First day of window and rumours galore for Aston Villa
Thursday, 01 January 09, 05:45 AM · Comments (154)
The window has only jut opened, which means Martin O'Neill has looked at his kitchen calender and started to panic. Nobody told him that he could start speaking to agents or other clubs about players and now he has to rush, which means we'll get a player or two in the last week of the window and they'd have wasted three weeks of playing for us.
He'll make a resolution that for the next January transfer window he'll have players lined up early so they can maybe make an impact in the actual month.
Don't worry about me, I'm just on the wind up, but so are the papers, because today we're linked with more players than we have been all season on any single day.
First on the list is Craig Bellamy and according to the papers West Ham value him at £20mn. and will be holding out for it unless the player puts in a transfer request. He is a thug but he's also a decent footballer; I'm not so sure I want him at the club.
Another rumour doing the rounds and not for the first time is Michael Owen.Now, this is never going to happen in January if his contract expires in the summer and we're going to pay him what he wants. I think Owen is a great striker and if he were to be fit for a full season he's going to score you 20 goals plus, but he's not going to stay fit and you never know how long he's going to be fit for.
The next rumour of note is Inter Milan's Honduras striker David Suazo. Maybe it's because I've just woken up and had a fight with the wife that I can't remember that much about him. Still, I'm sure it will get back to me one day and if it does, I'll post about it.
Last couple of names are Wigan's Emile Heskey and Portsmouth's Peter Crouch. We've heard these before and I think the general consensus is not many would like them but most also agree that they can do a job for us.
Bottom line; these are all rumours picked up from the papers.Believe what you want to believe. I'm going back to bed.
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154 Comments · Add yours
First of all, Happy new year. Right, Bellamy IS a thug but you don't always have to like footballers for them to do a good job, he was the only threatening player for Wet Spam a couple of weeks back and his pace in a three pronged attack with Webcam and Gabby would be mind blowing.
Michael Owen, not for me. He pops up in the right positions to score goals but doesn't have much else to his all round game, i think MON wants a bit more to players that he brings to Villa Park in future (witness how much Webcam tackles back for instance).
Heskey, same dilemma but different way round, holds the ball up well, target man, blah blah blah.
Crouch, can't for some reason head a ball despite being 7 foot 3 inches tall, could be worth bringing back.
Bent would be worth a punt if he costs less than 10 mil, he looks a confidence player but he has scored plenty, 7 in the league this season same as Owen, Defoe and Adebayor!
Bottom line is its January and its slim pickings especially with Man Citeh and Harry sniffing for players too!
Happy new year!
i know bellamy is a thug and a brillient footballer but we dont want people like that, it will ruin our dressing room and from what we hear and how happy the players are that is very important to us.
i think there is gonna be a surprise in there and i reckon o'neill has been talking to people he just said that about him not to throw people off the scent. i hope thats right cos that wud make a good transfer window
Up the villa!
Lets hope we do the business early for once in the transfer window. We will need some addtional players. Get the following players below and we could be looking at a top 3
Adriano - 12 million. On his day world class and i think MON can get the best out of him.
Steven Defour - 8 million - creative midfielder who can pass and run with the ball.
Nzogbia - 7 million. Lots of potential and cover for the much troubled left back as well for Ashley Young when he needs to rest.
Darren Bent - 8 million. Bag of potential and only few seasons ago he was valued at 16 million. Still in his early twenties so so can improve as a player.
Players Out :
Nick Shorey - 3.5 million. Done nothing for the Villa. Sure sunderland or one of the bottom end clubs would want him.
Marlon Harewood - 4 million. Just not a top end premiership player.
Zak Knight - 3.5 million. We have 3 quality centre backs Larsson,Davies,Cueller who we paid 8.5 million for. Ciaren Clark as a good potential if required.
All in all 34 million on players bought in and 11 million on players going out. Net Spend of 23 million but then look at the quality we would be getting.
David Suazo is quality - a much better right sided player than Milner.
Leave Crouch alone.....he is a poor player
These could be MON's most important signings so far as it's the first time we've been in a position to win anything, I hope he's learnt his lesson regarding bargain basement deals (Routledge, Salifou, Harewood),they don't work out in this day and age unless you're extremely lucky.
Obviously our pressing need is a forward, not just for cover but to genuinely compete wuth the class we already have, and that should rule Heskey out for a start. Owen or Defoe would be ace, and how about Sturridge as a bit of competition for The Fonz.
Sidwell looks pretty average so far, and if he isn't willing to give Gardner a run out (hoping he will), we need to strengthen in that department, I reckon Nolan is worth a shout. Hard as nails and gets a few goals, nice to have a long throw merchant as well, its another option.
At the back we need to hang on to Zat and Shorey because of injuries, Lescott would be great if we could get him.
Outbound: Harewood, Osbourne, Salifou, Rouledge and Taylor (is he still with us ?).
Reply to aston786:
I know Zat didn't have the best of starts to the season but he's been doing alright the last couple of weeks and as we've seen we need the cover when Laursen and Cuellar are injured. Plus he seems happy to play the bit part and he's a Villa fan so unless we are going to buy another centre back who is willing to play only 2 or 3 games a year I say hold on to him! I agree with selling Marlene and Nikki they've done nothing. However I can't see us buying any of the above as we will not get them for that price at this time of year! I don't think there will be any comings or goings. Unfortunately!! Come on Martin prove me wrong!!
Can we please forget the usual nonsense about which players we all want or don't want?
Let's cut to the chase.
1. I assume we want a manager who buys players based upon personal qualities as well as footballing attributes? If we buy into that idea then there are a hell of a lot of unknowns that makes it very difficult to second guess the process. If you don't buy into that idea you are an idiot.
2. What happens when Ashley Young gets injured? Again I think we all appreciate that Milner is severely limited on the creative front. Heaven help us if Gabby get's injured at the same time! No MON is going to buy at least one striker and to me the logical step would be someone who can also play wide left.
david suazo is class and is NOT a right sided player he is a striker im just letting VDRUID know that
and i cant see the others coming
Heskey, Elano, DeFour or Kightly and a healthy Bouma please.
Reply to AVMark:
who made you god of football intelligence
AP68 - Give up your worldly goods and follow me.
I don't think it is a wind up Damien, I think the first 6 lines of your post sum it up pretty well.On the 31st Jan we all suspect Heskey will be signed along with another centre half.
