Could it be that the summer is starting to get a little lively? I'm not convinced, but it does take Martin O'Neill standing in front of a camera with a player next to him holding up the shirt for me to be convinced, although I must say I love the banter that comes along with a little player speculation.

Well, we've had the Ashley Young speculation already today so it is now time to focus on players that might be coming in and one of them is David Wheater, if you believe the tabloid press and you know what, I'm not believing this one or actually that should be, I don't want to believe this one.

Yes, we need another central defender but isn't Wheater just going to be another Cueller or Davies? Didn't we pay £8mn. for Davies and almost £8mn. for Cueller, I think we did. My point is, I think we've got our two central defenders in those two and I think we should give them a chance, a proper run to forge a relationship, much like Vidic was given a proper chance to develop his relationship with Ferdinand. Otherwise, go all out and get a proven central defender that will really make an impact and not someone we have to 'hope' is going to come good.

We've all seen Cueller and Davies play together and they haven't performed as well as expected, but neither did Ferdinand and Vidic in the beginning, but Sir Alex stood by them and it's turned out good. It could turn out good for those two too. Everything is possible but saying that, we do need a fourth central defender so why not. Competition is good after all. 

It's not that I'm indecisive today, it's that I don't want to get too excited by a central defender so if it turns out that we spend another £8mn. on one, I'm not going to get my hopes up.

I want to get excited by the next winger, striker or attacking central midfielder and I know all the best teams are built from the back, but I just think we are in more desperate need elsewhere.

Bottom line, Wheater would be a decent signing and welcomed and we are going after him because Paul Scharner didn't want to come and play in central defence. Well according to his agent anyway.

Valentin Hobel
Aston Villa wanted him as a defender and that is why they are no longer an option.

Every player has the right to say yes or no and I have no real opinion on Scharner, so we'll leave that where it is, but it does signal that work is going on, even though we probably don't want to hear that players like Scharner are our first choice and they don't even want to come. Still, he might not have been first choice, all I'm doing is putting two and two together.

That is almost it for me today, I'm going to go wash the car and with a bit of luck enjoy a pizza and a beer tonight with a good film.

Comments (118)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

paul mclafferty said:

... wheater is a good defender but no better than our own gary cahill who i think mon made a massive mistake by letting him go,sol campbell is being mooted and i think he still has a good season or two to offer. i dont rate scharner at all so im glad he doesnt want to come.

Comment 1, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.25 am

truevillan said:

... im not sure about wheater, but would love cahill back, does anyone know if we have a sell on clause? i seem to remem ber that we sold someone and there was a clause that we received some of the fee should he be sold again, i remembered this as we never used to do anything like it before and have lost out!if we do then we could get him back at knock down price taking that into account! over to you guys, anyone know if we did put a sell on clause i his sale

Comment 2, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.25 am

Daniel Wilson said:

... Not bothered about Scharner, he is a good defender but wouldn't make our midfield so if he wants to be like that he is going to have to settle for a smaller club. Wheater might be a good addition but I completely agree that Davies and Cuellar need to be given a good run together, 10+ games to see what they are made of.

Comment 3, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.26 am

Phil said:

... If this is true it seems that MON is looking to build up the squad by bringing in proven premiership players, not a bad idea as it doesnt mean spending loads of money, but its not really going to get the fans excited. Yes we do need more numbers which is fine with players like Wheater, Bentley, Owen, Huddlestone but we do need a big name to go with these players

Comment 4, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.26 am

DAMIEN REYNOLDS said:

... I would much prefer Wheater over Campbell,Distan and Senderos tbh.

Comment 5, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.29 am

Keith said:

... If Wheater is bought as a replacement for Knight then I am happy. If he is meant to replace Laursen then I am not. Glad Scharner doesn't want to come, don't rate him anyway. I agree with truevillan, Cahill better than both of them.

Comment 6, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.29 am

mattyavfc said:

... I think the truth is, that while we're trying to sign average centre halves for 8 million a time, we let two very capable centre halves go for a combined 4 million. Cahill and Melberg would both be first choice at the club right now. It's also interesting to see how well Hughes is doing at Fulham when playing centre half. Truth is, we've spent in excess of £20 million on three centre halves, and we're weaker in defence than when we started. Perhaps rather than chasing players from relegated clubs, we should be looking at quality players from abroad. Surely there are some good non-English centre halves out there.

Comment 7, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.33 am

taglor said:

... Damian I do not understand why you have removed my comment all I done was expressing my opinion that villa will not finish first under Mon because he does not have the capability to sign quality players such as love or even sturridge since he is destined for Chelsea.

Comment 8, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.35 am

jfourplusone said:

... Wheater, Sharner, Huddlestone, Bentley, bla, bla, bla - Its great to see the club have lowered everyones expectations to such an extent that every player we are linked to in the press is little more than a better than average player or cast off. Its time to wake up and smell the coffee, are any of he top 4 or Citeh or Spuds linked with these players - No. Its a fact that you need to spend big just to maintain position in the PL - just look at last season, we have lost 2 big players (FACT) and I cant see any of the names we have been linked with in the past week helping us break into the top 4 or even maintain position.

