Written by Neil Wednesday, 19 August 2009 07:17
I made few friends with a recent article accusing Randy Lerner of not wishing to take the risks necessary to push us into the top four. Upon later inspection I accept there were a couple of oversights; certain factors I neglected to consider and other sensationalist factors that I probably put too much emphasis on.
But I’m still glad I wrote that piece because it was my way of dealing with an uncertainty we all face as Villa fans. Further, the ensuing debate has brought my knowledge to a point that is greater than it was a week or two ago and for that I am grateful to my shit stirring.
You see, we are pattern seeking animals and we are side picking animals. We loathe uncertainty. It goes against every effort we've made to understand the world around us and as a consequence it spurs debate, investigation and scientific exploration.
From the moment we are born and for many years thereafter we are asked to pick sides. What is our favourite colour. Who is our best friend. What is our football team. Are we left wing or conservative. Indian or Chinese. Blonde or Brunette. Tits or Ass.
There's a reason we do this: uncertainty is a menace to our minds.
When dealing with uncertainty, some of us will pull that grey area towards black, others will pull it towards white. The glass is either half full or half empty and all that carry on.
Which direction you chose to pull the grey probably depends on your personality, what genes you inherit or a whole host of arcane nonsense (typically involving sexual attraction to either or both parents) that a psychologist will happily spiel out to you for a hefty fee.
But one thing is for certain - we can't leave things unknown.
When we hear a loud unexplained noise late at night, is it enough to simply accept that we don't know what it was and go back to sleep? Hardly. We will either comfort ourselves with an optimistic interpretation, "probably just a cat" and go back to sleep; or we will freak out "it's a serial killer" and call the cops.
Now, knowledge is certainly one way to minimise the grey - the more we know, the less we assume. Good or bad, quite often knowing the truth is strangely comforting. What's more, when we are kept in the dark about something for too long, the grey overpowers us and we become crazy people. Sides split, black takes on white, all hell breaks loose.
Adding to this problem is the contemporary movement in football journalism and media - where do we get our information from, and more importantly, what agenda does it serve?
Most teams have their own television channels, be they web based or on cable. This allows for quick release of whatever propaganda they wish the public to believe, using meticulously prepared press releases, staged questions, pre-recordings and other dressings to make us believe we are getting a news conferences - we're not.
We're getting answers to the questions they were hoping to get, not the questions we want answered. Sky Sports News and other supposedly reputable media agencies then just lift these releases and present them as fact. Why? Because it's cheaper than hiring journalists.
On the other side of the coin, you then have the sensationalist nonsense disseminated by tabloid rags, who will gladly twist words, falsify statements, invent stories and adopt whatever other strategy they can think of to piggyback off the public's feverish interest in all things football in order to boost website traffic and newspaper sales. There’s no point giving examples here, just log onto NewsNow, or Google “Bill Howell” to see for yourself.
The club chooses not to inform us of certain things, that's their strategy and that's fine. But that won't make our interest go away, leaving us at the mercy of club television broadcasts or tabloid nonsense. However some of us aren't happy with these options and choose to ask our own questions. Granted, they may stray a little close to the bone at times, but to probe, to question and to justly criticise is to truly love something.
We are free to question, for example, whether the Acorns deal was an act of genuine philanthropy from an enormously kind and generous man, or whether it was simply a calculated strategy to generate both goodwill and media coverage, in addition to increasing the sponsorship fee we charge Nike on the grounds of them having uncontested corporate brand presence on the front of our kits.
We are free to question if our paltry average annual net spend on players is attributable to the unavailability of funds from the club's owner, or the frugal, unilateral transfer strategy of our manager.
We are free to seek a satisfactory explanation for the capitulation from February through to the final day of last season. Was it fatigue, was it managerial ineptitude, did the owner not want to risk bankrolling further acquisitions, was it too much too soon, were we simply not ready, does Emile Heskey have photos of MON with another woman?
We are also free to question why, the day before our season opener, we were still to replace (by the manager’s own admission) our two best players who departed some months previous.
These are the 'little from column A, little from column B' questions that comprise a lot of the grey area that sparks rage around boards and blogs on the internet, present location definitely included.
But the fact of the matter is, our press is failing us. We have profit driven spin doctor raconteurs on one side of the fence, and wool-pulling propaganda merchants on the other and absolutely nothing in between.
I'm probably overcomplicating things beyond all need, but the message I am trying to get across here is actually quite simple - to question something, is not to hate it. And so few people are asking the right questions these days that I fear the practice may soon die completely.
My love for Aston Villa extends beyond any woman, possession or experience I have encountered and I do not see that changing any time soon. So regardless of what light it puts me in, I will continue to critically analyse all avenues of potential explanation for anything that's left unknown about my club.
Whether I hit, miss or limp with an accusation or suggestion, please forgive me, for my heart is in the right place - beating claret out one side and blue out the other.
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Damian
said:
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... For the record - comments are for comments on this post. If you want to start a new discussion, use the forum. Nobody is yet banned from the forum. |
clarkamus
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... only 13 more days of transfer window left and we wont sign anyone today or tomorrow so that leaves 11 days to get players in... Gulp |
Mike Carter
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... Mmmm, love probing. Nice article Neil. Bit of a brain-melter for 8.30am for me though. |
Shas_villain
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... Aren't there any rumours about transfers in England? Hope VILLA regain their form. |
kiddakidda
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... If we lose on Thursday and ultimatley get knocked out the Europa league before it has started I really do feel all hell will break loose!! |
Damian
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... Shas_villain If you mean are people that comment banned then some yes for any of the following reasons: http://www.thevillablog.co.uk/...nt-policy/ |
faangler
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... Given that the blog is about what we don't, but would like to, know, there seems a lot of scope for comments about a lot of things. What I'd dearly like to know is did MON lose the dressing room in Moscow ? Is he operating a 'my way or the highway' policy ? And why, when the team is clearly in need of passion and heart, is Reo left on the bench ? |
kiddakidda
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... robdabank: I Know, I don't think anyone can forget the monumental slump from Feb onwards that has seemed to have continued. I am hoping for a good performance on Thurs though, let's turn this around. |
oldvillan
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... i think mon is now panicking and realises he has run out of ideas and that 70s football does not work in the modern game.most of the players think they are better than they actually are because mon tells them they are.(man management)this is fine to a certain level then when the bar needs to be raised they cant do it,then we come up against average foreign managers and players who teach them a lesson,for the club to move on and improve we need to ditch the british only policy and change our style of play or manager. |
Dave
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... Very good blog and well written does Emile Heskey have photos of MON with another woman?made me smile. I'll think of something constructive to add myself later on hopefully |
artball
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... this is precisely what i believe myself. the communications we get from the club are near enough to zero, which gives us the right to speculate, comment, et al....i don't think a little more transparency from the club would go astray, but if that doesn't happen what can you do? keep on supporting villa me thinks... |
Biriani
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... Also regarding Lerner, speak out man. Sadly, no-one believes the poor old General Krulak anymore. |
boumavilla
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... emile heskey with photos of MON with another woman! LOLS! good article! david wheater for the villa 2day! |
Ronan Kenny
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... faangler What gives you the impression that MON has lost the dressing room???? |
Lloydy
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... Neil, interesting post, in fact very intellectual and many of the doom merchants will be scratching their empty heads at this moment in time. The bottom line put simply is this! The contrasting fortune’s of the Villa fan is generally black and white. The euphoria after winning the peace cup was amazing. There was a lorra love and the feel good factor was amazing when you contrast this with the feeling before and after the tournament, and the loss to Wigan. The knifes were out. Sacking MON would serve no purpose at all. We need to stay the course. So in summary if your brain is on the black side you’re likely to be moody and pessimistic whatever, on the left generally positive and optimistic. Now if you’re somewhere in the middle you will allow your brain to engage and process the arguments either side before reaching a conclusion. Unfortunately there are very few of us haha. Lets get behind MON!  |
jonnie 5
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... Loving the post Neil very opened minded view on things, I think its great reading some of the comments we get on this site. They do vary from positive to negative to sitting on the fence. I'd love to be a fly on the wall around the villa to get the full insite of what goes on and is said. Though the fact is we will never really know the full story of alot that goes on within our club. I choses not to stress myself by beliving everything thats written on the web and news papers and just get on with supporting what we have in front of us. I have concerns regarding signings, formation and player choice for games but i accept it's no easy task managing a football club. I just live in hope that eventually we get it right and achieve great things. UTV |
Dave
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... As promised - I see what you're saying but I think it also works best another way. As a brummie living in Ireland it's easy to notice how swamped the football reporting here is with Liverpool and Man Utd. The reason being is that for obvious glory hunting reasons they are very well supported. It got me thinking a couple of years ago that it wasn't a good thing to know everything about your club. I feel that Sky have swamped us with far too much information about our clubs and they've created a demand that simply wasn't there before. To be honest, I couldn't give a toss how the acorns deal works and yes we are free to question stuff but are the answers going to be really that interesting? the Villa and I care about the results, therefore it follows that I care about the football we play and the players we buy - so I can't agree with you when you say I will continue to critically analyse all avenues of potential explanation for anything that's left unknown about my club.as I simply don't think it's necessary - good article though |
Chiefy1
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... Is there any chance of a positive outlook on the Villa one day maybe, every blog is all ways so down in the dumps and attacking the Chairman, Manager, PR crew or even the tea lady. Cant we just have something positive one day ??? I mean thing are not that bad ok we need a few more players is the transfer window shut ? NO, we need to improve quickly ? we play THURSDAY. I understand the frustrations i really do but come on a little positivity goes a long way. Things could be worse than what they are alot worse, we have everything to be positive about we have time to put the squad right before we get lost at the bottom of the table. Cant we look forward and think positive yes POSITIVE, by the fans being down the players will sense it, we are the 12th MAN there werent no sing of that Saturday ! why cant we get behind the team and never give up on them even if we do go down a goal or two. |
