Butterfingers

35 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

 

So, assuming McCormack signs what do we still need? For me in an ideal world its the following.

New starting CB 

New RB

Creative midfielder

On top of that if we can shift any of the dead weights and replace that would be ideal.

I still think we might look to bring in another striker as well but that's just a hunch. 

In this order:

1. Creative midfielder
2. Defensive midfielder to play alongside Tishbola
3. If we're not going with Adama then another creative/wide midfielder
4. RB
5. CB
6. Another striker

4 already in another 6 to go and keep Grealish, Amarvi, Aywe and Adama.

I'd be more than happy never to hear any others mentioned again-Certainly not as Villa players.

Realistically, Bacuna looks to be staying so I suppose I will have to live with that.

8 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

I think thats a excuse to be honest sharky, it doesnt take much to be better than some of these current squad players

It really isn't. To repeat a rather well worn phrase, the type of players we are looking at have other interest from other clubs, some cannot be released until their current club has got in a replacement. Deals take time to be done-There is more than just negotiating a transfer fee.

Please wait until the end of the transfer window. I know it's frustrating but that is how it works. This summer is no different to other summers.

7 minutes ago, decamoto said:

Not for one with 4 years left on his contract (supposedly), despite how you feel about him. 

Not sure what the relevance of his contract is? £5million for Clark is brilliant, whether he has 1 year or 10 years left on his deal.

These are the players who accept losing-It's all they've ever known at Villa. We need to eradicate ourselves of losers. Clark is not very good in any case.

1 hour ago, Pilchard said:

I'm not sure trying to do a part exchange is the sign of club who has much money.

Man City have part exchanged players with us. Often, the incentive of a player in exchange is the carrot required to clinch a deal. I wouldn't read anything negative into that.

There are very few full backs in the top division who can adequately perform at both ends of the field. Hutton & Cissosko certainly can't. I'd love us to go back to a 4-4-2.

We're wasting positions in midfield in any case with dross like Bacuna and Westwood.

Today showed me just how far we still have to climb-The TV didn't give the benefit of replays but that 2nd goal looked shocking. So reminiscent of last season.

I'm slightly less optimistic now about the season than I was at 3 o clock. Yes, friendlies mean little but there is so much work required still that it worries me. Maybe I was too eager to draw a line under last season.

I think it's nailed on that a striker will come in before Saturday. The defence gave me cause for concern 2nd half and the less said about the midfield, the better. Jordan Aywe showed today everything that frustrates me about him-He appeared to be neither a striker or a midfielder. I find him very individualistic. I worry he wiil not/can not form a partnership with a striker.

People need to be realistic here. He has a 4 year contract and is earning far, far more than he would anywhere else. Along with Gabby, he is virtually un-moveable. It may have been a tactic of RDM's man management to have made him captain the other day.

His comments were taken out of context. However, his attitude last season stank. I'm prepared to give him another chance. I don't for a minute think he's good enough to start for us-He will though get a chance at some point this season-It will then be up to him to prove me and many others wrong. It will depend on how much he really wants it. I have always felt that one of the bad apples from last season will turn it around-Bacuna has as much chance of doing so, if not more, than any of them.

1 minute ago, HanoiVillan said:

I don't need to come up with an alternative to Morrison. That's the job of professional scouts of football clubs, of which I am not one. 

Fine-So on that basis, if the professional scouts think Morrison can add something to the squad, then everyones happy.

27 minutes ago, 1958Villan said:

Don't you feel that Morrison and Barry would be large gambles, Jareth?

As opposed to sticking with, say Westwood and Sanchez?

I've read many posts against Morrison but not once have I seen a poster come up with a realistic alternative.

5 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said:

Benteke?

I never heard or read of those comments.

He was certainly good enough to be starting for us next season and given the amount of positions that already needed improving, another, unexpected one is the last thing we need with just over a week to go until the season starts.

I was never his biggest fan but appreciated he was good enough to start for us in the Championship. I think we all knew that some of our few "better" players would be leaving us and I'm guessing that I'm in the huge majority that would sooner wave goodbye to Gana than I would Aywe or Amavi (or even Adama)

Someone who claimed to be using us as a stepping stone was never going to be a hero here. I'd be surprised if he starts regularly at Everton, unless we see a different Gana to the one seen at Villa last year, given the opportunity to play with better players. My feeling is that he's used us as a stepping stone to become a bench warmer at Everton, so good luck with that.

I'm disappointed, especially given the timing but not overly upset by his loss.

10 hours ago, sidcow said:

If we weren't involved I would be looking at Everton from a distance and laughing.  They have finally got a bit of dosh then throw £7m on Gana. Not a player that anyone who wants to achieve anything should be signing. Reminds me of what we did a lot of when we were splashing it,  their version of Habib Beye? 