Comment 9, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.39 am

peter haworth said:

... It now looks like MON is back in the office after his hols!David Wheater is a decent CB,he is young,English which ticks the MON boxes.However,is he any better than what we have ? will make a decent addition to the squad and provide cover in a vunerable central defense.However,he did make a few mistakes last season and not as good as Cahill who I would like to see back at Villa Park and who should have never been sold.If Ash goes to Spain then I hope it is for in excess of 35 million and the money is spent in addition to the current transfer kitty.Top players want to play for top clubs and Barcelona are top of the tops so cant see how we could stop him from going.It is up to MON and Lerner to make a statement of intent outlining their comitment to bring quality players to Villa and I mean potential world class players not english players of dubious quality at inflated prices.The ball is in MON and Lerners hands this is the moment of TRUTH for the Villa faithful,show us your true colours.

Comment 10, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.39 am

Rob The Villain said:

... I'm not sure about Wheater, there seemed to be a lot of hype around him and he didn't quite live up to it. Also, Alan Hansen continually ripped into him about his defending, I really respect Hansen's view on defending! Anyways, my suggestion is a bid for Kolo Toure, he's 28 so he's got the experience to help Davies along. He's also fallen out at Arsenal. They've just signed Vermaelen so why not put a bid in. He was one of the best defenders in the league not too long ago and given a run in the team I'm sure he can rediscover that. I constantly read how he's become disillusioned by Gallas and a few others so it's not a completely mad suggestion.

Comment 11, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.40 am

Marcus Smith said:

... What film are you going to watch?

Comment 12, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.42 am

Billy7 said:

... Wheater ticks all the boxes for MON, young English etc etc. He looks quite decent from what i've seen, but i'd prefer to go and get someone who IS proven, a leader, but who? Hangleand? Is he proven? 1 good season, ?

Comment 13, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.45 am

mattyavfc said:

... The squad building at Villa seems to have become a little aimless. We're after Bentley, a right winger, a season after signing Milner for £14 million, another right winger. We're after Owen, to add to Carew, Heskey, Gabby and Delfonzo (at a time many say we should play 451). We're chasing yet another under 21 player for stupid money, not long after letting 2 established former international captain centre halves go for a combined 1.5 million, and a full England squad centre half go for 4 million. And while all this is going on, we have two full backs, one who MON rates so highly, he'd rather play a centre half instead of him. I know it takes time to build a squad, but to build a squad, you keep your experienced players, like Barry, Melberg, Sorenson, Hughes while trying to bring on your potential stars like Cahill, Gabby etc. Then you can look at picking up quality additions. We just seem to panic and sign the likes of Knight, Harewood, Salifou, Routledge etc. It always worries me when a manager signs players like Routledge, Salifou, Harewood and Shorey and then won't even start them. Either the scoutng is very amiss at Villa, or MON is signing players just for the sake of it.

Comment 14, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.59 am

russvilla said:

... Going off the subject i found out last night from a good source craig gardener is on his way to blues.The deals is done.i am very shocked by this as not only have we let one of our best midfielders go but also now one of our brightest up and coming midfielders.shocking.i am just waiting for barca to put a bid in for ashley then we really are in the shit.

Comment 15, made on June 20, 2009 at 12.04 pm

Lil' Dice said:

... I think Wheater is a good strong tackler but lacks positional sense, the same can be said about Curtis Davies. When Laursen was playing last season he was always in the right position at the right time and covered any voids that were left by Davies. I think positioning comes with experience and thats why MON should be looking at proven centre halves that can read the game. Slightly off topic... Fabrice Muamba's performance for the u21's against Spain was colossus, broke down every attack that threatened the back line. Definately one for the future and definately one that would fit the mould left by gareth barry.

Comment 16, made on June 20, 2009 at 12.07 pm

sean jones said:

... I would love Weater at Villa he is the best defender out of the one's we have been linked with, except from Upson. He would flourish under MON at Villa. Also Damian or anybody know anything more on the Naughton story, or was it just bullshit. Also i keep hearing that Sturridge will sign and Defour is not that far away either, but will see what happens with them 2.

Comment 17, made on June 20, 2009 at 12.21 pm

andrew said:

... Desprate, not bad enough were linked with scharner but for him to turn us down no matter what the reason is bloody depressing.I was holding onto the hope we were gona see the next calibre of player arive at VP this summer but obviously MON's transfer policy hasnt changed.Why does he persist in buying average players and trying to get the best out of them when he should be going straight for class and letting them get on with what they do best.

Comment 18, made on June 20, 2009 at 12.21 pm

adam said:

... happy scharner said no. we should be signing better than that anyhow. and agree with the above post, if wheater is a replacement for knight id be happy but he aint fit to replace laurson

Comment 19, made on June 20, 2009 at 12.27 pm

mikey18 said:

... Wheater for 8 mil is a mistake!! Arsenal just signed Vermalen for 12mil! surely we should be looking for somebody a little bit more proven, with better leadership qualities and/or experience! I will be dissappointed if we sign wheater, he was tore to pieces by Alan Hansen week after week on MOTD last season. I think he would be a good solid player and somebody outside the top 6 should maybe take a gamble on him!! but nobody outside the top 6 would because they wouldn't gamble with 8mil!!!! I would rather Taylor from newcastle!

Comment 20, made on June 20, 2009 at 12.38 pm

tom sexton said:

... Another very boring signing! I remember how excited I was when we landed Carew and Young. MON must realise that the fans are crying out for a top quality signing who excites the faithfull! Fair enough he's an average player who may get better under MON but we must send a signal to our current squad that we mean business next season or I can see our good players jumping ship. Please gives us a world class signing!!!! !!!!!!