Shit, There goes my resolution about not slagging MON's tranfer activities.
I think its obvious that we need an attacking midfieder player who can run at defences with the ball and pick a pass.How about Diego at Werder Bremen ?.
We badly need a fullback (there's a surprise) and a left winger who would allow Ashley to play in his preferred position of right wing and at the same time permit Milner to occupy his best position-the bench.
A forward is the priority though as we are badly lacking.
It's gonna cost a lot but we are ahead of schedule and have a really golden opportunity to snatch 4th spot if we add some real quality to the squad.
That means that a Doyle or a Heskey would be a disappointment.
Don't lose your nerve now Randy, you could make yourself a hero if you really go for it
Happy new year to Villa Fans everywhere
TO Blues Fans ?.......come on Reading !!!
Reply to AVMark:
spat my drink over the keyboard lmfao......
I like aston786's view, i think it would be quality if thats what happens!
but as far as Martin O'Neil not being ready, gotta disagree with that, inside track says they are already moving!
We have to sign another striker, it is a certainty! as it looks like Carew could be out till March!!!! we cannot rely solely upon Gabby! bring in Adriano!
Here is the link for news bout Carew's injury!
LINK
Reply to AVMark:
What is it about Zat Knight that you guys don’t get? Before the Arsenal game I told you he would give us a solid performance, and he did. In Spades. Then he was solid against Hull. Centre backs who can play in the PL and be relied upon, as much as any other, to play well. How many of these creatures do you think are out there? And what do you think they cost?
Get rid of him because we’ve got Davis, Laursen and Cuellar. Excuse me? Hello, is anybody home?
Next sub-heading:
Martin O’Neill and his ability in the transfer market.
AVMark regularly puts the case for the rational approach, but you don’t seem to want to listen. Have you any idea how many variables are involved? Here’s a few off the top of my head.
• Is the player available? Does the club want to sell?
• Is the price realistic?
• Are his wage demands realistic?
• Is he limited by his age?
• Has he proven himself in the PL?
• Does he have character? (very important for O’Neill)
• Is he injury prone?
• Is he the target of another club?
• Does he want to come to B’ham?
• Is he disruptive in the squad?
• Will he sit on the bench?
• Is his wife prepared to shop in Newtown Row?
You can add some more. But here’s the thing. Damo’s pissed me off again. The first two paragraphs poured derision on O’Neill’s ability in this regard. The sarcasm ran a mile deep then he says not to worry. Well I do worry. SHOW SOME FUCKIN LEADERSHIP!!
Churchil I don't really think you have much of a valid argument there - all the points on that list are pretty obvious (some blindindgly obvious) and go without saying, most of them can be summarised with one word answers and really don't take a great deal of thought.
If you're trying to convince me that buying players in the transfer window is difficult because you need to consider "will he sit on the bench" then you've failed to do so.
Churchill, good point about the injury side. Is our incredibly good injury record about transfer policy or great training/physio? Or is it just luck?
adriano is finished as a top player the bloke is a alcoholic and keeps getting bombed out club after club through lack of discipline and if inter get 12 million for the player then good look to them as long as its not the villa paying it
david suazo is contracted at the moment to milan but on loan to benfica. he scored twice on sunday . everton nufc VILLA and several italian clubs are intrested in him. but he has said he would be intrested playing in the prem. how much would he cost . cant find that info out does anyone know roughly his price tag 1. THINK EFC WOULD HAVE TO SELL TO BUY COME HOME LESSCOTT. 2.nufc are going to spend or so we are told but must sell.get owen 3. villa good chance of CL football next season money should be no problem it sounds so easy. so please make it happen VILLA FOR LIFE AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR VILLA FANS
Reply to vivavilla86:
I agree. Some (all) of the points are blindingly obvious. So how come some people still can't see them? How come some many have no agenda but their own wish list? I've just relised I've left a major reason off the list. Man City's wealth will be a big factor. They could potentially screw the market up for every other club. Moreover, Wenger's under massive pressure to buy big and that will take players away.
And when we discuss transfers, it's the same old names. Bollocks to the transfers. Who we get is not important - it's what O'Neill can do with them that matters.
When are we gonna have some trust? When are we gonna show some respect? O'Neill leads us to the promised land and all Damo can do is take the piss. Well, take your wretched sarcasm somewhere else. It's corrosive and infantile and O'Neill doesn't deserve it.
churchill...have you just told damian to take his sarcasm somewhere else..lol
we play in damians garden its his house were in get real...lol
As I confessed in my therapy session to Nanwasafan, I don't believe any players are good enough to sign for Aston Villa. Every single player in our youth team is genious. Except Osbourne.
Oh I don't know but £20M for Bellamy, are you taking the piss. £8M for a Newcastle reserve (charles thingy) or a Championship winger (Kightly) or £5m for a 30 year old lumbering CF who scores no goals and has 6 mths on contract (heskey) are you having a laugh.
That's what's so difficult about transfer dealings - could spend £30m for decent players who only marginally improve the club. Even now we are in top 4 we can not just turn up and get good players at a reasonable rice - the market is ridiculously inflated
Reply to _AP68_:
If it was just the occasional thing, sure, I could smile and forget it. But it's not occasional and I sense that it's becoming snide. Damo's developed the habit of curling his lip and looking down his nose. He's condescending.
If he doesn't cut this out, and pretty soon, this blog will suffer. He's worked hard to make this what it is. Why would he want to destroy it?
There are some things in life you must be very careful about undermining. Some things are just too important to fuck with.
Without O'Neill were are nothing. Back to bog-standard mediocrity
Reply to _AP68_:
You're right, we can't ask Damian to get off his own lawn - but I think he should lay off MON. Unless he can prove otherwise, he has no idea what MON does say to day and hence whether he has lined up players or not. Past record is more likely to suggest he has tried to get top qulaity players but when failed he has brought in his 3rd choices at the last minute because we have been short of numbers. It is a difficult balancing act but our manageris a clever bastard and anyone who genuinely thinks he is taken by suprise at the start of the transfer window is a moron
Churchil whereas I agree with what you have said I think it's important to point out that in life we are grouped into either cynics or optimists. Cynicism is a negative force but it's valuable as a counter-weight to extremism. There is no doubt that a crowd full of optimists will sing louder than a crowd full of cynics and I think after the Deadly years we have an imbalance of cynics. For this reason I will value the cynics (like Damian) but also seek to convert them!
