UpTheVilla26

Barkley is doing me head in.

Jack joint 8th in ball touches. Yeah, cos you've got 8 players marking him.

Looks to me like Moyes has basically come here and tried to stop us doing anything. Therefore, I'd stick Grealish at CAM, El Ghazi left, hook Barkley and get Traore on the right. This is playing into their hands, they are doubling up on Jack. AEG has been poor but I'd rather take Barkley off who has lost the ball a lot and seems to slow our play at times. Whatever we do, injecting a bit of life and tempo into this game wouldn't go amiss, it's been a bit of a chess game so far.

Barkley is so hit and miss. Can conjour up a moment of class but for 80% of the game he looks gash.

Did he come from Prague? They got a lad called Oscar Dorley who is the next one to watch.

Has my TV gone into - 2 speed or are we actually playing this slowly? Get at these, they got Dawson at the back and he's about 57 years old.

How's he not hit the target?!

That's so close, great effort by Ollie.

Saving grace so far is Lingard is trying too hard and has turned into Tonev.

Very slow on the ball, need to up the tempo big time.

I've been keeping an eye on their forum. They are a strange bunch. They seem to think their squad should be comfortably mid-table. On paper, it looks crap. And it's no surprise they are struggling. Hopefully they get their long awaited visit to League 1 this year.

Don't think my nerves or wine cabinet can take that.

Buzzing for this game tonight. If we take the game to them, we win. Only player they have who worries me is Soucek as he seems to score important goals. Win this and a tilt at Euro places is on.

Yes. And it's a great feeling to not worry like I was 2-3 weeks ago. That isn't because I don't love this club and always will, it's because worrying myself sick can't change a thing. Football will continue, Villa will continue, and if that has to be in a different League, so be it.

You could click at least 4 of them answers, easily.

Not a thing. We've reached a point where going down is probably for the best, as I can't watch season after season of this shit anymore, from players who are basically robbing a wage. I think I'd enjoy a season in The Championship, more than one in the Prem again at this moment in time.

I've already accepted the fact we are going down. I have seen nothing this season to suggest otherwise, as even the wins we've had could all easily have gone the other way. If we stay up, it will highlight what a poor League the Prem has become and the massive gulf between the top 6-7 clubs and the rest. I also think we'd win The Championship and come straight back up. In the long run, it could be a good thing for the club. We're not financially screwed like Leeds were, would be the biggest side in years to drop down, we'd still attract decent players (even in a lower League we are a bigger club than the likes of Palace, Swansea, Stoke etc...) and a core of the current squad would probably have a very good season. At the moment, I'd be quite happy if every player left this club, as I see no passion from any of them to turn this around (Clark & Hutton aside). Next season, if the worst happens, I think we could field a team like this.... Guzan, Hutton, Baker, Clark, New LB, Bacuna, Westwood, Gardner, Grealish, Agbonlahor, Kozak.

Agreed. We actually have a half decent squad. We have the best striker in the bottom half of the Prem by far in Benteke, Gil is a poor man's David Silva (a bloody good one at that) and we have players like Delph, Sanchez, Westwood, Hutton etc... who like-for-like with other clubs down there with us, I'd not swap for any of their players. What we have been missing is someone with a bit of charisma, self confidence and passion to send them 11 players onto the pitch with the belief they will deliver performances. Lambert trotted out the same thing, game-in-game-out, we apparently played excellent in every single match and with any luck would be doing the treble year-in-year-out if you believed him.

This. Tim Sherwood is the closest thing to John Gregory since he left. I personally loved our time under Gregory. The football was hit and miss, but he spoke his mind, got the job done, and the team was moderately successful. We certainly weren't the joke that we are now and have been since Gregory left (other than the MON years). For all those that are saying that they don't like Sherwood's personality, I think we need someone with arrogance (like Gregory had), who is prepared to fall out with "big name" players if needs be. I'm genuinely excited about this, and think this could be the beginning of something a bit special over the next few years. Come on Tim prove everyone wrong. String a few results together with some goals, and everyone will be behind you very quickly. Exactly my thoughts, Gregory was my favorite ever Villa manager in my time supporting (even over Big Ron & Little). I think the fact he has something to prove and is still somewhat an unknown in terms of managerial experience could work wonders for us. Also, it'll be totally refreshing to have another manager who tells it how it is, as Lambert was a total yes-man to Lerner. Not saying it will work out the same as Johnny Greg's tenure but if it's even 50% as exciting, then that is fine with me.

Time to stop bitching and speculating and get behind him. UTV!

After what we have seen under Lambert, I am surprised at the amount of opposition to any manager, considering the amount of posts I have seen in recent weeks saying 'Anyone could do a better job'. I think everyone is still a bit shocked that Villa pulled the trigger so quickly, though it was glaring obvious that it needed doing. I think Sherwood, if appointed, could turn out to be a Gregory-esque appointment. Many fans would have been underwhelmed and scratching their heads when Gregory came in, yet the guy brought fresh ideas, attacking football and produced results until Collymore helped to secure his downfall. You could compile a list of manager's and pull each one apart as nobody doing the job is without fault. There are only a handful of 'outstanding' manager's - people like Mourinho, Ferguson, Guardiola - but they will always take the top jobs, where there is ample amount of money to spend on a yearly basis. Saying that, they all had to start somewhere, with little experience (Guardiola apart) and have worked hard to forge very successfull careers. At this time and the position we are in, we need to fully support any manager the club appoint and hope that it see's us safe in the short term. What comes after that is yet to be seen but the performances, lack of goals, terrible records etc... supplied by Villa under Lambert can only improve. Any manager the club get in, bar a handful, will split opinion, most purely on perception of that individual and his management style. And at least it isn't Alex Mcleish!

If it is Sherwood, then why are people writing him off before he's even managed a game? I will get behind him, solely for the fact he can't do any worse than Lambert has this season.

I honestly think Sherwood would keep us up. Whoever comes in, we all need to fully back them 100% and hope they can inspire a change in fortune to keep us up. Then come the summer, we can re-group, make changes to the squad and put the last 3-4 dredful seasons behind us.

Good stuff. Nothing against the bloke except the 3 years of total shit I've had to endure while he's been here.

Does Lerner realize that new TV deal won't apply to Villa when we are in a lower League?? That's a hell of a lot of cash to kiss goodbye to because of loyalty to a uselss lapdog.