Viva la Villa
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... There seems to be a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the club which is causing concern. Their is no positive noises coming out of the club. The recent comments by MON about being "a wee bit suprised" about the numbers used last year were a tad bit naieve and a bit of a cop out and also unexacceptable to hear. We could have all told you that and for how long have we been hearing we have a small squad and we need numbers in. Is there something you are not telling us that we all probably know in any case? - There are no funds being made available. we are approaching the close of the transfer window and we are being linked with the players we have been linked with all summer, even if their current club managers are saying they are not for sale, the spurs duo and David Wheater spring to mind. Yes everybody has a price but what ambition and also how much financial clout will villa show in bringing new blood in. My fear is that panic buys will be made in the same mould of Salifou. MON Sighted the signing of Salifou as something that has the potential to excite. No hearts racing over that one i think. I think MON has done great things for the team in the 4yrs he has been at the helm, but the fans deserve honesty from the manager and the owner to help us realise what we can really achieve. We started this season with a defeat and in all honesty we could finish this month with 0pts as Liverpool will be tough and an improving Fulham side will be difficult to beat. Come on Randy and MON give us something to lift the current storm clouds brewing over Villa Park |
Christian
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... Last night's result for Wigan is a bit worrying for us isn't it??! I'm dreading what Wolves will do when they play us...  |
KingoftheLions
said:
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... I know that news is slow at moment, but I am afraid that this post lets the site down because it is plain boring. Can we not look ahead to Rapide?? Are there any links? p.s I have 3 university degrees,but I did not know what Neil was on about. Sorry a miss for me |
ak_27
said:
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... Look the club will not come out before the deadline and let everyone know how much money is available as this could add a few million to every target. Perhaps after. |
Freelancelot
said:
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... Good post, Damian. Despite being a critic of some of your tabloid headlines and negative tendencies I agree that there's a role for what you do and think you've set your stall out really clearly . There's one thing I would add. The biggest failure of the media is in helping people to undestand things better. Conflict, disagreement and criticism are more newsworthy than understanding and explanation. So the gap I'd like filled more often is the "how things work" bit, getting our heads round the difficult stuff rather than taking the easy route. Just because something happens we don't like, doesn't mean there's someone to blame (not that you would believe that in this country). If I don't like the way the transfer window has gone, pinning the blame on someone at the club just says more about me than it does the club. It's true that if we heard more from the club about what they're trying to do, why certain things have not come off, there would be less to speculate about. But why should the club comment publicly on that (it's an intensely commercial activity) just to keep a few of us happy? Where would it end? So yes, let's fill the gap between the media and official news, but not with unfounded conspiracy theory or the search for scapegoats. Perhaps if we spent more time imagining what it's like to run a club we'd be less quick to criticise the people who do it. Keep up the good work (but do less of the not so good stuff ...  ) |
ak_27
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... But to be honest here the only thing i want from this club at this stage is actions not words. That is not too much to ask. Words are very cheap and easy. |
Chiefy1
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... On a positive note full strength squad has gone to Vienna, Carew is fit which is great news, is this being shown on tele ?? |
Gavin Merriman
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... Neil, was your main point to was to draw attention to mans need for answers and exploration; or was it a swipe at a lack of quality journalism for our beloved club? If it was the latter, then I’d argue this blog has gone along way to filling that void in the media. It lets us have the conversations from our desks that were previously reserved for the battle cruiser. Great site and I’m personally very thankful to all contributors. Not quite so grateful to all the miserable commenters that complain at every given opportunity though. As far as clubs and managers go, villa and MON are pretty open & candid. Many of the grey areas you mentioned will always be grey because there are no absolute truths, just combinations of factors. If it’s the former, then discussions on the human condition might be better saved for a slightly less depressing group of people than your run of the mill winging villa fans. I agree with Damien, it’s time we got behind our manager and club. |
vdv
said:
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... vandarvart has said he wants to go yo a club that will use him. out of the teams that have been linked with him the gunners and villa that will use him the most. will venger want to drop fabregas, denilsion or song the way they gave been playing, no. so villa could use very well in a 4 5 1. |
RichT
said:
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... Chiefy1- Who attacked the tea lady? I think she'd do a better job up front than Gabby! For me, the gloom of the weekend has lifted. I feel with a couple of signings and a solid result in the Europa Cup this could be a real turning point. UTV |
Carl Main
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... VDV.....Your dreaming mate im afraid! Really wish I shared your optimism on signings! |
vdv
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... im not dreaming, if mon actually tried and spent the cash we could get them. its only mon between them players coming. so to have to think that monis the only man who can get them for villa, i could be dreaming but we will ser. |
Viva la Villa
said:
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... i agree with Vijay, no signings till next week and Rafael VDV will not be wearing the claret an blue this year |
artball
said:
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... van der vaart IS the guy to really replace barry. i would like to think we are at least trying to get him here. |
Carl Main
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... As soon as you mentioned MON, it clarified your dreaming!...MON would rather go for a player maybe in the Championship then from abroad. I cant see MON paying whatever Real are asking for vdv too and there are probably teams who are playing Champions league and challenging for their league title who he would rather join than us! God, i sound like most of the whingers on here who usually depress me! |
Matt T
said:
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... I can't really see what this article says that anybody doesn't already know. For the record I am one of the optimists, and a long term Villa fan and one with professional qualifications in Psychology and Sociological Analysis. Yes it is the human instinct to want to know what is going on and in most contexts this makes perfect sense. The reason we want to know if the sound outside was a car backfiring, or a gun is simple - survival. To compare this to our fair football club is pretty foolish to be honest. We all know that there is a specific set of reasons for not having speculation pouring out of our football club regarding our targets. If our purchase of Fabian Delph didn't illustrate that, I don't know how black and white it needs to be made out. If we open our mouths about targets, other teams become interested. The fact of the matter is we can't compete with the money of Man City or the opportunity of the top 4 so the more we do on the covert side of things, the better. Yes it's frustrating - I personally want to have some signings and now - but we are in these circumstances for a reason. It is not like we are partaking of a voluntary black out of media information just to irritate fans - we are doing so to try and level out a playing field that we currently don't have the advantage in. Tell me this - would you rather our manager have the same attitude regarding who to buy of say Harry Redknapp or Mark Hughes? The latter in particular who has absolutely no respect for any other club? |
Faccundo
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... I don't know if anyone noticed but Veloso scored a spectacular goal against Sporting. He would be an ideal replacement though Damian I wonder whether he's now Cup tied for LDV given his appearence in a UCL qualifier? Also I recommend Spiranovic from Nurnberg as a CB. I think Liverpool got a bargain signing Kyriagos for€3m |
clarkamus
said:
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... now knowing that there is only 13 days including today left of the transfer window is worrying we need 3 more players minimum but ideally 4 players, 2CB 1LB 1CM with the LB as the optional one im starting to sh1t my pants at the moment that we will not get anyone else in but i know MON likes to do this to us i just hope he has something up his sleeve for these transfers as we need some quality and experience, please im begging you MON dont leave it all to the last day i only have 12 pairs of pants!!! |
Matt T
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... Faccundo I take it you mean against Fiorentina as he plays for Sporting... Not sure I want someone who scores spectacular own goals |
vdv
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... we are chasing STEVEN TAYLOR. he could want to come because habib beye and milner. he a good center back. |
Matt T
said:
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... LOL no worries Faccundo  Would love to see us buy Veloso though PS re: cup ties... Don't they have to pick a squad as the qualifiers start too so it is only when the group stages start that players are qualified? As UEFA treats the qualifiers and group stages as separate entities... Meaning that until they play in the group stages, we are safe to sign them. All this is hopefully on the assumption that this year we actually take the competition seriously... |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
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... Faccundo mate, you are right about the greek lad going to liverpool, but that shows that benitez has a scouting network, mon doesnt, and only knows the players he watches on tv in the uk, we need to bring in someone like bilic if mon doesnt do his business this season |
confusedvillafan
said:
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... if lerner is going to run the club as a business doesn`t he realise that players like vav de vart wagner love etc would go a long way to selling out vp every home game, i know i`d rather spend my hard earned money watching vdv boss our midfield than sidwell reo salifou |
Green Villain
said:
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... Damn good writing old chap and at last somebody that understands the media circus that we have all bought tickets to. |
James
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... Great article Neil. Strangely enough a reasoned explanation of our polarised debates like this, will probably go some way to removing the extremes and embracing the grey. Good work. Looking forward to reading more of your work. |
Matt T
said:
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... No problems Faccundo, was just checking he hadn't scored an own goal Cup ties only happen when a player plays in the group stages I believe (or in the knockout stages as cup ties expire in Europe)... UEFA treat qualification and the group stages as separate entities... Here's to signing Veloso and van der Vaart - MON suggested Sneijder would be a good acquisition and whilst this was a change in style for MON (he rarely mentions any player he's interested in directly), it would be a good next step for the club. |
Dave
said:
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... I would like some answers about the team to be honest especially how MON allowed us to go into the new season with just 2 relatively inexperienced centrebacks as our first choice. Why is it he let Knight go without having a replacement? There is no getting around that this has been poorly managed. |
Vijay Daryanani
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... please stop talking about vdv, veloso and sneijder, these signings will just not happen, you are all wasting your time |
Matt T
said:
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... Vijay So we should just instead talk about who then? Buying Wheater, or some other player from the Championship? Are you secretly telling us that you know who we're going to purchase for definite, because if you are, please feel free to tell everyone who is suffering at the hands of the blackout... |
