Written by Damian Saturday, 25 July 2009 10:35
Well, maybe this isn't a surprise, but it is a surprise. Zat Knight has joined Bolton in a three year deal.
There is nothing on the club site but The Mirror were reporting today that he headed back from Spain for a medical with Bolton before flying out to meet his new team in Holland. It looks like The Mirror were spot on.
Now, I praised the media department at our club yesterday, but why is it we always have to find out the important stuff about our club from other sources?
Does it really take much work to inform us of what is happening?
Anyway, there has been a lot of speculation surrounding Knight and him leaving does suggest that Martin O'Neill has a player lined up to replace him but Knight did a decent enough job for us and he is a Villa fan, so good luck to him.
Seeing as this has happened today I wouldn't be surprised if we were to learn fairly soon who his replacement is and I wouldn't be surprised if it was Distin.
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Mike Carter
said:
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... Just said in the other article - it looks as though we've sold him for more than we bought him. |
Mike Carter
said:
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... How many central defenders are we left with now? I believe we could count the seniors on one hand and have 3 fingers left over  Queue the moaners, but I think it's a great move. It's deadwood shifted for a good price. I expect us to have Michael Turner or Distin in place within a week though! |
taglor
said:
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... CELEBRATE, whoo, maybe MON has some sense after all albeit too late! MON maybe another signing you cocked up like routledge,salifou, maloney etc? Wait for the rush of people now saying its to make way for a load of signings, lol never gonna happen. Where are all the people that said zat was a good signing and would come good, lol even MON didnt have faith. |
Imhotep
said:
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... More than four million, some papers were saying it's closer to five million. That's a fantastic piece of business. |
Az
said:
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... Shame considering he was one of our better defenders last season imo. Good luck to him though  |
Michael
said:
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... im sad to see him go, for a back up centre back he was a good player, and as he is a villa fan hes always going to give 110% good luck to him, i bet he's gutted he has left. |
Leroy
said:
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... Well at the end of the day you would swap Knight for Distin everyday of the week. At least it means we may move for an Upson type, if not better.... I think Knight recieved a lot of flack but i think he did a decent job when all is said and done. To increase his value is quite good also.... Starting to get nervous now about the squad....particularly at the back... |
Billy7
said:
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... I said before, i rate Knight, he'd get in most premiership teams, he's sat on the bench, looked good when he has played, (very good spell last season) and never moaned. True professional. Good luck Zat. (have a word with Cahill for us though) |
Dutch Lion
said:
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... WTF!! We are losing more players! What does O'Neill want for next season? Mission Impossible? Can't believe we're letting more players go before new ones are in - what a joke we are becoming  |
BobsurUncle
said:
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... Hi All, My first post here, I think it could be a good deal if we replace him with distin for 3m as a far better defender, to be fair to Zat he has been a loyal player for us filling in when needed but never really featuring for us and hitting the mark required! Good luck Zat My only concern is are'nt we supposed to be getting players in not out?!?!?! |
villa64
said:
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... I thought no one was leaving until someone came in, hope that means it is good news and we have some one in or is it just more press drivell |
clarkamus
said:
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... surprised to see him go without someone already in but i guess this means that some will sign for us very soon as im sure MON would not let him go without a replacement definitely coming, good business ant 4.5-5M and good luck to him was never gonna be our greatest player but when called upon did his job good luck zat |
paul mcgrath ma lord
said:
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... Hi all my first post also. I would say that although he has a good attitude zat was never 1st team material. i have also heard whispers of a certain christopher samba joining the villa not too sure on him looks good in the air though. and according to the sun today villa have signed a defender called mike cornish from burtin albion for 250k anhyone know anything about that one? |
Daniel Wilson
said:
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... Good luck to Zat, not the most gifted of players but gave his all and played with heart. Never moaned when he was on the bench and always gave 100%. Hope he gets a big cheer when he returns next season. This has got to mean we have someone lined up, i'm 99.9% sure of that as mon wouldn't let him go otherwise. |
Ray Knowles
said:
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... I don't particularly care about Knight going but I do care about who's gonna come in as his replacement. Realistically though, given MON's desire to only bring in existing Premiership players who are we going to end up with? Hangeland is probably the best we can hope for but will Fulham sell their best player? Distin would be good, but it looks like we're gonna be held to ransom by Pompey? Sol Campbell? Maybe for 12 months only. I so want to be wrong on this but I just have a bad feeling that having sold Knight for £4m or £4.5m we're going to blow £16m - £20m on both David Wheater and Steven Taylor. |
robvilla
said:
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... All the best Zat, thanks for that great strike at the death against Arsenal, I live with a gooner and that was a sweet, sweet moment. A good pro who never complained and gave his all when called upon, a guaranteed good reception next time you're at VP. O'Neill won't have allowed this to happen unless he's sure of getting two more centre halves in before the off so we'll await the good news. Distin and Turner anyone? Though Bolton obviously wanted to announce his signing alongside Ricketts, so maybe Cahill is on the move? Come home Gary, we've missed you... |
Mike Carter
said:
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... Exactly Dan. MON isn't an idiot, he understands that by selling Knight he needs to replace him. So just give him some goddamn credit for crying out loud. The window is open for over a month yet. |
villa64
said:
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... Its on the bolton official site so does this mean villa are waiting to announce some one coming in at the same time keep my fingers crossed |
jaywillis
said:
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... Fair play to Zat, he werent the best defender in the world but he's a Villa fan and gave his all for the club. Wish him all the best. I think Distin would be a good replacement for Zat but then who's gonna come in to replace Laursen? because Distin IMO isn't good enough to fill Martin's boots. I don't think MON would have sold Zat if he didnt already have a deal in place for someone else, so hopefully we'll hear something over the weekend. |
Andy Young
said:
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... http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.u...35,00.html Still only a secondary story behind the kit launch. |
Damian
said:
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... Surely the deal must be done for someone else. If it isn't, then the selling club can just up the price now, knowing that Villa need the replacement. Expect something on the club site later today surely ... |
bobvillian
said:
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... with knight gone boss must have replacements lined up; I Have a feeling hangerland will join his best mate big john carew along with sol cambell |
Eoin Greene
said:
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... I truly am shocked. Our second best central defender from last season, which tells us everything about our central defenders is sold. I thought there was nobody going out before we got people in! Knight was a villa fan, who whilst never being a top8 player, did a reasonable squad job for a few years. I wish him well. So with the smallest squad in the league we are now down 4 players for the fist half of next season. Has anyone lost more players than us? Our squad is in a state of crises! We need to bring in about 8 players - and we expect them all to gel? MoN has been here for three years - the state of the squad is shocking! This is appaling management. My hope for next season is all but gone. |
Adey Stuttard
said:
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...All the best Zat, thanks for that great strike at the death against Arsenal, I live with a gooner and that was a sweet, sweet moment robvilla, I'm with you on that one, my daughter is an Arsenal fan and it was sweet coming home after the game and singing 2-0 and you messed(!) it up to her! MoN must have someone lined up, surely to god please..... I was going to go to the Fiorentina game, but am actually really dismayed at our lack of activity so far so not bothering (if anyone from Villa reads this, please take note!!!) |
Rob
said:
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... i cant believe it but im actually annoyed that he is going. I know he is normally useless but he was a good squad player and when he concentrated he normally did ok. i really cant understand how it can be so hard to sign players at the moment. im worried we go to a club ask if they want to sell someone and when they say no we walk away. well martin what do you think they are going to say, you have to fight for quality. what about players like mccormack and ledley, cardiff would take 10 million for them two and would add depth. We are a big club who can offer consistent premier league football. most players would honestly jump at that chance. at the moment we need a right back, 2 centre backs, a quality centre mid and possibly 2 back up wingers. Thats 6 playes. at our current rate i doubt we will get them. |
jaywillis
said:
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... There was something in the Sun about Portsmouth wanting £2m for Sol Campbell. I thought his contract had run out. I'd like to see Sol come in to replace Zat and act as back up for Laursen's replacement - which I'm sure MON has lined up! |
Mike Carter
said:
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... Well if anybody wants a laugh to cheer them up, check out the trivia section on Salifou's Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moustapha_Salifou |
Gary
said:
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... First Post Guys, No one can blame Zat for just wanting to play. I wish him the best. I have major concerns over our cohesion at the start of the season when it looks like most new signings will arrive so late. Have to trust MON has a plan. |
Damian
said:
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... eoin1981 i think some might even say our best after laursn got injured .. i have to admit, now that we only have two central defenders, that i'm a little dismayed at this i mean, we have the money don't we, why do we need to sell a very solid and dependable player. it can only mean another is coming in and the deal is already done, but knight would get into my 17 almost every game regardless of who is coming in now becasue he can play across the back line |
RichT
said:
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... Oh dear, the numbers are looking worrying! The small squad just keeps getting smaller! Zat was a quality squad player and I fancy he'll do well at Bolton. Just a pity he's not moved in a swap deal for Cahill. MON knows what he's doing. I just hope the new guy has Zat's heart and Laursen's tallent! |
villa64
said:
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... I agree with you Damian its got to be announced today, i have never said or written a bad thing about MON and think he is the best thing to happen to villa for a long time but if someone hasnt actually signed this is a big big mistake |
ronsview
said:
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... i cant believe zat has gone alresdy, i personally would of took time to mull the move over spain is very nice this time of year you know |
adam
said:
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... id be pissed off if we sold him to bring Distin in. did anybody see any portsmouth games last season. he was f**kin awful in the games i watched |
Chrisodon
said:
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... I'd read somewhere we were after pepe off real madrid a while back, Never know could be true. |
Eoin Greene
said:
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... Damo - when I said second best defender - I meant after Laursen! As you say, even if we sell Knight - why not wait until the 2 new central defenders are signed on the dotted line. Are we expecting all our new players to hit the ground running at the start of the season. What about partnerships betwen defenders, goalkeeper etc - these things dont happen overnight. Seriously, this is the straw that has broken the camels back for me. I dont even hink Knight was that good. But MoN has been here for three years now and look at our defense! 2 entral defenders - our who is an absolute disaster and the other who has never played there for us and is our back-up right back, our right back who spends all his time at left back because our 1 left back is cant defend and the other may never come back from injury. Seriously - I am shocked. If people are still optimistic - if they fell out of an airplane with no parachute - they would probably be thinking anout what a great view they have. |
dof47
said:
