TRO

....After the QPR game I've kinda got the message. ....er no thanks.....I was not impressed with the peripheral players trying to make their mark.

Mike, most of the summer i was with you on this .... but not now. I have seen a different side to Gareth Barry that i honestly didn't think existed. His head is cleraly 90 odd miles up the motorway in everthing he says .... even defending the management at Liverpool and declaring he is being overpriced....recent events have clearly had no effect on his stance, I would like to see a player arrive with comparable talent and just get rid of the player as soon as is possible. we should just get on with our lives and treat him as if he ain't there. .... as for folk blaming his agent.... well he would have sacked his agent by now if his agent was not acting in his interests..... so he must have endorsed all his agents actions.

....look .there's a simple answer to this ..."brokeback scouse" want to play together so villa should put a bid in for steven gerrard .... and being as his lordship is injured we may get a discount. simple really.

General.... Just a quick line to thank you for your candid remarks on the subject of Transfer funds. It is always a touchy subject and i sincerely hope your remarks in house were taken with the sincerity that they were delivered, by all parties. I was dismayed to learn that the media have got hold of it and tried to use it as a " world exclusive& ground breaking news" ... but hey the truth sometimes hurts. I have to say despite my over whelming support for the manager i find his exploits in the transfer market concerning, both in terms of quality and quantity.... I'm not expecting a reply on this and i don't really want to add much more other than to say i hope it doesn't over shadow the other good work he has done. Thanks for listening.

Blandy.... thank you for correcting my analogy... yes your right, so far. Let me reflect on some of your points: 1) you say - I totally share the view that villa have not been adventurous in the transfer market....But then that has never been a consistent way to achieve success. Answer......Yes it has, and is one of the most consistent components of success. 2) For all Chelsea's recent good seasons they are no where near sustainably successful. Answer......Yes they are, they show no signs of faultering and have been a force for a consideable length of time. 3) I won't lose my rag with the manager unless he fails to do the best he can Answer.....How may i pray is that quantifyable... it is pure personal feeling thats all it can be. 4) If at the end of the 4 weeks, we are still as woefully short on quality and quantity as we are now, then i could accept or at least understand players thinking about going because of it. Answer..... your words not mine " woefully short on quality and quantity is a fair ole indictment in itself and is not associated with hunky dory" I applaud your attitude in supporting the manager.... I was one that wanted him in and only him and i will continue to support him. I would be a liar, if i said i am unconcerned at events and i would also be a liar if i said I thought all is great at B6.... .....there have been some terrific happenings during the last 2 years plus, but something ain't quite right for me and I'm not sure what it is. .... perhaps in the fullness of time my doubt may be revealed.

It is all about opinions of course....but I am totally convinced that is what its all about. I am not suggesting for one minute this a weekly or monthly problem and that underperforming in the transfer market is just lately.... it has been manifest for years and we are struggling to reverse the comments of Mark Ansell...." we are a selling club" I am convinced had we signed top talent since Martin O'Neill's Appointment in greater abundance Gareth Barry's chances of having his head turned would have been reduced. PS.....How do you think we get in to the champions league..... chances get enhanced by buying quality.

Apart from, to me, being a different subject altogether, I don't think the Barry saga has a huge amount to do with transfers in or out generally - though I do agree that inactivity in recruiting players hypothetically weakens any potential persuasion along the lines of "stay here, look at what we're doing in improving the squad". But that is surely secondary, in my view. Blandy...what i was trying to illustrate is, we are talking about the disease not the symptom. Gareth Barry is the disease, the symptom is by being modest in the transfer market we are inadvertently encouraging them to look elsewhere. This guy is not your common garden mercenary here.... this is a player like Dwight yorke who has spent many years ... ploughing the fields. we simply have to SHOW we are buying club not a selling club and only then will we reverse this hurtful trend. ps....i still think if the fans knew we would go out and replace his talent, not many would give a toss.

but the underlying problem is that we are the architect of our own demise..... by procrastinating in the transfer market.

You're right.... Barry is insistent on leaving, just like Dwight yorke was and yes it hurts us all when your best player wants out...... but what hurts more is when there appears little chance of replacing that level of quality. Gareth Barry was obviously sold a line,by Martin O'Neill when he was just about to leave 2 years ago.....Gareth has had a chance to see the level of ambition during that time and despite the heady heights of 6th has decided its not for him. I am not looking to blame any individual at the club,because i don't know where the blame lies, but i do fervently believe that the performance in the transfer market is at the centre of all our woes.

....I still believe the Gareth Barry saga is much like the dwight yorke saga with legs... and we have learn't very little. ...and its all borne out of one sad fact that we simply under perform in the transfer market.... in terms of quality and quantity and it has come home to roost. we end up pandering to players, instead of employing a tad of contempt( meant in the right way, a touch of arrogance)....Ron saunders did not carry on like this despite his limited funds. If money was no object as is described in some quarters.....Gareth Barry's position should have been replaced after his NOTW expletive....The manager could then have said left back or the bench. The way things are going at B6 the tail is waging the dog.

Why? Is the poll not working on your computer ( Because I'm obviously not happy with how things are currently at VP. But it's hard to explain. Because I think the manager is excellent, and I think Randy, General K and the board, along with the people working behind the scenes at VP are brilliant. So I'm sort of stuck. When the unmovable object meets the unstoppable force and all of that. I just can't work out in my head what's going on. Perhaps it's something about Villa. Perhaps there always has to be something going on. Dunno. I've just lost the thing of actually caring at the moment. Just roll on the start of the season. If we are great then ace, and if we are crap then oh well. I feel much the same as you, John what confusess me is how we can find ourselves so far away when we are in fact so close. for all the things that have been written and said..... it appears the most significant things are they, that have been unsaid.