Trezzy
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... well there gone to vienna, so im guessing now theres no new signings until next monday? well mon is cutting it fine even by his own standards. i fear for panic buys again. |
Vijay Daryanani
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... more importantly the burp, mon has known about laursen's retirement since March, he has had 5 months to sign a replacement and nothing, that shows total lack of management and he has to answer for that |
carl 8767
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... VDV - STEVEN TAYLOR WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW wot a great player cudnt agree any less with u another relegated player sorry but he is s**t |
Matt T
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... Agreed he should of replaced Laursen, but he hasn't. We are now in the situation we are in - we need to get behind the club now rather than booing the team we support. I think MON is the right man for the job but that's peripheral really. What I do know is that booing our team isn't going to make our confidence any better... the people who are saying he should be sacked off the back of losing a match to a team we have never beat in the Premier League is ridiculous. How's about we judge him at the end of the season? We've all known how he does his business (at the end of the transfer window) so let him get on with it... |
Biriani
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...... Is that sarcasm, a rhetorical question, or have you not seen body language displayed by the players since Moscow ? (excepting in the Peace Cup with MON tellingly sitting in the stand) |
Matt T
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... faangler Wasn't MON sitting in the stand for at least one of the games of the Peace Cup because he was sent off by an overzealous official? |
Andy Young
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... Neil, At the risk of sounding unintentionally patronising, that was a very insightful and thought-provoking post. More of the same, please. |
Carl Main
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... faangler... MON was sitting in the stand during the Peace Cup because he got sent off. I dont believe that MON has lost the dressing room. I didnt agree with the way in which we went out of europe last season but MON decided that the Prem was more important and what the manager says, goes. If any of the players want to sulk about it then they need to man up!...Discipline is massive in the dressing room and if some of our young boys cant handle it they need to get real...Not that I think this is even an issue anyway. |
Dave
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... Absolutely right Vijay and for all the goodwill MON has earned from the fans there's no excuse for failing to address our lack of adequate defensive cover. The thing is he gets away with answering a lot of stuff as he's a touch eccentric and uses an excessive amount of words to try and get around stuff but there really is no getting around this failure. |
jk92923
said:
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... i think if anything, we just need reassurence, and that is lacking. but if people can follow an invisible man in the sky using complete and absolute blind faith....Aston Villa FC is now called The Church of Apostilic Evangelistic Villa.....i prey to thee Martin....please show us a sign |
Vijay Daryanani
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... Matt, i mean do you really think that we are going to sign any of those 3 players?? we shuld be thinking of people like huth, wheather, distin, warnock, all crap in my opinion! |
andrewvillamadj
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... can everybody please stop talking about vander vart or sniejder because martin oneill wont be interested in them , we all know he cant handle big players . Nobody get there hopes up , on september the 1st we will all be here saying mon had long enough to replace barry and laursen and mon has got to go struggle this year with the team weve got . Its obvious we wont sign some1 untill atleast next tuesday then they will try and make rush signings then come out on the offical website and say how they tried and feels his squad is strong enough . had enough og mon being honest |
simo 09
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... vijay no disrespect mate but u were on here during the peace cup telling every1 not 2 worry bout signings as they are on the way yet u didnt disclose who,that was u being positive bk then but i sense of panic in ur posts now!is that because ur bout 2 get found out that u did in fact no nothing of any signings or is it just a blip on ur behalf,anyway that it is please dont take offence cos none intended ok mate |
Eoin Greene
said:
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... Just a few observations. Hypothetically speaking, lets say Everton agree a 10m deal with Real Madrid to sign VDV, and are talking to the player. The next day MoN goes to the press and says he likes VDV and is interested in signing him. Lo and behold the following day Villa clinch the signing of VDV for 12m. Moyes is furious. Would you: a - be absolutely delighted, saying that we have signed a top class player, got a bargain. MoN and Lerner are really showing us their ambition. Gareth who? etc.etc.etc b - i dont want to sign VDV beacuse we didn't go about signing him the proper way. Moyes is no longer our best friend and we need friends. I'd prefer if we signed Jermaine Javerage for 25m. My point here is - I dont give a damn how a manager acts in the transfer market or what approach he uses to sign players. Giving out about Redknapp and Hughes is fine - but should we really care how they go about signing players. Sure you can take the moral highground - but who really gives a fcuk about the morals of a huge sporting operation? Its not your kids we are talking about. Secondly - NO manager in his right mind is going to say how much money he has available to spend. It makes absolutely no sense. But what I would like to hear, again maybe naieve of me are the following: 1. From Mon - we WILL replace Laursen and Barry with suitable replacements before the end of the transfer window. We HAVE identified our top targets MONTHS ago. 2. At the end of the transfer window - I would just love to know one or two things that went on. Such as 'We bid 18m for Sneijder, offered accepted but unfortunately he turned us down', now MoN may have said this criptically allready - but I want it in black and white. Why - because it shows that we have ambition. And ambition is all I ask for! Finally, if we sign any player from a relegated club in the next two weeks - I will have questions. First of all with the exception of Tuncay - I dont rate any of them. And secondly, if MoN thinks Wheater and Taylor are the answers to our defensive shambles - why didn't he sign them 2 months ago? Why didn't he sign Beye 2 months ago (even if I think he 2 is crap!!)?? |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
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... simo mate, signings are on the way, im worried after what i saw on saturday, mon will wait till the last moment, the only thing is that he will make mediocre signings cos by then everyone will be desperate, i was given certain names, they might still happen |
Faccundo
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... As well if MON or others are reading I'd like to mention Spiranovic again. Tall, commanding aerially proficient CB playing in a comparatively physical league (Germany) a great affordable and attainable signing for the Villa UTV |
graveson
said:
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... No matter the players that come in (Van Der Vaaart etc), the issue is with the one dimension soccer we play. It is quite simple really. Name a defender to mark Ashley Young permanently, stop the supply chain and we have no other idea, besides hoofing it up to Heskey or Carew, hope for a flick on that is perfect for Gabby (because if it is not, he will not know what to do). This is basically our game week in and week out. Our football is boring and lacks imagination, cannot adapt or change during a game and Mon's tactics (substitute) justs compounds the issues. So, again even if we had Ronaldinho or Messi i still do not see a change, unless MON has the guts (suck his pride) to change the way we play. |
jerry
said:
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... Damian From your post on the previous thread you seem to have banned Graymo. Could I come to his defence? He was sorely provoked last night by a young poster called coxy. To coxy's credit, I think he was trying to be upbeat, but, being young, got carried away and started posting every 30 seconds. Then Lionheart joined in and it got out of hand because he can’t stop shouting. Passions were running high last night. It would be nice to see Graymo back. Amongst the abuse last night, there were some gems. As usual, one from Ghosthunter: Aston Villa is like an only daughter, no-one will ever truly be good enough for her but we have to accept that she has to settle down with someone at some point, otherwise she will be left on the shelf. For me, MON and RL have my full blessing, and until I see them mistreating her, will continue to do so. And this from Juan Pablo Angel: How do you go about replacing a man who put his body on the line for our club, who was never sure when his career would end so played every game like it was his last? You can't. Stop whinging about Laursen, he's gone. Magical. Sometimes it’s a privilege to read this blog. The whole comment was worth a second visit for the informed analysis (comment 502) (also113). In fact Damo, ‘Milner at right back’ could be worth a whole new thread. Neil, a worthy attempt but over a thousand words, mate. If something can’t be said in a couple of hundred or so, it probably ain’t worth saying. |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... eoin1981, i agree with you 100%, the problem is that hasnt identified anyone! he goes with the flow and signs players that the top teams do not want and players from relegated teams who want out ! |
Matt T
said:
|
... eoin1981 Morals or not, if we show our hand too quickly, Man City will come in and p*ss all over our offer. That is the reason why we keep our mouth shut... if we conduct business openly, we will not compete with Man City or the top 4. As for the example above - I'd take the bid, and be delighted. What we'd have done above is nothing that's wrong. It's not the same as constantly talking about a player who isn't even on the market (which vdV clearly is). That's what p*sses me off about Redknapp and Hughes... Hughes in particular is a p*ss taker with how he's doing business. That said if MON clinched a deal that quickly, I'd be the one frozen solid in shock... |
Dave
said:
|
... eoin1981 secondly, if MoN thinks Wheater and Taylor are the answers to our defensive shambles - why didn't he sign them 2 months ago? Why didn't he sign Beye 2 months ago (even if I think he 2 is crap!!)?? very well said. As I stated in an ealier post there is no excuses for his faffing around when it comes to our defensive options. It should have been absolutely vital that Laursen was replaced and Knight should not have been allowed to leave without a replacement. |
Matt T
said:
|
... eoin1981 I'd also agree with you re: the signings we're suggesting... If he wanted Taylor, he could have got him in the fire sale way before now... |
Tim Hillman
said:
 |
... I enjoyed reading this article Neil, well done! Eoin1981 - I might be on my own but I would prefer Aston Villa to be run honestly and fairly. The tapping up of players that Mark Hughes and Harry Rednapp go about doing might get results but at what cost to not only their reputations but the clubs they work for. Put it this way if you were doing business with someone and one person has a good reputation and is known to everyone to be honest and upstanding and then you have another business which is known to be untrustworthy and stretches the rules to meet it's own needs. Which one would you choose. Ok the 2nd business may make more money but in the long term reputation counts for a lot. The statement by Leeds after we signed Delph stating that Villa went about the transfer in a gentlmenly fashion actually made me proud of supporting Aston villa and I don't think as a club they should ever lower the standards just to make a cut throat deal. Call me old fashioned but the football world is already slipping into a pit of dispair so why should MON and Aston Villa add more fuel to the fire. |
Altan Kargaci
said:
 |
... Don't think Luke Young is going anywhere soon.... http://www.birminghammail.net/...-24478818/ |
ak_27
said:
|
... Matt T i think at this stage we are not shopping in the same shop as City. Eoin as per usual i agree and was going to write the same thing myself. Im not too bothered about who we upset as long as the end result is positive for Villa. Because don't think for a second that the other clubs wouldn't do it also. Just take Yorke going to Utd for example. I don't get the abuse Redknapp gets to be honest. He can spot the talent a mile away and also reel them in. And trust me not too many on here would be complaining about him if he was our manager and was bringing in the talent he has done at Pompy and now Spurs. |
ChicoHamiltonsPants
said:
 |
