Where will the missing link to the Aston Villa strike force come from?
Wednesday, 21 January 09, 08:54 AM · Comments (113)
This has been a bone of contention now for quite some time; we don’t have three top quality strikers, fact. So where will one of the more vital pieces of Villa’s required Jigsaw come from?
Spain, Belgium, Sunderland, Spurs, or somewhere a bit closer to home?loser to home?
So far Aston Villa have been linked with every striker that has come out of the training ground without a beaming smile on his face this January.
The list is quite a big one; Jermaine Defoe, Darren Bent, Kenwyne Jones, Emile Heskey, Roque Santa Cruz, Milan Jovanovic, Craig Bellamy, Kevin Doyle, Dean Ashton, David Suazo, Michael Owen and last but not least Didier Drogba.
This is not including an almost as a big list created prior to the 1st of January.
Not to say there’s any truth in these, as they’ve all come from the relevant rumour mongers, but to say we need more fire power has gone past a recognisable fact.
Out of the above names, only a couple have anything that could be described as an excellent goal scoring record in a top flight league. All of the ones with an excellent record can also already be discounted, i.e Defoe (already moved), Drogba (would love it, but just can’t see it ever happening), Michael Owen (has stated he is staying at Newcastle till the summer at least) and Roque Santa Cruz has been priced out of a move to anyone bar man city (£25m required).
None of the others mentioned above have any sort of record to shout about, not saying they wouldn’t add to the team but Bellamy seems slightly mercenary and had, according to Sky anyway, asked to go Spurs before signing for Manchester City. Bent looks like a shadow of the player he used to be.
Dean Ashton is like an Alfa Romeo, good to look at but spends most of his time getting repaired. Heskey seems to have eyes only for Liverpool and Jovanovic is untried in the Premier League, although his return of around 1.19 goals ever two games is not to be sniffed at with 71 games played and 39 scored.
The issue Martin O'Neill will no doubt have is, would that be transferred to the Premier League. Also there has been no official link to this player either.
Our current options are; ‘Marvellous’ Marlon Harewood, as I like to affectionately refer to him. He is one of life’s tryer’s and never can you say the lad doesn’t give 100% every time he struts off the bench.
For all his effort though, the stats just don’t lie. Everyone knows his requirement of chances to goals ratio is just too high and in the Premier League, if you don’t take your chance in front of goal, it will almost always return to haunt you.
With a return of 5 goals in 28 games for Villa, 4 of those goals after coming off the bench, it speaks for itself.
Nathan Delfouneso looks to be one for the future and is not ready to be given a proper run of games yet and as we all know with promising youngsters they need to be slowly integrated into the first team to really flourish long term.
Gabriel Agbonlahor is not mentioned in detail here as he is currently cut and dry first (and only real) choice striker.
An interesting one is John Carew.Now I have been watching John since his time at Valencia when, believe it or not we, along with Fulham were originally linked with him. Fulham actually took this one step further and a fee was agreed (£7M) at the time and talks were held.
Obviously nothing came of it and via Turkey and then France he arrived with a smile to Villa Park. His record so far for Villa of 55 games (6 as substitute) and 21 goals and 18 assists isn’t a bad return at all.
He has scored 7 so far this season, and hasn’t featured predominantly since mid October.
For all those who say we are a better team without him you may have something, as our points gained through the period of him being crocked is also fairly impressive.
To me though there is something missing from the team when he is not around. I think his mood is infectious on the other players; he takes the pressure off Gabby who still has a tendency to go missing during games and he relishes leading from the front. More importantly we look very threatening when we go forward. We seem to have lost some of the set piece prowess of the beginning of the season and the last also.
To me it will feel like we made another signing when he is finally back and throwing himself into the cause once again.
But, to complete this part of the jigsaw, I believe we need one more quality striker, but will it happen in January?
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Lee is a firs time poster and his profile can be found here:
LINK
Until we get the poster link fixed. Quite an insightful first post me thinks.
Bent for me!He has lost confidence under Ramos and Redknapp despite having a brillant pre-season.At Charlton he was a lethal hit man in the premier league scoring goals for fun,2 good feet and despite sundays game excellent in the air.Under Martin and the Villa coaching staff I am sure he would come good again,scoring goals and probably soon back in the England squad.He is still young and would fit in with Martins ethos of buying quality english players.Also,with Laursens future looking dodgy why not go for Upson,Hammers need cash desparetly and if we can buy for the right price it could be a great buy to help us push for the remainder of the season
Bloody hell these posts are like buses!! You waited ages for one then 2 come along at once...
Reply to qashqai:
I agree that Bent would be a typical MON signing. Low on confidence but with good ability and would improve a lot playing with better players.
Downing is another player I'd like to see at Villa, real competition for Ash Young and Milner.
Yes, good post, Lee.