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... WOH!! Zat, good luck mate and thanks for you 100% in every area. Its not a surprise but that must be the green light for some new faces. Doubt before the end of the peace cup, think MON is just taking stock of his options before any BIG moves. Randy will back him and he's a shrewd bugger. We were all at panic stations last window and didnt do too badly overall!! I know some of you want a Man City, Leeds, Newcastle approach to signings but as my Grandad used to say...act in haste, repent at leisure. Building is a slow and frustrating process, just watch a couple of episodes of Grand Designs!!! |
jaywillis
said:
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... Martin's obviously told Zat Knight he was only going to be back up this season, otherwise why would he have gone? This must surely mean MON has got at least one, if not two CB's lined up. I think Sol would come in and be happy to be a backup player, where as Zat obviously wasn't prepared to take a backseat anymore. |
Michael panizza
said:
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... Hmmm 4 out 1 (injured) in...there's no way 5 more players are not coming to Villa now, surely? |
pete
said:
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... should never have brought knight in the begining,who do we get now another average over the hill defender. distin campbell |
Dan Price
said:
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... OK, what happened to MON saying no more sold before we buy? I thought this must mean we had a replacement ready, but looking back, I thought that for Barry too... 4 to replace just to still be the smallest squad by a country mile again... oh the joy. |
Mark
said:
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... I would love to go back to mid last season when Laursson was still playing and tons of people were slagging off Knight - sorry "Fright" was it? Now the same people are slagging off the sale. It's another good piece of business by Villa which shows why the policy of buying English players is so sound - they generally keep a good resale value. Knight had potential but like Bramble just doesn't have the anticipation and concentration required to be a great defender. He was bought as cover and goes having done his job just like Harewood, the only difference being that Harewood was never really required to step up to the plate. |
Rodin
said:
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... I am really glad to see the back of Zat knight,a person who was responsible for a lot of goals we conceded last season.I 'm hoping that we have a better replacement for him waiting to be unvieled |
busybee
said:
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... Is MON having to sell before he can buy? Perhaps Randy has tightened the purse strings? MON's priority for the past few days seems to have been tracking the progress of the new kit on it's journey to Spain! And this talk about Distin. O'Leary wanted him four years ago. Distin's not likely to be any quicker four years on is he? On the subject of Zat Knight all I can say that I'm sorry it wasn't Cuellar who left instead. Can't believe we paid £7m for a player with such poor passing ability. Still he can play right back when Luke Young's injured and MON decides not to play Milner,Reo-Coker or Gardner in that position! |
RichT
said:
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... Wouldn't want Campbell. 4 years ago maybe but not now. Distin can only be Zat's replacement but honestly, i'd rather have Zat. Not happy! |
jaywillis
said:
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... If we have to sel before we can buy, we're in trouble. Maybe MON is expecting Ciaran Clark to make the step up to fill Zat's boots with one more quality CB coming in to replace Laursen. |
Mike Carter
said:
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... eoin1981 - Cuellar played at center back plenty of times last season. Christ, the way you're reacting you'd think the window has just closed. Well guess what? It hasn't. Chill the hell out and give the manager the time he has at his disposal. Another 37 days in case you didn't know. |
Patrick McDermott
said:
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... Maybe MON has got his act together, although Kat Knight is a vila fan, he was left wanting & off the pace on too many occasions. However good luck to him and thanks for his 2 goals against Chelsea & Arsenal! Yet another testing time for MON - just hope he has lined up decent replacement/s - but other than the fee for Knight - why let him go before he brought in new faces ?? Are they all going to arrive on a bus on 14/08!! |
RAZ
said:
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... First of all, Taglor u depress me, bit like small heath does. Atleast now we know a defender is defo coming to villa park because they have to!! I'm sure distin/turner will arrive but i've also got a very good feeling we'll see Hangeland at villa park as laursens somewhat replacement. But i can see a late bidding war from all of the big guns for his signature (us included) and i can see him signing.. dunno why i just fink its in the water. Defense would be strong then if we are to get hutton which i fink is also very possible now spurs have signed a couple of fullbacks.. so perhaps MON leaving things late could work in our favour as surely redknapp will have to offload him and at whatever price is offered just to decrease the wage bill!!! Also get Tuncay and a classy midfielder... we're laughing UTV |
Mike Carter
said:
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... AVMark - you are right, that's exactly what I was thinking. Last season everybody was quick to dismiss Knight as a waste of space. Now he's gone, the tributes are flooding in! What the hell? Let's define a good middle ground - Knight was OK. Average. Half-decent. A good defender for a mid-low Premiership team. He's prone to errors and absolutely cannot hack it against skillful strikers. Look at the big picture - he's not really good enough for Villa. Not even really as a squad player, I'd prefer others ahead of him. I'd certainly take Distin ahead of him in the blink of an eye, and Campbell is better as well. Come on guys, I know you're disappointed to lose another number, but it's only Zat bloody Knight! He's about as easy to replace as the kit man! |
gregdavillain
said:
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... well i think its a good thing and a sure sign better players are coming. We all admit Zat isnt up to this level but in fairness he was liked being a villa fan and a tryer. I think it would be great if we signed up any of Dunne Carvalho Distin Turner As zats replacement imo that would be squad an improvement. Then we should stump up some big money to bring in Hangeland. Add in a player who can play left/right back and jsut like the downing signing we will have more options. |
GG
said:
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... Good bloke, average defender... I would much rather he left after 3 new defenders had arrived though. The management must be pretty confident about getting in some new blood otherwise the "small squad" refrain just isn't going to wash anymore. |
kieron
said:
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... This has got to mean there are players on the way. I'm pretty sure MON was quoted as saying he needed to bring in 5 new players for the team to stand still. |
pete
said:
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... mon has had time,the squad is getting smaller every season.he needs at least 4to 6 new players in now.if not get rid of him |
Jeff Attaway
said:
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... I am dismayed. Would Zat be a great squad player in the Europa League game? Or an emergency substitute? Smallest squad getting smaller. Fine move if we have three more central defenders lined up today in the new kit in front of the press. |
dof47
said:
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... Can we all just chill out a bit and stop fretting! The man knows what he is doing, we dont need to sell to buy and this isn't like playing championship manager! Remember MON's unveiling a few years ago...hope, relief, pure joy!! Where has that all gone. Go on, ask yourself who could do a better job?? |
sam4villacilla4life
said:
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... im gutted knights left he has a great heart and put his hole in to everythin but if in sur oneil wud not hav let him go if there was no replacement in place so im sure we will hav sumone in by next week and i think it cud be mikael silvestre from arsenal, if it was i wud be over the moon very gd plkayer and wud be perfect for villa and then i can see oneil spending sun big money on another centre back most likely upson/ hangelaand or if were lucky he mite go abroad for a change. |
sam4villacilla4life
said:
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... i think oneil made a mistake selling knight at this time especially with out a certain replacement becuz we need 2/3 defenders now and redknapp and moyes have cum out publically sayin the want more defenders so i think we cud struggle to get the players we want |
dof47
said:
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... The new squad look good, good attacking potential and a solid back 2!! The big purple and blue fella right at the back looks nippy!! |
pete
said:
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... dof47 mon does not know what he is doing ,he has proved that with his tactics subs and playing players out of position.i aimost forgot europe |
RAZ
said:
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... Actually i fink that "squad" has some class!! in response to dof47's comment I'm 100% behind MONs decisions. our squad now would murder the shite we were left with under DOL and signings like Downing weren't even possible back then!! a player of his reputation wouln't even blink at villa park in them days... glad they're gone and MON is here!! we need to start appreciating it before he does eventually go! its true u dont know what you've got until its gone! so stop being negative villa fans and have some faith |
Mike Carter
said:
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... I think we should make some people take an intelligence test before being allowed to post on here, some of these comments are ridiculous. |
Christian
said:
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... Jesus, if we waste the money on Turner from Hull I'll be very worried! What's the attraction? Are people just remembering him cos he scored 5 goals last season? The guy cant pass and played in one of the worst defences I've ever seen (i know he can't be blamed for what's around him). The only reason Hull didnt concede 5 per game was Boaz Myhill in goal. Please Martin, we cant go from allegedly eyeing up Vermaelen to turning our attention to Turner... |
Christian
said:
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... vivavilla said... Come on guys, I know you're disappointed to lose another number, but it's only Zat bloody Knight! He's about as easy to replace as the kit man! Love it! |
VillaNick
said:
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... 1874AVFC Villa's new squad show off kit..... We could still beat Blues with just those 4!!!! |
Adey Stuttard
said:
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... RAZ, I totally agree with, I would rather have MoN and his little quirkiness than most other managers - for all the slating that has gone on here in the past, for all we know Randy Lerner may not have given him the funding this window, only time will tell, but it is a little disconcerting that we sell a CB, having already lost one, without having areplacement.... In MoN we trust... |
Eoin Greene
said:
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... Vivavilla - i am sure MoN will make the signings before the end of the window. BUT - How come after three years our squad is so small - if we bring in 8 players, which we need, that is almost a complete overhall. Where is the continuity? Again, how do we expect all these players to gel? Everton, Spurs, Man City are all chasing central defenders - do you think that their fans are saying - 'lets see who villa get and then we can see whats left for us to pick up'. All I hear is endless - Mon knows what he is doing, trust MoN........blah blah blah - trusting him has led us to a squad in crises. Who would do it better you ask? What about Rijkaard, Mancini or Jol to name but three? Silvestre and Campbell - past it by about 4 years! I was out with some mates that I hadn't seen in ages and I asked them what they thought about villa - 'NO AMBITION'. How do you answer that? |
maccathegod
said:
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... anyone remember jose antonio reyes from arsenal?????? well hes available on a free transfer............ |
jaywillis
said:
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...anyone remember jose antonio reyes from arsenal?????? if his club has allowed his contract to run down an he hasnt joined anyone yet then he's no good. We'd say goodbye to dressing room harmony if we signed him too |
VillaNick
said:
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... Looks like our line up on the bench this season could be nanes like Weimann, Lowry, Bannan, Albrighton etc etc... I'm all for giving youth a chance but not all at once! |
Daniel Wilson
said:
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...I'm all for giving youth a chance but not all at once! As a wise man once said - "You'll never win anything with kids"  |
bobvillian
said:
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... talking of pure quality midfielders; paul scholes could be about to leave; now he is pure quality ok he is 33 but he would be a great sighing. |
VillaNick
said:
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...As a wise man once said - "You'll never win anything with kids" Back in those days, footie was so simple my man! Saying that, remembering Vassell coming on in Europe & scoring a couple. Gabby making his debut and scoring although we got stuffed by Everton. Lee Hendrie made a good impression when he made his debut so did Steve Froggit. It's about time we had another inspiring youth moment! |
oldnick
said:
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... Zat knight was sometimes a liability but he was the best defender we had left. It is certainly a strange way for a club aiming to at least remain still in what will be a very tough year in the premiership. |
