www.somersetlions.net

Hey guys,

Looking for reasons to be upbeat about Villa's season next year.

I have plenty of reasons to be worried and downbeat about the new year, including (but not exclusively)

Luke Young - being sold off to Liverpool when we still need an actual right back. For £2.75m no less, 50%+ of a loss on what we bought him for (I appreciate the deal isn't done, but he'd be mad not to go)

James Milner - From what I can see, Man Sheik reckon he's £24m tops, Villa reckon £30m. I think he will now stay with us for another year, then leave next Summer for less than £20, as he is 1 year closer to his contract running out.
It's Barry deja vu all over again, and I don't like it. I say we look at £24m as a result (double your money) and work around it. Milner wasn't THAT good for us last year anyway, was completely numb in games against the top half of the table in my eyes, and he's not the central midfielder we need.

Emile Heskey - Still at the club......Damn

The Famous 6 - ALL will be sold at a substantial loss for the prices we paid, if sold at all. Most will be left to rot in the reserves and run their extortionate contracts down.
Each one of them has decreased in value, and even if they are all sold it will be for a fraction of the price that Martin O'Neill bought them for.
This, coupled with our charity sponsorship for the last 2 years is the reason O'Neill must sell to buy.

Martin O'Neill - Coming out again and basically saying Villa cannot compete....Yeah, cheers then.

Signings - The complete lack thereof. We have no money!!! I'm starting to think O'Neill called Milner out in public because he is getting desperate. He knows we can't reinforce the squad like it needs, and needs the money more than he needs Milner. But it has backfired. And we will end up with another player who has frayed ties with O'Neill in the dressing room.

Shirts - September release.....Are you KIDDING me?!? The season will be 4 games old by the time they come out!!! What a joke.

Pets - I have no reason to believe that MO'N will break his strict rules about playing his pets, regardless of form, regardless of preferred position. This annoyed me no end last year, and the same pets are there this year.

All in all, I'm really looking for one of the eternal optimists (where IS Weston Pete?!) to come on here and tell me why I should be looking forward to next year. I'm really struggling to see bright sides guys

Jim, i feel the same, all I hope is that the albrighton, delfouneso and delph(when fit) have great seasons.
There is a lot of noise on Celtic forums that mcgeady will join us for either 8m or 6m+heskey.
I can also see us using the 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation a fair bit which has been used in friendly games - I hope so but worry about where else the goals come from. Maybe Downing after a full pre season will be better????
Dont rate sidwell or heskey, hope nrc stays and let luke young go if you have faith in beye.

Following on from my answers to Jim this is how I will start next season.

On the morning of August 14th I will get up. get ready and go to the game. Like every other season since I first time I went down as a 8 year old in 1964 I shall go with the intention of seeing the finest team in football.start another victorious campaign. It hasn't happened a lot of times, but the times it has it's been wonderful, and the times it hasn't been great , it's been .................ah great as well.I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on a matchday.

So 9 months on from this August 14th we shall see Aston Villa complete a fantastic quadruple of Premier League,FA Cup,League Cup and the Europa League.

I have to think that, it's what it's all about,dreams can be shattered but just every now and again they come to fruition.

Then enjoy!!!

"bring on Chelsea.Man United,bring on the Spaniards by the score,Barcelona, Real Madrid they will make a gallant bid ,but they won't beat the Villa any more" sang on the Holte when i was younger. It still means something.

COME ON YOU VILLA BOYS !!!!!!!!

Many are called but few are chosen……..!!!

Villa Park to me is the best ground in the world and it will be Jacob and my first ever year as Season Ticket Holders!!!!

OK only North Stand cheap seats, but I am so excited I have goose bumps thinking about it…Waaaahoooo

Role on Aug 14th, I think we need to look to the youth to come through Delfouneso, Albrighton and a few new faces via the transfer market. Let’s hope with no International duties for Gabby and Ashley Young they will shine this new season 2010/11.

It looks a bit bleak from the posts so have resorted to getting down on my knees to pray…………..

Dear Lord,

We pray Celtic take Heskey , City buy Milner, Ireland, Bellamy and cash travel to B6.
The pitch is as fine as last term.
We avoid any serious injuries.
Nike to get an extra sowing machine!!!!!
We can play a right back @ right back.
Guide our brother Martin for he knows not what he is doing.
Give Martin the power to inspire and my wife the ability to release more cash for cup matches.