I agree with qashqai... Bent might not be in high confidence now but having a top 4 team come in for you would help that pretty quickly.
That miss aside, he's been in better touch this season but HR will definitely be happy to see the back of him, I think. I'd really like that to come off because we wouldn't have to rely on him being an instant success but he'd have a chance to force his way in ahead of JC and offer a little tactical flexibility
I would be really happy to see Bent come to Villa park. And as Keef pointed out, its a typical MON kind of signing.
Nobody will make me happier than seeing Bouma and Carew back in the team though!
I think Bent is worth a punt.
Or someone we havent thought about, which is also likely knowing Oneil.
EVERYONE ON THE SUBJECT OF HAREWOOD. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SEARCH "mario brothers movie goomba" ON GOOGLE. HAAA!
IT IS HAREWOOD!! (btw its from the mario bros movie)
or just click LINK
No mention of Kevin Doyle? Kenwyne Jones?
Doyle was heavily linked in the summer and is having a prolific Championship season. Recently signed a new contract, but I can't imagine that would stop us.
Jones has also been linked and talked about by O'Neill and co recently. Big, powerful, and tricky with it - would be an ideal sparring partner for a fit-again Big John when it comes to a first team place.
Both of these players are likely to cost a lot less in wages than any of the others mentioned - not that that should be a factor, but I see us going this way - signing upcoming potential and slowly improving their contracts a la Ashley, rather than spunking huge wages on an established player i.e. Man City and Bellamy.
None of these would be my first choice of course - David Villa all the way! RGYWO!
I think Jones would best suit our style of football but it would take a very over priced bid to make Sunderland even think about it. Bent is probably the most likely so once Spurs get a new striker in then i can see him move to VP.
Darren Bent would do for me. He is still young and knows the Prem. Despite his current form he definitely has 20 goals a season in him. He seems like a stay-out-of trouble, work-hard-for-the-team kind of guy and is just the kind of player MON would go for and transform into a world beater.
With regards to the others, despite his injuries I would love to buy a Villa programme and see the name Michael Owen in our squad list - the guy is a goal machine (when fit) and would create a massive buzz around our great club.
I would also be happy with Kevin Doyle who seems to have quality but also wouldn't cause unrest in the squad.
With regards to the rest of them, I just am not convinced that Kenwyn Jones is any good - he seems big and powerful but so did Jason Lee ha ha. I just have a gut feeling that he could be a massive flop, plus he seems the mercenary type who would cause unrest if he wasn't completely content and Real Madrid came calling in 12 months. This is only my opinion though.
Santa Cruz had a good first season but I don't think he wants to come to us judging by the noises coming from Blackburn.
Ashton may never get fit and Drogba I just detest. There is no way MON would risk dressing room unrest by signing such an arrogant, over rated mercenary. Plus he wouldn't come to us anyway thankfully, hopefully he will leave the Prem and head off to Italy or Spain soon - we don't need players like him. He makes Anelka seem likeable!
On a side note I think Palacios has signed for Spurs for £14m (cracking bit of business by Blues letting him go ha ha ha) so lets hope we make a move for Bentley. He seems a bit arrogant and lazy and has lost his way a bit this season but there's no doubting his class and MON is the man to get the best out of him. Ash on the left, Bentley on the right and Jimmy at right back. I might be alone here but I have a feeling Milner could be the best attacking right back the country has ever seen! He works his socks off and is a top lad!
I think I'd like to see 1/2 of the following signed (strikers):
1/ Heskey, not prolific, but played under MON before and is great at bringing players in to play (partnership with Owen) which is ideal for the likes of Ash, Gabs and Milner!
2/ Jones, as mentioned he's young and improving, he's big strong agile and talented
3/ Oba Martins, not mentioned yet and not linked, but got a great strike on him and can play wide left (ie. left forward rather than left mid), he fits MONS bill of versatile players
4/ Crouch, again not mentioned in the post, you know what you can get with Crouchy and if used and motivated the right way, he'd do a great job similarly to Hesk.
I dont think any of these are out of our reach, few players outside of the top 4 (champs league clubs) should be these days, all of them would improve our squad. Have faith in MON, he doesnt risk a signing and if he doesnt get his targets he doesnt then go out and rush/risk a signing. People are saying he should have done some research before the transfer window opened, of course he bloomin has, he just doesnt shout from the roof tops about who he's after to risk price inflation or showing the fans we're not getting our targets!!! Be patient and have faith!
Welcome Lee! Nice interesting post you had there (not like Damiens, lol).
On the Goomba vs Harewood issue, seriously, its his TWIN BRO!! I really laughed my socks off!
I remain to be convinced by Bent, not so much in terms of whether he's a good player (his record for Charlton alone shows he has quality), but more in terms of his style of play. I think in Gabby and Delfouneso (albeit he's not quite ready yet - but it won't be long!), we have strikers in Bent's mould already.