For the record "take your sarcasm somewhere else" is a metaphorical thing. It's not meant literally.
Stroll on - do I have to explain this?
Reply to AVMark:
Mark, "Cynism" I can buy. I have industrial quantities of it. "Sarcasm" is of a different order.
Has Daniel Sturridge gone off the radar? Darren Bent another possible player O'Neill can work his magic on especially if Spurs are chasing other strikers.
Churchil it's nice for me not to feel the like the moodiest bugger on the blog today. Thank you!
come on boys new year new start,
i just dont want to pay way too much over the odds for players as bellamy is being quoted at 20 million now.
legend..young sturridge is close to signing a new contract at citeh.
Reply to AVMark:
Does it show that much? Fuck me gently, I'm hacked off. I'll be alright tomorrow.
In fact, reality is already setting in. And now I've got to make it up to Damo. I shall have to say something nice about tomorrow's opinions. In all probability it will be obvious arse-licking and one of Gordon Cowans illegitimate kids (the ugly, self-opinionated one)will upbraid me for being poncy.
And it's only New Years day.
I see your point Churchil that there is more than meets the eye, I agree it's not as easy as picking a player and handing over the cash, but I don't think you can be so blindly faithful towards O'Neill during this time. Last season he didn't do anything to improve the squad and it wasn't good enough. We can't idly sit by and say "ah well, it's obviously more difficult than it looks". This season we need that extra strength and a repeat of last January just won't cut it.
It isn't that difficult, just look at the other key signings made 12 months ago:
Bolton signed Matty Taylor
Chelsea signed Anelka
Fulham signed Hangeland
Liverpool signed Skrtel
Portsmouth signed Diarra and Defoe
Wigan signed Palacios, Figueroa and Valencia
All of those were crucial signings as they turned out to be key players for the remainder of last season and the beginning of this season. None of them were overpriced either, so it clearly can't be that difficult because plenty of other teams are doing it very well.
Reply to AVMark:
Christ on a bike !
2 people in a day on here that I totally agree with
Damien and AVMark
I hope rest of year is like this
Reply to churchil:
top comment !
with us being in CL position now i think players would be tempted to sign for us and if not we will have to show them what there missing out on and finish in CL position at end of season
oneil will get it sorted and sign players that will fit into his style of play.
defoe to similar to gabby will not happen
im sure you will see a british striker come in crouch heskey possible.
may even use harewood as part of a deal for heskey or even bellamy who would bring trouble.
i would like to see hangeland of fulham
g johnson portsmouth 6.5m
heskey wigan 4.5m
owen newcastle 5.5m
elano man c [loan]
i beleive this would strenghthen us enough to stay in the top 4
only time will see . trust oneil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply to vivavilla86:
Yes, to an extent it’s probably true. I may be overly loyal to O’Neill.
I’m simply too, all-consumingly, aware of how important his role is. With the money he’s spent and the time available, no-one else could have done this. I know he’s not perfect – he may even make mistakes. Who cares? He’ll do it his way or not at all. His way works, warts and all. He plays his transfer deals close to his chest and it pisses people off. But that’s his way.
All I know is this: I haven’t felt this excited about Villa’s prospects since the old king died.
You know, people come on this blog and get upset and stuff. I can’t understand it. People should just calm down.
BTW 86, those were good examples you chose. Very instructive.
a lot of the january signings will be whether the players want to join a club that will enhance his career such as villa,or a club which will enhance your bank balance such as citeh. so i think iys pretty clear to the kind of player i would like to be wearing the claret and blue shirt..
im not critisising MON if thats how you spell it but i think he should bring in a couple of foreign players dare i say it because i dont think heskey or owen are good enough to keep us in the top four certainly not heskey
Point taken, if O'Neill gets results he gets results. I just wonder if he can make his own job a little easier when it comes to his transfer policy, I understand he's comfortable with the way he works and has no reason to change it based on his performance so far, but you really do have to fear for the club this season if it isn't strengthened.
The stats don't like - 18 players used all season long, the least in the entire league. Even a couple of injuries to key players could derail us. With Laursen and Cuellar out we have no more senior defenders left to step in apart from Shorey (who O'Neill appears to have no faith in whatsoever anymore).
I have 100% faith in O'Neill and implicitly trust every decision he makes, he's earned that trust. I'll be confident of still achieving a place in Europe next season even if we sign no-one in January... but I'll be in a state of tenterhooks every game because of the frailty of the squad.
Happy New Year to all.
Any news on the 17 year old Dutch defender we were due to sign? It was mentioned on Sky Sports and on this forum not so long ago. Does anyone know what position he plays? Another centre back or a full back?
A friend of a friend who knows Shoreys girlfriend ( wife ? ) has told me that Shorey is really struggaling with the fittness levels at Villa park and is completly knackered all the time apparently it is not something he was used to at Reading . This plus his bad performances is proberly why MON does not play him.
Vivavilla86 fair point but with the exception of Wigan (up 3)it didn't greatly improve those teams standings (Jan to end of season) either:
Chelsea - up 1
Liverpool - same
Portsmouth - up 1
Bolton - down 1
i have nothing against him personally but i DO NOT want heskey at villa- he would have been the sought of player good for us under o dreary- but o'neill its time we showed ambition and push on to break this top 4 bore every season!!
UTV!!!! COYL!!!!
rather than waste money on heskey i would take a punt at kevin davis from bolton,leads the line well and links play and wouldnt cost a fortune,plus a couple of younger players,doyle,kightly.
Reply to SidCowanslovechild:
For those of you who have no idea about the way MON works,it's quietly,in the background,until in the final two or three days of a transfer window,he buys who he coniders will improve his club.He's done it this way wherever he's been and lets give him the credit he deserves,it's worked more often than not.He never seems to overspend on a player either.Maybe that's why he's on every club chairmans wishlist.If we finish in the CL spot this season it will be easier for MON to get in the class of player who would be able to do the club a service playing against the BIG boys.Have faith,under MON we'll get there without bankrupting the club,with every chance of staying there.
Reply to GonzoAvfc:
I don't think Bellamy is a thug.I do think he has an over inflated opinion of his own worth and if he ever did learn that the team are more important than the individual,he might become a player.MON had him at Celtic,so I@m sure he knows that the prrice being quoted is five times the mans worth.
