Optimism is growing, but a right back is surely top of the list Mr Armitage

I think journalists have given up on the idea that we might sign a right back!

until i see players at vp bein snapped wit villa shirts standin next to mon, i wil believe no rumour.

id say our number 1 target is a right back, but then its a goalkeeper, then a attacking midfielder, then a right winger, then a barry replacement, then a left back, then a right back, then another goalie.

also a striker would be nice, a recognised one who scores about 18 a season

Anton Ferdinand for £10m how can anyone be happy about that I would rather pull a fan out the crowd to play centre half than him.
Honestly optimisun is not the word I look for yeah Bentley would be great as would Sidwell but Ferdinand and Robinson is a massive mistake both are comic in their ability to mess things up.

I believe the signings will come, and soon! These 4 would be a good start, but i doubt we will get Bentley. I hope MON proves me wrong. Lets get busy Villa! 8)

Bentley, Sidwell & Robinson i beleive would add strength to the squad, not sure about Ferdinand. Like you Damien i think a right back should be our top target along with a top centre half. I think the defence let us down last season (exclude Laursen as he was my player of the season).

hey i'll settle for a few players to start with, then worry about positions, ps Ferdinand has played at right-back quite a lot for West Ham and isn't too bad there, just a thought, him at rb with Davies and Laursen cb, Bouma at left back that aint bad you know!!!

I think a player like Ferdinand @ RB would not be the end of the world.
Villa's defense provided plenty of forward presence from set pieces because they had an extra tall.

Take that out and you may be conceding goals at our end.

While I cringed every time Olof Mellberg tried to play in a cross, he was only placed in that situation because we had absolutely nothing down the right.

Bentley Ferdinand (or a mobile tall defender) would be a very strong combination.

Signing those four would be a good start. Yes we would also need a right back and a striker and a replacement for Barry but surely MON knows this. Gardner is a decent cover at right back and I've been told that MON is still after Milner so if those signings happen that would mean we only need a proven goalscorer and a right back to have a good squad. Christ Damien's optimism must be rubbing off! ;)

Damian

Just a quick question, are you able to list the squad size when MON took the reigns compared to the current squad list? And, List all the players in and out since, cos i think the squad is currently about 10/15 players less now and am baffled by the "smallest squad" we keep hearing about from MON.

Pongo1981

You're registered - so pop into the forum, i think its there - if not ask and it will be delivered ;)

I would welcome all four of these signings. People say Ferdinand is not good but he is only 23 and his best years are yet to come. He probably looks works because he plays for the cheats!!!!

Bring them on, then hopefully another 6 players behind them ha ha

Huge sums of money eh? I'll buy you lot a right back!

I'm with Pazzler!

Another thing that puts me off with this rumour! Mr Armitage works for the Star! >:( >:( >:(

Two players max....I have lost the faith. Put the light out when leaving Mon.

Its time to get things started... Why don't you get things started?! ;)

um, just a small detail damian... only the [i]one[/i] season without a right back. hughes went to fulham last june and delaney retired in august - just after the first game of the season, so technically we started the season with a recognised right back in the squad!!! ;)

Villa's squad currently has a goalkeeper, 3 fit defenders, 6 midfielders with any PL experience(excluding barry), and 3 strikers, we don't need signings play a 3-5-2 with a sub midfielder and a sub striker and we are sorted for the season. Crisis, what crisis? When davies is fit we'll be able to put 3 on the bench, now that is strength in depth.

Oh yes, it's gonna go off any day now. It'll be the biggest raid since Phil Collins half-inched all that bullion.

Pongo1981...heres your list. Total spend to date on transfers £2.3m!!

THe 4 players listed above come to £35m going on what the estimates have been recently of these players. I hope that £30m does not include the £18m for Barry, because that means MON would have only spent £12m...It would not suprise me...!

First Season:
>
> Out
>
> Phillips £700k
> Berson £1m
> De La Cruz Free
> Whitts £250k
> Djemba Free
> Baros Swap
>
> £950k Income
>
> In
>
> Petrov £6.5m
> Agath Free
> Sutton Free
> Bardsley Loan
> Kiraly Loan
> Carew Swap
> Young £9.65m
> Maloney £1.1m
>
> Spend £17.25m
>
> Net Spend 2006/2007 £16.3m
>
> Second Season:
>
> ASTON VILLA TRANSFERS OUT
>
> Chris Herd Wycombe Loan
> Luke Moore West Brom Loan
> Gary Cahill Bolton £5m
> Tobias Mikaelsson Port Vale Loan
> Stephen O'Halloran Soton Loan
> Zoltan Stieber Yeovil Loan
> Liam Ridgewell Birmingham £2m
> Jlloyd Samuel Bolton Free
> Lee Hendrie Sheffield U Free
> Chris Sutton Retired Free
> Steven Davis Fulham £4m
> Aaron Hughes Fulham £1m
> Gavin McCann Bolton £1m
> Robert Olejnik Falkirk Free
>
> Total £13m
>
> ASTON VILLA TRANSFERS IN
>
> Wayne Routledge Tottenham £1.5m
> Moustapha Salifou FC Wil Undisc.
> Curtis Davies West Brom Loan
> Zat Knight Fulham £3.5m
> Scott Carson Liverpool Loan
> Eric Lichaj Unattached Free
> Marlon Harewood West Ham £4m
> Nigel Reo-Coker West Ham £8.5m
>
> Total £17.5m
>
> Net Spend 2007/2008 £4.5m
>
> Third Season:
>
> ASTON VILLA TRANSFERS OUT
>
> Sorensen Released Free
> Berger Released Free
> Luke Moore £3.5m
> Olof Mellberg Free
> Gareth Barry £15m xxxxassumed at this stagexxxxx
>
> Total £18.5
>
> ASTON VILLA TRANSFERS IN
>
> None to date
>
> Total £0m
>
> Net spend 2008/2009 season so far -£18.5m
>
> MON'S Net Spend on Transfers to date £2.3m.
>
> 24 Players out?
> 15 Players In?

