Written by Damian Wednesday, 20 January 2010 10:02
We have the best team for twenty years according to Martin O'Neill so in my books, that must be good enough to get to the final and win it. Yes, I am playing, but I really think, if we can get past Blackburn tonight, we can win it.
But, that can be said for any club; anyone can win in a final and it comes down to who wants it more and in Martin O'Neill, he has a habit of winning the big games and the matches where teams come at us. In the final, whoever we play, they will come at us.
But, this isn't a match post as that will come later. This is about the news that we have to sell to buy this January and while you might think this a wonderful opportunity for me to have a little pop, but I really do believe it is a nothing thing.
Martin O'Neill, January 19th 2010
We are not looking at players at this minute because we have to sell. Do I have to sell to buy? We wouldn't be the only club in that position.
You see, all that has happened is the owner has told him that he has wasted money and that he has to recoup some of the money he has wasted and seeing as it was already given to him, he can still use it.
Now, this is just business. He has Marlon Harewood and Nick Shorey out on loan and he paid £8mn for those two and they probably earn £60k a week.
Add the £4mn we might get for Craig Gardner, the £5mn we could get for Nigel Reo-Coker and we have over £10mn to go out and buy and £100k a week we can pay in wages. Okay, we know it won't happen, but it's business.
Let's clear up one thing though; it isn't about risking the future of the club - that is spin, it is very much about Randy Lerner running Aston Villa as a standalone business. Now, if Lerner were to transfer the £73mn of debt that the club owes one of his other companies into equity in the club, much like Sheikh Mansour did with £305mn Manchester City owed him, it would mean that the club could then be debt free once again and there would be much more money potentially available.
Now, if Lerner did that, it would be quite impressive.
So, it's just a bit of news; it isn't positive news or maybe the type of news we want to be hearing but it is news. It is also worth noting that global markets are getting better and Lerner no doubt has a few quid invested, so maybe if he sold and bought at the right time, maybe we will get more than the TV money to spend this summer, if Martin O'Neill can trim the squad.
Match post coming later, with Twitter updates and team news and everything else but I'm not expecting anything special. In fact, I can see us going for a goal in the first half and if we don't get it, I can see us sitting back in the second and as long as it gets us to the final, I wouldn't mind and if it is 0-0 at half time, I hope we do it, because Blackburn will come at us and we are quite good on the counter.
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PaulMcGrathsGoneAWOL
said:
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... Is everyone still asleep this morning? I think we'd all take the loss of 3/4 fringe squad members which is what shorey harewood and gardner are if it meant we could buy some real class to improve the first team. Its not even a gamble is it, it just makes sense. However Im not sure how much we would get for those three, but would it be enough to buy a genuine world class playmaker or striker? No probably about half as much as we would need. |
Alex Glynn
said:
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... We don't have the wage budget for a genuine world class striker. We want an up-and-coming world class striker who at the moment is "very good". That'll do nicely. |
Damian
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... glynnder get rid of those 4 above and there is over £100k a week that could go to one player - not going to happen because then you will have upstarts like webcam saying they want more and they will think they deserve it because the manager has told him he is world class |
Matthew Smith
said:
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... Mon also said something along the lines of: "We're always looking for excellent players and we'd love to have a 20 goal a season striker, but they always come with a big price. We're not looking at players at the moment and we'd have to sell before we can buy" After that interview he got really angry with the reporter stating that he thought the press conference was called to chat about the massive game tonight, not about transfers. My guess is that he will be 100% focussed on the game tonight and will take a look at his squad over the next week. I think it's safe to say that there will be no heavy investment in players this window, and if that is the case I'd rather he saved his cash until the summer. |
keith
said:
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... We are not looking at players at this minute because we have to sell. this translated is at this very moment we are dealing with the gardner transfer (selling) Do I have to sell to buy? We wouldn't be the only club in that position. is no actually saying he HAS to sell to buy cards,keep,chest and close spring to mind |
Damian
said:
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... woody what i think it means is that lerner has said - you've had the TV money and wasted it - recoup it and use it properly |
keith
said:
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... what i think it means is that lerner has said - you've had the TV money and wasted it - recoup it and use it properly now now damian. i will now play your game and argue that nowhere does it say that mon HAS to sell to buy, if it does then show me |
Damian
said:
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... keithj no, he doesn't say he has to sell before he can buy it just says he has to sell - why does he have to sell though? |
NickC
said:
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... Damian, I'm liking a more positive approaoch from you now in your writing style. It's something I've noticed you doing since I tried to post on here a couple of weeks ago. Although you saw fit or someone saw fit not to post it up on the thread, I have noticed that your posts are looking more positive and I applaud you for that. Knocking your club constantly is not enjoyable and only serves to get you down. We want to feel hopeful about the future and where the club are going. Well done. I would say that selling fringe players that MON wont even have on the bench or when he does, he wouldn't actually dream of putting them on the field of play is fine by me but buying or having a real quality loan signing and paying the wages. I'd love to see someone like RVN come to the club but not sure MON fancies him. The stories are that Madrid will pay half his wages if he goes out on loan so although he's on reputedly 140K per week, 70K per week falls within the Villa Park budget, I think. Anyway, I'm not holding my breath on that, we'll see. As for the match tonight, I think it'll be really difficult and I see us having a wobble tonight and if we get through it, it'll be by the skin of our teeth. Obviously, I'd love to say we'll walk it but I dont think we will. A couple of the flair players (Ash) aren't really performing this season and I am fed up with MON prefering certain midfield players over others that have to sit on the bench constantly. Reo Coker (fit or not) was England U21 captain for years and West Ham captain and has never ever been given a consistent run in the team since MON bought him. I think he's a class player and a real box to box player and MON is probably going to sell him soon and regret it for the rest of his days. Petrov is a good player but I think he's the type of player we should have on the bench and be playing Reo Coker instead. I know that might be unpopular but Reo Coker is the future of the club not Petrov. Still, thats only my opinion. I wont even bother taliking about Sidwell and Delph. It's frustrating that having bought some genuine talent, MON wont even play them and is even reluctant to bring them off the bench even. Sometime's it defies logic......!! |
keith
said:
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... damian did not mon say that he liked garner but can understand that he wants to play regularly, if this is true then he either gives him away or HE HAS TO SELL |
Damian
said:
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... NickC i've just searched the comments - none of your comments have not been published but as you are not registered they need to be approved and as such - it can take a few hours especially if i am in the pub as there is no internet for me to check. go to google and put in 'site:thevillablog.co.uk NickC' as your search query and you will see all your comments and replies to you as for tonight. i am seeing 2-0 and wembley  |
James in Aus
said:
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... Damien, thanks for the Twitter updates on game day... Keep up the good work!the thing I can't understand is why strive for depth in the squad if MON doesn't rotate and use the bench? Wouldn't hurt to sell 1 or 2 fringe players. |