... Fed up now, If i hear that wheater or taylor are good defenders i might kill someone!! maybe in 6 or 7 years time but currently they play for relegated teams i know you can't blame just the defence for a team being relegated but its a good start. If we sign one of these clowns then don't be surprised if we're near the bottom of the table come January. We need quality i will wait till after the Rapide game but if we don't beat them then i think serious questions will need to be asked of both manager and chairman. |
Matt T
said:
|
... CSM Re: the way we conduct my business. Exactly my point - I must be old fashioned too! |
ChicoHamiltonsPants
said:
|
... Faccundo do u actually think that MON knows who Spiranovic is!! please don't tke this the wrong way but i doubt that MON could pronounce his name. Wheater, Taylor or St ledger. These are the stooges we will possibly look at and get ripped off 4!!!!! |
andrewvillamadj
said:
|
... vijoy if you have any idea who we might sign just come out and tell us because it is obvious you are making the whole thing up so put your money werr your mouth is and tell us your predictions and we will see if they happen |
ak_27
said:
Viva la Villa
said:
|
... Tony Cascarino says we are an average team. I value the opinion of some pundits but not that idiots. Was he not an average striker at best during his time at villa? |
Matt T
said:
|
... Ak_27 I agree with you for the most part but at some point we've got to step up to a plate where we will need to buy players that the top 4 would be interested in (whether they are emerging or not publically available but clubs are open to offers)... at which point being quiet will have some benefit. I agree Man City certainly wouldn't have been gutted when we bought Andy Marshall. If we don't, how are we ever going to get any better? I think the main problem is that MONs reliance on being the only man in charge of transfers, and seemingly only wanting to scout the UK (for the most part) is likely to become the unravelling of the guy long term. Any good manager knows to delegate tasks... PS re: Ghosts... It was only Moor Hall in Sutton Coldfield... hardly Spooky Manor... ha ha ha Poor kid... |
Matt T
said:
|
... Ak_27 Copy your link... Then click the little speech bubble and paste the link between the two tags that come up. Easy option is highlight the link... Press Ctrl+C, then press the speech bubble above the comment box, then press Ctrl+V Hope that helps |
jk92923
said:
|
... AK - use the URl button beside the S with the strike through it and image icon beside the smiley faces.... |
Christian
said:
|
... Damian, Can I just join Churchill in defence of Graymo please? I know its entirely your call, but he had been provoked all day long- certainly around teamtime when I was online. I thought he kept himself very calm. I don't know what happened later on but from the other thread I can guess. He's a decent addition to this blog and, although I 100% agree with banning the other two morons, I think you should reconsider. |
keithj
said:
 |
... is it just me? jpa had a season of banging goals for fun then after that season no one crossed the ball. we know he had no pace but was deadly in the penalty area. gabby and ash terrorised defences running onto passes (not a punt upfield) by cruising past defenders, by not playing this way we are losing our strikers |
Christian
said:
|
... Ak_27, Highlight the URL and click 'Copy'. Then, on here, click the 'Earth' icon and paste your copied link in the middle of the two {url} signs. |
Damian
said:
|
... churchill okay .. lifted for graymo .. i didn't read everything, just a quick scan and it appeared to be three |
ak_27
said:
|
... Matt T i do agree with that but if you are interseted in a talented young player the best approach is come in and get the deal done asap before the story can get out and others join the hunt. Yet as far as i can see is MON dithers over targets and probably (making a guess here) offers less then what the club wants and then plays the waiting game. Now it looks to me that is what he has done yet again this summer regarding the vital CB area's. I think Distin was his major target and instead of just coming in and giving Pompy what they wanted(probably only a few million more then he offered) and getting it wrapped up quickly he is now going to have to go to the bottom of his wish list ie Wheater or Taylor. Now you will say he is dead right to not want to spend a few million extra but he needs to get over this hump he has with spending money and just get it into his head it is more important to get the best player in for that few million extra rather be a stubborn man and end up with average replacements. The way i see the Distin transfer is that Distin wants out and if we had made the right offer before Pompy sold off the likes of Crouch and got money in that deal could have been pushed trough. But chances are MON dithered yet again. I know many will come on and say that you don't any of that and you are only guessing which is true but after watching MON operate in the transfer market i know that something is wrong with the way he approaches transfers. If Taylor or Wheater were his main targets why were they not brought in a month ago? |
Mozza
said:
 |
... Heard that some of the players from the relegated teams are not handing in transfer requests as if they do they do not pick up their bonuses? So they are waiting to be sold much like duff who was a high earner and needed offloaded but kept quiet about wanting to leave! Apparently alot of them have clubs lined up but are waiting to be sold and not instigate any deals themselves? Seems like we could be getting tuncay, wheater, huth or Taylor? Tuncay would be welcome but not too sure bout the others?? All could do a job but we need better just to stand still this season.... |
Christian
said:
|
... Neil, what a high quality piece of writing. A few of the fans on here need to accept that, as you say, to question something, is not to hate it. And so few people are asking the right questions these days that I fear the practice may soon die completely But for me... does Emile Heskey have photos of MON with another woman? I think yuo might have solved the condundrum there! |
mikey18
said:
 |
... Really nice article! I agree with most of what you say but what i am finding recently more and more is a witch hunt. There seems to be constant speculation, negative speculation which i feel is uncalled for. I also think all things villa suffered a barrage of abuse from the blogs this site has to offer. First it was Carew has been treated unjustly by MoN and dropped for Heskey, which resulted in him throwing a tantrum and removing himself from the bench....as it turns out this wasn't the case at all. He had an infected toe. He's fit for Vienna. This evolved into rumours that MoN has 'lost the dressing room' which is ridiculous. Lost the dressing room of friedel whos been promised funding for U.S soccer schools, Luke young who we bought from boro who are now playing in the championship, Davies whos played everyweek despite a glaring lack of composure, Cuellar who i doubt carrys very much weight in the dressing room, there maybe some resentment from shorey, Milner- too much of a nice guy, petrov aka MoN pet, NRC-maybe, Young has been brought on to new heights as AVFC and under MoN, Heskey-pet, Carew maybe, gabby- i don't think he gives two shits. MoN to the contrary owns the dressing room, hes picked these players and developed them and they all owe him something, for many they are playing at the highest level of their careers. The it was Luke Young is going to hull, and it turns out he isn''t. Hull haven't spoken to us, MoN doesn't want to sell...all is fine. But thats not worth mentioning....apparently. We played poorly in one game against a very good wigan side, who only beat us because of a wonder goal and a sucker punch. I think the players may of been disillusioned after being booed at half time after only conceding to a wonder goal. Evertonians didn't boo their bunch at half time even though they were 3-0 down at home against arsenal. |
Halfwit
said:
 |
... Notice how you hardly see any villa transfer news of sky sports transfer clockwatch must be real nice for other teams fans to wake up and read something decent about there club Not secret villa tho no they only release news that involves us spending our hard earned money there animals at our club and just want our money they dont care about us in the slightest sack em all board manager and everything lets start a fresh |
FatKevs
said:
 |
... Chiefy1 the cleaner a VP found a quid down the back of the Sofa thats about all the good news at the moment |
FatKevs
said:
|
... Was you hoping he was going to say we are a poor team. We are no better than average any fool can see that |
Christian
said:
|
... Mikey18, you say We played poorly in one game against a very good wigan side You're forgetting the 17 or so matches before that when we were very poor too. The reason Everton didnt boo is because they haven't been on a horrific 6 month run of results like us, this WAS a one-off for them- its been a '17-off' for us- and they got beat by a very good Arsenal side, who on their day are unplayable. We got battered by a Wigan team who have lost a manager and their 4 best players since January. And who just got beat at home by Wolves. Its not for comparison. |
Biriani
said:
|
... mikey18; I don't agree with you. Look at the body language. See the facial expressions. If MON hasn't lost the dressing room, then he's pretty close to it. You say MON owns the dressing room. Well they're all players he bought alright. So he's either bought rubbish or, for the whole of this calendar year, they're not playing for him. To your way of thinking, this is just a blip. Hmmmmm........... |
BrooksterMax
said:
 |
... Damian, I think your post relates to Eric Cantona's observation "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea." |
jerry
said:
|
...churchill Thank you sir, you are a gentleman. Also thanks to Christian1983 for your support. |
steve2000
said:
 |
...Villa man said: I hear O'learly is still available Villa man. Wake up and smell the coffee |
Peen Vageen
said:
 |
... I know its a bit off topic but MoN you need to buy vagner love: 1. the russian league is as rough as the premier league 2. cska play alot of long balls just like us 3. love will brush off tackles and carry on rather than fall to the floor and appeal for free kicks 4. he is experienced but still young 5. he scored 32 in 38 games last season 6. he's a realistic target 7. he's not english but he's the next best thing in football..........brazillian!  I know some of your cynics don't like youtube videos but i almost ejaculated when i watched this clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1ExP4JPowY&NR=1 |
Lions Den Penang
said:
 |
... Nice post Neil, you could actually host a whole conference on some of the issues you mention that would cover a wide & varied spectrum of societal issues, but this is a Villa blog so I will refrain from expanding the discussion from the periphery of the footballing sense. The PR machine emanating from Villa Park is not much different to any political or big business spin machine, they simply have their message that they want people to believe so this is managed & reeled out to the salivating hacks who proceed to regurgitate same to the educationally dumbed down masses who are usually happy to lap it up. I too am aware & deeply disturbed by the trend of people refraining from questioning everything, if you read some of the posts on this blog people say they are not interested in the detail they just want to see results. My philosophy has always been to question everything, often to the disdain of many authoritarian figures I have encountered, so in conclusion I concur wholeheartedly with your delineation of said subject. |
Steve-o
said:
 |
... Vagnor Love and Carew up front would be an awesome partenership!!!! Just need to get the back sorted then dont think Wheater is the answer though! |
mikey18
said:
|
... Christian 1983 and Faangler I think you'll do well to remember that we had a string of poor results not necessarily poor performances. I would highlight the game at Old Trafford where we were 2-0 up and lost 3-2, great performance and on any other day probably would of been enough for at least a point. Or when we conceded a last minute equalizer against west ham and stoke. I'd even say when we lost to tottenham at Villa park we didin't play poorly...i remember watching that game with several of my tottenham friends and they said we were unlucky not to get a point. I could go on. On the other hands what games would you say we played really poorly? apart from the anfield result i can't think of many. we lost laursen and started conceding late goals and then lost our confidence and momentum which was ultimately detrimental...but thats football. So bad results don't exactly mean bad performances. I think that we lost laursen last season which led to it crumbling. I think Wigan was an experimental side, which hadn't played together that much who came up against a wigan side who kept the ball well when we didn't. We played poorly...it happened its football but lets see how we perform Thursday. |
jerry
said:
|
...My philosophy has always been to question everything, often to the disdain of many authoritarian figures I have encountered, so in conclusion I concur wholeheartedly with your delineation of said subject. I'm just surprised you took your head out your ass long enough to talk to us |
Peen Vageen
said:
|
...