scott
said:
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... the side if we played a premiership game tomorrow would be friedel l young,cuellar,davies,shorey milner,petrov,sidwell,a young gabby,carew now lets have a look at our cover bouma/no recognised cb,no rb,2 up and comong young wingers,downing to cover young,reo coker and gardner for midfoeld cover and heskey and fonz upfront.breaking it down like that its easy to see we need 2 cbs,a rb a lock opening mf and a porlific striker minimum! |
VillaNick
said:
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... bobvillian: Bannan could be with good players around him - yes. This Andres Weimann guys could be a gem according to reports and slight glimpses I have seen. |
Mike Carter
said:
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...I was out with some mates that I hadn't seen in ages and I asked them what they thought about villa - 'NO AMBITION'. How do you answer that? Erm, by saying that in 3 years we've gone from relegation candidates to top 4 challengers? Isn't that kind of the epitomy of "ambition"? And as for Distin, that argument holds no grounds whatsoever. Is Rio Ferdinand 4 years past it? No. Distin is just as good now as he was a few years ago. |
SMIT101
said:
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... 4 out, 1 injured player in. I thought we were supposed to be increasing the squad size. I honestly cant see us having a bigger squad than last year. I cant wait for next february when we bow out of the Europa League by putting a second string squad out and MON blaming it on our small squad size. We surely cant compete in 4 tournements, even if we buy another 3/4 players! |
RAZ
said:
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... bobvillain, Paul Scholes is crazy talk but someone in the mould would be a good signing, surely somewhere in the world there is a player who could better what we had in barry a get goals, tackle back, pass a ball well a lots of movement. Players like viera, keane, scholes etc came from somewhere we just have to find someone like this. with regard to defense we just need to put in some decent bids for good solid players and then i honestly think Tuncay is our answer up front. we already have quite a few attacking players but this guy will add some much needed effort up front and has proven he can get goals in even the most shite of teams |
Keith
said:
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... no10 "bolton have got a better defence than ours now" by signing Zat Knight, really? "mon does not know what he is doing ,he has proved that with his tactics subs and playing players out of position.i aimost forgot europe" Who got us into Europe in the first place and 2 top 6 finishes? "mon has had time,the squad is getting smaller every season.he needs at least 4to 6 new players in now.if not get rid of him" Thank God you are not our chairman. Are you taglor's love child? |
scott
said:
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... keefvilla i do agree about no10s comment regarding mons tactics.putting barry at lb and milner at rb in games still live long in villa fans memories.and how about not making subs when hes got all three on the bench late in games to run down the clock and weve lost points to late goals. |
Matt
said:
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... Would've liked to see Zat stay to keep the numbers up, and he always gave his all and never complained when on the bench, whilst not the most technically gifted he 's a good team-player.He obviously wants a bit more first team action rather than possibly slipping down the pecking order ( if and when we get the numbers up). Fair play to him,he'll probably play a blinder against us next season, as long as he doesnt turn out to be another Gary Cahill UTV |
Halfwit
said:
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... This is getting worse dont no one see we are standing bloody still Sign a player sell a player means you have made no progress in terms of numbers and having a strogn squad We have lack of defenders as it is without selling knight who did enough last season i thought to stay O Snail quick at selling not quick at buying it really is time to go o snail your a flammin idiot who loves to sell but hates to buy flammin randy must be rolling in the cash now |
ithinkmonisnuts
said:
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... good news at last at least ashley young is on the villa website saying he is happy at villa and are going in the right direction ,just wish mon would buy some players now |
Keith
said:
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... no10 I apologise for the saying you are taglor's love child. We all know he is still a virgin. |
VillaNick
said:
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... Zat knight was crap, let's face it. If he was any good, MON would not have sold him. 4 Million is the equivilant to 250k back in the day, a small amount in the world of footie these days. |
pete
said:
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... never liked mon as a manager,what do you think he says to his mises when she wants a bit,we will have to wait a wee bit longer to see if we can get something in. |
mikey18
said:
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... Listen we left it late last window and we signed 7 players and pushed 4th really close! We've still got 3 weeks before the start of the season and 4 weeks before the window shuts! If getting rid of Zat now means we can bring in a better defender next week then thats progress! |
Halfwit
said:
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... Looks like it will be another bad end to the season tierd players and injuerd players Proper burn out big style thanks to the one and only O Snail |
Panos
said:
 |
... ithinkmonisnuts, villanick mon sold gary cahill He also sold, Ridgewell, Moore, McCann, Hughes, Wittingham, Philips and others. Perhaps you want all of them back too? |
Halfwit
said:
|
... Would love to know how you can build when you keep selling only had knight for a year and he is gone allready we wont build anything working like that all we will have is a mid table team and burnt out players towards the end of every season Now i could'nt really blame young if he wanted to leave who wants to be at selling club ? Better off at a club that is building a team and trying for big things very much unlike our club |
TrueVillan
said:
 |
... im not a great knight fan, but even i can see the sense in getting a replacement in before selling! guess this means we wont be taking cahill back either or it would have been a swap! this is now getting annoyin, FFS sign someone ya dithering idiot! there is no way our squad will be bigger than last season now, with 4 out so far and harewood at least to follow, we would need 7 more players to increase the total by 3, which must be the bare minimum when complaining about lack of depth, unless MON has his best ever transfer window we will be left short or sign more crap to replace the crap we sold! |
Keith
said:
|
... Truevillan How do you know a replacement has been sorted? Halfwit, no10 etc Who would you want in as manager then? Who would do a better job? |
PAUL WARREN
said:
 |
... Good luck to Zat... No one likes to see a true Villa fan leave the team... except Lee "up my own ar*e" Hendrie. MON isn't stupid, despite what a lot of people think. He would not have let Knight go if he didn't have a plan in place already. (I hope!!) |
RAZ
said:
|
... its all fun an games at the villa!! i think MON took over our club for the banter, our fans are in deed fickle. David O Leary was right and MON's doing a good job of easily winding some of u mugs up. He obviously has replacements. Get it and stop moaning!! its all done behind the scenes not in front of the tabloids so some fat journalist can write some crap. If half of u mugs calling for MONs head understood that u mite understand how football works, u mite enjoy it more!! when MON eventually leaves because he gets fed up of our "fans" we'll probably get relegated and then i bet half of you lot become man city fans.. id say good riddance UTV |
PAUL WARREN
said:
|
... BTW the two links on here to the deadly doug look a like singing on you-tube are quality!! if a little (lot) cheesy |
Mark
said:
|
... Raz you miss the point there are not THAT many real supporters on this site most are TV watchers and it comes over loud and clear. |
TrueVillan
said:
|
... keefvilla i hope a replacement has been sorted, but why dont WE announce first then sell, the club are aware of fans fustration and should act quicker also MON has not got a great track record in the transfer market, i would not put it past him to have no one, although its likely to be the over priced distin, with no re sale value, typical MON signing not saying i dont want him as a manager, but he takes too much of the transfers on and seems unable to keep up, we need fitzgerald replaced, even agents say you cannot get hold of MON and that is just poor! |
bfastvilla
said:
 |
... AVMark I take it your suggesting that tv viewers are ill informed supporters. That they do not have a right to an opinion on aston villa as they are not regular match attenders. Screw the fact that to get to an aston villa match costs alot of money for some people and that they should put that ahead of paying bills or puting food in their childrens mouths. It is of course ridiculous to suggest that you can give a valid opinion of the team you so love if you watch their matches on tv, watch highlights on motd scour the internet for information on current, past and possibly future players. (not to mention wake up thinking about possible formations and fall asleep thinking about possible additions to the squad) No unless you see the match from 60 rows back you just know nothing. DAMN TV VIEWERS 9me included UTV |
Swevilla
said:
 |
... ... AVMark Travel all over the world to see villa live at VP, despite living in Sweden. I Hope your opinion is your own and not the common Villa fan... |
TrueVillan
said:
|
... bfastvilla well said mate, some right tossers on this site who think theirs is the only opinion and the rest of us know nothing, i dont think everything i write is spot on, but i dont go knockin other peoples opinions either 'opinions are like assholes, everyones got one and everyones stinks' ...just my opinion! |
clarkamus
said:
|
... will be interesting to see what MON says today or tonight as to why zat knight was sold with no replacement already in im hoping he is going to confirm that were going to sign hangeland and upson or distan that would be fantastic next couple of weeks are going to be really exiting for us !!!!!!! |
Damian
said:
|
... no10 the manager also said no more players leaving before players coming in i'm just playing devils advocate |
Hadders7
said:
 |
... I cannot believe we are the only club in world football who lets a player go without signing a replacement FIRST! We do it time and time again. We need 2 quality CB and 3 would be nice to cover injuries, but to be honest, I just cannot see it happening! Knight wasn't the greatest player by any means, but for f**k sake, get someone else in before you let them go! I may just take my boots to the Fiorentina game...I'll ask my mum to sit on the bench! |
steveAV
said:
 |
... best of luck zat. always there when called upon and did a pretty good job, especially against chelsea!!!! imo, best central defender last season after laursen injury. UTV |
Damian
said:
|
... Hadders7 I think you've hit the nail on the head .. do you really think we would have let Knight go without having a replacement? Imagine the scenario now for any club that hasn't sold a central defender we are interested in; the price goes up. Or, could it be that we are getting a central defender who is out of contract? Could it be that O'Neill had to let Knight go before he could get someone else in. |
bfastvilla
said:
|
... for some reason i just cant get excited about the match tonight, think i feel too anxious about the squad size, however i do have faith in MON and believe that he has players lined up to take their places in team. (i hope anyway) However i dont really get why we would sell knight, surely he was a good replacement cb for any injuries. I dont think we need the sale money, do we?. The only reason i can think of is he wants regular first team football and he knows that certain players are coming in that will put him well down the pecking order. Not one to suggest this normally but i do have a feeling that their will be some big signings in the next few days, who knows maybe the peace cup is just a secondary reason for MON to be in Spain. (when is the next match after tonights for villa i can watch) UTV |
pjmavfc
said:
 |
... Distan in portmouth squad for there match today . Would have thought a deal would have been done to let zat leave. Perhaps its some 1 else ? bolton have signed 2 defenders i just wonder if cahill could return. |
Hadders7
said:
|
... Damo, I wouldn't have ever believed it, but I don't think it's the first time this has happened is it? I hope I'm wrong but somehow I think not! As you rightly say, the prices have just gone through the roof, even more so than they would have with Man City's extra cash, showing our hand early. But it's happened before as I say and I have not seen anything to convince me anything has changed! |
bodlingboy
said:
 |
... what is o'neil doing at this rate we just have enough players for 6 a side. we now need 8 players just to survive think is going to be a long season hope i'm wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Mark
said:
|
... Which part of my statement causes offence? What do you do to support the team? Too many peple on this site buy a shirt, subscribe to Sky and think they are a supporter. Since when is slagging off the team supporting? Anyone can have an opinion but not all opinions are equal. |
Frenchy
said:
 |
... Bouma has played centre back for Holland and if my memory serves me correctly he was signed as a centre back, perhaps the fact that he appears on the road back might have had some influence. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Hadders7 - did United sign Ronaldo's replacement before selling him? Did Arsenal sign Adebayor's replacement before selling him? Did Portsmouth sign Glen Johnson's replacement before selling him? Did Blackburn sign Santa Cruz's replacement before selling him? Shall I go on? |
Damian
