Written by Damian Tuesday, 11 August 2009 08:58
Martin O'Neill, it turns out, is not a complicated man. We hear stories of his dogged determination and we are all fully aware of his unwillingness to try new things but for all the hype and bluster, as it stands today, are any of us really surprised by our lack of activity in the transfer market?
I don't think we have been let down by Martin O'Neill though. It is very much Randy Lerner that is responsible for supplying the funds so the manager can strengthen the squad and it is very much the quality of that squad that will determine where we finish in the table, which is very much what this post is about. I must also warn you now, I fear this post could go in several directions and might even be one of my longest.
I'm not going to worry about money spent or new players just yet though, mostly because I hope it will change and I really hope to be saying on September 1st that Randy Lerner did well, or at the very least, good enough.
I believe that will happen because when it comes to Aston Villa and that moment of opportunity, I honestly do believe that the best things will happen, because deep down I am hugely optimistic and I actually think that optimism is what keeps me supporting Aston Villa and not just watching football. Take away that optimism and I don't know what will happen.
Lerner knows this too, not about me but about football fans in general. He and when I say he, I mean his people that he is responsible for, made promises and created this 'Lerner is our saviour and we will conquer all' feeling that unfortunately, if he doesn't deliver on, is only going to create much quicker resentment towards him.
Lerner, knowing this, knows what he has to do and if we were any other club who hadn't just had Doug Ellis, he'd get away with appeasing us fans for much longer, but we know all the signs and all the tricks so he only has one option. Some might even say that the signs are there in black and white, we just don't want to believe them yet.
So, I have hope that he will do it, that he'll make serious funds available to the manager but even if he doesn't, O'Neill will get my support this season, but I fear this is going to be a very important season for O'Neill where he has to demonstrate that on a budget, he can do a job. I also fear that if Lerner doesn't provide the necessary funds and O'Neill suffers as a result, some supporters might turn on O'Neill this season.
The Positives
However, we've got some things to be positive about. Fabian Delph, some say, really could be capable of walking into our starting eleven. If that is true and he makes the step up, we could have a real gem here and with these gems, anything is possible.
Marc Albrighton, for me anyway, deserves to play the first ten games of the season to show us what he really is capable of. I know this would be at the expense of Milner, but he had a busy summer and if it didn't work out for Albrighton straight away, the rest will only help Milner, but if it does work out for Albrighton, then what have we lost?
You don't win anything with kids though, as Alan Hansen once said, but I don't think of them as kids any more and well, Hansen was proven wrong. These players are now young men and they've spent a long time preparing for this next step and there is a very fine line that Martin O'Neill has to guide them across.
Some will need time while others will need the exposure, it's a difficult call for a manager and a very important one, as every player is going to be different and it really does come down to how good a manager Martin O'Neill is at knowing which player is ready and which one isn't. I think this season we will see how good a manager Martin O'Neill is because on the face of it, we might be down on player numbers, but I think the manager has more choices and ultimately harder decisions to make.
The Realities
So, does it really come down to needing more money from Lerner? I think it ultimately does, if we want to secure top four football, but half of me also thinks that if some of these players demonstrate the ability we all know they are capable of, in the Premier League, then what is to say that top four isn't already available?
It's a tough call and while I'm not going to predict fourth spot just on the back of these younger players, I'd love to be wrong and see no more players come in and the younger kids do the business, but I'm not going to be as foolish as Alan Hansen and say it isn't possible. I'd love it to be possible and there is a certain romantic notion of it happening which does foster hope and belief. I just think something else is needed also.
It comes down to money for me because that is the game. We can either play the game a certain way, which we know works, or we can try and do it differently. Doing it differently means it is going to be much more difficult, carry lots more risk and needs quite a few things to actually go our way, not least, we stay relatively free of injuries and we have a bit of luck.
It comes down to three more players for me and I'd like those players to be the spine of the team; a central defender, an attacking central midfielder and an attacking player who is used to scoring lots of goals. It also comes down to a change in formation, but as I said in my opining paragraph, Martin O'Neill is not complicated, I can see us playing 4-4-2 and I don't think that is the right way to go about it, not unless something really special happens.
But and I'm talking myself round now, it could turn out that Cueller and Davies click, that Petrov and either Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Gardner, Delph or Downing when fit, click. It could be that Gabby and Carew or even Ashley Young sitting just behind a main striker turns out to be exactly what it is we need and it could turn out that Albrighton or Milner deliver cross after cross that turn out to be perfect.
What I accept more than anything, is that we are close, so close that we are within touching distance. We are not going to win the league but we could finish higher than 6th and we need to. It will be easy to finish 6th again though, in so much that we will be able to put it down to further consolidation, but some want more and it is almost understandable to expect more.
If the money isn't spent and we do finish sixth or lower then it will sort of back up the suggestion that the league is about how much you spend, but like I've said above, I fear O'Neill will come in for some stick if we do not do better. Next summer we will have more money to spend, it's the Doug way, but will people be able to wait?
Finishing fifth or above would be seen as a solid step this season but it is going to come down to the new players or the younger ones getting a proper run. I think, if things go well in the first half of the season, it may also come down to how we do our business in January, but that is a few months away and is worth waiting for.
The Prediction
Ultimately, I don't see us finishing sixth. I think we are either going to do better or worse than last season and as it stands today, it is too difficult a decision to be sure of so I'll happily take egg on my face at the end of the season, so I'm opting for the prediction that makes me feel better and that is that we will do better and I'm going to predict fourth.
For the record, I've predicted sixth the last two seasons and while you will think I've finally lost the plot, you could put it down to pre-season optimism and it was either me predicting that or seventh and going backwards isn't something I want to consider as it will mean I'm looking forward to a horrible season and that would be too depressing to accept, certainly before we have even kicked a ball.
So, yes, I may have finally gone mad as I've talked about needing three then that we can do it, but I think, as of today, Arsenal and Liverpool are weaker so they will drop more points, Manchester City will need another season and a another manager and Everton and Spurs don't look any better. We can take more points and I fancy the teams above and around us will lose more.
