ozvillafan

The sleve/back thing would be nice. Dunno if it's allowed. I'm not sure about the financially responsible thing. We get about 8m pounds from this, I believe. I'd hazard a guess that 8mill comes close to the costs in wages for 1 year for Ireland, Given and Bent. So we could shift them on and put Acorns (or another charity) on the front and come out even. I guess what I am trying to say is that Dafabet probably get more out of being our sponsor (in terms of exposure) than Villa do by putting them on our shirt. I'm also over the whole "commercialism of football" thing, which I think has changed the game of football for the worse (this is a very small example of that).

Another gambling company. And, possibly, on less money than our last. I'm struggling to see the positives.

Youtube can make almost anyone look world-class. Having said that, I like that in the clips his team does not simply target his head given how tall he is. He shows good technique and a wide range of goals (range, tight angles, tap ins). Looks a good fit - an exciting link! Sign Okore now and perhaps a LB and all that remains is selling off the deadwood. It would be the best transfer period in recent memory.

You raise some excellent points, Stan. As another poster said, if you look deep enough you can find a reason to hate any shirt sponsor. I guess the only point is that Villa is a family club and football is not an ordinary business. Things that kids should not be exposed to - those activities that would be considered a crime if they participated - is probably a good place to draw a line. A "moral high ground", as it were.

This is very topical down here. Our free to air games of Rugby League now have live crosses to a bookie (Bet365, SportsTAB, Tom Waterhouse type companies) that give the latest odds. There has been a huge outcry against this - so much, in fact, that they are considering banning gambling shirt and stadium sponsors (of which there are quite a few) along with the live crosses. Now there is nothing illegal in gambling this way. Nor is there anything illegal in advertising for these companies. So why should they be banned since responsible individuals enjoy gambling? One reason was little kids - preschool aged - started quoting the odds and understanding what gambling means because they liked to watch the game on the box. Right or wrong? Too far or not far enough? Dunno. I only know that I'd be less likely to buy a shirt with Genting Casinos on the front.

It's a good question. Simplest answer is "wont somebody please think of the children!" (I bet you read that in the priest's wife's voice from The Simpsons ) That is, ignore companies that deal in areas you would not willingly expose children to - such as gambling, smoking, alcohol and porn based companies. It's not the perfect answer - no answer really is - but it's a decent start.

If that was true, then why did we ever have Acorns as our main sponsor? We can (and should) be picky. This is Aston Villa, not some two-bit club from down the road scrambling for any coin thrown it's way.

I always thought it was Okore as in "Parkour" or "Apple Core". Still, I don't mind how his name is pronounced so long as he is wearing a Villa shirt. Really, really looking forward to this signing. Fingers crossed.

Worst shirt sponsors? Genting Casinos, without a doubt. What a massive difference in the message sent compared to the likes of Acorns.

In that video it looks like he plays very deep, in a similar position to Westwood/Sylla - which was a little surprising from a number 10. Is that how/where he normally plays?

2 ball playing CB's that can dribble, pass and shoot in the same Villa team? Never thought I'd see the day.

Holman gave a truly Holman-esque performance for Australia last night. His work-rate was exceptional, he intercepted plenty of balls, supported the forwards well and played some decent passes. However, he was also responsible for turning over a lot of ball mostly through his poor control and technique. This was in start contrast to his partner in midfield (Mark Bresciano), who had the bigger impact in our effective possession, moving the ball nicely and rarely conceding possession. I like Homan, yet he frustrates me at the same time. I'm not convinced he is right for Villa, as every performance seems to be a bit "Jekyll and Hyde".

It could be this way, but I'm not convinced. After missing out on Martinez, McLeish was one of the few that met the criteria (PL experience) that was willing to come here. I put McLeish down as a mistake rather than a smokescreen. A costly mistake that Randy, really, should NOT have made.

Lambert will only sign players who want to play for the shirt. If he does come - and I admit it's a HUGE if - then the pull of the Premier League (yes, I went there Trent!), Lambert and Villa is stronger than we thought!

I wonder what your initial thoughts were on Benteke? I'm not saying Tonev will be as successful..... ... but I'm not willing to write him off because of where he plays his football or the fact that he is not linked with the top teams.

.... thought I was in the transfer speculation thread. Bannan made his way here too?

Because we can't compete with the wages and transfer fees of the older players in those decent teams. We need to find a different way to compete.

I get the distinct feeling that Randy gets more flak than he should on here because he tends to keeps to himself. Most of us don't know how often he is in and around - but from what Guzan says, he's readily available to the players.

I'd suggest it's the same as down here (Australia). Football is just not our main sport - Aussie rules footy (southern states), Rugby League/Union (eastern states) and Cricket (nationally) make up our biggest sporting interests, with football a distant 4th. As such, our best athletes gravitate towards those sports. Any real talent left over for football - both players and managers - go abroad to better competitions, thereby condemning the local leagues to lesser quality, continuing the lesser column inches in the media and poor overall national results compared to smaller countries where football is the number 1 sport.

So what ever happened to McCann, anyway?

You are technically right (which, according to Futurama, is the BEST kind of right) but everybody outside of the UK calls it the Premier League so as not to be confused. After all, I used to play in the Premier League when I was younger - but not the Premier League.

So that Westwood - what a player, eh? I reckon we have a gem on our hands and I think a midfield that has Gardener barking for a place will bring the best out of our incumbents (Westwood, Sylla, Delph).

If Kimi's going to throw punches he can start with his teammate.

It will be interesting - and I'm hoping it works too. However, that would require some loyalty from our better players, as changing squads often while selling our better players is no incentive for any player to stay long term and build something. Still, it's better than our previous patterns of "buy expensive experienced" players and end up no better than lower table.

I wouldn't say "absolutely nothing".... .. but I would say no more than we get from Bannan, Holman or KEA. Refreshingly, Ireland is exactly the type of transfer target that Lambert will ignore, so it's just a matter of time before these wasters are off the books for good.