I'm going to start with Steve Sidwell as he's come out the past few days talking about filling the space that Barry has left and well, I know some of you will think it isn't possible, but I think it is and I hope he succeeds.

You see, my view on Barry is a fairly simple one and I really don't think we lost much when he sold his soul and joined Manchester City. Sure, he had a good left foot and could pass the ball sixty yards, which on three times in twelve seasons resulted in a goal, but he didn't track back because he was too slow, couldn't tackle and had no ability to get past a man.

Some of you will think I'm jumping on a bandwagon by saying this, but it really is what I've thought for a few seasons now and others will remember. Others will also remember that I think Sidwell can do a job for us and if ever he wanted an opportunity, then this is it and if he fails to take it and give it 110% for every second he is on that pitch, then Sidwell will only have himself to blame.

He has to try and get back to basics, concentrate on the simple stuff and not stop for a second when he is playing. He has to play the simple balls and make it difficult for the opposition. He has to know, before the ball comes to him what he is going to do and he has to believe in himself that his decisions are the right ones.

Sidwell has to get back to the player we know he can be and if he does, he can become an excellent player for us, but he also needs the likes of Milner and Young to use those channels and he needs Petrov to work with him; if it all happens and Sidwell takes his opportunity, I fancy we've got our partner for Stan.

What I'm trying to say is, it's more about how they all play together and how much they want it rather than the individual player. If it gels and if they work together, then it can be good, but it is about more than just Sidwell.

Aston Villa Peace Cup Streams

But, that is just my view, today is match day and we have some streams for you if you are not in Spain or don't have the match on TV. First up, is my favourite stream here. You have to pay for this one, but I put it full size on my monitor and just sit back. You don't get any buffering or breaks and well, for that, I can't complain.

But, there is a new kid on the block here. This one is free and I'm told has 'English commentary, high definition and no lag'. Now, you know I like free but the thing I hate more than anything is poor PR, but if there is no lag and it is free, what more do you want?

Zat Knight in Holland with Bolton

Some fairly solid speculation now surrounding Zat Knight. The Mirror are saying he went to Spain with Villa but then flew straight back for a medical at Bolton before flying out to Holland to meet up with his new team. This is a fairly specific bit of news and well, you've got to fancy, if they are going to be this specific, they must know something. It would be a pity to see him go, but there is better out there for us.

Ashley Young not going anywhere and not for £50 million

Last up for now, although this is probably going to turn into the match page for tonight so keep coming back, is Ashley Young. According to The Sun, Liverpool, Spurs, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid are all interested in Young but O'Neill isn't willing to sell, not even for £50mn. and Randy Lerner is supporting him on this.

Now, you all know I believe everything I read in the paper, but what happens if someone comes in with a bid of £60mn.?

Martin O'Neill
There has been no thought about selling him. If somebody came in with £50m, I would not do it. It would be up to the chairman but the last time I spoke to Randy Lerner he was not entertaining anything, at any price.

There are loads of teams who want him but he's at the right club. I could not be more strong on this. He's not going anywhere.

Right, coffee and bacon sandwich I think followed by a little bit of banter in the Aston Villa forum.

Peace Cup Live Text

One hour to go. No team news yet. I'm searching.

Comments (324)

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rob81 said:

... How can you say Barry isn't a great loss. I believe you didn't rate him that highly before he left but when the season kicks off we will see just how big a player he was for us. I accept MON had to sell him when he did, but of all the players we have been linked with, i would still choose Barry over all of them, even though i can,t stand the bloke anymore.

Comment 1, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.32 am

Carl villa said:

... has zat knight gone to bolton for 4 million acording to the mirror newspaper he has ?????????

Comment 2, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.32 am

Carl villa said:

... ???????????????

Comment 3, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.36 am

Altan Kargaci said:

... Well in MON , I think it's fair to say Ashley Young will be a Villa player for at least another year. Damian any news on that piece in the Mirror saying that Zat is in Holand with his new Boltan team mates? UTV

Comment 4, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.36 am

Damian said:

... The Mirror seem to be very specific about the Zat Knight thing ..

Comment 5, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.42 am

Jinksy said:

... Sidwell couldn't lace Barry's boots when he had the chance last season in games Barry didn't play, Gillingham for example he went missing. He didn't look bad in a 5 but with him and Petrov in a 4 he was rubbish.

Comment 6, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.42 am

dally said:

... I was with you until you mentioned 110% - why do people say that?? Just say 100% thats all anyone can offer anyway, otherwise good stuff!

Comment 7, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.43 am

Jinksy said:

... Damian - Can i add i agree with most thing you say on here expecially about MON & Learner but mate Barry was quality to class & we haven't got enough money to buy players of his class & if we dis they wouldn't come anyway.Thats why it was a massive loss because the only way we'll get another Barry is if we produce him.

Comment 8, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.46 am

Damian said:

... Jinksy We are all entitled to opinion about Barry. Mine has been fairly static for a few years but I don't think losing him will have any impact on the team. I think losing Laursen was much more of a loss than Barry. But, only time will tell.

Comment 9, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.49 am

rob81 said:

... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...re=channel check this bloke out

Comment 10, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.50 am

David Tyler said:

... On Sidwell, I agree that it's a great opportunity and one that MON needs to take as well as Sidders himself... otherwise we pretty much write off a player's upward mobility, which goes against the grain of us being a good window for internation aspirants. It strikes me that you don't get the same comments from NRC and I'm expecting him to move on. It's a bit of a shame in my view but that's life, we can't pick everyone. Even if Sidwell steps up - and especially if NRC goes - we still need to strengthen in that area. Downing offers flexibility but not yet. I want Sidwell to succeed but I would like that to be because he's got fresh competition and comes out on top. Or he doesn't come out on top but pushes said new fresh talent on further. On Knight, it is specific, isn't. It would be so easily refuted simply by seeing him with the Villa squad that I suspect it has happened. If so, much as it would be a shame to see him go, I think it MUST be because someone else is lined up at a very advanced stage. I am happy with that being a top name or an older head geared towards getting Cuellar and Davies established as the main pair. Either will do for me and promoting Clark to 4th choice works for me too. On Ash... surely we sell at £60m? £35m would be my "tempted" point.

Comment 11, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.59 am

Nick Salter said:

... Damian: I agree with you on Sidwell, he is playing his arse off in pre-season as he has a point to prove! If Sidders can be more composed on the ball, which I though Barry excelled, we could be onto a winner. Mourinio saw the potential, just didn't really get his chance

Comment 12, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.03 am

Wez said:

... I agree with damian I think Barry was average at the start of the season and then utter Tatt towards the end of the season then he would slip on a England shirt and play brilliant when he knew he was been watched. "Gareth Barry has been a great servant to the club blah blah blah" yes he was but we served him well good wages,captain,first team and let's be fair the only real time his head was turned he wanted out. I think sidwell can do a job in there and I think this is what he was always orginally brought for and hen got downhearted when Barry stayed I think now he will step upto the plate with a decent run in the team.

Comment 13, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.04 am

Chris Algie said:

... rob81 said: ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...re=channel check this bloke out How weird, I just posted a link to his John Carew song in the forum

Comment 14, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.05 am

ak_27 said:

... Sidwell showed even againest really weak European oppossition that he is not up to the job. I agree with you that Barry wasn't as great a CM that many think he is but he is still far barrter then Sidwell. If we don't another CM in then you can be certian we won't even finish in te top 7.

Comment 15, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.07 am

Chris Algie said:

... Sidders will fill Barry's shirt no problem

Comment 16, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.07 am

Keith said:

... I couldn't agree more on Sidwell, he is an excellent player and will show his worth this season. I couldn't agree less on Barry, he was quality. What MON has done by stating that is show us the fans, that if Young is sold then it is down to Lerner. Young will stay. On the Zat Knight issue, didn't MON say no more players would be sold until signings had been made?