All this talk of Heskey, Owen, Crouch and the like is so "yesterday". I have to believe that MON has something up his sleeve. No one has mentioned Santa Cruz. I reckon MON could work with this guy to produce something good up front.
We need players that will fit into our system. Suazo, Adriano, etc not sure if they'll enjoy long punts upfield for them to chase - they are players that are gonna want through balls from midfield.
The only flair player I can think that MON has ever purchased is Juninho at Celtic.
I'm expecting Heskey and one other player I've heard of and maybe one or two I've never heard of/seen them play.
I know MON has class when dealing with the media, but it does scare me when he says there have been no enquiries. His past signings haven't been the best kept secrets except for Salifou.
villa can get 2 strikers and a right back and n'zogbia from this transfer window and can sell harewood, routledge, shorey (if bouma comes back).
UTV
IF YOU ARE ON OLEOLE I MIGHT OF ASKED YOU TOBE MY FRIEND! OR ASK ME, I'M BOUMAVILLA! (USERNAME)
I WANT STEVEN DEFOUR OF STANDARD LIEGE
DARREN BENT OF SPURS (MENTIONED ON TALKSPORT WE HAVE BID 9M)
JOLEON LESSCOTT OF EVERTON (CANT SEE THEM SELLING SO -> )
CHARLES NZOGBIA OF NEWCASTLE(MORE REALISTIC THAN JO LESS)
FINALLY. . . . . .
SEAN SCANNELL OF CRYSTAL PALACE
BENT, DEFOUR AND NZOGBIA WOULD BE VERY SHREWD SIGNINGS
Reply to churchil:
You've seen my picture then!
Reply to oldvillan:
oh god no, another lump who scores no goals. I'm still waiting for further on Lescott and Bent - were you just teasing?
i know this is a blogg site for discussion and opinions but some of you have very short memories where were we before mon took over, a middle of the table club and sometimes lower now we are 4th in the league (joint 3rd) we do not know who he is goin to buy in the transfer market so why dont some of you just sit back and enjoy what is happening. I for one trust 110% what mon is doin at villa so chill and less of the negative ways. VILLA FOR LIFE
Reply to SidCowanslovechild:
You're not worried about "self-opinionated" then.
Reply to churchil:
thought that was a compliment!
Reply to villabiker:
well said biker boy
Reply to SidCowanslovechild:
Nice one Junior. You've cheered me up.
Reply to villabiker:
Being a Villa fan under Ellis was painful, you knew there was never going to be a sustained challenge for success, just a one-off decent season every 5 years.
Now we have the opportunity to be where we've always craved via a rich owner and a top class manager. I don't have a short memory but such a combination wont come along very often, Villa need to take advantage of this opportunity. Lets just hope MON & Lerner partnership is here for many years to come.
Reply to sasa:
By system, I presume you are talking about the long punt upfield that was so much in evidence vs. Hull. One of the things we need is a change in this system and get a commanding General in midfield who is raring to go to collect the ball from our defenders, make sure we keep possession, and run at the opposing midfield and defence before laying off the killer balls. Barry can do this but not always. So often our midfield loses the ball by being caught in possession or the pass isn't good enough. The other clubs in the top 5 have these Generals and it makes all the difference is controlling games and producing consistent results. Who do we get? Now that's a question!
Reply to sasa:
You da man.
Reply to Mooseman:
The last time Barry ran a game was Spurs away, but Spurs were so spineless that night it was easy pickings. We had some decent midfield play at the Emirates, but again possession was very low.
In the last 4-5 games we have completely missed out the midfield due to defender's long passing - that is why Sidwell could not get into the game, this guy likes to receive the ball to feet. He is also a great late runner into the box like Petrov was at Celtic. Sidwell's missed a few easy chances (Arsenal and W Ham) when running into the box, but puts himself in those positions.
We need a young Berger to be our forward passing talisman. An Arteta or Diego would do nicely.
If we don't get that then it's gonna be long punt for the knockdown to get Ash/Gab and maybe a new signing with pace to collect the ball. It worked effectively against Bolton.
i totally agree i you dont know who this diego guy is then click on my name and watch the video on my profile
hes utterly brlliant
Reply to sasa:
Learner in for the long haul trouble with MON is he is such a quality manager other clubs and even england in the future. could come knocking. this does worry me a bit. but MONis a man of his word and if he said hes here for years to come. i would not doult him plus it would jack off mufc fans because the ones i know would love him if fergie went no negative waves ment
LOL I don't want to knock fellow Villains, but some of you haven't even used common sense. I see a few of you have Knight to leave this window with no CB coming in. What are you saying we only need one fit CB? Knight and Davies are our only two currently fit...........
sorry about spelling still feel bad
3 big signings and the title is ours.
Reply to AVMark:
You can't use that as good evidence, many other factors go towards where they finished in the table, not just the players they brought in.
If you're going to use that logic, my response would be - without the players I mentioned they would probably have finished even lower.
Happy New Year to one and all.
For me, MON has already improved the perception of Villa in players' eyes massively, so the context has been rolling on a window by window basis so the past really isn't a guide of who might come in and when.
He now obviously has the best opportunity yet of bringing in the calibre of player that will be in our first team for years, whereas the likes of Knight and Harewood (for example) were probably always in the "will do for now" space. We may get an old head or two, too, just to help keep it steady in the run in.
I am excited that the window is open... well, frankly I'm just excited these days full stop and our healthy state just makes it all the more enjoyable that we should be able to keep who we want and be more likely to get who we need.
So who do I want? To be honest, I don't care. I care that we strengthen, of course... but the checkbook won't be coming out unless MON thinks its for someone who he can work with and can add to the team and that's good enough for me.
It's boring to say I'll go with whatever he offers up but I don't do much scouting myself so couldn't really tell you what the Hoffenheim forward line is like, for example. The 'usual suspects' is probably just journalistic laziness but if it is going to be an 'obvious' one, I'd quite like Bent, as...
1) We'd probably get him at a decent fee
2) Motivation to succeed will be sky high, I'd think
3) Turning him back into a plausible England 1st choicer would probably be a good one in the eye for Redknapp who quite frankly annoys me so much when he openly talks about another team's players (Defoe this time but think back to last summer)
But that aside, as long as we improve our chance of success, my New Year's resolution is to avoid any personal wish list and take a watching brief. Of course, we don't want signings for signing's sake but I'll sit back and let Martin show me how far we've come, though we don't need major surgery.
