...r static strikers were being easily marked by defenders they should have been running rings round.

Perhaps the only other player I cannot fault for effort was Milan Barros, who unfortunately looked like he did not relish the cold and his touch on the ball was often well short of what we know he is capable of. I think the game perhaps turned on the penalty claim which TV replays show was an abject penalty when Milan Barros was chopped down in the box. Villa seemed to give up after the penalty was turned down. That aside Doncaster should have had another one when Liam Ridgewell very deliberately shoulder barged one of their players off the ball.

Considering that the league cup was our only realistic chance of success this season, you would have thought that we could have expected a little bit more from the players. It seems to me that the hunger has gone from the side and we have accepted the mid-table mediocrity that is so often the result of a long hard season. And indeed, the league position suggests that they think that even that will be handed to them on a plate. Quite simply it is not good enough. These players are earning - a very loose definition of the word - thousands of pounds per week, and much of that comes out of the ordinary supporters pockets.

I know for a fact that Aston Villa have some of the most fiercely loyal supporters in the land, which perhaps explains why they continue to spend money on substandard products rather than shop elsewhere. However you cannot help thinking that in years to come, unless things change radically, this will not be the case. In todays society where more and more people are moving away from their towns of birth for employment and social reasons, clubs cannot rely on regional association to maintain their fan base and success, however infrequent, is the only thing which will keep the fans returning.

Aston Villa has always been considered the bigger of the two Birmingham cl...more

Bradshaw/Montana No Show

...

Ok, so usually something like this wouldnt bother me but the more I got thinking about it, the more steamed I became. All but three living Super Bowl MVPs were present for the Pre-Game Ceremony. Those players were Terry Bradshaw, joe Montana, and Jake Scott. Oh, Jake Scott was traveling in Australia and could not make it you say? Well were Bradshaw and Montana with him? No, they werent! Wait, did you say they were both in Detroit at some point last week. What could have happened that would have kept them from attending a Ceremony hono...more

Enlightenment, or World cup Football?

... to choose! Relief...

This year, the World cup finals are the exact same week that I had decided to be in service as an Avatar Master for 1 of our International courses in Florida.

Oh my God. I considered not going to the course. So, naturally, 1 of my sisters who has never, ever been interested in self-help, now decides to show an interest in her spiritual awakening!

Enlightenment? Not now honey, I have men to watch on TV! Whats the karma for that?

Okay, so I will show up.

I put my Avatar tools to good use to creatively ex...more

premiership Betting Review - 26 February 2006

...Manchester United are the 2005/06 Carling Cup winners following a 4-0 demolition of Wigan Athletic at the Millennium Stadium. United, as short as 8/13 on the day, took the lead after 32 minutes through Wayne Rooney but it was a three goals in six minutes salvo in the second half that devastated outsiders Wigan. Louis Saha netted after 54 minutes, Cristiano Ronaldo on 58 and Rooney again on the hour to win the Cup in emphatic fashion.

With United not playing in the premiership this weekend, chelsea extended their lead at the top to...more

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