It ultimately comes down to us and I just think now is about time we moved up a gear and I think it is possible, so my prediction is fourth. Take aim and shoot me down and apologies for the way I've come to this conclusion (which is the true definition of madness), I've tried five or six times to write this post and this is the shortest.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email this
Comments (166)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
avfc1983
said:
 |
... Morning all is anyone getting a bit worried about the fact MON left zat go and has not replaced him cus i am i think MON thought we could get distin but has not worked out. who will we sign MON i trust put we play wign saturday and davies is not fit and if curly hair gets injured we a buggered. |
avfc1983
said:
|
... Revised Morning all is anyone getting a bit worried about the fact MON let zat go and has not replaced him, cus i think MON thought we could get distin but this has not worked out. Who will we sign ?? MON i trust, but we play wign saturday and davies is not fit and if curly hair gets injured we a buggered. |
John Edwards
said:
 |
... 3rd or 4th place for me (but not with Albrighton starting the first 10 matches) |
Trezzy
said:
 |
... if we didnt have any money im sure MON wouldnt have made downing his first summer signing. im not panicing yet because it would be so much easier for MON to go and sign up campbell as a panic signing, but he hasnt, not that campbell would be a panic, i believe he could still do a job 4 us. to me MON is still trying for his main targets which would walk straight into our team. i believe the kids are our squad, they are definetly good enough, MON is going for the big names im positive, when before have we heard MON mention top quality names b4? |
Matty
said:
 |
... I think MON will suprise us and get a couple of big signings in before the transfer window ends. I think we'd do well to finish higher than 5th this season but the FA cup would be nice. |
Andi
said:
 |
... I think that we will finish 4th this season, i think Liverpoo will drop points, Man Utd are not as strong and will drop more than normal, Arsenal have lost the plot, Man City going to need more time for the players to settle in, Tottenham are just rubbish, Everton will be are closest challenge. I think that we will see another signing in the form of a defender before the weekend. |
darrenvilla26
said:
 |
... i love it damian, i love the positivity! i have been a reader of this blog for a while now and have watched the nonsense talk of fans getting on the back of our club, all because of a lack of patience and have seen people get on your back when you start to question things too. But this is what it is all about, and i dont mean Villa, i mean football, real football. I wake up every morning and check the gossip columns, check this blog, the villa site, and i spend hours at work all day talking to lads in the office about our beloved club, and when i get home at night, i sit at the dinner table with my dad, a life long fan, and we discuss who we should buy, what formation we should be starting with next season. When we talk about lack of numbers, but we have made 3 additions, and then we have lichaj and albrighton who have made the step up..maybe bannan will play some part...does this count for nothing? We dont need fancy sounding names or big ego's, what we need is a team, and that is what we have, and slowly but surely, we will add more and grow stronger..and that is what i love about our club. I'm happy just the way we are, other clubs and fans envy us, we have a fantastic stadium, world class (wanted) manager, and a generous owner who is also a fan. I sat and watched the charity shield with my old man last week, its our week before warm up to the season, and i was buzzing, i've lost interest in rumours, i'm focused on the season, sitting in my seat i have been for more years than i can remember, with my dad on one side, and the same group of lads and lasses, young and old around me in the holte end watching our boys fight with passion. I'm ready to go, i cant wait to hear the big match build up as i drive up, the buzz as i run up the steps outside the holte, getting in my seat for the first time and saying to everyone how short the summer was, and then watching the team come out and then after listening to collymore on the radio on the way back. This is what it is all about, we are the best in the midlands, we are in the top six in the country, we are Aston Villa, and we WILL be in the top 4 next season! I love you Villa x |
John Edwards
said:
|
... with the exception of Laursen our "ins" are much much better than our "outs" so depending on who slots into the centre back position defines our season. |
Christian
said:
 |
... Damian, your logic about Arsenal being weaker and that 'big' clubs will take more points off each other hence giving us a chance to exploit the Top 4 is very optimistic but isn't ridiculous- PROVIDED we sign about another 4 players of high quality. We simply do not have a big enough or good enough squad for Top 4, even if the Big '5' beat each other every other week. I think a 6-7th place finish is in store this season, BUT i wont be too disappointed. We can build on that for the 2010/11 season. Our squad is very young and as they mature, if we can add some genuine quality each summer, we'll become challengers. Howvever, having our talent stolen by other clubs (or getting bored at Villa) whilst this happens is a MASSIVE danger. For me it's been a gloomy summer, its been gloomy since about March to be honest. But the postives are that we have the very, very, very exciting Delph to enjoy over the next few years, DJ Downing (who's a lot better player than many give him credit for), Albrighton looking hot property (albeit in friendlies) and a SURPLUS of right-backs(who'd have thought heh?)!!!!!!!!!! We still need a dominating centreback and a magician in midfield though... |
Richard Bunn
said:
 |
... I think 5th, which will be a step forward. We still need one more signing in defence, midfield and attack to consolidate. I like your optimism Damo, but I think 4th is a bridge too far this season for us. Saying that though, if Sneijder DID come in, my tail would be wagging and I'm sure the whole team would start feeling more confident. This could well give us the final push to 4th! |
Ronan Kenny
said:
 |
... From midfield onwards we are in very good shape, not too worried about right back and left back as we have decent back up there and Freddie Bouma coming back will be a big bonus. The centres halfs are simply not good enough, distribution is terrible and to many stupid mistakes which will ultimately cost us goals against most teams in the premiership. A good centre half to replace Laursen (not Weater or Huth as there much the same as what we have)maybe Turner could fill this void and with Hageland set to stay at Fulham there isnt many other decent centre halfs available. I would take a punt at Dunne if all else failed, if he could cut out the stupid fouls hes alot more solid than Davies. Distin is another option but who knows whats happening at pompey at the moment and i think its a bit late to be playing the waiting game. |
Joky
said:
 |
... An interesting post and I to share your optimism. I also cannot help but wonder if there would have been more funds available if we had secured forth last season based on the additional revenues. I agree that 5th and 4th are realistic, I see us having a nice battle with either arsenal or liverpool for the spot. The main thing in our favour is that we have a solid squad and with a few key additions, and I agree with the defender, midfielder and forward, as those additions then we could challenge higher than fourth. This may seem like folly, but we could be better placed in terms of quality and numbers, and not playing gabby when he's ill etc. I'm bursting with excitement for the start of the season and to see who MoN selects as he has the nice problem of some stars in the making coming through. I'd love to see Van der Vaart or his compatriot come in. I would also like us to go for Sessegnon from PSG as he is great midfielder with the qualities we need. I hope we do get the required signings and also understand Learners position, he did fork out around £50 million last season on transfers. Problem is he needs to do it again now if we are to get some real star players in. |
PAUL WARREN
said:
 |
... I think we'll finish 5th or 6th with a decent cup run. We will only push for top 4 when/if we get a big signing of either a creative attacking midfielder or a quality 20 goal a season striker. I would be happy to tread water at 5/6th for one more season if it takes another year for the kids to fully realise their potential. UTV and bring on wigan!!! |
StuCK
said:
 |
... I don't think we need to remind MON of where we need to strengthen our minuscule squad! It would be nice to add some stunning quality play makers in midfield, a rock solid CB or 2 and a 25 goal a season striker. But hey lifes a bitch and I'm a Villa supporter. What would we all do with our time if we didn't have the pre-season rollercoaster. As long as we finish above our second city colleagues and prove to the spuds and "Citeh". That they're crap and hopefully challenge for a place in Europe. I'd take that at the start of the season!. If we did better that would be top drawer! UTV |
Jonathan
said:
 |
... Great read Damian, I agree with most of it If not all. This seasson as you said will be trickey and could go either way. My prediction is 5th, joint fourth ( with the exception of goal differnce). Will VDV be playing tomorrow? |
oldfart
said:
 |
... According to Gaurdian MON has £8 mil to spend in cash. I assume he can use various players as loan bate e.g Fonz,Gardner Banaman etc. Thus I assume he must drop the Tunkay option and buy central defenders. Why did we lose Zat???.It can only be that he had a cb lined up. Or has he made a bad defensive blunder, as he did with Cahill????? |
Christian
said:
|
... Nice Darrenvilla26!!! I think you speak for most Villa fans with what you wrote. I love that nervous anticipation before a game, having a beer at the ground and the hairs on the back of your neck when you look around that glorious, noisy packed stadium... |
rob hathaway
said:
 |