Comment 21, made on June 20, 2009 at 12.49 pm

Paul Egan said:

... I would think of Wheater as someone to challenge for the first 11, but I would play Cuellar and Davies as first choice for exactly the same reason that Damian has given. £8m seems a bit much though - I'd have thought £5-6m tops. At least it looks like plenty is going on behind the scenes!

Comment 22, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.03 pm

jimbo daventry villa said:

... I'm sorry to say I have to agree with the recent comment from taglor. O'neill can't attract the real quality players to seriously challenge for honours. There will be people who argue that before he came on board we were a club flirting with relegation. Yes thats true but can anyone honestly name one quality player at the top of his game that he's bought in? O'neill has done well for the Villa but again i'm sorry to say he's took us as far as he can.

Comment 23, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.03 pm

Joe said:

... ... Going off the subject i found out last night from a good source craig gardener is on his way to blues.The deals is done.i am very shocked by this as not only have we let one of our best midfielders go but also now one of our brightest up and coming midfielders.shocking.i am just waiting for barca to put a bid in for ashley then we really are in the shit. Well hes in sweden with the U21's so go rethink.

Comment 24, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.10 pm

Damian said:

... jimbo daventry villa i disagree with the flirting with relegation. that would suggest, to some extent, that we were struggling. we were where we were because of o'leary with the same players and say harry redknapp we would have been a top six side i always said under o'leary we had a top size squad just a hit manager. i stand by that ...

Comment 25, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.13 pm

confusedvillafan said:

... Damian, you should make this blog for over twelves only so we wouldnt have to read the dicks who believe everything they read in the papers ! the scharner story must be true, the wheater story must be true ,we`re gonna lose ash etc etc.

Comment 26, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.13 pm

Joe said:

... Damian, you should make this blog for over twelves only so we wouldnt have to read the dicks who believe everything they read in the papers ! the scharner story must be true, the wheater story must be true ,we`re gonna lose ash etc etc. 1/ why should younger villa fans not be able to comment. 2/ what would the blog be like if the first comment on an article said its not true. It would be pointless!

Comment 27, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.17 pm

Damian said:

... BACK ON TOPIC PLEASE

Comment 28, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.28 pm

jimbo daventry villa said:

... Damian, Yes we was struggling because of O'leary but the fact is we was struggling. O'neill came on board and almost over night turned us into a top six side. All I'm saying is that its obvious he can't attract the quality players needed to take us to that next level. The league is so predictable these days you know before the season starts roughly where we will finish and to change that we need massive investment in quality players and unfortunately that just isn't going to happen.

Comment 29, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.39 pm

jimbo daventry villa said:

... To link my previous comment to the relevant topic I don't consider Wheater to be a quality player.

Comment 30, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.47 pm

ak_27 said:

... Im sorry but if we sign Wheater then i really hope this is the last summer transfer window i have to endure MON being in charge for. Wheater is an average English player who is way over priced and if we sign him then that shows that MON doesn't have it in him to learn from his past mistakes. Also Damien i disagree with your comment about giving Cullar and Davies a chance. They have had a chance in my mind and are not good enough. I think Cullar will come good but not with Davies beside him. Davies is a really really average player who is not a top 8 team player. He can't pass, isn't dominanate and isn't a good reader of the game so what exactly does he do well?? I really haven't seen anything in this guy and if MON is going to gamble on having Knight, Cullar, Davies and Wheater as our options then i really fear for us this season. We need a leader. Haangeland would do. Evan Richard Dunne would do and he is a far better defender then any we have at the moment. Come on MON please learn from your mistakes.

Comment 31, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.50 pm

Fatkevs said:

... The Stage martin has is so different to the last few managers. I think we were seriously flirting with relegation & it was not All Dols fault. The club was in a real mess at that time, sacking club doctors, penny pinching, not watering training pitches etc Doug was ill, desperate to get out & make some money for his family Mon come in on a crest of a wave full of optimism a new start not doing a Chelsea but sensible growth. That was the plan i thought. What it has turned into is mediocrity at best I hope the club make it clear perhaps they have what is the finale to the so called 5 year plan. We have not challenged in any of the cups We have lost the spine of the team We deny links to half decent players yet no comment is made on possibly/loosing our only quality players We are linked with more of the same defenders Why can we not take a chance like the noses on some 7m Ecuadorian at least there would be some excitement 6-12 means bugger all to me give us the chance to Dream again. Please no more old players like Heskey that we know does not score goals, or some like for like back up as the rest of the team is not good enough we need rebuilding after loosing ML GB & OM we have no winners in the team. A mate text me last week saying that WB may have to hang up his boots as he is struggling to regain fitness we are in a mess PS Is it A Rolling 5yr plan so we will always be 5yrs away from success

Comment 32, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.52 pm

Fatkevs said:

... confusedvillafan why should we not belive the papers as we get nothing from the Club Hold on Randy did say he was confident of keeping Gareth Also Board memebers did tell us to expect exciting signings The club kicked 400 of us out of our seats to make way for corperate fans that would enable us to compete with the top sides. Hang on GB left for a 10th placed Man City with the managers blessing as it was the right stage for him

Comment 33, made on June 20, 2009 at 1.57 pm

VillaDude said:

... I'm sure Lerner knows MON has reached his peak. He struggles year after year to attract big players. Lerner will give Mon this summer and season to push us into top 4 but will be happy that we are now a established top 6 club. I can see us moving towards a mote dynamic international manager in a few years who can take us to the next level. This is football and MON is only doing the job he's capable of.