Comment 17, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.08 am

Ray Knowles said:

... rob81 said: ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...re=channel check this bloke out Churchill, you're older than I thought fella

Comment 18, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.14 am

Chatters said:

... Sidwell needs to take his chance this season and time will tell if he's up for it! On Zat's possible transfer can't see why when we are already a center half down we allow another one to leave although he was seen as squad center half and with Distin or no other center halfs lined up we would then be two down in this position. On Laursen retirement can anyone tell me if the club insure players for such events because if so then this money would also be availabe for transfers. up the villa

Comment 19, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.18 am

ak_27 said:

... Chatters they had him insured but it wouldn't have been for too much. No more then a million which was probably just to cover his wages.

Comment 20, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.22 am

Lewis said:

... knights gone chech boltons website I can't believe good squad player and loyal bloke and tried every time.

Comment 21, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.27 am

joevilla said:

... Zat gone according to SSN...

Comment 22, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.30 am

Ray Knowles said:

... MON said ideally he'd like no one to leave before he got a replacement in ... but not to hold him to that. There is so much rubbish written in the papers that until its on either Bolton's or Villa's official site I'm not getting too excited. MON / the club would be pretty dense though to let Zat Knight go unless they were very, very confident of bringing a replacement in pretty quickly.

Comment 23, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.31 am

Keith said:

... Zat sold for £3m on SSN Signing 2 CBs urgent now

Comment 24, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.32 am

vijay said:

... Its on Bolton's website that he has signed.....

Comment 25, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.32 am

stu said:

... mon must know what hes doin lettin zat go. its kinda excitin cuz i reckon mon wouldnt have let him go if he didnt have replacements lined up. so after the peace cup id expect to see some CBs coming in...but who...

Comment 26, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.33 am

vijay said:

... Ofcourse we'll see centre backs coming in, maybe we needed the money to pay for the Distin deal??

Comment 27, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.35 am

Nik Skilton said:

... Zat has gone then, why the OS not told us? why do we have to find out from every other news source before our own website? So now its two new centrebacks? with a couple of weeks to go till the start of the season? interesting.

Comment 28, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.36 am

Mike Carter said:

... There you go, I hope you all doom-mongers will shut up about Young now. That's about as conclusive as you'll ever get. And Damiam I agree with you on Barry. I believe an average player can take a step up and improve to the level Barry was at. Why? Because that's exactly what Barry himself did.

Comment 29, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.37 am

Mike Carter said:

... It also looks as though we've sold Knight for more than we bought him? If so, that has to be the greatest piece of business of all time!

Comment 30, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.38 am

stu said:

... vijay i like the sound of funding for distin idea but we still need another decent CB, maybe we'll bring 1 back from spain lol

Comment 31, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.39 am

vijay said:

... i didnt want to say it again this transfer window but i have no choice, we are in a mess and im worried!

Comment 32, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.42 am

Jinksy said:

... Why is everyone so desperate for Villa to sign the clearly over the hill very slow or should i say lost all his pace (did to see any Portmouth Games last season) Distin???? & fund that deal by selling a Centre half?? Martin you are clueless. 4 gone one crock in so we now need about 9 players of 1st team quality. IT ISN'T GOING TO HAPPEN.

Comment 33, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.45 am

vijay said:

... Jinksy mate, am i right in being worried??

Comment 34, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.47 am

Wez said:

... LOL @ jinksy mate you are goin over the top mate

Comment 35, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.50 am

vijay said:

... so wez , we're supposed NOT to be worried??

Comment 36, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.52 am

Jinksy said:

... vijay - I am very worried but that's because i'm a realist & can see that our very tiny squad is getty smaller. We are linked to has beens or average joe's & seem to be waiting for other teams to buy the cream so we can have there cast off's. Next MON will bang on about how grat the kidds coming through are and give them all a squad number to make our shit squad look bigger. I mean our 1st team has w****rs like fridel & Hesky in it what chance have we got? Is Cueller going to play right back & centre back at the same time? We've got 1 right back & 1 fit left back (Who is also shit). I'm losing it........

Comment 37, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.53 am

vijay said:

... Jinksy mate, you are right in many things you say, but why is it that the majority of fans on here are happy with this chaotic situation??

Comment 38, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.55 am

VillaNick said:

... If Zat Knight leaves it will just go to show how much O'Neill is unimpressed, especially as we have not replacement as yet! I'm not gonna jump on the bandwagon saying the manager shouldn't have bought him if he was shit, but he must have looked at him and thought " local lad, has been picked for his country once or twice, prem experience - worth a punt " Some signings don't work out which is why I think MON is nervous about buying players. He knows he cocked up selling Cahill & now we are suffering.

Comment 39, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.56 am

villajon said:

... your out of order jinksy,you think calling our players w****rs is called for,your the worst kind of so called fan

Comment 40, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.01 pm

Jinksy said:

... vijay - Because they are sheep.......They are the people that clap a corner, clap when we have been rubbish & lose 5-0, Think MON is some sort of god even though he hasn't won anything of note, Think Reo-Joker is a good player, were glad when we sined Heskey, Think Freidel is a great goalkeeper even though in fact he is shit.... SHEEP with Villa tinted spec's on. When we buy top class players & our Billionaire give the money to do it i'll be a SHEEP but the facts are there we do not spend money & will never buy that player we all want on the back of our shirts.

Comment 41, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.01 pm

vijay said:

... here we go jinksy......

Comment 42, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.01 pm

Jinksy said:

... villajon - f**k you p***k, i can call who i want a w****r & you sir are the bioggeset w****r of them all.....SHEEP.

Comment 43, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.03 pm

villajon said:

... your another one vijay, most fans on here aren`t happy about things but we`re prepared to wait for the window to shut at least

Comment 44, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.04 pm

villajon said:

... yes typical response from mr intelligent jinksy

Comment 45, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.07 pm

Jinksy said:

... villajon - Don't question my support & i wont call you names....For my childish reaction i apologise.

Comment 46, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.07 pm

Jinksy said:

... villajon - can't argue with that it was a bit pathetic....

Comment 47, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.08 pm

adam said:

... hes probably gonna bring 4 or 5 youth players through. i cant see him buying more than 2 more players, even though we need 6 or 7. what a f**kin Knight-mare

Comment 48, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.09 pm

paul mcgrath ma lord said:

... actually jinksy weve got 2 left backs you forgot about freddy?

Comment 49, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.11 pm

kidder villa said:

... it make me laugh that some of you have switched from ashley to zat when most of you have spent most of the season slagging zat off,for gods sake get a life, cuz were in spain does not mean players wont arrive now prime example zat going to bolton might be sending us a message brum or sunny spain martin got players line up so be pateint

Comment 50, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.14 pm

Jinksy said:

... paul mcgrath ma lord - If you read it again i said 1 fit left back.

Comment 51, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.16 pm

villajon said:

... fair enough jinksy, im worried too but im prepared to wait until the window shuts,if theres no improvement in the situation then i will be moaning believe me. i dont believe that we would be selling knight if there wasnt a replacement lined up.that would be just stupid

Comment 52, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.17 pm

Jinksy said:

... villajon - Why are we waiting ? Because i fear he is after players that are surplus to other teams requirements i.e. the left overs.

Comment 53, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.19 pm

villajon said:

... jinksy you could be right hope your not though, mon has said we will replace laursen and barry so lets wait and see what kind of quality he gets,if we start the season with the squad we`ve got plus a few kids chucked in,well that would be f**ked up

Comment 54, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.28 pm

Dan Price said:

... one of the best passers in the premiershp. calm on the ball and not only consistently beat his man, but would leave them on the floor looking stupid with that one turn of his. Sold his soul agreed, but footballing talent unquestionable.

Comment 55, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.32 pm

churchill(use another name) said:

... Churchill, you're older than I thought fella Older than that Ray. I was at the first Cup Final in 1887 at Kennington Oval. A mere boy mind, my Dad took me and we went from Snow Hill Station. We beat the Baggies 2-0 and it was a great day out. Back to the song - it's a bit cheesy, even for my taste. Great voice though.

Comment 56, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.34 pm

kidder villa said:

... for are for all you doom mongers ashley young on the officail site saying how happy he is at villa and gant wait the new season,something less to moan at:-

Comment 57, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.39 pm

vijay said:

... villajon, where will u be tonight??

