Written by Damian Saturday, 20 June 2009 09:16
Last year we had the summer of Baz the twat. This summer I´m fairly confident it is going to turn into the summer of the mighty Young.
Why do I call Baz a twat? Well, he told us there was no going back through the News of the World and after doing that, he was always going to be known as Baz the Twat. Ashley hasn´t done it yet and I don´t think he will.
I don´t think he will do it because he doesn´t need to and he knows what will happen if he does. Our Ashley is also, despite his age, a sensible lad that knows his value, he doesn´t need to force anything as he has years ahead of him, whereas fat Baz the twat had games.
The reason I bring this up today is because Barcelona are apparently going to switch their interest to Young and are preparing a £25mn. bid for him. Now, there is a chance this could be true and there is a chance the comments in two different papers yesterday were a polite way of nudging O´Neill to make the signings necessary.
There is also a chance it is just paper talk, but there is also a chance our Ashley will come out and tell us he isn´t leaving this summer and if he did, he´d get a lot of respect for it and it would be doing all of us a huge favour.
Why should he though? Well, we pay his wages for starters and secondly because he doesn´t need to leave and he might not be thinking of leaving, it would just be nice if there was some honesty back in the game.
We all know we need quality but if the talk from last night is true and Young does stay O´Neill would have built a fairly young and talented side and with the addition of just two or three real quality players, we could be heading in the right direction.
If it doesn´t happen or Young knows it isn´t going to happen, then you can´t really blame him for leaving, especially to the likes of Barcelona, but if he is going to stay for the season, it would just be nice that we didn´t have to go through another summer of meaningless speculation.
Even if it was Martin O´Neill coming out to tell us he isn´t leaving, would be good enough for us as we know when he says something he is telling the truth. It is all the blarney ´on the lookout' that is so frustrating with O´Neill.
Comments
No doubt there will be more speculation or opinion later but before I go, I want to talk about the comment facility. It isn´t a forum and yesterday it got a bit out of hand.
The comment facility is to comment on what you have read, for example, you would comment today on the rumour that Barcelona are interested in Ashley Young, not my views on Martin O´Neill or Randy Lerner or anything that isn´t directly related to or created from this post.
If you want a discussion, we have a forum and comments that are not directly linked to the content or something truly Aston Villa that has developed from it, will be deleted, even if you are clever and include Ashley Young.
You know who you are, we know who you are and if you continue, it is just going to result in your IP and username getting blocked from leaving comments. It doesn´t mean a bit of banter is not allowed or one liners are not welcome, just that some are using it for a discussion forum and well, it isn´t.
Set as favorite
Bookmark
Email this
Comments (55)
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Paul Egan
said:
 |
... Nice and strict, Damian - it will improve the site. Not meanng to be extremely biased, but I really don't think that Barca would be a good move for Ash. Lots of English players have ruined there careers by going to Spain (Owen, McManaman etc) and he's on to such a good thing with us right now. |
Nick
said:
 |
... In the Premier League the best players are sold to the best teams. Bad form aside, unfortunately for us Ashley is a very good player, one of the best wingers in the league, some would argue the best left winger in the league. If we want our best players to stay we have to match their ambition. Which basically means Champions League football. I dont expect Ashley to leave this summer, but if we do not put another serious challenge in for the CL he will be off next summer, and I dont blame him for doing so. If you had a offers to go and play with a bigger club, in a bigger league, for a lot more money with better players why wouldnt you? |
Villa442
said:
 |
... If we are going to add Heskey type players to the squad best to take £30M if we can get it off the table early cos Ash will and should not stay with a club with no ambition to achieve a top 6 let alone the top 4 position. |
Daniel Wilson
said:
 |