Comment 34, made on June 20, 2009 at 2.00 pm

Fatkevs said:

... If we have any real desire to be a top 6 club The Club should strongly dismiss all links about loosing our only quality players along with rumours of us wanting to buy the second string players from the like of spurs or any of the clubs below us. We should be after the best players in there teams if we have no vision to look at the rest of the world

Comment 35, made on June 20, 2009 at 2.11 pm

hangingoutthebackofbarry said:

... "This is football and MON is only doing the job he's capable of". VillaDude - you really are a clown. I suppose your on speaking terms with Randy Lerner and he keeps you regularly informed of all of business decisions at AVFC! The problem with fans like you is that you are fickle. You'd be the first to shout from the roof tops when we were in 4th last season, but now O'neil is incapable of being succesful? MON is by far the most talented and well regarded manager we have had at this club for nye on 20 years. Give the man time and learn a little patience.

Comment 36, made on June 20, 2009 at 2.21 pm

Fatkevs said:

... Established top Six We could not wait for the season to end another 4 games we could of finished below Man City Established in the Prem Yes It is going to be a long season that is why the club forced us into buying the season tickets early this year How about the Away Scheme I pulled out of that this year. If you return 3 games they cancel it. What chance do you have with midweek games its impossible to get there in time if you have a normal job Bstds

Comment 37, made on June 20, 2009 at 2.22 pm

Fatkevs said:

... I do not think Randy is than interested in the club. He was not at the PotY Dinner again this year, he has aquired the club offset the debts if it goes well great he make money if it fails it will not hit his pocket He can still use us for goodwill & Publicity Win Win

Comment 38, made on June 20, 2009 at 2.26 pm

VillaDude said:

... Mon is turning villa into a glamorised leicster! He only has limited appeal in football and always will. People who think he can take us to the next stage are the clowns. Look at the players he had signed, lost and is linked with. Then u will see how much international appeal he has. You MON lovers learn less from his mistakes than MON himself!

Comment 39, made on June 20, 2009 at 2.53 pm

Oscars Arse said:

... Seems all they're interested in at VP is the new primark away kit

Comment 40, made on June 20, 2009 at 3.08 pm

rob h said:

... villa dude you talk complete shit to be blunt. look at the facts and think again! villa are a team progressing FACT! now until you can back up your comments with facts keep them to yourself. I can't believe that some fans start saying 'sack mon' mon has lost it' etc etc just beacuse they read an article somewhere that said villa to sign wheater. this is a rumour retards! its not FACT! you guys will believe anything. Don't you think it would be better to reserve judgement on the dealings in this transfer window to last day when it shuts? just a thought but isn't that a bit more sensible????????? I for one am more than happy with villa and the management team and think most other fans looking would as well. Mon might not sign the best players in the world this window but he will sign the right players to see us progress. just as we have done every season since he came in. We are all in this togther as fans so lets SUPPORT the team for once. There are enough judas' is the world and snipers ready to shoot you down without your own trying to stab you in the back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment 41, made on June 20, 2009 at 3.11 pm

Damian said:

... rob h i'm just saying .. but if come december we are 8th or below, then quite a few more will be suggesting martin o'neill go too ... i for one will be different. i think martin o'neill is absolutely the right man for the job and i'll look elsewhere but, i'm just saying

Comment 42, made on June 20, 2009 at 3.20 pm

rob h said:

... damian I am with you mate. i believe in mon 100% i fear tho he will sign the right players and not the big names and the fans will be waiting for the first slip up as a reason to come down on him. think what will happen if villa do an everton and have one bad season. they will call for mons head and he will probably get the sack but look what moyes has done after he survived that season! some fans are holding a gun toward mon and just waiting for the ammo to shoot him. His tenure is doomed. Fans need to change their opinions or we will never progress. stability is needed now more than ever

Comment 43, made on June 20, 2009 at 3.24 pm

VillaDude said:

... I'm not saying sack Mon but saying he's q top six manager at beat. He will never get villa into top 4 and established champions league team! He's got to his peak and I can see this season him struggling to even make Europa. He's already making excuses that spurs and mancity are going to be competing with us. Also, our own captain (barry) explained man city had a better chance in breaking the top 4. I wonder who MON told Barry who our targets were.. sharner, wheater, huddlestone? It's sad but true.

Comment 44, made on June 20, 2009 at 3.27 pm

taglor said:

... Yeah rob h, people are just saying that about MON for the sake of it, really they are secretly happy with a flat team that is too small and regularly has players playing out of position. Oh and as for MON being one of the best managers, can you please give me the list of all of those honours and cups he has won in English footbal so that I know he really has proven himself. Thanks

Comment 45, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.11 pm

Avfc79 said:

... Just spoke to kyle naughton on facebook. He is not in Birmingham and has said he is not joining villa. He spoke to wolves and smallheath fc. So there you are guys he ain't joining us.

Comment 46, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.17 pm

VillaDude said:

... Didn't naughton say it wasn't Birmingham City on facebook ? mon probably asked him to play down any talks just invade it excites any of the fans!

Comment 47, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.22 pm

Alan Deakin said:

... I think Mon makes it up as he goes along in the transfer market, what sort of masterplan could Heskey have been part of. I would sooner 3 real class acts around the 12 million mark than the usual relegaed club fodder that we pick up for 3 to 4 million. Hitzelsperger, Gary Cahill, and Noble (West Ham) would do me, and a punt on Owen on a 2 year contract. Hopefully Bannan and Albrighton to get a run next season. As for Huddlestone and Bentley, no better than Gardner, play him in centre midfield !!