Comment 58, made on July 25, 2009 at 12.51 pm

kidder villa said:

... lets get one thing straight cahill asked for the transfer,could not get on with barry,(hence the tackle in england training)do you really think matin wanted it, (cannot have unrest in the sqaud, no saying he wont be back , and lets all sit back watch the peace cup ,and by the way cahill come from those shit reserves

Comment 59, made on July 25, 2009 at 1.13 pm

kidder villa said:

... martin oniell and randy learner (i would not take 30 40 50 mill for ashley young ) now you tell me villa have not changed for the better under randy and mon ,i think we all no the answer to that one (sheep or no sheep)

Comment 60, made on July 25, 2009 at 1.45 pm

straff24 said:

... what time do we kick off today plz .

Comment 61, made on July 25, 2009 at 2.37 pm

Mr villa said:

... Sidwell, two goals in two games. he will add more goals from the cm posistion than barry.

Comment 62, made on July 25, 2009 at 2.58 pm

villadeee said:

... WE HAVE JUST SIGHNED VAGNER LOVE

Comment 63, made on July 25, 2009 at 3.00 pm

kidder villa said:

... straf24 9,30 villadeee what makes u say that?

Comment 64, made on July 25, 2009 at 4.02 pm

cockneyvillan said:

... I think all these people moaning about everything are clasSic exmples of a "FICKLE FAN", It is a bit frustrating agreed but its how oneil does things and he aint done to bad so far. I think zat going shows how much he wants to improve the quality of the squad and hes deffinatly got someone lined up prob distin and id say someone of real quality to replace larson and barry and its exciting because i havnt got a clue who!! does anyone know if the match ison tv tonight ? dont think so!!

Comment 65, made on July 25, 2009 at 4.41 pm

kidder villa said:

... cockney villa you are right about fickle fans thier a few on here, anyway for the match see at the top of page damian has a site good luck and keep the faith,

Comment 66, made on July 25, 2009 at 5.07 pm

cockneyvillan said:

... kidder villa, yeah thnx fella i saw the linx , but would be nice to see on tv!!! come on the villa!

Comment 67, made on July 25, 2009 at 7.39 pm

Aero-For-Villa said:

... maybe Knight going is part of a swap deal for Gary Cahill... i hope! UTV!

Comment 68, made on July 25, 2009 at 8.36 pm

Mike Carter said:

... So... yeah... Lerner and MON out

Comment 69, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.36 pm

pete said:

... we could have hughes as manager,that would be bad.a squad full of strikers

Comment 70, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.42 pm

bass said:

... i dont care if people have a go i am fed up with everything aston villa! every day i check for paper talk and see if we have signed anyone but no its just players going out the door, we try and get people in but normal clubs dont let players go until they have who they want but not us, we let everyone go and if we cant get who we want we can just say 'well its a small buch of lads but they work hard' and 'i am hoping to build a bigger squad next year' BORING!!! IF ASTON VILLA WAS A WOMEN I WOULD HAVE FU%&ED OFF AGES AGO! and i would have left her with everything as i dont think it is worth very much! villa are very much like a women, talk the talk but never really come up with anything, try really hard but somehow you know it is never really going to be good enough and they seem to let you down all the time! (can i just say except my current girl friend in case some how she goes on this site and reads this!!

Comment 71, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.42 pm

THE AV VILLAN said:

... WTF!!! OS says kick off is 10.30pm!!!! Surely they couldn't get that wrong?!?! or maybe it's another smoke screen to try and cover up the Knight sale??

Comment 72, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.45 pm

Mike Carter said:

... bass - support someone else then? Simple solution really.

Comment 73, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.46 pm

JPA said:

... Is the match on TV at all tonight or is it just over the net?

Comment 74, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.49 pm

THE AV VILLAN said:

... Just here http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=43705&part=sports

Comment 75, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.51 pm

Mike Carter said:

... Going to miss the match unfortuantely, have to do the movie thing with the missus. I expect a full report when I get back

Comment 76, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.52 pm

AVJohn said:

... vivavilla - call yourself a villa fan !?!?! AV Mark wont think you are !

Comment 77, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.55 pm

Dan Price said:

... Last season me and my best mate, both season ticket holders, excited about the almost certainty of breaking the top 4 discussed how awful it would be to support a mid table, not challenging for anything, not fighting to stay up either team. We spoke about how each game would mean so much less, there would be no more Arsenal on boxing day must win games and very little excitement in the run up to matches. This feeling crept in when it became apparent that we had thrown away possibly the best lead over the 4th place contenders we will possibly ever see. Each following game after stoke became less exciting, the rollercoaster we were on transformed into a steam train and eventually a broken down chiltern rail line. Away games I was streaming on the worst possible quality at the start of the season became not worth the hassle towards the end... knowing that 3 points either way could make no difference to our destiny. Bookmakers have us to finish 8th, the most we can hope for at this moment in time is for the excitement of fighting to get into the cup that our manager deemed not worth playing in last season. I wonder if this transfer window so far is going according to MON's five year plan? Whether you blame Randy's lack of funds, MON's lack of transfer dealings or Real's/City's financial backing, the result is still the same. Unless something dramatic is done soon, the romance of last season will not be experienced for a long time and it will be sorely missed.

Comment 78, made on July 25, 2009 at 9.58 pm

Damian said:

... Still no team news ... and instead of adding in the top .. I'm going to add a few things here instead in the comments.

Comment 79, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.00 pm

Damian said:

... JPA you'll also find a couple of links in the main blog post - one free one not

Comment 80, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.01 pm

limerick_villain said:

... folks silly question here but havent watched match on the net before.just seen the link above but it shows lots of different stations cud any1 tell me which is the best 1 to watch it on please,UTV

Comment 81, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.03 pm

THE AV VILLAN said:

... limerick, i find the media player ones work best. Some others like Sopcast can involve downloading things. Just try them all if needs be, quality will be different on some and half of em won't work.

Comment 82, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.09 pm

Damian said:

... limerick .. i'd say, seeing as its your first time try this one: http://footyfansforum.co.uk/livestream/

Comment 83, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.10 pm

THE AV VILLAN said:

... No one shed any light on the actual kick off time, 10.30 might explain the lack of team news????

Comment 84, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.11 pm

Mark said:

... Bookmakers have us to finish 8th, the most we can hope for at this moment in time is for the excitement of fighting to get into the cup that our manager deemed not worth playing in last season. I wonder if this transfer window so far is going according to MON's five year plan? Whether you blame Randy's lack of funds, MON's lack of transfer dealings or Real's/City's financial backing, the result is still the same. Unless something dramatic is done soon, the romance of last season will not be experienced for a long time and it will be sorely missed. Dan welcome to the Premier League - to quote the bard "do you ever feel like you been had?"

Comment 85, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.12 pm

AVJohn said:

... its 10.30 in spain so 9.30 here

Comment 86, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.13 pm

THE AV VILLAN said:

... Cheers John

Comment 87, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.15 pm

dan said:

... the team is on OS

Comment 88, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.18 pm

limerick_villain said:

... damo nice 1 mate.Just like to say i run a barbershop in limerick ireland and im converting plenty of youngsters every week to follow the villa!! (and if they dont its not my fault the razor slipped) lol

Comment 89, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.19 pm

Jae86 said:

... Friedel, Lichaj, Cuellar, Davies, Shorey, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Petrov (c), Young, Heskey, Carew. Subs: Bannan, Albrighton, Harewood, Lowry, Clark, Guzan, Parish, Herd, Osbourne. Why has he got 2 goalkeepers on the bench?? And lets hope our other young American has a good debut

Comment 90, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.20 pm

dan said:

... Friedel, Lichaj, Cuellar, Davies, Shorey, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Petrov (c), Young, Heskey, Carew.

Comment 91, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.20 pm

Damian said:

... Some team news: Friedel, Lichaj, Cuellar, Davies, Shorey, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Petrov (c), Young, Heskey, Carew. Subs: Bannan, Albrighton, Harewood, Lowry, Clark, Guzan, Parish, Herd, Osbourne. Petrov is captain.

Comment 92, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.22 pm

Mike Carter said:

... Fantastic Lichaj is getting a chance. Should stop people moaning about Cuellar playing out of position too.

