sheriffvilla

Another good read fella, cheers. Nice comments about Salifou, let's keep our fingers crossed for the lad. If he turns out to be a gem... well whoever scouted him, get more people like that

Thoroughly enjoyable read. Almost feels like I was there!

I've gone for 5th-7th on the basis that I genuinely believe our first XI is somewhere around there. Obviously there are other factors, but we ALL know what they are. So I'm just looking at the positive, TBH, because the bad can be improved upon, but the good is already there and can potentially get better. If that makes sense :?

Just a reminder for you to change mine when you get a minute please mate. Ta

Well said.

NV, my mate at work is starting to get very panic-stricken about life at Villa, "nothing has changed" & all that... Anyway when I showed him your article he calmed down big time, like I'd given him a sedative or something. You've done well there fella.

In MON's defence, I don't recall him using that much last season. Some of us on here - that felt the need to defend him during our bad spell - used it. But it is not really something I rememeber hearing from the man himself very often. As I have said before, I also wonder how much people actually insist this is MO'N's fault, yet if it was in the Ellis era, would blame him... Not defending Ellis, and I know these are different circumstances, but let's face it, it aint football manager. MO'N can only - and will only - do so much himself. It's a team effort, and MO'N is not soley responsible for this window. I am conscious of this coming across as an MO'N love-in, and that is not my intention. I'm just a little sick of people blaming him like everything to do with the transfer business is soley his resposibility.

Yeah, to be fair I was ony thinking about the Premiership when I was writing, but it may be we need to look elsewhere. Huntelaar seems as good an option as any, in all honesty.

Never heard of him. Very good chance that he'll be replacing the probably-outbound-Taylor more than possibly-outbound-Sorenson, I'd guess.

A few things: 1) A Bellamy on proper form is better than Defoe, IMO. Whether he can come to us, be consistenly somewhere near his best and not cause any disruptions though, is a compeletely different issue. If not him or Defoe though... Hmmm. Dunno. Yakubu, maybe? Geezer is perceived as lazy, but knows where the goal is and is versatile enough to lead the line or play off someone like Carew. It's a tricky one, but we deffo need someone 2) Not that I am overly bothered about Koumas, but it is pretty unfair to say he has had lots of cracks at the Premiership. One season, to the best of my knowledge? 3) Davies is probably a decent shout, especially if Ridge goes. 4) SWP - I have to agree with kkr, I will be very surprised if he goes back there, especially with Sven in charge. 5) Generally agree on the last three. Smith at best would be back-up for Carew, Young would be a solid enough signing & I don't really see the need for the injury-prone Harry Kewell. 6) Finally, that formation you have has 3 at the back - I have just posted something about this on another thread, and I will be hugely disappointed if this is the route we take.

I think there is every possibility that he has 4-3-3 more in mind than 3-5-2. Or maybe we will stick with 4-4-2 in the majority of games and, presuming Barry stays in the middle, then one of him, Petrov & NRC will be left out. I think that may well be the case, and with the games where 3 central midfielders are needed (ie against Arsenal, even at home - yes at home, it's just the way to play against them) then NRC, Petrov & Barry will all be in there, helping us to try & win the territorial battle. With Carew as the figurehead up top, and Ashley Young as one of the wide men alongside him, that is starting to look very strong. Now, the other 'wide man', could come from Maloney or Berger, also Luke & Gabby both performed fairly well in that formation (or, as well as can be expected from them) but obviously we are all hoping we will see an SWP or a Sneijder come in. Maybe even Bellamy. Whatever happens, that looks pretty solid. Now with NRC, Petrov, Barry, Gardner, Young, Maloney and Berger already in place for the midfield battle, and Carew, Gabby & Luke up front, we definitely have the basis for a 4-4-2 with a couple of additions. We all know we need a right-back, and that a new keeper is likely to come in. If Ridge stays, we are arguably fine for central defenders (I say arguably in case Laursen has another injury) and all in all, with the additions that surely we know are likely to come in (eg GK, RB, RW, CF) that's a pretty fine squad. It has options, and some people will be left disappointed on some occasions, and so be it. That's what big clubs do. But if we play 3-5-2, a formation that can do ok but is unlikley to win us anything ny time soon, I will be hugely, hugely disappointed. I do not believe it will happen though.