said:
|
... AVMark I suspect that your statement causes offence to some that don't live in Birmingham, who don't get the opportunity to go to as many games as they'd like. It personally makes me laugh because just because you might go to a game or two a season, or you might actually be a season ticket holder attending every game in the season, even away, it doesn't mean you are a better supporter than the bloke who lives in Australia who travels back every few years to see his team play. Just because you go to games doesn't automatically mean you even know more about football than that bloke that sits on a plane for two days just to visit Villa Park. Sure, 30 years ago, 15 even to some extent as there were not as many games on, you could take the high ground about how a team plays because you go to all the games but people that live overseas these days can get pretty much every game on TV and the quality of TV coverage now, some might say, is actually better than watching the game live. Yes, some will argue differently but you can only see so much in a game so even if you are at the stadium, 15 rows back on the half way line, it doesn't mean you are going to get to see everything that maybe a guy on his couch in Perth is going to see. Hell, managers have had games recorded for them to watch after games, teams will often sit down a day or two after the match and watch the game two or three times before it goes off to someone else to have it cut up so specific parts can be shown to specific players. If a supporter decided to watch the match on TV and lives in B6 does that make him any less of a supporter? It doesn't. Nowhere does it say what a 'real supporter' is and nowhere does it say that you can't be a real supporter if you only watch on TV and frankly you are in no position to even start suggesting there is. Do you think you are more of a supporter or a better supporter or more knowledgeable about football than me, because I now live in Sweden? Are you saying that me, and the 1,813 other visitors that came to this site on Wednesday from outside of the UK are not real supporters? I'd be very careful how you answer that last question otherwise you could end up looking a fool. |
Andy Oliver
said:
 |
... Wow some of u lot must have been watching a different zat knight to me last season. Couldnt doubt his commitment to the club and his effort but seriously he turns like the QE2 and jumps like hes got led in his boots! If we've made a profit on him i think that is excellent business. After all he was only bought as a aquad player. I know it doesnt help the size of the squad but theres still plenty of time... Dont panic!!  |
scott
said:
|
... vivavilla,man utd have got other world class matchwinners already in their squad,arsenal have got eduardo coming back and portsmouth and blackburn are not expected to do anything this season anyway so its not really a valid point.the people we have lost without replacing(yet?)is gonna hurt us much more than the clubs you mentioned. |
Hadders7
said:
|
... vivavilla - I take your point, however haven't all of these teams you mention got cover already in those positions?? |
Jinksy
said:
 |
... 1874AVFC Yout Daughter is an Arsenal fan????????????? f**king shame on you are you a man??? |
BenitoCarbonePleaseComeback
said:
 |
... Hi. Has anyone thought that with us being in the peace cup with Real Madrid Martin might be in a strong position to do some business over the next few days? Just a thought, but wouldn't it be nice to come back with some of their 'cast offs'? Great comments lately guys. Keep it up. SOMETHING must be happening....... |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... I'll throw my two penneth in on the "supporters" stance... There are some people who post on here who I swear want to see the club fail. Seriously, they would actually take pleasure in seeing us fall from grace, just so they can come back on here and say "I told you so". I call them Taglorites, and in my view, I really struggle to see how they can call themselves Villa supporters at all. How can you call yourself a supporter if you don't support the club? To support: to give moral or psychological support, aid, or courage to Some people don't come across as Villa supporters, more like Villa doubters. |
bfastvilla
said:
|
... going to the park now to play football with my five year old son and as usual we will pretend to be aston villa players (his idea, honestly) UTV |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... scott - you could make a statement like that for pretty much every club in the league. My point is you don't need to have a replacement signed up before you sell a player. Sure it's nice, but it's not essential in any way. |
dorsetvillan
said:
 |
... Knight was not a waste of money - and, as it's proved, had a sell-on value. Did the best he could when given the chance, but feared his goose was cooked following the Gillingham equaliser in the Cup, same as McCann following Sidwell's second goal for Reading against us. Admit to being anxious over lack of players, but we know O'Neill will do it his way, so intend to sit back and enjoy the ride. |
adam
said:
|
... nice reply damo. i got laid off last year but beforehand used to watch the villa home and away now ive got no money to do this so watch at home. does this make me less of a supporter. i think not |
Damian
said:
|
... vivavilla you could spin what you've just written though. where does it say you can not support the club but have no faith in the ownership. or for that matter that you can or have a differing opinion to others and still fully support the team? taglor, for all his doom and gloom, is basically saying that he doesn't believe it is going to happen under he current regime and that we are miles off it ever happening. it doesn't mean he supports the club any less than the person that believes every word the club tells him maybe, for taglor to believe and for him to turn into one of the supporters that give unconditional moral or psychological support, all it needs is an owner to come in and put £200mn. down and bring in jose mourinho. i'm not saying that is the right way to go, i'm just saying, if that happened maybe he'd be a different person. i don't know taglor so i'm not going to speak for him but we didn't progress last season, we stood still and the outlook for the season coming up is not as good as some would have hoped for this stage in pre-season i predicted 6th last season and the season before and i dont see us doing better this season coming (as of right now) and as of right now, unless we get an owner that is going to invest heavily, i can't see us breaking into and staying in the top four in the next ten years, but it doesn't mean that come 3pm on saturday i am going to support the team any less than the guy sitting next to me who believes everything the club tells him and blindly believes we are going to win the league this season a dictionary definition of support is just that; a single definition and it doesn't mean that my view of supporting the club, which will be different to your view is wrong. we are all entitled to opinion and differing views but i can assure you that the vast majority of people that come on this site are aston villa supporters and just because their definition of supporting the team isn't the same as yours or mine doesn't make them any less of a supporter or me or you, for that matter, real or better ones |
Mark
said:
|
... That's bollocks Damian. I differentiated between opinions and supporting. Two different things. Chelsea fans can have very valid opinions on the Villa from watching them on TV. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Accepted Damian. My point was more aimed towards the people who post negative messages no matter what the situation is though. It's only a select few, granted, but you just get the impression that some people will never be happy. It's frustrating is all, especially when you consider how far we've come and how better off we are than 99% of clubs in the country. |
Damian
said:
|
...Raz you miss the point there are not THAT many real supporters on this site most are TV watchers and it comes over loud and clear. that was your exact comment above AVMark what have i taken out of context or what is, as you put it, bollox? |
Ed
said:
 |
... If there isn't a replacement by the end of today then I'll be very, very worried. Honestly, I've tried to convince myself that MON knows what he's doing and I've tried to be patient in the hope that by the end of the window we'll have the players we need. Maybe we will, but man, its almost as if MON enjoys putting the fans through turmoil. Maybe he gets a thrill from it |
Anthony-Daventry
said:
 |
... Vivavilla... he's not really good enough for Villa. Not even really as a squad player, I'd prefer others ahead of him. I'd certainly take Distin ahead of him in the blink of an eye, and Campbell is better as well. Do you realise just how silly you sound?.. 42 league appearances over the last 2 seasons whereby the club have finished in the top 6, umm must be completely shit - those who choose to raise concern are maybe looking at the bigger picture and the desperate need to build upon a ridiculously small squad, players who are transfer targets for other premiership clubs most definately need to be retained regardless of whether they fit into the ideal starting 11. To question the intelligence of supporters who post on this site is f*cking rude - The club have today confirmed many peoples worst fears regarding transfer funds available and the need to self finance future activity - surely any intelligent mindset would understand the rationale? Any smart arse can sit back and tell you that arrivals will land before the end of August, however the issues related to last seasons strength and depth within the core squad of players simply has not and will not be addressed. The achievements of MON to date are indeed unquestionable based upon the budgetary constraints imposed, however to suggest that he inherited relegation candidates and not simply 'a demotivated squad' including the likes of Barry, Laursen, Mellberg, Bouma and Gabby is a tad naive to be fair. |
Halfwit
said:
|
... Bring back gregory or go get some good spanish or italian managers infact just get someone that wants to build and not demolish someone that wants to buy and not addicted to selling someone who dont work at a snail's pace anyone is better than the clueless O Snail |
Damian
said:
|
... Could it be that O'Neill had to sell Knight to finance a deal for another defender? If you look at his first season, he spent just over £20mn, then the next he made a profit of £2mn. Then last year he spent just over £40mn. and this year we appear to be letting players go before new ones are in. I'm not going to say it seems very much like Doug Ellis, as I've said that a thousand times before, but it doesn't feel like the actions of a manager that has money to spend. On the other hand, they've had all day to tell us of a new player coming in and we've heard nothing and there is nothing anywhere else. |
xandehx
said:
 |
... MON need to go to a place called Newcastle and come back with Martins and Coloccini. I can't believe we're selling players for cash instead of trying to get players out of them. We sold Barry to City, but money is no object to them, so surely we would have been miles better off saying we wanted a player or players for him. We could've said we'll do a swap for Micah, that would've showed much City really wanted him. Same with Zat, I'd take Cahill back this second even if it was Knight + cash! |
scott
said:
|
... theres 3 types of football fans optimists/pessimists and realists.id say im the latter.maybe when mon brings some in my thought will change.but my way of thinking is we are MILES away from the top four and the teams that will be challenging us fr europe will be spurs/everton and mancity.spurs first harry hasnt lost anyone and is looking to bring in crouch and another couple reportedly.what you have got to realise is that spurs were bottom at one stage and ended up just missing out on europe.they will be a massive threat to us with a full season behind harry.secondly everton.they pipped us to fifth without arteta and a strikeforce for a 3rd of the season!and thirdly mancity,its either gonna go tits up or theyre gonna be fighting it out for a cl spot.this is why some villa fans are worried,its being real about whats happening at the moment.TEAM wise we are as good as the 3 mentioned but with up to 17 europa games cc fa cup and a full season its gonna be hard to keep up with these teams.ill probably have a differebt view september 1st lol |
Mark
said:
|
... Well as usual Damian ignore the facts and just state your opinion. What is the relevance of someones geography or income to whether they support the club? What is the relevance of someone's club "allegiance" as to how sensible their opinion is? I am not having a go at anyone who can't get down the ground. But is it relevant as to their experience and therefore the validity of their opinion? Yes. I welcome every supporter of ther club regardless of who they are or whether they go. But don't come on here as someone who doesn't even go, and then slag the club with stupid opinions and then get offended when someone like me questions you as a supporter. What does Taglor do to support the club? Tell me? Now if he goes down fair enough I will tolerate him because at least he makes the effort and shells out his hard earned. If he doesn't well I'm sorry he can have his opinions but don't tell me he is a supporter. Too many people confuse supporting with caring. Too many people think every opinion should be respected. |
Fitzy_7
said:
 |
... xandehx you want o neill to sign coloccini are you on crack he was arguably the worst defender in the prem last season. |
DavinaMcColl
said:
 |
... Halfwit get back into the big brother house now. Your comments are so stupid even for someone who calls themselves halfwit. You obviously think o'snail is a funny name, its not its childish. Please grow up or go to the BabyTV forum instead |
Damian
said:
|
... AVMark You wrote and I'm going to quote it again and I'm going to bold the point out that I replied to. I'm going to try and keep this as simple as possible. Raz you miss the point there are not THAT many real supporters on this site most are TV watchers and it comes over loud and clear. You have also basically just said (in your last comment) that someone that doesn't go to Villa Park is not a supporter. It's absolutely ridiculous and if I'm honest, I'm surprised it is coming from you. |