Damian
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... keithj didn't barry want to leave the summer before he did? he didn't have to sell or give him away then did he and he doesn't have to sell gardner |
John Samuels
said:
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... It's simple, we have a number of players on the pay roll who don't play. We have a large squad and before we sign anyone else it would be a good idea to sell some of these assets in order to clear the decks and balance the books. Selling Harewood, Osbourne, Gardner and Shorey would generate a fair amount of funds and slash a significant amount off the wage bill. It's as simple as that. I think it is completely fair to request this before Randy commits any more cash to the cause. I don't think there is any implication of WASTING money Damian. That's a little dramatic. Some transfers come off better than others and different players were signed at different times for different reasons. Two season ago they all featured in the first team. Now the team has progressed it's time to cash in in order to fund the next stage of the development. Nothing but common business sense. Fans want success and if money isn't spent every single window they geet scared of failure. Football is different to other businesses because if you own your own business you don't get an outside influence twlling you what to do, you just make all the decisions yourself. Fan pressure is a bitch! |
keith
said:
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... the difference being that he saw barry (who was a regular) as an integral part of the team |
JakeB
said:
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... Reading between the lines I think there might be a hint that he needs to drop the wage bill a bit. Or in other words, we've got money for a player, but to pay the wages that the quality we're looking at want we need to trim the wage bill. Bear in mind craigs on about £20-25 thousand, sell him and say sidwell ( I wish) whose on £50 thousand reportedly following his recent contract clause activation and that'd be £75 thousand to pay a new player. |
davidc
said:
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... I do think he's spot on when he claims its the best team we've had for 20 years. Only one that comes close is Sir Brian's 1996 team. Just need to keep our heads tonight and take another step along towards getting some silverware in the cabinet. |
oldnick
said:
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... Surely its no shock that we have to maybe sell before we can buy? Oneill like most managers has wasted a lot of money on players that no longer have a role in the club, it would make sense for the club as a buisness to recoup some funds and wages. We were told that we dont have that bottomless pit a long time ago. Im sorry boys and girls but we need to realise that we are still a long way from being in the big time! and my view is that oneill and maybe lerner will never get us there. |
Damian
said:
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... keithj sure. but he doesn't HAVE to sell is my point and he has said here: http://www.google.com/hostedne..._bKtaFcmWw In an ideal world, I would love to keep him |
Keith
said:
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... Maybe MON just doesn't want other clubs to know how much money is available and make it known that certain 'fringe' players are available. On the other hand he could say " we have £20m to spend" and then be annoyed when a club wants £20m for their striker. MON does not inform anyone (except Lerner) what his plans are. He doesn't have to and he never will. "what i think it means is that lerner has said - you've had the TV money and wasted it - recoup it and use it properly" is your opinion of what you think MON has done. You have no evidence of what money is or is not available. Oh and Lerner has spent a lot more than just the TV money! Bring back Herbert eh? |
keith
said:
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... damian no he didnt have to sell barry but you and i know what barry would have done had he not been allowed to leave( ref. yorke) |
BobbyPark
said:
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... No good going out and telling the football world you've got bucket loads of dosh to spend, you end up with an overpaid, overpriced prima donna like Robinho. Best to play it cagey as we are and get in 10 to 12 million from the sale of fringe players, I'm sure there'll be at least one in before the window closes. I don't think Sidwell has come off at all and reckon we should cash in on him, much sooner keep Reo Coker, with him and Delph as back up for Jimmy and Stan. Hopefully start with Gabby and Carew tonight. |
Damian
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... keefvilla yes, it is my opinion, i even started with with 'what i think' and yes, lerner has spent more than the tv money - but not much more - we have gone from zero debt to £73mn worth of debt after getting lots more TV money the last 2 seasons all i am trying to do is put a bit of positive spin on it. it's common sense, it's business and a lot of money has been wasted keithj we are now in the realm of semantics. martinn o'neill did not say he had to sell before he has to buy - agreed. but he doesn't need to sell gardner - i think we are agreed on that too the implication is he has to sell before he can buy but it is only implied |
Tim Hillman
said:
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... The last final we played in 2000 this is how we lined up: David James Mark Delaney Ugo Ehiogu Gareth Southgate Gareth Barry Alan Wright George Boateng Paul Merson (Captain) Ian Taylor Benni Carbone Dion Dublin Steve Stone (sub 79) Julian Joachim (sub 79) Lee Hendrie (sub 8  Who if any would you swap for our team now? Obviously if they were stilll young enough to play. I was suprised at how good a team we had back then! |
John Samuels
said:
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...jpa I am funnily enough a bit under the weather. However I had to go to the big smoke yesterday and get my paasport renewed cos i'm off to Africa in two weeks. That is why I was absent yesterday. I saw some sort from Hollyoaks strolling around Leicester square and me and the missus promptly drank all day, quite drunk when I got in. Im sorry boys and girls but we need to realise that we are still a long way from being in the big time! and my view is that oneill and maybe lerner will never get us there. I am fully aware we aren't there in terms of being a huge club, but we are a hell of a lot closer than we were before MoN and RL came. This is what prompts me to ask you to back up your statement that they may never get us there. What evidence is there that suggests this is the case. Is it the investment? The squad improvement? The shrewd purchasing? The off pitch improvements? The cup semi final? The wins against the top four? The good crop of youngsters? Some clarification would be nice. |
Tim Hillman
said:
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... I was never a fan of Carbone he was a bit inconsistent for me. I think Merson would walk straight back in and I was a huge Alan Wright fan! It was a strong team, was a shame we never really turned up that day! |
keith
said:
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... damian i agree, therefore his comment makes good business sense as it makes clubs aware that we are prepared to sell the players we dont want. |
John Samuels
said:
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... That's a good team. It suffers from the same thing we do now. No goals. Merson was hit and miss at that stage of his career, Joachim was all pace and no finish, Dublin was the only decent forward there as Carbone was prone to doing hte square root of nothing and then vindicating himself by popping up with a stunning goal every four or five games. I think you have to agree that inmidfield and up front we have a stronger team now. That defence was awesome though. |
Damian
said:
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... keithj agreed. which was the point in my post - or what i hoped to get across if you own a football club and you are paying out £100k a week plus for players that are not playing or want out and you've got £8mn of talent on loan - you too might say 'recoup some of what you have spent' first before throwing more money at someoen that might end the same way |
Smithy_11avfc
said:
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... I think the sell to buy thing is a bit of rubbish to be honest. I think martin is looking for an excuse to sell some of the less caliber players like harewood, gardner, shorey etc because we all know and he knows they are not good enough for the current squad. Randy lerner has plenty of money to put into the club which is another reason MON is looking for an excuse. I personally dont think we need to buy in this window because we have more quality in depth than last season and the younger villans are starting to blossom and will soon be playing in the first team. I also predict a 2-0 win tonight in the carling cup and then WEMBLEY HERE WE COME. UTV !!!!!!!!!! |
