So assuming this brochure is correct, and Owen's injury woes are behind him. Should we be interested. At his peak he was really good. And now he's available on a free...and can play as lone striker.

I know it's going to be a 90% no answer. But I'd like to hear some reasons, other than injury-prone. I mean he was once European footballer of the year. But that was a decade ago...

This really surprises me. It's the 2nd kid in weeks that's walked out on Arsenal to join us. I think anything but winning the youth league + FA Cup would be a disaster next season based on how good we were and the players we've picked up in the last few months.


I don't really know him, any good?

It was made by a Sunerland fan I believe. The prospective buyer of Newcastle was also found out to be a Sunderland fan winding the Geordies up.

Nah...that one was caught right up front. It was a cool idea though. I should get something like that done for myself.

But on topic...would you be interested in Owen, if his wage demands were halved. 50 per week.

i wouldnt mind him when he is fit he gets the goals

Owen really isn't good enough, in my opinion. Unfortunately, we have Heskey, who would no doubt be putting in a word to bring Owen in. Heskey and Owen don't have 1% of the goal threat, combined, that Carew does.

The Villa fan base is growining.. Ozzy and the rest of Black Sabbath are Villa fans, as is future King of England Prince William, possible future PM (though hopefully not) David Cameron and actor Tom Hanks.. now we have a new addition.



Bret Hart, Villa fan, awesome.

I'm sure Habitant will know who he is, if others don't.

What're you crazy? I mean who doesn't know Bret 'The Hitman' Hart. WTF..though. I bet you guys paid him money to endorse you.

I mean how else would a Canadian know of a mediocre club like Villa.

HA! never was a fan of wrestling, but ya i know who he is.

What makes it better, our opponents the day of that pic were United.. so he chose to support us over them.

Is it really that difficult to design a kit that doesn't wnat to make you throw up?

it's actually a very nice kit, just it's yellow. i hope thats not the home?

With such a gregarious kit like that, perhaps Newcastle ought to be sponsored by Crayola.

tonka

Butternut squash.

What is that?!

I'm pleased with this. It's only our 2nd home friendly in about 15 years and should be another good game. Hopefully Fiorentina put out their best XI, I'm sure they will as Inter did, which was quite a nice surprise.

WOW that will be a great game. There is United, Madrid, Milan and the other giants but these clubs right here are the heart and soul of football! I'm not going to miss it.

You sarcastic little fucker.

For once I was being serious... I guess that's what I deserve for being like that all the time.

Oh.. then good!

Fiorentina and Villa the heart and soul of football? Is Greece struck by some extra-terrestial heat wave or are you just high on Spartan mushrooms or something?

I did not think you would believe me!


I've had some Spartan mushrooms today and it has been too hot for days but I honestly believe in that.

...why?

Why not?

What would the big clubs be without the less powerful ones?

a whole lot bigger

Ah, so you're talking about good-but-not-great clubs, not Villa and Fiorentina in particular? That I get.

of course though Villa and Fiorentina are perfect representatives of the type of clubs I'm talking about. Did you have some Spartan mushrooms?


Wrong!

We Norsemen have no use for Greek funghi, we boil troll fat and drnks it to get into a massive Viking-Frenzy.
And then we party.

Hmm. Well, as for Villa, I think you could put forward a very big arguement that football wouldn't exist at all, at the very least not as we know it today, if it were not for us.

milan should sign him

Are foreigners allowed to join you?


Expand on that.

So we lose Laursen and chances are Bouma is going the same way, and we're linked to a has been? I'd rather pay stupid money to bring in a player like Hangelaand that just sign some crap on the cheap.


