechlad said:

He has to stop using the 5-3-2. We are getting zero chances each match. It's terrible. 

Go back to 433 which can be 451 

This might sound weird but we need to back him or sack him!! We need a manager in place before the end of the season simply so he can look at the squad and know who he has to get rid of. we can't afford players who aren't good enough who font have the right attitude to remain at this club any longer. Houllier tried to get rid of Gabby 4/5 years ago and because we have continually changed managers he has gotten reprieves. So for me Hollis needs to have his plan in his mind now. Personally I'd let Garde stay but this has nothing to do with results It's because I think he knows who he needs to get rid of to get a dressing room that's all pulling in the right direction. I would like to think backing him now may actually benefit the team aswell as he can relax and plan for next year. Playing this bunch of players isn't working. So play a few kids. I'm not saying through them all in but give a couple a go here and there. Mason is supposed to be a decent RB Lyden has been around the squad now for a while so keep giving him minutes. Pick any young striker and play them instead of Gabby. Play Gestede. Play with width. None of these may make a difference but we'll find out about them with next year in mind. If Garde hasn't got a future there's no incentive for him to try and build. We need to come straight back up. We need to prepare now. 

2 hours ago, KHV said:

We signed 12 first team players, Ayew has been okay, Amavi showed promise. The other 10 have been shit. I would call it a total disaster and the league table is in agreement

Yep well done for taking a small point when I actually explained my view. It's a disaster because they never built a squad that's why I said Reilly and Almstadt should go. Congratulations again. 

I wouldn't sack Fox but I'd get rid of Almstadt and Reilly. Let Fox stick to the money side of things and get someone in who has a football background and hopefully a connection to the club. I think we have bought fairly well last year but we never created a squad with enough experience and know how to play this league. The new foreign players needed a stronger experienced contingent to help them settle never mind the biggest player we needed to replace Benteke they never got close to so for that they deserve to be sacked. I know they were Fox's appointment but he needs to stick to the commercial side and ket football people run the football side. Hopefully Hollis is a lot better at hiring the right staff and getting a football person in should be his first job. 

On 2 March 2016 at 14:24, ferguson1 said:

Whilst I agree with you to a point about planning now for next year, it is difficult if firstly you arn't sure who may remain within your playing staff?  All well and good a player saying "I want to stay" but if good offers are received we will take them, make no mistake about that!  Secondly, the current manager may not be here, either because he walks or the club have a change of heart about him.  Just too many if's and but's I'm afraid to make any real plans.

Who knows what will happen in the summer but by dropping the likes of Richards Lescott Hutton Gabby etc it'd improve the attitude of the team and also give game time to players who we want to stay even if they don't. You can only plan for the people you want to stay. 

26 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Contrary to some, I think there are players currently playing who could be vital next season so i don't agree with the "drop everyone, play the kids" attitude (before we even get on to what it would do to a bunch of kids' confidence getting battered every week).

But yes, I do think there are some in the squad who it would be worth just dropping for good.

Plan for next season now. Play Okore and Clark CB when Grealish and Adama are fit play them. If we keep playing the same players the atmosphere will just get worse. We need to try and get some momentum going into next season. 

46 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

I think the desire's gone because they know they're not going to stay up. Maybe they viewed Liverpool as a winnable game and as soon as we went behind that was it. It's over.

Not absolving Garde form blame here. Like I said previously if we'd stayed more in touch by winning some of those games over xmas, then the players would still be fighting. That's down to him.

But from this position, I think it's an almost impossible task to get this group of players to be fully motivated.

We were beat before the game against Liverpool I've never seen such lack of desire and its continued since. Hardly any seem to break a sweat. It's time to plan for next season. Drop anyone who won't be here. Play youth when you can. I'd rather lose with 11 kids trying than this lot going through the motions. 

34 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

I don't agree with that.

 

He did get them to play for him.

They've given up now, but that's more to do with our inevitable relegation than Garde, imo. When we were still alive the players played for him.