UTV!
Reply to Nan_was_a_fan:
love the posiivity - trying to believe......but not quite there yet
happy new year people.
if we get in 3 or more class players then the title isnt ours not YET anyway.but top 4 i think we will get
i thnk we need a defender, and two strikers.
Defender because cueller looks a class player but he has been injured a bit. Lausen class defender, but injured. curtis davies class not injured. Zat knight is prone to mistakes. but we only have 2 defenders who are not injured zat and davies.
we cant sell zat untill we sign anouther defender. and even when we sign a new defender we need 1 for the bench and zat is happy to sit on the bench at a team he loves.
we need strikers. we only have 2 strikers who are top four material carew, and agbonlahor. And 1 who will be good but is young at the moment- delfounso.
and harewood is never top 4 material.
so bring in owen and Inter Milan's Honduras striker David Suazo and i think we will have what it takes
Inter willing to let Adriano go for 12 million as per sky reports. With guidance he could really add quality to our attack. Steven Defour another quality player with good techinicle ability. In our last few games what we lack to the so called top 4 sides is some players with good techinicle ability to pass the ball around.
We not going to get that with the english players as all the good ones are not for sale. MON really needs to add some quality foreign players to move us along to the next level. Yes last year was last year and we were aimng for a top 6 finish so at that time players like Heskey, Crouch, would have been good pickings. We now find ourselves in a different position we if we really want to push on then we need to look at better quality players to do so.
Come on MON prove us all wrong and get some good technicle players in to push us on.
Up the Villa.
we need a central attacking player or someone who is afraid of getting foward and can pick out that clever pass to release gabby or someone else like fabregas
i think diego ribas da cunha would fit the bill perfectly but that may have to wait til summer if oneill wants
which is unlikly
Reply to littlevillan:
would concur with that littlevillan. But diego would cost us around 15 million and can you see MON spending that kind of money on a foreign import. I can only hope and say yes.
You mention fabregas well a ideal type of player is arteta of everton and again accroding to reports arsenal are interested in him for around 12 milion. If arsenal are going for him and we are challenging arsenal why don't we go for him. Its obvious everton need to the money and he would fit perfectly into our side and just the player we are looking for plus he is proven premierhip player.
Reply to littlevillan:
i think diego is a step too far at the moment as celski were quoted 25 million from bremen for him.
nice thought though.
what about kerlon and falcao miixed in with a bit of podolski all threefor 20 million?
Reply to _AP68_:
good call, falcao looks a real good player (not just on you tube
) and podolski got goals in him too plus he can play in midfield.
I agree. Any European would be good. English players can only take you so far. Cinorom Partpalc, Adaol Xollob - not household names but they are available.
Reply to HectorFullone:
sidwell is a quality player who could become a VP favourite for the coming seasons and beyond.
we definitely dont need heskey or crouch, they are both crap
I think a lot of our answers to positional problems can be found at Everton FC.
Defensively: Jolean Lescott: The likes of Rio Ferdinand would be pissing his pants with Lescott & Laursen bearing down on him at the corners
Midfield: Mikel Arteta & Tim Cahill. Arteta is a whiz at the dead ball & has a great passing game. Cahill does what you want from an attacking midfielder, actually score goals. Plus he's good with his head. I cringe every time I see Barry or Sidwell make perfect position in the box only to butcher the headed shot on goals
That would then only leave a target man & for once I'd like us to get a little creative and go abroad. Recycling only gets you so far.
Martin is a genius but you can only lift the local product so far.
can somebody please tell me wat they think of celtic's scott mcdonald as a possible transfer target for villa if not now then for the end of the season. celtics manager gordon strachan i think it was sed that he believes mcdonald will be a target for big english clubs in coming years. so why not snap him up now before douche bags like chelsea or arsenal grab him?? one problem is that he did recently sign a new 5yr deal with celtic in mid 08..
it would be a good move for him tho, with other aussies such as cahill, schwarzer, emmerton, neill etc already playing in the EPL. he has been in stunning form (leading goal scorer by 10 goals in SPL last season with 25 goals)and scored a cracker of a goal against rangers the other day to seal a 1-0 win. he scored against man u in their 1-1 draw in the champions league and scored the winner against ac milan as well.. this guy is class. he is not as tall as carew (only 5ft 8" but im not looking at him as a replacement for carew), but he has got great work ethic, pace, and a pretty decent skill set which fits the bill perfectly for villa. plus his ability to find space in the box is exceptional.. comments??
Reply to Melbourne Villans:
so what your saying if we merge with everton we will have a decent side??
Reply to qldvillan:
the stumbling block for me is that he plays in the spl which the top tier = our championship league and the bottom = to league 1 so i would rather look at what wolves etc have to offer if mon wants to stay british
Reply to AVMark:
I'm sorry for picking on this particular comment... but you just said "English players can only take you so far". Could you give any evidence to support this statement? Because it sounds incredibley far out to me.
English players have taken us to a state of Champions League contention, what signs have you seen that suggest this is set to deteriorate any time soon?
Reply to _AP68_:
thats fair enough i guess but he is a standout performer which would suggest he can go on to higher honours.. especially given he scored against giants man u and ac milan.. kightly looks alright, who knows he might become the next ashley young but thats a long shot.. would love to see it tho.. two ashley youngs+agbonlahor up front.. its more beautiful than jennifer hawkins!
btw, apparently manchester united came 'knocking on the door' just after kightly had signed his deal with wolves.. LINK watch from about 2min 20 (some bloke talking about how man u enquired about him)
Reply to littlevillan:
yea i always spell it MON
I think we need a striker, Centre mid, and cover for the RM/LM positions.
For the Striker position it depends what type of player MON wants. Quick or big and strong.
If quick the obvious mentions:
Defoe
D. Bent
Suazo
All good and i would be happy if any of them came, another player i would like to see us have is Ikechukwu Uche, plays for Getafe in spain. He is only 24 pace to burn and good finisher was deadly for his previous club recretivo but used less at getafe think we he would be worth a punt.
If o'neill wanted a strong striker there has been mentioned of course Santa Cruz, would be an awesome buy. Others i think we would be worth a punt:
André-Pierre Gignac - Good strong striker players for Toulouse in France, 23, 6"1 his first season as first choice striker at toulouse 11 in 19 so far this season.