Comment 93, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.23 pm

Damian said:

... but where is luke young?

Comment 94, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.29 pm

Damian said:

... anyway. a minute in and they have a corner

Comment 95, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.30 pm

stephen said:

... he had that injury at the end of last season...hes foot was playin him up wor it

Comment 96, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.31 pm

Jae86 said:

... i thought they were claiming no lag damian, this sites worse than myp2p. its more of a slide show than a video.

Comment 97, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.31 pm

Jae86 said:

... emile just got headbutted n dropped like aa log, hess on the deck already

Comment 98, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.33 pm

Damian said:

... heskey down injured after getting knocked on the head ... looks dazed

Comment 99, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.34 pm

Damian said:

... looks like he is going odd ... doesn't look like he knwos where he is

Comment 100, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.35 pm

gregdavillain said:

... haha da mule is down go on alby boy

Comment 101, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.35 pm

Halfwit said:

... You people must be crazy is you pay for streams there is tons out there just use myp2p justin.tv etc etc

Comment 102, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.35 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... heskey's off already!

Comment 103, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.35 pm

Damian said:

... albrighton on for heskey. nice opportunity for the lad

Comment 104, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.35 pm

HolteArmyNick said:

... Like an inexperienced boxer, Heskeys down and out for the count in the 5th ... Time for another striker MON ... perhaps Vagner Love

Comment 105, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.36 pm

heskeyshead said:

... reports are emile is brain dead

Comment 106, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.37 pm

HolteArmyNick said:

... heskeyshead ... Brillant

Comment 107, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.38 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... Just purchased the AVFC blog thing for 1 day to watch, how do I watch it????!!!!! help please someone

Comment 108, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.39 pm

Imran Patel said:

... anyone know where the fonz is

Comment 109, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.40 pm

gregdavillain said:

... myp2p gol tv 300 k/s its not in english but no lag clear pic

Comment 110, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.40 pm

Damian said:

... DanWilson82 do you mean the thing at avfcforum.co.uk? if you do .. email me quickly

Comment 111, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.40 pm

heskeyshead said:

... definately need some class in the centre of the midfield.

Comment 112, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.40 pm

gregdavillain said:

... reo cokers lookin lively and strong

Comment 113, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.42 pm

Damian said:

... otherwise .. download this: http://avfcforum.co.uk/download/mplayer.exe then put in this in the address bar: http://USERNAMEASSWORD[at]213.251.132.11:8000/avfc.nsv change username and passowrd for your username and password and the [at] for the at sign and then press start

Comment 114, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.44 pm

stephen said:

... assword

Comment 115, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.45 pm

avfc1983 said:

... looks like young has a free role and is looking good villa villa villa

Comment 116, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.46 pm

gregdavillain said:

... misterp delfouneso is away with da ingerland u21's

Comment 117, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.46 pm

heskeyshead said:

... sometimes villas forward play is shocking. definately need some creative midfielder type and a new striker

Comment 118, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.47 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... the commentator on fansforum keeps calling carew car who. getting bloody annoying!

Comment 119, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.48 pm

avfc1983 said:

... hokey cokey looking good

Comment 120, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.49 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... Thanks Damian, downloading now!

Comment 121, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.50 pm

stephen said:

... lol that commentator is gettin on my tits

Comment 122, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.51 pm

Imran Patel said:

... cool i thought it was just milner, gabby and gardner getting an extra rest. hockey cockey looking good though

Comment 123, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.51 pm

stephen said:

... according to OS Heskey has mild concussion and a distinct lack of talent

Comment 124, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.53 pm

heskeyshead said:

... ashley young is our best player by a country mile. his final ball isnt the greatest however

Comment 125, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.54 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... oh well it wont do anything for me

Comment 126, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.55 pm

dan said:

... nrc and petrov look excellent

Comment 127, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.55 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... now on veetle.com and the commentators now a sceptic tank... but at least the lag has gone.

Comment 128, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.56 pm

Damian said:

... its not a 50/50 game and i'm not sure why i'm commenting on the match as if you can view this website you can be watching the match online but we're probably 60/40 running it ..maybe a little more nice bit of play from young there playing albrighton in but it was a but short for the lad. needs a better pass

Comment 129, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.58 pm

Dave J said:

... looking short of ideas sadly

Comment 130, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.58 pm

stephen said:

... fukin hell

Comment 131, made on July 25, 2009 at 10.59 pm

Damian said:

... good save from the brad there ... and i've just noticed, we are not playing 443 now that heskey has gone off

Comment 132, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.00 pm

gregdavillain said:

... martin laursen's warming up to come on!!

Comment 133, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.00 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... great save!!!

Comment 134, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.00 pm

stephen said:

... poor cross

Comment 135, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.02 pm

stephen said:

... this ref is piss poor

Comment 136, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.04 pm

gregdavillain said:

... our passing is atrocious, we miss da gabmeister running da channels up top, and poor sidders is terrible whats his problem, if he had da confidence of ronaldo he has the talent

Comment 137, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.05 pm

dan said:

... all i hear is that refs wistle, and they have a long throw in specialist

Comment 138, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.06 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... there's gotta be at least 10 mins stoppage time, due to the ref constantly stopping play!

Comment 139, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.08 pm

pete said:

... ash taking freekicks againe ,same old shit.sell ash and get rid of mon

Comment 140, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.10 pm

gregdavillain said:

... well done no.10 uv been out on da sauce all day ya?

Comment 141, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.12 pm

Dave J said:

... No 10 - wouldnt put it quite so strongly but there is zero creativity

Comment 142, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.13 pm

oldvillan said:

... same boring football

Comment 143, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.14 pm

heskeyshead said:

... does anyone find it hilarious that theres 2 mins stoppage time, should be 5 at least! also i find it funny how heskey went off and harewood still on the bench! haha he is definately going this summer

Comment 144, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.15 pm

Fitzy_7 said:

... we cant start with shorey at lb when the prem starts.. lack of pace, height and talent.. come on o'neill surely u can see this

Comment 145, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.15 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... can't wait for half-time, my ears are ringing from that f-ing whistle.

Comment 146, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.16 pm

Damian said:

... not the best 45 minutes, but a game and we well, look like we could do with something else somewhere

Comment 147, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.17 pm

gregdavillain said:

... reo-coker looking good defensively, petroc ok passing sideways, davies uncertain, we need to put ash back on the wing hes not stong enough anywhere else, he can use the touchline for protection on the wings, we look well soft in the middle, no ideas but then again its only a pedestrian friendly so far

Comment 148, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.18 pm

Jae86 said:

... refs utter turd, and im getting bored. That Oscar looks ok for them though

Comment 149, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.18 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... Right, whilst it's half time, I've paid my sub for a 1 day viewing, downloaded mplayer and have it up and running, have changed the username and password to my username and password and changed the [at} for @ but it just thinks for a second then does nothing?? I'm running vista could this be why?

Comment 150, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.19 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... with the team colours and way they're playing, you'd think it was a wigan-weat ham match. He must see this and realise that we need to strengthen sooner rather than later.

Comment 151, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.19 pm

Steveo said:

... Can anyone tell me who the hell car roow is??? LOL

Comment 152, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.19 pm

fatkevs said:

... we need Gareth & Martin Back. Mon Has dome bugger all to replace them unless you count the crock downing

Comment 153, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.20 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... and... just read you email damian, works now thanks

Comment 154, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.20 pm

CHRIS AVFC said:

... games pretty dull but wat can we expect they wer on the piss last night to celebrate the brand new/old kit enjoy the game boys

Comment 155, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.21 pm

maccathegod said:

... we dnt look too good

Comment 156, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.21 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... WOW - stats show we had 2 whole shots on goal! I think I must of missed one.

Comment 157, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.21 pm

Adey Stuttard said:

... Dan, I have Vista and it works fine on this link and free: http://footyfansforum.co.uk/livestream/ I am assuming you are talking about the game as I just got in and can't be ar$ed reading through previous threads....

Comment 158, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.22 pm

Rich said:

... Half time 0- 0. Negatives - Woeful crossing and toothless up front. Not had a shot, let alone one on target. Even Ash completely ineffective. Positives - Petrov and Shorey - lets give this man a chance. Very comfortable in possession.