... All i think mon will grab a couple of stars too. you know I always read into mons comments and I do believe he says everything for a reason. I have a theory about sneijder. Many people of here have said that mon does not talk about transfer targets and you are right he does not. People said it is out of character for mon to talk about a transfer target by name. and this is also true so why did he? well he didn't. Did he? He was asked about sneijder and merely said 'when a creative midfielder like sneijder becomes available you should be interested' Now I think mon used this to deflect his actual interest. I am sure he likes sneijder but feels he is prehaps out of reach at the moment, hence mon said 'even if the interest is not reciprocated'. I think mon is after van der vaart! he is using sneijder as a smoke screen simply because the interviewer highlighted the name. Other clubs then move for sneijder while mon toils in the background to bring in vdv. Now while this is simply speculation there is no smoke without fire and reports in spain keep saying we are in talks with madrid so something surely must be being discussed. The key to this is that mon never mentions player names unless they are about to sign. He did mention sneijder in passing but not directly. I think mon has pointed in his comments that a player like sneijder is on the cards but not sneijder. Again purely my view but mon is very calculated and tends to say things for a reason! |
clarkamus
said:
 |
... i just cant wait for the season to start wigan at home will be a good start for us i just hope we sign a CD before the week is out |
faangler
said:
 |
... First of all, what a great blog. You are some whacky blogger. I've read a lot of predictions lately, and they are all arse in comparison. Everyone; Lawro, Merse, Cascarino,the bookies, etc, etc, has Villa going backwards this season. They have spuds, citeh, everton and the big four all above us. Did none of them watch the Peace Cup? Clearly not ! spuds are going to play Crouch/Defoe combo ffs. citeh have basically bought big name rejects. Have Everton bought anyone ? I'm with you - 4th ! Another year on, a young side getting better, and in Delph - a match winner if ever there was. |
First Time Poster
said:
 |
... Damian, where do you get the notion that Learner isnt providing the funds. As far as I am aware, we have bought everyone MON has wanted. We do not have the funds to compete with the Chelseas, the Liverpools and the Man Citys and personally speaking I like the way we are headed. Buying young promising players that not only provide a massive service to the club, but also offer value for money either by being young and likely to be around for a long time, or having resale value to increase the stature of the club overall. Spending money does not guarantee success. Im pretty sure Im not the only Villa fan who would prefer to build slowly and steadily than risk our long term future on quick success when its clear that the likes of the teams I mentioned above can easily outbid us for players when they want to. |
Milk
said:
 |
... Im probably going to get flamed for this but I honestly cant see us doing well next season. Id be suprised if we finish in the top 8. Downing wont be fit til xmas. Delph looks fantastic, but would any of us be suprised if he didnt make many appearances this season? Beye will only be competition of L. Young. We will get a new center back before the window closes but this doesnt seem like enough. Everton will be stronger than us and possibly so will the spuds. If man city can get their act together I honestly think 7th is the highest we could hope for. |
Mike Carter
said:
 |
... Rob, I like your logic mate. If O'Neill thinks he can fool us with this kind of mind-gamery, then he's got another thing coming. |
runtingz
said:
 |
... i would like to point out the fact the lerner has always made money available to martin but the main problem is raising the profile of villa and making thev prospect of becoming a villa player appealing to the 20mil plus stars of this world ...he has missed out on a number of these types of players in previous windows because these types of player are saying aston who ? i.e jose boswingwa ....fred...and so on ...whoever i think some top players are starting to believe in what villa can achive so this maybe the window to get someone og the stature of wesley scnidier which will bring us to the next level that we all crave....also i am glad we are not doing a citeh or chelski...and firmily believe that bringing through academy players is just as important as buying ...what is the point in having a youth policy if u end up like chelsea wiyh john terry being the last person to come through and he will be retierd in a few years |
HT Sweden
said:
 |
... I´m sorry, despite the talented squad, if not MON strenghten it with more players with proven experience and quality, i say we must be a very lucky team to reach 6th or higher. And my question to MON (and Lerner) is: if you agree with my analyse our thin squad together with too many matches made us suffer last season; why gamble again with a thin squad this season? |
Frosty
said:
 |
... I think Arsenal will be the suprise package this season. I love Villa to bits but can't see us having the strength or depth to seriously challenge them. Could Liverpool be the weakest link? PS - Who's going on Sat? |
Dan Coe
said:
 |
... The way I see it we missed out on 4th last season because we ran out of steam due to starting our season extremely early and not having enough squad depth. Now this season we start on the opening day of the premiership which is an improvement in iteself. Then in terms of squad we have lost Laursen who does still need replacing and Barry who I feel has been replaced. So under the assumption that we will sign a couple of centre backs and possibly an attacking midfielder before the end of the window we will therefore have far more options and therefore depth for the coming season. Following this way of thinking we should then be able to maintain a challenge for the entire season as we failed to do last season. I hope that all makes sense (it did to me!) |
kieron
said:
 |
... Anyone been in the revamped holte suite yet? Will be paying a visit on saturday and wondered what anyone thought. |
George Hartless
said:
 |
... Milk I would be staggered if Delph isn't used regularly this season. We have one of the most settle squads around and I think that counts for a lot. With the current squad I'm going to say 6th. But if we add between now and September then who knows? Bring on Saturday. Fed up of struggling at home against Wigan. 3 points please. Can already feel the tingle of excitement down my spine. |
Damian
said:
 |
... First Time Poster First, how do you know who Martin O'Neill has wanted? It sounded to me last week that he wanted Wesley Sneijder and he implied that he showed interest but that interest was not reciprocated. http://www.thevillablog.co.uk/...y-sneijder If you offer a player like that £100k a week, I fancy he'll be interested but I fancy O'Neill didn't have that money, but actually, I don't know that, none of us do, much like none of us know who O'Neill wanted. If you want the club to build slowly, within the confines of what the business can afford then success won't come. But that is just my opinion, but faced with the likes of Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd who can go out and offer these salaries, it is a difficult challenge and when you add to the mix that Liverpool and Arsenal will do it when they fear they might lose a top four place, it makes it even more difficult. Currently, our net spend this summer is less than our net spend ten seasons ago, yet we are generating significantly more money as a business than we did ten years ago. Our net spend since Lerner came in is less than the net spend of Manchester City this summer. That is where I am getting the notion that Lerner isn't providing the funds and that it is the business that is providing the funds. That is where I am getting the notion that all we have is a younger Doug Ellis. But, I could be proven wrong this summer but if I'm not, I'm expecting a bigger spend next summer, because that is the way Doug would have done it. |
Leroy
said:
 |
...ronvilla said: Just look through newsnow villa and you will find these articles. Theres alot of tripe on there though, as would be expected with a rumour site |
Frosty
said:
|
... Grrrr - can't wait until he come back to VP this season, talk about rubbing salt in ... “I am just looking forward to being part of a squad that can achieve things,” continued Barry |
Jonathan
said:
|
... How about everyone takes about the money spent, erm when the tranfer window is over? To me that would make sence. Anyone saying, "villa have this much to spend","villa donlt have this much to spend" is simply making figures up. |
Simeon
said:
 |
... Thank goodness there are more important things in my life than the Villa and football. I mean... for goodness sake Damian, pull yourself together! I can understand a pessimistic Villa fan accepting that we'll have to settle for a place in the top 4 this season before finally assuming our rightful place at the top of the best league in the game. But I know that you're an optimist, and that you're better than this! Success this season is not contingent on signing three more players. Yes, we might sign more players, but only if Sir Martin of O'Neill deems it necessary. Success this season (and success is nothing less than the league title, as any self-respecting football fan knows) is guaranteed because we have the greatest manager in the history of the game, Lord Martin of Ulster leading us to the promised land. Some might question whether the grand old Duke of O'Neill is better than Cloughie, but to my mind (and to any right-thinking child of reason) it is a simple question of evolution. King Mart is the new, improved Clough. Anyone who doesn't think so is denying science and truth, and ought to be put to death for the good of the human race. Or at the very least prevented from breeding - although how any woman could find a Villa fan who's first love wasn't Martin the Great attractive I really don't know, so maybe nature has already got that one covered. There will be no offspring for the poor benighted fools who cannot see that we have risen to the top of the world game! Quite simply, Martin O'Neill is the Messiah, YAHWEH, Allah, Buddha, L. Ron Hubbard and the Lord God Almighty rolled into one, through the wonders of genetic splicing. We cannot, we will not fail. We have emerged from the desert. We have suffered the trials and tribulations. Martin has resisted temptation. He has been crucified by the masses and abandoned by those who had believed. But now he is risen! Hallelujah! And he is on the brink of ascending to the right hand of Alf Ramsey. The Apostle Paul (previously Stewart), Steve Sidwell (the rock on whom the church will be built), and of course Stan Petrov, the beloved one, will be spreading the gospel on pitches up and down the country. And of course we'll all have a good laugh when Judas hangs himself from the crossbar at Eastlands! God bless LORD Martin! Go on Mart, bless yerself! |