... I wonder if MON would sell at a certain price? actually i'm pretty sure he would but it would have to be a ridiculous offer like 35 million. I'm not saying Ash is quite worth that but what would be the point in letting him go for 17-20 million when he cost nearly 10 only a couple of seasons ago. MON is no fool and he doesn't bend over and take it from anyone as shown in how he handled Liverpool last year. If MON did sell, he is commiting suicide with the fans and would be out of a job within half a season. I see Ashley staying around this year and moving on next summer if we havn't reached top 4 or got VERY close to it. Right now, with the world cup coming up he needs to stay for his own good. Also, can you imagine what a good world cup would do to his price tag?? |
Keith
said:
 |
... Damian Just a quick line regarding todays blog. I really enjoy your blog and reading the mad ramblings of certain people make it all the more enjoyable. I think you must be getting a bit touchy in your old age mate. Dont take any criticism to heart, if they didnt enjoy the blog they wouldnt read it and remark everyday. Regarding Ashley, I cant see MON selling after we have lost Laursen and Barry this summer. If Young was to be sold I think a lot of season tickets would be making there way back to VP. Finally, do the rules regarding comments mean I cant occasionally mention that you look like Harry Enfield?  |
Damian
said:
 |
... keefvilla the harry enfield can stay and it isn´t just about me in the comments, some from yesterday were just completely random. two people have also emailed in about it - sensible comments, on topic are fine re. ashley young, i don´t want him to go, but if he does, it would be a real shock but also a clear indication as to where the club is going. this summer is a very important one for randy lerner |
Keith
said:
|
... Damian I was just being facetious. I agree 100% that peoples opinion of Lerner could change a lot over the summer if money isnt spent and quality brought into the squad. I for one think he will back MON, he knows how close we came to Champions League football and thats were the money is. |
chrisb
said:
 |
... Damian- "You know who you are, we know who you are and if you continue, it is just going to result in your IP and username getting blocked from leaving comments" for goodness sake let free speech reign. Do you realise how you are coming across? Passions rise amongst fans and if for example you call Barry "baz the twat"then someone who doesnt feel the same could legitimately rise to the bait. Dont make such strong statements about people like Barry, MON and Lerner if you dont want people to respond. In some instances for example on the issue of todays topic 'Ashley youngs possible transfer' some bloggers may want to bring in your opinions on on the likes of Barry etc in order to support an opinion they have about Young which may or may not oppose your opinion. Thats life im afraid, you are far too over sensitive.Ive never seen a blog so constricted by its author. We'll be needing to provide you with names and addresses and ID cards next. With all due respect this seems to be more about you getting upset whenever someone questions your opinion. You dont fight it with threats you fight it with reasoned opinion. For some people they may be using this blog casually having seen it on NEWSNOW, they will not now the rules and it is hardly fair on them. I know you wil respond by pointing out the merits of the forum but perhaps you should be far more careful about what you are writing on the blog in order to reduce things "getting out of hand" as you see it. Ridiculous. |
David Tyler
said:
 |
... Damian, I would say Villa ARE moving in the right direction, it's just the addition of the real quality will accelerate it. But accelerate we must: it is easy to see ML's case as really bad luck and Barry as a one-off: let's hope it stays as such. I expect Ash to stay if the alternative is Spurs or even Chelsea - unless the deal is too good and gives us a chance of ending up with greater quality in aggregate terms. If Barcelona put a serious offer on the table then I'd expect the player to take serious notice - and I'd expect that of a player at Villa, Man U, whoever, so it'd be difficult to say it is our lack of ambition solely and not a measure of Barca's stature and attraction as a city to live in. Ash going might end up saying more about us as a club capable of putting players at the top table as it will about the seeping of ambition at the club. 'Ambition' is one word that characterises us over the past few seasons, despite what many think about the transfer dealings, let's hope 'Momentum' is the key word over the next two. |
robbo
said:
 |