Comment 48, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.26 pm

VillaDude said:

... Boro jus confirmed they won't be selling Wheater - great news! Anyone see huddlestones gut in the daily mail while carrying a maccys bag?! Hope that rumours quashed soon!

Comment 49, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.29 pm

Avfc79 said:

... Naughton is still on facebook. He has told me that he did meet mon but only for talks, no medical or contract talks were discussed. He said a fee has been agreed but didn't say how much. but he did say he spoke to smallheath fc and wolves aswell. He is staying at the Hilton metropol at the nec. He is going back to Sheffield tonight.

Comment 50, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.46 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... Villadude, just seen that pic of the hud too, he is seriously fat, but then again look at ricky hatton between fights...

Comment 51, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.54 pm

confusedvillafan said:

... avfc79...naughtons not in birmingham hes spoken to wolves and small heath he aint joining villa, naughton is in birmingham he has spoken to o neil a fee has been agreed . make your mind up mate

Comment 52, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.58 pm

confusedvillafan said:

... dan didnt someone say that pic was a fake ?

Comment 53, made on June 20, 2009 at 4.59 pm

confusedvillafan said:

... avfc79 you sure he`s not staying in you spare room ?

Comment 54, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.01 pm

K4AVFC said:

... That pic is a photo shop one... A spurs fan made it, he said so himself.

Comment 55, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.06 pm

VillaDude said:

... That pic is too funny to be true. One to have such a big and second for him to have the maccys bag in his hand. I'm suprised a newspaper fell for it and published it!

Comment 56, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.10 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... K4AVFC, thank fook for that! I always wandered how it would be possible for any pro footballer to get fat, I mean they could probably eat ANYTHING and not put weight on the amount of calories they burn a day. Obviously a healthy diet is preferable but its like the army guys, they are fed double the reccomended amount because they just burn it.

Comment 57, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.11 pm

truevillan said:

... AVFC79, do you know naughton? if not how are you speakin on facebook? and going back to my gary cahill question, do we have a sell on clause Damion? does anyoe know what is hapening with he shirt sponsorship this season, great we did that 4 acorn last season but if we are a little cash strapped this year surely a premeirship team in europe should get a few million in the coffers!

Comment 58, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.16 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... truevillan, oldvillan posted on here last night that there was going to be a new sponsor but I don't see how this is possible as Acorns was announced as sponsor for another season and the new away kit is already out with acorns on the front.

Comment 59, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.27 pm

oldvillan said:

... IS IT POSSIBLE TO USE THIS BLOG WITHOUT MORONS COMING ON SLAGGING YOU OFF INSTEAD OF CONSTRUCTIVE CHAT?????????

Comment 60, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.33 pm

truevillan said:

... thanks for that dan, cant believe a season we are in europe we have forsaken a lucrative sponsorship, good of the club, but charity begin at home, and we need the cash from the sound of it, cant believe Lerner would miss an opportunity to bolster funds, or perhaps we are not as cash strapped as is being made out!

Comment 61, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.34 pm

Damian said:

... oldvillan it will be. a few comments have been removed today more probably tomorrow. eventually it will come to an end .. but there isn't much left today from what i can see

Comment 62, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.44 pm

truevillan said:

... if dan is wrong oldvillan, then who is the new sponsor, can check their website for confirmation then!

Comment 63, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.45 pm

Billy7 said:

... what has been said to assume Villa are cash strapped? We've spent money over the last couple of seasons, we've broke our transfer fee also. Are there fans on here who dont support Villa but its just their team? The new away kit went on sale today, it has Acorns on it, there was a fun day at Villa Park, it was good for the kids, had a look round the Villa players coach, very nice, Tony Daley, Sid Cowans and Tony Morley were signing autographs in the club shop. And the que was a mile long for the new shirt. Some people seem to have lost faith but didn't look like it at VP today! A sense of Joy and happiness, i love it!

Comment 64, made on June 20, 2009 at 5.51 pm

Daniel Wilson said:

... Oldvillan if that was aimed at me I think your misreading my post, I wasn't slagging you off whatsoever, I was simply stating what you said yesterday and why I didn't think it was correct. The new away shirt has Acorns on the front, so unless your saying the home shirt will have a different sponsor and that the announcement made by the club about continuing the acorns sponsorship for another year was false then your source must have been mistaken. Not a dig in any way shape or form.

Comment 65, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.01 pm

truevillan said:

... reply to billy7 ok, cash strapped may be over the top, but the club have said there will not be as much to spend this season, my point is the sponsorship deal is a cash boost that would have been useful. no need to question me being a true fan, iv been a season ticket holder and i live 200 miles away! how far do you travel to show ur support?