Damian
said:
|
... vivavilla you are right - that swings about - but we did sell one for £12,6mn 11 years ago .. i'm using the ten year thing as that is what i used in my post about net spend this summer and the competition. its just a guessing game so i said our net spend would be the same as it was ten years ago .. i actually think we will have a bigger net spend this summer but my point is, if o'neill had had a big net spend this summer, which is still possible, we might even fancy more than 4th ... |
Christian
said:
|
... Frosty, Liverpool definitely wont be the weakest link this year! They've only lost Alonso, who I didnt really think was that good- their midfield is all about Mascherano and Gerrard. Plus this Aquilani is allegedly the bee's knees and gets forward a lot more than Alonso. Plus they've solved their right back issue (albeit for 3x more than they should've paid). |
rob hathaway
said:
|
... viva villa how much do you think barry's proposed new contract was worth a week as well? 70 80k? |
parisianrob
said:
 |
... scrumpy mate meant my fat fingers spelling 3rd as 4rd or should we rename you magners with ice of course I think mon is angry about friendlies because it stopped his transfer activity that will only leave thurs and fri to do a deal or two for this week |
testie
said:
 |
... vivavilla - I sometimes struggle to take anything you say seriously because i hear it in Peter Griffins voice. Every time i watch family guy i expect him to start babbling on about 442 or the need for a new CB. Take no offence mate you have enhanced my TV viewing pleasure  I have noticed over the past couple of weeks that a new optimism has started to develop amongst the fans lets keep it up fellas. I agree with your post in most parts Damien, I too believe the top four are their for the taking and that no teams have improved vastly (bar Man City) transfer wise. I think we all are really excited for the start of the season, i want the Villa to stuff Wigan and have a season that proves all the football pundit muppets that just comment without actually doing any research wrong. |
parisianrob
said:
|
... Oh dear MON only wants heskey to get into double figures what a soft target bring back peter withe banker for 20 |
PaulMcGrathsGoneAWOL
said:
 |
... Whilest it is very true that we have only bought in 3 players so far and yes I think another couple at least would give us a real fighting chance to finish above 6th, I wont be that disapointed if we dont sign any more. Lets face it, if we had gone out and bought Albrighton, Delfounso, Lichaj, Bannan ect over the summer we would all be jumping around saying what great work MON and everyone else had done. And what would those players have cost? Around £20m perhaps? If that had happened we would be looking forward to the season knowing that if not this season then certainly in the next 2-3 we would have a team of real quality throughout. That was capable of challenging for top 4 if not better. I am optimistic too, and maybe Ive gotten it wrong and the youngsters wont play very much and wont make an impact but Im optimistic because I think they will. |
Rob The Villain
said:
 |
... Damian, your constant Lerner bashing is boring, how many times have you been over it all! The last few weeks have been fairly positive on the whole from everyone but here we go again, bringing everyone down. I really think you should go off and support Newcastle, there's plenty there for you to moan about. How many other teams having really been splashing the cash? We're probably the second biggest spenders behind Man City now aren't we? Or at least close to second! Look at Everton, exact same postion as us yet they've brought in NO ONE! Or would you rather a squad full of under achievers like Spurs? Would you rather Redknapp was in charge? I only started reading this blog this year and to be honest it's getting depressing with your constant negativity! |
Altan Kargaci
said:
 |
... Season prediction ..... With what we have right now 7th at best . With a new CB and maybe a striker 4th. In saying that I have no doubt a CB will be brought in , but weather he will be of any real quality is another story. Just seen on SSN that Everton have rejected a transfer request from Lescott.  UTV |
Rob The Villain
said:
|
... Second thoughts, I just finished reading the end bit, fourth you say? Now that's more like it! I had to stop reading the middle bit before I slit my wrists! |
parisianrob
said:
|
... We just need to pay the money we will meet all the credentials i.e constant use cmon mon do the business Inter Milan told to get serious over Real Madrid's Sneijder 11.08.09 | tribalfootball.com The agent of Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder has told Inter Milan to get serious about the Dutchman. Soren Lerby said: "For some time there has been talk of a move to Inter for Sneijder, but the reality is that there is nothing happening. "Currently, Real Madrid has set the price, so, anyone who wants to buy him should simply satisfy the demands of the club. The €25 million referred to seems a lot, but (Inter president) Massimo Moratti has recently asked for €40 million for Maicon, who despite being the best in his role, is still a fullback. "Wesley is an attacking midfielder, very technical, with good vision for the game. Sneijder would definitely go to a club that can guarantee an almost constant use. A few days ago I heard from someone of Inter, but the problem is the money required by Real. "The possibility that he remains in Madrid is still quite high." |
Espen
said:
 |
... I really agree with you "First Time Poster"!! Buying young and let them develop the way we want them to develop is def the way Villa should operate! |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Damian I was looking at that transfer league site that was listed the other day. According to that, our net spend per season has gone up from £4.2m per season under Ellis, to £17m per season under Lerner. You have to admit, that's a pretty impressive markup. The site also claims that in the last 5 years, we rank 6th in the net spend table, ahead of both United and Arsenal. Again, not bad at all. Tottenham have spent nearly 3 times as much as us and achieved bugger all. I begin to ask myself, according to thses stats - A) are we being shortchanged? Definitely not and B) is spending more money even necessary? Apparently not. Tottenham, Sunderland, Newcastle all have higher outgoings and they have been unable to get near us for the last two seasons. Horses for courses, I understand. But still, the stats are quite interesting. |
THE AV VILLAN
said:
 |
... Got me thinking about Van Der Vaart instead of Scneider!! VDV would make my new shirt bloody expensive at £8 a letter!!! |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Rob I reckon £70k. Or at least I'd like to think so. I imagine like other teams, we've have a higher wage bracket and I doubt MON would exceed it. I don't think he's worth it. |
Goldie 7
said:
 |
... Looks like Lescott is going to man shitty or coming home to us  Off topichttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOE8oAQOk8Y |
Damian
said:
|
... vivavilla yes - but look at it as a percentage of turnover but as i've said a few times on this site, the most important person at the club is the manager and if anything the likes of spurs not having the right manager (or not sticking with him) just demonstrate that you can spend the money and it not work i fully believe we have the right manager but he now needs the money. give him the money and we will kick on i also think it might happen .. |
Daniel Wilson
said:
 |
... I see big things happening this year. Due to the kids coming through I feel like we have signed about 8 new players, not just 3. I'm going to predict 3rd with Chelsea and United above us by a matter of 10 points or less. Call me stupid but I think after the experiences of last season, the way weve matured as a team and the young faces who have improved faster than anyone could have predicted we are there or thre abouts. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Theortical: if Randy Lerner never took over and Doug Ellis was still in charge, do you think our net spend would have increased in such a way? |
Chrisodon
said:
 |
... By Paul Brown Martin O'Neill hopes the new stars he brings in will make Villa a "better football side" this season. O'Neill says he is looking for his claret and blue troops to "adjust" to the losses of major players Gareth Barry and Martin Laursen. He told AVTV: "There's no question that both Gareth and Martin are major losses. Gareth plays regularly for England and that is as a result of his performances for England. He is a definite loss - very strong in the middle of the field. So we will have to try and adjust to that. "Martin is major too. If you analyse last season, I believe the single biggest factor in us not hanging on was his absence. He gave us something that we certainly lacked when he was not in the team. "We will have to replace them. That's my job. Some players within the football club are able to step up and do that and there may be one or two from outside. "That's what we must do - replace those players, go through this period as seamlessly as possible. We will have to adjust. "The type of player we are looking to bring to the football club at the moment will make us hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, a better footballing side. "We'll be better at dealing with the ball and better at dealing with situations." Could this be the fabled Wes Sni or VDV ?. seems pretty positive imo. |
Damian
said:
|
... vivavilla i believe our net spend would have remained a very similar percentage of revenue generated |
Mark Johnson
said:
 |
... Firstly, Morning all, I'm sorry Damian, I can't buy into this Randy not giving up his cash and being a young Doug crap, I firmly beleive that MoN has asked for the cash when HE wants it and Randy has sorted it, IF we come out and say that we have £X to spend on players the price usually goes up. IMO We may have only purchased 3 players and introduced 3 or 5 from the youth, but that's like 6 new signings, what do all these people want? a squad of 400 like west ham had a couple of years ago? YES we do need a CB BUT we have talent in abundance pretty much everywhere else. Everton are trying to do things on the cheap, Moyes said so recently he's looking for cheap players who don't want much wages. That's a sad reflection on the way football is going. IMO never underestimate Man U or Chelsea,it's a dangerous game Liverpool & Arsenal blow hot and cold either cracking play or down right average. Citeh, wo't come strong til after Christmas when the players gel, and at which time the foreign imports won't fancy a trip to Wigan on a January evening. Right I've had my rant Off for a coffee now UTV |