....Right now no. but circumstances change so quickly...... which makes us fickle.

....I'll trust in the Manager..... but hope it gets concluded soon.

so thats the villa faithful convinced..... now for the rest of Europe.

I don't subscribe to the doom merchants about MON and his transfer policy, or that RL doesn't have the cash, I think it's more that MON has a more astute eye for players and dressing room harmony, at least I hope so. that line is paradoxical..... because -at least i hope so, means you have doubt and in fact the doom merchants as you call them ( sceptics would be more apt IMO) could be right.

Brentie wrote .....If anyone is going to break into the top 4 this year, it won’t be you, it will be a side who spends a shitload of money (Spurs most likely). You don’t seem able to keep your best players, let alone attract top class European talent. Despite my acceptance of the way Martin O'Neill builds his squad...... that in my opinion is a truism. If you are not a buying club, by definition you will end up as a selling club. I do not confess to have any idea whatsoever, what Martin O'Neill's intentions are in terms of both quantity or quality this summer and i don't think anyone else does either. I think the code breakers during the war would have thrown the towel in.

....I think PB may have a point albeit you under estimate Liverpool at your peril. Equally i think Gedfas is too quick to dismiss an Aston Villa side that is clearly in the ascendency which is equally as foolish to under estimate. Martin O'Neill's approach to strengthening the team both physically and spiritually is commendable and does have a cloughie slant to it. However like Brian, you do have to splash out now and a gain and perhaps go for that obvious quality, that will make PB's case all the more credible and Gedfas's claim all the more foolish. .... we have it all to do guys..... but the signs are good.

.....I thought it was a very good and well rounded post. The so called negatives were truism's and sometimes as painful as they may appear, have to be faced up to. I think like all great managers Martin Is flawed, due mainly to the complexities of the job. Ron Saunders was flawed,Alex Ferguson is flawed.... what manager in his right mind would dump Beckham,Stam & Van Nistleroy ..... but he gets far more right than he gets wrong..... and wrong in who's eyes, dare i ask. As has been said...Aston Villa had a great season by there own standards, but their own standards have been low in recent seasons..... There is much work to do and I Believe we have the manager to do it. we must not rest on our laurels and think we have arrived, because in the same position the top four would not contemplate it and nor should we.... They are where they are through being ruthlessly single minded about achieving success and so should we. High expectation is healthy but must be controlled to avoid frustration and must not be used as an excuse to settle for mediocrity leading to a comfortable life. Getting to the top is damn hard work.... as only one team can win the premiership, but that does not deter the other top 3 from having a damn good go ....and nor should it deter us. .....6th place is excellent.....but now the hard work starts for the fans, the players, the manager( & and his staff) and the owner and his directors. and together ain't we going to love it.

perhaps your bitterness should be directed in another direction. look without attacking Martin O'Neill or Randy lerner of which i have no wish to do so the sad fact at any football club is .....If you don't strenghten enough your team other clubs will come after your players.... its a predatory business. attack is the best form of defence..... like acquisition of players is the best way to keep your existing ones.

.....NO

please, please, please don't mention season tickets..... it sounds like blackmail. I would like to think we now have an owner we can trust and we don't need to be threatening season ticket withdrawal..... it kinda don't sit comfortable with me..... surely fans and Randy have a better relationship than that. I would be staggered if all the management at villa park, were not aware of what is required to keep the carew's and young's happy.... other quality players. Gareth Barry may/maynot go.... and imo we must buy quality to replace him should he decide to go and the club decide to realese him..... but it shouldn't need the fans to tell Martin O'Neill that. please could posters keep this to questions/comments directly for the General, rather than general opinion stuff which can be found/posted on every single other thread, and is freely available for the General and Club staff to read. We appreciate that people have views, but just to make this thread easier for the General to deal with stuff he does have influence over... Thanks. Blandy

...my slight concern here though, is these signings are young players essentially on a learning curve... which is fine, but young players dip in form very easily and leak mental strength at times These signings should ( Imo) have been supported by ready made impact players.

...none

....Barry & Reo Coker over scored IMO... as previous post suggests retaining the ball & closing down was at the root cause of our demise well before the Ref/our defenders turned in to lucifer. Man Utd are a polished outfit and have the ability to pass you to death.... teams that will stand any chance of giving them a game must disrupt their swagger.It can be done as The Blues and Portsmouth can testify. We appeared to believe we have the same technique as them and embarked on a road accordingly and we were subsequently dumped on our arses. The signs were there for all to see well before Zat Knight & Craig Gardner decided to have a day off..... as Simon Cowell would say " it was a bloody mess"

Look....I ain't going to say that Zat Knight is this or that...... but our problems existed way before it got to Zat Knight. This team at times can work some good moves and other times are apalling. Apalling... thats a strong word... against ManU i thought they were worse than that. Its been a long time since i walked out early, but with 16 mins left at 1-4 down and not an ounce of self belief in key players, one fan said to me call yourself a villa fan.... I said would you just stand around watching a child being mauled when you can't do a thing about it. That was just not fun for me and watching Paul Scholes once again causing us so much grief, unattended..... are we ever going to learn anything. Got nothing positive to say so I'm Going. no I'm not Barry & Reo-Coker were shocking.