March 2016 Football Thread: February is an illusion

[SlightlyJames]

Been a shortage of football chat last few weeks, how are your teams getting on? Rangers just got drawn against Celtic in the Scottish Cup Semi-Finals, that'll be mid april. On form right now Rangers will beat them but we'll see how that changes in the lead up to the game. I'm excited! We got hammered last year but this Rangers is a very different beast and Celtic are stagnant right now.

[PorkChop]

Is Harry Forrester as good as I've heard?

He was at Villa about 5 years ago, he was supposed to be a promising youngster but I don't recall him making any first team appearances. I remember he was quietly released and all the hype never really paid off. I've seen him on the scoresheet for Rangers a few times lately so we could really do with him back

[SlightlyJames]

Is Harry Forrester as good as I've heard?

He was at Villa about 5 years ago, he was supposed to be a promising youngster but I don't recall him making any first team appearances. I remember he was quietly released and all the hype never really paid off. I've seen him on the scoresheet for Rangers a few times lately so we could really do with him back

First few appearances he made he seemed like a total flop, gaffer seems to think he was trying too hard. He's settled down a bit and he's playing properly and he's been one of our best players over the last month or so. Scored in 13 seconds yesterday.

[Viazon]

Arsenal are bottlers.

[AkydefGoldberg]

One step forward, three steps back under Van Gaal.

Mata's red card was idiotic and out of character but portion of the blame has to go the manager for unnecessarily resting Depay/Varela/Schneiderlin who had been playing well recently. He's clearly wanting to win the EL and guarantee a CL spot but think he's putting all eggs in one basket and ending up with none.

[PorkChop]

In Southampton for work. Saints fans everywhere. Kill me.

[PorkChop]

'Lerner Out' banners are being confiscated by stewards at Villa Park and the fans are being asked to leave the stadium.

Someone had a 'Lerner Out' banner and a steward came over and tried to wrestle it off the supporter, admitted defeat, then came back with four other stewards and confiscated it. Pathetic.

[SlightlyJames]

'Lerner Out' banners are being confiscated by stewards at Villa Park and the fans are being asked to leave the stadium.

Someone had a 'Lerner Out' banner and a steward came over and tried to wrestle it off the supporter, admitted defeat, then came back with four other stewards and confiscated it. Pathetic.

Sorry sir, I'm going to have to confiscate this post.

[Daz]

'Lerner Out' banners are being confiscated by stewards at Villa Park and the fans are being asked to leave the stadium.

Someone had a 'Lerner Out' banner and a steward came over and tried to wrestle it off the supporter, admitted defeat, then came back with four other stewards and confiscated it. Pathetic.

Even as an outsider looking in, I think it's pretty disgusting what's happening to Villa. At least I know the owners and the board care about Norwich, even if we are shit on the pitch.

[Viazon]

Didn't wanna win the FA cup three years in a row anyway.

[AkydefGoldberg]

Pressure mounts on Wenger - more so than in recent times, so should he stay? Go of his own accord or Arsenal nudge him out@ @Viazon @Enygma

Personally, I feel he will stay until the end of his contract next year. He's a stubborn bugger and he won't go to appease what probably is in reality, a small number of disgruntled Arsenal fans, to see out his deal. Whether he goes next summer IDK - depends options available to replace him. Personally, Pep would have taken that job over City had it become available but Wenger wouldn't budge.

EL action tonight - a score draw so United to go out and heap another spell of pressure for LVG also.

[Viazon]

If Arsene was gonna go on his own accord, he would have gone by now. They have clearly show they won't sack him. They have been in situations like this before. If he didn't quit then, he won't now.

[Fudgecakes]

Wishing for the day Arsenal sign a top shelf striker! Who and where though? Arrggghhh

[Daz]

Norwich remembering it's okay to win a game.

[PorkChop]

Garde is set to be sacked, apparently. Steve Bruce is one of the favourites to take over.

If that happens, Randy Lerner is officially the most clueless owner in football.

[Daz]

Garde is set to be sacked, apparently. Steve Bruce is one of the favourites to take over.

If that happens, Randy Lerner is officially the most clueless owner in football.

As if that needs confirming.

[AkydefGoldberg]

Garde is set to be sacked, apparently. Steve Bruce is one of the favourites to take over.

If that happens, Randy Lerner is officially the most clueless owner in football.

Don't see Bruce leaving Hull, they are hardly in a bad position but even if he did takeover, would he be that bad? Has plenty of Championship experience.

[prophet]

Can't help but feel bad for Garde; I've always felt like he didn't quite know the scale of the job he was taking on and was doomed from the start. Doesn't help when you have absolute melts like Richards and Lescott 'leading' the side.

That said and ignoring the plethora of obvious reasons why Steve Bruce would be a woeful appointment, why on earth would he go to Villa at this stage of the season when Hull are genuine promotion candidates and Villa are going down? In the Summer perhaps sure, lol if he does go there though. #McLeish

I see Villa struggling next year in the Championship too. All the foreign imports will abandon ship, all the knobheads like the two mentioned above will escape to China/US/Dubai for a big payday and the rest of the squad will struggle in what is an increasingly difficult league. I hope not like as Villa are a massive club but they're in danger, sorry Porky

[PorkChop]

I've come to accept that we'll probably struggle in the Championship next year. I'm hoping if Garde leaves that somebody like Nigel Pearson would take charge, he's a bellend but he'd grab the players by the scruff of the neck and instill some fight in them. I don't think I've ever seen a squad with less fight in them than Villa right now, they're all so mentally weak. Thankfully, most of them are frantically calling their agents and fucking off at the end of the season.

I feel sorry for Garde too. He was promised funds in the January transfer window which Lerner then refused to give him, and ever since he's looked a miserable shell of a man. Lerner refused to pay 1 million for a Matthieu Debuchy loan deal for fuck's sake. We're dead last in the league and he wouldn't even give Garde a penny to spend on players.

It seems Garde was the wrong man at the wrong time. I saw an article in the Guardian which said something like "Villa needed a firefighter, but have appointed an architect" and that's been proven true. I don't hold anything against him and I think he could be a good manager somewhere else, but he's not the man to get the best out of these players. I doubt that some of the best managers in the history of the game could do much better with this squad.

The only players I'm expecting to stay are Gestede, Clark, Grealish, Gabby, and possibly Hutton and Guzan if they're not sold. Everyone else can fuck off.

[PorkChop]

Peterborough have lost their last 6 home games on the bounce, so of course they're beating Coventry.

As for Villa, the Birmingham Mail reckons Moyes wants the job, even if the team are in the Championship. That would be a fantastic appointment. I won't get my hopes up though, Lerner is more likely to offer Paulo Di Canio a 10 year deal.