John Samuels
said:
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... I can't wait until this window is closed. All this specualtion is doing my nut in. |
Keith
said:
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... Damian So you think a lot of money has been wasted? Show me a manager who has never purchased a player that has been a waste of money. Some transfers don't work out, but we are still progressing on and off the field. Lay off MON and Lerner it is becoming irritating. |
John Samuels
said:
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... I think it's clear we need a couple of players, and we all know in which positions. They will come, just like every other player we have needed over the last few years has eventually come in. It takes time, you can't buy everyone at once. This is the biggest squad we have had under O'Neill and it needs to be trimmed and some of the cash regenerated in order to keep improving it. I don't think there will be a player in in this window, but if there is it will almost certainly be a striker. Neither would surprise me. I'd prefer to see Gardner, Harewood, Shorey, Osbourne and Salifou all go and no one come in. Rest assured we'd have one hell of a kitty in the summer if that was the case. But is Beattie any good at attacking crosses in the air? I remember him scoring headers for Stoke but they were all free headers at the back post if im remembering correctly. This suggests to me he is pretty good at losing his marker.  |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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...I do think he's spot on when he claims its the best team we've had for 20 years. Only one that comes close is Sir Brian's 1996 team. What about the team that won in 94? And the team that came 2nd in the league? |
aston242
said:
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... New Ground For Birmingham It is believed that Birmingham City will get the go ahead on a new 50,000 capacity stadium. The stadium will host local dog racing nights on Wednesdays. Bookies are taking odds on what trap Karen Brady will be in. |
Tim Hillman
said:
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... If I was Mon I would swap Craig Gardner for Mcfadden. I think he is a Keane type of player that can bring other players in and is very skillful. |
Damian
said:
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... keefvilla yes, i think money has been wasted and i accept that some transfers dont work out - i dont disagree with you - you are 100% stating the obvious and nobody is disagreeing with you however, what you seem to fail to accept is the possibility that lerner has said to o'neill that he must sell first and if he did - most would accept that is is simple common sense, seeing as we have nearly £10mn of players out on loan. what would you rather; lerner just gave o'neill more money to waste i'm not knocking lerner by saying this and the implication from o'neill is that is exactly what he has to do there is also nothing wrong with it - it is simply running the business within the budgets set |
Chris Harper
said:
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...I can't wait until this window is closed. All this speculation is doing my nut in. Ditto, I hate this time of the year. Everybody moaning, repeating there-selves. Can't wait till Feb.  |
Tim Hillman
said:
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... I heard an interesting stat the other day. Something like only 8-9 million has been spent so far in this Transfer window compared to about 55 million this time last year. (They are rough amounts). Just shows how most clubs are not being lulled into buying players. The January transfer window is pointless! |
GPalmer
said:
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... I think if Gardner goes, it's down to him wanting better first team opportunities rather than anything to do with our transfer budget. Spot-on about O'Neill's transfers not always coming off though. Shorey & Harewood are the classic examples. I think Shorey was a last-minute panic buy that he soon regretted and there's no way we're going to recoup anything like what we paid there. Still, today's all about a semi-final - how often can we say that? Gotta be a good turnout tonight! |
Keith
said:
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... Damian What you seem to fail to accept is the possibility that Lerner HAS NOT said to O'Neill that he must sell first. I am sure they have discussed players such as Shorey, Osbourne etc being sold but their is no evidence to suggest O'Neill must sell before he can buy. So please stop insinuating that there is. |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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...This suggests to me he is pretty good at losing his marker Yes if the crosses are pin point and directed at certain area's. Young's are just hit and hope most of the time. I would prefer someone like Jones who would compete with a defender for that ball. A bit like Laursen used to. JPA by the way Dion Dublin is a far better striker then anone we have at the club right now. He was a top top player who had a bit of everything. He would actually love playing for this team. Merson would also walk onto this team. |
John Samuels
said:
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... CSM, Fair enough, but go and find out how much was spent in the last week of the window and also take out the £32.5m Citeh spent Robinho and the £12.5m Arsenal spent on Arshavin. That brings us about even I believe. The last couple of days will see some movement, I have no doubt about it. Everyone is waiting to see what City do. |
keith
said:
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... these " bad signings " were the type of player we could attract at the time same as when we move up to the next level some of our current team will fall into the same category |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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...The January transfer window is pointless! They should go back to the old system. This only increase's transfer fee's and makes the agents wealthy. |
Adey Stuttard
said:
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... Fed up with the speculation too - Bellamy, Keane, Babel, etc Are our nearest rivals going to sell to us, I think not!! On to tonight, i just have this horrible feeling!! West Ham came with a plan to frustrate us and it worked. If Blackburn do the same and score in the first half, it could all go horribly wrong. All I want is an early Villa goal, and the place will be buzzing, flags aloft and we will go on to win comfortably. |
oldnick
said:
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... JPA I have no evidence, its just my view! There is no doubt we are a better team and club. I stated before that mon and lerner have turned us into a solid, challenging top 6 premiership side. I just beleive that unless we have a glorious amount of funds availible and a manager who is willing to take chance's on high wage players instead of buying english battlers, then we are going struggle to compete against the teams who have and do that. Im not down about this, its where we are. |
GPalmer
said:
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...
Definitely - it hasn't achieved anything. Big clubs still dominate the market and players are still unsettled by agents. It just means clubs are stuck with them for months until they can be moved on. |
John Samuels
said:
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...Yes if the crosses are pin point and directed at certain area's. Young's are just hit and hope most of the time. I'd argue he tries too hard. If he stopped trying to pick out a man for the worldy ball and just concentrated on not hitting the first man we'd probably score more. He's trying to be too good. Just get it in the danger zone, that's what Lennon is doing this season and it's paying dividends. If you're saying that Lawrence and Etherington are placing pinpoint passes on his head then I must snigger.  He would score a load more with the likes of Milner, Downing and Young giving him chances. We have two of the best crossers of the ball in the league. He'd be in dreamland. Granted Merson and Dublin were good players, but they were winding down and finishing their careers. Merson was also a bit of an ego at times and his legs were going. Class tho, I have to admit, but I think Milner is as valuable to us now. Dublin could still do a job for us, sign him up!! Thats why I said he was the best striker in that team, d'uh! Shorey & Harewood are the classic examples. I think Shorey was a last-minute panic buy that he soon regretted and there's no way we're going to recoup anything like what we paid there. We were crying out for a LB and MoN has already admitted that he tried to sign Warnock instead but couldn't get him and Shorey was a pretty decent prospect. England caps, Prem experience. Everyone was more than happy with that business at the time and I actually believe he can still do a job for us. Harewood was cover when we had no strikers. He signed as backup for Carew and Gabby before Heskey came in or Delfouneso was a viable option. To be fair he did ok, we paid too much for him, but the guys work ethic and commitment are something to behold. Surely this is part of the reason Martin brought him in. Horses for courses is what i'm saying. Could we have gone out and signed Milner, Downing, Dunne and Warnock when we'd just finished 16th in the league? No. Progress is the name of the game. |