Ooooops, sorry, forgt to add Davies at £8m!. So that's now £10.3m spent to date. I may be wrong on my figures but it seems about right? I only collated this from other sources so don't shoot the messenger. UTV

i hoping that we're the english club thats put in the bid for pavlychenko (sp) even though ssn are saying its likely to be spurs

i cant see why so many villa fans are getting up in arms over not making any transfers yet, hardly anyone has and MON got us this far have some faith, its amazing how people cant remember the old regime...

The expenditure just goes to show how good MON is. How many other managers have progressed year on year without spending stupid money? March on boys.

if we get Bentley ill rip my testicles off with my bare hands....fcuking no chance...The only Bentley that will be down Villa Park will be driven by a player

i would be a very happy man if we bring in these players, very happy indeed.
UTV

Well done and thanks andtarkitekt. I knew that the figures would show just how shrewd MON really is. I suspect that he's got an "ace up his sleeve" this window. And I also think he's neither surprised or totally disapppointed with the Barry thing - my opinion.

i would love to see bentley at villa but i think he will end up at spurs...so work your magic Martin!!!
i also thought we were after Miguel for right back?has that link just fizzled out now?has anybody heard anything?
i know 70% of rumors never end up happening but i did have a good feeling about miguel and from what ive seen of him, he is class and would give us an even quicker attacking system....
i want SWP too, ive always liked him and would be so happy to see him at VP.
im also loving this big english connection O'Neiil is continuing to bring to the villa.....Come on MON!!!!!

Dear Martin O'Neill,

If it's not too much of an inconvenience to your busy diary, please would find 5 minutes to get your face off the tv and, without looking for Celtic rejects, SIGN SOME F*CKING PLAYERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Regards

Christian and the rest of the Villa faithful.

Hi all,

Sorry andyarkitekt, just want to make a couple of points on your summary... but it is very useful.

1st season... using your figures above, I make it £15.3 million (sorry). So after 2 seasons £19.8 (plus the fee for Salifou). I think it is only fair to look at complete seasons - or for now, once the window has closed... let's a least hope for some signings ;-).

Income so far is £3.5mil this year so that is still an outlay of £16.3m. So, if Barry did go for £15m and then that £30m was spent by the window, his outlay in those circumstances would be £31.3m in total, plus the undisclosed fee for Salifou - a decent amount of investment in my view.

We should be careful about counting players too much as we should consider quality too. If that £30 mill were spent on, say, 4 players, the balance would be 5 down but assuming that we bring in first team players the quality will overall be better in my view, provided we offset losing Olof, Barry and the keepers at the right level.

I do understand your points but i am certain that we're pretty much done on the exit door (one ongoing saga aside) and it should hopefully be one way traffic from now on.

Lake many of us, I think we need first teamers and backup players to come in but I also have confidence that some of the younger lads coming through will provide cobver from time to time... not as starters but in acute pressure periods, like when the days are clogging up with UEFA cup, league cup, FA cup and title deciders in April ;-)

UTV

DaveT

DaveT-Solihull.. You are probably right? I made a quick check of the figures, bt was tired and can't be bothered to look at them again. Thats said I thought it was a small amount over the time period. You say the exit door now looks closed, but it now looks like Maloney is on his way out, and that defender chappy, who's name escapes me (I'm getting old and the memory is going!) is coming in part-ex? The good news with that is it means another striker will have to be signed?

Ive heard that finnan will now be used as bait 4 liverpool 2 sign barry. as i see it we should take the 15 million plus finnan and sell barry as barry does not want to be at villa we may aswell get what we can
plus finnan is a good rightback with champions leauge exeperience

I would love to see these signings at Villa, a someone has already pointed out Ferdinand is 23 and could be a future partner for Curtis Davies in the middle. And if he can play right back why not. Four centre backs is a must especially if we get throught hte intrertoto. If Sidwell is signed i still feel we need another central midfielder. A foreigner with flair