Comment 159, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.22 pm

Damian said:

... Right, just for the record, that free link above seems to be just justin.tv .. so, if you follow my advice and as long as you dont sign up 5 minutes after kick off (i hope you have it working DanWilson) the other one is much better

Comment 160, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.22 pm

gregdavillain said:

... dan wilson if u have firefox maybe disable ur add ons and see if it works, or restart ur computer

Comment 161, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.23 pm

dave said:

... damian wots that surpost to mean

Comment 162, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.24 pm

stephen said:

... well that advert was dodgy

Comment 163, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.25 pm

Doc said:

... It's a pre-season friendly, guys - no more, no less. Don't get too hung up on it. Nice to see Ash given a roaming role. Hope to see Sidwell step up to the plate in the second half, though.

Comment 164, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.26 pm

Damian said:

... tivivilla i posted two links in my post above ... some have emailed in complaining that the free was was a bit jumpy. o checked it out and it appears to be justin.tv and what you get there isn't always the best the other link is pulling direct so your viewing is as good as your internet connection

Comment 165, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.26 pm

Adey Stuttard said:

... gregdavillan, I am runnignfirefox on the link I posted above and all is well. Anyway I missed the first half, were we any good, what are we playing, 442 or what, quick resume would be good guys...

Comment 166, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.26 pm

stephen said:

... golf with a happy ending

Comment 167, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.27 pm

Doc said:

... Rich - Shorey is looking sound, I agree. One or two passes going astray, but that's pre-season.

Comment 168, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.27 pm

Damian said:

... 1874AVFC it was 442 to begin with but then heskey went off early and albrighton came on and went on the right to some extent allowing ashley to do what he wants ... it looks like 442 is the formation of choice though. very deperessing

Comment 169, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.28 pm

Rich said:

... Dan Wilson - try Justin.tv. Not brilliant but OK. Probably showing a different game though (If you compare my comments to those of Fitzy 7)

Comment 170, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.30 pm

peter power said:

... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz has it finished yet

Comment 171, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.32 pm

gregdavillain said:

... 1874 poor first half, reo n shorey look good enuf, weve most of the possesion but they look more dangerous when going forward, heskey off after a clash of heads in first 5 mins so ash is up front with care and young albrington was brought on right wing, shite game so far, looks like what it is a training match and we are we look 6 players short of a good team

Comment 172, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.33 pm

Jae86 said:

... theyve changed keepers??

Comment 173, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.35 pm

Damian said:

... Steveo i just got that car roow thing ..

Comment 174, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.42 pm

stephen said:

... yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn nnnnnnn

Comment 175, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.45 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... great saving tackle by Eric-boy

Comment 176, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.45 pm

stephen said:

... this ref is really really really gettin on my tits now

Comment 177, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.46 pm

Damian said:

... they are showing us how to play football now ... by keeping the ball and passing only pre-season i know

Comment 178, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.50 pm

gregdavillain said:

... we really dont have any1 to take a game by the scruff of da kneck, wud love to see da fonz playin and gabby gardner n milner

Comment 179, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.51 pm

VillaDude said:

... The defence looks better with a recognised right back, and carlos in the middle.

Comment 180, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.51 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... harewoods coming on!!!

Comment 181, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.51 pm

avfc1983 said:

... The hare lol he is soooooooooooo crap

Comment 182, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.52 pm

gregdavillain said:

... nice bannan, oh no ozzy osbourne

Comment 183, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.54 pm

VillaDude said:

... Villa need a second striker, young is pretty much out the game up there.... Weimann would have been better than marlon

Comment 184, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.54 pm

fatkevs said:

... Oh No I.O

Comment 185, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.55 pm

Ray Knowles said:

... Impressed by Lichaj - he looks composed, good in the air and has a monster throw-in!

Comment 186, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.55 pm

dan said:

... i missed it whos got captancy now stans gone off?

Comment 187, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.55 pm

VillaDude said:

... But have to say - Osbourne is even worse than marlon... Get this deadwood out!

Comment 188, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.55 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... young is out of the game in every sense now!

Comment 189, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.55 pm

Eoin Greene said:

... i 100% realise that this is pre-season and you shouln't read anything much into it. BUT Sidwell is like an invisible man out there. He NEVER gets on the ball. I really dont share other peoples lofty opinions about him and think his whole career is based on 2 goals against villa 3 years ago. Has he scored since? On a positive note - both full backs look good

Comment 190, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.55 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... Thanks for advice guys, got it working after Damian sent me the correct url to input. Got to say, best link i've ever had so will be investing more regularly, thanks

Comment 191, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.56 pm

Jinksy said:

... We now have Harewood & Osbourne playing which shows how low we've got. Depressing.

Comment 192, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.57 pm

PAUL WARREN said:

... why's bannan wearing no.45, surely our squad doesn't number that high... 16 at most!

Comment 193, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.59 pm

Jinksy said:

... Is Heskey out for the season?....Hope so.

Comment 194, made on July 25, 2009 at 11.59 pm

stephen said:

... i do like the idea of albrighton and bannan playin for us in the future

Comment 195, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.00 am

Imran Patel said:

... albrighton looks lively i think the youth team boys will step up this season

Comment 196, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.00 am

Carl Main said:

... We are shocking!!!...its as if we dont give a f**k about this cup!...I know its only pre season but just imagine the confidence we would have going into the season after winning, what I feel is a decent pre season cup! Im not enjoying this summer!!!...And I hate being negative, I am a massive sheep!

Comment 197, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.00 am

heskeyshead said:

... albrighton looks promising

Comment 198, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.00 am

PAUL WARREN said:

... ooohhh headed just over.... the stand

Comment 199, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.01 am

Jinksy said:

... Is Osbourne playing in slow motion?

Comment 200, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.03 am

Rich said:

... Sidwell needs to grab this game and make his mark - anonymous Car ooo - well off the pace Blimey - Marlon's coming on.

Comment 201, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.03 am

VillaDude said:

... lol - reo coker and osbourne in midfield - what great passing ability

Comment 202, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.03 am

Jinksy said:

... Am i seeing things or has coker got the armband??? f**king feel like killing myself.

Comment 203, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.05 am

Imran Patel said:

... how the heck do you miss that

Comment 204, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.07 am

stephen said:

... that is the poorest f**kig shot i have ever seen

Comment 205, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.07 am

gregdavillain said:

... best chance of da game!!! over da f**king bar

Comment 206, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.07 am

avfc1983 said:

... ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh nearly

Comment 207, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.07 am

Carl Main said:

... Fuxk off osbourne!!...pile of shit!...how the hell did he make it through our academy?

Comment 208, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.08 am

stephen said:

... wooooooooo goooooooooooaaaaaaaaaallllllllll

Comment 209, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.08 am

VillaDude said:

... Osbourne is prob a second div player at best - what a squad we have

Comment 210, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.08 am

gregdavillain said:

... f**k f**k f**k shit

Comment 211, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.08 am

Imran Patel said:

... the kid makes his 1st mistake and its costly welcome to the first team

Comment 212, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.08 am

PAUL WARREN said:

... balls!!!!!!

Comment 213, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.09 am

avfc1983 said:

... crap crap crap

Comment 214, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.09 am

heskeyshead said:

... that was poorly defended and bad goalkeeping. really imobile keeping from friedel

Comment 215, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.09 am

VillaDude said:

... We have had this kid Lichaj all this time, and we played with reo coker at right back last season. MON u fool!

Comment 216, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.09 am

stephen said:

... so thats the first of many for friedel to do sommet like that

Comment 217, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.09 am

gregdavillain said:

... terrible out whatever u call em licaj and friedel

Comment 218, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.09 am

Damian said:

... error by lichaj but he shouldn't get any stick, he'll learn from that .. actually just watching it again, i'm not sure he was really at fault - it was a fantastic cross field pass it is only pre-season too

Comment 219, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.09 am

Jinksy said:

... f**king 1 -0 Freidel shows again what a shit goalkeeper he is. The team is full of rubbish.

Comment 220, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.10 am

PAUL WARREN said:

... he looked like the best player on the pitch untill that!