... Until we do actually make Champions league football then we have to accept that our best players will probably move on after a few good seasons. If we've had the benefit of their play plus a cash gain then we shouldn't be too critical of them or the manager. It's unlikely that we'll be able to find a direct replacement as good as the player that has left but we should use the money to improve the overall quality of the squad in other areas. Having said that I find it hard to believe that Ashley Young would move on this year. He has not yet proved that he can consistently beat players at the very top level and another year or two with MoN and Robertson should help develop his game still further. If he moves on now he'll be a much smaller fish in a bigger pool and is unlikely to get the same level of attention. He'll be competing with better players for his position and will not be able to guarantee a place on the pitch every week......not a good idea in the build up to World cup year. |
DAVIDVILLA
said:
 |
... MON NEEDS TO PUT A 40 MIL PRICE TAG ON ASH IF SOMEONE WANTS TO PAY THAT THEN THATS GOOD FOR THE CLUB |
Damian
said:
|
... chrisb free speech is alive and well on this website and even more so on the forum which was created for users to start their own topics and go wildly off topic but the comment system is to leave comments relating to the blog post the guidelines put in place are not about restricting free speech, it is about keeping it in order and on topic for other users to enjoy and not for the minority to have a little fun and spoil it for others i hope you understand |
FatKevs
said:
 |
... Hi Damian I cannot see the point of having comments if you have to go to the forum. I agree it is wrong when we go off on a tangent but if you have to open 2 books on the same thread its a pain. On Topic maybe, Can Ash or MoN come out & say Ash is going nowhere? It is not completely in there hands. We may need to sell him to raise funds, the bottom line is we all want to be successful Ash included; He may loose his U21/England place if he goes abroad but would do, if Villa have a crap season. We have now lost all momentum as a club, the true impact of Randy’s dream needed to happen in the Second season It Did Not, we delayed in the transfer market the old cherry came home to haunt us questioning our ambition. The spine of our team has gone & the Vultures are circling We can hope to stand still next season but I doubt if we can. Randy has chosen not to have sponsorship to bring in revenue & to load the club with debt without having the balls to bring in quality so we actually have a chance of winning something intern bringing in the $. So we are a Selling club hoping to survive mid top half of the prem. So Good luck Ash it’s a shame no one wants Gabby for £20m I would prefer to keep Ashly instead of having another season of Kick & hope we can catch a team out |
Frosty
said:
 |
... We have all seen it before...Ashley Young will leave this close season...and with the commitment in players nowadays, they are better off gone for the sake of the club. I just hope O'Neill doesn't replace him with Stewart Downing as I really will believe we have took a step backwards. I just wish O'Neill would also look at the vast ray of talent abroad and at a snip of the price, he could get some real quality players. Infact, I even suspect O'Neill would settle for 15M for Ashley Young. |
ak_27
said:
 |
... Young will not be sold. But anyway there is no way in hell that Barca are after Young. He isn't good enough for them. He is not in that bracket of player. At the moment they play Henry in his position. Would he be able to displace him? Also i don't think his style of football would fit with Barca,s. It's just easy journalism for me. How do you get these jobs to work for papers just making things up? Must be one of the sweetest jobs around. |
Tim
said:
 |
... If i were MON i'd consider a swap for Ashley Young with Iniesta !! Nothing less!! If we must lose one of our best players then we need a fantastic replacement and Iniesta would be a good Swap !! |
Fatkevs
said:
|
... Your Article does State "comment on what you have read""not my views " so you would need 2 pages open I Still think your current article should allow people to comment on things like PAUL SCHARNER has rejected move to Aston Villa from Wigan because Martin O'Neill wanted him to play as a defender- Out of position again why? you can ignore things you do not want to read But if that is how it has to be the forum it is maybe |
Damian
said:
|
... Fatkevs Sensible comments on topic or related to current Aston Villa news that maybe isn´t mentioned are fine. Some of the comments yesterday by some people were not on topic and went completely against the sites comment policy: http://www.thevillablog.co.uk/...nt-policy/ I´m not trying to be difficult, but when people start talking about who knows more about Villa than the other or something is wildly off topic, it isn´t good for the users, the site or anyone. Fortunately, the commenting policy is mentioned above, so it is fine to talk .. but it is about common sense. If it is current news, not mentioned in the post above, by all means, but if it is about something else, no, as it isn´t fun for anyone. I´m just trying to make the site better for everyone. |