What we need is a target man to share Carew's work load, because, as well as we've done in picking up points since Carew's injury, we have relied on spirit, guts and determination, rather than an effective style of play in and of itself. I would love nothing more than for us to play the same XI every week, with Gabby up front on his own, and pickup heroic 1-0's and 2-1's week in, week out until the end of the season, but that's just not viable. As fit as our players seem to be, they're not ubermensch.
Playing with Carew where Gabby has been, with Gabby operating as a striker or right winger, and Milner as the right midfielder - wide when attacking, and tucked in when Gabby drops back to fill the right - would give us so many more options going forward, and would alleviate the pressure on our defence. With this shape, we could afford to give Gabby a rest, and Milner when he needs one. But unless we can rely on Carew to play every game from now until the end of the season (which we clearly can't), we're going to need someone of his ilk to fill in for him. Having got a player like this, all we'd need is a left-sided player to provide genuine competition for Young, and soften the blow when he's unavailable.
You can argue about the quality of individual players in the squad (although about some, there'd be little argument!), but with these two players, we'd have not only a big enough first team squad, but the right sized first team squad (i.e. enough bodies to cope with any but the worst injury crises, and allow the necessary rotation to give players a rest when they need one).
would love to see fernando llorente or d.bent. both brilliant signings. redkapps an idiot for saying wot he has done about his miss against pompey.
cant imagine any signings before the very last day of the window, typical MON havin our hearts racing.
Kenwynne and Doylie are both mentioned above, the reaon they havent been mentioned is because, Kenwynne has been injured for so long, Doyle is in the championship and neither has a proven goalscoring record in the premiership over more than one season.
The way I see it is that Delfouneso is young up-and-coming cover for Gabby as the nippy skillful striker, but we have no cover for Carew, the big striker.
If we got a £12m+ man in as cover for Carew he'd want to play - meaning Carew would become a bench-warmer, and I think it's a bit soon to be doing that to him. So we need a young 'big striker' who is still learning his trade.
So what young up-and-coming 'big men' are there out there? The only one I know of is Kenwyne Jones - my S'ton supporting mates down here reckon he will go all the way, best header they've ever seen, strong, skillful, etc just needs to learn the positional side of things. And who better to teach him than Carew and MON.
Maybe it would cost £14m or even £18m, but if looked at as a long term investment then it has to be worth it because the more Man City spend the higher prices will go, and I reckon that next season that sort of money may look cheap...
I have just read in one of the London free papers that 'Boro need to offload Mido and that Southgate likes the idea of getting in Marlon. I have no real thoughts (yet) about Mido, it would be interesting to read other peoples' thoughts.
Nice post Lee.
Dont mean to be too critical, but what opinion is given in this article? We are limited to which players we can bring in, Harewood has a shit record in front of goal, Gabby still goes missing in games on occasion and Carew can head a ball or flick it on....Sorry but much was written with nothing really new mentioned. I like the Ashton/Alfa comparison though...
If you had mentioned something objective like we are better with Carew rather than Gabby then i would have thought it made for more banter. As you left it you said something is missing without Carew but we have achieved more competition points while he was out....followed by with something else everyone knows with we need another striker, will we get one this January?....again nothing new. Again apologies if i am being too critical, i mean it was well written and all but i felt it was a big circle which resulted in no opinion or insight being given...probably similar to many of my posts so what would i know?
YES WE CAN sign a striker!
good post lee....i think mon will stick with what hes got instead of paying over inflated prices for mediocre players and sign pure quality in the summer, its a massive gamble but if big john can stay fit for 4 months then it would be mr o'neil at his canny best.
bouma is nearly fit so that sorts the left back problem, so if carew is fit then where do we need to strengthen.
only for competition me thinks.
Leroy,
Looks to me like Lee was writing it in such a way that it ended with a question for the floor. This is a valid way of getting some debate, and the reason for asking the question is well set out, I thought.
Sure, we're all going to cover old ground talking about striker targets but it may yet prove interesting, given that some of the names coming out here at the start of January have now moved on so it'll be good to see what the common views are.
Back to football banter..... before this becomes a debate on grammar/duplication and context.
Amir Zaki is the best (potentially available) striker around. Goals, Big, Quick, Good feet and Good in the air, (Saturday aside). Having said this and for all the reasons already stated above, I'm fairly sure MON is after Bent, the question is his availability? This may depend on who else Spurs sign but he ticks all of MON's boxes...
Price, Attitude, Age, Nationality, Availability and Potential. (contrary to above, his goals record is very good. 110 prem apps 44 goals)
leroy...are you trying to be the new taglor???
Please don't mention MIDO again, his real name is MEDIOCRE, need I say more on that subject. BENT and OWEN are the only real proven goal scorers. We might want to snaffle DOYLE in the summer on a 'try before you buy' scenario.
