arbitro

I think it sums up lots of clubs Matty. Vastly overpriced and overpaid players which ultimately drives the cost of transfer fees and wages up for everybody. And relative to League One wages and transfer fees we were as bad last season.

Me neither. I don't believe we should be upping the original offer too. He has been offered what the club thinks he is worth and that should be it. If he can get a better deal elsewhere he should take it.

I'm guessing but I would think the length of the contract would be as important to Graham as the money. I would like him to stay but I don't think we should be offering more than a one year deal.

Of course you derided them - read again what you wrote. You used them and Wales to compare against Scotland's record in major tournaments. You are turning into McChaddy.

But Rodgers has won several SPL titles (and other trophies) and is Northern Irish, a country which you have been deriding for their lack of major championship qualification. I can only think of two Englishmen managing Celtic and Rangers. One was Mowbray and the other John Barnes who actually crashed and burned at Tranmere. Edit: Add Lennon and O'Neill to the list of Nothern Irishmen.

Iceland has a really small population, reached the Euro 16 semi-final and have qualified for the upcoming World Cup. I think there has been a drop in standards right across football and this is relative. I remember well how nearly every top First Division team had several Scottish players like Graham, Henderson, Johnston, Gemmell, Rioch, Donnachie and so on. I would struggle to name more than six now in the entirety of the PL. In fairness though Scotland was a supply line for a lot of these clubs because very few had players from Europe and ROW.

Yes I remember now that Villa earned lots of plaudits for the deal.

I don't know if there is a link but weren't Villa's shirt sponsors called Acorn?

When you post a Nixon article do you ask him where his information came from? I really don't understand the desire to find out who told me.

I didn't say that. I have put a rumour to bed that was in danger of getting out of control. I think next time I will just let it.

You are clutching at straws there mate.

It doesn't matter at all if you don't believe what I'm saying but it's true. If your trying to find out how I know you will have to be smarter.

It really doesn't matter who but what is important is that it isn't him. If people want to get excited and speculate about a car registration (which I have been told isn't even his) parked at Ewood that's up to them.

It has been confirmed that it definitely wasn't Anthony Pilkington at Ewood today. He isn't even in the country.

I can't help feeling for Shrewsbury in all this. They had a great season and under normal circumstances would have gone straight up but now they have lost their manager (another probably backroom staff), they will lose their best players and will struggle next season (in my opinion) to stay in League One. The fine margins are in evidence there.

I understood we paid undisclosed fees for Gladwin and Hart.

Villa will be worried if they don't go up as their parachute payments will be halved next season. With a weekly bill of around £700k on the first team squad some cloth may need cutting. With lots of big earners to pay I wouldn't be surprised to see Grealish being touted about. https://sillyseason.com/salary/aston-villa-players-salaries-99599/

Your use of the word opinion says everything about a message board. To you your argument is valid but some people disagree. It's not being negative.

What's negative about an opinion that a player simply isn't up to it any more and shouldn't get a new deal?

Ah the old negativity argument. As for not having the club at heart I know for certain that some of the posters who don't see any value in giving him a deal never miss a game, spending a perhaps a couple of thousand pounds in doing so.

As supporters we see the games and make judgements about players from them. A player can look good in training but flops on the bigger stage (Gladwin for example). Conway hasn't just been mediocre last season, he has been that way for some time. I just don't see what he will bring to a squad which needs improving radically if we are to even reach mid table. I just don't get the coming off the bench argument neither. Any squad player for us should be good enough to start and their presence in the squad alone be enough to keep the other players on their toes.

As Conway is recovering from a broken metatarsal I would have thought his pre season will start later than the reporting date which in turn means he probably won't be fit for August 4th. Hopefully he will turn the new deal down and find himself a new club.

Conway shouldn't get a new deal for me for one reason, he simply isn't good enough anymore. He struggled pretty much all last season when he played and in a faster paced game he would be found wanting. Giving him a deal would also probably stifle the development of one of the youngsters who may well step up.

Who would you play in his position John?

I think the key to his upturn in form was getting away from the bright lights of London. He had a close relative (aunt perhaps) who lived in Bury and the story is she kept him on the straight and narrow and out of the bookies and casinos. I also recall something that she was a nurse and Bentley organised for lots of footballers to voluntarily donate a days wages to the nurses. I was told by somebody I trust that as soon as he got back to London and the 'in crowd' again he was once again gambling and wasting fortunes. Such a waste for a player of undoubted ability.