Villaninoz

It's quite obvious what has happened in my eyes. Since UEFA have bought in the financial fair play rules, Lerner and the mug that is Faulkner have decided it is a good idea and should be stuck to at all costs, unlike teams like City and Chelsea that have found ways around it.

The big problem here is that we don't have the global fan base or pulling power of the big teams like united to turn over enough revenue to have a high wage bill and so he seems hellbent on getting the wage bill down at all costs to fit within the FF. they have mentioned several times in the past how they want to build a sustainable club, but I'm not sure how they think this will happen by either being in a relegation battle or even the championship?

I think Lerner is to blame for what is going on as he is the owner and ultimately it must come down to him, but I do also think he is being greatly ill advised, and that mug Faulkner is the number one culprit there.

For me the best thing I can see happening in to current climate is Faulkner getting sacked/leaving or a director of football coming in.

Great article in the Daily Mail with Carbone about his time in England...

Click Here

EXCLUSIVE: Benito Carbone reveals the incredible financial sacrifice he made just to keep Bradford alive: 'It cost me £3m but I could not kill my club'

Benito Carbone will scarcely believe his eyes when he tunes in on Tuesday night and sees Bradford City take their place in the Capital One Cup semi-final against another of his former clubs Aston Villa.

Now coach of Italian side Vallee d’Aoste, he certainly found it hard to believe his ears when Sportsmail caught up with him on Saturday night and explained the purpose of our visit to his team hotel, ahead of their game with FBC Unione Venezia.

With a look bordering on incredulity, he repeated each word, before adding one or two of his own. ‘Bradford in the semi-final? Incredible. I had no idea. When I left, I could never envisage that happening. Never in a million years.’

Recalling his time in England: Benito Carbone talks about his time at Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and Bradford City

The League Two club have caught a few people unawares with their Cup exploits, but Carbone has good cause for being more surprised than most. His last contact with anyone at Valley Parade came in the form of a phone call from the then club chairman, Geoffrey Richmond, that left him in little doubt about the implications of Bradford’s impending administration.

It was 12 and a half years ago, but he can remember every syllable. By the time he put the phone down, he was effectively £3.32million poorer.

‘He just said to me: “Benny, we’re in trouble. We can’t pay you any more”,’ Carbone recalled.

‘He explained how bad the situation was, and so I said: “Don’t worry, Mr Chairman, I am not going to kill the club.”

Split loyalties: Carbone played for both Bradford and Aston Villa during his time in England

‘I had two years left, but what could I do? I thought of all the fans who had invited me to functions and given me awards, and I couldn’t do it to them. I left without the money I was owed, but with a clear conscience.’

Richmond blamed ‘six weeks of madness’ for Bradford’s financial meltdown, in a reference to the summer of 2000, when Carbone arrived on £40,000 a week over four years, alongside the likes of former Chelsea defender Dan Petrescu and ex-Barnsley striker Ashley Ward, and a fortune was committed to expanding the main stand.

Bradford were relegated a year later and in administration a further 12 months down the line.

After securing a gesture from Carbone that at least gave them hope of survival, Richmond cleared his desk and drove away in tears.

He has not been back since, but Carbone was happy enough to revisit the scene of Bradford’s darkest hour, as we chatted at Vallee d’Aoste’s base near Venice’s Marco Polo Airport. The package Richmond put to him included a house in Leeds with seven bedrooms and five bathrooms and is forever linked with Bradford’s descent into financial ruin.

It hardly seems fair to point an accusing finger at Carbone, though, given the way negotiations unfolded. Not to mention the ultimate settlement in which he waved goodbye to 80 per cent of the £4.16m he was entitled to in unpaid wages.

‘When it was time to leave Villa, there was interest from Fiorentina in Italy but also from Coventry, Everton and Bradford,’ he said.

‘Bradford’s offer was the best, and when I spoke to the chairman, it was clear how much he wanted me. He needed a big player to take them forward in the Premier League. If some people see that as the start of their downfall, all I can say is no-one forced him.

