Rumours, bloody rumours: Daniel Sturridge and Kyle Naughton
Sunday, 02 November 08, 03:55 AM · Comments (33)
Right, no messing, straight into the paper talk this morning mostly because Christmas is coming and then after that we've got the January sales so expect these rumours to start gathering pace.
The first one on the radar, from the News of the World, is the one about Sheffield United's £6mn. rated 19-year-old defender Kyle Naughton. Now, I'm not sure where the £6mn. figure came into play but he is a defender, but can also play in a midfield position.
He is also only 19, but will turn 20 in a few days and is a creation of the Sheffield United school of excellence - a programme where they pick the best kids from the local teams and mould them into the players they can become. But £6mn. is probably way too much for a player that has had a few good games, but seeing as we paid £12mn. for Milner I wouldn't be surprised.
Moving on to another rumour and this time Daniel Sturridge, who actually started his career at Aston Villa, if you can call it a career and if you believe Wikipedia, which seven times out of ten I do.
It's not that it is a career, it is, but according to Wikipedia, he moved from Aston Villa to Coventry when he was twelve years old - this isn't a career move by someone who knows what they are doing, this is a kid who loves playing football going where he can play.
Still, he's just turned 19 and he's a striker who is from Birmingham. Maybe he wants to come home and maybe we need a young striking prospect to sit on the bench?
They're only rumours and they're all fun and with us not playing until tomorrow it's something to have a little banter about in the pub this afternoon. Personally, I'd prefer to be hearing rumours about other players but it's all good right now and even better that Liverpool lost at Spurs - made my night that did.
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33 Comments · Add yours
I think the better result for us was Arsenal losing, which means if we win we go into the top three!!!
I've always been a fan of young prospects to be honest.
.
Establish them early, then, if needed, sell them for a good sum of money later on when theyve established themselves as first team regulars or fringe players.
From what I've heard, Sturridge has the potential to be one of the best strikers in England. With Man Citehs billions coming into play, this move may actually materialise and I wouldn't be all that worried if Villa were the ones to cash in.
Onto a point yu made at the end Damo, yu said yu'd prefer ''hearing rumours about other players''. I too enjoy the links of villa to De La Red and Hunteelar, but to be honest i don't think its all that necessary we need to sign these high profile players in order to progress. I have well and truly bought into MONs plan -whether 5yrs or not- and honestly believe that he will buy the right players to fit into the team. Whether or not these are the Diegos of Bremen, De La Reds of Madrid or the Naughtons of sheffield, to me i am not fussed. I loved it when we signed Cuellar and Milner but so long as the team is winning, which it is doing under MON, then I don't care if Joe the plumber is our goalkeeper. Villa fans, myself included, have a tendency to criticise the purchases of MON in the transfer market, but I think we have all seen why MON has been hesistant to purchase any high profile name -hes not buying players, hes purchasing pieces which fit into his jigsaw puzzle.
and GO SPURS !! After Monday, there is a real possibility, that with over a quarter of the season gone we could be 3rd and 3pts off the premier league title!
I honeslty think we have a chance of gettin the title. Now hear me out here. I think it is the smallest chance, yes, but a chance nonetheless. If I'm honest, I dont think Livo, execpt for maybe Gerrard and Torres, are that much better then our Villa, and if they can challenge, according to paper talk, then I honestly believe we can.
but lets just concentrate one game at a time
UTV!
Damien you can't resist the dig at Milner can you? did you read MON talking about the fee saying it's money well spent?
I thought your next blog would have been about the comments made by Barry in Mirror and Birmingham Mail that he's happy at Villa and won't be joining Liverpool.
Anyway regarding the transfer links, we were linked with every man and his dog in the summer and I expect the same this January. I will believe it when it happens.