Mark
said:
|
... Damian I think you should re-read what I said or else maybe you have been on the beers. As far as I am concerned you can be Bin Laden hiding out in a cave and be a supporter. Maybe I am he! |
Craige1874
said:
 |
... I agree with you Damo - living in Scotland with a young family its hard to get to the games, but i'm obsessed with villa but obviously not a supporter according to some people |
Mark
said:
|
... I hasten to add that if you come on here Bin telling me what a twat MON is you or why Sidwell is crap you can f**k right off. |
oldnick
said:
|
... I would imagine knight was told that he again would be a squad player and not a first team regular! hence the sale to bolton. I personally dont think(i hope) that it was a case of selling before buying, it would not make sense. As for the REAL villa fan debate i'd just like to state that from the ages of 11 to about 17 i had a season ticket, unfortunately i fell in love and everything went tits up from there onwards. I since usually go about 4 maybe 5 games a season! the simple reason being is that i prefer to watch the games on tv/internet(which is near enough every game availible, plus its a lot cheaper. anyway my point is that when we win im as happy as larry and when we lose im as miserable as shit |
DeanoBrummie
said:
 |
... Hi all, just wanted to say that i am becoming deeply concerned with what is going on at villa park. We keep losing good players and so far have signed one player. How is this going to help increasing numbers, which we have needed to do for the past 3 seasons. MON is a good manager but i am rapidly losing faith in him, i guarantee he leaves the window too late and ends up buying cast offs or championship players. I also do not believe Randy is what he is cranked up to be. He hasnt spent that much money, not when you look at how much we have made off transfers. I sense a very bad season coming up, top half finish if we are lucky. I hope i am wrong but doubt it very much. Sad times at VP  |
scott
said:
|
... i think at the end of the day we all want wants best for villa but we just portray our feelings in different ways.some,including me,moan like fook,others are the eternal optimists.but whoever plays the first games of the season,new signings or not i will be behind them a million percent.its just that getting to the top 4 and being 3 points off man utd in january got us all excited and i just cant help but think if we hadve done a bit more in that transfer window we might be playin cl football and we wouldnt be worrying about signings because people would be jumping at the chance to play for us. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
...Do you realise just how silly you sound?.. 42 league appearances over the last 2 seasons whereby the club have finished in the top 6, umm must be completely shit - those who choose to raise concern are maybe looking at the bigger picture and the desperate need to build upon a ridiculously small squad, players who are transfer targets for other premiership clubs most definately need to be retained regardless of whether they fit into the ideal starting 11. Show me where the club have confirmed this. Show me in black and white a statement from Aston Villa F.C. that goes on to say we don't have money to buy players and need to sell to buy. Go on, show me. What a surprise, you can't. All you're doing is what everyone else is doing - speculating. You're making your own mind up and in many senses jumping to conclusions. Yes yes, I've heard all this "most simple explanation" rubbish before, it's still only speculation. The truth is none of us know the workings of the clubs finances. The doom-mongers are adding 2 and 2 together - It's late July and we've only signed one player. Therefore we can't have very much money. Again, speculation. Maybe they ARE right, but there's no proof and there won't be until the end of August. If by then we've spent £50m on players again, they're going to look silly. O'Neill has plenty of time so lets let him use it and get off his back, and not question something of which we know nothing concrete about. Let's use the logic that O'Neill is a sensible man and must surely understand the repercussions of losing another player. Let's remember he's talked about bulking the squad up and probably isn't going to let players walk without already having a plan in place to deal with it. Let's give him some credit. The posts I called into questions are the ones hailing Zat as some kind of hero all of a sudden now he's leaving. Sorry, but they're ridiculous in my opinion. Zat was nothing more than a half decent squad player even on his best day. Villa fan, great. But he IS easy to replace and we'll be better off once that happens. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Oh and let's throw in one more piece of logic we DO have proof for - O'Neill stating he wouldn't sell Young for £50m, AND that Lerner agrees with him. How cash-strapped do you think that makes us sound? |
stu
said:
 |
... wheater, hangeland, taylor, distin, campbell, lescott, richards, dunne, toure, samba, carvahlo, upson, turner, mertesacker, pique, evans, huth....2 of these would work 4 me, some r probably unrealistic |
limerick_villain
said:
 |
... Im living in limerick in ireland and it is tough to try get off work to go to matches,but im always trying to find out morning noon and night wats going on with the villa!.Actually id say the other half is on the verge of telling me to f##k off and move over there...lol up UTV |
ak_27
said:
 |
... stu i know that Keefvilla would be over the moon if we signed Dunne. He has been saying for ages now that he is top quality and should be our number one target to sort out he defense. Keef i hope you get your wish and we sign Richard Dunne just for you. |
Mark
said:
|
... Vivavilla apparently that makes us a selling club because the implication is that we would sell for £60 million. |
Damian
said:
|
... vivavilla i'm not picking sides here, but do you really think £60mn. net spend over 3 seasons is enough? can you put your hand on your heart and say that if we have a another £20mn. net spend this season (an assumption) that it will do anything other than keep us in the top 7 or 8, maybe give us a fighting chance for top six until we run out of steam? we either have to accept that we are going to be a team floating around top 6 for ever on or hope that lerner puts in significant funds (a phrase i picked up from the club) to buy top class players (another phrase i've picked up from the club) or the odd £30mn. player (again, another phrase i've picked up from the club) or that some fans maybe one day start asking for significant funds to be put in or for lerner to put the club up for sale, with the best interests of the club in mind |
Chrisodon
said:
|
... I'll agree with vivavilla on that knight was average at best. But at the same time i struggle to see who we'll get to replace him and be better than average when called upon, Someone wrote on here Bouma was CB which is a possibility as he might not be able to run the wings anymore, Still 4 out 1 in, 5 weeks left and we now need 6 players (Mon said 5 now add Knight. Plus he said that after downing was signed) So we'll be 3 up on last season. by the looks of things. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Damian We discussed briefly yesterday this fact about net spends and so on. I don't agree entirely with your reasoning, as I said I think the fact we spent almost £50m net last season is an anomoly that doesn't really make it fair to average everything out. But that's old ground now. In short, and to save time, if we spent £20m net this time around all it would likely do is keep us at the same level. But, if last Summer is anything to go by, it is conceivable that it will be higher than that figure. Again I'm going to come to the same conclusion for now - let's wait until the Window closes. If we haven't spent enough then I'll whole-heartedly join your side and begin to raise serious questions. |
ukvillar
said:
 |
... stop going on about net spend. we have achieved europe twice in a row for first time since later 90s. how can you say what MON is doing is not productive? we ewre in competition since early july last year. a full month ahead of what we shouldve been. what would have happened if that wasnt the case? well we will see this year wont we. you people just need to find something else to do with your days rather than spend every waking minute looking for new signings! they will come and just because MON doesnt splash info about everywhere doesnt mean he isnt trying. just lay off and enjoy the summer. |
Craige1874
said:
|
... Maybe we don't have the money - arsenals new signing says in this interview he was too expensive for us and he only went for 10m ???? http://goonertalk.com/2009/07/25/aston-villa-wanted-me-read-thomas-vermaelens-interview-in-full/ |
Anthony-Daventry
said:
|
... Damian If you look at his first season, he spent just over £20mn, then the next he made a profit of £2mn. Then last year he spent just over £40mn. and this year we appear to be letting players go before new ones are in. The Villa squad inherited by MON in 2006 was assembled for a reported sum of (circa 40m) compared to the existing squad of (circa 70m) - increased investment maybe but considering todays inflated transfer fees and a return of (circa 35m) it really does make you wonder. Investment during 'the dark days' under the previous regime of Mr Ellis was poor - correct? However if you were to compare the cost of assembling the squad of say 2001, then people may be surprised how comparable the past and current state - apart from the fact that is - Deadly was honest. |
Damian
said:
|
... ukvillar you are misunderstanding my position. what i think martin o'neill is doing is completely productive. i think give martin o'neill £50mn more to spend from now and we'll be real contenders for top four this season but he needs the money and if it doesn't come, then what needs to change? |
Damian
said:
|
... Anthony-Daventry I think the most interesting thing is if you look at actual spend as a percentage of turnover ... it's almost the same. Nothing has really changed. Actual spend has gone up, but so has revenue and like you say, so have prices of the players and salaries. But, I think we need to see this transfer window out and see what happens. Dare I say it, but if our net spend is quite low, regardless of results in opening games, they'll be some calling for Lerner to go. |
ukvillar
said:
|
... why would anyone call for lerner to go? he has entrusted almost everything onto martin. the fact is MON is not going to splash out £15m on a unknown ST from spain because thats just not productive. remember Baros, balaban, milosevic etc etc the list can go on. if you want an extra 50m to spend then we might as well end up like middlesborough and newcastle. lets buy someone like alves for 12m just because hes come from abroad and shone in a summer u21 tournament. you dont have to spend big to be successful. just look at everton! |
Jinksy
said:
|
... Damian - Here Here....... MON is clueless but Learner is a very clever man only interested in making his investment work. Why would he want to spend millions on a top player & then pay said top player millions? Where's the sense in that.....Na he'll sell when he see's his invertment has reached it's peak & i for 1 hope it's sooner rather than later. |
Damian
said:
|
... ukvillar everton spent £15mn. on a fairly unknown central midielder last summer from overseas but you are right. lerner has entrusted o'neill with a lot. unfortunately, just not enough money |
Jinksy
said:
|
... Ukvillar - Milosevic was 21 & top class just needed time......He went on to prove how good he wsa in Spain & Italy. Was Balaban ever given a chance? I'll give you Baros but at the time there was not 1 Villa fan unhappy with his signing. |
Mark
said:
|
... Villa were a selling club right the way through the Ellis era. Don't tell me about what pounds and pence changed hands I don't give a toss. If you were there you knew that any decent player once they became recognised would be on their bike. Gidman, Gibson, McMahon, Hodge, Platt, Yorke the list goes on and on. All players who could have pushed us on but sold pretty much to the first bidder. Put that in the context of MON's statement today about Young. Look at the sub-text - the close relationship and trust between him and Lerner. When did that ever exist down the Villa? I don't care what we spend this close season, anyone who would call for Lerner to go is an narrow minded idiot with no historical perspective. |
bobvillian
said:
|
... Ive just noticed villareal have pulled out of sighing tuncay;The fee is 6million come on martin this would be a bargain buy and you would be in the fans good book for sighning a quality player |
Jinksy
said:
|
... AVMark i might be a " narrow minded idiot with no historical perspective" but you are a SHEEP with rose tinted spec's who can't see the f**king wood for the trees. Now i've got to go but i'd love to trade insults with you. |
Damian
said:
|
... AVMark I'm very proud of our history but if anything narrow mindedness must surely be put at the feet of the person that thinks we can be successful with good PR. Also, if Manchester United came in for Ashley Young this summer with an offer of £30mn., do you really think he would stay? Does Barry leaving mean we are still a selling club? But surely, if we are to learn anything from our recent history and specifically our time with Ellis, it is that we need more money to be spent on players. If that doesn't change, surely then we as a club are not going to change. |
ukvillar
said:
|
... milosevic scored a hatful of goals for partisan belgrade, then after us for real zaragoza. he cost us 3.5m which in todays terms would probably be 10-15m. he scored 30 goals for us in around 100 appearances if memory serves. is that value for money? that 3.5m couldve gone on a couple of players with proven PL experience as back up for yorkey and saunders. it was a gamble that didnt pay off and id rather be in the situation we are in now than back in 1996 |
Damian
said:
|
...Put that in the context of MON's statement today about Young. Look at the sub-text - the close relationship and trust between him and Lerner. When did that ever exist down the Villa?Is this the same Martin O'Neill that said no more players would be leaving until new ones came in? It is just PR. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
