uncy_chris

Des O'Connor > McLeish

So has anyone heard any offers to get this cheaper?

Did I just read '7 - Ashley Young' coming on for 'Bent'?

Is Nzog any worse than Downing, debatable, but if we get 20m for Downing you can't blame Wigan wanting the same.

It's the length left on the contract that makes all the difference though. If we keep Downing, will we expect the £20m next summer? No, of course we won't. So it stands to reason the N'Zog should be cheaper

Whelan hasn't said N'Zog is for sale for £20m. He said that players he reckons aren't as good are being sold for £20-30m. But if you take into consideration his contract situation, I doubt he's expecting more than £10-12m. He's just using the press to inflate the fee.

He's going to go isn't he?

At least now Arsenal are lodging bids we can try and play them off against each other to get the best price possible.

Worse case scenario:

Arsenal buy Downing

Liverpool buy N'Zogbia

We buy Shaun Wright Phillips

Given the summer we've had so far, I can almost see it happening

Fan-****-tastic! Blues and Blackpool down, we beat the Scousers, results go our way and we finish 9th for an extra 3m quid.

10 goals in 12 and a bit games, he is by far the best striker in the league

He's an excellent 'striker' but I'd put Van Persie, Tevez, Rooney, Drogba, Suarez above him in terms of all round forward play. But he's given us exactly what we've needed for years! All hail Dazza Bent

Moyes will only leave Everton if he thinks he's taken Everton as far as he can. Villa is a sideways step, and to be honest I can't see how we can offer him any more than what he has at the moment.

An ITK on the Newcastle forum says he's out for the rest of the season with ligament damage! FFS we'll never get rid of him if thats true.

Some other names not considered on that list:

Bert van Marwijk

Cesare Prandelli

Owen Coyle

Gus Poyet

Joachim Low

Laurent Blanc

Fatih Terim

Roberto Donadoni

Odds on SkyBet:

David Moyes

8/11

Rafael Benitez

4

Sam Allardyce

5

Mark Hughes

7

Kevin Macdonald

8

Martin Jol

8

Steve McClaren

8

Jurgen Klinsmann

12

Sven Goran Eriksson

12

Ray Wilkins

16

Gianfranco Zola

16

Didier Deschamps

20

Guus Hiddink

20

Fabio Capello

25

Frank Rijkaard

25

Louis Van Gaal

25

Slaven Bilic

25

Jose Mourinho

33

Martin ONeill

33

Diego Maradona

33

Gordan Cowans

50

Ray Graydon

50

Alan McInally

250

Morley Tony

500

How about Lippi!?

Pipe dream!

Personally, I like the way the club is trying to head. It's trying to play better football, employ better footballers who are known on the International stage and trying to employ tactics that are more than just 'get it out wide' or 'hoof it up to the striker'.

I have no doubt that Moyes is a good manager, however, I think to appoint him as manager would mean a return to football which wasn't appealing to watch at times. Moyes is equally as frustrating as O'Neill in the transfer market with regards to leaving it late, too. I like the direction the club has tried to move to - and it'd be a shame after the struggle this season to dump it when we've started to make progress. The style of play is also suiting our record signing rather well - I'm unsure whether Bent would be suitable in a 'Moyes' style team.

Martin Jol is available. Though his recent record is a little dodgy which would put me off. Rafa Benitez is desperate to get back into the Premiership too. He's upset Villa fans more than once though, and again, his recent record is hardly great. He has, however, had some fantastic achievments and I don't think our pride as fans should be put in front of the best for the club. Saying that, I know a ssection of fans would never accept him, just as they sadly refused to with Houllier before he'd taken charge of a game.

So where does that leave us? Goodness knows. But I'd like a manager who will try to continue the changes that Houllier has put in place since he joined the club. Another upheavel would mean yet another season is to be written off. O'Neill's departure timing ensured that last season. This season it's different - we know that it's pretty likely that he won't be in charge come next season. This time, we need to be fully prepared so to give whoever is in charge enough time to get pre-season preparations spot on and so we enter the season with half a chance of achieving something.

When O'Neill left, I was critical of the board for not having a football man on it to advise what is essentially a group of businessmen. Perhaps this is the chance to do something about it - with Houllier becoming technical director/advisor and moving forwards this way.

This is a good point and one of the reasons I'd really like to see us try for Deschamps. We need someone that can actually take us on to the next level, not just to where we were under MON. Deschamps took a Marseille team that other managers couldn't take past "serious challenger" and turned them into champions, and he looks like doing it again this year so it's not a one off.

As much as I'd like it, I don't see how Deschamps is a realistic target though - he's now managing a club thats regularly in the Champs League, so he's unlikely to want to test himself at a club like Villa who are still battling for a place in the CL. His stock has risen, and if he were to leave Marseille, it would be for one of the major European clubs (quite possibly Arsenal if Wenger leaves).

No. I find it hard to believe anyone could vote yes.

I think Houllier COULD turn it around (not saying he necessarily will), but that doesn't change the fact that the past 2 months have been basically awful.

Exactly my point of view.

I do think he has the potential to turn it round though, but it will require significant overhaul of the team (starting with the defence) and possibly a change in coaching staff / assistant manager.

I'm not sure whether it would be easier and more cost effective to just cut our losses with Houllier and bring in Moyes or someone similar at the end of the season.

Apart from a 10 minute spell in the first half where we kept the ball well without doing anything, there was nothing particularly positive to say about last night's performance. The fans kept the ball better than Villa's players.

I was surprised about the selection, but to be honest - it was the more experienced midfield/attack who were poorest. The selection wasn't THAT bad, but it was poor in comparison to City who have immense strength in depth.

I was at the game and didn't even realise Petrov was playing until mid way through the second half! That shows how poor a game he had. Bradley was misplacing passes and not the ball winner some had built him up to be. Heskey did F All, Delfouneso and Gabby hardly made any impact.

I suppose GH thought this would be a chance for some of his squad players to make a point and force their way into the first 11. If we think back to the Blackpool home game, Holloway tried the same thing and swapped his whole team. It almost worked for him, but last night it backfired for GH big time.

Going to this tonight with a mate whose a City fan. We'll be sat in the City end, so if we score it could be pretty awkward!

Awesome - zombies on a tropical island!

Have we had any decent efforts on goal yet?

Utd's team looks pretty strong. Not expecting a result, but still put a quid on Aberdeen and villa to win tonight. If that happens, £60 in the bank.

**** a duck - Carroll for £35-40m is the most mental purchase ever. I'd have taken £15m if I was Newcastle.

Anyway, if Carroll does leave, you'd think Newcastle will do all they can to get Ireland in because they won't have time for much else.

Spurs got £6-8m from the Bent deal didn't they?

Bradley is indeed coming on loan with option to buy at the end of the season...

Source??

FANCY SAUCE

-----------Friedel---------

Walker Cuellar Collins Clark

-----------NRC-------------

--------- Bannan----------

Albrighton--------downing

------------Young---------

-----------Heskey---------