‘I didn’t hold a pistol to his head and say I want this and that or I won’t sign. I could not foresee what was going to happen. He was happy to offer me four years, and I thought, by the end of it, we would be firmly established as a Premier League team. All I could think was: “This guy is ambitious. He wants to make things happen. I like that.”

‘To be fair to him, he tried. He spent a lot, but it was not enough. There were still a lot of players who had come up from the Championship, Dan Petrescu was nearing the end of his career and one or two he bought were not at the level needed.

‘If you have six or seven really good players, you have a chance against Manchester United or anyone else. If you have only one or two, you will lose 8-0. Another manager said at the time: “Opponents are often wrong-footed by Benny’s movement, but at Bradford his team-mates are, too.”

‘I know what he meant. As a player, I always knew what I was going to do before the ball arrived at my feet. In the Premier League, you need more players like that.

Star performer: Carbone enjoyed his time at Sheffield Wednesday playing under Ron Atkinson (below)

‘More than we had. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but that’s how it was. We had good players, but maybe not quite good enough.

‘I was devastated when we went down. Bradford had invested a lot of faith — as well as money — in me. It was a nice feeling to be the best player in the team, but there was a huge weight of responsibility.

‘I thought of all the awards the fans had given me, all the trust that had been placed in me, and it was like I had let them down. I thought back to signing my contract, and the high hopes we all had, and it hurt to think we had failed.

‘I was loaned out to Derby and Middlesbrough the next season, and finally the call came from the chairman. He said: “Benny, I know you have two years left, but if you stay, it will finish us.”

‘Normally, if a club want you out, they pay up your contract, but I knew the effect that would have.

‘I agreed to walk away, but it was some sacrifice. I don’t know if other players would have done that.

‘I hadn’t earned anything like the amounts on offer in the Premier League today, and I had a young family. But when I thought about it, there was only one choice I could make. I couldn’t be the person who put Bradford City out of business.’

.

Carbone has happier memories of Sheffield Wednesday and Villa, even if it took a fall-out with current England coach Roy Hodgson to trigger his move to England.

‘When Hodgson took over at Inter Milan, he decided I should play wide on the right, instead of my true position as second striker,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t happy, but he said I could continue there or leave, because he would go out and sign Youri Djorkaeff to replace me. That was the choice, so I left.

‘Wednesday was fantastic. So much so, I stayed three years. I played for 17 clubs, and the last one, Pavia, was the only other where I stayed that long.

‘I sometimes look at pictures with my headband on and hair flying in the wind, and it brings back all the memories. It was magical playing alongside Paolo Di Canio. We were mates, and our families spent a lot of time together in Sheffield, but it was on the pitch where we really clicked.

‘We spoke the same language. Not just Italian, but in football terms.

‘We were on the same wavelength, and it was one of the best spells of my career.’

The only regret was the way it finished. ‘There were problems in the dressing room in my final season. It became two Italians on one side, and the English players on the other. It was partly my fault. I should have tried harder to mix with the others.

‘The problem was they would invite me for a pint, but I didn’t drink. I have always been teetotal, so I never joined them. That’s where I went wrong. I was only 24. I’m 40 now, older and wiser, and if I could rewind, I would go with them, order a coke and laugh at any stick about being a lightweight.

‘That way, we would have got on. It’s the English mentality to go for a pint, and I should have realised.

‘I never had any problem with the managers. Ron Atkinson was my favourite. He just wanted me and Paolo to go out and play. We loved that.

‘I always thought of Villa as a big club, with history and tradition.

‘Even so, I might have missed out on the highlight of my time in England, but for John Gregory.

‘I was feeling bad and missing home, and I told him I wanted to go back to Italy. He wouldn’t have it. He told me: “You’re going nowhere, Benny. I need you here. We’ve got an FA Cup tie against Leeds tomorrow night. You’ll feel a lot better after you’ve scored a couple of goals against them.”

Talking a good game: Carbone with Sportsmail's John Edwards

'In the event, I scored a hat-trick, and we won 3-2. The trust he showed in me, and the reaction of Villa supporters, convinced me I was in the right place. Wherever I went, they would shake my hand or give me a hug.