So yes, he can't seem to do it now, but it's not a case that they've never played for him. IMO obviously

I agree with you but that's what worries me. Why have the players seemingly lost their desire? We had a little run from Jan and I belved we could make it interesting by getting back in touch with the others but from Liverpool on we just look dead on our feet. What happens prior to the Liverpool game to kill us? I think Garde is collapsing under the pressure and without help from a board that's basically cut him adrift it's a shame. We never had a hope once we never replaced Benteke with someone fit to lace his boots. A thin unbalanced squad without any leaders or quality would never stay up and will struggle next year. 

On 18 February 2016 at 20:48, AntrimBlack said:

21 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

Full respect to this man, again acted like a gentleman. I'm also glad he knows the protest will not be about him, but the last 10 years of decline. I was a little worried he would think he was a main cause for the protest, an personally I wouldn't want that.

The main reason I want him to stay is he will sort out the bad apples and the attitude of the players  getting rid of him will give the likes of Gabby another chance which is what always happens. We change the manager and hope he can polish a turd

ive no idea why AB is getting quoted!!! 

11 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Was in Nottingham today and got the local paper. They had a report on Forest at Burnley and Gardner got 8/10.

What interested me was the little comment about his performance mentioned him playing just infront of the back 4.

In his few performances for us he always played AM of the two central midfielders, indeed all his youth./reserve team games indicate this was his position.

Could be with his injuries he has to sit deeper as he hasn't got the mobility anymore. Seems to be doing well in that position.

Personally I'd get shot of Westwood in the summer for a couple of million and just use Gardner instead if he is doing well in that position in the championship.

I think he's played all through the middle in his career. I just hope he gets some luck in a Villa shirt. I wouldn't get rid of Westwood though as its a slog I the Championship and we will need a big squad and then it'll be supplemented with our youth. In a strange way it may be a good thing for us. We have a young squad if we can keep all the ones we want to we may actually be able to introduce the even younger ones into a successful side which is beneficial for them. Gardner and  Grealish could turn out to be the stars we want them to be after a year flourishing in the Championship in a team full of confidence. 

1 hour ago, supernova26 said:

There I've said. For the last 5 years they just sit there, no singing, no supporting. Just being miserable all the time. A depressing experience for everyone.

No wonder we've got the worst home record over that period in the whole football league.

Support the team, like your supposed to or don't go.

The negativity is palpable not even a chorus of VILLA VILLA before Liverpool.

Totally toxic. 

The best thing you, I and every fan can do is support and sing as much as you can, even when it's bad.

Support the players and things will change.

What a load of crap. Our home form hasn't been good for years and I mean a lot longer than the 5 you say. I know you only picked that because of us being down the bottom in those seasons but if you had a clue you'd see even when we were finishing 6th we never won more than 8/9 home games. I think we won 9 under Houlilier which was as good as any season under MON. Going off of your post we should win every away game aswell seeing as we are normally the loudest going!! It takes a while to build a fortress and even though I agree with the sentiment our home form isn't good enough it won't be changed by the fans singing. 

14 minutes ago, lloydxmas said:

Tend to agree.  The guy is injured for the rest of the season, so I think he will be with us until January at least.  Cant see (m)any clubs taking a 8m punt in the summer?  He's only had 60 odd minutes playing time?  Same goes for Amavi, needs to recover first before getting his move.

They will destroy the Championship.  It's Vital we keep them for the first part of next season.  

Grealish and Garnder to get their chance too.  It's still a very, very bad situation, but this is my only glimmer of positivity.

Unless he's picked up another injury he should be back very soon 

On 20 February 2016 at 21:40, dont_do_it_doug. said:

What if we're not "actually" relegated? Then it will be "back the team while they fight relegation" all over again. When does it end?

No. This club CANNOT and WILL NOT go on like this. I've had enough, this club is rotten to the core. So whilst you are free to express yourself however you see fit it's out the door on 74 for me.

Even if I'm on my own...

So what is it you aim to achieve? Lerner to sell?? Fox out? Hollis out? To achieve anything you need an objective and as far as I can see there isn't one apart from trying to tell the board you're not happy! No ones happy. If the club is rotten to the core the only way that'll change is with a new owner and Lerner has been trying to sell for a couple of years. I think trying to staying up is the biggest priority at the minute once that's gone let those know in charge what we think of them. "You're not fit to run our club" sang by 40000 people would have a bigger affect IMO than a walk out copied from Liverpool which got media attention as it affected all supporters nationwide. 

