skarroki

He's been playing for a couple of years in their first team now, keeping experienced heads out the side. Imagine 70's northern looking lad with all the same positive attributes as Amavi, without the fancy name. Not quite on the same level as Amavi was last season, but he's a few years younger than him without any top flight experience. By comparing him to Amavi, I mean to say he's quick, likes to get forward, can put in some delightful crosses but his positional sense needs improving. Happy to throw himself into challenges and close his man down, at least in comparison to Hutton's stand off ball watching tactics. I would say that Bruce perhaps sees a young Elmohamady in this kid, someone who'd look comfortable in a 5-3-2 formation. He has been injured up till October so was out when we played Barnsley, which would be why you don't remember him I'd imagine. Another testament to how good he is, he gets his starting spot back as soon as he's fully fit in a high flying Barnsley side, when he's never played in the championship before. High praise in itself. The manager obviously trusts and has faith in him. I can't think of a good enough cheese joke so I won't bother. Sorry everyone

I think if he leaves he'd go back to Holland surely? But I don't see him going anyway. Thanks for clarifying the links though

As we are, we are in play-off position form and have been since Bruce came in. If we continue in this way, with one lucky purple patch, then we'll make the play-offs. If we get into the play-offs then I think we've got the right players and manager for the big occasion to see us over the line. If we don't make the play-offs, then we can build for a title winning campaign next season, with most of the last bits of deadwood in the squad having their contracts expire this summer. Signing 11 players this transfer window is effectively impossible and is likely to have never happened in a January transfer window before for any club, at any level of English league football. Even then, to get the quality of player you are expecting, ones capable of stepping up to the premier league, are extremely difficult to come by in this division if you are sitting pretty at the top of the table like Brighton and Newcastle, so for a midtable team the odds are even longer. We need steady progress now and we need to do what Bruce has already said and reiterated. Sign players that will significantly improve the starting XI. If we can get in a midfielder who's good enough for a midtable Prem team, do everything we can to get him. If he's only good enough for the championship, his club want too much and he's demanding a silly contract length then what is the point. I think the club is now all about the long term and trying minimise the chance of mistakes being made and players with no sell-on value will not be touched. So if you want anything more than 3 permanent signings this window you'll be bitterly disappointed.

There's a section of the article about us signing this Bree lad saying that Bacuna is our best option at RB but he's likely to leave having been linked with a move away. But I can't see any articles or any other mention of him leaving anywhere at all. Anyone heard anything ??

Think we need to find a team that plays a similar style of football to us but in league 2 and short of a few players. McKirdy needs to be playing as much as possible at the moment in my opinion, he's been looking good and could really kick on with another run of games. I would be speaking to Notts County about him and Toner going on loan till the end of the season

Against Norwich on the 6th February 2016. We won 2-0. Before that it was his 2 goals against Sunderland when we won 4-0 and RHM made his debut, on the 14th March 2015. He scored in the gameweek before that too. Prolific.

Just look at Leicester's transfer window and where they've ended up this year in the league thanks to it. If you sell your best players and buy unproven young foreign players who don't know English football then you'll plummet down the table. Unfortunately for us we didn't have far to plummet so just hit rock bottom. Richards and Lescott I guess were our proven players but one was obviously past it and the other had barely played in years thanks to injuries and simply not being good enough for the teams he was at.

These are the players I think Bruce rates, which will give an idea about where we need to strengthen. Goalkeepers: Johnstone, Steer* Right Back: De Laet* Centre Back: Baker, Chester, Elphick Left Back: Amavi, Cissokho Centre Mid: Jedinak, Tshibola Wingers: Adomah, Bacuna Attacking Mid: Grealish Strikers: Ayew, Kodjia, McCormack I think ideally we need back up in every position, and I would say Bruce fancies Steer, Elphick, Cissokho, Tshibola, Bacuna and Green as backup players at best ideally. I think Bruce change between 4-3-3 and 4-4-1-1 (4-2-3-1 when attacking). So I've got too much time on my hands and have looked into this all with too much detail. Starting 4-3-3: Johnstone [RB] - Chester - Baker - Amavi [CM1] - Jedinak - [CM2] Adomah - Kodjia - [LM] Back up 4-3-3: Steer* De Laet* - Elphick - [CB] - Cissokho [CM3] - Tshibola - [CM4] Bacuna - [ST] - Ayew Starting 4-4-1-1: Johnstone [RB] - Chester - Baker - Amavi Adomah - [CM1] - Jedinak - [LM] Grealish Kodjia Back up 4-4-1-1: Steer* De Laet* - Elphick - [CB] - Cissokho Bacuna - Tshibola - [CM2] - Ayew McCormack [ST] So this would mean that with everyone fit, our strongest sides in either formation both require a first team quality Right Back, Central Midfielder and Left Midfielder, with a second Central Midfielder needed for playing 4-3-3 If we can get players in these positions, along with a back up CB, 2 more CM's and a Striker in the summer after part 3 of the squad clearout, that'll leave us covered in every position with a 24 man squad, plus Green and other academy players to supplement that.

