Aston Villa banter 6

05 Sep 2026 19:07:48
Painful watching Mings and Barkley on the ball. They are constantly on the ball but can’t do anything with it, just same every time.

05 Sep 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

04 Sep 2026 13:16:49
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Liverpool v Nottingham Forest - A Quick Liverpool Perspective

04 Sep 2026 12:33:35
I'm sure Emery will tell us why he has left Madjo and Harwood Bellis out of Champions League squad. Reading Bellis, one of the reasons for joining Villa, was his dream of playing in the Champions League must feel like a kick in the teeth.

There are a couple of circumstances where he could still play. On the face of it, it seems like a cruel way to treat a newbie. Emery has form in some of his controversial, questionable decisions, but he is the boss.

04 Sep 2026 13:22:15
Bellis didn't register in time with UEFA. Not sure on circumstances with Madjo, but I'm sure there is one.

04 Sep 2026 15:12:12
Daz, I have checked. It was definitely Villa's choice, not UEFA. Read the following press release: "Aston Villa deliberately left Taylor Harwood-Bellis out of their UEFA Champions League squad."
"He did not sign too late. All clubs submitted their final List A squad entries to UEFA on September 3, 2026 following the close of the summer transfer window." Definitely a kick in the teeth.

04 Sep 2026 19:47:10
Emery has spoken and he did leave the two of them out. Don't accept his reasons. A youngster who is only injured at the moment is a feeble excuse, and I don't understand his reason for Bellis. I'm sure some of the players will feel like me, completely disappointed at how a new signing that we paid big money for is totally excluded.

I hope Emery has regrets with his decision down the line. Potential future signings will take a view on how Bellis has been treated, and I would think he's never going to do that to me, I'm out.

04 Sep 2026 19:52:34
Can only register 23 players, so some had to miss out. By the sounds of it, THB missed out because he was the last to sign and we have enough cover at CB. Quote from Emery - "Taylor arrived as the last one and we can get the balance with Lamare Bogarde in case we need a centre-back or we even can play Kamara." I would also speculate that other players are more experienced, or were willing to sign because they could play Champions League, and THB was just happy to get a move to the prem.

Madjo is only 17, so he probably missed out on seniority.

04 Sep 2026 20:40:16
We definitely don't have enough cover at centre half, that's why we spent 30 million. Just imagine Bellis is a star in the Premier League, playing to his potential, and he can't play in the Champions League.

04 Sep 2026 21:05:32
Look at it from Emery's point of view. During a game, how often will you substitute a CB? Very rare. We have 2 full backs for each side, those are regularly subbed out as they do more running on the wings. CBs are usually only subbed if injured, and if it's serious and lengthy we can swap THB into the squad. The CBs he included, plus Bogarde, all know Emery's system, and it might take a while for THB to gel with the others.

Personally, I would have liked to see him involved, as our other CBs are no spring chickens, but I do understand it. Everything for Villa starts at the back, so I can see why he trusts the players who have the experience of playing Emery ball.

04 Sep 2026 22:29:43
Whack, I don't understand why you would spend big money on a centre half who could become a regular starter and exclude him from the potential to be a reliable asset in top class games.

I think it's not the way to treat a new signing. Madjo has the potential to change games, and has already proved it. Has anyone else upfront done that who is still there.

04 Sep 2026 23:05:41
I agree. I would like to see THB and Madjo in the squad, but someone had to miss out. I'm sure Emery has his reasons. Whether or not they are what he is saying publicly, I trust him to get it right. Who would you have dropped from the squad instead?

05 Sep 2026 10:01:27
Ruggeri can play centre back too. We can still change the squad due to injuries longer than a month and again after the group stage.

05 Sep 2026 10:02:43
Scotty, you said it yourself. Could become a starter. He hasn't played a game yet.

05 Sep 2026 11:38:46
My concern is the way Harvey Elliott was treated virtually from his first day. If you can do that without hesitating once, what kind of message does that send out to others? Things may well work out for the best. However, to hit a player on virtually his first days at the club is not very nice at all.

As far as I can see, every other last-minute signing for Champions League teams is in their squad; that's why many of these players were bought. End of this debate for me. However, it just doesn't sit right.

05 Sep 2026 11:45:59
I'm happy with THB playing/starting in the Prem, Lindelof or another playing/starting in the CL. I think it was the financial thing/punishment that means we can only have 23 instead of 25, so really it's a stupid rule to keep wannabe's like us in our place again. The price of trying to be competitive is to be punished. Utter bs. 💩

UTV.

Emery didn't want Elliot, and we don't have the spare cash to waste triggering his buyout clause. We should be glad he doesn't just pick players because they're good lads. Thb probably won't play until after the international break. History tells us that Emery rarely throws players in straight away.

05 Sep 2026 13:29:26
Someone had to miss out, Scot. Harvey Elliot was a completely different situation.
Just, out of interest, who would you have left out of the squad to put THB in instead of?