Back in the late 1800s the only competition was the FA Cup, friendlies were also played. Football was still ametuer back then and it was difficult for teams to pay rent for their fields as nobody was interested in watching the teams play in friendly matches and FA Cup games only had small attendances due to them at least being meaningful. Most of the FA Cups in the early years were won by teams from wealthy areas, so many teams owners voted for football to turn professional, but players could only play football for teams they had lived within 6 miles, as long as they had lived their for 2 years. This drew in more fans as they were getting to see the very best footballers in the country from their area, though due to the FA Cup taking priority and alot of teams still competing in their county cups, alot of friendlies were cancelled and it was difficult for teams to pay wages for staff, players and then rent for the field. Alot of teams just disappeared as they couldn't meet payments and football was essentially dying. William McGregor, the director of Villa, proposed that the very best professional teams in the country meet together to discuss forming a league, with fixtures on set dates, so there is a gaurenteed income and if friendlies are cancelled, it will not have much of an impact. The excess money from competing n both league and FA Cup allowed teams to eventually buy the land they played on, build stadiums, training facilities, improve their players, etc, etc and make what it is today. Compare this to what our rivals have done.. err... oh, they use the name of the City in their team name, despite the fact both of us agreed not to. I think it's easy enough to see which team anyone with any sense of respect supports from where I live.

I'm sort of going to miss them from the EPL. It'll be tough to replace their circus-like decisions. THough I'm sure our neighbours will help make up for it.

Expect to see us trying for Owen now that he's free...

I hope so. There are worse lone strikers out there. Not to mention that he might even form a good partnership, given that our attack specialises in service.

Owen can only play with Heskey.

That means we need to get rid of Heskey ASAP or we'll probably end up with Owen. God help us.

Galliani will fight Villa to the end. He's on a free so you're going down!!!!

From NotW so I will question it's reliability, but I'd be very pleased with this.. didn't even know he was at Bayern to be honest.

Olympiacos might hijack Villa's (and Milan's) effort to sign Owen. Let's hope they make it.


Ah thanks.

I think you're giving too much importance to that club when you mention them, I know it feels better when you bash your opponents (I do it more often than not) but when you don't it hurts them much more and you show them just how important they are to you...

I don't care, I'd rather point out how ghey they are every time I can. Talkong of that.. their ticket prices for the game aginst us have been released, Villa fans have to pay £48 when we play at their place, a disgrace. It's also illegal since you can only charge the highest price that you charge your own fans, which is alot less than £48. They got a big fine for doing this last time they were in the Premier League, looks like they'll never learn. Then again, they have to make money somehow, and our fans will be the only ones turning up.

Valencia to move to United for £18m

He's nowhere near the ability of ROnaldo, but they were never going to get someone that was. Good signing, if a little expensive.

I was just thinking, based on this Platini threatens to ban Man City from Europe thing that came out a few months ago, how come nothing has been said about Real Madrid, considering the fact they've spent more in the last few weeks than the new Man City owners have in their entire time there? Surprise, surprise.

He has talked about Madrid.

If he did, I haven't seen it. I heard him mention that they were spending 'embarassing' amounts of money. But nothing to do with kicking them out of Europe.

Owen transfers to ManUtd

Surprised at it myself. But I won't question Fergie, most of his signings are great.

I guess if you keep him fit, that is the big IF. Then it's actually not bad business at all when you think about how they got him on a free.

From an England perspective the fact that Wayne and Michael will be at least training together on a daily basis, that surely can't hurt our chances.

United are going to sign more than Valencia/Owen, but the fact they have these two and have still got £60m left to spend roughly + whatever they were going to get given, if that's true I don't think Madrid and City will be the only teams signing big.

they need another big striker to replace tevez. Owen certainly is a big gamble and should not be looked at as the big striker signing.

United can afford to take a risk on a player like Owen. With ROoney, Berbatov and I'm sure another strike will be signed, there won't be too much demand for Owen, so he'll be able to cope. I don't think many others teams can afford that though.

Yes, because RSC and Barry would join Spurs because..? Redknapp really suits that club, SPurs' fans seem to think they're one of the biggest clubs around, Redknapp seems to think he's one of the best managers around. RSC and Barry may have joined City for the money, but they are a club going places. Spurs are going nowhere, fast.

Why did he want Santa Cruz.. that'd be 5 strikers at the club, Spurs never learn, surely with the Keane/Berbatov/Defoe/Bent problem you'd realise that 4 was too many? Not him though.