macandally

Downing stated he wanted to move long before McLeish was ever appointed

Did he?? Or did he say that he wasnt going to sign a new contract?? Would you given Houlliers condition and the uncertainty over who would replace him?

Why don't you wait to see whether Downing is sold this summer, let alone for less than £20m, before banging the same drum?

I can see him going as I firmly believe that we are facing an uphilll struggle to keep him at Villa and convince him of our ambitions.

If you want to argue that point as the basis of my opinion then that is your perogative.

Believing that a different manager of virtually any calibre would change the money focused minds of agent and player is very, very naive.

Players want to play, enjoy playing and be succesful or believe they can be succesful. They also want to be paid the same as their peers.

Agents dont get paid unless they transfer players, therefore they will always be looking to engineer a move.

Is that naive enough for you?? I am old enough to understand the world, but the most damaging aspect to me is still the fact that our ambitions are shot! Downing will go this window, as despite McLeish telling a fans forum it would take a ridiculous bid, that ridiculous bid appears to be less than a 20 year old from Sunderland.

Says it all to me.

After 'Tin Tin' was appointed by the board i stated on here that Downing would leave.

Bent will be next, maybe not until January but he will be off too.

This. How people can argue that a higher profile manager wouldnt have acted as a reassurance of our ambition to Downing is beyond me.

The ship was rocking last year and Downing knew Young was going so his head was turned, the right managerial appointment would not only have convinced the fans of our ambition, it would have done the same to the players.

I honestly dont value your opinion and so to save arguments, i will just ignore anything you write from now on.

Cheers.

I guess the feeling is mutual, not quite sure where your football knowledge comes from but I am sure it is digital.

agree. Easily replaceable

Are you for real. An England international who was our player of the year last year but we can easily replace him??

Just like we easily replaced our last player of the year.........oh hang on!!

The fact you champion Kris Commons as a potential solution to our current attacking situation speaks volumes.

How on earth you came to that conclusion is anybodys guess.

I will give you a clue Mr Argumentative, Goals and Assists not tackles and clearances.

Fantasy Premier League 2010/2011

Charles N'Zogbia (age 25) - 167 points (2785 minutes played, 9 goals, 7 assists, 33 bonus points)

Stewart Downing (age 26) - 163 points (3385 minutes played, 7 goals, 9 assists, 18 bonus points)

Ash Young (age 25) - 160 points (3050 minutes played, 7 goals, 11 assists, 27 bonus points)

N'zogbia seems to be a similar calibre of player to Young and Downing.

Would be a good replacement.

Whilst this shows the respective merits of each in attacking sense, what it doesnt show is/was how reliable Downing and Ash are in working back to support their fullback. Something N'Zogbia is not reknowned for?

Is it really the only thing that has changed? No the change of manager indicates far more than just a change of manager

This. If you cant see the signals that the appointment of McLeish sends out then you must be blind or stupid!

If we hold out for a big enough fee for Downing that would cover the cost of purchasing both N'Zogbia and Foster, then would most people think that the club had done good business?

No, an England International with a creative spark for a problem child and a relegated keeper.

Get rid, bring in Bentley and Nzogbia as replacements.

Thats the most uninspiring thing I have read since the appointment of McLeish. Waste of money both.

The point is, players will want to be part of a club that is progressing, competing and with a positive message. We have lost all of that in the space of two years. The rights and wrongs of ONeill aside, the reason players like Young, Downing, Milner etc joined us was because we looked to be on the up.

Now, we are heading in the opposite direction, the appointment of McLeish sends out a signal of resignation and even with 40 million to spend I fail to see how he can inspire quality players such as Downing or the like to sign or re-sign. Its no good having a big kitty if players are seeing a club losing its quality players. If Downing goes, I will be surprised if Bent is still here in January.

OMG, woke up this morning hoping this was all just a bad dream..............................but its really happening :-(

So get behind the team for next season or risk making Me,You,Randy and AVFC look like fools.

In fairness, after the last two weeks and this friggin appointment I dont think Randy and AVFC need any help doing that.

We haven't ever been IN with a shout of the top four. Why do people keep saying this. We should be happy to be in the top 6 (or 7 now really) and that's that. We wont finish any higher, its impossible on the budget we have. Plain and simple.

Forget Champions League, a decent cup and a few memorable victories is all we ever hope to achieve without a sugar daddy. Have absolutely no illusions about that.

So going back four, nearly five years ago when ONeill came in on a wave of feelgood factor, then Doug left and Randy took over, YOU NEVER thought top four was possible. Genuinely!!

You really must be Mr Negative!!

Good luck to those who are big enough to see some form of positives, or more likely are resigned to the fact that there is nothing we can do.

I wish I could be like that, but as much as I support this club, the appointment of McLeish feels like we are running a white flag up the pole of the top four. We have failed and now the agenda is totally differant, we are no longer anything more than a team hoping for the UEFA Cup place and maybe a good cup run.

Very, very sad day.

Cant believe some of the shite im reading about Randy

I think you have to expec that unfortunately. The fans have done what they can, first reasoned argument via forums and emails to the club. Then by protest via facebook and outside the ground. Finally, the last straw is to lash out at those they believe to be culpable, in this case, Randy and the board.

I cannot believe how disappointed I feel. All those years of yo yoing with Doug, feeling like we were nearly there then failing when it mattered most. The appointment of ONeill quickly followed by Randy buying the club generated a massive feel good factor at the club and amongst the fans. That feeling, along with the 5 year plan has gradually eroded and I genuinely feel that we are now at a stage where Villa are stagnant at best, declining at worst.

I will always support the club, I dont know how not to. But the money I have spent on merchandise and watching games with my kids will stop. McLeish (if appointed) is on a hiding to nothing. I cannot possibly see a way for him to win. We will not go on massive winning streaks, we will not be competing for players like Young, Delph, Bent and Downing any more as we dont have the draw of a charasmatic manager or the feel of a club on the up. We are destined for mediocrity, again, a feeling that I have had for more than 30 or my 40 years as a fan.

I had hoped my kids could expect better.

Gutted, the day the dream died