Oscar Cardozo - Massive striker 6"4, 25. Scored 22 goals in all competitions last year for Benfica. Great striker of the ball, i reckon he would be a good target man. However this is what i think, i think he would do ok for Villa because he is strong and tall. He is a Paraquayan national and i have spoken to Tim Vickery the BBC south american football correspondent about him and he reckons he has got potential but maybe might not be able to make step up.
when u are 6ft 4" tall and have the quality of delivery from the likes of ashley young you wouldnt even need to be good at football! who cares if he can make the step up.. all he has to do is stand in the box and wait for ashley to plant the ball on his head! haha, in all seriousness though he (Oscar Cardozo ) sounds interesting. santa cruz looks to be all sewn up by man city unfortunately.
i would like to see someone come in for sidwell.. yeh he has had his moments (34sec into the everton game was the best of them) but he has missed so many opportunities, especially on his head. id like to see someone who can really pick a pass in midfield. this may not sit well with some but i think someone like paul scholes would be good. his passing ability is fantastic and plus he is a ginger so its pretty much a direct swap.. ginger out ginger in. ps in australia we call them rangas, wasnt sure if u pommy lads would get it tho.
imagine the ball being put right where gabby wants it to be so he can use his pace and get in behind the defence and rip it apart.. scholes has the ability to provide that ball. he is by no means a long term option at 34 years of age, but he provides the quality we need to sustain our push for the champions league this season. ps heskey is a dud i hope we dont sign him
I think the yardstick for Scott McDonald is that he performs well in the SPL (as did Mark Viduka) but really struggles in representative football (as has Mark Viduka).
McDonald also has some problems with his weight (as has Viduka).
I'm not saying fat bastards can't play football, but it can be symptomatic of a player that doesn't want to put in the hard yards.
As to AP68: YES, we would have a pretty good composite side if you took their three best and slotted them into the Villa side. However, both sides are lacking a target man, hence the need to look elsewhere for a big man to support Gabby with a few tricks that we all haven't seen already.
I think that MON should promise to not start a bidding war with Man City over Santa Cruz in exchange for a handsome bid for Daniel Sturridge.
Even though Man City would always be able to outbid us, we could easily push the price up 10 million or so on Roque, meaning that in effect a 10 million swoop for Sturridge would be like 20 million in the bank for them.
I think that Hughes would value Santa Cruz over Sturridge, particularly as he needs results fast if he wants to keep his job..
Reply to SidCowanslovechild:
I think your spot on sid, MON is not stupid and anyone who thinks he is needs to have a re-think!!!
This man is clever and I think we should just get on board with whoever he brings in as he is usually 100% right as he waves the magic wand and turns shit into roses....
Come on the Villa,
I wonder if we are going to see the villa reserves at gillingham on sunday.....oh no!!!
Vivavilla read them names backwards.
Damian i think you should reconsider posting rumours on here. I mean it upsets half of the posters on here when people begin speculating. We all trust MON he is the best manager in the premier league. Ok, his tactics are a little predictable at times, subs policy is rather non existent (due mainly to the lack of quality on the bench) but wouldnt most of us like to see him sign a flair player? He has a system set up here now, and one player coming from overseas is highly unlikely to rock the boat too much....MON without doubt gets the most out of players, i mean it could be said that we have 5 or 6 real quality players surrounded by role players and we are equal 3rd. If we sign anyone they need to be players who could start in the first tam straight away. No more role players, just quality. Whoever they are i dont care, as we trust his judgement, but im sick of the "positive petes" on here knocking people posting wish lists of players, its fun harmless and at the end of the day doesnt mean dick as to who we are getting.....if there were a competition where the person who comes up with the best player to sign actually recieved the money and had to sign the transfer papers on behalf of AVFC then it would be a different story....its not like that so let people speculate and dare i say it, dream, of ways that they think would improve the team, at the end of the day it is just a couple of opinions....Lighten up a bit ffs
Leroy you mean you just want to play Championship Manager?
How many of the people on this site touting players have actually seen them play? Not on the telly I mean actually? Do they really think they can judge a player from highlights? I mean think about it. If you put together a compliation of Milan Baros he would look better than Pele? How many ppeople slate NRC because tyhey see his poor first touch and limited passing in close up on TV but have never seen him live doing those lung busting slogs up and down the pitch?
I actually take football seriously. Is this not the place for me?
Reply to AVMark:
LMFAO
Reply to AVMark:
If you watch players and teams so closely how come you still think that our team looks good? You were on here the other day saying it doesnt matter we won etc....that to me is not taking it seriously Mark......
Look whats with all the in fighting??
this is a blog, which Damien takes the time to write, so unfortunately the bloke is allowed and should feel obliged to give his opinion!
the other point to the blog is that everyone is allowed there threpence worth of say (hence the comment boxes!)
Dont get me wrong, i completely agree with some people's opinions that Damien is on Mon's case a little too much.
which in turn leads me to a couple of points:
1, Martin Oneil's transfer policy baffles me as much as the next bloke, but my theory on it is as follows;
he has never had the funds available to him that he has now, which makes him concerned over buying a big money dud.
(he had lots of funds at Celtic but was more off the radar, north of the border)
he is desperate not to get ripped off and wont pay over the odds for anyone (as we all know you have to pay over the odds for everyone nowadays, check out £12m for Milner lol).
2, the reason that we as fans occasionally get on the managers/players cases now is purely down to the fact we now expect something from our team!
for everyone who has supported Villa a long time (me included) just think back to when a draw at home to Arsenal would of made you have an extra couple of beers saturday night in way of celebration? or when turning them over at the emirates would of made you miss Monday off work??
We need to take stock, feel pretty good about our team and the players and just get behind them for a big push on!
I would REALISTICALLY love to see the Following at VP:
1,Nzogbia:
this boy is lightning quick, can play LB LM LW and AM.
he would allow LYoung (another brilliant buy IMO) to go back to RB, or would allow AYoung to go to Right Wing (where he looks slightly better than on the left!) and would allow Milner to play more AM (Everyone who's been to any games this season says the same, Milners work rate and General play is Great, but his delivery of the ball is a bingo!!)