Comment 221, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.10 am

VillaDude said:

... friedel i think ate too many pies this summer..silly old man

Comment 222, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.10 am

heskeyshead said:

... wait sidwell just got jabbed in the face and a yellow card?

Comment 223, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.10 am

fatkevs said:

... what a shocking save put the thing out for a corner not push it to pen spot

Comment 224, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.11 am

bfastvilla said:

... was that not a sending off

Comment 225, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.11 am

Steveo said:

... Lichaj has got a long throw on him. Villa to do a stoke this season?????????/

Comment 226, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.11 am

Imran Patel said:

... cant blame the kid inexperience an all but who was picking up the guy who scored and why did friedel palm it. we have no depth its actually depressing to watch eventhough its pre-season

Comment 227, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.11 am

PAUL WARREN said:

... sidwell gets booked for takin one in the face?

Comment 228, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.12 am

heskeyshead said:

... harewood, osbourne arent good enough. i expect these to be gotten rid off before the end of the window.

Comment 229, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.13 am

VillaDude said:

... We have absolutely 0 attacking threat up front. hit and hope

Comment 230, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.14 am

Damian said:

... i like osbourne .. i like these kids ... they've showed potential, the ones in the game anyway and the others have showed willing .. maybe it is a romantic view, but i'd love these kids to get a proper chance

Comment 231, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.14 am

Imran Patel said:

... our play going forward is shocking to watch

Comment 232, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.14 am

Carl Main said:

... I wish I never watched this as its really pissing me off!!!!!!....the commentator is thick as shit too!

Comment 233, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.14 am

PAUL WARREN said:

... harewood, osbourne arent good enough. i expect these to be gotten rid off before the end of the window. let's hope he wasn't using this as a shop window, as no one will want them now!

Comment 234, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.15 am

Imran Patel said:

... are we out if we lose today

Comment 235, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.15 am

heskeyshead said:

... you cant give kids like lichai a chance, he let the left winger through for the goal. out of position. osbourne doesnt seem to tackle or pass and cant shoot?

Comment 236, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.15 am

Fitzy_7 said:

... yawn im falling asleep.. the squad size and quality depresses me

Comment 237, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.16 am

fatkevs said:

... did brad catch a bal then

Comment 238, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.16 am

Jinksy said:

... This is worse than watching paint dry. Cokers 1st touch is like a cross. We need 10 players & are in a desperate state. Lets hope out clown of a manager wakes up and smells the coffee.

Comment 239, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.16 am

heskeyshead said:

... osbourne just proved my point.

Comment 240, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.16 am

gregdavillain said:

... ya the right back looked good until he misread the flight of da ball, he looks promising, how have all these guys such a poor first touch? there playing all there lives its scandalous

Comment 241, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.16 am

stephen said:

... dear me *sigh*

Comment 242, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.16 am

VillaDude said:

... lol osbourne - honestly - how the feck is he at villa!

Comment 243, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.17 am

VillaDude said:

... and can anyone tell me why the MON is starting a player that is available for transfer...(marlon) surely it makes sense to play some our young forwards!

Comment 244, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.18 am

Jinksy said:

... Damian - Did you really just say you like Osbourne? I work in Nottingham & all the Forest Fans i work with agree with me that he is useless. He couldn't get a game for them.

Comment 245, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.20 am

Abdul Kashif said:

... There's a good little feature on Eric Lichaj this month coming up in The Soccer Magazine. An American magazine, and they've done a short Q&A with the lad. M.O.N should play him in the cups and give him a shot.. The squad is looking so thin at the moment. Just go to the Sky Sports website and look at the squad list! I'm sure M.O.N is going to bring in players very soon, he has to now! Just wonder what he's got up his sleeve...

Comment 246, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.21 am

Ray Knowles said:

... pointless by Harewood there. I don't think you can blame Lichaj that much, poor save by Friedel and where were Davies or Cuellar for the goal. They were ball watching / fallen asleep,.

Comment 247, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.21 am

Rich said:

... I'm afraid Friedel does this all too often.

Comment 248, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.22 am

VillaDude said:

... Osbourne and Reo coker are very similiar, i think they might have been seperated at birth. how can you become a professional midfielder when you cant pass!?

Comment 249, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.22 am

Ollie_villa said:

... thank fu*k thats over, was the most tedious 9o minutes of my life.

Comment 250, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.23 am

Damian said:

... Well, we were missing a few players but has how we play changed? 1-0 loss but still ... just pre-season.

Comment 251, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.23 am

Carl Main said:

... Osbournes last touch, giving the ball away to a player in shit loads of space!!!!.....Surely MON realises he has had his chances now. I have never seen a glimpse of potential in him, unlike most of our other youngsters......

Comment 252, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.24 am

maccathegod said:

... well im normally optomitic but we were very poor over to u mon????????

Comment 253, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.25 am

gregdavillain said:

... villadude marlon didnr start, anyway thats all she wrote... i expect doom and gloom till wednesday but donr forget its only preseason and we were playin mostly kids, id like to see bannan albrighton and lichaj again, i really dont think they have the quailty to make it, champ players and maybe get into da prem when 26-28 when they help a team promoted. id like to see em come thru but fonz at 18 is the only real hope in my book

Comment 254, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.26 am

Jae86 said:

... well were out of the peace cup already barring miracles, glad we turned up and took it seriously

Comment 255, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.26 am

maccathegod said:

... optomistic that is

Comment 256, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.26 am

VillaDude said:

... Can anyone answer this??? Does that defeat mean we can't win the cup?! Only the winners of each group progress.

Comment 257, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.27 am

PAUL WARREN said:

... trying to find the positives..... The young american lad looks very promising, Harewood & ozzy have just cemented their exit, and ... that's about it. Anyone else think of any?

Comment 258, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.27 am

clarkamus said:

... shame we lost no one really played that bad but we are missing a bit of creativity going forward was impressed with reo coker won nearly everything on the ground and used the ball nice and simply, young lads did ok at the end of the day 1 mistake from lichaj? was what lost it for us a rookie mistake but to be fair made by a rookie all in all a good run out for most and it will be nice to see us spend some money in the next week UTV

Comment 259, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.28 am

fatkevs said:

... Agree with you maindog give any other kid a chance he plods around & cannot do anything We can expect a lot more of this shite this season What is MoN doing I cannot wait for Rob to tell us what a great game this was

Comment 260, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.28 am

heskeyshead said:

... another positive... sidwell got a punch in the face? might wake him up a bit?

Comment 261, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.28 am

Doc said:

... I guess that told us nothing then

Comment 262, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.29 am

fatkevs said:

... Is Hesky out for the season

Comment 263, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.29 am

simo 09 said:

... damien, my freind if u can take any positives from that mate u must b on another planet,pre season is 4 getting ready 4 the season which is 3 weeks away,and if thats all we got 2 offer im seriously gona start worrying,that is not gud enuf by any stretch,yes i know we r players short milner gabby ect but were not a 2 3 player team surely.

Comment 264, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.30 am

PAUL WARREN said:

... another positive... sidwell got a punch in the face? might wake him up a bit? i just pissed me pants

Comment 265, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.30 am

Jinksy said:

... Doc Bowles - NO that told us that our squad is shockingly short of quality.

Comment 266, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.31 am

Jizzy Rimmer said:

... Very poor performance tonight. A number of things were absolutely glaring tonight. 1. Friedel is past his best. 2. Sidewell anonymous - must like his run in the team last year 3. We are crying out for a leader at the back 4. We desparately need a creater in midfield. There was no flair whatsover. 5. Osbourne, Harewood just aint good enough. 6. To finish on a positive, Albrighton did well. Poss squad player. Definately not ready for prem yet tho.

Comment 267, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.32 am

Rich said:

... Only positive note all game was the combination play (albeit in our own half) of Shorey and Petrov. Oh and Albrighton showed a few glimmers of promise. Nothing up front and one goal from Malaga was always going to be enough.

Comment 268, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.32 am

maccathegod said:

... ur all being negative has anyone even realised liverpool have yet to win any pre season games an their title challangers

Comment 269, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.37 am

Jinksy said:

... Jizzy Rimmer - Spot on. Sidwell played without Barry a few times last season & went missing Gillingham springs to mind & again tonight. If MON thinks this lot will progress the club next season well he must be off his head.