Just hope we can get 3 points off the barcodes, we usually managed to blow it when the pressure's on so it'd be really good to be sitting in the top 3 in November. I'm also glad we've already taken 3 points off Spurs this season as it'll be a different game when they come to Villa Park. I think we can forget de la Red somehow, apparently he collapsed last week and was in hospital for a few days, what is it with these Spanish players - the footballers were never really cleared in the Fuentes affair, unlike the cyclists.
Damian,
Any news about the young Leicester player, Mattock, who was stongly linked with Villa in summer?
keefvilla
thats not really a dig at milner. i'm just saying if we paid £12mn. for him we might very well pay £6mn. for someone else. ofcourse, if it was the first time i'd mentioned it then i'd be in the clear but it's not so i understand what you're saying but its not really a dig - also - what else do you expect o'neill to say?
... re the comments made by barry, i take it all as PR - much like his comments in the summer about having to leave villa and no going back ..
i'm more interested about what happens on the pitch and milner hasn't yet justified his tag yet and barry is as good as gone and even if he isn't i dont rate him as highly as others ..
and on the pitch - results are as close to perfect as any of us could have hoped so i'm actually really happy ...
Damien
I thought Barry doing an interview with the papers to say he was happy and the transfer saga behind him, and he wanted to play for Villa now etc was a bit weird after moaning about playing left back and criticising MON. Wondered what you made of it. Maybe just all publicity and I fully expect him to join Spuds soon (he's a spuds fan, Redknapp tried to sign him for Pompey and they need a player who can play more defensive in midfield).
I agre with you that Sidwell will prove to be an excellent signing and I hope he gets to start games soon. Monday in fact.
Reply to Ramonicus:
Your right Ramonicus, It is a small chance but yes we DO have a chance of winning the league this year. The papers and bookies are giving Liverpool a realistic chance of winning the title but they are not any better than us so why not?
Lads I'm as big a Villa fan as anyone but can we all have a bit of a reallity check. We are some way off being contenders for the league.
Reply to Stevenrobotham:
Maybe I should have made myself a little clearer. I think I got carried away in the moment.
I don't think we will win the league this season, but I think we COULD win the league this season, if liverpool have a chance.
As J
Reply to Stevenrobotham:
Maybe I should have made myself a little clearer. I think I got carried away in the moment.
I don't think we will win the league this season, but I think we COULD win the league this season, if liverpool have a chance.
As Jimbo-Villa said, if the bookies are giving livo a chance, why not?? Surely you will agree that Liverpool are not that much in front of us...
But a top 5 finish, a good uefa cup run and a good FA cup run and I'll be a very content villian.
Sorry about frist reply... comp was playing up
liverpool are way ahead of us, stop kidding yourselves. We're having a great season, but a drop in form (as is usual around christmas) will leave us chasing again.
Be realistic - could we even dream of having someone like Torres lead the front line - gabby couldn't even clean his boots. different class.
We need to regularly be in and around liverpool (or any of the top 4) before we start spouting about how good we are and how the media don't give us enough credit. two seasons is not enough - 10 though and your talking. see you in 2017.
1st of all, this is the most optimistic i've eva felt about a villa season, i actually think with abit of good luck we cud get top 3/4. And i think if we're all honest we've all contemplated winning the league this year as unrealilistic as it may be. And i think when it comes to mon's purchases most of us question them, and it raises a few eye brows, but lets face it he's doing an excellent job! We're all supporting the same team right!? Lets get behind every player ay, including Barry, he's still wearing a villa shirt and doing a job for us! UTV
One thing is certain, the league is not as cut and dried as the 'so called experst' would have us believe. I keep thinking back to Hanson and his 'nothing with kids' comment. they have all been so cock sure this year that it was going to beusual 4 with a two way battle for 1st between Chelsea and Man U.
Q's for the experts?
What are Hull doing up there? How do they score 3 at Old Trafford?
What are Spurs doing in the bottom 3?
How are Liverpool top?
Why did Arsenal lose to Stoke?
Why did Liverpool come to VP for a draw?