I bet O'Niells glad all you experts are out there, what would he do without you. Happy New Year
2, Darren Bent:
He has always scored Goals wherever he has had a run in the team, Charlton, yep Spurs, this season yep.
i think hes a much better long term prospect than Heskey.
3, Jermaine Defoe:
would love him at VP, but cant help but think he's a bit of trouble??
cant dispute his natural scoring abilities though very gifted Goalscorer, cant help but think Redknapp already has him sown up though.
3: Antonio Valencia:
Another really quick Midfielder,can and has played upfront aswell as CM but may have to war it out with Madrid for him,
and may be overpriced (even for January!!!!
Thoughts?
Lol Sorry Left out Kightly who i would like to see but not as a major signing, squad rotation and actually using subs anyone??
Leroy I don't understand your point. Do you think the way this site should operate is that we all politely listen to each other? Maybe I am wrong but I like a good argument. Nothing personal we are all fans together but if I think someone is talking bollocks I will point it out. If the consensus on this site is that I am out of order I will take it on the chin.
We need some quality players that haven't played in europe this season. Defoe, Bent, Podolski, Lescott, Defour, Crouch, & Sturrage. we'd only be able to register 1 player that's played in europe so far. That's why Heskey is a good option along with Kightly, N'Zogbia or Valencia. Then we could snap up Lescott and register him.
Reply to Astonmilan:
No, but in the same sense i bet ONEIL is glad people are out there cheering for him more than baying for his blood!
as i said mine is a fan(S) (of Oneil and Aston Villa) opinion and should be taken as such.
Happy new Year to you too.
Reply to Chrisodon:
Podolski would be a great buy, how available is he?
also how Good is this Defour??
i know he plays for Standard and they like him a lot, but thats it.
I'm asking a favour here...Click on the link and vote for Ali Larter in the Babe World Cup. She has to make it through this round.....! For those that don't know her, she's the hot babe out of the BBC series Heroes. She's a 'real mans' woman.
LINK
Suazo's agent has said a week ago Suazo won't leave for any team in January; he'll asses his situation over the summer. And let's stop wasting our breath on Lescott---he simply won't be coming.
Hey folks don't listen to AA.
He seriously thinks that if he helps Ali win this round of the AVFC Hotbabes competition she will sleep with him. Bless him.
Why oh why the lack of optimism martin has got us to the top four with players many criticized him for buying me included.The team spirit is superb and the ethic is never give up,OK there needs to be some additions to the squad and some outages but don't be negative these are the good times,were competing at the top level we fear no team we have a great manager and team and great fans, villa park is buzzing and we have an owner who backs the club all the way.
I put my faith in martin and randy,and i would like to thank everyone at villa park for giving me hope of a bright future for the team i support.
A big thank you to all the the players and staff and a very happy and successful new year and also to all the villa fans,and a big thank you to Damian for getting this site up and running and allowing us all a say,HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Whoever Martin ends up adding to the team this window will probably look like a decent move in April.
Happy New Year!
Have we not got Heskey yet?
He has more chance than you ugly
Reply to Nan_was_a_fan:
Too late Nan, she already has..!
Bless you too.
Whoops, just noticed she has already replied to you Nan. She has obviously seen your photo..!
Ok, having said I'll wait and see, I'm already into pressing the F5 key on the BBC site hoping for transfers so sod that, here's my view:
, Agbonlahor
We need an alternative for Carew so does MON see Big John as his first choice when fit or not? Santa Cruz will go to Man City so the PL options are probably Heskey, Kevin Davies, Crouch and Bent. For me, first 2 would be understudies to Carew when fit but with JC out now and the massive prize on offer for getting 4th, I'd rather we go for Prem experience now so while my preference is Bent, I'd rather take Heskey than some of the Euro guys mentioned (but still look at doing something in the summer, perhaps one offering something a little different, i.e. Podolski).
Forget Defoe... why do we need him? He's good, don't get me wrong, just doesn't give us the flexibility we've lost without John.
Elsewhere, I'd like Luke to get playing where he should. Assuming that doesn't mean playing Shorey, we should sort that position out. I think we lose something from playing Barry LB but still an option, nevertheless, allowing Petrov, NRC and Sidwell to prove a triangle around which Ash, Gabby and 'New CF' can flourish.
Ok, that middle 3 might include Milner instead of one of the others and Barry would move in to the middle as circumstances require it but feels like N'Zogbia might be a good complement to cover a few bases off. I keep finding myself taking a short-term view and quite like the Scholes suggestion but this is the team I'd quite like to see playing much of Jan/Feb, more or less (assuming no Carew, Bouma):
Friedel
L Young, Laursen, Davies, Barry
Petrov
Sidwell, Danny Murphy
Young, Bent
Subs:
Guzan
Cuellar
Milner
Reo-Coker
Delfouneso
Heskey
N'Zogbia
You can tell I'm thinking about the next few months but we'll have more time to get foreign options to settle in the summer... and even better cache with the CL spot in the bag
That dirty cow, she said she wasn't interested.
I hope we put a bid in for McGeady. He would be good cover as he can play on both wings and would probably cost around £8m. He has talent and the coaches at Villa should bring the best out of him. This would be my picks of players who are available in Jan:
McGeady
Defoe/Bellamy and Heskey
Bullard
Glen Johnson
Total would probably cost at least £35m so we probably don't have that available??
Good shouts ak_27,
I agree with McGeady really... had him in at first but also thought we'd be hard pushed to spend above £20m. Bullard an Johnson are decent shouts too and we should take them if we can get them... definitely need an old head or two in there as well though so save a couple of mill for someone old, sensible and good.
I know I've said no on Defoe but that's just a priority thing... if we can, we should, I guess, even though HR's talking about us and deals he's after to get the media doing his dirty work, as per
Another player who will be available is Lucas Neill. Anyone rate him? I can honestly say that i never really noticed him at any club he has been at but Liverpool were after him before so he must be solid. He is like most Aussie footballers a money grabing whore but he might be a cheapish option to come in this Jan? Also does anyone else rate any other players at West Ham? It looks as though they will be selling any player they get a good offer for this Jan.
o' neill has just said that all the players that we have been linked to that he has no interest in signing..
well i guess that puts it in perspective guess he must be after messi and kaka
mon will buy crouch!! very good source.
Reply to bobby b:
dont be a tease.... spill
Reply to AVMark:
Brilliant, I must admit I nearly piled in to you for that post - should have known better. Subtlety not always appreciated first time round.