keithj
said:
 |
... damian i would like you to consider this,lerner has told mon he can go for whoever he wants and the funds will be available, mon has shown an interest in sneijder but has he got enough faith to pay that kind of money and take the responsibility ( who has been his biggest signing over his managerial career) this theory is money is available but mon dont want the responsibility. personally i think its crap but it stands up to your THEORY |
ruffy
said:
 |
... You are of course mad. Personally I'd be happy with 7th and some LONG overdue silverware. You don't get trophies for 4th place. |
Damian
said:
|
... keithj there is every possibility that martin o'neill has £100mn to spend on players without having to factor in salaries and signing on fees and everything else that goes with it there is every possibility simply because we don't know and i accept that but the thing that is most important for us to remember is we don't actually know and if you had to look at both options; 1. he has all the money he could ever wish for but is uncertain or 2. he is on a very strict budget which one, do you honestly think is the most realistic, three seasons down the line? fact is, we don't know but give one child 50p in a sweet shop and another £10 and they both know the value of the money in that sweet shop - what do you think will happen? |
Gary Davis
said:
 |
... Where we end up in the league , will depend who MON puts in Goal ! Friedel splilled too many last season , Guzan has earned his chance . . If we sign any more Middlesborough players we may have to change our name to Villaborough ! lol |
keithj
said:
|
... you answered my point "he might have 100 million, but we dont know" so if he has does this make lerner another doug |
Rob The Villain
said:
|
... Chrisdon, that has to point toward a midfielder or striker! Tuncay, Sneijder or VDV, come on!!! |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Damian So seeing as you believe we're seeing increased spending due to increased revenue, and say for arguments sake we'd be generating the same revenue were Ellis still in charge... you do think we'd have a similar net spend ever year if he was still here? |
Darragh McGeown
said:
 |
... My heart says 4th/5th but my head says 6th. That will change if we can get that net spend to around 27M with three quality signings and a couple of the kids prove themselves. On a similar note: I'm completely perplexed by the fact most pundits think Spuds will be 4th/5th this season. Crouch and Defoe? Wouldn't be able to lace Carew and Youngs boots. Let's finish the season looking down at Man city, GB and 'arry  |
ak_27
said:
 |
... Damien if you had a small budget would you go and spend £12m on an injured player who plays in a position you could argue is already our stongest position with promising youth players as cover? I take that as a pointer that we do have funds. If not then you have to question MON's decision to go ahead and buy Downing and not use this cash to sort out the far more urgent issues of the defense and CM. |
mikey18
said:
 |
... Our main rivals Man City...Scored the most goals outside the top 4 last season! signed 3 strikers and a midfielder who doesn't track back! Yes they've added kolo toure but he had his worse season for arsenal last season and his stats proved it. Everton haven't bought anybody but will have players back from injury which will improve them! but i think we have more quality. Spurs. No left midfielder. one fit CB at the moment. 8 right backs. one RM which can't cross another with a bad attitude. good set of strikers tho. They will be there or there abouts. I fancy our chances to finish above all these 3! We have a better manager! We have better players. We have a better team spirit. I think players like Milner, Ash, Gabby, Davies Cuellar and Reo-coker will kick on! Hopefully we will sign 2 CB's one of real quality i.e Upson, Hangeland, Lescott? and a CM VDV Sniejder Veloso, Defour? Jimmy Bullard? and i think we will kick on |
John Edwards
said:
|
... So many people are still saying our squad is too thin. When was the last time you saw a fat footballer |
Darragh McGeown
said:
|
...Damien if you had a small budget would you go and spend £12m on an injured player who plays in a position you could argue is already our stongest position with promising youth players as cover? Ak_27 - I honestly believe that MON wants to play Gabby/AY in the hole behind Big John with Downing on the left wing. However, I do completely agree that this is a good indicator that the funds are there |
Carl Main
said:
 |
... I dont think its Randy unwilling to spend the cash, I think its MON's traditional values of not wanting to bankrupt a club, as he keeps on stating. Learner has already came out this summer and said that money is not an issue (unless im mistaken?) so why would he say that if there wasnt any money to spend? Havnt we already spent over £20 mil already aswell with a month of the transfer market still open? I think MON just likes to try and spend wisely. Sounds silly judging by some of his buys, but I think he worries about the financial state of the club which I think is a good thing. I cant possibly predict where we will finish this season. Hopefully we will be up there again, but I have got a little paranoia in the back of my mind!...A good start, and if we are up there in the top 4 by November, then I think we can push it up a gear and really go for it this season. The first 10 games are just so vital!... I just hope we come out raring to go! |
Chrisodon
said:
|
... Exactly what i thought rob the villain. Let's just sit and wait as i think Mon is calling madrids bluff with the price and will probably wait till the end of the window to make his move, unless his hand is forced obviously!. Good times ahead i think. |
Damian
said:
|
... keithj but think about the kid in the sweetshop - if you give a kid money in a sweetshop he will spend it we can only go on the facts. to date, i dont think, in terms of transfer activity, we have seen much difference from ellis (when you factor in the huge increase in revenue) and i dont see the huge sums of cash getting put into player acquisitions that i think is really necessary, or a sure fire way, of breaking into the top four. it might be different on september 1st and i've said above in my initial post that i hope it is vivavilla i've answered that question ... you know i have, i'm trying to answer it as best i can, or as a politician would ak_27 you take that as a pointed of having funds. i take it as a pointer of o'neill replacing barry. downing is a very similar player to barry in my opinion, he just happens to be injured but by all accounts it isn't an injury that is going to be an ongoing concern. when it is fixed it might even be stronger i see it as just replacing a player that has gone with a similar, younger player, not an indication that we have huge amounts of cash to spend but we will see on september 1st |
clarkamus
said:
|
... Mon on replacing barry and laursen "We will have to replace them. That's my job. Some players within the football club are able to step up and do that and there may be one or two from outside. "That's what we must do - replace those players, go through this period as seamlessly as possible. We will have to adjust. "The type of player we are looking to bring to the football club at the moment will make us hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, a better footballing side. "We'll be better at dealing with the ball and better at dealing with situations." sounds encouraging that we have some class acts coming to villa in the next few weeks |
vogra
said:
 |
... i can't see where we've moving up a gear, we've lost more players than we've signed, on top of a small squad we already had.. If MON can try and pull his head out his ass and realise we need another 5 players then i'd agree we have moved up a few gears. |
john franey
said:
 |
... My Prediction for the league. CHELSEA MAN UTD LIVERPOOL MAN CITY ASTON VILLA ARSENAL 5th place would be a good season and the europa cup please |
keithj
said:
|
... damian would a "doug apprentice" say sorry we can not accept revenue for letting you use our ground because that is when we intend to improve it |
ak_27
said:
|
... Damien i would argue that Delph is probably the Barry replacement. Downing is not really a CM. He may have played there the odd time with Boro but he is not a proper CM. I can see him playing LW 99% of the time for us with Young floating into the hole behind a striker. The way i see it is that MON is very cautious (overly cautious in my mind at times) with Learners money and is unwilling to pay a few million more then what he deems a fair price. There are some good aspects to that but there are also some draw backs like waiting until the last minute in hope of price reductions and when this doesn't happen you are left with nobody. I feel this is what heppened with the Full back situation. He plays a dangerous game to save money. I just hope he doesn't do it again with the CB position. |
Juan Pablo Angel
said:
 |
... Damien, If todays blog is an indication of what is going on inside your head, I must say I have nothing but sympathy for your family and friends. Let me say that I disagree with your opinion on RL and I believe it is the years of abuse from DE that has made you paranoid and scared, much like an abused child. Where does this doubt come from? Surley if there was no money available why would our first signing equal our club record spend and be on a player who can't play till xmas and plays in our strongest position on the field? Why declare your interest in Sneijder/VDV when you know they are going to command a large transfer fee if we need to save the little money we supposedly have for defenders? So I ask what is your reason for thinking this when the transfer window is still open? Like yourself I believe that we are only a few quality signings away from CL if we play our cards right, use the full squad at our disposal (a few of the youngsters) and get that little bit of luck. I agree that it looks like there will be more teams in the league this season taking points off of the established top four and the league will be tighter as a result. I remember feeling the same as you a little last year before the signings of Shorey, Young and Cuellar and I remember being so relieved when we finally bought some fullbacks. I'm ready for the same relieved feeling this season. MoN despite having a few of the same bumbling nuances of TV's Columbo, is in fact a very very good manager and has proven that with the limited team available to him over the last three seasons. I don't believe that the best thing to do with Marc is chuck him in and see if he sinks or swims because we have a seasoned international player who will almost certainly play ahead of him. What we do have is competition and the option of moving Milner inside, in time, if the boy proves himself. AVFC 1983 - Don't worry mate, Bolton wanted Zat. Mon knew he wanted to replace him with 1/2 better CB's and let him go while he had the chance. If he then went and bought more CB's and Zat hardly played till the window and then we sold him we would have got nowhere near the same money cos he wouldn't have been playing. As it stands we made a profit on a player who was a good servant but prone to the odd mistake and now we have plenty of time to bring in a much better/younger replacement. Relax, it'll all be fine (he says gently stroking AVFC 1983's head) JPA |