 |
...vivavilla said: Oh, it's always the same. Lerner is a lying yank PR bastard, but then people can't stop complaining that the new kit isn't that different from the old one, hence they can't be rushing out to give him another £45 of their hard-earned money, and boy, are they pissed about that! If only he was a more clever lying bastard and really had Nike change it up they could have happily run out to throw more money at him. |
ukvillar
said:
|
... and dont get me started on Balaban!! bought for 5.5m was it? 1 1/2 years later went for a free transfer! if that happened now villa fans would be in uproar!! |
irishbeerbelly
said:
 |
... The glut of money in football has made it so retarded. All you ever here now is how much a team has spent, how much a team is likely to spend,how many millions a player has been sold for, the stupid amount of money they are on a week etc etc....! I know it will never happen but I would love it they put a cap on what a team can spend each year so we could get back to what is important. You need a degree in finance just to understand what the f**k is going on half the time.My head hurts from it all. Roy of the Rovers must be turning in his grave |
Damian
said:
|
... ukvillar savo scored 28 in 91 appearances while dwight yorke scored 73 in 232 so yes, i guess you could say savo was good value for money or are you going to say that yorkie was a waste of space too? |
robbo
said:
 |
... Damian, How many clubs have outspent us (as a percentage of earnings)over the past 3 seasons? I'd be surprised if there are many. Portsmouth maybe (but look at the trouble they are in now. I imagine that Man Utd have even underspent us as a percentage of earnings...happy to be proved wrong. Is your real concern the PR noises that unrealistically raised expectations rather than the actual level of spending? |
ukvillar
said:
|
... Yorke played a hatful of games for villa in the 1990-1991 season when he was only 18 or so? savo came in at 21 and changed nothing. yorke developed into a player much greater than savo ever was. hence why he went to utd for 13m. where did savo go? real madrid, barcelona? nope... zaragoza. so which would you prefer young english players that have had experience in the league or a foreign player whos proved himself at partizan belgrade. personally i dont care for defour etc i say get fabian delph in, a good central defender like hangeland or senderos. and maybe someone creative in an attacking MF role. possibly tuncay but im not sure. have only seen him 5/6 times. thats 3/4 players who could walk into our team. the problem wasnt so much small squad its that outside our first 11 we had no people who could come in and show some quality or unique ability. |
Damian
said:
|
... robbo i dont know about the other clubs and it would cost me too much to find out, as i'd have to buy all the accounts and i'm not going to the PR is where it all began and continues. had they said nothing about lots of things then it would have been much easier to accept where we are but take away the PR and all the lies we have been told and based on what i've seen, my views haven't changed from when ellis was here. i'd still like an owner willing to make the right investments in the playing side of things to get us to where we should be as a club i will add to this. the financial success of any football can be directly linked to the success on the pitch. spend the money on the players and we'll make more money if we are successful. if we make more we can spend more to sustain that success i dont think we are going enough on spending on the players that will generate that success on the pitch. this isn't just theory of mine - it's published paper; it's a fact |
ukvillar
said:
|
... would you have been saying this if we had reached top 4 last season or even come fifth? 6th, last 32 of the uefa, 5th round FA cup thats an achievement considering we had our best striker and our bet defender injured for 1/2 the season. |
TrueVillan
said:
|
... interview on news now by thomas vermaelens, said villa were interested but they could not afford him at 10mil, kinda finishes a bid for hangerland if we would not spend it on the first choice! hope we sign someone soon, everyone on here stating he would not sell without a replacement needs to remember the fullback situation, especially the rightback, where we did sell what we considered a squad player in hughes and he never replaced him! in fact it took over a year before we bought a specialised rightback, so MON has previous form in selling without a replacement. hope im wrong! |
Damian
said:
|
... ukvillar i've been saying pretty much since lerner came in .. well, actually about 2 months after he came in |
vijay
said:
 |
... Paul Hart just said that they want Distin to sign a new contract and doesnt want him to leave Pompey so i hope he doesnt sign for us, i want Hangeland and Richards/Upson! |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... I'm honestly not trying to be pedantic here Damian, but O'Neill never said that as fact. His words were "Don’t hold me to this, but I really probably wouldn’t want to be losing players until we get some in". That was on July 20th, now cast your mind back a little further. on July 14th, Zat Knight himself told AVTV that he wanted to be the man to replace Martin Laursen. In 11 days time, he went from hopeful starter to out the door. What could have happened in that time? I'm only speculating, but I'd guess something like... Knight probably had a chat with O'Neill at some point about his prospects, and revealed he wanted to step up and be the man. O'Neill would have had to break it to him that this probably wasn't going to happen. Knight, understabley upset, considers his options. He's just been given a the news that his role isn't going to improve. His agent gets in touch with as many teams as he can and tells them his client is looking for a quick move. Bolton make an offer, Zat and his agent tell MON that they want out ASAP. What can MON do? His hands are forced. Again I'm only speculating, but 11 days is a very short period of time to go from being a content Villa player to being a Bolton player. |
Anthony-Daventry
said:
|
... Vivavilla... Show me where the club have confirmed this. Show me in black and white a statement from Aston Villa F.C. that goes on to say we don't have money to buy players and need to sell to buy. Go on, show me. To suggest that the club would release such a statement is ridiculous as this would have a negative impact commercially, however try this for starters... or maybe Lerner is bluffing? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/spo...kitty.html Now with 6 - 7 players required you do the sums! |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...Jinksy said: His investment only works if Villa are successful. He's got too much money to be interested in profiting from selling players. That's playing poker in Vegas to him. The real value is in worldwide marketing, creating a brand like Utd. have, winning things and seeing his initial spend turn into a valuation multiple times what he paid. That only happens if Villa progress. Ellis was likened to someone running a corner shop. RL comes from a different league. He's not interested in small change. He wants the value of his asset to appreciate, not live off the money from the till. He grew up in banking, owns an NFL team. He knows about money, hype, market share, ROI and the like. If you want to believe he's a money-grubbing liar, or a naif out of his depth, go ahead. But I don't see that. I simply see a patient man who believes in MON and stays out of his way. If MON can't get it done, or walks away, in wont' be because he couldn't be trust. And RL will find someone else he can believe in and give him the same opportunity. |
Damian
said:
|
... Well, we just have to see how much is spent .. and not just this summer, but January and next summer and the January after and the summer after .. It isn't about one summer or two .. it's about continuity. kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly His investment will only work if we are successful on the pitch. That success will only come if he spends money on players. |
Dave J
said:
 |
... There's an interview pn a similar Arsenal site to this with Thomas Vermaalen who said that we were interested but the £10m price was too high - and so he went to Arsenal. I really fear that the purse strings have been tightened even more than I thought they would. Damian - I still don't buy into your "Lerner PR" theory but I do think that the state of RL's finances must have been hit pretty hard. I don't thinj the money is there, not because RL won't invest but because he can't in the current climate. If that is the case then we will definitely be going backwards at a rate of knots this year. It's a shame that success on the pitch is linked so closely to finance - but it is. The squad is now so paper thin it's untrue. we could be in real trouble this year |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... I wouldn't read into the Vermaelen thing too much Dave. Knowing MON's transfer policy, he probably just means £10m is too much for a player unproven at this level. In all honestly, I do think Arsenal have paid a bit too much myself. |
Anthony-Daventry
said:
|
... Vivavilla... Thanks but the link is anecdotal based upon the fact that 'funds are available' which we already know based upon the signing of Downing. Maybe consider the detail - less will be spent than last year and Gareth Barry can leave for nothing if he plays out the last 12 months of his contract - a ridiculous statement portraying the club as prepared to loose 12m, a lie as it transpires as the Man City deal was already done and had this been the case Im sure Barry would choose to go on a free next year. |
Dan Price
said:
|
... Hi, has anyone had any luck tuning in GOL TV as anon said a few posts back. I phoned up sky and they said I could tune it in but didnt know the frequency? any help appreciated! |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... That wasn't a lie at all. That was said because there was no concrete offer on the table for Barry at that time. It was a choice of attempt to push Barry out OR letting him stay and going for free. Having a firm bid on the table makes it a very different offer, PLUS you have to factor in that O'Neill probably never wanted to deal with Rafa in the first place. |
Dave J
said:
|
... Maybe 2+2 = 5 in this case but this isnt the only thing that has made me think MON is short of funds. We obviously won't have this squad when the window shuts but I really think we'll be shopping in the bargain basement. I've debated this (and RL's intentions) with Damian a few times and whilst Randy is a very wealthy individual he's no Abramovich or Sheik Mansour and I just don't think he has the cash to fund another summer spend like last year. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...His investment will only work if we are successful on the pitch. That success will only come if he spends money on players. Damo-If you read that Mail Online story linked above, you'll see RL thinks there's more than one way to build a club. As I said, he's a patient man, looking to increase the value of his asset. If he's going out and puts hundreds of millions of pounds of debt onto the club, that debt cancels out any rise in its value. He's trying to build a business that can sustain itself the morning after the binge, something that will be in better shape than when he found it. For example...If everyone talks about going out and finding all these talented youngsters or whatnot on the cheap from somewhere else, does that not imply that huge sums are not necessarily the only answer? People are saying we don't spend enough. Or we spent too much on this player or that one. And that we're overlooking all these bargains elsewhere. Saying everything really, and it doesn't usually add up. I've seen it time and again in the NFL...teams either try to solve their problems immediately in free agency (and it almost never works), or they opt to build through the draft (ie, bringing in young players and developing them). When they go through the draft, say you get 5-10 players in each year. You're very happy if 1-3 of those actually pan out to be starters. And NFL teams are brutally scientific in their evaluations, film study, etc., of all these players. Their scouting systems make football's look like a boy scout activity. And it's still a crapshoot. He thinks, as a businessman, that certain teams are living on borrowed time, not only borrowed money. He's opting for a different business plan for Villa. Of course, we can only watch and see how it plays out...But all I'm really saying is that RL is dealing with us and Villa in good faith. Perhaps you're right. But if all those on here who say there's tons of great players for cheap to be found elsewhere are right...Then, it's really not about just the money spent, it's how the money is spent. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... And I know, you're saying, basically, "If RL dug into his pockets, found £100m and spent his own cash on the players, then Villa would be top4 and he'd get his money back rather quickly. And that's the only way to break into the top4 and increase the club's valuation." RL simply does not agree with you. |
Anthony-Daventry
said:
|
...That wasn't a lie at all. That was said because there was no concrete offer on the table for Barry at that time. It was a choice of attempt to push Barry out OR letting him stay and going for free. Concrete offer or not - The club knew he was leaving and would never had lost 12m for 1 season anyhow - the point I am making is RL positioned this to give the impression that a hit of 12m would be acceptable - you certainly fell for it. Its not too dissimilar to the 'I wouldn't accept 50m for Young' - the fact is Villa would accept 50m, nobody would ever bid anywhere near 50m and a player under contract is going nowhere anyhow - even with a transfer request (its all hype) |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Kohoutek - good post. As a big Redskins fan I fully understand your summary of "the wrong way to do it" as well! |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Anthony-Daventry - sorry but I think you're wrong. Lerner didn't say "Barry will be staying" or make any implication that the club wouldn't sell him under any circumstances. All he did was say that he would gladly allow him to stay, obviously meaning should the circumstances pan out like that. Lerner accepted it was never his decision, he wouldn't have a say even if Barry did walk out. The fact there was no offer makes all the difference. Imagine Lerner didn't say what he did, then at the end of the season Barry leaves for free anyway. Villa fans would no doubt moan because they weren't prepared. When Man City made their offer, it became a whole different ballgame. |
