MON's gone.

[HangTheDJ]

Almost got me, if you'd have replaced Birmingham with Fulham I might have bitten.

[HangTheDJ]

Talk is Randy and Faulkner are in the process of meeting with players. Ashley met the chairman today and 5Live were claiming he's 'certain' to stay now.

I'll take that as positive as bar the obvious we must have a decent set of targets for the managerial position.

[Reivax ™]

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid29318049001?bctid=506962508001

Very interesting interview from Andy Gray.

[TF S4DK]

Won't make a new topic cos its just heading for here but Bob Bradley will probably be the next Villa manager. LOL. Nice yes man.

[HangTheDJ]

I don't reckon he's even in the running. He's only listed 'cos of the American connection, his contract is running out and he's said he wants to manage in Europe. People make that connection and pile money on.

If Randy wants a mate in it'll be Klinsmann.

edit: just seen he's resigned as USA coach. f*ck. Still, surely not...

[TF S4DK]

[Black Ant]

cant be him though...

[Guest WAVESURFER]

Wish I'd got in on Bradley when I first heard his name pop up, he was 16/1. Managed to get a bet on him at 6/1 though, so hopefully he gets the job.

[HangTheDJ]

We won't get Bradley. No chance. Randy isn't an idiot.

/

SSN have said he's not even resigned.

[TF S4DK]

Yet...

Gotta give him another week of intensive Premier League DVD watching.

[Heero Yuy]

Aston Villa have made an approach for Martin Jol and are hopeful that the Ajax manager can be enticed to Villa Park to succeed Martin O’Neill.

Jol is keen to return to the Premier League and could even move to the Midlands as early as next week if Villa can meet Ajax’s demand for £4.1million compensation.

The former Tottenham manager is understood to be Villa’s first choice to succeed O’Neill, who resigned his post earlier this week after four years at the helm.

Villa have not been put off by Jol’s Fulham U-turn last month, when he agreed personal terms with the Londoners before deciding to remain in Holland after an exit clause in his contract was said to have become invalid.

However, it is believed that the Dutchman was disappointed at the salary of £1.2m-a-year that he was offered by Fulham.

Villa owner Randy Lerner is willing to offer a far more lucrative package to maintain the club’s status as a top six team.

It is understood that Villa executives have informally approached Jol’s representatives and have indicated that a salary of £2m-a-year would be on the table. The compensation clause written into Jol’s contract is not believed to be regarded as an insurmountable hurdle by the Premier League club.

Moving to Villa is regarded as a far more palatable switch in Jol’s homeland than a move to mid-ranking Fulham, which was seen in some quarters as an insult to a club with such a rich history.

The 54-year-old’s pedigree is attractive to Lerner and the Villa board. USA manager Bob Bradley is highly regarded and there is less serious interest in Sven-Goran Eriksson but Jol guided Tottenham to consecutive fifth-placed Premier League finishes before being sacked by chairman Daniel Levy in October 2007 in favour of Juande Ramos.

Since leaving White Hart Lane, Jol, who spent three seasons as a player in the West Midlands at West Brom in the 1980s, led Bundesliga club SV Hamburg to fifth in the League and a UEFA Cup semi-final and his Ajax team finished runners-up in the Eredivisie last season behind FC Twente

from goal so make of that what you will

[HangTheDJ]

ASHLEY YOUNG is Lionel Messi’s new tweet heart!

Messi watched on cable TV as Young played brilliantly in Aston Villa’s 3-0 win over West Ham.

The Barca ace wrote on his official Twitter page: “The Villa vs. West Ham match is really exciting – Ashley Young is having a blinder.”

Martin O’Neill, who once claimed the flying Villa winger was in the same class as mercurial Messi, quit as Villa boss earlier this week.

And life under caretaker Kevin MacDonald started in style as Young ran the show, setting up the second for Stiliyan Petrov. Goals from Stewart Downing and Man City-bound James Milner completed the rout.

Está siendo apasionante el Aston Villa - West Ham. Ashley Young está haciendo un partidazo.

[TF S4DK]

Messi seems to be making a habit of hyping fast, technically average, light skin English wingers.

[Mame Biram Diouf]

Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner has hit out at Manchester City over their pursuit of midfielder James Milner.

Lerner claims City have broken rules by continuing their interest in the England international after being told Villa did not want to sell.

He told The Mail on Sunday: "Big, bad Manchester City came along and asked for Milner and we said, 'no, he is not for sale'. And under the rules you have to respect that.

"Manchester City respected that for two whole days. And then they violated the rules and came in for him again."

Milner played a starring role in Villa's 3-0 win over West Ham in their Premier League opener on Saturday, scoring his side's superb third goal.

Lerner added: "We are not a selling club. A selling club is when you let it be known that you want to sell a player, through an agent or whatever.

"That didn't happen with Gareth Barry and it didn't happen with James Milner either. As for Ashley Young, he was never going."

[Guest Trollse Hill]

if Milner turned down city that would be the sickestedest ting ever!

[HangTheDJ]

Randy>_

[Black Ant]

pmsl

Lerner is trying it

[Rsonist]

JJ what u feel about Maradona?

[Younger]

The Argentinian’s European representative, Walter Soriano, claims the 49-year-old is in talks with a number of clubs over a possible move to Europe.

Maradona left his role as Argentina coach last month after his side were knocked out of the World Cup quarter-finals by Germany.

If he does come to the Premier League, the legendary striker is bound to face a hail of abuse from England fans who will never forget his infamous “Hand of God” goal during the 1986 World Cup.

“I think Diego would be very open to the idea of coming to England and managing Aston Villa,” Soriano said. “He is very attracted to English football and the way of life in your country and I know he would be very willing to move there.

“He loves the English countryside and your respect for privacy, so he would be very happy there,especially at a big club like Aston Villa.

“If the owner Randy Lerner wants to make him a serious offer, I am sure he would get a very positive response.

“Diego is currently talking with a number of clubs in Europe - including another one in England - about a management role and is looking at his options carefully.”

lol JJ's probs skipped a heart beat or 4.

Would be soo funny.

[HangTheDJ]

Haha, would be jokes. Get him in!

But it can't happen.

Randy has flew to Milan today, managers or transfers? Or just general business? Who knows. Flamini and Huntelaar would be nice!

[HangTheDJ]

For the past four years, Aston Villa has been a spin-off of the Martin O'Neill show. On Saturday balance was restored, primacy given back to the players.