Comment 66, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.02 pm

Billy7 said:

... Damien is a fake.......... No need mate. I come on here, i want to read about goings on around villa, not shit from people. Damien puts his head on the line, he puts things out there, we talk about it. He has views, opinions, like us all, i like reading peoples views, who support the team, and Damien does. So if you've got nothing better to say, dont say anythin, thats to everyone. Keep it up Damien, i'm addicted

Comment 67, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.03 pm

Rob81 said:

... i hope we dont sign wheater because he is s$$t

Comment 68, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.09 pm

robbo said:

... Damian, You said earlier in response to a comment from jimbo daventry: "i disagree with the flirting with relegation. that would suggest, to some extent, that we were struggling. we were where we were because of o'leary with the same players and say harry redknapp we would have been a top six side" If I'm reading you right you are saying that our squad was top 6 quality before MoN and that therefore that the squad has not progressed at all in the past 3 years. Alternatively you are saying that Harry R could have taken us to 6th with the previous squad but as MoN only took us to 16th then 11th then Harry R is a much better manager than MoN. Have I missed the point? Or were you just emphasising how much you disliked O'Leary (am with you totally on that score by the way....my heart sank the day he joined us)

Comment 69, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.11 pm

Steve Badger said:

... Damien is a fake, because your writing is all fiction! What are you on about, you mug? All of Damian's posts are opinions. Not fact or fiction. If you don't like it, you don't have to come on here, simple. As for Wheater, he's not who I want. I see many people don't rate Scharner, but I've always thought he was solid. I see Barcelona might offer Hleb in part-ex for Young. Interesting, I wouldn't mind him in a seperate deal, because Young's going nowhere.

Comment 70, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.16 pm

Damian said:

... robbo i dont think overall the squad has improved that much since o'neill has taken over. sure, i'd like ashley young in the team back then, but apart from that, i'm struggling to think of another player that has come in under o'neill that i'd have had in the team back then maybe brad friedel also but i'd love to have mellberg and cahill as my centre back pairing. steven davis, while not the best central midfielder, is as good as sidwell/reo-coker but i also think gardner could be (he does need a bit of time still) up front, i was more than happy with angel and baros (i know i'm in the minority here) and if we were to have played a 4-5-1 with that team under say redknapp (who likes a 4-4-1-1) then i think it was a top six team i guess what i'm saying is, have any of the players o'neill brought in players that wouldnt' have come to us anyway .. i mean, none of them are world beaters and none of them really were under o'leary either

Comment 71, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.19 pm

Damian said:

... I've removed the comment above. I suspect it was one of the two on yesterday although I can't confirm. The IP has been blocked though and when/if they come on again, we'll be able to get a range and then a proper blocking. It is a pity some people take things personally, quite sad also in a strange way.

Comment 72, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.26 pm

Billy7 said:

... Truevillan.... I wasn't questioning your support mate, no body really. Sorry if it coincided with your post, i was asking what was said about us being cash strapped, i understand where you're coming from about the sponsorship. I just think, after saying 'we wont have the funds available as we had last year' and then having Acorns again is contradictive BUT its better than saying 'we've got 100 mil to spend' as the prices would increase in transfer fees. Well i hope thats the reason why this has been said. Anyway, no offence intended to you. I was actually questioning a few people who come on and say stuff like 'what is our new sponsor' 'fans' should know, like you do, that the sponsor is Acorns as the shirt is out today.

Comment 73, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.26 pm

Dave said:

... Agree to an extent with Damian - for instance what does NRC give us that McCann didn't? apart from not being able to pass the ball the distance of himself....

Comment 74, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.28 pm

robbo said:

... Fat Kev, your apparent hatred of the club is preventing you from constructing a logical train of thought. In comment 33 you say "why should we not belive the papers as we get nothing from the Club Hold on Randy did say he was confident of keeping Gareth" ...here you were being critical of Lerner for coming out and saying that Barry would stay but then being proved wrong. In comment 35 you say: "If we have any real desire to be a top 6 club The Club should strongly dismiss all links about loosing our only quality players" You manage to contradict yourself within the space of 15 minutes. We know you're pissed off with having lost your seat and I can understand that but I for one am getting fed up with your relentlessly negative diatribes.

Comment 75, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.30 pm

Billy7 said:

... gabby, ashley young, milner, petrov, carew, luke young, would all have got in the team under O'LEARY

Comment 76, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.38 pm

Damian said:

... Billy7 gabby was and i agree on ashley. so was milner and he did want to take him full time. carew is a good player but i would have preferred angel and well, my point is we could get a decent right back and i quite liked phil bardsley anyway .. all i was saying was i thought the team back then was good enough for top six, o´leary was the issue

Comment 77, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.44 pm

truevillan said:

... reply billy7 soz, thought aimed at me! those 400 mile round trips and 12 hour days to watch us have left me tired and grouchy! as im on again, i will ask once more, do we have a sell on clause with Cahill? as i said before, would prefer him back over everyone mentioned and a sell on clause would give us a good price on him as we could negotiate something where bolton recieve all the money

Comment 78, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.46 pm

Billy7 said:

... I agree, the team were good enough for top 6 and leary was the problem, along with being run like a corner shop. I'm in a positive mood today as i've got the new top and qued for at least 40 mins to get it. Met some past villa players and had a really good time down villa park! I believe in MON and RL. I'm thinking..... If we signed Hangleand and Lescott, and Defour, Owen and Bentley. THEN went and signed Wheater, naughton, and Huddleston. We'd be happy with Wheater and Huddleston. I just hope we're doing it the other way round as it'll take longer to negotiate with the others! Or am i dreaming??!

Comment 79, made on June 20, 2009 at 6.52 pm

Damian said:

... maybe dreaming .. maybe it will happen. there cant be much more time to wait

Comment 80, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.06 pm

confusedvillafan said:

... maybe MON might be too embaressed to try and re-sign cahill,it was a huge cock up letting him go. hope the papers tomorrow link us with some class lol !

