Ramos remains upbeat..

God can you imagine the carnage on here if we lose...

i'm sure a top 6 finish is still in our hands and a good cup run. cant believe some of you really fancied a top four spot. ramos will get the team playing great by oct and then the prem will see what we can do.

we have made great signings an they need time, but if we still have the likes of jenas zokora an daws playin its all a waste of time so it dont matter if we have top players we will still struggle with theses players playin week in week out.

I think that in today's game, he has been in the Premiership for 6 months and was brought in as an experienced manager, he should know enough to be pragmatic and effective. Anybody who saw the team sheet for the Boro game could see it was extremely lightweight and could quite easily lead to us being bullied out of the game. Our league position won't be defined by results against the Top4 - its measured by maximum points against the rest with a Top4 result being a bonus. Sometimes you have to compromise your principles and grind out a result. The Sunderland game will be extremely difficult. Keane is an intelligent manager who quickly learns from his mistakes. He will be able to communicate exactly what he wants - does Ramos have to communicate through Poyet exactly what he needs? I know it is nit-picking but after 8.5 months I am concerned that Ramos is still using translators for everything. How can this foster effective communication in a team with multiple nationalities? We are not playing well based on the last game, and you are only as good as your last game.

!!!!

Lrt's stuff the Fair Play Trophy and get Edgar back ...

Sorry for the !!!!. Was just testing ! We need 2 CBs, a DM and a stricker. Go get these RAMOS. Forget Capel, good player, but we have other positions to fill. Time is running out !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What concerns me is the growing nagging question in the back of my mind that Ramos might be a David O'Leary, Ruud Gullit etc type of manager - a manager who was in the right place at the right time (O'Leary/Leeds, Gullit/Chelsea) and had a couple of great seasons but was unable to repeat that success once they had moved on. Some managers are great only when they manage at particular clubs. Marcello Lippi was brilliant at Juventus but flopped when he moved to Internazionale.

Push and Run, it is far too early to be considering such comparatives. He helped win us our first silverware in god knows how long - he fully deserves a proper run. Let's see the Ramos/Poyet project through, we need stability, not change - what did Wenger or Fergie do in their first full season?!!

RD, Mellberg had to be replaced and Bouma has a long term injury. They played CBs in the full back positions last year (Mellberg and Bouma) so had no choice but to replace them.

ok not best result, lets forget it move on support the team get behind them. they need time to gel etc, im sure ramos will prove us wrong COYS

I was very disappointed with Ramos. Yes, he is barely in the job, and i admire him as a coach. However, it doesnt take a genius to work out zokora is pants at right back, and we have a natural right back in the mould of gunter who would do a far better job. Also, bale is better than bae. I dont think bale was unfit, he ran well when he came on, and ramos has been putting bae ahead even in pre-season which is wrong. he cant play jenas and modric together, or we will falter neither gives protection to the defense. He needs to replace jenas with thudd. he is the ideal dm, big, strong, just needs a kick up his backside, and a big kick. we need to play 2 up front. or play 4-33, but with lennon dropped, bentley on the right of the attacking 23, gio on the left.

im sure ramos an levy will have some1 in mind b4 they sell i wish they didnt leave it till after first game they shud of set a deadline, as its gettin messy now an time running out i dont want a panic buy.

I think he just badly underestimated Boro' keeping the breakables out the way for the Sunderland home game. Saying that thou, I did not see any resemblence to any of the playing of preseason who'ever he fielded? I did not see Gomez kick the ball long all preseason! but he done completely the opposite at boro? I just don't get it? Hmmm! roll on saturday and hope this week gets forgotten.

Guyver I take your point about injuries may effect Villa. I think it depends where the injuries occur as they are well covered in defence and CM. If Young or Carew get injured they will struggle but they still will make the top 6 IMO as they will not concede many and will score plenty from set pieces.

then we moan when other clubs call us fickle. all pre season the usual suspects get carried away talking about an assult on the CL places. then after one game the same people go on as if the world has ended. perspective is needed. since ramos has arrived he has almost completely changed the playing staff. it will take at least 10-15 games maybe more before the team is functioning like it should. anyone that thought otherwise should stick to championship manager this is real life.

Any one news on the Veloso deal (zzz) . Also we lost the 1st game , now we gotta get over that , Middlesboro is not a easy place to go to , i remember Arsenal and Manure going there and losing , more than 2-1 aswell , if we lose to sunderland , then i might eveen think about worrying. Football is so depressing when u lose :( lol

top4 is stil ours arsenal played west brom at home and struggled...no worries for me...i trust juande

Saimon_blues - I think we do have a balanced team if not a large squad. If we play 4231. bale, woody, King, Hutton, Ohara & Thud sitting allowing gio mody & Bentley (l-r) to support Bent...

Cockeril, that’s 1 thing I admire about Martin O'Neil, he has a system in mind (one I don’t particularly like) and buys players that fit into that system. Which basically means quick wingers and a energetic midfield for counter attacking and a few 6ft+ lumps for his setpeice specials. Simple but effective. We on the other hand buy small players, but noone big and physical to balance things out. We play technical football, but buy a striker with limited technique(Bent). I predict a top 8 finish for Villa with the 1st half of the season being better than the second half, similar to last year. If we bring in the right players, I think 6th spot should be our minimum expectation.

