cyrusr

Who here believes the world is round? What about the sun being the centre of the solar system? Everyone?

Well 700 years ago you would have probably burnt at the stake for such comments. The fact is there may or may not be a god. We simply do not have the technology to discover one way or the other but we will eventually. I mean recently we have teleported a beam of energy from one spot to another, who thought that would actually be possible?

I personally do not believe in a God, but I may be wrong, no one can prove it.

Queensryche - Eyes of a Stranger

I only see Gabby and Moore as strikers whereas Maloney and Young can play that role I do think they are better suited to play midfield.

The strikers we now have is Carew, Agbonlahor, Moore. There is definitely place for either Owen or Defoe, maybe both.

I agree that Maloney and Young are better suited to the midfield, however they can play up front but they provide the same style as Gabby and Moore rather than Carew. Owen and Defoe also fit this mould and TBH, we don't need any more that can play the fast striker role.

Never rated Owen that much, disappointed he is a stick on starter for England despite doing what at real madrid or newcastle?

Players like him go by reputation, how many can walk back into an england squad like that, despite not doing anything?

Never been a massive Owen fan, but when he did play for Real Madrid and Newcastle he has been inspirational to both teams. The reason why he didn't play at Real Madrid was because of the Raul/Ronaldo love affair. The reason he hasn't played for Newcastle is becuase of injuries.

I think however our money can be better spent elsewhere, like someone to compete with Carew rather than Gabby/Moore/Maloney/Young.

With regards to Koumas, certainly NOT my first choice in signings, I am certain there are better players out there than Jason Koumas. It would need a really good manager to turn him into a player that could help benefit Villa. A really good manager like Ferguson, Wenger, MON...

Oh wait

Call up the hotel...

WE MUST SIGN BRAMBLE!

I think we are going to sign Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, just a feeling

That would be a Klaas signing...

Is it just me, or do other people have a very strong feeling that we will sign Matty Taylor? He can play left back/midfield so can provide cover for both Barry and Bouma or be using a rotation system along with Berger, so we could have Bouma/Taylor or Bouma/Berger or Taylor/Berger if Barry is played in the centre. If he is played out wide, well, we will have lots of options.

I certainly won't be displeased!

I seriously doubt Man Utd want Craig Gordon, they have Kuczcak and Foster already as well as VDS.

Unless one of them is one the way out

Foster anyone?

I can't see either Kuczcak, VDS or Foster wanting to be 4th in the pecking order. I can't see them going for a goalkeeper this year. Myabe in the next couple of years for when VDS retires but not this season.

With Arsenal buying that random keeper I think we are all clear to head for Gordon.

Martin O'Neill is watching Craig Gordon today!!

According to the reporter at the game.

Or Naismith. I think it will be Gordon though.

I'm not sure whether this has been posted or not but either way it deserves extra attention:

And they [spurs] are in the hunt for Barcelona's out-of-favour former Chelsea frontman Eidur Gudjohnsen, too. (Daily Star)

Now that is a player I would not complain about being in a Villa shirt

Yeah Nugent is probably heading to Everton, I would however much rather see him in the Claret and Blue than Bellamy. I just don't rate the guy, really, really hope we don't sign him.

Defoe, I'm indifferent to. His scoring rate is probably 1 in 3, certainly not bad, but not the 20 goals a season "fast striker" that we would need. The fact that we have both Gabby and Moore who fit the "fast striker" mould already, Young and Maloney also can help support the Target man. I am also fairly confident that Gabby and Moore are able, certainly between them to get 20 goals next season.

What we do need is a back up target man, which is why Nugent seems to be ideal. He wouldn't be first choice next season but seems capable enough to play the odd game or come on as a sub. Or if West Ham go down we should really be going for Ashton, quality through and through. Probably one of the main reasons why West Ham have struggled this season.

Judging by that Youtube video, Nasri does look class. Certainly wouldn't be disappointed if we signed him.

Koller would be excellent, excellent back up for Carew. The problem is that he would not want to be back up, he would want to be the main man up front and I would much rather have Carew up there. We do need an up and coming "big bloke" striker who doesn't mind playing a season behind Carew and learning to become world class. The issue with Bent, Nugent and Ashton is that all of them would want to be the main man. Bent has certainly proved he is ready for that, Ashton did before he was injured. Nugent would be the best bet out of the three for the role.

However I think we will probably get some unknown giant that will turn out to be absolute class.

Yakubu

Wayne Bridge

MGP

Parker

Finnan

Greg Halford

Matt Murray or some goalkeeper that everyone is saying we are getting

although i have never seen him so cant really comment.

Yakubu: Rated him before he went to Boro', think he would be a good player to get.

Bridge: Yes a very good player but has signed a new deal at Chelsea pretty much stating "Yes I am very happy to be on a fat salary despite I probably will never get into the team with Ashley Cole now signed for Chelsea." He will stay at Chelsea for a while...

MGP: Yes.

Parker: Him, Milner and Given are the only players that are actually making Newcastle actually play/win. If a three man team can win games then those three players could be pretty good.