Damian
said:
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... keefvilla i do accept that is possible but it is not me insinuating it, it is martin o'neill by saying We are not looking at players at this minute because we have to sell. Do I have to sell to buy? We wouldn't be the only club in that position. |
BobbyPark
said:
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... Disagree about Shorey being a bad signing, he was playing pretty well before he bought Warnock in who I have to admit is a better defender. Shorey is a good little footballer and I'm surprised no one has come in for him, you must have something if you get noticed by the England set up playing for Reading. Gotta still be worth what we paid for him. Harewood, Routledge, Salifou, & Sidwell were all worse signings than Shorey. |
John Samuels
said:
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... CSM, i stand corrected. That is an interesting stat actually, but i imagine the recession has something to do with it. It'll be that massive Heskey fee bumping the figures up |
Keith
said:
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... DAMIAN Again, would you prefer him to come out and say exactly how much he has to spend? If MON can buy the player he wants at a price he feels is justified, I am confident that Lerner will back him. Why aren't you? |
John Samuels
said:
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...Harewood, Routledge, Salifou, & Sidwell were all worse signings than Shorey. I'd agree they are worse players, but Harewood, Salifou and Routledge were not bought for the first team, they were bought as short term cover in positions were we were light. Routledge was £1m, HArewood was £3.5m and Salifou cost less than £500,000. The cost of all three is still about the same as Shoreys fee. We recouped the Routledge money, we should get a little for Harewood and Salifou is on two mars bars a week so hardly a wieght on the pay roll. This things need to be put in perspective because they just get rolled out whenever someone is pissed off we don't sign Torres and say that Mon is crap in the market. He is actually very shrewd and has a good eye for talent. |
keith
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... keef damian hasnt said lerner wouldnt back him hes just been naughty with a play on words |
Damian
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... keefvilla christ. this is two days now of you just looking for a battle and maybe it has gone on longer - i'm not going to check and i really cant be arsed any more what do you mean Again, would you prefer him to come out and say exactly how much he has to spend?i dont know of a manager who has ever come out and said how much he has to spend so it isn't about what i would prefer - i'd also be very surprised if he did and i dont think anyone is asking him to or suggesting he should but for the life of me, what do you think this means: We are not looking at players at this minute because we have to sell. Do I have to sell to buy? We wouldn't be the only club in that position.honestly - what do you think that means? why am i not confident the chairman will back him? simple; the club is in debt to the tune of £73mn from nothing since lerner has come in and our net spend each summer is in line with the increased revenue from tv money. actions speak louder than words i'm not saying there is anything wrong with it either. lerner owns the club he can do what he wants but i dont think we are going to get into the top four operating within our means but only time will tell |
Tim Hillman
said:
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... JPA - I agree this recession sucks. I went to the supermarket yesterday and all I could afford to buy was the cereal Credit Crunch!! I would rather MON didn't sign anyone rather than spending 7-10 million on another Heskey! |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
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... Etherington is actually a great crosser of the ball. Thats why they signed him. Did you watch his set pieces for the goals againest Fulham a few weeks ago? Not saying he is a better player then Young but he right now he is delivering better set pieces. If he stopped trying to pick out a man for the worldy ball and just concentrated on not hitting the first man we'd probably score more I think he actually has his head down most times when he is crossing and doesn't really try to pick anyone out but rather tries to hit certain area's in the hope someone will be there. Saying that we don't seem to be able to get enough players in the box which doesn't help his cause. Thats why I said he was the best striker in that team, d'uh! You said he was decent. He was far better then decent. When we signed him he was in his prime and if he was playing in this team he would be scoring 20+ goals a season. He was quality and the best we have had since Yorke. |
Matthew Smith
said:
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... 1874AVFC On to tonight, i just have this horrible feeling!! Everyone has the right to be nervous, we're so close to the final I can taste it! There's a couple of significant differences between this game and the west ham game: 1) West Ham had better energy levels because they didn't play last thursday. (Blackburn obviously played last thursday and on sunday. 2) West Ham never needed to score, Blackburn do. 3) There's a stat doing the rounds on the BBC website, saying something like; "in the past 50 years only 2 teams have lost the semi-final after winning the first leg away from home". 4) We've beaten Blackburn twice in as many weeks, granted one was with a weaker team, but so was ours. Everything is pointing to us progressing to the final, what's really important is that whatever happens we get behind the team and really make it a cracking atmosphere. Make Blackburn so nervous that we pounce instantly and try to sneak an early goal. UTV! |
Rod Bentley
said:
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... Do I remember having a rubbish team before MON joined us? Only GazBaz good enough, i.e. TEN players short of what we needed. RL has backed MON to the tune of over £100m spent, and now we are only 2 players short of being better than very good. The future's bright .... whatever Damo says |
Tim Hillman
said:
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... I went to Junior School with Matt Etherington and I can safely say he has an impressive cross. I may have only been 10 at the time but you never lose it!! |
John Samuels
said:
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... ak, so, I think we can do worse than Beattie in this window tbh. He'd suit the way we play and he wouldn't cost a fortune. He'd probably welcome a move to us too and put a shift in for us. |
Jae86
said:
 |
... Anybody know if they are giving away any free stuff tonight? I am in the trinity unfortunately due to stupid delayed payment of wages i couldnt buy a ticket early enough (im not a portsmouth player) Saying that though we sat in the trinity witt our free ticket to the pompey game and it was a failry decent view. I notice there is a special programme again, another way to cream an extra £2 out of us instead oof the usual £3 no doubt Ive given up hope on any signings of any worth, i do not think Rand y has refused money i just think the transfer budget for the season was all used in the summer and MON had no intention of buying in this window anyway. And besides if Craig goes for 4m it is 4m to put away to add to next seasons budget. Iv just checked the prize money for the carling cup, winners get £100k, how pants is that. if we win today we are guaranteed £50k for geting to the final  |
davidc
said:
|
... Team from 1996: Bozzie Charles Wright Southgate McGrath Ehiogu Taylor Draper Townsend Savo Yorke Team from 1994: Bozzie Barrett McGrath Teale Staunton Daley Fenton Townsend Rico Atkinson Saunders That 96 team was excellent. 94 team less so. |
david
said:
 |
... Damian: You see, all that has happened is the owner has told him that he has wasted money and that he has to recoup some of the money he has wastedI've tried to find the source of this Lerner quote but haven't managed to yet...can you point me in the right direction? |
WinsforVilla
said:
 |
... Mark Delaney for Habib Beye Alan Wright for Nickey Shorey Paul Merson for Steve Sidwell Ian Taylor for Emile Heskey orJohn Carew Gareth Barry for Reo Coker .... and I'd still need to buy a 20 per season striker |
GPalmer
said:
|
