Daholteend

5 shopping days before the deadline. If you had just one purchase and say 6M to spend what would your choice be ? Mine would have been Joey Barton, what's yours?

It would shake up a few sides and would make me want to travel to the reebok on our away games ! ooops sorry Sam did we bruise a few of your lads egos too?

Joey Barton anyone ?

I doubt that they have "verbally" or "implicitly" given any indication whatsoever , OF. MON has impressed me by the way he keeps his team and himself tight lipped until the appropriate time arrives. I suspect that these musings have emerged from other parties and just like Chelsea, Schalke, Hamburg and Bremen may come to nought. Only ten days left. All will be revealed in the fulness of time, or at least by 31/01/07 in this case

If Baros leaves we HAVE to find two strikers IMO, any or all of the above . If we don't get any strikers at all then we can expect to be struggling for points and any outside hope of making it into the top 6 would be hard to accomplish.

Problem for January transfers is like trying to sell your house and the person that wants to buy it has to sell their own house first. Likewise many clubs will not want to let their players go unless they have lined up a replacement. Spurs for example may well be interested in Bent or SWP. However, they won't be letting Defoe or Keane go unless they know for certain that any of those they want to bring in have signed. This was probably the issue with Milner at the last minute of the Summer transfer window. Roeder and Shepherd perhaps had a player lined up that at the last minute changed their minds and and so they recalled Jim lad . Bear the above in mind when you get frustrated by the seeming lack of action thus far. MON and his assistants are working hard at bringing in the right players and have to wait for all the ducks to line up in a row before they see a result. When you get really anxious just imagine trying to sell your house and get it all closed, signed sealed and delivered in the space of 30 days...... ask your family solicitor, it just doesn't happen that way. There may be good argument for getting the Football Associations at some stage in the future to consider changing the rules on length of time that this window lasts. I daresay every team would benefit by adding an extra two or three weeks.

I'm not talking about rebuilding Aston, just polishing up the walk between train stations and the ground so that visitors don't get lost and to add to the whole Villa experience. I agree with you TSV. I also enjoyed your post and comments on your recent visit to Birmingham. If Aston Villa was located in the USA I think the host city as a matter of civic pride would have contributed something towards the immediate areas around and approaching Villa Park. As it is, Aston Villa is proudly located in B6 and British local governments and authorities barely keep up with the tasks they are mandated to do so we would be lucky if the public sector steps up and says "OK Chaps here is a non repayable grant to go and spruce up your local square mile." Nice thought if that would ever happen but this is merry old England after all. Any sprucing up of the area most likely would have to come from the private sector and first of all for Aston Villa such charity (and costs) begins at home as with the restoration of the Holte Hotel. The General has indicated that there are a number of other projects that are to be addressed in the immediate Villa vicinity. However, there may be an other alternative for Aston Villa. We have heard musings about the possibility of Aston Villa finding a major sponsor possibly in the form of renaming parts or the whole of Villa Park. As proud supporters of a club that has been located at Villa Park for over 100 years there may be some resistance to a renaming of Villa Park hypothetically and for the sake of example something like "MBNA Stadium" . However, it might be a reasonable way around the issue to say rename the pitch to something like "The MBNA Arena at Villa Park", OR even better than that, lobby the local governments to rename our square mile neighbourhood of Aston to Villa Park and then call the stadium what you will. Everyone will know that the stadium is located at Villa Park. It might also be feasible to find more than one sponsor, say one for the naming of the stadium within Villa Park and possibly several others for parts of the Villa Park square mile and then the new sponsors could bear the costs of sprucing up the Villa Neighbourhood while at the same time promoting themselves in association with Aston Villa. Every body wins . This may sound convoluted but who knows Villa's executives might find something in the idea.

........a non fickle bunch of fans? It is nearly the 7th on Jan....... so there are 24 days left of the window and many more pages to come surely? Denis_B, the term "fickle fan" cannot be attributed to drat01...... he was one of the 5 that liked him and sat on planes together discussing the theory of the dialectic as it relates to Irishmen. Meanwhile back on topic; 300 pages of sheer entertainment and not just a little tint of dreaming. Great stuff IMO . We will all miss this window when it closes so enjoy it while it lasts. I have no doubt whatsoever that Aston Villa will be making announcements this month of new arrivals. If the rumour mill and our dreams are anything to go by I believe we can expect a new full back and at least one striker and perhaps MON will surprise us all with two. The remaining question is whether there will be more than one exit from the team? We have already seen at least two players on loan at the Britannia Stadium. We have also been stunned with the good news that Baros' career may not be heading in the wrong direction after all. I thoroughly expect at least another 300 pages of rumour and excitement and a fair amount of entertaining B.S. before the month is done. UP THE VILLA!

One thing is certain OBE and that is if the General does pick up any jewellery (or jewelry as Americans spell it) it won't be a golden lucky charm depicting a thong for Mrs Krulak to add to her bracelet Meanwhile back on topic, OBE you are absolutely right. There is no reason why Aston Villa can't begin a revitalisation of the "Villa Neighbourhood" . I will not be surprised to hear that that is on the agenda along with the Holte Hotel restoration. I believe I read earlier in this thread that AVFC have considered ways of making Aston or Witton stations more attractive with claret and blue colours. For new visitors to Villa Park how about claret and blue arrows leading the trail to Villa Park all the way from both stations like the colour coded directions you see sometimes in hospitals to help you find your way around only in this case along the streets and pavements. No doubt the City Council is going to have some obstacles or permit requirements for something like this but something along those lines might be achieved if it would help boost the appearances and the user friendliness of the Villa Experience.