Damian
said:
|
... keithj the olympic committee needed to finalise stadiums to be used. they asked for a commitment that villa park could be used now, plans are in place to improve villa park, but they are only plans, there is no set date for work to begin, so it's not a case of the club saying 'we are going to start building in 2012' it is a case of the club saying 'we can not commit' - nothing else further more. if you can increase capacity by 8,000 (just a number, not sure what the exact number would be) and sell those 8,000 seats over the next season at an average price of £20 then that gives you increased revenue of over £3mn which is far more than they'd get from having the olympics stage a few football matches but lets see if it happens in 2012 before we start saying lerner said no to extra money so he can build |
DAVIDVILLA
said:
 |
... Damian If you can remember Randy Lerner said he didnt want to say how much was available for MON to spend as it wouldnt be fair because other clubs would up the price of players, so in reality nobody knows apart from himself and MON,which i kind of like considering we are linked to some great players? UP THE VILLA |
Damian
said:
|
... ak_27 maybe delph is the barry replacement, maybe it is downing, maybe we haven't actually replaced barry yet. maybe he doesn't actually need replacing and change is going to be good Juan Pablo Angel fortunately, my football head is different to the other heads i wear and about aston villa i am quite passionate. very soon, i have to put on work head and that unfortunately carries no passion and is just a case of sitting down for a couple of hours and having to hit the keyboard but reasoning about something where my vested interest is purely emotional and not financial makes it easier, i think, to accept that maybe if we are not spending £50mn this summer it is because maybe we don't have £50mn, not because we have an over cautious manager unwilling to take risks with other peoples money i think ultimately me and you and most others on this site believe fundamentally the same things, it's just we take different paths in getting to that same thought and occasionally when we branch off from those paths our views differ we are close. literally within touching distance and it is possible to do it without spending huge sums of money. i just think it more difficult and there is more chance of long term success by spending a little now to get in, because we will have to spend when we are in anyway ... DAVIDVILLA but he did say he didn't think it would be as much as last summer .. a clever ploy or just honesty? |
Steve
said:
 |
... "We will have to replace them. That's my job. Some players within the football club are able to step up and do that and there may be one or two from outside. "That's what we must do - replace those players, go through this period as seamlessly as possible. We will have to adjust. "The type of player we are looking to bring to the football club at the moment will make us hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, a better footballing side. This from MoN has made me optimistic, if we get a good CB and class CM in then i think we can challenge top 4, at the moment i think top 6. Looking forward to heading to the trinity stand on saturday, that newcastle game seems a long time ago! UTV |
VillaDude
said:
 |
... Villa will be adopting a slightly different style of football this year to accomodate for Delph and Downing. You will see Young playing a free role behind a striker, Downing on the left and Delph partnering Petrov in the centre, milner on the right. MON has purchased more of an all rounder compared Barry, Delph has a lot better stamina and likes to tackle. He will get a lot more up and down the pitch. Villa will need 2 players that can do this (Delph and Petrov) as the wingers (downing and milner) will heavily support Young and the target man. Last season we conceded a lot of goals due to our defensive being left exposed and Barry not tracking back. I would think MON is only concentrating on centre backs in the closing weeks of the window, and if a big name player (VDV) he may show an interest. |
scott1
said:
 |
... what i want to know is whos starting in midfield for us saturday?lol.its good to have options but the defence and forward line is still picking itself. |
VillaDude
said:
|
... as downing is injured, and MON has said Delph is ready for the first team, I would expect... Young, Delph, Petrov, Milner I think MON will go with Heskey over Carew upfront, as he recently scored a few goals with Gabby to partnet him. |
DAVIDVILLA
said:
|
... It was yesterdays paper lol It says villa agreed a deal for Tuncay [THE DAILY MAIL] media watch AVFC |
THE AV VILLAN
said:
|
... I know we have all seen it a million times but just wanted to make some people laugh!!! Watch his his eyelids!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4amafCxxqgg UTV!!! |
avfc1983
said:
|
... The av villan Never seen it before so made me laugh i hate happy harry i hate Tottenham sooo much |
Doubledown9
said:
 |
... Dont know if anyone has mentioned this yet, but the interview with O'Neil on the OS has a few hints in it. Speaking about future additions to the squad he states: "The type of player we are looking to bring to the football club at the moment will make us hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, a better footballing side. "We'll be better at dealing with the ball and better at dealing with situations." There we have it. A change of system is on the cards. Note his use of the term 'better footballing side' not better team or squad. With a bit of luck we might be able to pas the ball to feet next season. |
heskeyshead
said:
 |
... tuncay to sign either friday or monday and a defender coming in next week possibly with a new defensive midfielder. harewood is off to hull or middlesborough. |
Mike Carter
said:
|
... Doubledown9 Interesting. Against Fiortentina, we rarely played the long ball at all. It was still 4-4-2, so who knows. |
faangler
said:
|
...Doubledown9 said: It's going to be a big one isn't it. I can just feel it. what with the dutch stuff, and now this, i've never heard MON talk like this before. It's gonna be 4th - it's got to be |
Doubledown9
said:
|
... 4th may still be a step too far, but I would like us to push closer than last year with a good domestic cup run, preferably the FA as it is played on saturdays. Play kids in the League Cup and sack off the Europa League, its just too many games. |
croni
said:
 |
... I'm really perplexed by these comparisons of Lerner to Doug Ellis that you insist upon. I really don't see Lerner as the problem. Do you have a grudge against him for some personal reason? Last season I was very happy with who they bought. They are careful on who they buy but they don't shirk from spending serious amounts when they feel it's right. Should you not be comparing Lerner to other clubs of similar wealth rather than the likes of extremely wealthy clubs like Chelsea, City, Real Madrid and Utd. I really think O'Neill and Lerner will be bringing in some more players right before the deadline. That is when most of the transfer activity tends to happen (yes I know its not the best way to prepare for a season but it was always a bit much to expect Villa to be throwing wads of cash when no else was, apart from Real and City). You can definitely see teams like Arsenal making last minute buys and Chelsea will probably make a major signing. While I do agree Liverpool have weakened mainly due to Alonso's departure, I don't see how Arsenal have weakened. They have a lot of players coming back from injury, they'll have Arshavin for a full season. Adebayour contributed very little last season and toure was awful for the first half and was one of the main reasons for Arsenal's shortfall last season. That difficult season last year will stand to the likes Denihlson. Fabregas was also absent for a large section of the season as well. I would say Utd have weakned to a greater degre than Arsenal. Ronaldo, Tevez, Neville gone, Scholes and Giggs too old, Van Der Saar too old. There are too many new players at City so I can't see them posing a serious threat. Chelsea for me will be the team to beat. I really can't point out any reasons as to why you say Villa will finnish fourth other than a hunch or a sense of optimism. You completely discard Everton yet it is unlikely they will suffer from injuries to the same extent as they did last season. Everton had an awful start to the season last year and you can be pretty sure Moyes will not fall into that trap again. Spurs had a pretty good record when Redknapp took over so they could possibly be a more serious threat to Villa than say City. At the moment I think Villa finnishing 5th or 6th this season could possibly be O'Neill's greatest achievement as a Villa manager considering the challenges ahead of him. This season is shaping up to be one the most competetive and bloodiest in a while. |
Stuart Kinane
said:
 |
... Damian, i'm loving your positivity when it comes to predicting we finish 4th. Im very excited about this season too and with what has happened the big 4 (except Chelsea) so far, I think you could be right. What I don't get is your attitude towards James Milner? For me, he is one of our most important players. He holds onto the ball very well with all of his twists and turns. He has just as good a shot on him as Young does. He may not have the pace that Young has but he makes up for that by getting his crosses in in other ways. To suggest Albrighton has a run of ten games based purely on a friendly pre season tournament is ludicrous if you ask me. Of cousre people are entitled to their opinion but what bugs me is people having a go at Milner even when he is delivering the goods on the pitch. If you look at our assists rankings on premierleague.com for last season, you will see where I'm coming from. Having said that, were all Villa fans and whatever way we may get to 4th, it doesn't really matter! UTV! |