Comment 270, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.37 am

Rich said:

... Oh and one more +ve. My screen froze after 83 minutes.

Comment 271, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.38 am

gregdavillain said:

... if we sign buffon, evra, vidic, ferdinand, ramos, ronaldo, masherano, kaka, ribery, torres, davis villa, well have a very good squad!! f**k we're lightyears away best 11 friedal, shorey, davies, cuellar, young, milner, petrov, re-coker, young, carew, agbonlahor, bench: guzan, sidwell, bannan, albrighton, heskey, harewood, good damn dats depressing

Comment 272, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.38 am

Jinksy said:

... fatkevs - Lets hope so.

Comment 273, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.38 am

VillaDude said:

... still need - 2x CB (doesn't need explaining) 1x RB (but lichaj looks promising) 1x CM (after petrov, our passing capability is left to reo coker or osbourne - god help us) 1x RW (but albrighton maybe take this spot) 1x ST (after carew and gabby, we have no scoring threat. Heskey is a donkey, and marlon - dont make me laugh)

Comment 274, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.39 am

Jinksy said:

... gregdavillain - Who's this Davis Villa Bloke? Is he a centre half?

Comment 275, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.39 am

Mike Carter said:

... Pah... glad I didn't watch it now.

Comment 276, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.41 am

Rich said:

... VillaDude Agree totally. Minimum requirements : RB

Comment 277, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.42 am

Jizzy Rimmer said:

... Jinksey - I think games just pass Sidwell by too many times. If you're in midfield you should be in the game by and large most of the time, but I never see or hear of him. Just don;t think he cuts the mustard. Was great for Reading for one season...but not us! The back looks worrying too - doesnt look like Davies and Cuellar communicate to each other?

Comment 278, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.43 am

Jeremiah Wood said:

... I thought we were OK in the first half. Second half we just ran out of steam. Lichaj looked good; Petrov good as always; centrebacks were fine. Don't like having Young playing forward, but we won't generally do that. Disappointing if we don't advance, as I think we're clearly the better of the two teams, but oh well. Hopefully Guzan will get a run-out in goal on Wednesday.

Comment 279, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.44 am

Rich said:

... 1 x RB, 2 x CB's, 1 holding Midfielder as cover for Petrov , 1 x creative midfielder and a good finisher.

Comment 280, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.44 am

PAUL WARREN said:

... also see the barcodes got thumped 6-1 by leyton orient! you tjink we've got it bad here?

Comment 281, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.46 am

gregdavillain said:

... ya were screwed ar the back, lacklustre in midfield, and toothless up front, now if wudnt be too bad if we cud get a class cb, a class centre mis, and a good finisher, we can compliment what we have if we can buy 4-5 better players, even 3 class wud not be good enough for a sustained challenge, i dunno i usually try to be positive but if we get 4 r 5 injured next year this is the squad we have left

Comment 282, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.47 am

Jizzy Rimmer said:

... Greg - youre right, we need a new spine down the team, which is worrying given this is normall the platform you build on. We're trying to get new players into these important positions. I personally (tho I dont agree) think he will stick with CC & Davies at the back after shelling out £18m on them. He will probably bring in Campbell or Distin as cheap option for 1 or 2 year period. Hope I'm wrong tho!

Comment 283, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.51 am

oldnick said:

... The performance was dire! no shots on target and i think 2 off target against a malaga reserve side. Sidwell just doesnt do it for me, he dont pass or make a tackle and even if he does it usually is a foul, which for a central midfielder u have got to admit it looks kind of bleak. Reo-coker is another story........I SWEAR IF HE IS ON THE TEAMSHEET FOR ANY GAME I WILL NOT WATCH IT. He in my mind is one of the worst footballers i have ever seen grace the premiership, please, pretty please with sugar on top get rid of the hopeless f****r. The only bright note was a few permformances from the kids. I know its only pre-season but if that is anything to go by then we well might fin d ourselves struggling next season.

Comment 284, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.58 am

Jinksy said:

... Jizzy Rimmer - I think it all looks a total mess from front to back & seeing players brought on or starting that we all thought we had seen the back of is depressing. Is it a coincidence that the only loan player Forest had last season that they haven't signed is Osbourne, no it isn't.

Comment 285, made on July 26, 2009 at 1.01 am

Jinksy said:

... oldnick _ Thank f**k someone else that can see how useless Reo-Joker is...He is a poor excuse for a footballer, Can't pass, Can't Shoot, Can't trap...What does he do....

Comment 286, made on July 26, 2009 at 1.07 am

Daniel Wilson said:

... The whole thing just reminded me of the uefa cup last season once we had given up. It's just pre season but we need numbers and I hope Mon is close to getting them in. This season could go 1 of 2 ways, and I guess we will find out over the next 2 or 3 weeks which way that is, depending on weather Randy flashes his cash or not.

Comment 287, made on July 26, 2009 at 1.11 am

gregdavillain said:

... ya gizzy i have always been a staunch mon fan, but im starting to wonder was the money well spent. f**k i bet oleary would have brought in the type of players we were looking for with 70 mill, ugh im a jeckll and hyde here i dont want to believe but we are badly short of players, bring in a director of football and let martin do what he does best. god i must be losing my mind it must be the ureich!!!

Comment 288, made on July 26, 2009 at 1.13 am

taglor said:

... OMG we are hilarious, in MON we trust lmao

Comment 289, made on July 26, 2009 at 1.52 am

cockneyvillan said:

... positives: shorey and petrov looked good using the ball, kids look pretty good prospects, for the future though! negatives: sidwell goes missing still, was hoping he had turned the corner and who said we wouldnt miss barry?? damian!!!!. the reason barry was so important for us was because he was always involved running things why? because he was technicaly excellent so always wanted the ball , sidy aint, so he doesnt and reo coker isnt either so we need a replacment for barry quickly but all said this was a pre season game and i thought we were the stronger team but just didnt creat enough chances..

Comment 290, made on July 26, 2009 at 2.13 am

John Flynn said:

... Well i had a few beers while watching the game..Thank God..!! On the hole we were dire but Stan and Shorey really put some effort in.. But come on Coker and Sidwell were supposed to be playing for there places in CM, One of them Can't pass or even control the ball and the other one just seems not to be bothered.!

Comment 291, made on July 26, 2009 at 2.19 am

bass said:

... i didnt watch the game but from some of the comments i see we lost and we were shit! oh what a surprise! do we need a weather man to tell us when it is pissing down? i think not! once again villa are not good enough! i say sack the board and start again and get some arab guys in to get some real money into the club. the last thing we won was in 1994 ish and it is to long! when are people going to see things for what they really are and stop living in dream land? but for those of yoy that still are, yea we might sign 5 players in the morning and win the prem.......3-2-1- your back in the room!

Comment 292, made on July 26, 2009 at 2.30 am

TrueVillan said:

... for those that think reo coker is quality, open ya eyes! he panics when confronted by an oppenent and just passes the ball anywhere! the links to us are also poor, distin for 5mil when in the last year of his contract and 31! portsmouth must be pissin themselves! just pay the little extra for hangeland, and he would have re sale value! osbourne, i have never seen why he is rated by MON, he has had the most chances of all our youth players and is crap! even forest did not want to keep him! if we can get any money for coker and harewood and even osborne(suspect he will be a freebie) then sell em! trouble is MON will replace them with more crap! the simple fact is the best players we have were inherited by MON, gabby, barry, laursen, bouma. he has made one good buy, young! carew was signed because of lyons interest in baros, milner not bad but could we sell him now and get 12mil? i doubt it! and if paper talk on jenas for 12mil true, waqste of money, buy defour or elm, but then again they are foreign, so god forbid!

Comment 293, made on July 26, 2009 at 2.56 am

Graymo said:

... Google 'live footy doctor' or 'free football'. Please don't waste money paying for streams when you can watch the games free using Sopcast, Tvu etc.. These programs have better quality streams than JustinTv and co. P.s I thought Lichaj looked really good. Main positive from game.