Damian
said:
|
... kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly and there might be more than one way but due respect to lerner, there is a proven way to make money, i.e. success on the pitch or lots of other ways - he is trying the other ways. good for him, but if you knew one way works why not try it? and as for him not agreeing with me on getting into the top four, well, it is his club for now so he can do what he wants but hopefully one day he buggers off and we get someone in that wants success on not a stable investment |
Damian
said:
|
... We have to get away from waht he said or she said or they said. Money talks. Bullshit (PR, words, et.c) walks. Forget about words and PR .. it's about money and action. |
Keith
said:
|
... If we sold Young for £30m we would be a selling club, if we turned down £30m for him we would be mad. Some of you just like to moan about anything and everything. |
Damian
said:
|
... keefvilla the thing is, lerner and o'neill wouldn't sell for £50mn .. so who is mad now? i say you man. you are mad. mad as a mad man without a mad friend who is as mad. you is mad |
Luke
said:
 |
... Did anyone notice the number on Big John's shorts in the Peace Cup training photos. Numero 9!!!!!!!! See ya Marlon! |
Keith
said:
|
... Damian It takes a lot longer than 3 seasons to put right 25 years of Ellis. You want too much too soon. Be patient, we are improving season upon season and building a solid foundation for success. And I agree with AVMark, it is obvious who attends matches and who doesn't, the one's who don't can not see the improvements and the positivity within the club. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... Yeah, vivavilla...It's hard for people to get their heads round. I'd like Villa beating Barca/Real/Utd in next year's CL final as well. God knows I would. But if I were sitting on Randy's money, I wouldn't be throwing hundreds of millions of pounds of pure cash on the hope it worked out, nor would I be, if I cared about Villa and its fans as RL professes to do, going out and borrowing hundreds of millions. The club is buying youth, lots of English youth, and looking for a team to form up out of that. There's a deliberate strategy, players who know the country, the weather, the culture, each other, and won't be complaining about the rain, the cold, the food, or being homesick, or always dreaming of playing for Real. And these youth signings that everyone slags off "Oh, we've bought a 16yo! Whoopee!"...Those are the things that build a future stable of players, that's where these "Arsenal bargains" are found (and then must be developed). "What are the scouts doing?!" Well, if they're doing their jobs, they're finding 16-17yo players, getting them signed, brought into the academy. Not watching telly like everyone else and saying, "Ooh, that Iniesta looks good! I wonder if we could sign him for £50m?" That's the future of football, not this season of financial madness with trophies that mean f*ck all because they've been bought by the same cabal of rich men playing at the horses. |
Keith
said:
|
... Damian "the thing is, lerner and o'neill wouldn't sell for £50mn" How do you know that? |
Dave J
said:
|
... Surely though you have to accept Damian that money doesn't guarantee anything - yes it helps massively - if it did then Leeds would never have nearly folded. If you had the funds I'm sure you (and many others) would spend, spend, spend but that's a fan talking and not a buisiness man. Many clubs have proved that doesn't work and RL is simply approaching things in a less reckless fashion. I agree that a change of owner would probably be needed to use the other approach but it would not guarantee anything - either in the short, medium or log term |
Damian
said:
|
... keefvilla improvements and positivity do not win matches unfortunately. £30mn. players and top signings do .. positivity, or for purposes of this site PR, is just PR and wow, it's lovely, but well, there is only so long you can live off good PR kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly these scouts you talk of bringing in all these youngsters. they were all here bringing them in under ellis |
Damian
said:
|
... keefvilla read this: http://www.thevillablog.co.uk/...e-sidwell/ martin o'neill said so but its only PR baby |
ukvillar
said:
|
... getting really tired of hearing you moan on about PR. we are building steady improvements and a great foundation with the traning complex, refurbs around villa park and squad enhancements. ill be leaving this blog because all it contains is a bunch of idiots who moan about everything! |
Damian
said:
|
... ukvillar off you go then and because you clearly don't know much .. the work on bodymoor started a long time before lerner came in and as for squad enhancements. well, you're going so i'll say no more but where exactly was the improvement last season when we finished 6th to the season before when we finsihed 6th? |
Anthony-Daventry
said:
|
...The fact there was no offer makes all the difference. Imagine Lerner didn't say what he did, then at the end of the season Barry leaves for free anyway. Villa fans would no doubt moan because they weren't prepared. When Man City made their offer, it became a whole different ballgame. http://www.people.co.uk/sport/..._page.html check the dates - what was the point in Lerner communicating via the media when a change was pending - very unusual for a quiet man wouldn't you say. It is normal business practice as we know to communicate within a structured framework to avoid confusion. |
Keith
said:
|
... Damian "We have to get away from what he said or she said or they said." Your words not mine. You are so alike Ellis I can see why you hold him in such high esteem. When someone criticised the lack of success on the pitch we were a PLC, when they criticised the low share price etc, we were a football club. When the club says we will keep our best player it's PR, when they don't say anything, they need to come out and say something!!!! |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...and there might be more than one way but due respect to lerner, there is a proven way to make money, i.e. success on the pitch or lots of other ways - he is trying the other ways. good for him, but if you knew one way works why not try it? Because you make it sound like a sure thing...and it most definitely isn't. That's what I'm saying about debt, or about how the Tottenhams, et al, spend to no effect. I mean, it's not my money, I could say, "Oh, he must spend to win!" And I've seen the same thing in baseball, football, etc., and seen the cheapest, youngest teams come along and win it all. One way leads to potential financial ruin for something we all hold dear. The other way doesn't. Success is guaranteed neither way. No guts, no glory? Perhaps. But I think RL is taking the idea of Aston Villa Football Club and its future very seriously. He knows, like Arsenal, that building a bigger stadium and increasing real revenue, is the path to financial stability, the path to sustainable success, etc. If I had his money, and his background in watching American sports, I'd take his route...build revenue streams, build through youth, take the long view. |
Dave J
said:
|
... Come on Damian - be realistic. What £30m player is going to join AVFC just now? No champs lg, not in London etc etc I don't think sometimes folk grasp the fact that it's just not as easy as pick a name and pick up the phone. The very best can be very choosy. I'm not a big fan of MON's transfer methods but let's be sensiblr |
Smithy
said:
 |
... compared to all the other villa fan sites ive been on this one is shit. its all negative shit being said about MON and the players. f**k you damien ur a w**k blogger, get a f**kin life and actually know shit about the manager and players before you f**k them off |
Lifelong Villa Fan
said:
 |
... The best news we have had in years. Zat Knight was the worst player inhistory ever to wear a Villa shirt. There is a God |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... You do realise you just posted a link from The People? We're going round in circles here, I appreciate your viewpoint but I'm not going to agree with it. |
Damian
said:
|
... kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly but what then is the point of having a new owner? surely it is to invest some money in the playing side of the business to atleast stand a chance? arsenal are trying the building through youth thing now and it's not working. when they didn't build through youth and purchased real talent; pires, viera, henry, bergkamp, ljungberg - they won stuff. i know what i'd prefer you dont seem to have much faith in martin o'neill, i do. give o'neill the quality players and he'll get quality results. give o'neill run of the mill and we will get maybe, just better than run of the mill results bottom line, for us to do it through youth and buying all th4ese young players we'd need to be buying 10 a season when actually we are buying 1 or 2 - it simply isn't close to the scale of how we need to be doing it on any front its not rocket science. financial success of any football club be directly linked to success on the football pitch. how do you get success on the football pitch? simple, you buy better players and build a strong squad. if lerner cant do that, he should bugger off keefvilla i dont hold ellis any any regard other than a fan of aston villa. you say he used to turn things around and you dont think lerner does? the only difference is one speaks to the press the other doesn't. he has his monkey do it instead. christ, it was his monkey that mentioned the £30mn. player. typical ellis quote |
Holte End Hero
said:
 |
... does anyone here subribe to the avtv thing on the official website? if so, is it worth paying for it? |
Damian
said:
|
... Smithy where am i slagging off the manger or any players? pratt it is people like you, honestly, that cant understand what is written in front of them that buy all the PR hype. you are why americans are coming over here buying football clubs. americans know they can control people like you with stupid PR and silly messages. how old are you? i'm guessing 17 or 18. the british education system really has become so bad that people like you are controlled by simple messages |
Damian
said:
|
... Holte End Hero Not anymore, but I'm thinking about it again after the blogging thing they did. It used to be awful, but I'm hopipng it will get better. In fact, wait a few days and I'll mail you something ... Dave J it was general krulak that said that not me ... but when we cant afford £10mn for a player we wanted, then sure, no £30mn player is coming to us because we dont have the money |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Smithy why don't you bugger off and not bother posting on here again then if it's that bad. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... It is getting rather heated in places, let's all try and calm down with some soothing memories...  |
Damian
said:
|
... no10 i cant go to the pub, but i will run downstairs and get myself a beer. good idea |
Matt
said:
|
... Id rather read a blog that is thought provoking where most of the contributers add balenced views and arguements than these so called fan -sites that just provide links from the Daily Star connecting us to every player thats seen within a 60 mile radius of Birmingham and just gloryfy the good times rolling in . Sometimes i may not agree with some views on here but i respect everyones view so long as it is written with some thought. People like Smithy are ten a penny and probably just after a bit of attention because they dont have anything interesting to say. Why post if its just to write F#@k o!# y@% Tw@t? Save that for referee's |
Dave J
said:
|
... And krulak retracted it pretty soon after - probably after a word from RL. It's good to see people questioining and challenging what's going on though - blind faith is never the way forward. But having thought it seriously through i don't agree with the PR theory. Things are not perfect and there are causes for concern but for the last 2 years we have been competitive in what is now the toughest league in the world - IMHO we would have been relegated if RL hadn't taken the reins. Has he taken us as far as he can? I guess we're about to find out. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... Damo- I think you know that I do believe in MON from all my postings on here. I defo am one of the so-called sheep. But, I also believe, from having seen it work in the States, that RL's apparent approach is a sound one. It can and does work. And I've watched teams like the NY Yankees spend 2-4 as much as any other team and not win anything year after year. My NFL team, the Green Bay Packers, are the smallest-market team in the NFL. They've succeeded and played with the big boys using these same strategies. The results on the pitch have been reasonable so far. The floor is much sounder at Villa now than it was when RL and MON arrived. The ship has been stabilized. And I don't take anything anyone says at purely face value. I've been divorced twice, you know! And I agree with you...Obviously you have to spend money on players. But, as I've been saying, where we diverge is how it's spent. Qualitative and quantitative are different things. I'm not measuring ambition by our total net spend, I'm measuring ambition by where we end up, who we buy, for what reasons, and all that. And, despite what was said in May, or June, or whatever, I don't think things are so terribly dire if MON is willing to spend £12m of whatever kitty he's got on a crocked Stuart Downing. you are why americans are coming over here buying football clubs. americans know they can control people like you with stupid PR and silly messages. I agree, the poster was well out of order...But this is a silly thing to say. You think the message boards and fans in England are so rebellious and less compliant than americans or american fans? Please. Americans start calling for the coach's head faster than in any other nation on earth. |
..