paul mclafferty
said:
 |
... fatkevs... scharner IS a DEFENDER come midfielder my son is a facebook friend of kyle naughton and asked him if he was comming to villa and he replied ( watch this space). this was a couple of weeks ago while he was on holiday in uae |
Daniel Wilson
said:
|
... Anyone that's questioning what Damian's said today about following the point of a thread, just take a look at the blog from last night about Kyle Naughton for an example of a load of rubbish ruining a conversation. 2 guys with random names (possibly one guy with schizophrenia) just having a row for no apparent reason. I don't think that keeping the blog to the point is a strange request, I think your taking it the wrong way if you think it's anything other than a polite request to cut that kind of bollox. And you would be right to now accuse me of going on a tangent and breaking up the Ashley Young chat  but I hope I can get away with it this one time for sake of reason!! |
paul mclafferty
said:
|
... back on topic... i really hope mon fights off any attempts to sign young as what would be the cost to replace him?. mon found young but i doubt he will find another and 10 million is a big gamble again. |
confusedvillafan
said:
 |
... Frosty, MON would settle for 15 mill for ash. are you 6yrs old you dick.MON will not let ash leave, didnt the barry liverpool saga teach you anything ? |
Keith
said:
|
... Dan Wilson I saw the comments yesterday and believe it was one idiot thinking he was funny. Yes it is annoying and Damian is in his rights to stop it, but the way his blog reads today does come across as a bit over the top. As I said earlier, the banter on here makes it all the more enjoyable. Anyway, I'm starting to get a bit excited that we are actually going to sign some young exciting players this summer.  |
mattyavfc
said:
 |
... Would it really be such a bad thing if Young left? He's a talented player, but we rely on him so much, it doesn't take teams long to work out how to stop us. If we were going to play three in central midfield, then we can sfford to have a fast talented winger. But the truth is, we'll always play 442, which is a formation from the dark ages. Maybe selling Young would encourage a change of tactics, and with the money, we could try and buy a defence. |
Monster
said:
 |
... I Don't think there's any chance of Ash leaving this summer, why would he... Next season is his biggest season of his career, with the World Cup at the end of the season, so why would he risk leaving for say barca and warming a bench, he knows or should know that staying at villa is his best chance of going to South africa, he will play week in week out and will shine like he has for the last couple of seasons, sure he probably has ambitions to play for the best clubs, but i wouldn't worry to much about it for now, Ash will be a Villa player next season, he will stick out like a sore thumb at villa and he will go to the World Cup and i think that will be his main priority. |
confusedvillafan
said:
|
... maybe with better more creative players with an eye for a pass ash would be more dangerous ? |
paul mclafferty
said:
|
... what ever the final price is expect man citeh to come in with a 5 million higher bid for ash.. |
Fatkevs
said:
|
... I hope the club really invests in our scouting system it is clear we cannot compete with the new influx of money even if we made 4th spot. If MoN has to sell Ashley to build a squad so be it but no more Heskeys. We must pick up Milners when they are £4m like our 1st try. The £12m was madness & made it difficult for the lad, we all like him some like me still think he is just not in that bracket. |
andrew
said:
 |
... If ash is to leave i would prefer it to be to foreign side.It may present the opportunity of bringing a few barca players to the team. |
ak_27
said:
|
... Damien what often starts off on a discussion on the topic of the day leads elsewhere. That is what i love about this site and have done for years. If you ban that then this site will be go down hill quick. I have no interest at all in going into the forum. |
rob h
said:
 |