Loan signings are much safer, especially in the Jan sales. I'm glad JC is getting fit. He is immense when he's on fire. The prospect of Champ League footy next season will have tweaked his nose
After Harry's comments I can't believe Bent would want to play for the man/idiot again (He was basically made a scapegoat - Defoe missed two good chances in that match too!) - I can see Bent moving somewhere ASAP.
If its around £10m Bent would certainly be worth a shout.
I would take either Bent & Doyle over Jones who's big and strong but has a pretty poor goal scoring record. Although any of the 3 would be welcome.
My issue is that how temporary is this signing? If we finish in the top4 you would have to think we would try and bring in a TOP striker in the summer and so anyone we get now is really a 4th choice striker...
Reply to _AP68_:
If im taglor you are goldie
IN...Darren Bent, Danny Sturridge, Stewart Downing and either Gareth Bale or Leighton Baines...OUT..Marlon Harewood and Nicky Shorey....IF, and it is a massive IF, MON could pull off those transfers and get Laursen, Bouma and Carew back we would have a serious chance to challenge on all three fronts IMO
Reply to TheMachine:
Furry muff, so the question is, "Will we sign a striker in January?"....Yes....but only if Marlon is sold. Same with Shorey, he may be let go to make way for a replacement, hopefully not Baines who is basically the same but younger. Bent and Bale 17mil for both is the answer.......
Reply to Leroy:
Thats harsh!
Reply to Leroy:
dont know goldie so hay ho.....fuckin puppet
Carew is the issue.
If he's with us and fit. We're OK till the summer.
Then when we are in Chumps League we sign the big name we need.
If he is seeing his arse or crocked then we need to get Heskey or some other lanky fella to do headers and give away free kicks.
EXCLUSIVE
The Secret Diary of Damian Dugdale Age 38 and 1/2 years.
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we do need new faces, jc and fb coming back will be like new signings but we do need more, we have 16 games left in the league and will have to face other teams who have got new players and they will have improved since we last faced them(maybe), so we may have to improve to
Not much chance of this but Bolton's Kevin Davies would be better than some of the other names mentioned like Jones and Doyle. Davies would link up well with Young and Gabby playing off him, and defenders hate playing against him and i don't think he would be that costly.
One thing is certain - we have to sign a striker! I would be shocked if we don't and frankly if we dont then MoN will have left himself open to criticism. The last time we were in such a position - Deadly did nothing for Gregory - MoN has the money so hopefully he spends it.
I think Darren Bent looks the most likely option and i'd be delighted with that. He used to be awesome for Charton - pretty much a one man team and I believe that he has never been given an opportunity at spurs. I would prefer him to Heskey, Owen, Doyle, Defoe, Crouch etc.
I have felt all window that we'll sign Bent. I would guess that it is probably dependent on someone agreeing to pay for Harewood and Spurs being convinced that they have cover at striker. Besides him, I don't expect more than maybe another signing - I'd like to see Bale or Baines. Preferably Baines, though why Moyes would want Shorey instead of him is beyond me...
Freddie won't be back this season for a Premiership game. It's a big if, but if JC stays I doubt he will make many appearances. So I don't think we can count on them being classed as a new signing.
I fully understand where Leroy is coming from with regards the content of this article and I think it harsh to start calling him the new taglor etc. I actually thought Leroy put his point over in a constructive manner. In no way was he abusive and did not deserve shit from others, just because of his point of view. I applaud Lee for his article however and it's well written. Thanks Lee.
As I write I hear on the radio that Bent is not playing any part in the Spurs game tonight..!! Is he moving on to another club..?
Was watching the local Yorkshire news earlier and they reported on the Donny Rovers game and the presenter said. '...When Donny Rovers take on the MIGHTY Villa..' Word is obviously spreading about the Mighty Villa...!
Ipbopmalik - I will try not to mention him again.
I feel the same as jeremiaswodo that Bent has seemed the most likely signing. Even more so since his unfortunate miss at the weekend. If we don't get a striker I still think we have coverage (at a pinch) with Marlon and the Fonz. Marlon will succeed somewhere, so why not here if he gets a chance for a few games on the trot?
KEVIN DAVIES ALL THE WAY , SIGN HIM UP MON!!!!
Reply to Nan_was_a_fan:
Ha ha ha.
damian loves Jimmy
Reply to bill:
You better lay off the drugs mate
I understand about keeping the balance and keeping the team morale up in the camp but surely if your in a team riding high in the league in the uefa cup, fa cup and generaly doing brilliantly
the signing of a couple of players would only intensify your belief as a player that your clubs mounting a serious challenge but also pushes you that bit harder at your own game. Don't get me wrong I think all the team have done superbly well to get us where we are but we all know that some of those players could and i think would raise there game if there was a challenge for places.