said:
 |
... Have to say that whilst I refuse to use Smithy's language I do have to agree with the sentiment. Damian I think you are a little obsessed by the PR aspect. Every comment seems to have this theme or an anti RL stance. First lets look at the facts: Teams are judged by results not what they do in July during pre-season. Villa Park is a vastly superior place under RL than it was under Ellis. Either you didn't go to games under Ellis or you have a short memory. Investment doesn't simply start and finish with players it needs to extend to every aspect of the club. The American influence is helping us massively commercially, whilst RL has embraced our tradition. I am a huge fan of RL so does this mean I have swallowed the PR crap. No because I don't think it exists I have seen and can feel the difference every time I go to a game. Anyone that can't needs to open their eyes! MON has always in his managerial history been well known for leaving transfers late and whilst, like most, I get frustrated I I haven't actually ever won anything in professional football. Have any of the moaners on this site? No-one knows what MON or RL have planned except for them and to think that the owner of a multi million pound business and one of the best managers in the country don't know what they are doing is ludicrous. Finally how many have fans stated on here that they want to see youngsters given a chance then when we sell a second rate centre back who wasn't going to be first choice, who would have potentially stood in the way of an up and coming youngster, you kick off that MON doesn't know what he is doing. Many football fans across the country think Villa fans are fickle and I must admit the more I read comments from some on here I can see where the criticism comes from. |
Doc
said:
 |
... Guys, As Damian says, this is news and it isn't news. We knew Zat Knight was off to Bolton, and this just confirms it. Forget trying to second-guess the official site, there's no point. There are four ways to look at this: 1. Martin O'Neill is being completely reckless and further weakening an already small squad with no quality replacements lined up; 2. Randy Lerner has turned the screw and wants his money back, whatever it takes; 3. O'Neill is ditching squad players on high wages in favour of bringing in younger ex-Academy players; 4. O'Neill has sanctioned the sale because he knows two top quality centre backs will sign for Villa in the near future. I believe number four is what is happening. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... I wish you could've read the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's message boards when the Packers and Brett Favre were at an impasse. Everything on here is handbags and watercress sandwiches in comparison. |
bobvillian
said:
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... everybodys panicing over nothing.there will be signing.when petrov signed his contract he was told there was signing coming in so if nothing happens will kick shit out of petrov for telling us lies?? |
Damian
said:
|
... kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly it was said because the americans know the real power of PR and becasue well the school system in england is getting worse ... yes, it is getting better at villa park and yes there is a feel good factor and for you, whoever you are, i'll stop mentioning PR. am i allowed to mention how much money has been made available for players, or should that be spent on players after sales? the facts are we've spent just over £60mn. net in three previous seasons. now, this part isn't a fact, but i dont think that is enough, an average of £20mn. a season, to get into the top four let alone challenge for something i also like lerner but if he hasn't got the money to put into the club it isn't his fault and i dont dislike him for it |
Dave J
said:
|
... kohoutek - wise words mate. To all those on here who want to read a balanced view look no further |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Doc is right, it's pointless trying to second guess something we'll probably never know the answer to. |
Eoin Greene
said:
|
... Damian - you are not a fan unless you are 100% behind Lerner and O'Neill. You are not entitled to question anything they do. In fact you can't consider yourself a fan because you sometimes publish articles that pose questions about the clubs ambition. You should also know that it is not allowable to question our signings or lack of signings. A bad player shall be called either 'a typical MoN signing' or 'a shrewd bit of business'. It is an offense to suggest that our squad is too small or that any of our players are not good enough. Being either 'young', 'english' or 'will only get better' are the most important characteristics in footballers. Talent and ability are irrelevant. If Randy Lerner invests in a new lawnmower for Villa park - this is a shrewd bit of business and we should be PROUD that he is our owner. When he walks an old lady accross the road as another clubs owner rushes past him to sign a 10m player - again we should be proud as he 'does things the right way'. It is not an owners job to invest. It is an owners job to ensure that we dont turn out like 'Leeds'. If you spend any money - you end up like 'Leeds'. Whatever you do - dont mention what happened to Chelsea when they spent money. I know they have won more in 5 years than we have in 50 - but seriously who would want to be like that?? Man City are the route of all evil. They will turn out to be the next 'Leeds'. It must be depressing to be a Man City fan right now. I would hate for us to be linked with Tevez, Adebayor, Robinho, Santa Cruz et al. Imagine all that competition for places, squad rotation, resting players - seriously that clubs owners are sick individuals. Dont they realise that if they want new signings - they will have no squad numbers left! And thats where Lerner and O'Neill have a great selling point - what a vast array of squad numbers to choose from! God bless you Martin. Randy - I will name my first three sons and 2 daughters after you. Above all else - MoN should never be questioned in anything he does as he does everything absolutely expertly. He is the Messiah. He is God. He is Allah. Fergie, Wenger, Redknapp, Hughes, Jol, Mourinho, Bruce, Moyes etc.etc all are MoN deciples and when he jumps up to celebrate a goal - if you see the light on the back of his track suit bottoms, it is actually the sun shining out of his arse. I will try in future to agree 100% with everyone else as football is definitely NOT a game about opinions. This blog would be much better if everyone agreed about everything. I also must say people who come on and say that this blog is terrible and they will never read it again are truly enlightening figures. The internet is such a small place with just 2 or 3 websites so I understand fully why they keep coming back. |
Dan Price
said:
|
... He was told... they are intentions not actuallities. Downing was told Young is staying, should Young get pissy at the lack of action and piss poor tranfer window ability of MON and put in a transfer request, is that a promise MON can keep? Its all intentions, not fact. Much like the "we wont sell any more players before bringing in others" |
peter power
said:
|
... lads you can watch the game on justin tv they are showing lyon v besiktas now and the picture is great |
Dan Price
said:
|
... Eoin1981 Fantastic Post! I particuarly appreciated the use of the term "et al". We are now an intellectual sporting blog. |
pth1
said:
|
... Sorry name showed as ... on previous post! Anyway all this talk of spending what would we prefer Villa spend 200 million on players or actually win something?! Spending silly money does not guarantee success. Man City will spend a fortune this summer (already have I know) but what does that guarantee? If you were paid 150k a week, set up for life after a good signing on fee how motivated are you going to be to win games?! No-one Man City have signed so far scare me, yes there good players but are they world beaters, NO! Why should Villa make wholesale changes to a team that finished sixth last season. Yes we need to replace Laursen (although thats impossible even if you had Man City's budget) and Barry but why unsettled a quality squad by spending the money everyone seems to be demanding. For what its worth I do think MON is going to have some surprises for us. I don't think we will see the likes of Distain or Campbell at the club and think there will be some real quality added to the team. Finally all the comments of RL tightening the purse strings if this was true would he really spend nearly 12 million on a player that will miss at least 2 months of a season. Can't wait to see the hostile reaction when we sell another one of our legends Harewood god the get MON out followers will have a field day! |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
... That was funny eoin...But I do think the lawnmower actually was a very shrewd investment, even if it's not going to be delivered until November. |
oldvillan
said:
 |
... oneil thinks he is as good as ron saunders and can win the league with the smallest squad ever. |
Damian
said:
|
... pth1 i'm not talking about wholesale changes, just adding some real quality in a couple of positions. well, that was what i wanted last summer - it's going to need more now it also doesn't need to be too much money. say £50mn. this summer, £10mn. in january maybe .. then the same next summer. i fancy with that, it could secure us champions league football, spent wisely |
pth1
said:
|
... Why do we throw figures around like 50 million as though it is peanuts? I am fairly confident that except Man City no club in the Premiership will spend 50 million this window unless alar Man Utd they get ridiculous money in. For that to happen good players have to leave. |
Damian
said:
|
... pth1 spurs spent it in january i think .. and i'm throwing it around like its peanuts because well it is to some people in football, just clearly not lerner |
bass
said:
 |
... i think selling knight before we have anyone in is stupid and so very martin o'neill!!! is is crap in the transfer market and once again out squad gets smaller! i am sick of it! and that with the 'amazing new home kit' yesterday i just dont care anymore it seems like they dont either! |
Dave J
said:
|
... Pth1 - because whether we like it or not that is the scale of the economics that the Premiership deals in. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...Matroshkin said: Well, I get the impression it would have to be DJ John Deere, or something, given his club rep. Though Disco Downing would suit me. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... I don't even think it would take £50m to be honest. £10m on a quality defender, £10-15m on a quality midfielder, and that would be the core of the squad finished. It would only then take another £15m or so to buy a few squad players. |
pth1
said:
|
... 50 million net spend is not what the scale of the economics is at all. Using Spurs as an example really does help the argument to show that we need to spend money doesn't it!! bass If it takes that much for you not to "care anymore" then perhaps you should learn some patience. |
THE AV VILLAN
said:
 |
... Getting a bit peeved with the Lerner slagging Damo, i'm trying to be confident abut signings and you are making me question my blind faith!!! I am still trying to beleive that MON is battling away behind the scenes!! Thats why he's in Spain to sign Sneider and Huntlaar!! |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Perhaps Spurs aren't as well off as we thought. Harry is talking about not being able to stump up enough to buy Crouch, and instead is attempting to bring in Vieira. I'm only guessing so correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't Vieira only be a free transfer? |
Damian
said:
|
... pth1 had spurs had redknapp from the start of the season and a summer before they would have finsihed in our place. he took them over when they couldn't win a match and took them to within touching distance of us. come on .. you know spurs will be a real threat this season to our position £50mn. might not be the exact figure, but its a start. we spent £40mn. last year to stand still, maybe £50mn. gets us one extra place a season; it's a theory anyway. |
Dave J
said:
|
... I just meant that these days everything is measured in 8 figures. It seems carzy, even vulgar at times like this to throw these numbers around but this is the world in which the Premiership lives at the moment |
Damian
said:
|
... Dave J It is crazy. Sickening actually, but what are we to do .. boycott and start our own club and call it FC Villa But it is the game .. we either want to be in it or not. |
kohoutek, home now and name still not working properly
said:
|
...it also doesn't need to be too much money. say £50mn. this summer, £10mn. in january maybe .. then the same next summer. I do agree with you here, Damo, on this order of magnitude...I think earlier I projected a £37.5m net spend for the summer, before the Barry/Downing business, so, yeah, £50m. Don't know that we'll get there, but I do think money wise you're probably not far off the mark. We'll see, obviously. I think, when it's all done and dusted, I'll be a little surprised if Villa don't ultimately spend somewhere between £30-50m. But as Doc pointed out about this particular window...I think it will all be late. Between Randy's various statements on what will be available, I'm not sure whether he's tightened the budget, is bluffing, had his mind changed. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Supply and demand I'm afraid. It might sound crazy, but people are willing to pay it. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... If I remember correctly it might be because Brian Clough used to wear 31, can't remember whether that's just a rumour or not though. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... That's the million dollar question Dave! In less than 10 years we've seen transfer fees and wages rise so astronomically, it does look as though it's beginning to get out of hand. If you ask me, at some point some organisation has to step in and start laying out some proper guidelines. That magic phrase "salary cap" starts getting bandied about. |
pete
said:
|
... ive said this some time ago if mon had 20 of the best players in the world ,he would not have a clue what to do with them. |
Dave J
said:
|
... i think this is at the crux of RL's more conservative approach - he spends what he can afford............and there's not many that stick to that. One thing history has taught us though is that economic situations like this do not continue ad infinitum. I accept that football does not always conform to the same rules as other businesses - but nor can football ignore them |
Mark
said:
|
... Damian it's odd that you say that you don't slag off the chairman or management when you appear to suggest both are liars. Or is that not slagging off? Or is telling lies just PR? Ellis was caught out lying continually. Not PR just straight lying because he was a salesman and thought that getting a sale was the end that justified the means. When MON or Lerner is caught out lying I will be the first to get on their case. In the meantime I'm at least prepared to give the benefit of the doubt. I think that's called support. |
mr villa
said:
 |
... last year we used 23 players, we have lost 4 which means we have 19 players. im scared |
pth1
said:
|
... Spurs will obviously be a threat this year. But lets be real about this Spurs had a quality squad last season that were under achieving and dodgy Harry couldn't off taken over at a better time. Lets see how he performs when people expect him Spurs to do well. It is much easier to perform well when you are under the radar (like Spurs were for the majority of last season) than when you have the pressure of being near the top places (like Villa where). How can anyone say we stood still last season?! Yes if you simply looked at the league table that is the case but anyone who saw games last season could see progress. If and its a big if Laursen had stayed fit, where would we have finished (better than sixth I think). Progress is being made that is clear stop suggesting otherwise. |
Damian
said:
|
... i'm going to be locking this page from comments soon and do updates on the previous post .. for the match page is here: http://www.thevillablog.co.uk/...e-sidwell/ |
pth1
said:
|
... Mr Villa Stuart Taylor didn't play last season did he? Meaning we have lost 3. Plus we have brought in Downing so add one and that means 21 surely. Why are we all panicking? |
steveAV
said:
|
... really starting to get concerned, years ago we sold our right back in hughes to fulham and took as 2 years to replace. MON was in charge then and am now worried it will happen again. i think losing barry is not a big deal imo. he was a poor actacking forward and we already have a better one in sidwell although i would prefer another better option. lauren go to injury and not zat. things are not looking good for our already poor defence. lets hope things look up. hangeland 10 million diego(werder bremen) 20 million, worth it. lennon/bentley then put milner in the middle. guzan l.young hangeland davis bouma milner petrov aggy diego young carew on the bench with players like downing,fonz,bannan,sidders,cuellar etc only going to cost 30 to get this squad and surely must be work a top 4 spot???????????? UTV |
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