You sir are a genius |
Richard
said:
 |
... It's good to question but I think the conflicts tend to arise on the differing interpretations of the answers. The Acorns question is a classic example. Ultimately the result is that a charity is receiving funds that it otherwise wouldn't have, and that's a good thing. Where answers to your questions are not provided to you, in order for you to base an opinion, you need to look for the tangible results yourself . Anything else is based on subjectivity and assumption and we all know what happens when you assume. |
orourkeda
said:
 |
... While the answers you seek may satisfy your curiosity what else does it achieve? While nobody particularly enjoyed the end of season collapse having somebody offer an explanation for it isnt going to change the fact that it happened. The manager isnt stupid and it's clear what the solutions are. |
Oli
said:
 |
... To be honest we could really do with a striker like Vagner Love. i mean mon knows first hand how good he is because he ripped our defence to shreds. Also as mentioned veloso scored a cracker yesterday night. him and moutinho would be awesome for us in midfield. even defour would be great but moutinho is a much better player in my opinion. Then on to defence and i think Hangeland would be a great option, he is big tall and good in the tackle. Really could of done with Vermalen aswell as we were linked with him. he was immense for Ajax last season, and scored against us last year aswell. Yesterday he had a cracker of a game against celtic. So Vagner Love, Veloso, moutinho, and hangeland would be out of this world signings and would no doubt have us seriously challenging the big boys. Oh yeh i forgot MON is in charge so scrap all that. Just expect some championship defenders or second rate players that cant make their own starting 11, i.e like Weather,Huth, |
Graymo
said:
 |
... I would just like to say a massive “thank you” to Churchill and Christian. Furthermore, I would like to apologise for my active involvement in name calling etc. It’s immature and uncalled for but I got slightly carried away and lost my rag somewhat. To his credit, Lionheart did appologise for his involvement and for getting carried away. I think everyone on this board is extremely passionate about Aston Villa football club and as a result sometimes the discussion can get pretty heated. But, ultimately we all want to see Villa near the top of the League no matter where we live or what our reason for supporting the club. On that note……UTV!!. P.S... I hate to say it but I still can't see us finishing higher than 8th (with our current first X1). |
ak_27
said:
|
... I think Vagner Love would fit perfectly into a 451 set up if we did go down that route. But he won't be coming to VP as we would have made a move for him by now if we were interested. |
Lions Den Penang
said:
|
... churchill.. Thanks for the recognition, I'll refrain from reciprocating it |
mikey18
said:
|
... Also Faangler did you ever think that the facial expressions and body language are a result of being booed by 30,000 people? At any level of football peoples heads goes down when they are jeered, never mind by their own fans. They also might of been disillusioned because they were playing poorly...which could of been a result of many different factors. I'm not blind to the weaknesses of MoN but i believe they are things which he can improve on. One of the criticisms of him last season was that he didn't use his substitutes well enough of the squad, hes come out and said he will address this. How come the rest of the world believes in MoN ability but we don't? |
Richard
said:
|
...Lions Den Penang said: I thought you would ask him why he'd said it!! |
jk92923
said:
|
... Graymo - about yesterday - water under the bridge buddy...for my involvement too! i'll buy you a beer at half time at the Holte end saturday week! UTV |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... I keep on saying that we are wasting our time talking about veloso, mouthino, sneijder, vdv, love and all those dream players, we should think nearer to home, mon must be on the phone now with southgate and allardyce!! |
Faccundo
said:
 |
... Let's get some great signings in and get Heskey OUT! VDV, Veloso, Sneider, Love, Spiranovic c'mon MON give us something to shout about - if you can't manage the signings get a technical director to do it for you while you continue to manage our progress Diego Lugano is available on a free from Fenerbache - brilliant CB and looking for 1.8m euro pa. Get moving MON!! Uruguayan international Time to look outside England |
Steve Badger
said:
 |
... All the players we are being linked to for the defence are nowhere near good enough imo. Although I still fully expect MON to come up with the goods before the end of the window, both barrels are definitely loaded in readiness As for the main post, I'm not sure it's good to question too much, as it tends to lead to negative thoughts. Sometimes you just have to believe. |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Blackburn just signed Salgado This is on top of Big Sammy signing Hierro at Bolton Don't even try and tell me the Villa aren't a more attractive proposition than both of those do nothing clubs. Either that or Allardyce just has some great connections at Real |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Lucas Neil on a free? Why not MON - can play RB but is much better at CB Get someone NOW plz |
andrewvillamadj
said:
|
... are you just making this up vijay cause if you are stop getting everybodys hopes up ! do you have a source inside billa park ? |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Vijay Maybe MON is on the phone with Allardyce to be taught how to do a deal with Real MON getting spanish lessons LOL |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... Faccundo mate, thats a good one, haha Its so disappointing , i had high hopes for this transfer window, but its all fizzling out, mon will have a lot to answer if he doesnt sort this mess out, and lerner is in deep trouble! |
Villa man
said:
 |
... Why is anyone believing vijay? I thought this guys has had meetings with mon and players while at the peace cup? I thought this wad the guy who kept saying don't worry the big signings are on the way? p***k!!! Vijay you talk shit! If you don't know anything then f**k off! If you have someone close to villa park (which you don't) then name him or her. p***k |
Chiefy1
said:
|
... I reckon we will see wheater or huth or warnock soon at villa park just a guess no info from inside villa park only my season ticket seat is a little lose and the bloke two rows in front to the left has bad hair |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Vijay Any chance of Lugano or Neill? Are they MON type players? Both would add some backbone to our defence. |
andrewvillamadj
said:
|
... well said villa man , i like what vijay is saying but i dunno if it is true |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... villa man, you are a waste of space so watch you language and just go back to hole youve come from! You only wish to have met mon and the players!!!! |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Sneider about to sign for Inter for 15m euro in five installments. Can we not better this? Why don't we gazump Inter and break our wage structure? Is the transfer market just crazy when we'll pay the same for Downing? I think Damian is right and Lerner is the new Ellis |
Andy Young
said:
|
... Faccundo, Maybe it's more that Sneijder thinks Inter are a bigger club than Villa? Let's face it, they are. |
jk92923
said:
|
... clearly Villa_Man has been out of the loop about barring people for abusive language etc....Damo is on the lookout Villa_Man, i'd be careful buddy. |
jk92923
said:
|
... hey guys...a handy site for seeing what games are on TV. doesn't mention tomorrows game though....only says it is on Channel 5 on the return leg... http://www.livesportontv.com/football |
Tom
said:
 |
... I love that there's always one or two who simply make up a channel and time that the game is on. Always useful. |
Trezzy
said:
|
... lescott never trained with the everton 1st team 2day? maybe mon has had a bid excepted and thats why its all hush hush? lol or am i a dreamer |
Freelancelot
said:
|
... Neil, I apologise - when writing my earlier post I believed you were Damian. Don't take it personally and don't sue me. Damian - Just assume I dropped you a line out of the blue (if you're of the same view as Neil, that is). Looks like a bad day for the conspiracy theorists though, with the "unsettled" Luke Young talk scotched and "bust up" Carew in the squad for tomorrow. |
Rob The Villain
said:
 |
... Not sure how accurate this is but when did why sign Courtney Cameron? Who is he? How old? and where does he play? Apparently signed from Northampton so guessing he's a youngster. Just ended up on the sun's website and looked at the in's and out's, he was on there but Delph wasnt! |
mikey18
said:
|
... When things go well, according to expectation i.e we play well/win no one is interested in asking questions but when things go tits up everybody demands to know why. Usually their is no one person to blame, and sometimes its beyond explanation and has to be put down to luck. The club are right to keep the information they put in the public domain limited. Look at Lescott, Everton and Man city. Mark Hughes believes that because Everton announced on their website that they've rejected a bid for lescott off city that it justifies the resulting pursuit. It doesn't. Look at Hull City who have announced several of their perspective signings of which most have gone to other clubs or stay with their current clubs. What are you going to take from finding out that we are interested in/ have been rejected by Sneijder/VDV/Bentley etc etc? It would have a lot more adverse implications than positive ones. It may attract other potential buyers raising the price, it may offend the selling club that we've aired it and cause them to dig their heels in, it may cause other players to think, if he won't go their why should i etc etc |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
 |
...odysseynumberfive said: Yeah, I mean playing for Inter in Milan, or Villa in Birmingham? It's not really a contest. You'd probably have to double the wages on offer from Inter, and even then it wouldn't be enough. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... But say, Wagner Love...From Moscow to Birmingham, surely that has to be possible. And a step up to a better league with a higher profile. Not saying MON would go for him, but as ak_27 pointed out, he does look the perfect 4-5-1 striker. Pace, strength, control, and an eye for goal. |
Anthony-Daventry
said:
 |
... Excellent post Neil I have a feeling that for some this may pass them by... pleaseconsider we have the regular optimists on here who appear almost stubborn, the smart arses who continue to have a balanced approach out of fear of questioning whilst for the chancers with inside information on key dates related to transfer activity I can only assume that they change their identity out of sheer embarracement. Filter this out and I believe the majority of Villa supporters will share your concerns - the days whereby comments such as 'MON spends money like his own', MON knows what he is doing with late transfer dealings' or even 'If a player worth 25m become available and MON wanted him then the chairman would sanction the deal etc etc' have become few and far between and therefore the inevitable shift in belief is happening. |
Sean
said:
 |
... 12m for a 30 year old well he is better than any centre back we have currently and he has experince. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
 |
... Rob, Cameron is a young lad from Northampton who signed at the beginning of the window, search his name and you can probably find the story, theres a statement from their youth team coach etc. He's gone straight into the academy, i think he's only 16 or 17 or something which is why not many are counting him as an actual in, like Carruthers who we signed from Arsenal a couple months ago. |
jaywillis
said:
 |
... I can't say I would pay £12m for Upson. But it has got to the point now where I'll take anyone. He is a solid defender and would improve the squad so no complaints from me. I was just thinking about signing players and although there are 12 days left to do so, we will be in Austria today/tomorrow then getting ready for Liverpool, so can't see anyone coming in before Monday, when we'll only have a week left and I can't see us concluding any more than 2/3 signings in a week but I think we need more. |
ak_27
said:
|
... Here this could be very interesting if it actually true. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A55968439/url] My guess is Moyes. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... MoN sure loves a £12m bid doesn't he the cheeky little Leprachaun. Too much money for Upson, but if he wants to pay it i'm not gonna grumble. Educated at Arsenal, consistent, Good awareness, turn of pace and gets his head on most things. Could be the steadying influence our back line needs. See, I told you last night we'd get a CB in. I hope he comes, better player than Distin in my opinion. |
Deano avfc
said:
 |
... Upson would be a very good signing, why not make a move for him 3-4 weeks ago?? Would have liked a younger mini Laursen/Mellberg but he will definitely do a job for us partnering Cuellar. UTV |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... I said that we'd sign Upson yesterday, the only thing concerned me was Man City but its now likely that Lescott will sign for them so we will have a clear chance on Upson, my only concern is the price, but that is not my problem, he will be a top class addition to the squad, 3rd choice for england, first choice for villa!! |
jimbo
said:
 |