If we continue as we have been then we must buy quality to sustain that position year in year out so then its up to the players already at VP or players we buy to earn there place amongst the mighty Villa starting eleven.
Wouldnt it also be nice to be able to give the likes of web cam and gabby a break whether it be taking them off during a good win or leaving them out and not having to worry that the players coming in or on are not up to the task?
I'm not going to speculate or hazard guesses at who we might buy i'll leave that to a certain MON and RL.
YES WE CAN!!!!
I said Carew would be like a new signing once he comes back in my last post. I 100% agree with you that we look more dangerous up front when he is around. Its no coincidence that when he was playing we were scoring far more goals. We have worked incredibly hard without him and the boys have done brilliant to pick up the points while he has been gone. But when he is in the team it adds a whole new dimension to our play. He wins 80% of his headers, every set piece looks dangerous and the ball sticks to himk like glue. With Big John up top he can feed the players around him and create space for Gabby and Ash who have been getting double teamed in games lately. Im a massive fan of Carews and I hope he's back to play in the Portsmouth game, which im going to, with Milner on the left, Gabby on the right and JC through the middle. He will definately soften the blow of losing Ash if hes fit and able to play. UTV
tonky17...That's probably the best post I have seen on here in a while. A great reality check, instead of the rose tinted dreaming nonsense.
another transfer window and another let down, once again showing MON either cannot attract a big name or is to scared to deal with them.
no one has shown an interest in joining villa, i will stand corrected if anyone can name a SINGLE player we have been linked with who has come out and expressed an interest in joining us.
now we are being linked with rejects, Spurs are shit, but have secured 2 signing while at the bottom of the league that would have progressed us forward, we are 3 points off top and still cannot attract anyone.
something is wrong at Villa, might be a simple fact we dont pay enough, but this has gone on for years and could cost us a shot at the champions league and real progression.
if rednob lets bent come to us it will be one of the biggest mistakes of his career. bent is a good striker look at his pre season score tally . its just he does not fit into titnams plans under MONS guidance he could go from being a good player to a top striker bring him on VFL
Relax TrueVillan. There is stil a third of the transfer window to go yet and loads of teams have not even entered the transfer market yet. There usually need to be abit of a chain reaction to get things moving between clubs, so it's early days. I'll only be brassed off if no striker(s) etc come in at the end of the window. Until then, believe my friend.
Reply to TrueVillan:
Go follow Spuds and their fantastic signings then you knob!
MON does his business quietly so Man City dont step in and outbid us in transfer fee and wages. Just like they did with Bellamy who Spuds publicy courted.
Daniel sturridge for me hasn't he got a year left on his contract?
Bit of a long shot I reckon he'd have to submit a transfer request as Man City wouldn't sell but he's got bags of potential and were in good shape as a "progressive" club, just thought I'd add my pennys worth like
He played the Viola, you would see him scurry from dank street to hedgerow, then oft to the Asda in Darlaston, with his instrument case held tight beneath his faded grubby topcoat.
From time to time we wold share a late drink, in a hostelry where the locals would stare from beneath beetled brows and mutter darkly regarding the rise and fall of man, and those from "not around these parts".
He would urge me to realise that he had tapped into a sound from beyond the stars, a music that the grounded mind could not comprehend, one that tapped upon his window at night like Poe's raven, evermore perhaps.
He told me, after i bought him a pint and some Pork Crackle, his voice, halting and seeming to come from a distant melancholy place..he said...
"Your forward is not coming, recall the truth that Martin will not stay with us come the turn of the seasons, he will head for the Kings road, for the Tsar has called in his debt and he cannot ignore the summons"
At once i felt him mad, depraved, degenerate and beyond sanity.
But later, as i fixed myself a nightcap i heard the distant sound of a discordant music drifting from roof to roof...
Within it's metre...a terrible foreboding.
HE waits, he has a new AA roadmap of the UK in the glove compartment of the Rover, he is stil spry for his age, he has few pressing engagements once the lawn is redone.
He is coming.
Listen for the faint music...it has 14 all inclusive nights in Torremolinos whispering in it's stark coda
In this mouth of madness i see glimmers of beige slacks and Steve Stone.
He hears the drums...
I think we should wait till the summer and sign Jermaine Defoe when the spuds drop into the championship
RIP Johnny Dixon
Someone justify this 'buying players so we can leave Young/Gabby out' nonsense.
If we sign some players I DO NOT expect to see those boys left out of the starting line up. Yeah, yeah, do it in the cups. But then I don't give a shit if we go out of them.
I may be wrong but you don't see Gerrard/Lampard/Rooney/Ronaldo on the bench do you? Only time they are is either, recovering from injury, taken off when game is sealed or cups. We don't tend to seal games off early so that one is out, and if by chance we do, send on pin head it won't matter anyway.