Richard Bunn
said:
|
... Wouldn't it be great to have one real WORLD CLASS player in our side? One of the Madrid Dutch boys would be fantastic! |
faangler
said:
|
... Squad numbers on OS - no number 5 - Shorey at number 21 all other numbers 1 to 11 filled. does this tell us anything ? |
Gary Davis
said:
|
... Things seem to be moving on the Webb , both the Mail on line and the daily Mirror on line are stating Tuncay is on his way to Villa . . . .have found twelve articles so far reporting the same , with a bid pending on Either Wheater or Huth or Both ! As i told you all earlier today , we may need a name change to "villaborough" soon lol, " UP THE VILLA" can't wait for the start of the season . |
Ray Knowles
said:
 |
... Reading MON's comments today about Barry, Laursen and Heskey cheered me up no end. To me his openess and honesty in those comments showed that he is totally relaxed and confident at the moment, and that confidence will have no doubt rubbed off no end on the team. I bet the players are chomping at the bit and I really fancy us to put 3 or 4 past Wigan on Saturday. I've never been one of the ones on here calling for MON's head and have often fought his corner. Equally I don't think anyone is above criticism and part of my frustraion with MON is that I have often thought he speaks in riddles, always keeping his cards very close to his chest. I basically thought how can he not see the problems that 90% of the other Villa fans can, and some of his transfer moves (selling Cahill, buying Knight and Harewood) just confirmed that to me. But the signings of Downing and Delpgh, our performance in the Peace Cup, the fact that MON is blooding the younger players, MON's comments on Sneijder recently and todays comments have all convinced me that there really is no one clearer than what we need than MON. That should fill everyone on here with a huge amount of excitement. All I can say is UTV and in MON we really do trust. |
blackie1973
said:
 |
... Maybe im totally off the mark here but why is number 5 not on the official website for squad this year.Is it becasue of retiring it or is there something happening imminently??????? |
Steve Badger
said:
 |
... The assertion that MON is over-cautious with money is simply incorrect imo. I well remember Gordon Strachan very strongly hinting that Celtic had very highly paid players that needed to be got rid of. I also remember someone at Leicester saying a similar sort of thing after they started their plummet because of MON leaving. He will spend what he thinks is necessary, but will only go out on a limb when he's convinced, which is why I think we'll see Delph in quicker than we think. I predicted us to come 7th or 8th a few weeks back, but now I'm reserving judgement until the window shuts. I agree Damian, we're close, very close. |
madrob
said:
 |
... i think this year is going to be the most interesting for years, the top four untouchables i think will become the top eight untouchables, with villa in the thick of it. As a lifelong fan one thing thats really bugged me over the years is how erratic villa can be, world beaters one week carthorses the next, a few things i think need to be sorted out first up we need a cb.. next we need to sort our home form out.drop too many silly points against lower teams next we need to be able to lock out a game...too many goals scored against us in the last few mins last season. sort these out i can see us second come may A very excited Rob |
SlimJimVilla
said:
 |
... I think we are now stronger than last year, not least because we have a good crop of young players coming though...all funded by Mr Lerner. Before you jump down my throat, yes I think Delph can replace Barry - and quickly. Downing might be injured but he'll be playing again by Christmas and a real shot in the arm for the squad when he does come back...like a post dated signing. You can't replace Laursen of course, but adding reinforcements this week will bolster the defence beyond where we were last year, and I'm liking the look of Guzan in goal. Our training facilities are defintely attracting younger players and we held onto Barry for a year longer than he wanted to stay, and we still have Ashley Young - our best business to date! Also, if it were all about money spent, we'd be a lot further down the league, maybe even in the Championship by now...thankfully it isn't. It's down to training, stability, tactics, motivation, youth development, good support and a bit of luck. City, Spurs, Newcastle (and even Sunderland recently) have been out spending Villa for years, what have they achieved? There's more to management than spending. Give me a behind the scences man any day. I think MON has learned, much like Moyes, that anyone he mentions go straight on the list for the likely lads. Redknapp is the w****r cruising the bars at the end of the night playing the numbers game, Hughes tells everyone he's got a ferrari before asking for a shag, and our Martin has got a few more subtle moves up his sleeve...the shoulder to cry on so to speak. The window of opportunity is wide open gentlemen and we should all sit back and enjoy. It's our time...the next couple of years are going to be great. Mark those positive words. |
Damian
said:
|
... croni do you at the very least understand my comparison? lerner has a net spent to date, not too dissimilar to ellis as when you look at it as a percentage of turnover. i'm not saying it is the same, but it goes the same way i'm not saying he hasn't brought a breath of fresh air or in fact that he is doing it wrong - that is impossible. i am also not comparing us to clubs like man utd, chelsea, real madrid or manchester city but why shouldn't i? if i compare us to clubs like everton though, i fear the day they get purchased by an american billionaire because they will likely leapfrog us as manchester city might if we don't spend i have no issues with lerner. lerner is merely someone that owns the football club at the minute and as it stands, i'm not saying it isn't possible without serious investment in the playing side, i'm saying it is going to be much harder and ultimately i want success for my football club if i believe that you need to spend serious money (just look around) to gain success in the premier league, then if i believe we have the right manager but not the right owner to bring that money to the table, what is wrong with that? if you can look at it in black and white with no names and just look at the numbers, then maybe you can accept where i am coming from. |
Villain down South
said:
 |
... Albrighton at number 12 shows he must be in line for some amount of games this season. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...plus Harewood given number 9 shirt for coming season - what's going on ? Maybe it means it'll be handed to our new striker as soon as he's sold? As for the number 5 being empty, it's obvious what that means to me. Our new defender will be first choice. |
Rich
said:
 |
... Christian 1983 - SPOT ON 'We still need a dominating centreback and a magician in midfield though' leawaylittleman - if Sneijder DID come in, my tail would be wagging and I'm sure the whole team would start feeling more confident. This could well give us the final push to 4th! Exactly; Sbneijder or VDV would give everyone a huge lift. I don't go with this idea that the wages they may or may not be on would create dressing room unrest. |
VillaDude
said:
|
... Harewood should never had the number 9 shirt - and now he keeps it for another season. We are struggling badly to get rid of him due to the stupid lucrative contact MON signed him up on. |
Simon
said:
 |
... I do not know of any team other than Citey who has positively streathened their team and i truely believe Delph will be considered one of the stars of the season with Albrighton becoming our David (impact player) fairclough coming on late in games to feed the amunition to Heskey or Carew. So saying this i,m going for 3rd with Pool and the Arse scapping it out for 4th |
Daniel Wilson
said:
|
... Van Der Vaart likes to wear number 23 according to Wiki (yes it's wiki but whats the point in lying about that). 23 has been given to Beye - what does this tell us? probably nothing |
SlimJimVilla
said:
|
... For real, Harewood gets paid too much money for one with such limited ability. Can't we offer him as part exchange for Tuncay but give Harewood for free, still give them 7 mill and say keep 3 mill for the goats wages? |
Daniel Wilson
said:
|
... I love Harewoods attitude, it's a shame he doesn't have the skill to go with it, but if he stays maybe mon could give him a job in the lion mascot kit, he'd be brilliant |
rob hathaway
said:
|
... i think the arse are in with a real shout this term. man u i just cant see where their goals are gonna come from? Rooney and barby are not goal scorers as such, mids of carrick, fletcher, valencia and nani may be good players but not going to get 10 goals. so man u could lose out but they coudl still spring a suprise! chelsea - switching formation to 442 after playing 451 for the last 5 years is going to prove tricky. plus with a diamond midfield you would fancy you could get soem nice possession against them. The other problem is the diamond does not give you width and if you aint getting crosses to drogba you lose probably his best quality. heading at goal! Liverpool - will be strong but if torres or gerrard get injured for any length of time they will be in deep doo doo. all in all i think we have a real chance. To get the chance we need a rock cb at least. But mon will and the rest is up to the squad to rise to the challenge. I have said in the past that the man city thing will help to 'open up' the top of the league and combine this with my points above and we really are well positioned to take advantage. If we take advantage and say liverpool drop out of the top 4 they could well go into administration and become further evidence of the debt ridden culture that is promoted by so many but yet is the downfall of every business in every sector in every country. |
keithj
said:
|
... damian i basically agree with you as your main interest is the club but i think we must get used to the manager spending the money and not the chairman ie doug. and lets be honest if mon bought in 4 class players and didnt top the league in september we would all call him a t**t |
Gary Davis
said:
|
... Those of us who'd like Wesley Sneijder to join Aston Villa, should Lobby him via his webb site wesleysneijder.com "Asking him to give his agent a nudge to enter into negociations with MON" Can't hurt can it ! I've already emailed him along with quite a few others i Know . Regards Predictions If Guzan gets a go in goal, and Wheater signs,. .. 5th or possibly 4th , Friedel in goal , no new center back 8th . would love to see Freddy back in action this season on a regular basis. |