... Bring upson in, he is a quality centre half imo and much better than what we have now. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... ak, interesting news dude. God i hope its not MoN. Moyes is a good shout but they said specifically top 8. who finished 8th last season? |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...Deano avfc said: The spirit of your inquiry complements Neil's excellent post rather well. Maybe we did, maybe only now is the business being done and therefore talked about. Maybe he was always the replacement lined up for Knight... To Neil's larger point, we are very curious creatures...Science, religion, philosophy, football...all of these exist in response to questions we want answered. Like, "What would happen if I were to kick this sort of round-shaped rock toward Mklagthur over there? Will he kick it back? Will he smash my head in?" Unfortunately, we'll never know, because the poor lad broke his foot and the rock didn't move. |
ak_27
said:
|
... Juan Pablo Angel i think it might be just a wind up. I doubt very much that its MON anyway. |
Ronan Kenny
said:
|
... Upson is probably the best defender we can get apart from Hageland which i suspect Fulham probably want around 15m-20m for, so if it comes off good signing indeed. |
Geoffrey Littleton
said:
 |
... RE: That BBC report Despite what many of you have been saying, I'd be devastated if MON was sacked.. It makes me sick just thinking about it. |
Deano avfc
said:
|
... kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly - Not sure what your point is, normally if a bid or inquiry had been made about a player, his agent is the first to let the press know thus creating bidding wars and raising the profile of the player, because there hasn't been much talk of Upson this summer, this is the reason why i personally think we should have made a move 3-4 weeks ago...I could and probably am wrong. UTV |
jaywillis
said:
|
... sounds like a load of rubbish to me! i've had talksport on for 20 minutes and nothing has been said at all! |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... Kohoutek, you reckon Zola was making sure Gabbidon came back from injury with no concerns before he'd consider a deal? I also hear now they have a couple of injuries up front they're looking for funds for a last minute striker deal. It's funny how things hot up at the end of the window. Is everyone aware that more business is done in the last three days of the window than the whole rest of it combined? it's true. I think Arsene mentioned it the other day too. God Upson would be perfect...i'm glad it's not my money tho. Good old Randy paying over the odds again, bless his cottons. |
Jeddo
said:
 |
... Upson? I think this would be great news. Hope it's true. Desperate for some good news. It's been so miserable lately. Give us something to be positive about martin |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... The reason Upson wasnt signed was cos of the price, although dont know what price has been agreed now. Mon will not resign and not be sacked, no way, atleast not till next summer! |
clarkamus
said:
|
... if we sign upson that will be great he is probably the best that we can get for that money, 12 seems a lot but we will get at least 4 seasons out of him i hope this is true!!! another centre back is still needed and juhasz's name has popped back into the frame and for a cut price 1.5m-3m sound like its worth a punt for me for hungarys player of the year last year??? |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... If we get Upson we might aswell for Lucas Neill, he's on a free, can play both full backs and centre back |
mikey18
said:
|
... Upson is a great player, compared to what we have any way. But 12million for a 30 year old is stupid. Roy Hodgson has said that it would take a bid upwards of the 12.8 million that took Saha to United, 15million would be more than enough to secure hangeeland, who is 3 years younger. |
Ronan Kenny
said:
|
... Upson and Distin could work very well, both pacy, decent passers of the ball, good in the air (if im not mistaken Upson scored last week with a header) and most importantly good readers of the game not like the Davies lad. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... ak, if its true and you're right about moyes. what about 11th hour bids for arteta/cahill/jagielka? theyre such a tight nit squad with Joleon off potentially and no manager they could be easy pickings and less competition at the top of the table this season? Deano, to be honest mate I wouldn't be suprised if Distin was our No1 choice who we've been chasing for the last 2-3 weeks because MoN thought he could get him for 2-3m. Unfortunately it looks like we're gonna be spending a lot more than he wanted and I wouldn't be suprised to see Wheater or Huth follow him in for 6m-ish. At the end of the day West Ham don't want to sell and if they can have himj for the first couple of games and start well I can see the logic in that. start well, get gabbidon fit, flog him in the last week and sign Chamakh probably with the money. Vijay, Neil is a good player, but will have to take a lot less money to play for us and I'm not sure i like his attitude. he'll want to play every game and I think there are better CB's out there and the guy is really a RB and I think L Young is better. We need more cover at LB in imo. Juhasz is a possibilty but I think we're linked because we were previously. I really don't see this as a MoN signing. Remeber we had scouts at boro again this week. Wheater and Tuncay plaease. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... Deano, Juan Pablo... Dunno...Just saying that since MON is so quiet, and we never really hear anything from anyone actually involved until the 'bid-has-been-accepted' stage, it could've been in the works for a while. And as Juan Pablo says, perhaps it was contingent on Gabbidon's fitness, or was just 'on hold' until now, or perhaps a deal they didn't want to complete, but didn't want to rubbish, and now there's something forcing their hand. |
Rob The Villain
said:
|
... A couple of weeks ago I would've said £12m for a 30 year old is crazy but I'd definitely take it now! Can probably get 4 years out of him, his injury record isn't great but get him in.... NOW! I think this proves we have money to spend don't you Damian? |
rackface
said:
 |
... Surely if Upson arrives he will play with Davies. Cuellar has shown very little since his move from Rangers. At least Davies looked like a class act for most of last season and the season before. Hope we do get Upson even if £12 mill is a lot to spend on an injury prone ex Bluenose queer. |
heskeyshead
said:
 |
... rackface its people like you that put off people coming down to villa. sickening! |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
|
... Thinking about it lads, this is probably the Schneijder money, now that he is probably off to inter. I reckon most of our transfers have been on hold in case we were gonna blow most of our budget on the dutch man. Anyone agree? |
Altan Kargaci
said:
|
... Upson for £12mn seem's a bit steep but hey it's not my money . Very good player , my only worry would be about how injury prone he is . I see Lescott has thrown his toy's out the pram and seems to be sulking at not being allowed to join City . Makes me sick how "professional" footballers can behave like this . Reminds me of when Yorke left for Man U . UTV |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... Juan Pablo mate, he says not Ashley is not for sale, Man City and Hughes are lucky to have big money to spend and which manager wouldnt want to sign top players, very difficult to break into top 4 and that he doesnt know his long term future because in football you never know!! |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... And Yes Juan Pablo, i think you are maybe right about Neill, he dont really need him, lets get Upson and Wheater in, that will be our central defence sorted! |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... Sneijder was never coming, Upson has been on hold cos of the price, dont how know how much he's costing now........ |
Michael
said:
 |
... Bring in Upson, very smart and experienced defender with the odd goal - the english laursen when you throw in the 'injury prone' quality! |
Altan Kargaci
said:
|
... We should put a sneaky bid in for Jagielka , for me the better CB at Everton . Shame he's injured untill Christmas . He could keep DJ Stew company! |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...Juan Pablo Angel said: Well, it's possible...But perhaps it's just the case that MON was bargaining, couldn't get it any lower and had to just say 'alright then' because he wasn't inspired by the Wigan showing. Maybe there was no money, and RL said after Wigan, "Oi! MON! Get it sorted!" There has to have been somewhere in the neighborhood of at least £20m-30m to spend this summer I would've thought. With our net spend fairly low as of now, I'm thinking MON probably still has enough to do a deal for Love or VDV or something if he were so inclined. But maybe it's really wages, etc., that is the stumbling block. RL might be saying, transfer fees are one thing, but I'm not paying anyone £100k a week and having everyone else thinking they deserve the same. If you can convince everyone that VDV is worth 2-3 times what they're making, and keep them from asking for more, go ahead, sign him. |
Michael
said:
|
... Think we'll get Wheater too which would be great, just another midfielder and striker and don't sell anyone else....except Marlon - His fee can pay for the austria trip!! |
andrewvillamadj
said:
|
... I told you yesterday he was worth going for and i said 12m but some one had a go saying it would never happen 12m for a 30 year old |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... Marlon's fee might pay for a round at the Holte. I can understand why we took a punt, but my god, I'm six times the 'footballer' he is...just wasn't blessed with the same physique. I can't believe anyone can get this far in football with so little skill. |
Rich
said:
 |
... If it is true that we are even contemplating £12M for Upson then this is the first time I'm going to seriously question O'Neill. This is crazy money for an average 30 year old. PLeaes, please its not true or Citeh outbid us. MON has a duty to spend our clubs money wisely and this is the worst deal I could contemplate. We could get the Hungarian Captain for £1.5M, who's probably at least his equal (can't be more average) and have £10.5M to spend on another CB or elsewhere. MON, stop bidding for average inflated Premiership players or else even your supporters are going to lose heart. I can't believe those people who are so desperate for a signing that they'd admit to 'take anyone at whatever price'. It's obviously not their money they're playing with!!! |
Rich
said:
|
... Kohutek If this is the Sneijder money I'm finished. 33 years of following the Villa from a young 6 year old. What a joke. From Sneijder to Upson!!!  |
parisianrob
said:
 |
... got to be zola who has gone he threatened to resign if he had to sell upson bid from villa today got to be |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... Rich... Back away from the ledge! Realistically, there was never going to be any Sneijder... Whether this represents, in turn, the rest of MON's transfer kitty, aka "the Sneijder money," I have no idea. That MON would pay £12m for Upson...it seems to tell me money isn't particularly a problem. How MON spends it...Well, this is the big debate we're all having. Personally, I'm with some others, ak_27 chief among them I think, and Damo, who feel a stronger midfield in terms of personnel or formation would help the back four. I don't think Cuellar and Davies are necessarily a disaster...I do think teams get to run at them without much trouble, and they're left in no-man's land a lot of time, trying to get upfield, then finding themselves coming straight back because someone's done something stupid and speculative with the ball and the team is strung out all over the pitch. I should start taping the matches I can watch on TV and analyzing them more carefully, but I don't know that this pairing is quite the problem most would like to think. I think it has as much or more to do with the work-rate in midfield, the formation, the constant urge to quickly attack upfield, etc., the lack of an NRC to slow down or break up opposition moves. The one thing I can't explain is the Headless Chicken Show that seems scheduled for about the 75th-80th minute and runs until full time. Wherein professional footballers can't head a ball more than two feet, can't simply kick it downfield, and, well, you've seen the show. This...If I were MON, I'd take a cattle prod to anyone involved in that circus. I'm completely at a loss to explain it. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... ^^ For me, I'd take van nistelrooy...even if he did nothing but stand around in the box, his conversion rate would still be 2-3 times better than that of anyone we currently have. And since Gabby doesn't really track back anyway, we wouldn't be missing anything. |
Aaron
said:
 |
... Upson is a decent CB no doubt and I'll be happy if he joins but 12m for a 30 year seems a lot. If he was world class then fair enough but I don't feel that is the case. With that kind of money surely we could get better abroad. I wouldn't mind us breaking the bank for Hangeland though, the guy is quality. Not sure what the chances are we'll get Upson though. I think he would come to us but Zola doesn't want to let him go and surely West Ham wouldn't be stupid enough to go one over him and sell up cause it's pretty clear he will walk. He's doing a find job there and I reckon he'll go on to better things either way. |
Graymo
said:
|