6 minutes ago, Shropshire Lad said:

I could be wrong, but I think this is more than just about Villa getting relegated (although that is the net affect). 

If Villa did pull off the great escape it won't change the fact that this club is so poorly run with a dreadful owner at the helm who doesn't want to know and a board who look clueless. I think the sheer mismanagement of the club over the years is at the heart of this protest put forward by Mike, rather than the inevitable relegation. 

If you feel that this idea, at present, is not right, then that's fine, remain in your seat and cheer on the team. I think that is commendable enough and I for one wouldn't begrudge you from doing that and I don't think many on here would either. Your ticket, your choice as far as I'm concerned.

But I wouldn't label any efforts to have a united message of discontent to the board as dumb.

I agree with the sentiment and even as you say we pulled off the miracle something would still need to be done. I think staying up is the biggest thing for the club and it is bigger than any individual. If we were to beat Stoke and were in the game on 74 min against Everton would you still leave? I think you'd find it'd stop quite a lot. Whilst we have something to play for its not a good idea. And as for sending a message that the fans aren't happy the dwindling attendances and the ground being virtually empty by full time against Liverpool will have sent a big enough message for now. 

On 17 February 2016 at 02:01, MikeMcKenna said:

Limpid,

Look again at the responses to my OP.  With a handful of creditable exceptions, the response was pretty luke warm and often negative. The only consistent response was for a boycott which anyone who has been involved with protests in the past knows will never get off the ground. I find it ironic that some even who admit not going to the games anymore also advocate a 'boycott'.

As I pointed out in the OP, a walkout would 'NOT make Lerner sell' but then some posters said in effect 'what's the point, Lerner isn't going to sell'. Lerner isn't going to sell, he doesn't need to. But he doesn't like being in spotlight, doesn't want the directors slagged off or to be personally humiliated, and might be prepared to invest more money or do SOMETHING if the pressure can be increased in some way at VP. We are down now and frankly I am more concerned about what will happen next year. I suspect that there will be a lot more cuts, that they are not going to invest in the summer etc This isn't about getting Lerner out anymore it is about getting them to be positive, invest and turn the tide of despair.

Chanting Lerner Out, Lerner is a ******, booing the players, hanging banners, abusing players via Twitter doesn't work. They are all par for the course and nobody takes any notice. Only something that is initially easy to do, unites the fans, generates momentum  and makes a major impact from the off with the media has any chance. If 10K+ Villa fans walked out of VP simultaneously during a televised game, it may or may not have an impact but at least we would have tried.

The actual objective was to show the club how pissed off the fans are and illustrate that we can protest in a co-ordinated and major way. However I will admit to thinking that had enough Villa fans been prepared to support the walkout, it could have snowballed, gained momentum and developed into to something bigger. I have no clue whether it would have generated a response from the club but next year in the absence of SKY's millions, the gate money will be much more important to the club and if the club is to recover it needs the supporters more than ever. 

I was prepared to stick my head above the parapet, provide financial support and do whatever I can, but living in Bournemouth, having a limited personal Villa fan network and, no media contacts I am somewhat constrained. Any effort needs to consist of more than a handful of volunteers. To get the message out, there must be a significant  number of individuals here and elsewhere who will commit to developing stuff via Social Media, working Facebook, Twitter, other forums, contact supporters group, the trust, writing to the press on and offline and ideally some who have some idea of how the media works and contacts. 

I have been down this road before and have witnessed how the likes of Jon Fear and others were ridiculed, vilified and even threatened. Unless an idea has major support and backing from many fans across the board, the originator(s) quickly become disallusioned and worn down. 

Anyone who genuinely wants to give this a go please PM me, but there is no point even starting if only a handful contact me. 

 

 

 

Why not wait till we are actually relegated?? It may be a virtual certainty but whilst there's any chance we should back the team. Once that's sorted I think you'll find more support. I am one of 8 ST holders and all of us think it's a dumb idea at present. 

