We don't need another Tony Cascarino
Tuesday, 06 January 09, 03:38 AM · Comments (27)
On Sunday Tony Cascarino made a statement that must have sent shock waves through any Villa fan over the age of thirty; 'The Villa just need a 20 goal a season man to make them real contenders'. Well, the words were something like that.
This was the man who nearly twenty years ago when Villa were top of the league was signed for a club record fee to score the goals to win us the league. We all know how that ended. We all know how that ended.
The truth is that teams who rely on one main goal-scorer rarely finish top. The Villa don't really have a problem scoring goals and as we were last year we are again one of the division's top scorers. The reason is because we have players in so many positions that can score goals.
Gabby has done amazing so far this season but players like Barry, Ashley Young, Sidwell, Laursen and Milner are all likely to the find the net. So now the transfer window is open what do the Villa really need?
In my opinion the answer is 'no superstars'. Things are going great and Villa just need to keep doing what they have been doing and we will end in the top three and hopefully in a Cup Final.
We don't need to rock the boat. Players like Reo-Coker, Gardner, Knight and Delfouneso will all do a job when needed and who says we will get injuries. I know it is a different age but did Ron Saunders go shopping when he only had fourteen players in 1980?
No, he went with what he had so let's take a chance and keep that great team spirit we currently have. We have a tight-knit squad who believe in each other and will do everything they can for Martin.
So let's not become obsessed with listening to all the transfer rumours and wanting new players in. What we have is pretty good and we don't need another Cascarino.
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27 Comments · Add yours
That's a big shout, I think maybe we should add to the squad to create strength in depth and create some competition for places. We've been lucky in each of the last 4 or 5 games and a bit of new blood might get us back on track playing the football we all know we can play
Your wrong Andy we need more players and quickly, we have 4 players out at the moment that would be playing, just look at the bench there are no options on it, if he has to change a game that is going against us.
Sky sports have just said that we have had an £11m bid rejected for Upson hope this does not mean our skipper is worse than we think!!!! they also said they expect us to go back with a bigger offer, wish he would spend that kind of money on a striker!!!!!
according to skysports we have had a 11million bid for matthew upson turned down and that we would need to bid 16million to get him and the villa will be going back with a bid ?!?!?!?1
although Upson would be a good signing we should be putting our resources into getting another striker
Have to disagree Andy the squad is to small and needs strengthening. I think we need to bring in 4 players a striker (in the goal scoring mould i.e. not Heskey) 2 midfielders a winger and an x factor player to open up teams that like to sit deep and then an attacking full back either side.
I think we are going to see maybe 2 or 3 really good signings. I think Upson would be fantastic for us and would really give us more strength and depth at the back. I think we are going to see a top strikers coming in, I think that bloke from standard Leige who told Everton they werent a big club maybe. I also think we are going to see a creative midfielder coming in not sure who though but i think MON knows its needed
Pompey just agreed fee for Defoe with spurs.(bbc)
So by the end of the day Spurs to have bought Defoe and sold Bent to Villa.
Reply to villadam:
I would agree, but it looks like MON is trying to buy another centre back, but look what he has done since he has been here i wont argue with him.
Reply to bow77:
Never have MON is a legend
Reply to villadam:
I have to say i like the sound of that and Bent would fit the MON mold. I hope that works out Bent, Upson and a one other
Andy,
The no superstars thing is what I have been saying on here for a while. We have not bought a superstar yet under MON, and we have climbed up in to the top 4 or there abouts. Like you say why rock the boat now.
We do need signings though. It gets regularly argued on here but Heskey would be good for us. As would Jones. Players to do the jobs we need. We don't need to buy a superstar, just players who can come in and strengthen our weaker areas, at the moment that is strength up front.
What cracks me up is the people on here that think we are going to sign several players. January transfer window = inflated prices. Inflated prices MON won't pay. In the current climate and with Man City paying over the odds, signings for us are going to be few and far between. I would expect 1 or 2 players at most and don't be dissapointed if they are not superstars...
Reply to StickyAV:
Everyone thinks that Man City are going to inflate prices! But who in there right mind is going to want to join City at the moment? Players that can't get in the starting lineups of there current team thats who! If it was a straight choice between Villa and City at the moment who do you think they would choose? A team with a chance of playing Champions League next season or the team that will be playing in the Championship next season? Not everyone is in it for the money and if they are we don't want or need that sort of player at the Villa.
I reckon we will sign Heskey, Upson and maybe one other! MON won't want to upset the 'apple cart' with a big name signing whilst things are going so well!
To get to where we are now - Villa have made huge strides. But the gap from 4th/5th to 1st/2nd is even bigger than the one between 16th and 5th.