General Krulak , As far as I can see, Christmas came to Villa fans in August this year. Randy Lerner turns out to be our Father Christmas aka Santa Claus, Martin o'Neill was our gift and You have turned out to be the icing on the cake ! Merry Christmas to our American Cousins! Viz your coining the phrase of "Martin's Marines" I imagine that you will hear a few Villa fans now claim that in January " All we need is a few good men" . You know the kind, the ones like Jack Nicholson who played the role of Col. Jessep in the movie with Tom Cruise and said " Walk softly and carry an armored tank division, I always say. "

I think it is fair to say that Gidman had a better "eye" for football than Ellis did for business (there is a reason for two winks )

I am not going to worry about MON's signings until midnight January 31st. We will then be in a better position to comment on his successes. Every manager has a "style" and some like MON know how to use the media as a tool. The key element to all our surmising is to understand that MON is going to invest wisely on behalf of Randy Lerner. None of us should expect that money will be thrown at players over and above their potential value for Aston Villa. That kind of strategy is best left to the Risdales, TPMWSNLBMBN and Leeds United. We all know where Leeds United are placed today don't we?

It's only taken 38 years but the REAL Aston Villa Club and Fan base is back! Aston Villa must have done something right in it's 132 year or so history to have attracted a billionaire owner who every day looks more like a philantrophist than a capitalist. Let there be no doubt that Randy Lerner has empowered some of the very best managers and executives to lead Aston Villa into the 21st century and back to the pride that our grandfathers had before us in the Real Aston Villa. Paddy, I am delighted that AVFC looked after you so well. Get well as soon as possible and keep that Villa Feelgood Factor strong. On another note I am very pleased that some of what we post on these message boards has been attended to. Like many I read the General's thread regularly and get a huge smile seeing the General get to work to make things happen. Have a good Christmas Paddy. Aston Villa has gone a long way to show that it cares about it's supporters. The contrast between this season so far and the previous 38 years is so vast it doesn't even stand further comment.

Would you believe it? MON goes to watch Nugent and McSheffrey scores a hattrick !!!! Maybe the new tactic should be to buy McSheffrey just to get him out of the sha team and make it harder for them to get promoted back to the Prem ! Failing that, would some one give the General better co-ordinates or more accurate cruise missiles ?

That kind of quote just makes Defoe, Keane and perhaps Nugent the more viable options but if I were to guess at this stage I wouldn't be surprised if MON has his eyes on someone completely different. It is just going to make January 2007 more entertaining for us than it has been since the whole idea of transfer windows was created.

Oh it's the Sun ! Not even Klose

This is excellent news General. Every Villa fan has the utmost respect for Ron Saunders. It will be good to see him at Villa Park once again. Let's hope he get's to witness the first of 3 wins this season against "the red devils" . Will he bring his boots ? MON is pretty good at persuading older centre forwards that they can play another game All joking aside, it is refreshing to see that the new management consistently walks the talk. The good news just keeps getting better. We have to decide what else we want for Christmas since it came early this year!

Apparently Villa's scouts have been watching Portsmouth's right back Andy Griffin whose is on loan at Stoke City with Guess Who ? Wonder if our ' arry will want to make a swap ? Griffin

Bellamy scored a brace and assisted with the third in Liverpool's 4 goal win over Wigan. I can't see Benitez letting him go unless he can make a 2 or 3M profit which means 8 or 9M or more for CB. Do we really think that MON will pay that for Bellamy? Bearing in mind MON's discipline requirements, I am not sure that Craig and Martin will suit each other without a few compromises. Meanwhile back to the Defoe / Bent betting

RANDY + MON + ASTON VILLA + THE GENERAL + THE FANS = EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS !! Thank You General, We Love the Message ! Thank You John Creswell and all the other Volunteers for dedicating your time and efforts to improve the fortunes of Aston Villa for all of us .

There is always a rumour going around that the flavour of the month is being linked with Man U for 12M. It's just the press getting a wind up over Bent and Defoe. I doubt that Man U if interested at all in either one would buy both of them. With Rooney already carved in stone, what striker is going to want to be a bench warmer when you are already in Spurzzz rotation or guaranteed a first team place at Aston Villa. I am really going to enjoy January when it gets here. In the meantime all the top players are going to be linked with Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool . Soon there will be a day that Villa is included in that list when the Big 4 becomes the Big 5.

I love this ! 20 words to communicate the priority at Aston Villa. Music to my ears !

Is anybody aware of any updates about Villa's interest, if any, in Richard Stearman and Shaun Maloney ? Also, does anyone have a view on Scunthorpe's Billy Sharp ? I thought he played a good game against us and I am sure MON can't have missed him either.

I have heard Roeder linked with every freaking player from here to Timbuktu. I wish the belgravia group would put them both out of their miseryand let the codes slide to the Fizzy Pop. Scott Brown who was tagged in September as a possible MON target is being reported as eyeing up a move to Rangers for 3M. Does any one have any news or rumours that Villa are still interested in Brown ?

General Krulak, Since it is Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, November 23rd, in the USA, so many Villa Fans are more than Thankful that you, Randy Lerner, Martin O'Neill and your colleagues on the new Board of Directors at Villa Park have joined our community. When you sit with your families and friends on Thursday we want you to know that many of us are sending you our Thanks for what you have achieved and will achieve in the coming years with us. We wish you a peaceful, happy holiday and also wish your Father good health and happiness. Thank You!