...Disagree about Shorey being a bad signing, he was playing pretty well before he bought Warnock in who I have to admit is a better defender. Shorey is a good little footballer and I'm surprised no one has come in for him, you must have something if you get noticed by the England set up playing for Reading. Gotta still be worth what we paid for him. I think he's a good player (reminds me of Alan Wright) but a bad signing in that MON seemed to quickly change his mind about him and isn't going to recoup what he spent now he's been seen to have "failed" at Villa. Whenever I've seen him play, he's given 100% but he always seemed to be the first to be dropped. |
John Samuels
said:
|
... He hasn't wasted money. If anything he has negated the money lost on the vaolues of players like SHorey etc by accruing asset value in players like MIlner, Ash and Downing who would all cost more than £16m MINIMUM if someone wanted to buy them. Heskey is worth more than we paid for him even! Not to mention the fact that players like Fonz, Albrighton, Gardner, Osbourne cost us nothing and we haven't lost anything on the values of Dunne, Warnock, Collins etc. It's all being taken out of context. He simply has to balance the books and clear the decks. We're not talking about selling assets in order to buy. We're talking about having a car boot sale of all our old crap so we can fit some nice new stuff that we really need in the house. This in turn means that the stuff we are currently using may get relegated to the garage, just in case we need it, which will improve the overall value of our assets. Logic, nothing to panic about and really not even a talking about except to say, 'well done Mr Lerner, you abviously know exactly what you're doing'. Do we really want to do a Newcastle and have over fifty player on our books all in need of paying? No, you can only play eleven at a time and the ones who aren't getting on our bench aren't good enough and may as well go. |
Keith
said:
|
... Damian "this is two days now of you just looking for a battle and maybe it has gone on longer" What's the matter? Tired of constant disagreement? Don't you think your constant digs at MON and Lerner are tiresome? I will only 'have a battle' with you as long as you continue to write this drivel. You have no knowledge of what is happening at Villa regarding money and little regarding the feeling of supporters. "honestly - what do you think that means?" I think it means MON is happy with the squad, the players he is interested in will not be available in January, but if he does sell because a player wants to leave, we will look at replacing them. "but i dont think we are going to get into the top four operating within our means" So lets do a Portsmouth then. Great plan! |
david
said:
|
... Damian, I do agree with your general recent points about us needing considerable extra investment if we are to make a realistic bid for the title in the near future. The nature of the game at the moment is that nearly every year, some team or other will receive a wedge of cash from someone with an ego or more money than sense. These teams along with the usual suspects will make it very difficult(but not impossible)to win the ultimate English prize without our own injection of very significant funds. Having said that, I would not want to see such an investment in Villa if it was in the form of huge and mounting debts that may jeopardise the medium to long term future of the club. We are not Man Utd with a huge international supporter base and diverse sources of funding, and we'd be much more vulnerable to going the route of Newcastle or Leeds than they are. You are right in stating previously that Man Utd are not going to go bust even with their current levels of debt, but even they seem to be feeling the strain and it does seem safe to assume that SAF is being curtailed in the transfer market by a squeeze on available funds. We do have a very good (but not yet excellent) and improving squad and I for one am enjoying the fact that we are making steady and sustainable progress with the small but real prospect that even with this medium investment strategy we could one day find ourselves back at the very top of the tree withouthaving mortgaged the future of the club that I'd like my children to be able to enjoy watching for years to come. |
GPalmer
said:
|
..."but i dont think we are going to get into the top four operating within our means" I think we've been lucky with Lerner - look at the mess Liverpool have got themselves into with Hicks & Gillette, and the Glazers are well on the way to bleeding Man Utd dry. It's great to watch, but it shows how things can turn out. |
John Samuels
said:
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...So lets do a Portsmouth then. Great plan! I'd rather go about it the way Man U did in Fergusons first five years. Oh right, we are. |
Alex Glynn
said:
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... Damian, going back to the start. I'm aware that we have the funds available, but it doesn't mean we have the wage budget. I cannot forsee Villa signing anyone with wages above 80k for a very long time, unless there are outstanding circumstances. |
Damian
said:
|
... r0bb0 neither would i. but if the brother of the manchester city owner came along. gave us £300mn for equity in the club - would you want that? dont get me wrong - i dont like that that is what is needed, but if it is okay - within the rules of the game and really, the only way i can see us doing it - why not? ask a chelsea fan if they mind or a manchester city fan and both sets will say no glynnder you are then part of a very small select group of people that know that |
marcus taylor
said:
 |
... gonna be interesting to see what happens then. just had a quick look at our next few fixtures in the league. it looks very tough arsenal (H) fulham (A) spurs (A) manure (H) not going to be easy for the boys these next few weeks |
Alex Glynn
said:
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... damian - cannot forsee, doesn't mean I know. But I'm sure with the current pompey/scousers situ and what seems to be the belief of several that the whole "premiership high spending" thing is going to come to an end [not sure if I agree] but either way. I don't think Mr Lerner is going to make a high wage signing that'll either cost an extra at least £100k/week for Milner, Ashley, Gabby and others who think they "have worth" [Downing in the not too distant future etc] to be raised or cause discontent in one of the few clubs that manages to avoid public inter-team issues... |
Damian
said:
|
... keefvilla no - i am not tired of constant disagreement - i'm tired of your endless point scoring meaningless comment. if all you want is positive news and positive opinion - you should visit the club site - all you get from them is positive spin as for no knowledge of the money - keefvilla - are you aware of the legal requirements of a private limited company? as for supporters feelings - there was booing at the end of the last game. i get 20 emails a week from supporters and i speak to supporters off line every single day of the week - and besides, this is a blog; it isn't about the feelings of other supporters, it is about my feelings. you can write a blog and send it in and we might publish it, but i suspect it might be more geared to the club site if you have managed to take: I think it means MON is happy with the squad, the players he is interested in will not be available in January, but if he does sell because a player wants to leave, we will look at replacing them.from We are not looking at players at this minute because we have to sell. Do I have to sell to buy? We wouldn't be the only club in that position.then i suspect you probably write for the club site and not taking from it 'i would have to sell if i want to buy' just simply baffles me. honestly, it baffles me. as for So lets do a Portsmouth then. Great plan!in response to but i dont think we are going to get into the top four operating within our meansjust goes to demonstrate how limited your thinking is and that how everything with you is just black or white if you can not offer anything constructive and all you are going to do is try to score points against me, rather than what is written, then can i suggest, oh, i already have |
Damian
said:
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... glynnder sorry. i was replying to this: I'm aware that we have the funds available, but it doesn't mean we have the wage budget.i appreciate that the salary is the big issue these days as the top players can earn millions upon millions each season, but that is where the risk of investment comes in. if we continue to pay salaries from money the club generates then it is going to be close to impossible to actually pay the salary of a world class player unless o'neill gets every other player on board - i agree with you in essence, that is isn't just about the fee it costs to bring the player - it is also about operating month to month and there is no guarantee that because you bring in two or three players on £80k plus a week that you will generate the additional revenue to cover the salaries; hence me saying i dont think we are going to get into the top four operating within our meansin essence, what i am saying is the investment needs to also come with things like salaries - not just bringing the players in |