... I put a poll together on the BBC site looking at where people thought Villa would finish this season. I know we had one on here a few weeks back but its interesting to see how people have become a lot more cautious since then: Today 11.5% said 4th-5th 26.9% said 5th-6th 11.5% said 6th-7th 19.3% said 8th-9th 30.8% said Below 9th 2 Weeks ago 17.5% said Top 4 48% said 5th-6th 30.9% said 7th-8th 2.6% said Below 9th |
Rich
said:
|
... kohutek If we can't get Sneijder that fine. I don't have an issue with this. However we should then go from first choice down the list of those who will improve our midfield. Try VDV, Kranjcar Defour. Lets give them the opportunity to say no. Surely then ther must be some gems ABROAD who would jump at the chance at joining Villa. I maintain I wouldn't contemplate Upson. The hatred is mutual but more to the point, he's drastically overpriced and not much better (if at all) than what we have. At least we can defend Calamity by saying he possibly has potential (although at the moment I admit it doesn't look like being fulfillied). |
Steve-o
said:
|
... MON SSN Interview no mention of upson on the interview http://www.skysports.com/video/clips/0,23791,16468_5500667,00.html |
tom P
said:
 |
... yes upson and wheater are good players, but who agrees that we need an exiting forigner in midfield or up front to get some goals in, and make the holte end get on their toes again! i kinda had enuf with MON stubborn 'only by english' mentality. |
IdahoVillan
said:
 |
... 12m is a lot for a player Upson's age and with his injury record. Unfortunately I think we have to pay-up. One thing that I think we are all missing is the huge impact that our loss had on the transfer market. That embarrasing defeat did two things: 1) EVERYONE knows that we desperately NEED a CB! Prices just went up on every available defender. You never want to buy when all the sellers know you are desperate. 2) If you think that the average supporter is re-thinking whether Villa/MON/Lerner are for real or are the next Newcastle, you know any potential player is having the same thoughts. With that defeat you can cross off the likes of Sneijder and VDV. I'm hopefull like everyone else, but it woulld take quite a sales pitch to get a world class player to forgo the likes of Inter for Villa. Unlike some on this blog, I think that MON has had a strategy for his signings. Unfortunately, that strategy was to low-ball on players banking on the closing window to force a deal to get done. Now, with good quality defenders drying up (name me a team that doesn't seem to need a defender or two) and our need so obvious, I think this strategy bit us in the ****. The question for Lerner / MON is do we pay-up and solidify our squad or do we make-do and hope that we can sort things out in January? I for one, hope that the bid for Upson is real and that the it indicates our willingness to solidify now rather than latter. |
steven the toffee
said:
 |
... how are you villains you recovered after the disastrous weekend yet.i am just getting somewhere back to normal now. |
VillaNick
said:
 |
... steven the toffee how are you villains you recovered after the disastrous weekend yet.i am just getting somewhere back to normal now. Good to hear it, most of us are probably still really annoyed but I'm still optimistic we can get a few players in which will help. Everton do look a bit stuffed at the moment |
tom P
said:
|
... idaho villan, we cannot wait until january, it is our top priority to get a CB, we can hold out with not having a proven goal scorer, for the moment, but we NEED a CB, this summer or we will be up shit creek |
confusedvillafan
said:
|
... steven , what was lescott like sat , think the situation regarding him stinks,anyway dont think a lot on here will ever recover from the weekend |
steven the toffee
said:
|
... ha ha.confusedvillafan lescott didnt actually do anything wrong on sat it was the other disastrous centre half yobo who was at fault he is an awful centre back.lescott needs to go now this has gone on long enough.were villa poor on sat or were wigan good. |
confusedvillafan
said:
|
... maybe yobo`s related to davies .we were poor to be honest hopefully liverpool are gonna get it next up (in the league that is) especially as we`ll have our new signings |
Rich
said:
|
... Steven Both. Villa were extremely light in the midfield, poor at the back. fair play to Wigan. Tactically they saw this and exploited it. It could and should have been a lot more - perhaps even 6 |
TrueVillan
said:
 |
... if this is true then it proves MON transfer ability is nil! he wont pay the extra 1 mil or so for distin, who is 31! only a year older than upson! FFS it makes no sense! surely there must be world class players abroad for this type of money, who are in their prime! if this is our 'top class midfielder' money then we are f**ked! it will only show his waiting game stance in the transfer market does not work, god, he really is the worst manager we have ever had for dealing with transfers, then all we end up with is average premier league players! |
Rich
said:
|
... £24M on Upson and Downing - just think about it and consider what other clubs have got for this kind of money. Its crass and stupidity in the extreme and I've never said a bad word against MON. I hate to think what his detractors are going to say. |
Trezzy
said:
|
... personally i dont think upson is a s good as huth. and huth would be cheaper and he is alot younger. |
Anthony Laud
said:
 |
... ffs 12m for upson! does oneil have no talent at looking abroad! I think upson is a good player and if thats what we have to pay then pay it! but you can get far better abroad vidic 8m, agger 6m, toure free, hangeland 3m i could go on and on!! i am sure we will have oneil saying by the end of august when we dont sign anyone else 'we didnt want to pay over the odds for players' thats what he fk;ing always says. does he not get it by simply buying domestically he forces the club to pay over the odds cause domestic based players are valued higher! he is a prat! i dont want huth, turner, distin, wheater either all will be overpriced - look abroad martin ffs!!! |
Anthony Laud
said:
|
... and isnt upson almost as injury prone as darren anderton! 12m we'll prob get 50 games out of him before he retires! |
Frosty
said:
 |
... Just read the entire page, anyone spot the hidden Bluenose? Clue he's not poor! Anyway, scouts at Middlesborough again this week, I'm hoping it's because they couldn't watch Tuncay last time around, if not I'm sure one of these new players will be from Middlesborough ( huth, wheater or tuncay ) |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...Rich said: I agree...Obviously don't know what's happened behind the scenes, but I'd certainly like to see these players (well, I have to admit, I know nothing of this mystical Defour besides his astonishing reputation on this board). Does MON have a strategy and these players don't fit...(?) Does MON not have a strategy and is just stingy, afraid of big names, doesn't like foreigners? Does MON just not have the money? Has MON contacted them all and gotten a "No, thanks!"? We may never know the answers, and I know this contributes to frustration, the simple lack of knowing. Obviously we don't expect MON to reveal his master plan for world domination, but apart from the "young & English & expensive" tendency, the clues we do have don't seem to lead to any complete picture, especially in relation to some of what we're seeing on the pitch. I'd agree also that £24m for Downing and Upson...Well, it would seem to go awfully far on the continent, and you would think VDV would be better than Downing (assuming we could convince him to come), and that we could do better than Upson for £12m. Not saying he's a bad player, but that's a lot of money for a 30yo defender. |
xandehx
said:
 |
... MON can't win. Everyone slags him off cause we need a CB we supposedly bid for one and he gets slagged off further for spending too much on someone too poor. I think sometimes people forget that they support Aston Villa. |
nigel
said:
 |
... Steve Good to have you on here. You know the saying 'misery loves company'... Seriously though, I watched the Arsenal game and felt sorry for you guys. Could'nt help thinking that Lescott's body language didn't look good. Felt it definitely had a negative affect on the team spirit. What do you think? |
SuperMartin
said:
 |
... It's doomed all, we're going down, even I am looking for a new job, Randy wont part with the cash, no decent players, upset dressing room, it all adds up doesn't it? |
Rich
said:
|
... Would anyone like to venture how much Upson will be worth if we were to sell him in two years time? I reckon for a 33 yr old (and injury prone) £2-£3M tops. Either that or he sees out his contract and is worth zero! |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... I guess I should say that I, and others, have inferred a strategy on MON's part...Or deduced a likely one. But without more information, we've no way to prove or disprove our own thoughts. Like if someone in the know would say, "MON is a big believer in buying young, athletic players, grafters familiar with the game...It's not that he doesn't rate some of these foreign stars, he just thinks that they'd be mercenaries coming to Villa and moving on, which would only damage the side." Agree or disagree, if someone could say such a thing, anything, with authority, it would make things clearer, obviously, and people would really know what philosophy/plan/strategy there was and then react accordingly. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...xandehx said: In many ways, I think you're right...What he should do, I've begun to believe, is do a little PR of his own. And by this I mean finding the means to leak some of his ideas as informed speculation on the part of commentators in the know. I think if fans, as is the whole point of Neil's post, did have more info to go on, the reactions would be less extreme, the inferences less dire. And it would take some heat off MON. I'm willing to believe he has a plan, because he seems too smart not to, and so on. And he has achieved results. But there are puzzling things. |
ak_27
said:
|
... kohoutek i think MON is extremely reluctant to buy players who do not speak English. I think we can say at this stage that MON is not gifted tactically and by all accounts does not coach the team in training so that leaves motivating. I heard Clough once say in that documatary a few months ago "why would i buy a foreigner? How could i get speak to them". I think MON is hugely influenced by Clough. Only thing Clough wouldn't work in today's PL. Im guessing MON feels he would not be able to get through to players who do not speak English. |
IdahoVillan
said:
|
... I am confident that MON has a plan. We may never get to hear it, but if you look at the talent he is bringing in -- Delph, Downing, Ash, Milner, Guzan. Now add the "home grown" talent of Albrighton and Delfonso, he is building a solid young foundation for the future. I for one will hereby make every attempt to surpress my negativity at our immediate results and look to the future. Yes, we have holes, but WOW, what a future we have if we can just fill a couple of holes! TomP - I'm with you. A CB before September is a must to salvage this season. Surley we will have at least one new defender! |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... ak_27: Not disagreeing, but surely most of these players speak enough? It's not like they have discuss the finer points of quantum physics...maybe in the 70s it was different, but now...english is the world's second language. Anyway, it's all baffling. We do have Carew, Petrov, Cuellar...which would actually be the so-called spine of our team as it stands. Granted, they all speak English to some degree, but our 'spine' is actually foreign. |
ak_27
said:
|
... kohoutek 2 of those lived in Scotland and so had English to a degree and Carew is from Norway and im amazed how everyone im ever met from Sweden,Norway have perfect English. Its just something that has stuck in my mind since watching that documentary. Just a theory of mine. I hope its not true as i really hate this buy English thing. Like someone above said if we buy Upson that would be 24m spent on 2 English squad players. That would go a long way if spent on players from elsewhere. |
Doubledown9
said:
 |
... I'm pretty sure Cuellar only speaks the most basic English. I seem to remember him giving an interview to the OS through an interpreter. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... Although I reckon Downing will prove to be a good signing, when you put it like that (£24 mill for the two) it's a bit disconcerting, isn't it? I don't think we have a lack of money and I'd bet we were in for Sneidjer. Bloody hell MON, get the goods in, like I know you will. I'm getting sick of the speculation. Arrrggghh, even I'm getting impatient now |
ak_27
said:
|
... Burnley beating Utd at HT. Defoe 2 goals already tonight. And i stupidly put Crouch into my team. |
Deltic Man
said:
 |
... MON ! He really is becoming a absolute pain in the backside with his lack of action in the Transfer Market ! He just has not got a clue when it comes to seeing the potential of adding a few more quality players like Veloso or VDV ! We aint going anywhere further under his Stewardship this season ! Ill be sick as a dog if the Bluenoses beat us in Sept and rather pissed off with the Now Clueless one !!! |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... keithj, marca-real madrid Interesting. So he's not training with the squad, the clubs have pretty much sorted a deal, but he's not happy with the offer. Now Inter obviously haven't got a pot to piss in if they've only offered 3 instalments, so I bet they're not offering much in the way of wages either. That says to me we're still in with a shout and MON is biding his time, ready to trump any offer. Or not. I know MON mentioned him, but perhaps he just isn't interested? Who knows how MON works? I've given up trying to second-guess him now. I suspect this one will go all the way to the end of the window, though. And we're still trying. |
