Villain-from-Texas

What's the best pub near Villa Park for a pregame drink? I'll be visiting.

We started the window being linked to the likes of Huddlestone,, Townsend, and Brady. We ended up with the likes of Gana, Traore, and Amavi.

This strikes me more as Roma trying to gin up interest.

Are you being Syrias?Saud-ly not!? Iraq'd my brain to figure out the pun here.

Even ignoring that we've played only two games, I wouldn't judge the strikers yet. As VillanousOne said, we desperately lacked the link between midfield and attack that Grealish or Gil would provide. That said, my biggest concerns are Ayew and Veretout. We desperately need 8-9 goals from Ayew. But we need to play him centrally and out wide. As for Veretout, he looked about as bad as he could've looked yesterday. He needs time, obviously. But we--especially Gestede--need his creativity and service.

I don't see any scenario in which we play only Gueye and Veretout in the middle. We bought Gueye to play box-to-box, not to sit back. Westwood will be in there.

What's wrong with headed goals? It's a repeatable skill.

I have no idea who will play the first match. Tough to predict given all of the moving parts. But based on Gueye's statement that Sherwood plans to play a 4-3-3, I eventually expect something like this: Guzan Hutton, Richards, Clark, Amavi Gueye, Westwood, Veretout Ayew, Ady, Grealish

I dont know if he will pass a medical Makes sense that we want him. Scouts must've seen him during a purple patch.

This is the sort of move I'd expect from Leicester or Bournemouth.

Two strikers and a midfielder are mandatory. A midfield three of Gueye, Westwood, and Bacuna is a sure ticket to another relegation fight.

I've thought the same thing for about four years now.

It's more that he's too good for Liverpool, and their fans have rallied against him, so it would be all the more frustrating if he went there.

Benteke makes so much sense for United. I'm shocked that it hasn't been a rumor until now.

Except for when he carved out a match winner in the FA Cup and changed the momentum with his assist for Okore's goal against Chelsea.

I don't think we'll get Amavi now. I also think Benteke'll go. Even so, Gueye and Praet would make a massive difference to our midfield. Who knows how these guys would fare in the Prem. But if we lost Benteke, while adding these guys and a half-decent striker, it's possible that we would be better off overall. Then again, Spurs fans said that when they got the Bale money, and Liverpool fans said that when they got the Suarez money.

You'd have to pay him a grip. I reckon he'll end up here in MLS, where some team will indeed do that.

I watch him play for Toronto last year and for some reason he was taking every set piece. The guy is absolute toilet, has zero technical ability what so ever. Tries to spray the ball about and it is embarrassing. With all due respect, this tells me that you haven't seen Bradley play much. He was beast-level against both the Netherlands and Germany--and was the best player, on either team, against Germany. And these are just recent examples of the way he frequently plays.

If we manage to sign Cleverly, our midfield won't need much work. Neither player would be expected to contribute immediately.

He's injured. Got injured. He hasn't been listed as injured for any of the last three games: http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/22/aston-villa-burnley-match-preview http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/15/southampton-aston-villa-match-preview http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/08/aston-villa-west-ham-united-match-preview

It isn't as though Villa fans overrate him based on a few good performances. Tor-Kristian Karlsen called him the best signing of the January window. Guillem Balagué also spoke highly of Gil. The kid can play, and his total absence from the squad boggles my mind.

It's as valid an opinion as any other I suppose. He does hate foreigners, like Benteke, Vlaar, Grealish and Bacuna. When did he sign those players? Like I said it's just speculation but he seems like the type of manager that would sign players like Joey Barton or players who are hard workers but don't have any skill. Hopefully it won't be the case. Bacuna has been a regular after being frozen out previously and he's the very definition of hit and miss. This is a myth. Bacuna wouldn't be playing if Hutton was healthy. Sherwood has done loads right, obviously, and deserves much credit. But I don't understand crediting him for Bacuna (who should be playing regularly, somewhere on the pitch).

This, all day. He also played that great over-the-top ball in the build up to our second goal last round. In a team dying for goals, he needs to start.

I cannot imagine that Villa's forthcoming DOF was absent from the discussions with Sherwood. Not a chance. He won't shy away from it, either--Spurs have a similar structure. And, yes, DOFs do work out. It's a myth that they don't.