You seem to have overlooked the fact that we threw even more than £7m on Gana.

3 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:

This is a great post mate and put things into perspective.

I can sense myself getting impatient at times but this post as given me a nice big slap round the chops so thanks 

It is easy to forget Xia has been here for a very short amount of time and inherited a shambles. Same goes for Di Matteo. It is going to take a good while to right the many wrongs but progress is being made. We are going to have to show patience though as there will be no quick fix but if Xia is true to his words we will get there.

In fairness, most of the appointments were probably done and dusted longer than 6 weeks ago.

It is however important to remember the latter Lerner years and the abysmal summer windows. With Dr Xia we have hope, with Lerner we had none. It will take more than 1 window to sort this mess out.

There is a chance of a quick fix. We have money with more to come through sales. Spent wisely, its possible to get back up at the first attempt.

1 minute ago, mikeyp102 said:

I don't see him passing much. He gets the ball edge of the box and is always looking to beat his and get a shot off. Think his finishing is pretty good and if we get service to him in the box he'll thrive.

Definitely not the main striker I would expect more than 5-10 from him from the number 10 slot though.

Not bothered about losing him per se. What does bother me is that it's another position that needs filling before the end of August.

He was nailed on to start alongside Tishbola. I've seen people talk about Gardner playing there. For me that's not the answer and neither is anyone else at the club, with the possible exception of Westwood.

17 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

He wasn't even average by PL standards, I really do think he is over rated by many on here.

I think he improved as the season progressed. His work rate makes him an ideal candidate for that number 10 role as he's prepared to put it in going away from goal as well. I do think that he'd do well in this league.

1 minute ago, Delphinho123 said:

We're not comparing him to Benteke, nor saying he was good enough to keep us in the Premier League single handedly:

I think he is a ridiculously good striker to have at this level and losing him doesn't bear thinking about considering the alternatives...

 

No player from last season is irreplaceable.

Obviously in an ideal world he stays but if he were to go, our chances of promotion would not go with him.

We already appear to be quite far down the road of bringing in another striker-There will be a contingency for Aywe leaving as well.

Yes, we could do with keeping Aywe but lets not put him on too high a pedestal just yet.

11 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

Has to be said. Richards sticks out as one of the worst defenders that I've ever seen in all of my years watching the Villa. He is utter, unmitigated shite of the highest imaginable order.

Plus, for all the Sunderland fans reading this, not only is this bloke a total disaster at centre half, having zero awareness and ability to read the game and a stupid proclivity to run out to the halfway line with the ball, he is also a shambles at right back. His body simply isn't up to playing at right back and he can't get up and down the pitch like he used to. When he defends at right back he is just a poor defender, when he goes forward he's extremely average and then can't make the ground to get back. 

Finally, for Sunderland fans concerned about wages, he was on a shit load here, at least £60k pw so you better hope he's up for a pay cut.

He's already had his pay cut. It happened when we were relegated, along with the rest of the squad. If anything, he'll probably get a bit of a rise if he joins Sunderland.

1 minute ago, Zatman said:

in fairness a Kaboul/Richards partnership would be a similar comedy level of concentration as Lescott/Richards

The main man is Kone-I remember a suggestion that we were in for him at one point-He made a world of difference for them when he joined. Kabul is better than either Richards or Lescott.

If the fee is anywhere near £5million, they must surely be looking at him as a right back? He won't shift Kone  or Kabul in the centre.

He's actually not a bad right back, it's the demands of going forward that would concern me.

14 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Personally, striker wise I really like the look of that Bristol City bloke to the point where now I would almost be dissappointed if we don't sign him. Silly I know. Anyone know what happened to Oulare? I think some of us were talking about him last season too.

I'm very keen for him to come on board as well.

Like you, I would be disappointed if he doesn't sign. That said, I know we shouldn't go too over the to on a striker who is realistically going to cost around the same as Kozak or Gestede. I'm also sure that there could easily be a YT video made showing his bad bits, that would put us off.

Who else is there though? He looks strong, tall, agile and mobile-Just what we need. There is a possibility that he can raise his game and also a possibility that another striker will also sign. What is sure is that he'll be an improvement on what we have already.

16 minutes ago, Richie k said:

he got pepper sprayed, id be angry

How dare he display anger that his face was burned and came out in blisters?

What did he expect if he went to watch his team play abroad.

I said only last month during the Euros that we need to stand up to this shit because next time it could be our fans on the receiving end. Was the girl in the green top pissed up and causing trouble? What about the fat old boy? He looks like he's a scary hooligan doesn't he?

At least we actually had some police in the ground this time, unlike at the England v Russia game, even if they were the biggest hooligans there.

You lot are going to look rather silly if this doesn't come off..