04 Sep 2026 11:12:03
Jimmy Greeves said “It’s a funny old game” and it’s true. All these clubs spending millions, but are the fans happy, no HaHa. The fans of Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton all up in arms, their teams haven’t brought the players they thought they needed, sold the players they thought they should keep, seeing all this, our window doesn't look so bad. It seems we as Villa fans appear to have more faith in our manager than most others do.


Watching Sky this morning, that clown Boothroud, was asked what new players is he excited to see, went through the usual, even on about Sunderland, never heard him mention Villa before I switched off.
Lot of uproar about the Euro squad, people can’t understand certain players being left out, I’m sure there are good reasons, obviously something to do with rulings, especially with the need for home grown players. UTV

04 Sep 2026 21:10:09
We lost 2 players Ed because we didn't have enough home grown players, we lost 3 in the summer and replaced with European, African etc. trying to buy quality English players is tough with the prices clubs are asking.

THB will be disappointed but if he puts in the graft and nails his spot down in the Premier League I have no doubt he will be added after the group games if we're still in it.

03 Sep 2026 16:57:16
If anyone who hasn't watched
The Overlap on YouTube or Disney Plus, I recommend you watch the hour plus discussions with John McGinn, Roy Keane, Gary Neville, Ian Wright and a couple of others. It really is an insight on his past and present.

His comments on everything from the manager to team mates past and present. SJM really has had an interesting career. I would be very surprised if you don't enjoy it. Make sure you get the hour version, there are a couple of abridged versions on YouTube.

04 Sep 2026 08:23:19
Also watched it and loved it. Great tip. SJM is a good role model and of great value to our club, and he's one of the players who hasn't been compromised or damaged by success.

04 Sep 2026 10:09:33
I couldn't agree more, we should keep him not just for now, but for the future in whatever capacity.

03 Sep 2026 10:22:16
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new video entitled entitled, C U Next Time - Transfer Window Edition}

03 Sep 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - thefutureisoldgold3 has posted a new article entitled, Wolves Ratings at West Ham: Defence Below Standard

03 Sep 2026 00:45:26
Who was it who claimed Moussa Diaby would never return to European soccer … due to tax issues? Would very much have loved for him to return to AV! Good price even. Was he not monitored on the highly advanced Emery radar?

03 Sep 2026 13:24:51
Why do you keep banging on about a player who didn't want to be at Villa? He didn't like Emery's class work, didn't like living in Birmingham, didn't like being on the bench.

He just wasn't happy at Villa. We didn't even make a profit on him; he was sold because he didn't want to be here. We have 11 new players. Concentrate on those instead of moaning about nothing.

03 Sep 2026 17:26:24
I said England, not Europe, which is why I used Henderson going on loan to Ajax as my example. And Diaby *didn't* return to England.... So my "speculation" hasn't even been disproven...

Agree, Whack.

03 Sep 2026 21:03:34
100% neb.., I remember your comment about Henderson and Ajax, and totally agree.

I would of liked to move Tammy on and bring in another striker instead of him. I think, had he left, we would of signed Balogun, but we didn’t. We done serious business. I might not of wanted Jackson, but he’s who we have now.

I’m going to support him, and give him the chance to prove himself instead of moaning about players we didn’t buy. My only real gripe with our business is Garnacho. Maybe he will prove me wrong, he is young after all, and Emery might just get him firing.

04 Sep 2026 08:19:52
Diaby had to be moved on for financial reasons back then.

04 Sep 2026 08:18:19
@whack: what are your sources for claiming "Diaby didn't want to be at Villa? He didn't like Emery's class work, didn't like living in Birmingham, didn't like being on the bench." Do you know Emery or Diaby personally? I did some research and found nothing to support your claim? On the contrary found very positive statements about Diaby's work and Emery being happy with his work, his training, and what he achieved together with Watkins

04 Sep 2026 14:13:26
Not claiming anything, just referring to what he said in interviews after departing. His partner hated every minute she spent in Birmingham, to top it off. Also, what Emery said when questioned after selling him without profit after such a short stint, and your claim about financial reasons makes no sense whatsoever, seeing as we only broke even, actually lost money on him if you take his wages into account.

I don't know why you keep changing your name to come on here moaning. Different name, same negative comments. The answer to your other question is yes, I know them both very well. Emery is a good drinking buddy of mine and I went to school with Diaby.

02 Sep 2026 08:47:43
So we're still lumbered with Baily.

02 Sep 2026 11:38:41
SV, unfortunately, everyone else saw what we had been watching, so if we have a bad run of injuries, we could well see him again. He is on really good money, so apart from pride, why would he want to leave. Perhaps we will have another try in January.

02 Sep 2026 12:09:13
Could still go to Saudi. Is Turkey on the same window as us? I thought it was a little longer over there.

02 Sep 2026 12:34:01
Just seen that Diaby has re-signed for Leverkusen. 28m euros. He definitely would've been worth signing for that!

02 Sep 2026 14:57:36
Just read he's off to Olympiakos.

02 Sep 2026 16:14:25
Who? Diaby? He has signed for Leverkusen.

02 Sep 2026 16:57:44
No Bailey.

03 Sep 2026 00:33:19
You're right, he's gone. Shame his confidence went.