Finnan: Would he leave Liverpool?

Halford: Seemed good at Colchester, not sure how he has got on at Reading.

Matt Murray: Good rep but also never seen. I do get the impression though another keeper will be bought.

I am getting the impression that Barton is getting fed up of the lack of progress at Man City and could vey well leave at the end of the season: Unhappy. We MUST sign him!

I would want the Ridge to stay but not fussed about Davis. He is less certain to become the quality player we had hoped.

For versatility alone, Hughes could be worth keeping but I doubt he would get anywhere near the team unless we were crippled with injuries!

I would sign a right back, centre back, left back, central midfielder and a striker.

For example: Bardsley (if he proves himself), Distin, Baines, Barton, Bellamy. They would cost in my opinion: £3 million, Free, £4.5 million, £5.5 million, £8 million. That is £21 million. SWP could also be added to that for £10 million making £31 million. A move for someone like Reo Coker for about £6 million could alsobe interesting.

I would then get rid of Samuel and Angel for a combined fee of £2.5million if we are lucky and if his injuries persist I would say goodbye to Sutton too. Hendrie is as good as gone and Berger is likely to be off too.

We also have to keep on the look out for good young talent!

Samuel's contract is up in the summer, he will leave for free. However your player choices ain't bad at all. Think Baines would cost more and I ain't interested in Bellamy. Swap him for Bent and we could be on to a very good team for what should be around £30million.

Who did you have to leave? I have got a minimum of seven and those I am certain will be leaving!

Also £50million? Who did you play to buy???

Also copying and pasting works a treat for when you can't post what you want :winkold:

Well I was just typing in the other thread that just got locked and have been redirected here. Anyway...

First and foremost I think would be right back and a reserve right back. Hughes is clearly not up to it, even in the reserve role. Bardsley unfortunately is only short term, but if this was to be made permanent then I will have no complaints. Delaney would be good for the reserve role IF he could actually stay fit, however that is getting increasingly unlikely. Bardsley is a good call, so is Luke Young, particularly if Charlton go down. If they do, I would put strong money on him coming to us. Of course there is also the foreign alternative and those are endless.

Next would be the defensive midfield player. The reason why I don't think this is the number 1 priority position is because we do already have Mccann who can play here. Yes he is not the player who will take us forward, but he would be certainly adequate in the reserve role. Diop mentioned in January but I do not see him as a player for the future. Yes he has good ability now, but being the same age as Mccann means that this role would need to be looked at again sooner rather than later. I would say Barton would be the best choice for this. Really think this guy would do the job and he would do it very well. Also being available at £5.5million is a very big bonus for us. Yes he did say that he wouldn't leave in January but it certainly does not rule out a summer move and I think if we can do well until the end of the season, he could very well be playing in a Villa shirt next season.

Next position I think would be Left Back. Yes Bouma is playing well at the moment, and it is often mooted that Barry should be playing left back. However I think Barry should be playing on the left of a 3 man midfield and that is exactly where I would put him. Bouma I think needs some decent competition in order for him to continue his good form, and Samuel ain't doing that. Therefore a new left back is definately needed. Leigton Baines is a very good call, but I have a strong feeling he will be moving to Spurs in the summer. It is no real secret that they want him and they will end up paying for him. I like Matthew Taylor at Portsmouth and although Portsmouth are doing very well this season, I get the feeling that not all is okay behind the scenes. What with the rumours that Gaydamak doesn't actually have any real money and they have already spent most of it. I think they did only spend £2million in transfer window and both players were defenders. When they are in need of a striker you kind of expect them to buy one if they had the money. If they need the money, then I would expect to see a few players leave. Therefore I think Taylor is a fairly viable option. There is also the possiblity of O'Halloran filling this position, but it is far, far too early to tell yet.

Next I would say a Goalkeeper is probably needed. I am a big fan of Sorenson, but I am doubting whether he can cut it at the next level. I am having serious doubts about Taylor as well. Yes he had good matches for Arsenal, but I am struggling to remember a decent game he has had in a Villa shirt. Yes it can be argued that he hasn't really had a chance, but surely if MON felt he could do a job better than Sorensen, surely he would have picked Taylor ahead of Sorenson? So even if Sorenson stays, we would almost certainly be looking to replace Taylor. The name that instantly comes to mind is Gordon. With Hearts looking to sell him it is a certainty that he will be leaving in the summer. Problem is that Arsenal will be looking for a keeper in the summer as well and I have heard Wenger is a fan of Gordon. However there could be some other good goalkeepers available. Foster and Carson, both on loan this season and their owner clubs have quite a lot of goalkeepers (Liverpool bought another one in January whilst Man Utd have Kuszacak (sic). With both Carson and Foster playing regular first team premiership football this season, then are not likely to want to go back to 3rd choice at Liverpool and Man Utd respectively. We should be going for these guys.

An experianced centre half and a goalscorer have both been put forward but I do not think we need either. I am confident Laursen will come back and actually play a whole season for us, therefore we don't need another centre half. As for a goalscorer, I do think that Moore will become that sooner rather than later. I have confidence in the lad and I cannot wait for his return.