The word superstar is relative. In my opinion we allready have 2/3. Unforunately, driven by the media, many 'superstars' are considered just that because they are on telly all the time and have there houses and weddings in OK magazine and pages in tabloids about their latest tatoos. Young is the second best winger in probably the best league in the world, who continues to be the difference between us drawing and winning - that to me is a superstar.
MoN has a reputation for buying players that are 100% comitted to the club, who are young and hungry - as villa's profile grows so too will the amount of players that will want to play for villa.
Our current squad is about 6 players shortt and in my opinion we lack a 'second' striker (behind the front man)/ creative midfielder type of player and desperately need a back up for Gabby.
Andy,
I had exactly the same shudder moment when Casca said that but,for me,the issue with Cascarino was that we had to change our basic formation to accommodate him. I don't think we'll do that but feel we probably will sign a forward that can do the Carew role, allowing us to play our plan B rather than change our plan A, if you like.
I generally agree with your comment but for 'no superstars', read good, hungry, hard working and ambitious players... I'm more than happy for players to become superstars at VP provided their work ethics and team attitute stays!
No major surgery, just a couple of bolstering options. Though obviously really hope that Laursen isn't too serious.
Bent, Heskey and a left-sided player and I'll be happy enough. Any other cover a bonus and if Upson is definitely needed, so be it.
UTV!
Man City are driving up the prices. Believe it or not, the clubs have more control over where players go than the players. If an owner can get 20 mil for a player from man city, or 15 from villa he is not going to give the player much choice.
If anyone, and I mean anyone is leaving a club, they will want to sell for Man City. Because if they are interested in a plyer, they are so desperate for players that they will pay any price. Whilst Man City are on the market for a player, they can out price any club. hughes came out and said he would not pay over the odds, but that is what he would say as he is not going to say the opposite!!
Young is a superstar, but he was not when we signed him. In fact many people were shocked at what we paid for him. Understudies we may get, fully developed superstars we won't.
Andy, you say "The truth is that teams who rely on one main goal-scorer rarely finish top". There's a difference between relying on a player and him actually scoring 20 goals. Sometimes teams are forced to rely on players because they have little alternative.
How many teams that finish in the bottom half of the table have a player that scores 20 goals for them?
Reply to StickyAV:
The player, not the manager signs the contract!! If a player doesn't want to go to a club the price makes no difference whatsoever about the price. The player has all the choice in the world! The manager may say no because he wants the extra 5million but if the player doesn't sign the manager gets nothing and is left with an unhappy disruptive player in his team. Man City are screwed no decent hard working player (the type we need at Villa) will choose Man City over us. Give players a bit of credit, not all of them are in it for the money!!
Reply to StickyAV:
Furthermore, when everyone is fit, we have superstars in every position as it is. We don't need to upset a very well balanced team with more superstars that will not want to sit on the banch. We need a couple of old heads for those up-coming pressure games and a couple of promising under studies to fill in when injuries happen. The super super stars will come in the summer when we have finished 3rd above Chelsea and Arsenal!!
Andy,
We dont sign superstars, Gabby gets crocked, we finish 6th, you moan about the wasted Jan window.
We will ALWAYS need to buy top players. We will ALWAYS need to improve. Until we have an unbeaten record of 73 years over utd like they do over us, we will ALWAYS need to splash the cash.
UTV
i remeber when cascarino signed, olney the lonely was doing a great job up front on his own. but i remembered being at villa v millwall first game of the season and cassa getting the 2 for millwall in a 2-2 draw and he looked brill then he came here and became donkeyrino
btw all the transfer rumours here: LINK
also i actually disagree we do need a few more players, but as you said what we dont need is superstars that are going to disrupt the harmony of the squad!
hey i think it would be a sound move to sell marlon then bring in another class act up front (podolski ive heard that bayurn will sell im for 9.5m. i would be pleased with that but still we would be week up front so we should bring in ebanks-blake as a back up striker
he will not sign upson if we bid 11 million for upson west ham would accept it they would have to there in financial ruin but we have signed halfuid from exelsior
we rlly dont need another 1 lolz
Reply to jacko:
While I agree with most of what you said jacko,I'm afraid you do have things the wrong way around.We need to buy before we sell otherwise we will just be weakening ourselves further.
Reply to Stocky:
Well said Stocky - everyone knows that the best time to strengthen the squad is when things are going well (like now). We missed the boat by not doing that under previous managers and Deadly. I shudder to think what would happen if Barry, Ashley and Gabby all got injured, and dont forget Barry and others are one yellow card away from a suspension as well.
And bringing in so-called superstars attracts others to the club (like it did with Chelski) - the more the better, I say, particularly if we want to be considered top 4 for more than just one season.
SOTC