Chiefy1
said:
|
... expect a big signing a defender to reaplce laursen squad numbers out Downing gets Barrys shirt but number 5 unoccupied for now |
Sean
said:
 |
... according to the mail were now favourites to sign sneijder, wait didn't they say we agreed a 7m fee with boro for tuncay. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1205801/Aston-Villa-favourites-sign-Wesley-Sneijder-Inter-Milan-refuse-meet-20m-price-tag.html |
Damian
said:
|
... keithj maybe we would, but i suspect if he got 4 proper class players we might not be top in september but we could be there or thereabouts at the end of the season, which is when it matters |
Mark Johnson
said:
|
... I'm pleased to see Marc given a lower squad number, BUT NUMBER 12? I thought they never gave that number out as we the fans were the twelfth man!!!! Marlon No9.. me finds this a tadge suspicious |
Van Villa Ice
said:
 |
... Will Sneijder be our Cantona? Maybe a more MON's style Cantona rather than Ferguson's. Let's hope so! |
Steve Badger
said:
|
... Call me a looney, but for the last half an hour my spidey sense tells me we're going to get Schneider. I can't see it, but I've just got this very strong feeling. I'd love to be right. It'd be great to see a genuine big name down the Villa. |
Eoin Greene
said:
 |
... Regarding your prediction Damian - I think you have done it too early!! If we manage to sign 1 excellent CB, 1 excellent AM and 1 strong back-up CB then I think we have a good chance of doing something - i.e. beating last seasons 6th place. However, we have been waiting all summer for these signings...... I agree that none of the top 4 seem to have strengthened - Utd have definitely weakened, Liverpool have lost their playmaker, Arsenal have lost 2-3 but they could be the suprise package this season and Chelsea are one year older. However, Man City and Spurs look stronger, Sunderland will be better, Everton are always decent, Fulham play good stuff. So as things stand I would say between 6th and 9th. If we make the right signings in the next three weeks - between 3rd and 6th. |
Halfwit
said:
 |
... We will allways have lack of transfer activity in the transfer market as martin is a snail slow of the mark and slow at makeing the deal Makes me laugh when people say we will sign the likes of sneijder cause we dont go for superstars we go for okish players or children Id love us to sign him but it will never happen its shame cause we could do with a big shirt seller the ammount of people that would have his name on there back would be crazy and great for the club financialy but they dont look at like that  |
croni
said:
|
... Damian I really can't accept your percentage of turnover argument. It is possible to run a club in a better way and achieve better results with less money. Just because Ellis may have proportionally invested more does not mean it was invested wisely. Ultimately it's the quality of investment that counts and the fact that O'Neill is in charge of transfers is a huge advantage over clubs with directors of football. In may ways O'Neill and Lerner have been too successful, when considering that the top clubs these days have far larger resources that during Ellis reign. There a lot of things I agree with you, I love the blog, but on this issue of Ellis and Lerner, well I'll just finnish off with a few extracts from wikipedia on ellis Ellis was a controversial chairman and major shareholder of Aston Villa for two separate spells; the first being from 1968 to 1975. Ellis was replaced as chairman and finally ousted from the board in 1979. During his absence Aston Villa enjoyed its greatest period of success in modern times, winning the Football League title in 1981 and the European Cup in 1982. Ellis was reported to be the first football club director to pay himself a salary (in 2005 it was £290,000 after a 12% increase from the previous year) when it was made legal by The Football Association in the early 1980s. Along with this, his professed love of Aston Villa Football Club has been questioned in light of the fact that he has served on the Boards of Villa's arch-rivals Birmingham City, Derby County and Wolverhampton Wanderers (as Chairman). In addition to his 'director's salary, being the majority shareholder through his time at the helm of Aston Villa, there where three instances when the dividend paid out was less than £1,000,000; in all other years figures as high as £12,000,000 were paid out, some of the largest dividends ever paid out by any British Football Club. |
StevieB
said:
 |
... Hi guy I think we are a stronger team this year up front and midfield. My only concern is we are yet to replace Laursen. If we can do this with a class signing I think we may again find ourselves in a Champions League position at Christmas. If we can again strengthen and with Downing coming into contention who knows, this could be are year. I don't think Man U, Liverpool and Arsenal are as strong this year as they have lost some class players. Villa 4th if we replace Laursen with a top class defender. |
ak_27
said:
|
... If we do sign Sneider would this be our first ever real top class footballer still in his prime to come to the club? |
Gary Davis
said:
|
... www.sneijderofficial.com/en/contact Drop him a line , invite him to Villa Park . . . . .please . thx |
Ben Rowe
said:
 |
... Hate to say it but I don't see us finishing higher than 8th!!!!!! Would love Sneijder and Wheater in but can't see it happening. Still worry we could loose Young (the good one) in January to a top four team or Citeh. Prove me wrong Villa, please prove me wrong. |
George Templeton
said:
 |
... The top 4 have never been weaker and while there is a decent chance none of them are going to add to their squads in this window. Aston Villa will add players before August is over, count on it! The biggest key is getting off to a flier in the league. The hell with 4th, 3rd place and guaranteed Champions League football at Villa Park! *** ** ***!!!!!!!!!!!! |
FatKevs
said:
 |
... 8th spot in the league, Europa same as last season, we will throw away the league cup & Manu will knock us out of the FA Cup at some stage. |
Andy Scarborough
said:
 |
...In fairness though we didn't sell a player for £12m ten seasons ago. Dwight Yorke? £12.6mn to ManU? |
DAVIDVILLA
said:
|
... I HAVE JUST SENT WESLEY A MESSAGE KEEP IT UP PEOPLE LETS TRY AND GET OUR MAN THEY ARE LISTENING |
Andy Scarborough
said:
|
...So many people are still saying our squad is too thin. Thomas Brollin - assuming you agree that he was a footballer. |
Simon
said:
|
... Jan Molby and Micky Quinn (fat bast**d got a hatrick against the Villa)come to mind and dont forget razzor rudduck. |
Andy Scarborough
said:
|
... Right Damian, I have read through all the responses to your article. I agree with the prediction of 4th - I will even top it by suggesting that we can make 3rd. However the meat of your article seems to be another wee pop at RL, time will tell whether you are correct here; and the warning that supporters may turn on MoN if he fails to deliver further progress this season. This club has enjoyed fantastic success in the last two years, the squad has been overhauled (very much a work in progress), we have acquired some coveted youths (AY, FD and HF to name but three). Martin O'Neill MUST be allowed to continue the project, it is my belief that the supporters DO realise this and are grateful for having him on our side. If we did make the mistake of driving him away I would hope that someone along the lines of Moyes or Hodgson would be brought in, otherwise we will tumble back down the table into obscurity. ManU & Chelsea - 1st and 2nd Villa & Arsenal or ManCity 3rd & 4th Fulham, Spuds and Sunderland - 6th to 8th Relegation; Birmingham City, Small Heath and the Second City Shite (blinkered as ever) |
Ed Villa
said:
 |
... Here's what I think, If we played next season 10 times over we'd finish - 4th - once 5th - 3 times 6th - 3 times 7th - twice 8th - once So in other words I think we have a 40% chance of improving, 30% of consolidating and 30% chance of a decline. That is such a s*#t way of explaining it!!! sorry In other words we will finish 5th - 1 point behind Arsenal and 4 ahead of Citeh UTV |
super bobby
said:
 |
... Anyone think that MON is looking at using 4-5-1, which is why we havn't been linked to any strikers. This would also support why we are looking at a Sneider / VDV to bolster the middle. Big JC up top, Young / Downing with a free role Young / Downing on the left, NRC / Petrov / Sidwell in the centre Albrighton / Milner on the Right On a more important note, if Davies or Cuellar get injured, who is next in the pecking order as an out-and-out Centre Back? |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...On a more important note, if Davies or Cuellar get injured, who is next in the pecking order as an out-and-out Centre Back? Habib Beye can cover CB. |
Write comment
Latest Aston Villa Wallpaper
Follow Us
More Posts
- New kit coming and Laursen on Gabby
- Milner back, Webcam staying and we are drawing a line
- The sun is shining, time to cash in on James Milner
- James Milner wants to be Citeh’s Habib Beye
- Peterborough video and Aiden McGeady rumour quashed
- Keane in talks, Petrov talking McGeady, warning for Milner from Downing and fantasy football time
- Sell to buy might not be so bad, new rumours, some news and a new kit
- New kit, Gabby talks the talk and Ashton and Bentley
- Pre-season, speculation, Martin O'Neill and Steve Froggatt
- Someone is in trouble: Aston Villa show interest in South Korea international Cho Yong-hyung
Lucozade Sport on Facebook
Lucozade Sport loves Football as much as we do. They’ve been fuelling Aston Villa players for over 15 years and using this expertise to support amateur Footballers across the country. Visit their Facebook page for expert advice, video clips and Football chat. 
Login
Latest AVFC Blog Tweets
AVFC Blog
avfcblog
- follow:
- updates:2942
- followers:496
Loading...
Last 4 tweets in past 30 days from avfcblog:
People talking about '@avfcblog':
Leaving Comments
Only registered users can post comments without the need for it to be approved. Registration is free and takes two minutes so if you want your comments to show up straight away click here to register.
Get your online avatar
This blog is Gravatar friendly. That basically means, if you use Gravatar and leave a comment, as long as it's the same email address you registered at both sites, we'll show your avatar. It's a cool little site, we like it. Register here! The Internet is Changing
Featured on Aston Villa Central
