Villain-from-Texas

I'd love it if Jimmy was to come home.

His home is in Manchester.

Wage demands are indeed the issue, according to The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/11066829/Tom-Cleverleys-8m-move-to-Aston-Villa-from-Manchester-United-threatened-by-players-wage-demands.html

Cleverly reportedly wants £60k a week.

Guzan

Hutton Vlaar Senderos Aly

Sanchez

Cleverley Delph

Zog Grealish

Benteke

If this were to happen, considering where we were at the start of this window then any villa fan turning his or her nose up at that needs their head examined. On paper that's comfortably the best starting XI in the lower half.

On paper.

Seconded.

In 2012-13, when United won the title, Fergie started Cleverly in 18 league matches.

He would've started all 38 of United's league matches, but he's crap and not good enough.

I think you'll find that he was injured for a large chunk of those 20 games he missed.

Again, sarcasm and irony.

A kid who started in midfield for about 50% of the champion's league matches is good enough for us. That fact should be self-evident.

In 2012-13, when United won the title, Fergie started Cleverly in 18 league matches.

He would've started all 38 of United's league matches, but he's crap and not good enough.

Good enough for whom? A team trying to win the league or a team trying to stay in it?

I was being sarcastic. He's obviously good enough for us.

In 2012-13, when United won the title, Fergie started Cleverly in 18 league matches.

He would've started all 38 of United's league matches, but he's crap and not good enough.

8 million could be used to put in a bid for Milner as he's only got a year left on his contract?

Seconded

OH FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY PLEASE LET GO OF JAMES MILNER.

(Sorry. It's the only reaction I have left in me.)

(Happy in terms of the areas of the squad that we've improved and what the manager has done with the inadequate budget provided to him which is frankly a joke that is)

About one-third of the money that Hull have spent. Really tells it all.

Can we just ban any posts that start with "Liverpool fans think..,."

Yeah, the same Liverpool fans who said he couldn't beat a man or cross........

Seriously couldn't give a shit what they think

I saw it with my own eyes. He was really poor. No joke. There was a reason Flanagan played left back instead of him. He didn't play anything like this when he was at Liverpool.

It's their system, not the player.

Whatever the reason, he was bad. I mean, I didn't even know this was up for debate.

So you watch a lot of liverpol then?

Practically every match with my brother, yes. Just as he watches practically every Villa match with me.

Our greatest times during MON was when we played a strong forward who could hold up the ball alongside a pacy striker. Carew and Agbonlahor are the ones I'm talking about. Imagine Benteke alongside Arsenals Joel Campell? Deadly duo, one of them pacy and full of trickery and the other one simply a beast

I'm not sure 4-4-2 is the way forward. I'd rather have a quality creative player behind him.

4-4-2 at home, depending on whom we play, could certainly work well, with the front six being:

N'Zogbia-Sanchez-Delph-Grealish

Benteke-Weimann

Indeed, that would be one of my preferred lineup. But I see about no chance of that happening.

Yeah, the same Liverpool fans who said he couldn't beat a man or cross........

Seriously couldn't give a shit what they think

I saw it with my own eyes. He was really poor. No joke. There was a reason Flanagan played left back instead of him. He didn't play anything like this when he was at Liverpool.

It's their system, not the player.

Whatever the reason, he was bad. I mean, I didn't even know this was up for debate.

Yeah, the same Liverpool fans who said he couldn't beat a man or cross........

Seriously couldn't give a shit what they think

I saw it with my own eyes. He was really poor. No joke. There was a reason Flanagan played left back instead of him. He didn't play anything like this when he was at Liverpool.

very good player, can't understand why liverpool didn't sign him permanently

He was terrible for Liverpool. My brother is a Liverpool fan, and Cissokho was a (deservedly) running joke.

Good. No need to change a winning team for the sake of rushing players into the side who're (probably) not fully match fit.

EDIT: My bad--you posted this yesterday.

To be fair to Weimann, he isn't and won't ever be a winger. He needs to play up top, and he is quite useful when he does. Later on in the season, when everyone is healthy, I wouldn't mind seeing Benteke and Weimann up top together.

Cameron is decent, to be fair. He is better than Senderos, Clark, and Baker but (obviously) worse than Vlaar. He has been fairly solid at RB for Stoke, even though CB is his best position. He passes well out the back and can do an OK job as a midfielder, if necessary.

He isn't very good.  Indeed, often he is very bad.  But he is better than what we have (if Lambert doesn't plan to play Richardson at LB).  So I guess it would be a decent signing.

Both Moses and Wanyama are dreadful.

I wouldn't go near an MLS player, at least a seasoned one. The change of pace is too much.

MLS isn't as good as the Premier League. Obviously. But it has some good players, like Besler, who are up to the Premier League's standard. He was certainly up to the standard against Ghana, Portugal, Germany, and Belgium.

Yes, Lukaku did skin Besler in the knockout match. Or to be more accurate: After Besler had played more than 90 minutes, Lukaku came off the bench in stoppage time--fresh --and got the better of Besler. Imagine that.

He's a good player and would make us a better team.

Greg Seltzer from No Short Corners and MLSsoccer.com has reported that Villa are one of the English clubs who have expressed an interest in MLS centreback Matt Besler. I'm sure this link won't exactly inspire fits of delight on here, but I think he's a solid player who plays well out of the back. I'm not exactly sure who we'd be letting go of, though, to make room for another centreback.

I think there's one obvious centre back that probably won't be here next season.

Yeah, I suppose I was trying to be optimistic.

Besler is a solid center back. Fairly quick, good positioning, and can pass the ball. Not sure whether we could keep Vlaar and sign Besler. But I've said before that Besler-Vlaar-Okore would make for a very good back three.

I'll be surprised if Cole starts for us. At his age, he seems like a squad player who can offer something a little different off the bench.

Anybody think we are signing players with one eye on challenging for promotion the season after this one?

No.

USA do so well due to their camaraderie and immense team spirit. This offsets the lack of ability.

I mean on paper you'd even fancy Villa to beat them.

In fact, the USA do well because they have good players.

If he hadn't have scored for Belgium the other day, Liverpool wouldn't be remotely interested in Origi.

That isn't true. They were linked with him before that match. Besides, he looks quite good.