Imagine the shite MON would get on here if we had signed, say Defoe, and rested Gabby and we got beat.
Reply to Nan_was_a_fan:
What do we do if Gabby and/or Young get injured or suspended?
Play Osbourne, Salifou or Harewood?
No we sign a striker and winger and have good replacements and competition for places.
I Suppose the rest of you are content with Mons statement he is Happy to throw the Euro cup to continue to challenge for Champs league spot.
Will we be the Chumps & end up with F. All including any quality players signed
Nan...So Sir Alex has been doing the wrong thing all these years then has he..?
Reply to Nan_was_a_fan:
sorry nan thats what i was talking about, in cup games in games or second legs where we've got goals to take us through anyway.
my point was at the mo we have no cover as such?
Ok plying players out of position i.e barry left wing? We have no cover at right back, right wing, left wing, and so on and so on.
I'm sure you'd agree that to push for the league and play the amount of games we could well end up playing we need to rectify this. I honestly cant see it upsetting the camp it's whats needed for competition for places thus bringing the best out of each and every player.
MON's not going to go out and pay 30mill on a player and blow the wage structure because that would undermine what the current squad has achieved but we need players in that can hold there own in and amongst the mighty Villa starting eleven because i can only really say gardner is the only player on the villa bench who is somewhere near capable of pushing the current starting eleven. We need competition for places!!
The SummerOfGeorge is just the antidote to the WinterOfDiscontent. Pardon my ignorance; does that mean that MON is off to Chelsea?
Thankyou for that George, I like it. Could you send me a signed copy of your latest book please?
Reply to tonky17:
Top post mate, my sentiments exactly.
Andy, thanks for atleast understanding where i am standing in regards to my comments. Its refreshing to know that there are still some people left on here that read the full comment and can still take time to see different angles and points of view.
Keefvilla, your last post i also agree with mate.
any more gossip on the russian that was mentioned a couple of nights ago (pavel pogrebnyak}
he looks pretty good,and was leading scorer in last years uefa cup along with luca toni
titles and cups are won with squads not teams ie arsenal man poo just look around the squads of the top four of the last few years look at the players on the bench when all there players are fit they would walk into most teams so is this wot we are striving for
I agree we need players pushing for places.
I agree we need players in case of injury.
My point is and always has been.....
You do NOT get good players to sit on the bench at a club not yet in the CL.
Also I asked people to justify this idea (not just from tonky) that our big name players should/could be rested in anything other than unimportant cup games.
Summer of George
Yes
Reply to Nan_was_a_fan:
WHo has said leave Young/Gabby on the banch nan...That's it..Noone!
What's wrong then with having a couple of decent players in that are as good or better than say Young and Gabby to give options. You tell me what we have to lose with such options?
You are also wrong in saying Gerrard/Rooney etc don't sit on the bench. Look at when they have come on and changed a game and won it for them. It also allows them a rest, which Sir Alex does to good effect. Look at how many times Rooney and Ronaldo came on and really turned a game. Example is last year when Rooney came on against Villa and we were looking OK until he came on and spanked us..!
I'm sure you're arguing for the sake of it now..!
Reply to Nan_was_a_fan:
And we all know S of G is your pseudonym nan.
arry the twat states before the game with burnley tonight that bent is not playing due to groin injury...however if you get a chance to see how he conducts himself through that interview hes saying one thing and meaning another! is bent talking to another club?
Steve...Get back behind the bar and get pulling the pints.
cant believe it 2 0 burnley
i am starting to get a bit worried with the lack of signings when you look at mancity, he has to buy or i can see a danager of us dropping away, i carnt for the life of me see whats taking so long
OK AA let's look at it another way.
Tell me the players you think we CAN sign, imagine we've got them and then set out your starting XI for the following game, with subs named.
I need to know who is being left out and who you see sitting on the bench of a team who are not yet as attractive as Arse, Chels, Pool and Man U.
Or look at it another way, outside the Top 4 who are the best players sitting on the bench week in week out?
wonder if arrys wife could of score that missed chance
right then aa off i trot nother night behind the bar with wet feet it is then
sack sack sack for arry red nap nap nap
Steve23, I think you may well be right. Bent is not even in the squad and I very much doubt that is due to injury...I just hope it's us he's talking to as I think he will be just the signing we need!
cheers hadders
twas a bit of sarcasum in my post but who knows it may be right and bent is a villa player in the morning!
Eagles looks class for Burnley once again tonight, throw in Kightley and that would be some good young depth to the squad and a lot cost, with bags of potential.
Twas an inheritance, a stately pile and acres we had been unaware of till the dusted lawyers contacted us to inform that Jeremiah had passed silently in his sleep, his face mysteriously contorted in anguish, his eyes eightballed, hollow and fearful, so we were told.
The coroner spoke of a heart attack, sudden terror, unexplained ruptures that had torn him asunder in a querelous fury that had caused him to fling his season ticket into the fire.
