ml1dch

Spoken like a true loser. I watched Villa win the big one in 82. If we are ever to compete at this level again we need to act like we mean it. For Christs sake mate we're the second city of Britain ,former champions of Europe, with one of the best managers around. If we can't attract them now we never will. It seems some Villa fans just don't know how big their own club is.

Believe what you like. If you think that the average player is going to choose us over Man Utd or Arsenal at the moment then you are wrong. Simple as that.

We've not been turning up for far too long, and it's not going to be a case of just turning up at the top table and expecting everything to be like it was in the early 1980s. Life doesn't work like that, and there's a lot of work to be done first.

The boy is absolute quality , scores for fun even when his team is not playing well

I bet Les Reed wishes that he had more fun while he was manager. Considering he hadn't scored a goal in two months before last night.

I hear Robert Earnshaw is available for £4M.............. portsmouth are interested, now for me this kid is the best striker outside the premiership and could easily play in the premiership.........(12 league goals in only 15 league starts for baggies proves that) plus hes rapidly fast, works hard, granted not the greatest all round player but for me would be a far greater goalthreat than any of our forwards at present............. and that is what we need, a player who can nick goals and poach in the box........ and hes scored 147 league & cup goals in less than 250 games, thats topclass whatever the level, plus not withstanding 9 international goals in 20caps........... for me if were looking for a striker this las is well worth the punt........

If we are ever to compete with likes of Arsenal,Liverpool,Man. Utd, etc (Chelsea are a different kettle of fish). Then we need to be signing players they would also be interested in.

The slight flaw in your plan of world domination is that if the likes of Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal are interested in a player then they will be going to them. Not us.

The next step on the ladder is attempting to sign the level of player that the likes of Newcastle, Spurs and Bolton are after. As much as that might hurt, it's the state we find ourselves in. We need to be attracting players of the quality of Parker, Anelka and Malbranque to make the next step, as for the last five years or so, we've found ourselves on a tier below them regarding transfers.

At the moment we're not competing with the likes of "Arsenal,Liverpool,Man. Utd" and we're not going to be signing their targets. Not for a long while yet.

I think I would rather him to Bent actually.

At the moment I think I would as well, but 2 months ago it would have been the other way around. Now that Defoe is scoring and Bent isn't (tonight notwithstanding) he seems the more attractive proposition.

Still don't think we'll get him though.

Fergerson has said Smith aint going anywhere.

Thank goodness for that.

No need for that. Next time a card

Signing Darren Bent would not only be a signing of a great player, but also a great signal to the fans as well as the other clubs around we are here to make business.

....and Viduka? :?

I'd agree with that.

Wouldn't complain about him leading our line until the summer when we get a proper one in.

Is it Villa specific, or Football specific, I wonder?

I imagine it's education specific. If you asked the same question on Holtearmy.com or the Official Site boards, I imagine you wouldn't have a similar breakdown.

The Metro mostly, as I can't be bothered to pay for one on the train each day.

On Saturdays mainly The Guardian, because the sports section is excellent, "the Guide" is the best media/TV thing available (either free or purchased) and the quiz in the magazine is the most challenging thing you'll find for your brain on a Saturday morning.

Normally end up throwing the rest of the thing away though.

I'm with you that there is some quality overseas to be tapped into but it seems like January we'll be purchasing from the championship and if we're lucky, premiership.

And Celtic, obviously.

We def. need a CD and Distan seems to be a perfect fit. And we need a right winger and a striker more than an replacement for left wing - and I really think that Lee could do a job for us there.

As has been said, we have 3 decent centre halves fit and several full backs who can play there. And a striker who has played there with some success.

And our current player of the season so far is our left winger. For the moment I think we're ok to leave Lee where he is. Or on the bench at best.

I wondered about that slight bit of craziness. Surely if we're after a decent left-winger (one of which we already have) then we will buy one, we won't let a player who can barely get into the squad play as first choice, out of position.

Wednesday: "Darius Vassell isn't for sale, he's an integral part of my plans"

Saturday: "Darius Vassell has been sold to Manchester City for a pittance and three buttons"

"And in any case why should James Milner want to leave Newcastle United?

Does he really want an answer to that?!

To build an entire team of Championship players would probably make us end up in the Championship

Foster

Stearman

Davies

Jaidi

Bale

Sidwell

Cahill

McSheffery

Ashton

Nugent

Bent

All players playing in or bought from the Championship. I bet that team would put up a pretty good account of themselves in the Premiership.

Cracking goal at the weekend as well. Wouldn't say no.

Nothing is even slightly reliable unless it contains direct quotes from the player or the manager involved. And even some of those ones are dodgy smokescreens.

He would be a good signing.

Please tell me this davies that keeps popping up on the list isn't boltons kevin davies.

West Brom's Curtis.

I do love the idea of a 6' 5" athlete-beast in our back line, though!

So do I. Although I hate the idea of a lump like Balde in our back line.

Some of our better buys have come from lower league/standard clubs.

not necessairly. stone, boulding, balaban etc. but i can see your point

Which is why he said some. Obviously not all have.

And Stone was bought from a club who at the time were in the Premiership.

Unbelievable.

For years we have been complaining that the club does not spend enough in the transfer market and basically does not back the manager correctly. Well if just the list of 5 players that seems to be mentioned are bought (5 players FFS) then it's likely to be anything from 15 to 20M, and people still seem unhappy.

That's because they see the club finally having money to spend and want it spent on players that they rate.

You may rate Nugent, Bobo Balde, Philip Bardsley, but others may not and will see it as a waste of money.

It's about bringing in the right players, not how much money they spend.

And yes, trust Martin O'Neill etc, but people are allowed opinions on whether they rate a player or not. For example, I think Bardsley would be a waste of money as he's nothing better than what we've got and that Curtis and Nugent are both over rated. If O'Neill wants them, go and get them, but it's not going to stop me being disappointed that it isn't a player that I rate.

But this is all to do with expectations.

If people 'rate' Darren Bent, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Scott Parker, Stephen Appiah, and Robbie Keane and have decided that they are gettable, then if players who aren't as good as them are signed then they are bound to be disappointed.

At the moment, we don't know whether we will be buying the SWP level of player, the James Milner level player or the Lee Cook level of player. Depending on how you have personally set your level of expectation dictates how disappointed you will be.

There may be fans who have set their level of expectation at the Henry/Gerrard/Terry level of player, and will thus be unhappy if we sign less than that. Who knows.

looks like its gonna be nugent :? wont be impressed with that signing i must admit

Because you'd rather have Bardsley? :shock:

if we signed

davies, bardsley, swp/milner and a DM id be happy with that

Striker?