As for the rest of the squad, Hendrie, Samuel, Hughes, Taylor, Sutton, Berger, Djemba-Djemba will all almost certainly be gone in the summer. Angel, Delaney, Gardner are treading a fine line. If Angel is okay playing second fiddle to Carew thats fine by me since it is hard to find a good target man. If he doesn't then a new target man will be needed. Delaney I mentioned earlier. Gardner could make it or he could not, can't tell with the guy. MON will have a much better idea though and thankfully will be the one making the decision, not me.

So with that in mind the squad will be something like this...

Sorenson/New GK/Olejnik

New RB/Reserve RB/Delaney - Mellberg/Cahill/Laursen/Ridgewell - Bouma/New LB/O'Halloran

New DM/Mccann/Osbourne/Gardner

Petrov/Davis - Barry

Moore/Young/Maloney/Agbonlahor (for both wings since all have been known to play either side)

Carew/Angel or New Target Man

You will notice that Barry doesn't have a back up, but since Davis, Gardner, the new DM, Maloney, Young, Osbourne and Mccann could all (potentially) play in that position, we should not have a problem.

Diop is actually younger than McCann, but only 18 days though

I agree with the limited avaiable players in the Prem, but what about abroad?

We are not experts, this is not our job. Surely there must be good enough players

outside of the country we could get a hold of?

Really??? But would you say Mccann is a player for the future?

Regarding the players outside the prem, perhaps MON felt they were really over priced, but like you said, we are not experts, the people at the club are.

2. I said before the window opened that the "nobody available" line is pure, unadulterated BS. Nobody available in the whole of the footballing world better than Tina and Oz ? Do me a favour.

Who exactly was available in the DM market (realisticly) this January?

Diop: Yes good player now, but getting on a little bit. Not a player for the future and since he would cost approx £5million, MON will feel not worth it for what will ultimately be a short term option.

Barton: Doesn't want to leave.

Mascherano: As good as player as he is, I wouldn't want to touch that situation with a 90ft barge pole.

Smith: Not his best position but he may still come anyway, not out for def.

Anyone else we have been/could have been linked to in January for DM position?

Riquelme? Hell Yeah!

Would rather see him come on loan first with option to buy, just to make sure he is suited to the prem. If so

Barton has already stated he is very happy at Man City and will tell any club to piss off (and then likely shove a cigar in their eye).

Hi General,

Not sure if this has been asked before or not, but I was just reading the new kit thread and it got me thinking. There are a number of quite good looking kits on there and one thing that has struck me is just how so much better the kits look without sponsorship.

I haven't bought this years shirt on the simple fact that I cannot stand the sponser on the shirt. Its massive, unattractive and takes away the fact it is a Villa shirt and instead makes it look like a 32red.com are sponsered by Villa.

Now obviously this is not yours, Lerner's or anybody's fault under the new regime and is something I'm sure will change from season with the likelihood of a new sponsor.

But I was thinking, do we really need a sponsor for the shirt? I mean, ok the finances of the club are not unlimited, but are we really in need of the sponsor money, for that is the only reason to have the sponsorship. Can we instead have no shirt sponsor a la Barcalona? Especially with the increase in TV revenue next year, I can imagine a few clubs doing this. And since it will make the shirt look nicer, surely that would increase sales of the shirts, surely offsetting the sponsor money?

Anyway, keep up the already fine work you and the rest of the board are doing.

he's a cracking keeper IMHO

probablyu Van Der Saar only has another season left, feasible they see Foster as the No. 1 after that

Van Der Saar I think has just signed a new contract for next 1/2 seasons. Don't forget though they also have Kuszack (sp) there as well as Howard (technically). Howard will probably leave in the summer with Kuszack or Foster going on loan for next season then those 2 will compete for no. 1 shirt.

I do have a feeling though one of them might get fed up quite quickly of the situation and want to leave Man Utd. We should go for them if so.

PatrickCousens, see what your saying but of those you mixed into the Villa team only 4 were brought in the last 12 months. O'Neil, Taylor and LuaLua were bought whilst Mandaric was in charge/from the youth team. My point is that they haven't really managed to bring in good players that Villa should be getting, they just have a decent home record...

home form mate

look at ours and say if we had beaten Bolton and Boro as we should have we would not be 7th ..... with no real investment ....

I have said before the difference between 6th and 16th is so small it only takes a couple of decent players.

The bigger trick is take on the top 6 and beyond that

True... Bastards :evil:

I hope wet spam keep paying out these over the top wages, wouldn't you just love to see them 'doing a leeds'

or they could do a portsmouth by avoiding relegation and then challenging for europe next season attracting players to the club, that we only wish we could see playing for villa! :winkold:

Seriously look at the Portsmouth team, who have they brought in the last year that you would want in the Villa team? Only ones I can think of are Campbell, D'Allesandro and Mendes (oh and Lauren). They are the only players that Portsmouth have brought in over the past 12 months that I think are good enough for Villa. TBH, I don't really know why they are doing as well as they are... :?