We arrived shortly after Christmas to investigate this new folly, i eased the hefty front door open with a swiftly applied boot, we heard an unearthly groan and a sudden scurrying that seemed to come from the walls.
What hid beneath the wainscoting?, it wasnt a great plaster job, probably a bloke called Tony, from the pub, did it on the weekend for cash, however behind it one could hear a thousand little frantic footsteps, like Alan Wright caught going up the down escalator in New street.
We trod softly into a misty dust mote crowded entrance hall and then i saw the huge stained glass window.
It lurked above the staircase with a demonic malevolence and weight one could barely explain, by first sight it was a mere tryptich of figures, but on closer inspection they had a looming presence.
Could one explain the antiquated be-hatted figure, the smooth lute carrying abstract and the picture of Bosko Balaban.
I turned to my Wife to express my dismay. She hates football and had naffed off to fiddle with curtains and other bemusing lady shit.
Meanwhile i felt a tremor beneath my feet as the sunset began and the last rays hit the window, the scene lurched, it warped in ways no man should grasp, i almost saw beyond our realm and staggered back in shock..
An alice band, a wage demand, a desolate dressing room bereft of young black faces,rubbish players picked up on the cheap from relegated clubs...was this a glimpse into a devilled heinous future..did this vision of Greening kill my Uncle?
Continued perhaps?
Shoot, I forgot that Summer of George was really Nan in mufty. Can I take back what I said? And I thought that I had time on my hands!
IF darren bent was in talks with villa surely big mouth harry
would of let everyone know by now
Sutton Coldfield Town have managed a loan signing (goalie Jasbir Singh from Shrewsbury). If they can do it why can;t we? I am not suggesting that they beat us to the lad - but...
S of G is not me.
That boy has talent.
His words rip, jive and sing.
And he is obviously mad.
Hope the kids are reading his stuff.
the bird on channel 959 is great, not sure the one on 952 got a job on there though
Reply to wheelo2020:
well that was completly off topic!!!
yeah just got a bit bored of the same old debate every day. Anyone got any ideas for a new one?
Worst player to ever wear a villa shirt??? bosco?
na mate thats been done best stick to the birds on the sky channels
then im def going 959
As much as I do agree that we miss something without Carew, that I want a CF out there for our style of play, and think we need 4-4-2 available in home games at the least... with that said I don't think we have a very solid back line. The 5 man midfield has helped with that and I am honestly afriad to see where we will be with L. Young Cuellar Davies NRC in the back without that little bit of extra help. That is why I am so adamant that a fullback is just about as important as us signing a striker in Jan. We really need to tighten up our back.
wheelo feel free to vid some and post it in the getto of the forum.......... click the forum butto on the top of this page to see what i mean
RIP Johnny Dixon
Thank you for your time and effort at Aston Villa!
Giles Barnes anyone..?
Reply to Zidave:
totally agree with needing to tighten up the back. we have conceded 10 goals or more than each of the sides above us, and have scored and conceded the same as arsenal. in that sense we are lucky we are still ahead of arsenal, although i think we deserve to be.
its an old and well worn cliche but if u dont concede ur always a chance of winning.. buying a new (and proven) defender is paramount.
lastly i js wanted to question whether we should really change anything with our formation until we start losing.. i personally hate the 4-5-1 set up and love seeing big john up front but even if he does regain fitness soon and we are still winning, is it worth taking the risk of changing back to 4-4-2? the team will have to adapt back to a style they havent played for like 4 months assuming he is fit by the end of february. and this might lead to a bit of incoherence and a loss of momentum at a crucial stage.. thoughts anyone?
If we need a target man then why not stick zat knight up front???
on a serious note I'd like us to look at signing Pizarro from Bremen. I know he hasn't been mentioned but I am subjected to shit loads of the german league because of where i live and he would be a great addition. 6ft, good in the air, pacey and tricky enough and a great finisher. He scored 10 in 13 for them this season and he's an uneeded chelsea loanee. Scolari wants funds, they don't want the player, we need a 3rd choice striker...should go for it.
i agree with all of u that we need a striker and i think the one that makes the most sense is bent he has the talent and mon could be the father figure he needs.if anything was possible id go chasing tevez but hed never venture to villa
we also need a midfielder in the form of gordon cowans one that can pick a killer pass and score goald i really like bullard at fullham
we need some support at the back say baines and haangeland from fullham and a nice signing would be johnson from city for midfield support
Dear Mr. O'Neil,
My voice is bludgeoned by the heavy thump in my heart resonating through my mind. The cloak of expectency is weighing heavy around my shoulders. Images of heroic soldiers picking themselves up one more time, striving to conquer the evil forces against them. There is a flickering light on the horizon. Is it our ship coming in? or is it another placid vision fading quietly, like a tired wind across the smoothing waves.