On 18 February 2016 at 12:15, KHV said:

And Fridays

TBF the Premier League will have most Friday games next season. I'll renew but it'll be interesting to see when the prices are released!! 

On 15 February 2016 at 12:31, El-Reacho said:

The Liverpool walk-out had a clear objective, and as a response to it the club met their objective.

I'm not sure what we're trying to achieve here - what response are we hoping for? Lerner knows he's despised by the fans, and that we want him out, he wants himself out. That's why he won't come to the games. Does he sack Fox or Reilly as a response? Where does that leave us? Still screwed but with a different CEO. I don't think anyone outside of the Villa community cares that much - as bad as it is that a pillar of English footballing history drops out of the top tier they're more focused on who their own clubs are going to sign etc.

That's exactly it for me. If Lerner wasn't looking to sell it'd have a point but he does. He won't take a £100m hit because a few hundred fans walk out on 74 min! 

8 minutes ago, MikeMcKenna said:

Have now been contacted by ITV but cannot say if anything will come of it. Come on folks, don't be apathetic.Anything is better than nothing - the media are more interested than people realise.

The media are interested because it's like vultures picking at a corpse. They've been anti us all season so anything like this will just give them more ammo even if it isn't as successful as you think. 

Just out of interest. If we beat Stoke and are in the game on 74 min will you all still be leaving? I'm sure when there was hardly anyone left at 74 min against Liverpool it was noticed. Whilst we have a slither of staying up I don't think there should be any protests during the game. Once we are relegated do something original not a copy of Liverpools 77 min thing which got a lot of publicity because of its wider implications on football fans. Wasn't there a demonstration earlier in the season with people coming in late? That was a great success wasn't it? I see some are moaning about other ideas being muted so I won't add any and I guarantee like most fans won't be leaving on 74. 

2 hours ago, AntrimBlack said:

There are facts, and there are opinions, and both of those are valid.

Repeating something that has no basis in fact can easily lead people to believe it, unless it is challenged.

Sticking in `apparently' means nothing

So we can't discuss anything then unless we have quotes from the horses mouth?? Fact is Garde wanted Debuchy as I explained so what happened? And there's quotes to that affect.  Are we only allowed to believe reports we like? A national paper reported it so that's why I put apparently. You've challenged it without nothing to prove the article wrong. I'm challenging your post of view because as you say people may believe it unless challenge. It's interesting out of a whole post you're more interested in the fact there's no quotes and 100% proof when there's enough evidence the transfer committee didn't do its job!!! 

11 minutes ago, mwj said:

He means quotes in the article from Garde, Almstadt etc. If there are quotes, they would be printed.

No quotes means that they either a) made it up (eg. the journalist just made it up to fill pages for a deadline, not unheard of at the Mail), or more likely \b) heard it through a second or third-hand source. Either way you take it with a grain of salt, you don't really know who's agenda is being played to. Quotes at least give it a basis in reality as the paper can be sued for libel if untrue.

Hence the "apparently" in the sentence!! There'd be no discussion if we only went on fact as we don't get any info from the club. 

22 hours ago, AntrimBlack said:

Quotes or guesswork?

I think the articles been quoted. 

12 hours ago, Adbo9 said:

Playing Devils advocate - was Garde targeting the right players or has he got as much pull as he thinks?  As by all accounts, Doumbia knocked us back for less wedge at Newcastle....... Sometimes I feel its not as simplistic as "the board haven't backed him" - how do we know they haven't, they mite have been willing to stump plenty of money on the right lads, but if Garde cant talk them into signing - I'm not sure what the board can do - as is proven with Doumbia

We are supposed to have a transfer committee. We needed players we had time to identify them and get it done before the last couple of days. Kharzi I think it is wanted to come but we were unwilling to pay the fee he's been involved in getting 4 pts for Sunderland through goals and assists. Debuchy seemed nailed on but Almstadt got involved apparently. You only have to look to players going to China to show they'll do anything for money. With a bit if will we would've got at least a couple in.