... don't want to be the odd one out here. BUT..... every players is replaceable and ash is also very replaceable. if he were sold for 30mn then why does this mean we are not heading in the right direction? we may use the money to sign two better players? it could be a master stroke and improve the team. whos to say. I think that if ash is sold you should avoid condemning everything about the club until all other business has been concluded!!!!!!!!!! someone once told me ' the jobcentre is full of people who were once indispencible' its the same with footballers. players come and go and at the time it can be a shock but the club is always bigger than the player. so chin up everybody and watch out liverpool, arse etc. we are coming for you |
Dan Price
said:
 |
... The thing is Damian, whilst some comments can get out of hand, this site is used for not only discussions upon topic, but relevant news about villa or opinions. By putting that in the forum only you will create more red tape, which will lead to regulars like myself not being bothered to post. Albeit your page, and thus your rules, but I believe the continued success of this site depends upon the comment facility being about The topic Aston villa news and aston villa opinions Fair enough no slanging matches, but if I heard through the grapevine we were singing someone tomorrow, I would come on here, and tell you guys, on the comment facility, not the forum as this is what more people read. That however is not overly relevant to this topic, so apparently wrong. Not telling you how to run your blog, but we all have an invested interest in this site and I just hope it continues to be one of the first places i go to when i log on. |
Keith
said:
|
... Dan Price I dont think Damian is complaining about that mate but about stupid comments made on occasions such as yesterday. Nothing to do with Villa at all. |
paul mclafferty
said:
|
... if ash goes then that would mean we have lost our three best players,that is not a top 6 team anymore and shows even everton are streets ahead of us. |
Damian
said:
|
... Dan Price It is completely relevant as I'm talking about the commenting in the post and what you are suggesting is completely fine also. Go have a look at the posts from yesterday and scroll down .. it just got very messy and was annoying. In fact, I maybe shouldn't have mentioned it as it is in the comment policy page we have and I shoudl have maybe just deleted comments as they came up, but on the other hand, by informing everyone that this is going to be happening, it might explain why some comments do just vanish, like taglors a minute ago on the other post. |
Steve Clayton
said:
 |
... Can I just say I read the post yesterday and was getting extremely pissed of by the two twats having a "who knows more about villa" dialogue going on. We can't have people coming on continually slagging each other off and having a who has (is ) the biggest dick competition and not adding anything constructive to the discussion. Bottom line is this is a Villa Blog to discuss our beloved team and we don't want to read a shitty argument by 2 nob-heads. |
Ian_Villa
said:
 |
... If Ash goes we will have lost 2 captains and another one of mon untouchables already this summer. with pre season to start within a month we need to get players in now so they have time to gel. Come on Martin! Who will be the man to take the Captains armband next season? Up the Villa |
Damian
said:
|
... Ian_Villa I'm not sure we really have a captain at the moment. Laursen was great, Barry got it for some reason .. at the moment, I suspect it will be Petrov, but I'm not convinced with him .. I'd rather he just played his game. Will be interesting to see who gets it .. |
Snake Pliskin
said:
 |
... The reason Ash has come on leaps and bounds is down to John Robertson(IMO)schooling him on how to play the wing role. I think he has encouraged Young to take players on and not always cut inside for the diagonal cross. Milner seems to be benifitting from this as well. If Young was to go (and i hope he doesn't) then don't be to surprised to see MON and JR unearth another wing genius. This is just my thoughts, so feel free to rip me to shreds!! |
Fatkevs
said:
|
... I think (hard for me to say after his 1st 2 seasons) Petrov looks the only choice, he has the respect of his team mates (PotY) & has let his feelings be known on the pitch. We do not have any natural leaders. Reo sees himself as one, but is not really someone you could see yourself confiding in. |
Fatkevs
said:
|
... Snake i was sad to see Routledge go as he was not really given a chance, the lad had the spark must have lacked self belief |
ak_27
said:
|
... I thought as the season went on Petrov was looking more like a captain to me. He was really beginning to get the knack of intercepting passes and that really gets the crowd up. I think and hope he is captain next season. |
Snake Pliskin
said:
|