Guyver, do you have any idea if there is a deadline for any finalised squad to be announced?. I ask because just like you, I find it surprising that Bostock and Taarabt have not been given squad numbers, especially as it was said by club representatives that Bostock would be training with and participating with the 1st team when he signed.

also anyone news on Arshavin , wasnt the deadline today ? or did i misinterpret from Skysportsnews earlier?

In wonder if Ramos now gets more say in transfer targets than Jol did last Summer? Jol is quoted as saying that he asked for a CB and a Carrick replacement ... he was given a £17m Bent !

Seems the Arshavin deal is dead No1Yido. In a way I'm gutted because I really do believe that the guy is a special talent (I've been following him since we were linked to him 2 seasons ago) BUT I'm also kind of pleased that Mr Levy is not being held to ransom and not going to pay totally un-necessary prices just because we can afford it. One piece of good news out of this is that the Zenit St Petersburg president has said that the club cannot buy a player until a player is sold. I also think that Mr Levy will be as aware of this as we are and therefore will know that Zenit need the money just as much as we need the player. I just hope that all concerned parties realise this and can come to a common sense agreement. But I wont hold my breath.

okay coopsieyid , Anymore about Pavleychenko?

yeah coopsieyid , it has tobe finalised for Uefa , but nothing else , im sure of it , i would go on the FA website and find out , but have got better things to do lol

No1Yiddo, you're really testing me here fella.LOL.. I'm afraid that I don't know much about any Pavlyachenko deal. A couple of weeks ago I saw on many different news sites that we had cooled/dropped our interest in him and a few even said that we were never interested in him in the 1st place. Then today I've seen many reports saying that we have given up on Arshavin and are actually CLOSE TO AGREEING a deal that will bring Pavlyachenko to Spurs and he is our NUMBER 1 TARGET????. God knows why people get fed up of all the gossip and speculation eh!!!!

Thank you Coopsieyid , same again 2moro ? lol , Pavleychenko makes sence to replace Berba , but would love Arshavin .

All we get is press speculation because Premiership teams aren't private businesses anymore. If your team is quoted on the Stock Exchange, and an expensive transfer can affect your share value, there are strict rules governing any prior disclosure. We only get to know for sure once the City has been informed.

im telling u now , Kaboul was made for it .

But it was against about 5 chelsea midfielders , Diarra Diop were nowhere to be seen , Deco looked the Dogs parts

Yeah, Deco looked superb. Maybe if we offered Chelsea £5million + Stalteri & Ghaly & Zokora, we could see him in a white shirt in January??

amp ? lol

amp = ampersand, that 'and' sign. There's a Fry and Laurie sketch about it... Veloso for me.

Anyone heard anything about Arshavin yet?

FFS , can people stop saying about Southgate , he aint no genious , Boro just took there chances , which we didnt create .

Pactom, I agree I was also worried last season when Ramos was unable to motivate the team after the CC. I did keep saying it on this forum but as usual most fans had decided to see him as God! the genius, well not me he as proved nothing to me yet, but that doesn't mean I don't think he is the right person for the job, I'm just saying I'm not convinced yet and I haven't seen enough of him to make that judgment. I felt the treatment of Defoe was poor and the favouritism shown to keane disrupted Defoes performance and cost us. even when Keane played poor, both Jol and Ramos chose Keane and hence Defoe had no choice but to go. I think Keane pulled the wool over their eyes and made such a fuss about being a Spurs man through and through. Said the right things and this swayed both managers to invest in Keane, only for him to go. If only Defoe had been given a bit more respect and he would had stayed and I do think he would have been suited to Ramos style and new players this season more than keane would have been, and Bent. The other problem was Berby not liking Defoe because Defoe wouldn't do berby's running for him, both lazy players with berby having the slickness and creativity and Defoe lethal finishing. Adding to what you have said, Ramos tactically can been very good against the bigger teams, I think he as the flair for producing good performaces against flair teams but I am not yet convinced about his tactics against the lesser teams that battle and fight for everything so IMO he still as a lot to prove. With regards to team selection I am unsurfe, IMO he got it wrong Saturday and I am concerned that he as a tendency to play players out of position, he sems to asopt this theory of having players that can adjust to different positions. Well maybe some of the foreign players he knows may be able to but I'm unsure the likes of JJ, Lennon,Bentley, Hudd, O'Hara are really capable of that. Even Zakora as much as he tries is awful at times when he is tested in a different position. So selection I think he as to understand the mentality of our English players more and recognise they are a different breed over here. With buying and selling its difficult to know because who does buy and sell! IMO he seems to be geared towards fast, creative, flair players but I haven't seen him bring in some good quality no nonsense type of players like the Roy keanes type. There isn't any steel in the team and the selling. Well I already said I think Defoe was a mistake, IMO so was Malbronque he was one of those players that would just get on with it and would have been a good squad player, hardworking and enthusiastic. Kaboule it was to soon should have loaned him out. With keane and Berby he as little control so I can't judge him on that. Overall IMO I have yet to be convinced we have progressed that much and Ramos as yet to rpove himself. I hope he does and we see what he is capable of but apart from the CC and a few good displays against Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea last season he still as a lot to learn about the lesser teams and the NEED to win away and convincingly beat the likes of Hull, Stoke, Fulham, WestHam, Everton and so on. There's no point making a game of it with the top four if we lose points away from home agaisnt the likes of these teams. Finally IMO i don't think Ramos is the complee manager everyone thinks he is and i think he still as a lot to learn about English players the English game. The hard battling games that the premiership bring.