April 2016 Football Thread: Just gets worse for Villa (sorry Porky)

[AkydefGoldberg]

4-0 defeat to Chelsea for Villa - could go down as the worst team than Derby, no fight in them.

City hammering Bournemouth, Arsenal getting their routine home win also.

[PorkChop]

This Villa team aren't as bad as that Derby team, but should be regarded as much more of a joke. Villa have picked up a few more points, but Derby had just been promoted before their horrendous season. Villa have been a Premier League mainstay for 25 years and spent over £50 million in the summer.

In a way, I'm quite glad that the defeats keep coming as it really sends a message to the board that big changes must be made. If we were still winning a few games here and there and only went down by a couple of points, the board could potentially play the "we were unlucky" card and could absolve themselves of a fair bit of blame. But as we're getting thumped nearly every game and realistically we've been down since December, I want the defeats to keep coming to show the board that they've royally fucked up. I gave up on this season long ago, the only thing I want now is more sackings and more embarrassment to be brought upon those who brought this club to its knees.

[SlightlyJames]

Rangers have conceded 3 goals in each of their last 3 games. That's a worrying statistic considering what we've got coming in a couple of weeks. Our back four have looked iffy all season but they'd been holding it together until recently. We're a win away from the title, the Challenge Cup Final next week and the Old Firm the week after that. Hopefully they can get their arses in gear so we don't end up embarrassed against Celtic.

Afterwards we can hopefully look to give some more peripheral players more game time, in particular I'd like to see Liam Burt get some more game time as I hear great things about him fairly regularly.

[AkydefGoldberg]

If there's a bet to make for El Clasico, it's a Ramos red card. Barca bit off the pace I felt today, maybe international break and the emotion of Cruyff's death playing its part for the players that have been at the club for so long, but Madrid were set up well by Zidane and Bale's disallowed goal was ridiculous, nothing wrong with it.

[Daz]

Norwich vs. Newcastle was the most exciting match of the season. 3-2. Last minute penalty. A goal in extra time. Three cracking finishes. Fight and desire, which has been sorely lacking at times this season. Seemed things finally went Norwich's way.

Other than giving 2 silly goals away, it was a tremendous performance. Mbokani is a beast.

[PorkChop]

Norwich vs. Newcastle was the most exciting match of the season. 3-2. Last minute penalty. A goal in extra time. Three cracking finishes. Fight and desire, which has been sorely lacking at times this season. Seemed things finally went Norwich's way.

Other than giving 2 silly goals away, it was a tremendous performance. Mbokani is a beast.

Definitely a contender for the game of the season. I was gutted when Newcastle got that late equaliser, what an incredible final few minutes it was.

[Daz]

Norwich vs. Newcastle was the most exciting match of the season. 3-2. Last minute penalty. A goal in extra time. Three cracking finishes. Fight and desire, which has been sorely lacking at times this season. Seemed things finally went Norwich's way.

Other than giving 2 silly goals away, it was a tremendous performance. Mbokani is a beast.

Definitely a contender for the game of the season. I was gutted when Newcastle got that late equaliser, what an incredible final few minutes it was.

Almost makes up for the disaster of the Liverpool game earlier this year.

[SlightlyJames]

It's been a really, really hard few years to be a Rangers fan. Admin, liquidation, playing in the lower leagues, fans from all over Scotland putting the boots in all the while the vultures of the old board picked at our fucking bones.

It's taken four long years but tonight Rangers got promotion back to the top flight in Scotland. It wasn't easy, we stumbled last season, for a good while the focus was far away from the work being done out on the pitch, but in the last year the club's fortunes have been turned around.

Now we've got a board that we can have confidence in and a great management team who come in and put the team on the right track. We're playing proper attacking football, everyone has a look in to the first team right down to the academy, we're doing smart business and bringing in the right players. I just watched Andy Halliday climb into the Broomloan stand to celebrate with the Rangers fans, it means a lot to have players that love the club as much as I do.

The season's not over, we've got the Petrofac Final and the Scottish Cup semi against Celtic in the next couple of weeks, but overall this is mission accomplished. It'll be a really important summer for us as the team undeniably still needs some work to get us ready for the top flight again. It'll be a fun season being back where we belong!

[AkydefGoldberg]

I think the Old Firm games will have a different feel compared to what I remember. Even Celtic could be in transition as Deila could leave and Rangers are back up. I doubt it will have that intensity but in a way, not meeting so regularly in the years Rangers have been away made the games when they have met a big deal.