connor rust
said:
 |
... Here is some simple logic....if we sign players to replace Laursen and Barry, Villa will prosper...if not, we will get relegated. |
keithj
said:
|
... badger do you remember mon saying the club would not be held to ransom etc. just thought but maybe they are trying with us what rafa did to them (ie shafted ) |
Vijay Daryanani
said:
|
... Im watching the Burnley-Man u game, owen coyle should be proud of his boys, whatever the score! |
Pat
said:
 |
... Lookin very much like R 1st point/points will B V Fulham,cause we will get sfa from Anfield, Mon what a bad start,just when we were full of hope 4 the new season along comes that BIG KICK in the teeth once more.Is the game on live on tv 2morrow nite? |
James Clift
said:
 |
... I've just watched the interview with David Moyes about Lescott. Who do these players think they are?! Everton made that lads career (as we did with Barry) They put him on a long contract with very good wages then that tosser Hughes comes out publically to say he wants him and 'bang' the transfer request is in. There needs to be some kind of rule to be in place that protects clubs as these mega rich players take the piss out of us fans and make a mockery of the game. |
Leroy
said:
 |
... SCOUTING REPORT: Middlesborough - For the last two years Boro have had four decent players. Luke Young, which you bought already; Stewart Downing, which you have bought already; Sanli Tuncay, good player buy him; David Wheater, good player buy him..... There you go Mart, now you dont have to waste anymore f**king time down at Boro, considering strengthening the squad....just bloody well do it. You could have both for a snip over the 12mil (for Upson) you want to give West Spam, (which they will use to buy more great players and aid them to leap frog us on the table this year anyway).... |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...badger Very possibly Keith. But if we've bid £12 mill for a 30 yo defender, you'd have to wonder how this sort of player can be seen as robbery at £16(?) mill. Surely MON can see he's worth that price? Unless you mean you think they've quoted us a stupid price? |
FatKevs
said:
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... I am sick of us have to pay over the odds for average prem players. MoN has no vision for transfer we have been saying it for seasons now. The only reason we want him to stay is because who else would yanky choose to be our nmanager he would turn to the goofy general. Lets be honest the football is not pleasure to watch but most will settle for that for some sucess. MoN does not become a poor manager over night so we will just have to hope, like he does, it is clear ther is no thought which suprises me. |
Graymo
said:
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... I think it's fair to say that Spurs have leapfrogged us. I can't remember the last time we won convincingly like they have tonight. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...if the real news are to be believed or offer was 10 mill euros they want 25 We offered What? 8 and a half mill, yet are willing to pay £12 mill for a 30 yo?!!!! God, that has to be wrong and hopefully just an opening (and downright stupid) gambit. |
deansaundersperm that's perm
said:
 |
... looks like it could be a wide open league again this year, pity that it looks like we won't be in the mix |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... Just seen your amendment Keith. So we've offered 19 mill but he's gong for less to Inter? if that's true, he obviously doesn't want to come |
OneVilla
said:
 |
... Ok both our midlands rivals have both picked up 3 points... sadly i cant see where ours will come... |
Stuart Kinane
said:
 |
... Re Matthew Upson, in the words of Jimmy McNulty "Bring Him In"!! Seriously though, I can't see West Ham accepting £12m. Not because he is worth more but purely because City have inflated the prices of defenders with Toure & maybe Lescott. I have a few friends who are West Ham fans and they rate Upson as being their best player. He is arguably better than Lescott. Capello certainly seems to prefer him. If we can get him in, I think he could be a worthy replacement for Laursen. Not only could he shore up the defence but Davies will be able to leran from him. Remember Davies played very well alongside Laursen. At the moment, he & Cuellar look way too fragile. After that, if we get Warnock, Tuncay and either Dunne/Distin in, we will be flying. |
deansaundersperm that's perm
said:
|
...on form we will be in the mix looking over our shoulder Midland hatrickyeah said that the other day, i wonder what the odds are? |
Frosty
said:
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... How much do you think Laursen was worth before he retired? Remember his age.. I'd guess £17m in todays market but not sure. |
OneVilla
said:
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... Yep i agree... presently 8th or below... struggling to see how that will change with the present squad... |
FatKevs
said:
|
... My head would say mid table would be assured with MoN but we have been useless for a while & if we are in trouble come the end of the season we have the mad month of march to get through. We should buy 8 lucky dip players instead of wasting 12m on an average old player. Forget the fancydan CH just a couple of steady ones will do & drop the old man between the sticks |
Alan B
said:
 |
... morning all, just a thought before i go to work and it's going to be silly - maybe ? -- sell ash for 40M and then buy 3 players for say 20,10 & 10 - 1 Out and 3 in. Now I'm only saying this if as some of you have mentioned that we don't have any money - food for thought and please don't kill me as I really like reading all of your comments, but it would improve the squad. Have a good night or day over here. |
legend
said:
 |
... oh dear, burnley 1 manure 0. the media are making hay about the loss of ronaldo and how he has not been replaced. Sack Fergie eh? |
confusedvillafan
said:
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... vijay, f**k UPSON ! sure i read somewhere that cahill had an 8mill buy out clause in his new contract, cahill 8mill or upson 12mill, bloody no brainer,imo |
Rich
said:
|
... Frosty I hope you're not insinuating I'm a Bluenose. What have I posted to ever make you think that? For the record I have supported Villa from when they were a 2nd Div side and remember well listening to the 1975 League Cup Final as a devoted young 7 year old. I remember being in tears when we lost to Charlton, a result that effectively sent us down. If it is myself you are refering to, please don't make such wild assumptions. I've tried to keep this polite! |
bass
said:
 |
... i haven't been on for a while as i am sick of the transfer market and the fact that martin no'deal is crap at it!!!! why have we sold/lost 2 centre backs and brought a right back? and why have we sold a centre midfield player and brought 2 wingers? why have we given marlon deadwood the number 9 shirt and not put him in the uefa squad??? why if he is going to be sold was it not done ages ago so we could get someone else in rather than whatever is left on the shelf at the end of the transfer window? i am sick of it and i have to say i never thought i would say this but martin is not the man to take us further and neither is randy! No more players out just get in jenas, bentley, weater, upson and tuncay!!!!! this would give us half a chance. can i just make a prediction here, by 10pm mon we will be in the bottom 3, pld 2 lost 2 scored none!!!! and it hurts me to say that! |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...vijay, f**k UPSON ! sure i read somewhere that cahill had an 8mill buy out clause in his new contract, cahill 8mill or upson 12mill, bloody no brainer,imo Good shout. Except that he's just signed a new contract  |
confusedvillafan
said:
|
... off subject a little, just watching redknapp on skysports does anybody remember a film The Toxic Avenger |
Rich
said:
|
... Frosty's logic Opinion that Upson at £12M is madness = Blue Nose Work that one out, I can't! |
Graymo
said:
|
... -Alan- That would be a bad idea because although we would have money, I dont think we can trust MON to spend it wisely. We're better off with Young (one of his better buys). |
limerick villan
said:
 |
... Frosty said... How much do you think Laursen was worth before he retired? Remember his age.. I'd guess £17m in todays market but not sureaid 100,000,000 dollars!! Can only bring myself to comment now since saturday.Really hope we can get in at least 2 or 3 quality players. UTV |
Simeon
said:
 |
... Alan B, not a bad shout at all. However, your plan has one fatal flaw: O'Neill will be spending the money. If we sold Ashley for £40m, my guess is that we'd sign Bentley, Jenas and Upson/Steven Taylor. In my opinion, the difference that makes to the overall quality of both the squad and first XI is marginal, and still leaves us with the problem of a lightweight midfield. Give £40m to a manager who can make full use of the global transfer market and you're on to a winner, although we'd be on to more of a winner with half that money and Ashley still at the club. |
jk92923
said:
|
... confusedvillian - i think the point you make that you "read" it somewhere speaks volumes. maybe he doesn't want to come back?? we did send him away. worst move Villa made in a long time but in fairness, he was worthy of first team football, we couldn't guarantee it and maybe some day he will come back, but i would never reckon this soon. would be nice though! |
Faccundo
said:
|
... Upson at 12m is absolute madness Neill on a free, Lugano on a free or even Gary Cahill at 8m are better value (though it would involve MON conceding that selling him in the first place was a mistake, so in my opinion this transacion is unlikely). Spiranovic at 3-4m is also better value. I'm not saying Upson is not a good player, but in the against column he is an ex-bluenose, he is massively injury prone, and he is being quoted at 12m. Far better options available. Open your eyes! |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... Will people talking about Cahill please get it into their heads. He's just signed a new contract! http://www.telegraph.co.uk/spo...tract.html |
vogra
said:
 |
... 12mill for Upson, guys who cares..i really like him and he's just what we need in the centre of defence.. |
Biriani
said:
|
... I just read Reo & Sidders went to MON on Monday to ask WTF is going on. Don't know if it's true but if MON gave them an answer it would make good listening. I suspect though that MON would do a Cloughie and send them away with a flea in their ear. http://www.mirrorfootball.co.u...23749.html Tonight's team selection is sure going to be interesting |
Altan Kargaci
said:
|
... If we want to spend £12mn odd quid on a CB then the 20 year old Serbian playing for Dortmand called Neven Subotic would be worth a punt . He is getting rave reveiws each and every game and he scores goals . Vidic/Hangaland of the future. UTV |
villadownunder
said:
 |
... anyone got any good streams for this evenings game. if we go out tonight i will have to change my mind about the ability of MON. He needs to increase the sqaud with quality not with EPL rejects. I just cant see where the goals are going to come from Gabby and Heskey look shocking. |
Biriani
said:
|
...if we go out tonight i will have to change my mind about the ability of MON. He needs to increase the sqaud with quality not with EPL rejects. I just cant see where the goals are going to come from Gabby and Heskey look shocking. You may be considering going out tonight, but the Villa can't - it's only the first leg. |
villadownunder
said:
|
... so it is....i hope its not to bad a result that we cannot get back in the game. Any way any ideas on the stream i want to make sure i have one before getting up at 3am |
bobvillian
said:
 |
... MON SAID IN INTERVIEW ON WM UPSON TALK IS RUBBISH SAME AS YOUNG NOT GOING ANYWHERE.BUT PLEASE CAN SOMEONE TELL MON THERE ARE PLAYERS ABROARD WHO PLAY FOOTBALL NOT JUST PORTSMOUTH;MIDDLESBRO;ECT?AND CAN HE TRY TO BUY A GOALSCORER; LOOK AT PLAYERS WE WERE LINKED WITH DEFOR;BENT? |
Deano avfc
said:
|
... Morning all. Woke up today thinking a little differently. Instead of thinking negatively about the lack of signings/Laursen/Barry replacements, I'm going to save my energy until August 31st and be optimistic that MON has his players in his sights and has his team doing all he can to get them in. I think he will definately get 1-2 CB's in, I hope he will get a creative midfielder in, (if it was to be a big name I think it would have happened by now though) and I hope he gets a striker in, someone who knows how to find the back of the net which we lack. (D.Bent would have done for example) I think F.Delph will blossom in the CM going forward and getting his fair share of goals, S.Petrov will be giving 110%, J.Milner/A.Young will terrorise defences and provide a service to our strikers, and I hope Gabby gets the confidence back that he lacked for the 2nd part of last season. It's not all doom and gloom like alot of people on here are making out, we have Downing in a few months to mix things up, we will score goals, we will get a better CB pairing, we will go on cup runs and we will be challenging the 'big clubs', If no more signing come, then we can critisize. UTV |
Chris Harper
said:
 |
... You're an inspiration to us all Deano avfc, love the positivity! Im with you- lets judge at the end of the window. A better defence will provide Villa with a great chance of a successful season. So I live and hope we get a CB better than either Davies or Cuellar....saying that, I would make a bigger impact on the defence than Davies does Bring on Rapid, lets stuff'em boys! |
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