BigJim

1. Yes it is, it's terrible 2. I said before the window opened that the "nobody available" line is pure, unadulterated BS. Nobody available in the whole of the footballing world better than Tina and Oz ? Do me a favour. 3. We can have all the flexibility in the world in the forward line, but if we can't get the ball off the opposition there won't be much chance to exploit it.

I'll be extremely disappointed if we don't get any midfield cover. At the very least we are going to be in trouble if or rather when GM is out. Can't believe it really.

Forced to make a choice, I'd take Bellamy - Gabby-like pace and a consistently proven finisher, can't understand why Benitez would let him go.

Erm, I don't have access to the Browns' internal planning documents. You obviously do.

Budgets = rubbish?? Look, we have a very successful and professional businessman for our new chairman. Professional business is conducted with planning and budgets have to play a huge part. Your Victorian idea might work if we had no time restraints and could buy players one at a time but this is a high pressure situation where I hope we will be bidding on 6-10 players with the idea of ending up with 3 or 4. If I were Martin or Randy, I would want a budget in place to be able to deal with that.

I like SWP but I somehow doubt we will be paying 10m for him (or anybody else) at this stage. You've also got to think of the wages he will be on at Chelsea. A superstar fee and superstar wages for a player who's not really a superstar.... I can't see it.

I think you're on the right lines Jez. I am expecting MON to sign "unfancied" players with Prem experience and get a lot more from them than has been seen previously. Players a bit like McCann, if you like, who nobody particularly noticed before. I'm not terribly excited about this prospect, but it seems to be accepted that this is not the time to get exciting players in.

Yeah, let's all just stop arguing about what others say, and believe what we want to believe. Eat drink and be merry guys. Happy Christmas.

Pablo, I think everyone will assume he's got plenty to spend, whatever he says or doesn't say on the subject. But Martin being so upfront and honest and everything, I tend to believe what he says. If he says he doesn't know his budget, I believe him. And it bothers me.

So why say "I honestly don't know how much money I've got" instead of something like: "I'm not so daft as to tell you how much I've got to spend"

You could be right Sam, but I just don't see that as a very professional way of operating and it would certainly make things very difficult in a tight transfer window. To get more than one player in, you've got to have multiple combinations of bids at the ready- fall back options if your targets don't materialise. I don't see how you can plan for that unless you start out with a budget.

This I find worrying: O'Neill told icbirmingham: "I honestly don't know how much money I've got, but we're going to try to strengthen the squad." Don't know when it was dated but it doesn't sound very professional to me. How can MON plan to bring in players without knowing his budget??? Almost sounds like the DOL/Ellis farces ffs.

I'd agree with most of that, except that I'd say we need four players in January - two fullbacks, a powerful central midfielder and a right winger.

Hello, good evening and welcome General. You and your partners have already brought so much joy to the fans of this football club... a big thank you for going the extra mile and taking the time to chat to a privileged few of us.

Agreed. Richardon and Bridge two overhyped very ordinary players.

You could say that about everybody in the team. Gav is first name on the teamsheet at the mo, judging from MON's comments ("If he's fit, he plays") But for that very reason, MON must be looking at bringing someone else in for the position, because the implication is that we will be struggling in that area if Gav is injured. (That much was pretty obvious last season).

Agree mostly with these priorities, but I think we should be able to find a better player than the hugely overrated Wayne Bridge, and for a lot less money. I would add a top striker to the list. (Lancs, what do you have against Klose?) Plus I wouldn't be surprised to see us bring an American or two over.

Thanks Bickster, yes I had read that R was supposed to be at the game, but I just assumed it was because it was the first home game, etc. It never occurred to me before that the whole operation might have been synchronized to this degree.

Sure someone else must have posted this or thought of this ages ago. I am a bit slow so it has only just occurred to me that it looks like RAL's bid was DELIBERATELY TIMED so that it would be final by tonight's match. Sorry if that was obvious to everybody days ago.

Lets face it, theres no way Ellis is selling the club Lets face it there no way Martin O'Neill will become our manager Lets face it theres no way Aston Villa will be owned by a Billionaire Just a few things that people have said will not happen in the not to distant past, It might just happen. Let's face it, Villa won't finish top 3 in MON's first year... (I'll keep trotting them out, you make 'em happen )

I wouldn't want it renamed unless it really brought in mega bucks. Let's face it, until we really start winning things, nobody is going to pay us any serious money. There's no way it will work the other way round, i.e. somebody gives us enough money for the name for us to build a team of world beaters with. So instead of calling it 32Red Park for 5m, I'd rather stick with things the way they are for now. When we've raised our profile a bit and someone can offer us ten times as much, maybe it will be time to consider it.

This whole thing about possible other bids confuses the hell out of me. I understand that Ellis and Petchey have signed irrevocable commitments to sell to Randy, and the Board is recommending the bid to the shareholders at large. I understand that these commitments are "soft," in other words, can be altered if a better bid comes in. So can someone tell me now: What happens if a new bid comes in, which Ellis goes for and Petchey doesn't (or vice versa)??? This whole business of revocable irrevocable undertakings seems lkike a nonsense to me.

Or here's another dark scenario: What the hell happens if all this negotiating and excitement is too much for Dougie and his ticker packs up? No way would anything useful get done before the New Year. FFS Randy, sign the cheque, man! Tomorrow may be too late!!

Who knows if they will join forces? Who's sucking up to Ellis? Beware of the comments as explained in the Forum rules reagrding individuals, includin said Journo And as for the Ellis comments - Rothchilds won't allow him I share most of Slab's fears. As for Rothschilds "not allowing" Ellis to do this or that, I wouldn't bet on them being able to stop him. Oh, they would no doubt gripe an awful lot afterwards - "Shocking don't you know, really bad form that Ellis chap" - but what can they do to him really? Take him to court? But the poor old man is too frail, we couldn't possibly, and besides, he's got the perfect defence: insanity

"Lerner back in game but frustrated by slow progress" So Doug is desperately trying to sell to someone else who will: 1) offer him more money 2) ensure continuity of the Ellis legacy in one form or another