It is clear Martin, that 'I HAVE A DREAM'. A dream so pure and vivid, I can wrap it up and carry it in my pocket. I see a handsome Danish Viking smiling courteously towards me. A silver chalice is held aloft in the background amidst a tide of claret and blue. Deafening cries of 'VILLA VILLA VILLA' prickles the hairs and tears from my eyes.
You know it's time Martin, to call on your valiant lions, to charge an irresistable force, and deliver unto us (Villans) around the world what is rightfully ours - THE PREMIER LEAGUE. This is the time to 'DO IT!'
DO IT FOR ASTON
DO IT FOR YARDLEY
DO IT FOR SID COWANS
DO IT FOR THE WORKERS AT BOURNVILLE
DO IT FOR DENNIS MORTIMER
DO IT FOR BIRMINGHAM NEW STREET
DO IT FOR THE BULL RING
DO IT FOR GARY SHAW AND CRIES OF 'HE'S ABOUT TO SCORE'
DO IT FOR COLESHILL
DO IT FOR MY NAN IN HER HIGH RISE FLAT
DO IT FOR JOHNNY DIXON (R.I.P)
DO IT FOR THE CLASS OF '81-82
DO IT FOR BRITISH LEYLAND AND MY LIME GREEN AUSTIN ALLEGRO
DO IT FOR J.R.R. TOLKEIN
DO IT FOR THE OLD BILL IN MOSELEY
DO IT FOR OZZY OSBOURNE
DO IT FOR THE FISHERMEN AT SUTTON PARK
DO IT FOR TONY MORLEY
DO IT FOR PRINCE WILLIAM AND HIS NOBLE PALS
MOST OF ALL, DO IT FOR THE FANS WHO WILL MARCH BY YOUR SIDE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
COME ON MARTIN.....DO IT!
Reply to IRISH RON:
yes
on the title of this blog.
I thought marlon harewood was the missing link
Lee
"we don’t have three top quality strikers, fact."
Did you write Rafa's rant as well?
Reply to Ipbopmalik:
Love it, bought a tear to my eye
On the subject of the blog, great article and I like the way you give credit to Carew for leading from the front - that is spot on and we do need that back with some tough games ahead.
My signing choices would be Bent and Jones/Doyle and definitely Sturridge, who I think would get on really well with GA and ND, ones for the future at Villa (and England?)
Reply to SV2009:
Personally, i dont believe we need another Carew or a stricker in the Gabby or Delfouneso mould...we need somebody who can link the midfield and strikeforce together, because as our reputation enhances, teams will begin to sit back and let us break them down and at the moment i dont believe we have enough guile in the team(particularly in the striker deparment) to do that. Somebody like Eidur Gudjohnsen on loan would be a brilliant bet in my opinion; can link play, score goals and also add a bit of quality in midfield too.
Kenwyne Jones would be perfect
You guys seen this on the other blog ( not advertising i promise, i am ole ole for life
)
LINK
Reply to wheelo2020:
I hope it's not true.
Can I hear a barrell being scraped?
Reply to keefvilla:
Its probably not, you can always tell when a rumour is not true when they start saying " this is def true because my friend wors at villa park and they got the Milner deal right last time".....
Ha ha, He wouldnt be a bad sub is suppose. Stil, im stikning with my theory, if it aint on ssn it aint true
MON is talking of changes being made to the team for the FA cup tomorrow...
LINK
I just hope to god he doesn't start Osbourne and Salifou in the middle. I was a fan of both of these last season but this season have disappointed me. Maybe they need more games?!?
bet rednobs out burst saying hes sending a mish mash team up to old trafford will pleases arse chels and pool because hes got stoke and he needs to win that one wot a pisser if he does and then goes and gets beaten stoke i would love it
ssn have just said barren bent is not happy at spuds and was not injured last night PS not at work today got the man flu bug but i will live
Reply to villa_biker:
ha ha man flu!! You're addicted to the blog, just be honest!
Would you want to work for that saggy faced old fool if he said his mrs could have finished that (miss)? think he needs some tips on how to motivate his players from MON!
Come to us Bent! Within 3 months O'Neill will be telling you that you're a genius! Now thats motivation and belief!
LINK
apparently a villa employee thinks mon is considering a £20mill bid from madrid for ash.
page 2 of the sky sports paper talk gossip link.
wot bull shit. apologies for even posting this, but was interested in other ppls thorts
Reply to pazzler:
he wouldnt sell for under 60m
gotta be big emile for me boys...bring in the HESK martin, he will be the KEY to our top 4 ambitions...and u no wot iv just got a sneaky feeling he might just do so...
Steven Defour from Standard Leige would be a great asset to the squad!
As for up front we should definatly go for Sturridge..Amazing potential, english, originally from Brum. Need i say anymore?!