Please sort all the above for

R2, Row R, Seat 42

Many thanks

Oh Ye of little faith!!!!!!!!!!!! New season. New kit (eventualy). New seat in the hallowed Holte End (Moved from row W to V,because it's closer to the action). New formation (4-3-3 or 4-5-1). New entrance to impress the away fans. Our younger players with 12 months more experience. Delph, Allbrighton, Lichaj and Weimann. Jury still out on the Fonz. So why all the negative vibes??? We have till the end of next month to sign players and MON will come good!!!!!!!

Well it's taken me 2 hours to think of all these positives and then I read all the other 'chat' again and thought bollocks they're RIGHT!!! And yes I am an optimistic Villa guy but can I find anything in the above comments to argue with?? NO!!! But the answer should be a big big YES, but it ain't!! And then yesterday I hear that we're selling our best right back to one of our main competitors??!! Only to hear today he isn't going unless he gets a pay-off from the Villa because he will have to take a pay-cut at Liverpool. Seems to have forgotten how he was looked after by the Villa during his leave of absence for the unfortunate loss of his step-brother, which I think we all felt for him at the time.
BUT I'm putting my masocistic head back on and looking forward to Aug 14th and 29th for our first two home games, but feel this season will be a good season if we manage top half unless there is a sting in the tail to this woeful tale.
Keep your chins up guys. This is why we support the Villa. Nothing has really changed in 134 years so why now????????????????
My wife's AK47 is for hire (inc. wife) if you think it would help. Bookings taken on a first come first served basis at the usual address.

Ever since England got knocked out (did they even turn up?) of the World Cup I'm starting to see football for what it is. A bunch of overpaid spoilt kids who really couldn't give a stuff about the Club/Country who I'd die for and a country that many HAVE died for. And yet these footballing heroes of ours couldn't pull together for 4 weeks to make our country proud? Complete tossbags the lot of them. And if that wasn't bad enough I then heard that Milner wants a move to Man City!!! For what? Champions League football? Nope.......for an extra 30grand a week and the chance to get splinters on his ass!!! So now I ask myself the question "Do I really want to part with my hard earned cash and line the pockets of the stinking rich spoilt sods who don't think twice of jumping ship for more money?". Right now the answer is no I dont. Usually this time of year i'm getting pumped up for the new season. But really what have we got to look forward to for this season? I'm pretty sure I could just stick on last seasons dvd and not miss anything from this coming season

Well said Dan. I cannot disagree with a single word you have said. I wonder how many at the FA realise how much the "Golden Generation" have turned people against football. I have a lot of sympathy for your generation Dan who have been force fed that winning is everything and only a select band of clubs are worth following.(Note I have not said the word supporting) To find a "Somerset Local" who has chosen to "support" the Villa is indeed a wonderful thing for me as an exiled Brummie. You have the choice of anyone and yet you choose the Villa, Sir, I commend you.

That's what make us who follow the Villa special, we are not gloryhunters, we are not fairweather fans, we just feel an affinity for a club that agreed we have chosen but deep down i like to think we have been chosen. There is no logic to follow the Villa. When I was a little un it was Manchester United, Tottenham, bandwagon running amok but even amongst my friends in Brum you were either Villa Blues or the Baggies, the Man Utd fan in those days was treated with a lot more disdain than he is now, you were letting your Area down by supporting that lot !!!

I first went to the Villa in 1964 and for the first few years I can honestly say It didn't matter what the score was , it was important to me to be there. Relegation to the 2nd division and then the 3rd should have made me turn my back on football like you are considering now but no it didn't. There is a great line on a video/DVD about that era where the commentator says of the relegation to the 3rd "that Players management and fans were as 1 in the quest to return to former glories" .

The nearest that line could have been used in recent times was when MON came in ,Ellis went and Randy Lerner took the helm. Even the most "fickle" Villa fan realised something was up.

And so we come to today, a national team in turmoil, players who think they are bigger than the game, officials who I am convinced are not as "neutral" as they should be, management who run things that we would be sacked for if we failed to meet deadlines like they do, in other words a MESS !!!! but you know something they are not going to beat me into submission. I just think of a man who neglected those big time charlies, got rid of the ones he had, brought in people who thanked him for the chance and built and built whilst suffering some setbacks and then finally got it right. 80-82

It's there Dan, it really is. I just don't want to miss it when it happens again ,and despite what Sky says it will, I just wish I had the same courage as you to say NO MORE, I haven't , but hey if it does come off what a ride it will be !!!!!

After watching the game tonight I agree Jim, I know its only a friendly but we are nowhere near good enough for a top 6 push again! We need 4 class players to come into our starting 11 to change things.
The plus points were NRC - good energy, albrighton looked good as did beye.
Downing, Heskey and Sidwell looked as they did last year - average at best.
Lets hope 18/20m + Ireland comes in soon then a striker and a few better players for the squad.