There are many, many more......
So, I say, ther are no easy answers this year. Anything could happen. I belive there is a shift in the natural order caused by the vast amount of money being pumped in at all clubs in the Prem.
It is now what you do with the talent, NOT whether you can afford it.
The MANAGER is back in top flight English football.
Reply to Ramonicus:
I understand what you are saying that we have as much chance as
Liverpool, but they have no chance of winning the league, neither do Arsenal, neither do Villa or anyone else. The league is between Chelsea and Man Ure. But we have a very good chance of finishing top 4.
Eltegree you are wrong that Liverpool are way ahead of us, they aren't. They have Torres and Gerrard but they also have players who wouldn't get anywhere near our first team, Kuyt, Riera, Dossena etc. They have been very licky this season winning games that they were second best in (Boro, Wigan) and yesterday their luck ran out. Torres is injured and nobody else scores regulary for them.
Gabby has 6 goals and Carew has 5 in 10 league games each. both are on course for about 20 league goals this season. That would go a long way to helping us finish top 4! The future is bright, the future is claret and blue.
Sturridge ...Hi is a brummie,i used to coach him at cadbury althletic(bournville) before he went to the villa academy...villa fan level headed still,and a good good buy.
Reply to Stevenrobotham:
You're right but I think maybe a top four finish is now looking a bit more of a possibility.
Yes top four maybe
whoever said there is a chance is right but its so slim kate moss couldnt fit through it.
danny is my cousin (uncle deans son) he says that he doesnt like it in manchester since sparky came and that he would love a move back to his boyhood club! up the villa i say!
i live in sheffield and i watched naughton and hes s**t
sturridge is ok but hes not going to move us up hes . lets be honest
as young nathan is still not ready i think there is space for sturridge and a more experienced striker to replace marewood
We really do need another striker we can trust to spell either Gabby or Carew. Obviously, MON doesn't believe that Harewood is that man. I've warmed to the idea of Kevin Doyle (way moreso than Sturridge). He may not be as good as either Gabby or Carew, but he could do a job and score some goals when called upon.
kevin doyle is not a top four striker perhaps not a good premier striker thinking about it
Sturridge or Ched Evans as the third striker for Villa please.
Evans is going to be real class. Not sure he'll leave Hughes, unless City get rid of Hughes before January.
If the Sturridge rumours are true I believe he'd be a great signing! I've seen a fair bit of him & he is a big prospect... He's quick, has great awareness & movement and has an eye for goal. Crucially, from what I've seen he can deliver an end product too and he would surely improve his game playing under MON. Didn't realise he was a Villa fan too... This might possibly make him an ideal signing! Having said that, I'd definitely like to see more from Delfounso and the acquisition of Sturridge might further limit his first team opportunities. More healthy squad competition can only be a good thing though! Also in my opinion Milner is a very talented footballer & a good team player, I'm convinced he will prove to be a great signing... In MON I trust, 100%! UTV
sturridge is class!! im best mates with his cousin, and met him a few times top lad and is probably the hottest english prospect on the market!
Hi guy's. Off the subject, does anyone happen to have a spare ticket for the Prague game, or know anyone who does? Cheers
sturrige would be an immense singing, thats two citeh players that used to be at the villa then...micah richards and danny sturrige
come home son! would be a class singing, his little flicks are quality, a few motnhs with robinho hasnt done him any harm at all! hes quite tall aswell
Damian,if Sheffield United want Premiership next season. they have to keep players like him.The kid is looking better in every game he plays.I believe it will cost more than 6M to get him.
We should be OK for 3-points tonight, especially as its not christmas yet. Thats when the wheels usually come off
Reply to Texas_Villain:
i agree that doyle is looking very good at the moment and would do a better job than harewood,but not too sure about the price tag of 6 million or there abouts,maybe at half the price would be good
Why do so many of us want to write off our chances for the title this year? The whole point of playing in a league is to win it!