[AkydefGoldberg]

Two wins and a loss. Standard cycle under LVG. Similar to other away games when they play well without attempts on goal then end losing by a narrow margin or like today, a hammering. LVG not helping himself with his post match comments and Ed is embarrassing himself by allowing this whole episode to carry on. Players don't seem to be playing for him either.

Club could easily come out and finish the speculation off but will, ridiculously, keep LVG if he wins the cup and qualification for CL

[Daz]

Norwich didn't help themselves at Palace this weekend. A win would have seen us 7 points clear of Sunderland, and playing Sunderland next, we could have widened that gap to 10, with Sunderland having 5 games left to play. Of course we didn't turn up and had one of the drabbest games of football in history. Definitely didn't deserve to win, but probably didn't deserve to lose either, cause Palace were awful as well.

I think if we beat Sunderland next week, we'll stay up, but I'm not entirely confident.

[AkydefGoldberg]

If you need a football team to defend your life, Atletico would surely be the choice. With the teams left, I'd put them as favourites to go all the way - don't think they need to be too intimidated by any team besides Bayern who they haven't faced recently IIRC so might pose a tough challenge. The handball for Barca a difficult one for the referee for how quickly it happened but maybe not a penalty as his feet were outside the penalty line and if on the line is a penalty then the referee might the right decision?

[SlightlyJames]

Today was my single favourite game of football ever, the team absolutely played their hearts out. Passionate, positive football for the full 120 minutes. When they lost the lead they held it together and imposed themselves on the game again. The team has come such a long way over the course of the season and I can't overstate how proud I am of this performance. I would be lying if I said I was confident before this match but I have to say Rangers were the better team and this win is well deserved.

[AkydefGoldberg]

^Shame it was the semis - caught the end of the penalty shoot out but fully expected Celtic to win but positive signs ahead of next season and their battles.

In other news, Vardy's a right chav isn't he? A racist, and a diver it seems - don't know the furore over his cards. Fully deserved and the right decision made. Moss had a shit game and screwed both sides which is an achievement in itself. But makes the title race that little bit more tense if Spurs win tomorrow. Top four has opened up with Arsenal drawing and their season could suffer the ultimate ignominy if they lose their top four trophy.

[SlightlyJames]

That's Deila away. Moyes is the favourite to replace him (was he not meant to be interested in Villa? Surely they'd be paying more) but Lennon is saying he wants to come back to Celtic as well. I've heard names like Keane, Coyle, Stubbs and Larsson mentioned, not too sure about their prospects.

Most Celtic fans I've seen are expecting Lennon, that seems like the safe bet to me, he'd certainly need to have a clear out but he's done a hell of a job with them before. There's been question marks over who was really in control of transfer policy during Deila's time, there were certainly some baffling decisions made.

After the Old Firm buzz wore off the new big story seems to be whether or not Hibs will be giving Rangers a guard of honour before the match tonight. It's our first league game since winning the title and we did it for Hearts last year, it seems Alan Stubbs isn't too fond of the idea. Considering the highlight of his season is selling Scott Allan to Celtic instead of us (for all the good it did him) I'm sure he's in no hurry to show the team a bit of respect

[AkydefGoldberg]

Yeah Deila never seemed to be the start of a long-term success for the club and it's a shame Lennon's work in Europe wasn't built upon. I think Moyes would be the favourite and a good option - a new face, got something to prove and a personality to impose his plans on the board who from what I read, are meddling a tad too much in the football side. Other than that, Keane might be interested or Giggs was linked with it a few months ago but again, don't see that happening. He's more likely to stay in England.

[PorkChop]

I pray that Moyes doesn't take the Celtic job. I'm still holding out hope he'll join us, but I don't know why he'd want to.

[AkydefGoldberg]

Story behind King/Bernstein's exit is 'Cellino like' behaviour by Lerner. Two people who could have helped, as part of the football board, to change things. Bevington might be next to go.

[PorkChop]

Martinez MOTS @Romo

[AkydefGoldberg]

Finally he speaks and erm, it's weird and infuriating for Villa fans.

Randy Lerner:

"Memories of Acorns on the shirt, and Ashley Young scoring a late winner against Everton still romantically nourish me."

Steve Hollis' letter post-relegation was more sincere than the one from its owner.