As far as McCormack goes, I would just make sure he's on the pitch from the off every game. He's not ever going to be an impact sub, he needs to be on and his his favoured position. If he's here we may as well play him in a way he's been successful before and hope for the same results. Shoehorning all these attacking options into our side all season up till now hasn't worked and it'll continue not to work until the end of the season if Bruce doesn't learn this. So frustrating watching us fail to score against poor teams with Kodjia, Ayew and McCormack all on the pitch out of position so someone like Gabby can be played ineffectively through the middle

Anyone arguing that we need a striker till the end of the season too just needs to look at Bruce's comments when Gestede left. He thinks we have too many as it is, even with Gestede gone and we have enough holes in our team without stocking up our expensive strike force any further.

I just want seats like the ones at Brighton. Is that too much to ask? Even something simple like the mini complex that clubs like mk Dons and even Derby to an extent have. I want to be able to see a nandos, a club shop and a f&bs from the rooftop of villa park. There's plenty of scope for these kind of things behind the north stand. Bulldoze the stand and start again, have a mini shopping centre with plenty of food choices as part of an indoor shopping area attached to the stadium. Finally, rename the Doug Ellis stand, the Dr Tony stand for zhits and giggles

I'd heard he was off to Inter Milan a couple of weeks back but can't find the link now, did anyone else hear this? Loan with a veiw to buy for the same money we paid in the summer. Was only to happen if we bought in a keeper to replace him which we obviously have now.

Kapustka is the only other attacking player I can think of who is destined for great things who is an acheivable target. Hasn't played once for Leicester, would be a very good option. Seen as a CAM but can play on either wing and would be an option if we can't get Brady to fill the left mid position

Just seen that Jon Toral is ending his loan deal with Granada and is heading out on loan to Rangers until the end of the season. Looked a real good player at Birmingham last season and we should easily be able to compete with Rangers for his signature. Think he's definitely someone we should be looking at. Another loan player at Granada who might get called back is Pereira of Man Utd. He'd be a fantastic loan signing if we could convince Mourinho to give him us along with Johnstone.

1) Delph played for Leeds in league 1 2) He did become an England international playing for us, Man City ruined his career, or moreso him moving there knowing he wouldn't be a regular He definitely didn't score 3 goals in 100 league appearances, and he wasn't a goalscoring midfielder anyway. If you'd watched him play rather than look at a random, irrelevant stat, you'd realise how good he was. Stan Petrov scored hardly any goals in around 200 appearances, I guess he was rubbish too? I'd like to see us get any of the players mentioned in the article but unfortunately I think thats a case of Delph's agent "leaking" interest in his client to get some Prem clubs sniffing around.

If he comes back and scores the winner in the play-off final, then Lerner releases a statement saying he forced Delph to leave so the club could cash in on him, we could make a movie about it.

Maybe the Stephens links are just lazy journalism because of Calderwood joining the backroom team. Or maybe he's actually been recommended and Calderwood knows something that we all don't, like a January release clause or he's still in contact with him or something. I hadn't realised he'd been allowed out The Belfry, but then again Julie B blocked me on twitter so I don't get the announcements through anymore

Yep, the one who made several good saves throughout the match and stopped Kodjia's penalty too. The only reason we didn't win by a few more than we did

Just seen we're linked with Alex Smithies, very good young goalkeeper at QPR. Bags of experience already at his age, would love him here.

He looked bang average in a very well organised, too good for the division Preston side with a back 5 that let very little past him. Don't let the clean sheets he got at Preston fool you into thinking he's a good keeper. For those of you interested in finding out more about Johnstone, Brum Mail has an article written by a PNE fan. Think his analysis is bang on the money. http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/sam-johnstone-aston-villa-how-12398463