... FatKevs..Have to agree with you there. thought Routledge come have grown into exactly the type of player mentioned earlier. Young still has things to learn from Robertson, like how to change your style of play when you are being shut out of a game..Man U at Villa Park being point in case |
Oscars Arse
said:
 |
... I can see Young leaving money talks and I think he has been unsettled with Barry going. Don't forget he's been away with England and you can imagine the chit chat of how much money can be made. There is NO loyalty in football it's all grab grab grab except for the ripped off fans. |
Simeon
said:
 |
... Damian, why are you stooping to ridiculous, unjustified, personal insults of a former player when addressing the issue of whether our new best player will be staying with us or not? What happens to Ashley Young this summer will tell us everything we need to know about where our club is heading (although I believe our trajectory is already decided). Ashley Young is the one player Marty signed who was not either a poor signing, or simply an established, decent player who we paid slightly over the odds for. For this reason, I'm inclined to think that Young's signing was a fluke rather than inspired. That he was a fluke indicates that we're not going to be getting in a player of the same kind of quality to replace him, let alone get in players of such quality in general. Losing Young will make the fairly obvious irrefutable, and confirm that sixth place was as good as it got for us, and that it's downhill from here. This is a disgraceful, and in my view, unacceptable state of affairs. A diagnosis of our present malaise, and a prescribed treatment would be far more useful than bitter outbursts directed at ex-players. And by the way, whether Ashley Young stays with us for next season and then leaves, or leaves this summer, has little to do with the manager anymore. Marty had his chance to make the case to Ashley Young that his future lay at Villa Park, and he blew it. Ashley Young's future is now a matter for himself and other football clubs. If the likes of Chelsea, Man Utd or Barcelona are interested in him, and if a reasonable offer is made, then Ashley Young will leave. If Liverpool had made a reasonable offer last summer, you-know-who would have left there and then. The only reason he didn't is because Liverpool didn't make the offer. These suggestions that Young will stay because Marty is going to make him are ridiculous and unjustifiable. Wake up to reality people! |
Damian
said:
|
... Simeon It is my opinion, after he said that he would only leave Villa for a club playing in the Champions League, that he is a twat for joining Manchester City. Your opinion might not be that. Thousands called him worse at Walsall last pre-season and more have called him worse since he joined. Twat is also nothing to what he will be called when he comes back to Villa Park with City. |
jay bee
said:
 |
... villa have got money lerner only said that he will not be spending as heavily as last season and that he will not be held for ranson by any club.if we bring in about 6 more players centre half, right back, cover for james n ash and a striker and centre midfeilderand ill be a very happy fan although nothing wrong with NRC or super steve |
Andr3
said:
 |
... well guys here is our first signing of the summer http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/aston-villa-fc/aston-villa-news/2009/06/19/northampton-town-s-courtney-cameron-joins-aston-villa-academy-97319-23923340/ |
Write comment
Latest Rumours from the Web
- Rumour time: Karl Henry and Alexander Hleb
- Craig Gardner set to leave Aston Villa for Birmingham City
- Spurs want John Carew and they are willing to offer Robbie Keane if we stump up cash too
- Transfer window is open, speculation is mounting and Craig Gardner is off
- Emile Heskey: Will he stay or will he go?
Wemberlee t-shirt
Follow Us
More Posts
- Stoke 0 Aston Villa 0: Would you have taken a point before the game?
- Aston Villa at Stoke live, updates, team news and banter
- March madness for Aston Villa: Predict the results for March and win something
- Match Preview: Aston Villa at Stoke
- Martin O'Neill off to Liverpool? Not in this lifetime
- Sinbad couldn't help Birmingham City, semi-final date confirmed and season ticket prices
- Aston Villa Academy make semi-final and Doyle and O'Hara
- Headache for Martin O'Neill equals discussion topic for Aston Villa fans
- John Carew Carew, Chelsea at Wemberlee and Mr Lerner, take more
- Aston Villa beat Reading, Carew scores three and Wemberlee
Partners and Friends
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 World Cup 2010 News
|
|
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! Latest AVFC Blog Tweets
AVFC Blog
avfcblog
- follow:
- updates:2137
- followers:385
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.
The Internet is Changing