Matt T
said:
 |
...keithj By "in an ideal world" he meant if you could keep players without having to worry about them wanting to play matches (Gardner understandably wants first team football). It's not a "I need to sell statement", it's a "The lad wants to play football, and I can't really stop him from leaving as he deserves it". |
Damian
said:
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... Matt T agreed - gardner wants to leave and play football and the manager is being nice |
Matt T
said:
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... Let's be honest though Damian, Who wouldn't rather sell Sidwell instead of Gardner? Gardner had potential at some point, Sidwell has never seemed to get there... |
Matt T
said:
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... As a supporter that is... the manager seems to have some crazy desire to keep him ever since the NRC fall out... |
keith
said:
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... i think we will now begin to see an end of the stupid wages that players are paid, sure there will always be an exception like citeh, but they can only play 11 players. as the agent on ssn said players tend to think they are better than they are, time for a reality check methinks (calamity james) |
villarobin
said:
 |
... keep shorey he is good back up for left back. sell Sidwell, Salifou, Osbourne, they are all pointless and Gardner if he wants to leave Buy a striker IF and only IF there is a decent striker for sale. Its quite simple really  |
Tim Hillman
said:
|
... How much do you think our bench players are worth? Obviously Craig wll go for 3.5 Million. How about Sidwell, Reo, Shorey, Harewood, osborne, beye? I think if some of the players are never going to play we should sell them, reduce the wage bill and save up for someone who will play regular football. Lets face it MON won't play these players so might as well cash some of them in for someone who will get games. Keep the youth players, Delph, Albrighton, clark and the fonz. I would rather see Delph and the fonz coming on than Sidwell, or Harewood. |
BobbyPark
said:
|
... To JPA I'm not so sure that signing squad players for cover is ever a good policy and I don't think MON has done that other than when he brought Agathe and Sutton at the start of his tenure. I think he genuinely felt that he could restore Harewood and Routledge to former glories as he did with players at Leicester and Celtic, unfortunately the quality of teams in the top 4 or 6 means that this is now a gamble that rarely pays off, and I reckon he now realises this. If you dip in to the transfer market surely you need to aim for better than what you've got, any other policy means that you maintain the status quo or regress. This is why a 2 to 3 million punt on Beattie or Boyd is unlikely to pay dividends. |
Damian
said:
|
... Matt T i'm fan of sidwell but id' take £4mn for hm tomorrow and love to keep gardner. but gardner wants the football now - sidwell, i think, is just happy picking up his £40k a week to make the odd appearance - i know i would be at 27 years old keithj i hope we see changes and i hope the silly wages stop but it is going to take huge changes and some wont want it while most will. the thing we really should forget though - and the one glimmer of hope that remains - this is just a game and as such games have rules - hopefully one day someone comes up with the idea of making the maximum salary for any player £7k a week and the most they can have is 30 in the team - just a random thought |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
|
...ak, so, I think we can do worse than Beattie in this window tbh. He'd suit the way we play and he wouldn't cost a fortune. He'd probably welcome a move to us too and put a shift in for us Thats true. I would prefer him then nobody at least. But on the other hand i wouldn't be surprised if he was a total flop as well. |
Matt T
said:
|
... I also agree with Damian re: the recouping of the money that has been outlaid. There is an argument that some of the players were used as a stepping stone to building the club, but there have been quite a few players who have never even done that - the money has been wasted. Routledge springs to mind. Shorey flattered to deceive and never made the impact he should have, and with Warnock here now he never will. Sidwell is the same - I bite my nails as soon as he comes on the pitch. I actually thought to myself when he came on versus Liverpool that we would concede due to his sloppy play... and we did. Just those three alone would have paid for another James Milner in terms of transfer budget. And we all know that isn't the only money he's wasted. On current form who really sees Beye getting back in ahead of Luke Young (or Carlos Cuellar after MON decides for some reason all players have to fit several positions - I assume because he messes up with the purchases of others who should have played there) Also, who sees a slight irony that MON talks about buying players with potential (Delph and the like) but then fails to attempt to break players from our own youth setup? I, like a lot of people on here, would like to have seen Albrighton get more time coming on as a sub to give him a bit of a taster of the game (even if it's just the last 5 minutes) How many of our youth setup do you think will actually break through? Or are we looking at another set of situations like with Craig Gardner/Gary Cahill/Steven Davis in the future? Whilst we continue to spend bits and bobs on players who are never going to cut it. £2m might be a small amount, but buy enough cheap "not good enough" players over a period of time (see above for my thoughts) and sooner or later, the owner is going to say "Enough Martin, you need to be more prudent with the team". Our squad isn't that small, we just have a large portion of people that the manager doesn't want to break in (youth team), doesn't think is good enough, or who he doesn't get on with. I'm the biggest MON fan in terms of man management but what's wrong with the network there to support him? Or is he seriously just watching how a player is against us and then, if they do well, just asking if he can buy them at the end of the season if they get relegated/finish below us/stop getting games for their team? |
Matt T
said:
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... Damian I can't blame Sidwell for taking the money - if someone wanted to pay me his wages to just be in the squad, I'd take it because it's Villa and who else would pay him that much? I can fully blame the manager though for buying a player who isn't up to scratch and, most likely, never will be. He needs to buy more Dunnes and less Routledges. We all knew Dunne was a solid defender with years of experience (you don't get club player of the year for years if you're rubbish), and we all knew Routledge couldn't cut it before he turned up (he was a reserve at best). On another note, how long do you think Delph will be happy in the current setup? On existing form, I wouldn't trust him in a 4-4-2 because he's not got the experience to play along side Petrov, and with Milner coming inside he has no chance against Jimmy as to who goes on the team sheet. |
John Samuels
said:
|
... Matt, Mon doesn't want to hinder a players development. Gardner wants to go in order to play football. A tough decision, but the right one as far as his career is concerned. Why Birmingham? They are interested, they are doing well, half his family are fans, he wouldn't have to move house, he would still be close to his family and friends. Easy decision. Keef, Damian and Glynder, Of course O'Neill needs to sell to buy! He has assets that he isn't utilising, so sell them. Please see my reference to a car boot sale above. Less panic and pointless specualting please. I imagine we could drum up some cash if Mon was desperate, but he isn't and if we offload some deadwood we could rustle up a very tidy sum for the summer window. As for not succeeding without living outside our means? That is probably true. This is almost certainly why RL is spending so much time improving the club off the pitch. He has been Updating facilities, planning on improving the ground by creating a larger capacity. Raising the profile of the club with a Nike kit deal and the prospect of some outside investment and a new sponsorship deal. All these things will eventually increase turnover and the overall club value allowing us to spend more and borrow more. Obviously as long as the club is producing a few bits and bobs consistently on the pitch. A couple of cup runs, maybe a trophy and a little run in Europe next year this will accelerate the process and allow us to keep progressing. It's about steady, gradual, sustainable growth that you can repeat year on year. Teams like Portsmouth, Leeds and Newcastle all did things the wrong way, but in slightly different ways. Newcastle had two many players on too much wages that crippled the club and while they always strived for a Marquee signing they didn't sign the right players. Proof that a big recognised