Comment 81, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.10 pm

Billy7 said:

... no problem truevillan. 20 Miles? I live only 5miles away! Fair play to you. UTV

Comment 82, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.11 pm

Billy7 said:

... 200 miles i meant

Comment 83, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.12 pm

David Hayler said:

... Quick thought... Now that we have Nike as our kit sponsor it is surely in their interest to bring in players associated to the brand. This in turn boosts sales of their products and obviously profit. So...are there any players that Nike sponsor that they would help in signing for us?

Comment 84, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.18 pm

notsosilentbob said:

... @vdave unless your name is david beckham signings dont work that way

Comment 85, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.27 pm

notsosilentbob said:

... just a quick thought from me.... everyone speaks of defor maybe/maybe not signing for us have everton officially signed filliani? if not, fantasy football time is it possible to get defor and filliani?

Comment 86, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.31 pm

Damian said:

... notsosilentbob he played for them last season, so i suspect yes and according to his wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marouane_Fellaini everton paid £15mn. for him talk is, defour is better too!

Comment 87, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.34 pm

David Hayler said:

... @notsosilentbob Have to agree...just a thought.

Comment 88, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.34 pm

Fatkevs said:

... robo i also said earlier that Mon Could not squash the Ashley rumour either. The reason for this is everything is Spin from the club. I Feel they do not even know themselves what they want. A few weeks ago someone ? if the club had a strategy It would be nice if they just told us the truth even if it meant lowering our expectations. But No they hire someone for PR that told us what we wanted to hear. Even Under Ellis reign we were at least told we were a selling club. Bottom Line i do not Hate the club, i do not like it being taken away from us by some yank that will sell us down the river. There was a time when many of us owned (if only a small part) of our club & had some say. This guy can do what he likes. When this club was founded in the USA The discovery of gold brought thousands of gold seekers into the Black Hills reservation in the Dakota Territory Well he certainly found gold a Villa Park we welcomed him in with open arms the looting has begun.

Comment 89, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.42 pm

notsosilentbob said:

... please correct me if im wrong but i thought fillini was on a season long loan last season??? not comment about and actual signature?

Comment 90, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.49 pm

confusedvillafan said:

... hey fatkev are you simeon in disguise

Comment 91, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.50 pm

Fatkevs said:

... robbo in simple words i do not want to hear statements from the club that they know only too well are not true (Barry) I do not want them to dismiss reports of selling Ashley if they are considering it. It will put us in a weaker position if they come out & say the 5yr plan is out of the window but at least the fans will not be so disillusioned

Comment 92, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.57 pm

Fatkevs said:

... no but i agree with many of his posts

Comment 93, made on June 20, 2009 at 7.58 pm

Damian said:

... one thing is for sure and that is there is becoming more and more frustration towards the club/martin o´neill/lerner it is an important summer and a very important next season

Comment 94, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.02 pm

Fatkevs said:

... I am a rare breed I still dream of being part of the club a club that the fans built & supported not just a fan out on a day pass. I dream of fair play & playing football not just 3 points I also wish for standing areas to be returned to the goround But then again i have a go on the lottery every week slightly better odds there i guess

Comment 95, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.03 pm

snappa said:

... Who likes onions on here. I dont mind them as an ingredient but i cant eat them on burgers and i certainly cant eat a whole one.

Comment 96, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.11 pm

Fatkevs said:

... I Got Doug wrong in so many ways. I can remenber him saying at the last flotatation how he hoped the fans would buy into the club, un/fortunatley enough of us could not as we never had a real say the fear worked tirelessy to get the fans a voice. I was angry that he cashed in £3m straight away to set the crash of the shares underway but he was right in asking for the fans to own a piece of the club they follow & Support

Comment 97, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.14 pm

vogra said:

... Thank you Paul Sharner for turning us down, MON..are you a fcuking clown or something, you think Paul Sharner is our answer in defence?.. thankgod we didnt get Sharner, he's awful...slow as fcuk, and if David Wheater is the answer to our Center back problem then we are in deep sh*t next season.

Comment 98, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.22 pm

Steve Badger said:

... FatKevs, i do not want to hear statements from the club that they know only too well are not true (Barry) The quote was made in good faith and the word is Barry had actually intimated that he was going to stay. The offer was too good for him and MON had promised that he would let him leave if we didn't make CL. What do you think GB's reaction would have been if we held him to his contract?? And as for your seat, well yes we're all sorry for you, but how about you stop mentioning it, as we've heard it about 50 times. Those seats were taken to raise money so we can buy the players we all want. And as for "looting", give over. Where do you get that from? As for your wishes of the olden days, well I'd like that too, but you have to realise those days are gone.

Comment 99, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.22 pm

Greg1981 said:

... Damian, you're full of wisdom and common sense, as ever. But Baros and Angel? I think you need an early night. We've not had worse since Barry Stobart (ask your dad). But what you've been saying is simple and accurate. There has, in truth, been little progress. We're all keen to give O'Neill a chance but a big opportunity has been lost. He is, in effect, starting again. We had our noses in front but now the pack has regrouped and we're back in it. All the players we are looking at reinforce all worst fears.

Comment 100, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.25 pm

Steve Badger said:

... Got to agree about Baros, I never rated him.

