peterw

Well that's the beauty of the signing. He's coming here to be number 1 and with heaton injured the shirt is his. Its only his performances that will dictate whether he loses that shirt. That usually takes a minimum of 6 weeks by which time Heaton should be fit enough to step in, if not steer for a game or two. Its now Smith holding the aces (should Martinez sign) rather than players knowing they are going to be picked because the back-ups are not good enough.

Lot's of clubs have keepers that are third choice. They'll barely play apart from the odd U-23 game, may go on loan, but are basically just cover and get paid a wage to be that. it's hard on them but given that they are only ever in competition for one spot and the usual incumbents very rarely get injured, they are well adverse in bench sitting. At the top level its not an easy job but he can stay with us, get paid well, train with the first team, be on hand for the youngsters etc or go two divisions down, and stay there as first choice.

Smith out Too soon?

Delaney at Denmark, O'Shaunnessey at Finland, Brown at Argentina - these Irish get around, eh?

I suspect King was a ruse to smoke out Watkins. To show Bournemouth that we had a plan C and we'd choose that option. For all the quotes about the size of the fee for watkins we don't actually know what Brentford were asking and the 28m may be what we were offering. it may have got to the point of, 'look we're tiring of this' we're going for King if you don't accept the offer'. It's still presumptuous because ITSOTP rules always apply, but if Watkins does come then we have Watkins, Wesley, Samatta, and Davis vying for one place. I doubt king would be added to that list unless we have takers for at least 2 of those.

I'm not particularly sold on Benrahma, looks very much like a highlights reel type of player. He's got ability, bags of it, but highlights of any player can morph them into a Ronaldo/Messi hybrid. I haven't seen him in the flesh so I'm speaking from a position of some considerable ignorance, but I'd prefer a winger to be just that - someone who hugs the line, benrahma wonders all over the place. That is not what we need (as we've got Jack), and I think asking Benrahma to stay on his wing (yes yes, cut in, late runs as well etc etc) is not the type of player he appears to be. I'd actually move on from him.

He came from Brentford, mate.

you still pay to loan a player.

Whether a transfer or a loan I don't think it is justified. Konsa was a better player at the end of the season than he was at the start, which is a good sign of effective coaching. He deserves to start the season - unless we buy Ramos or someone of that ilk. However, i don't think buying another experienced centre-half should be completely off the table.

A no from me. What's the point of Axel now that we have Konsa developing. Don't get me wrong i think that he is marginally better than Konsa, but enough to warrant any outlay financially? i'd prefer to keep playing Konsa as I think he could become a very good prem player.

Gonna be benteke init? And a Senegalese midfielder from Nantes.

But that is also dependent on other factors. The selling club obviously want to get the best deal for their club. The fee we would have paid may be similar but its the add ons that Brentford could offer rather than us making the deal better for the selling club. It is more likely that their player would make 20-25 appearances for brentford and getting them to finish higher up the table than the same add on deal with us. the other thing for the player is his progression. Why not just go to Brentford (get the signing on fee) and then get the next move (with the higher signing on fee and wages), ratehr than just go to Villa and be farmed out in year 1. if it had have failed or not worked at at brentford, he may have been languishing in our reserves. At least at Brentford he would be in and around the first team largely regardless.

Damned straight.

Its easy to look at that and think you're right. however, I don't. Coming to Villa then he wouldn't have played as many games for us as he has for you. Obviously he could have broken his way in but over the past 3 years for example our forward line (and we usually play one up top) has been Kodjia/Abraham/Wesley. Given the expectations of the club and the demanding nature of fans he would not have been given the luxury of bedding in that he we get somewhere like Brentford. Now that he's developed we can look to take him if everything falls into place.

There aren't many goalkeepers that are transferred aged 33, who are fully expecting a first-team place after being number 2 or 3 for years. He'll be pushing Heaton for the jersey which is good for us. In a year or two when they're both mid 30s then we'll be looking to bring a fresher younger keeper in learning from one of these two. Seems like a good piece of business if it comes off.