signing might not be what we need. Leeds are a model of what you seem to want Damian. Spending big on a large number of good young players to propel us into the CL on an unsastainable wage and fee budget resulting in the eventual selling of assets and maybe relegation. Portsmouth a paying for success based on an unsustainable business model. Success for them otherwise would have taken massive investment and maybe more than ten years because of the small nature of their club. An overspend and a flukey FA cup is the best they could hope for. Villa are a much more viable long teerm prospect because of the facilities and size of the club. As the club grows off the pitch, resources will become available for on the pitch growth. As for the debt accrued by the cub since RL took over, i'd argue that he has added overall value to the club and improved a few off pitch facilities that will be good for another thirty years or so. He could probably go and borrow more right now based on the increase in the clubs value, but it is possible to create some room and revenue with some player sales, so why not do this first before putting the club in more debt. January is notorious for being difficult to buy in and not producing the best value for money. Why prostitute ourselves out to high fees and wages when with some patience we can get better value in the summer and generate some more money and space at the club. Patience is a virtue and you're gonna need it. |
keith
said:
|
... damian a wage cap in my opinion will not work but the market will dictate the salaries and i cant see l'pool and man u offering silly wages in the near future, sidwell will not leave even if we wanted to sell him because he will not take a wage drop, james would rather screw pompey than take a wage cut. |
Matt T
said:
|
... JPA I agree that Gardner needs to go to develop and good luck to him (well as limited luck as I want to give a prospective Blues player). You just wonder how many of the younger players we sell will come back to make us rue selling them (Cahill is the most obvious), when we continue to hold a wage bill for players who aren't likely to either a) form part of our development or b) ever be good enough to play now. Oh and I thought of another wasted load of money. Curtis Davies. Can you really see him pushing Cuellar, Dunne or Collins out of the team? If I was him, I'd be bricking it realising he's been shown up as what was a big fish in a small pond (at Albion) and now is out of his depth. |
Damian
said:
|
... keithj i think a wage cap could work. but it would take a long time for it to work, if you get what i mean and it would have to be brought in over time - you couldn't say for example okay, next year, wage cap of £7k a week for any player in the premier league |
Matt T
said:
|
... JPA Newcastle had two many players on too much wages that crippled the club and while they always strived for a Marquee signing they didn't sign the right players. Proof that a big recognised signing might not be what we need. Remove "that crippled the club" and the word "marquee" and you'll have the same argument as to what adding players who aren't good enough is equivalent to. Sure it's not making us "collapse" under debt, but it's not productive to reducing the debt either |
Damian
said:
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... Matt T curtis davies, if he is still with us next season, will prove to be an excellent player - just opinion |
John Samuels
said:
|
... ak, you're right, but he might also get as many goals as he did in the run for Stoke last season. That would be nice. Sutton wasn't a punt, he was a good player who would have done well had he not got injured. Harewood and Routledge would have been hailed as amazing signings had they recovered the form of old, but they didn't and we got the money back for Routledge and we probably will for the Hare too so who cares? I don't. I care that when we sign players for big money we buy sensibly. A punt on Boyd for £1.5m or Beattie for £4m represents value for talent that has proven it can score goals. Both have resale value if they don't work out. If they do then we have uncovered a gem. It's win win as far as I can see. It just won't go down well with the fans because it isn't some overpaid foreign name who is passed his best and on £100k a week. ak can see the logic of what i'm saying can't you ak. At the end of the day both are better than Harewood and when he is sold the overall level of the squad is improved. A big summer signing is in the offing, but a little stop gap signing to save tired legs and notch a couple of goals and take some pressure off Gabby would go down a treat right now mark my words. |
keith
said:
|
... damian i would love you to be right on that but if there was a cap all the best players would go to man u etc so then we would have to have an american style policy of transfers etc. etc |
Matt T
said:
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... Damian A wage cap (assuming it was UK based) would just send players abroad to clubs that would pay them more. How else do you think the Premier League became the so called "best league in the world", if it wasn't for all the money being paid out. It certainly wasn't anything to do with the fantastic climate. It's already the case that you can earn a lot less gross in Spain and pick up more after tax. Put a wage cap on and you will just see the Premier League start becoming less about money grabbing mercenaries (a good point) but the overall quality would go down (bad point). Which is better really? How many Villa players would still come to us and play for £5k a week when they are on £50k a week (and would be able to earn more abroad with a UK wage cap in place)? |
Matt T
said:
|
... Damian, Davies could become a good player, sure... but the question is will he displace Dunne/Collins/Cuellar any time after he is fit? Yes Dunne is older and thus will retire at some point in the next 5 years but he's a defender... he's got a good few years in him yet... Will Davies wait? |
Adrian Kilgallon
said:
|
... Got this email Its a rant from a QPR fan. Its quality : the sad truth: I take more pleasure in seeing Chelsea lose than I do in seeing QPR win at the moment. I sat through so many matches when we were absolute dogs**t under the likes of Ray Harford and with people like Paul Bruce, Matthew Brazier and Mark Perry in the squad and I never felt like this. The club isn't ours anymore but moreso than that - football is just properly gash these days. I mean really gash. football generally. I hate nearly everything about it these days.... I hate the Premier League and the myth that it is exciting this year. Man City breaking into the top four isn't exciting. They spent loads of money. It's no more exciting that Nameless C*** getting to number 1 in the charts after winning the X-Factor. I hate the myth of “Arsene's kids” Stealing some French kid at 16 (because by French or Spanish law they can’t sign a pro contract in their home country until they are 1 don’t require any ability as a football coach... just a lack of morals... Then when he's 17, playing him in the League Cup and then selling him when he's 20 after about 3 appearances in the league is NOTHING SPECIAL. I hate hearing about Liverpool/Man Utd's debt but nothing ever happening about it. A club needs to go to the wall for the money thing to change but it doesn't happen. Why the **** are Charlton, Leeds and Southampton still in business? I hate Frank Lampard's stupid f'ing face. I hate John Terry being England captain when he's CLEARLY A RACIST OAF... (just ask Rio... oh and I HATE Rio... you’re not worth £130,000 a week) I hate the England team. I hate young exciting wingers who have nothing but pace. Tony Scully had nothing but pace. I hate the FA Cup. There may be little shocks like last night but for the most part you know who's going to win it. Unless a team throws away all their financial security to win it a la Pompey. I hate Harry f'ing Redknapp. And Jamie Redknapp. And Louise Redknapp. And the Wii. I hate James Nesbitt, Eammon Holmes and f***ing everyone. I hate Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer. I hate Garth Crooks. I hate Garth Brooks for that matter. I hate Sky Sports. I hate that when a lower league player beats 10 players and chips the keeper it doesn't matter but if Rooney scores from more than 20 yards it's amazing. I hate that everything football related has to have 'Club Foot' playing behind it. I hate that female sports journos are now mandatory. I hate Mark Lawrensen for not coming out. 'I do like a big man at the back'. I bet you do. I hate any advert that portrays football to be about anything other than pain and disappointment. I hate any advert that mentions pies at football. I hate Lee Hughes and the fact that he makes a living from the game. I hate Marlon King and any team that signs him when he gets out. I hate that it'll probably be us. I hate Phil Brown. I hate 'well the ball is a lot lighter now and will cause goalkeepers real problems this summer' before EVERY F'ING TOURNAMENT. I hate that Kieron Dyer earned more in the time I took to write this post than I'll earn this month. I hate Adrian Durham, Ian Wright and Alan Brazil. I hate Gazza. Either die or shut up. Stop f'ing lingering. I hate hearing about Hillsborough more than I hear about Heysel or Bradford. I hate that a comeback from 4-0 down at half time (TWICE) means nothing because we aren't f'ing scouse. I hate Leeds. I hate Roy Keane. I hate grown men wearing football shirts of their team whilst shopping on a saturday when their team is playing at home. I hate that I don't hate Roy Hodgson. I hate Jermaine Beckford and any player who has neck tattoos. I hate songs being inappropriately taken as club anthems and then sung in a manly way. 'I'm forever blowing bubbles....'. Gaylords. I hate Danny Dyer and anyone he's ever interviewed. I hate the book 'Cass' by Cass Pennant. It is honestly the stupidest thing I've ever read. Chapter 1: Millwall. 'Yeah we took 50 to Millwall. They had 1000 in their mob but we ran 'em up and down the street'. Chapter 2: Liverpool. 'Yeah we took 50 to Liverpool. They had 2000 in their mob but we ran 'em up and down the street'. eff me... Jade Goody's autobiography is probably better. Even her non-ghost written one. I hate that all good youngsters end their careers at Spurs before they start. |