Reply to ak_27:
he is a dirty bastard, lucky to stay on pitch most times I've seen him
AK-27,
I'd say no to Neill but would be quite keen on Noble and perhaps the young lads Collison and Sears
GO ON WIKAPEDIA and have a look at suazo he looks good fast strong can hit the ball with both feet. but cant find how much they are asking 4 him well worth a look
just been told defoe is at bodymoore heath
tipton...where did u hear that?
Reply to tipton villan:
CANT SEE IT ME SELF
the official website says wayne routledge has joined qpr on a permanent deal so good luck wayne
yep its true routledge has joined QPR
Reply to tipton villan:
and ive been told david o' leary is the favourite to take over from sir alex ferguson
Reply to Fitzy_7:
Fitzy you bugger...I wanted to be the first to break that news...Nive one
heard tonight bout an hour ago off craig gardners mrs who is a hairdresser a cracker !
baptiste from real madrid the beast is at the later stages 3rd bid waiting ! also have asked bayern munich how much they would want for podolski.
she can be a wind up but craig seemed quite excited
Oh my God, our squad is shrinking, instead of growing.
How much did we get in this 'undisclosed' deal?
Oh hang on, I forgot, we're loaded and money isn't an issue.
Its true defoe at the belfry! He called in sick today at pompey! I am sure he is ours! 13m offer accepted!
o neill said he has no interest in signing any player we have been linked with. which means he has no interest in signing defoe, so before you come on here with your bullshit do your research first
Reply to bobby b:
Do you eat shit on a regular basis? That's all I can smell in your breath.
Reply to Zidave:
agreed m8
Besides he is a midget and we need a giant CF with a normal sized head.
Not that he is anywhere near my top choice, trust me he is NOT, but to be honest I can see us signing Crouch this window. No one else seems to want him, he'd be cheap
I am anticipating a complete shock signing, like carew a couple of years ago. I don't expect more than 2 or 3 players in, an attacking midfielder/winger and 1 or 2 forwards. It depends how highly MON rates Delfouneso.
Valencia willing to listen to offers for David Villa!
now that would be nice lol
But Baptista now plays for Roma not Real Madrid.. So please shush.
Reply to K4AVFC:
No, he wrestles in the WWE......joking
Right, i've read somebodys mention Kevin Davies, ok guys he's not the greatest but id have him over Heskey, he's better in the air than him and also holds the ball up better, the style of play would suit Davies as he could link in more players. I know this is'nt the long term answer but while Carews out we need someone physical up front.
podolski on a 6 month loan with a view to a permiment deal for 6 million
Reply to vogra:
It would stop his chest scoring against us. It always seems to happen against Bolton.
I really think we should move for Lucho Gonzalez and Lisandro Lopez. trust me if we got those two players all our problems would be solved. definate champs league for next year. Lisandro is in the top 5 strikers in europe right now, whilst lucho is a playmaker/midfilder/ and defensive mid all rolled into one and a regular for argentina. shame they are still in Champs league but im sure a bid of 30m for both would be tempting.
Right ive heard a few people talk about Elano! Not in a million years the only reason Man city want to sell is because he is disruptive in the dressing room, he did the same at his previous club! We dont need that!
I really cant see MON buying anyone from abroad in Jan because he cant be sure they would pick up the pace of the PL!
So i think we are only looking at players that have played in the PL before!
Main Priority is a Striker so, Heskey, Bent, Croch, Defoe, Doyle are main options (non of wich really excite me)
I know we did get Carew last year but he was a swap deal for piss poor Baros AND Carew has shown his worth in four different Leagues befoe.
I Hope MON suprises everyone by not doing the obvious and him and Randy have a good talk and really decide to spend BIG and PUSH for this fourth spot as it will be much harder next season!
This Really is our Best Chance Of CL football so COME ON VILLA!
Reply to vogra:
If this is a way of making we wish we get Heskey it's working. Lets not go back to the times we signed players just because they get their one goal of the season against us - Boateng, Hadji, Kachloul. Davies is overly physical, not skillful and does not score goals, in my opinion
Reply to vivavilla86:
English players have the passion and the ability but all the good ones are taken. Going back a few seasons when the EU barrier was in place you would have paid over the top prices for average english players. We have a good core of quality english players but are we really saying that any new english players is going to better the sqaud technically as its obvious thats were we are lacking in our team.
We have the spine of the team which is english now it would be nice if we could add some artistic creation to help us progress.
we will struggle because of man city, a shit team, but mark hughes has gone away from the world star names he knows they cannot get at present and looking to premeirship.
the links with them have bumped up bellamy and defoe prices, 20 million! f...off! bellamy will spend more time in the injury room than on the pitch.
best bet is european players, and we need that type of flair mixed in with english work rate, however, MON seems afraid to buy abroad and we appear not to have a european scout system
hope we do get some quality, because there might not be a chance like this to gate crash top four for many years to come
P.S. here is hoping MON has learnt his lesson about fielding reserves and we thrash the gills!
Next week will be interesting as its the first week of the january transfer window and we will see how many of these rumours are actually true.
Liverpool and United and to a certain degree Arsenal have said they will not be buying anyone. Chealsea are looking for a striker and a different type of player and probably in a different league to what MON is looking for. Everton have no money and spurs are restricted on how much money they can spend the Defoe scenario being a classic example.
Only ones who are really going to spend are Man City so there is plenty of opportunity for MON to do some real business in early Jan.
Even if we pay 2 - 3 million extra for a player if he adds quality to the team then it is money well spent and if we get 4th spot money that we will get back.
My opnion some of the players that are availible could really improve our squad and within AV reach :
Nzogbia
Podolski
Steven Defour
Mcgeady
Glen Johnson
Lucho Gonzalez
Lisandro Lopez
Adriano
Valencia
Suazo
Bent
MON did say all players we've been linked with so far are officially not his transfer targets in a press conference 2 days ago. So there goes all the rumours and speculation for now. Also this is MON no-one expected Carew, So he does have european scouts just ones that are searching for specific players,,,,English style with a touch class, Which in european football is hard to find. I'm expecting 1 player this jan that's it. Taking a guess i'd say it'll be Podolski, He's the international star Villa need plus he plays similar to Rooney just less aggression in his game.
Well... i say dont sell nobody just buy buy buy!
Go For SANTA CRUZ MON!