Comment 294, made on July 26, 2009 at 3.07 am

BenitoCarbonePleaseComeBack said:

... thought the youngsters brought a little positivity and drive - they are willing to try and attack in new ways. i liked that.

Comment 295, made on July 26, 2009 at 3.24 am

BenitoCarbonePleaseComeBack said:

... freidel was to blame for the goal. Shall we try Guzan for a bit??

Comment 296, made on July 26, 2009 at 3.27 am

Dan Price said:

... Apparently Distin joins next week... 31 year old for £5m? Frank lampard was valued at £8m with similar time left on his contract... At least its a number! Hip Hip... http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/90943/Mart-bid-for-12m-Jenas/

Comment 297, made on July 26, 2009 at 4.09 am

Steve said:

... guys, i am a 24 yr old inv banker that lives in london yet is a season ticket holder in the trinity stand row 8, you dont believe well come and say hello to me and my dad sometime. i just met david bentley in mamilangi on 107 kings road chelsea. i asked him if he was joining the villa, he said, "mmmm no comment", i said, " i wish you had joined rather than downing" then added " come join the villa, we want you to". He said "cheers mate, have a good night" - he actually seemed pretty sound and i think he wants to come, but depends on whether we offer the cash. No reason to lie about this at all.

Comment 298, made on July 26, 2009 at 4.35 am

Dan Price said:

... Johnny carew.... you didnt actually say anything in your post other than you met Bentley. Not that hes coming, not that hes not... good chat.

Comment 299, made on July 26, 2009 at 4.52 am

Steve said:

... mate, hardly going to grill him when he is with two meat axe skin heads, he didnt deny contact with villa when i asked him if he was coming, i just found i comedy that i got to met an "£18 mill player" - doesnt happen every day!

Comment 300, made on July 26, 2009 at 4.59 am

Steve said:

... for what its worth, he didnt seem that much of a tosser and shock my hand. Happy days, UTV

Comment 301, made on July 26, 2009 at 5.04 am

Steve said:

... sorry with the spelling of "shock", was out for a friends birthday and somewhat hammered!

Comment 302, made on July 26, 2009 at 5.05 am

Doc said:

... Bass You're right. What we need is a few Arabs and Sven. Or maybe Hicks and Gillett. Ridsdale - there's a thought...he got to a Champions League semi, didn't he? Or Mike Ashley - seriously rich and money to burn. We've lost a pre-season friendly 1-0 playing with half the academy, and there are a few rumours in the tabloid press you don't like...and you come out with "sack the board". I'll tell you what, mate - you have the IQ of the average toaster (that's 2-slice, not 4)

Comment 303, made on July 26, 2009 at 9.39 am

Rich said:

... For those who watched last night I'm convinced Left Back is not a priority. Shorey alongside Petrov were head and shoulders our best players. He wanted the ball, looked extremely comfortable on it and used it well. We have far bigger problems. Can't get over Sunday Mercury Big Match Verdict giving Friedel Man of Match. He probably was for Malaga.

Comment 304, made on July 26, 2009 at 9.50 am

vogra said:

... Osbourne is still playing....WTF..just give this guy a free transfer or something like that. Did anybody expect us to beat an average La Liga side, i didnt.. Guzan should be brought into the side now,Friedel is dodgy,i was never convinced by him last season. So when these players coming in,its not giving enough time to get them imbeded into the style of football we play... Its just a farce at the moment..

Comment 305, made on July 26, 2009 at 10.10 am

Oscars Arse said:

... Just read on teletext (so it must be true) we are gonna sign Jenas and MON is selling NRC and gardner to make way for him. Will the last person to leave Villa Park please turn the lights off !!!!!!

Comment 306, made on July 26, 2009 at 10.25 am

jason parkes said:

... woke up this morning to find out we have to sell gardner and nrc to make way for jenas what the f@@k is going on do we have money or not then mon said it changed the game when he took petrov young and carew off last night i think its simple to stop that GET MORE PLAYERS IN

Comment 307, made on July 26, 2009 at 10.34 am

Owen avfc said:

... We were crap last night, the team that was out there, if that plays in the league 9th at best, it's time randy and mon start signing players, and stop selling, cause we starting to pxxx us of, do your jobs or sod off, and let someone come in, to take this club forward.

Comment 308, made on July 26, 2009 at 10.50 am

bobvillian said:

... if we cant bring in top quality centre harves;hows about just plain good defenders like turner from hull and st leger from preston.sick of all these overpriced; over the hill ect;remember teale good honest defender;from lowly 2division.villa are lacking leaders all over the park.our players wouldnt say boo to a goose??

Comment 309, made on July 26, 2009 at 10.55 am

Kevin Curtis said:

... what a joke, i travel 6 hours on a train from costsa bravo, for this shite game, the ground was dead, also this could of been a game where we could of tapped real madrid players shame on you mon

Comment 310, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.05 am

Owen avfc said:

... I think it's fair to say mon is now taking us on a backward step. He's selling players and not replacing them, we can not go in to a new session with that side, because we will get torn apart, maybe it's time for him to go. Before it's to late.

Comment 311, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.06 am

FatKevs said:

... I could not agree more Bob. Mon pays way over the odds for average players. lets just play football down VP with our youngsters & sensible purchases we will win FA with the Yank in charge just give the Game back to the fans forget all this corperate bollocks. PS Look on Vital Villa great article Peace We only lost

Comment 312, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.09 am

holte ade said:

... with less than three weeks left to start of the season and the squad down 2 first team players from last year surely we gotta sign someone soon.we all know how frustrating mon is in the transfer market but this window is probably the worst yet.Having a squad with the depth to compete on all fronts next season we need at least another 4 to 5 players arriving but really can't see this happening.A lot of press talk about more players leaving and not much positive news makes me think is there a problem with finances, personaly i think our wage structure is the stumbling block in attracting real quality

Comment 313, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.10 am

parisianrob said:

... Hi For anyone to say shorey was head and shoulders above the others last night had a few too many I.E the composed fullback was the young kid at right back Shorey Winger pressed him forced him inside countless times not having a right foot used left foot to play petrov and co into trouble come on lets be serious However Lichaj looked sharp delivered the ball forward quickly and has a good long throw carlos looked relieved that the right back position wont be his this season cheers

Comment 314, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.16 am

FatKevs said:

... Shit Heskey will be fit to play again Has he not been a bit disorientated all his carreer not knowing where the goal is

Comment 315, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.18 am

FatKevs said:

... If we keep going after the shite spud players we will end up like them, but without the option to buy ourselves out of trouble MoN cannot attract good name players like rednap or play the stlye of football that has entertained over the years look back at West Ham they unleashed some good players into the prem

Comment 316, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.25 am

jason parkes said:

... jenas doesnt want to come to villa wants to stay with spuds so say ssn thank f@@k for that mon is being pushed abroad for players because there cant be that many english players we can go for now.

Comment 317, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.27 am

Mark said:

... I can't believe MON has pissed away another chance at silverware.

Comment 318, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.30 am

jason parkes said:

... AVMARK MON ALLERGIC TO SILVER DONT YOU KNOW

Comment 319, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.39 am

jason parkes said:

... who is jurado ?????

Comment 320, made on July 26, 2009 at 11.40 am

dan said:

... I cant belive how muscular MONs legs are.

Comment 321, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.01 pm

Tim said:

... Ron Atkinson for Director of Football. The way the things are going under MON's stewardship i'd have him back as Manager tomoz, damned great Chap and a Great tactition plus he knew what he was doing when going about buying quality players!

Comment 322, made on July 26, 2009 at 12.10 pm

ruffy said:

... Dunno what player you've been watching but Gareth Barry very often takes players out of the game with his footwork and quick thinking. Sidwell, on what I've seen, isn't in the same league. Funny how City didn't want Sidwell eh?

Comment 323, made on July 26, 2009 at 6.25 pm

?JAKEH said:

... how can you sa that barry isnt a big loss. Did you watch any villa games for the past 3 seasons ? He is a world class player who we are going to miss untill Martin no'deal splashes the cash. start watching the Games Damian UTV!!!!

Comment 324, made on July 26, 2009 at 6.35 pm