I selected SWP but you know, thinking about it that is probably more who I want to come next rather than who I think. It will probably be a less spectacular signing like Young or Jaaskelainen. The latter, by the way, would not be a 'bums on seats' player but would would be a cracking signing, IMO. I can't believe anyone has selected no more unless it was a) by accident or a deliberate attempt to antagonise. If it's your genuine belief, you need your head looked at, seriously.

I'd like us to sign 'em both SWP, as Sir Blandy has pointed out, is in a similar vein to Young. However, I'd still say SWP has enough talent about him to do a very good job for us. In addition, I thought he was playing very well towards the end of the season when he had a proper run and got his confidence back. I could see him & Young working together, especially in games at home where someone like Wigan will just come to VP and stick 10 men behind the ball. I'm still hopeful SWP will sign. Milner, I just can't help but like, cause the sumbitch just never stops running Good player, and I was very annoyed - still am - about his transfer to us falling through. Not just cause of how it happened, but also because I believe he could be an asset to us. Generally the best player for Newcastle last season, and is very versatile; for example I don't think many people realise how good a central midfielder he is, certainly in a 4-5-1/4-3-3 kind of formation anyway. Unfortunately though, I am 99% certain the Milner deal will never be revitalised, or at least in the short term. Oh well.

Amen to that. Pun intended, but the sentiment was 100% genuine

Dunno. I'm an atheist,but the missus and kids are Catholics. When I've been to weddings/first communions/confirmations I can't and won't deride someones desire to believe in something they've been taught. But you would deride somebody for being born into, and taught, to support Birmingham City? I will never, ever understand why religion makes people so thin-skinned. Most my passion, effort and energy in life goes towards Aston Villa. I attend, like many who believe, to the holy house (Villa Park), and, even though I had lost faith for a few years, continued to go, cause it was how I was brought up. Could I pick apart the contradictions that were given to the masses by the Villa board? Of course. Can I pick apart the contradictions in the bible? Of course. Is football, really, that much different from religion? Not in my eyes, to be honest. I don't give a shit what people believe, I don't care what religion they are, who they support, etc... But to me, saying religion is silly is no different to me saying I hate Birmingham City, or that Big Brother is about as ridiculous a TV show as I have ever seen, or that I think celery is vile, and so on! I'm far more likely to get into a passionate argument about football than I am about religion. I care more about my football club, Aston Villa than I do about my religion, (Anglican) Christianity. Should I be derided for that? People can believe what they want to believe. I have no qualms with that. Therefore, I can believe religion is silly.

Nice analysis, Bofmiester. Overall, there is no run of fixtures that really worry me, unlike December last season. Tricky start of course, but then how many games are going to be easy anyway? Plus, looking at it, we could technically relegate Derby, SHA & Wigan, who for me are the three favourites to go down Not too shabby for the Sheriff

I put Christian, not practising. Which technically, I am. When I actually think about religion though, it all seems very silly, doesn't it...

i couldn't disagree more. we need an out and out GOALSCORER! something which he is not, ditto Carew & Agbonlahor I'm not so sure about Gabby. I'd say he can be.

It might lack a few goals. My tin-hat remains in its drawer. (I don't really have a tin-hat)

:bonk: :winkold:

I have my tin-hat at the ready here, but... First of all - I would love to see Gudjohnsen at the Villa. I also think he is a teriffic footballer. However, is it just me or does a front pairing of him & Carew sound like it might lack a few goals?

Dude, I was joking, drink some de-caf or something

Random thought. You know what is mad about this thread? As soon as there is a genuinely concrete situation - ie Reo-Coker - it gets its own thread. So, we are on 687 pages of essentially nothing, and will no doubt hit over a thousand, yet as soon as something ACTUALLY happens, it will go in its own thread and leave this back to talking about nothing. Brilliant. :winkold:

My Dutch-football-watching mate reckons de Jong would be a top right-back. Can't really comment, but could happen I guess. Especially if he is also used to midfield, most midfielders should - IN THEORY - find full-back a doddle (I mean, Steven Gerrard is probably the best right-back in the world but what a waste that would be )

Suppose it depends if Moore, Ridgewell and Davis stay. I have no qualms about any of them staying, either.