nogs

Well that was largely toss... but I'm much, much happier playing poorly and winning than battering teams and somehow conspiring not to win

Aherm... in a Premier league season.
 
There used to be this bloke called Dixie Dean...

Arsenal are also a London club, in fact the biggest London club by far until Abramovich came along and manufactured a 'big' club. That gives them an enormous domestic fanbase (population of London vs Merseyside) and an international profile we simply do not have.
 
It would be nice to aspire to be like Arsenal and fill a 70,000 seater stadium, but that's what it is, an aspiration. It would take us 20 years to get there.

Arsenal are also a London club, in fact the biggest London club by far until Abramovich came along and manufactured a 'big' club. That gives them an enormous domestic fanbase (population of London vs Merseyside) and an international profile we simply do not have.
 
It would be nice to aspire to be like Arsenal and fill a 70,000 seater stadium, but that's what it is, an aspiration. It would take us 20 years to get there.

Lukaku BBC Man of the Match. Lol.

So are we still unlucky to be losing at home to a team that on Wednesday night put in one of the worst performances I've seen from a Premier League team in several years?

This. As a mate at work said today, super-rich Russians and Arabs, yes. Yanks destroy football clubs. 
I don't get why everyone blames 0'Neil for the mess Villa are in, though. Lerner ran out of patience, pure and simple. A bit like Leeds under Ridsdale, it was Champions League or bust - if he'd kept that squad together, with a different manager, they could still be right up there. Instead he flogged the crown jewels coz he couldn't be arsed anymore - even youngsters like Albrighton going on a free ffs, he's been great at Leicester this year!
 
It's a torrid, torrid story what has gone on at Villa. I'm very wary of this.

I'm as delighted as anyone by this week, well done all the players and well done Martinez for setting us up to score 9 goals without reply.
 
BUT...
 
Would he have dropped Howard and Stones without injuries? They have been the biggest culprits in our worst defensive moments since Christmas, good management is dropping players when they are out of form. Has Martinez goy a bit lucky?

He played like he'd forgotten how to be a footballer.

Geri for Barkley, who is starting to piss about with it too much.

They mentioned that at half time on BT, apparently after the goal. You assume/hope it was just a handful of morons who are doing their utmost to give a whole town a bad reputation. Would be churlish not to lend a hand to the relief campaign just because a couple of wankers cannot behave themselves.

They mentioned that at half time on BT, apparently after the goal. You assume/hope it was just a handful of morons who are doing their utmost to give a whole town a bad reputation. Would be churlish not to lend a hand to the relief campaign just because a couple of wankers cannot behave themselves.

Well that is that, season over, and as far as I'm concerned Martinez's tenure over. Fuck the bad decision on their second goal - bar a piece of magic from Barkley and a waste of a gift from Geri, we were rank second best all game. It was as bad a performance as Swansea, we look a ragged, disjointed, dispirited team and at the moment I just cannot see where a win is coming from. For everyone hiding behind the 'great football' Martinez has us playing - where? Bar the first leg, I haven't seen us play anything but shite since before Christmas.
 
It looked to me tonight like the players were starting to turn on each other, pointing, sniping, bickering. There's no heart, no sense to me of them playing for each other. I never felt that under Moyes, even during the worst runs under him you always felt there was a grit and determination that would see us turn it round. I look at that team for where it might come from, and it is just not there.
 
Why John Stones is still making the first XI is way beyond any reasonable attempt at comprehension. The boy's head has gone, he has probably already decided he's off in the summer, and his appalling decision making is now costing us big time. The fact that Martinez subbed him straight after he cost us the game is an admission by the manager, but of course by then it was too late. I don't blame Stones - he's a young lad still learning the game. I blame the manager for sticking with him out of sheer stupidity and stubborness, when he should have been taken out the firing line weeks ago.
 
Fuck you Martinez, you are a loser who has no place at the top table of English football. Your project has failed, you have taken this great club backwards, it is time you did one and let us claw back some dignity from this pit you have dug for us.

6-0 Carlisle.

Well that is that, season over, and as far as I'm concerned Martinez's tenure over. Fuck the bad decision on their second goal - bar a piece of magic from Barkley and a waste of a gift from Geri, we were rank second best all game. It was as bad a performance as Swansea, we look a ragged, disjointed, dispirited team and at the moment I just cannot see where a win is coming from. For everyone hiding behind the 'great football' Martinez has us playing - where? Bar the first leg, I haven't seen us play anything but shite since before Christmas.
 
It looked to me tonight like the players were starting to turn on each other, pointing, sniping, bickering. There's no heart, no sense to me of them playing for each other. I never felt that under Moyes, even during the worst runs under him you always felt there was a grit and determination that would see us turn it round. I look at that team for where it might come from, and it is just not there.
 
Why John Stones is still making the first XI is way beyond any reasonable attempt at comprehension. The boy's head has gone, he has probably already decided he's off in the summer, and his appalling decision making is now costing us big time. The fact that Martinez subbed him straight after he cost us the game is an admission by the manager, but of course by then it was too late. I don't blame Stones - he's a young lad still learning the game. I blame the manager for sticking with him out of sheer stupidity and stubborness, when he should have been taken out the firing line weeks ago.
 
Fuck you Martinez, you are a loser who has no place at the top table of English football. Your project has failed, you have taken this great club backwards, it is time you did one and let us claw back some dignity from this pit you have dug for us.

He doesn't look up for it. He's a talented lad, but let's face facts, his future won't be with us. Sell now while his stock is high, sign a solid CB to back up Jags, Mori and Galloway, a right-back and a striker.
 
Then do everything humanly possible to keep Lukaku and Geri.

He doesn't look up for it. He's a talented lad, but let's face facts, his future won't be with us. Sell now while his stock is high, sign a solid CB to back up Jags, Mori and Galloway, a right-back and a striker.
 
Then do everything humanly possible to keep Lukaku and Geri.

Just watched Costa bury a low cross at the near post, 4 yards out. Hope Rom and Ross are watching, they both let Geri down today by failing to attack space like that.

He doesn't look up for it. He's a talented lad, but let's face facts, his future won't be with us. Sell now while his stock is high, sign a solid CB to back up Jags, Mori and Galloway, a right-back and a striker.
 
Then do everything humanly possible to keep Lukaku and Geri.

He doesn't look up for it. He's a talented lad, but let's face facts, his future won't be with us. Sell now while his stock is high, sign a solid CB to back up Jags, Mori and Galloway, a right-back and a striker.
 
Then do everything humanly possible to keep Lukaku and Geri.

Barkley in particular lacks a bit of aggression in his play. He had a chance to shoot left footed few minutes ago, hesitated, then had his shot blocked by the time he hit it. If he wants to add more goals he needs to just let go!

Barkley should be breaking his neck to get onto that, fabulous cross

This season is a nightmare, at Goodison especially.

Does that even need a response??
 
Would a defensive coach have the authority to come in and say 'Look, lads, I know what the gaffer tells you, but can you please stop trying to fanny about with it within 30 yards of your own goal because misplaced passes and getting tackled tend have bad consequences there?'
 
Or even: 'Ok boys, that's enough of the one-touch pass and move today, let's defend some crosses.'
 
You don't defend as poorly as Martinez's teams have done for so long without it being a systematic flaw in the approach. I know I sound harsh on him, and believe me I love some of the things he has done in terms of personnel, playing style going forward, but the facts to me are plain and simple, we do not defend nearly well enough to be having an impact on the league and the manager is going to have to evolve his approach for that to improve.

We still need a RB. We've needed one more or less since Martinez arrived so I'd hope he had someone else lined up before Feb 1st.