Matt T
said:
|
... JPA I agree we've recouped money on the transfers of poor purchases, but we've also spent money on wages that is effectively a waste for all the time they've been on our books. I also agree with you that the punts on people like Boyd are worth it, largely because in comparison to Harewood et al, he is currently scoring rather than being someone who might have been ok years back had he found his form (a la Routledge). For players who cost money and should have been great but didn't make it see "Collymore, Stan".  |
Matt T
said:
|
... PS Damian Is there some way to change my e-mail address that's registered... I know you can in the user manager for your website, but I wondered how best to communicate that to you? As I don't have the e-mail address that's currently registered anymore. I could drop you a mail from my new address if that would help? |
Rob
said:
 |
... The fact is that this transfer window is the perfect opportunity to get rid of some reserve players and get ready for the summer. The World Cup is just around the corner and I'd much prefer we save now and spend in the summer. After all, the players that are available now aren't exactly top draw are they? Jones, Keane and RVN all have their downsides and they are really BIG downsides! Unless extremely desperate it's very unlikely that any top players will move now. My thoughts, sell now and get ready for the summer transfer window as it's going to be HUGE after the World Cup. If you look back at the amount of players that moved after big tournaments and the quality then I would 100% wait until after the WC not to mention anyone we've got our eye on at the ACN (African players unlikely to get moves this Jan). And for the moaners who think we need players now then winning the CC might shut you up! |
Jr27
said:
 |
... Looking forward to the game tonight and hopefully a trip to Wembley. This should give the opportunity for the squad players to show what they can do against Brighton. If we win with the second string MON will be Vindicated for resting the 1st team. If we lose will he be seen as a bollocks for getting us kicked out of the FA Cup??? |
jimbo
said:
 |
... With the new rulings set to punish and potentially ban teams with unsustainable levels of debt from competing in Europe, there is other motivation for Roman and Sheikh Mansour's paying off of shareholder equity. Last year's losses were up at £93 million for City and when they announce this years figures in may, it's going to be way over that amount. Randy does not have the readies to convert all of our shareholder debt into working capital, and we would defintely be selling players like Young and Milner if he wanted to. That doesn't make him a bad owner, not by a long shot. And I think it's time for people to take a healthy reality check. Interest rates on borrowing money for any business loans are sky high at the moment, whether the loan is for players or offices, makes no difference. They are also very hard to come by since we discovered the banks hadn't a clue. To go and borrow a shit load of money to spend on some of the players mentioned on here would be crazy. Don't blame Randy for trying the old fashioned way, improving a team, finding sustainable growth and funding a top youth academy, don't blame Agbolahor for not being as good as Torres and don't blame O'Neil for not bringing players in on massive wages, in turn driving up the wage bill of the club when loyal players decide they are worth more than Van Nistelroy who has been injured since he arrived at VP. The difference between Lerner and O'Neil and Redknapp and his employers, past and present? MON and RL care about the club and aren't going to leave us with a club in disarray. |
mikey18
said:
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... Rob Villain i agree we should have a clear out now. Shorey is a good left back, not as good as warnock or even L. Young for that matter but decent cover if needs be. he should be sold and a young understudy brought in. I like that we have Fonz, Delph, Albrighton, Clark, Guzan. All young understudys at the villa waiting for their chance. Alopng with Shorey, Harewood should go. I think he was a good signing at the time, i remember him coming on when we were 1-0 down against newcastle and we won 3-1 or 4-1! Great determination about him. I think we could get 4mil for the pair. Hold out for 4 for gardner, the scum can afford it...apparently. Offload Sidwell, Most sides in the bottom half of the table would take him. 4mil for him. And i'd even suggest touting Heskey to Liverpool/chelsea/arsenal who are all in need of front men! take 6mil for him! |
mikey18
said:
|
... So, If we sold Gardner, Shorey, Harewood, Sidwell for 4 mil and heskey for 6mil leaves us 22mil and takes a fair chunk off the wage bill. Waiting until after the world cup is a mistake! Players can have a good tournament and their valuations go through the roof, but one good tournament doesn't make you a good player, see BAROS! I think Scott Parker and Bentley would be two good additions. Scott Parker great midfielder, experienced and will get the side playing football. Also very much in the MoN mould! Bentley has the best delivery of any english midfielder bar beckham and will have a lot to prove if he leaves spurs, much like darren bent who is now 2 top goal scorer in the league. Darren Bent is a great goal scorer, and that is what we need. Parker, Bent and Bentley. All English with premier league experience. All obtainable i think! |
Geoff
said:
 |
... I agree, he has wastaed some of that money on soem slop guys...If they could sell NRC, Shorey, and a few other junk players liek Sidwell to go with Gardner, then maybe he can sign a decent player or two....but he is taking SO long to unload these players Id be impressed if he can sign someone in time this window. GET ON IT MAN! Sell NRC - 5M, sell Gardner - 4M - there, that right there is enough to buy one DECENT player. Go out and do it. |
Rob
said:
|
... Mikey18: I think the point that I'm trying to make is that there's going to be little movement anywhere until after the WC. Yes there will be flash in the pan players but I trust MON to be a good judge at avoiding those players. And Parker and Bentley are not better than what we have in the first 11. It's clear that MON's stance on transfers now is either to walk straight into the starting 11 or buy up and coming talent. Bent, although on paper sounds like a good signing, isn't. He's already proved he can't handle it at a bigger club. Be it the pressure, the quality, whatever, he will always do well for teams in the middle of the league but just can't repeat his success at the top. I agree with some other people, the Harewoods, Shoreys and Knights of the world were just used as stepping stones. At the time, Harewood scored a lot of important goals which got us from relegation material to where we are today. Same with Shorey, we were desperate for a LB and he did his job while we needed him to. Yes they were expensive but look at the position we're in now! What we've lost on their transfer fee's we've gained in league position, respect and the ability to attract much better quality. It's the players like Routledge that were the waste, who offered nothing. |
Andyb
said:
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... We have all bemoaned the lack of a decent squad size for the last few years and now that we have it we want the extra's sold. As soon as we sell Shorey you watch Warnock get injured and we are left with no left back, four or five injuries, which can happen and we'd be stuffed if we sold Shorey, Beye, Reo, sidwell etc, these players have to be there just in case as insurance, if not all you need is a few of the wrong players to have season ending injuries and we are fighting for relegation, Shorey, Beye etc mean we could handle this and still be above mid table standard and safe. |
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