I see your point but what if Benrahma wants to stay in London? Players fpr one reason or another choose one club over many others that may be in for him. its not a sign of weakness from our part - or a failure - just what happens at transfer time.

Wilson or Baston? Wilson or Samatta? Wilson or Vassilev? He's nowhere near being the final piece in the jigsaw, but if we have an injury crisis like we did around January last season, who would be best coming off the bench? (Yes i know Baston's gone).

I was in the US doing the orlando holiday with the kids, and hired a merc. Nice. Did all the paperwork, got the keys, sat in the car. Except the key looked broken and I had no idea how to start the thing. Had to traipse back into the office and interrupt the next person to ask the girl to help me start the car as i had no idea what I was doing. She leant in and pressed a button. I must have looked like a backward slack-jawed yokel as i marvelled at such magic. A button. To start a car. Amazing.

Just because they may have signed a player or two by now doesn't mean they are more active; just that their deals have concluded already. they may simply be in for players not (m)any others aren't. As for fraser, it may well be that we don't want him and regardless of your standing in the Villa management/scouting circles, those that matter have probably identified who they want and are concentrating their efforts there. Sometimes that means being patient, sometimes we have to wait for lots of other things to be aligned. Signing players can be like buying a house, everyone in the chain has to be satisfied. That could also be us shifting one or two out before we add. A free player like Fraser reduces the problems of course, but doesn't mean we should have got him, or even try to, if ultimately we didn't want him. Its far more important to get the right player however long that takes, rather than rush the wrong player in because it sates the anxiety of Tez500.

He's from Torquay. Going to Birmingham may not be going to London, but still to him it'd be like moving from Tuvalu to Germany rather than the US.

You said: If they can't handle a bit of stick, get a job for £40 k a year like normal people. you also said: The reason they make crazy money and very simple lives, is not only because they are good at a spesific thing, but also cause their position in the public eye is compensated. If that's unwanted, get a new job and a much harder life. and not forgetting: What I'm saying is that when you choose this very priviliged public profession, that’s incredibly well paid and offers a life most people can only dream of, then a bit of stick and criticism when you don't perform goes with it. You can't expect it both ways. It may be your position that stick happens when you're in the public eye, and yes it is. but your opening gambit here is if you can't handle it then do something else. Well, no, if they can't handle they may need professional help. And as i said, would you have just wandered up to Mrs Speed at the funeral and said, 'if only he would've have just got a normal job he could've avoided this, eh'? I see your point but that you can't see where you are massively wide of the mark, is starting to speak volumes.

well kind of is. You're ignoring any possible mental issues from the most ordinary (lonely) to the most severe (depression leading to suicide) just to make a point that he's got money so that he has no reason to be unhappy. That's the sort of ill-thought opinion that is outdated and not welcomed by those living with mental problems or by those who acknowledge the depths that mental issues can take someone. We, as a society, are moving on from labelling people as being okay because of mindset of, 'if it was me this is what i'd be like', because its not about you but them. just 'choosing' a privileged lifestyle doesn't protect you from scrutiny, no, but neither do those doing the scrutiny get a free reign in saying what they want however they want. Which is the territory you're crashing into here.

he knows he's a bit part player at Villa and he equally knows he'll never be at a bigger club than he is right now. he has one more season on his contract and there's nothing wrong with keeping him here. If he becomes our first choice full-back then we're having a bad season again and the problem won't be that we're playing Elmo.

Just because he has a well paid life doesn't mean he has an easy life. Despite being well paid would you tell Gary Speed he had it easy just before he took his own life? this kind of mindset is woefully anachronistic, and although i'm by no way calling you racist, the defence of those that use racist terms like coloured is that its just their generation way of speaking. That isn't acceptable and neither is your view of 'well they've got money so what is wrong with them', because we just don't know.

*meh* sign him, don't sign him. I'm sure he's not the only winger in world football that could improve us.