Comment 101, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.34 pm

Martin Clabon said:

... Vogra, you are very wrong, Wheater is a class defender and sores goals - future Villa legend. Fat Kevs, you sound like an idealist who has ben hurt and reacted badly. Understandable but don't let it blind you to the positives. Becoming bitter and loathing the thing you once loved is a terrible burden - can you move on. Hope this does not sound patronising

Comment 102, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.41 pm

Damian said:

... Greg1981 What I´m saying is do we have that much better in Carew over Baros or JPA? I mean we finished 6th with JPA too. For the record, I´d like better than we have or had, but ..

Comment 103, made on June 20, 2009 at 8.52 pm

oldvillan said:

... DANWILSON82 my comment was not aimed at you it was aimed at the idiots on the previous post.i was only passing on comments made by a FIRST TEAM PLAYER.your guess is as good as mine if its true or not.he said the acorns logo would still appear on the arm,maybe its dependant on the deal being tied up with the new sponsor..before anyone still trys to tell me i know nothing about avfc i used to be good friends with brian little and andy gray when they were playing for the club and my wife used to date dennis mortimer..

Comment 104, made on June 20, 2009 at 9.00 pm

Billy7 said:

... sorry lads, off subject. Having a dispute in the pub, who was the last Villa player to have a testimonal with us?? I cant think of 1 recently

Comment 105, made on June 20, 2009 at 9.14 pm

damian we had an awful squad under oleary said:

... my name says it all but if you want more details ...... WTF we didn't have a top 10 side under oleary djemba-djemba berson stefan moore the list goes on. these players make harewood and knight actually look like premier league players

Comment 106, made on June 20, 2009 at 9.14 pm

Martin Clabon said:

... oldvillan, that was very liberal of you letting your wife date a player. I love the club as well but not sure I would let the Mrs go out with John Carew. Don't worry about the comments, some people think thay can just slag people off on line when to your face they'd sh1t themselves

Comment 107, made on June 20, 2009 at 9.20 pm

Fatkevs said:

... I think every man & his dog knew Gareth was going to leave for man city maybe not but the club still fed us pyrite. Raise money for players what can you get for £1m the revenue for those seats Looting selling off our assets (Barry) & not replacing them with like we have to generate our own money without sponsorship thanks to Randy He is only prepared to spend on material assets

Comment 108, made on June 20, 2009 at 9.30 pm

mattyavfc said:

... I watched Angel play for the reserves a few times in his last season as Villa and he played in a deeper, linking role. He looked quality playing in a position which didn't require pace. I agree with Damian, the team hasn't improved much with MON. The back four of Laursen, Bouma, Melberg and Delaney was better than we can currently put out. The midfield of Barry, Milner, McCann abd Davis isn't any weaker than we have now, and upfront, I think Phillips is a better finisher than anyone we have at the club now. We also had the youngsters coming through in Gabby, Cahill, Sam Williams and Moore. We'd rather buy players who have lost their way and hope they come good again than bring through youngsters now.

Comment 109, made on June 20, 2009 at 9.34 pm

Steve Badger said:

... FatKevs, I think every man & his dog knew Gareth was going to leave for man city maybe not but the club still fed us pyrite. Raise money for players what can you get for £1m the revenue for those seats Looting selling off our assets (Barry) & not replacing them with like we have to generate our own money without sponsorship thanks to Randy He is only prepared to spend on material assets GB leaving was a genuine shock to the whole club from what I've heard. Agreed, you can't get much for a million, but bloody hell, if you can't see that you need to maximise every possible revenue stream these days it's pointless even discussing it. As for not having replaced Barry, well that's just a ridiculous statement. By all means criticise when the window has closed, but to say that now just shows your pure badly aimed bitterness, imo. How about you actually try and support the club? Can you genuinely not see anything positive about the club/team? I have to wonder why you bother to support (sic) the club, tbh.

Comment 110, made on June 20, 2009 at 9.49 pm

confusedvillafan said:

... greg1981 your another one,"all the players we are looking at reinforce worst fears",do you think MON phones up the sun/star and says i want to buy scharner wheater doyle etc ? they write what they want.i dont think things are as bad as some of you are making out.

Comment 111, made on June 20, 2009 at 10.18 pm

LukasAVFC said:

... Samir Carruthers signs for us from Arsenal apparently!? & Jarado is a target, Sounding alot sweeter now!!

Comment 112, made on June 20, 2009 at 11.59 pm

Steve Badger said:

... Samir Carruthers? That name is a total contradiction, in that it's about as Asian and English as you can get Let's hope the kid comes good

Comment 113, made on June 21, 2009 at 1.17 am

Daniel Wilson said:

... Didn't we sign Carruthers off the arse about a month a go? Damn the papers are useless!

Comment 114, made on June 21, 2009 at 8.21 am

oldvillan said:

... SIDCOWANSLOVECHILD. the things you do to get a season ticket..lol

Comment 115, made on June 21, 2009 at 9.47 am

Fatkevs said:

... Robbo GB leaving was a genuine shock to the whole club from what I've heard. Thats just you beleiving what you want to believe The Club Teams I support The Yank/ owner is something else

Comment 116, made on June 21, 2009 at 1.09 pm

robbo said:

... Fat Kev, you've just reinforced exactly the point I was trying to make to you.

Comment 117, made on June 21, 2009 at 2.42 pm

runner29 said:

... I think that Cuellar will start to show the form he did at Rangers this season and hopefully Curtis will start to show the promiss that made MON sing him from westbrom, would anyone consider a punt on Ricardo Quresma from Inter cos i think he would fit in are style of play at villa park.

Comment 118, made on June 22, 2009 at 2.02 pm

Name

Email

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment Preview