‘Some would come up to me and start bowing. It made me feel special.’

The odd fleck of grey apart, Carbone looks as youthful as ever. Management has yet to take its toll on his appearance, though it will be given every chance to, if he has his way. Vallee d’Aoste play in the fourth tier of Italian football and a 2-2 draw at Unione Venezia was further evidence of the team’s steady revival since Carbone was appointed earlier this season. But he is already setting his sights higher.

Fanfare: Carbone with Bradford fans after signing a four-year deal in 2000

‘The ultimate aim is to manage in the Premier League,’ he said. ‘There is still work to be done here, but I would love to follow Paolo into English football as a coach. I would bring plenty of passion to the job. I stand by the side of the pitch the whole 90 minutes, but I do not scream at players. I reason with them and talk all the time. You need to get to know your players and what makes them tick.’

And what of the meeting of his two former clubs for a place at Wembley?

‘Did Bradford really beat Arsenal in the last round? That’s incredible. They’ve got nothing to lose and will give it everything. Villa have everything to lose. Going out now, to a team in the fourth division, could be a real blow to morale.

‘I wouldn’t want that to happen. I’m really pleased Bradford are on their way back, but I’ve got to side with Villa.’

One of my favourite players down the years and sounds like a great man also...

(Sorry if this has been posted elsewhere. I couldn't see it but if it is then please delete the thread)

No way Vlaar is a CB, too flat footed to play midfield

What we need is a proper DCM. Someone who can orchestrate a game.

That makes no sense at all???

You say Vlaar isn't a centre back as he is too flat footed for a midfielder???

God you talk some shite, which i put down to you either being under 12 or just dumb!

PL you have made my life take a turn for the worse, last year under AM I had a wonderful quality of life and I think we sold get back to this style ASAP! I'd wake up on a Monday morning nice a refreshed from my weekend of early nights and plenty of sleep and now I have late Saturday nights to look forward to, currently the game kicks off at midnight, but that will soon change to 2am which isn't good when you have a 3 year old! This means Monday mornings will be a red eye affair again for the majority of the season and I will be back to my sleep deprived lifestyle once more...

Thank f@ck I don't like sleeping as the way he has us playing is a joy too watch and Saturday nights are a joy once again :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:

Everybody MAN the **** up. Lambert knows what he is doing, he will get the best out of All our players, I'm sure we will finish in the top 10..Lets get the positivity back, Yes we have a poor squad, But our Manager is top class. Lamberts got this.

Well said mate!

Some people on this site are a **** joke. I cant believe the last few pages of shit I have read and shows how high the IQ of some on here is.

One game onto a new season/era and it's the same bullshit! Even MCLeish got more time than some are giving PL already.

I think I'll stick to twitter for my transfer news from now on...at least I can block what I want on there. This site has gone down in the last few years and is now just a whinge pit for the depressants with every thread ending up the same way.

Sick of listening to retards, I'm off to going back and enjoying watching my football and the new exciting brand that PL is trying to bring to our great club.

Not a big fan of Defoe... In fact I think he is a one trick pony, get the ball-turn the defender-hit the ball hard and straight! Some go in, some hit the keeper.

He does score goals, and is seen as similar to Bent, although Bent scores most of his in the 6 yard box and Defoe scores most of his outside.

I've thought there is no way these two can lay together as they are Both goalscorers...

But the more I think about it the more I think it could work!

If you have a midfield creating goals, the surely 2 finishers is better than one? If Ireland, Holman, Bannan, N'Zogbia, Gardner etc are threading balls through the middle then surely two players like this would be the Ones you want one the end of those passes?

Yes I'm stil unsure myself, but themorei think about how Lambert looks like playing us, the more I think it would work...

Really hope he starts as I think he's a player people will be loving, sooner rather than later!

Here's a great article in one of the local papers over here today.

Shows that Holman is exactly the right type of player we need in the squad

Holman ready to embrace spotlight

Tom Smithies

The Daily Telegraph

August 17, 2012 12:00AM

Brett Holman

DON'T ask Brett Holman what he did in the off-season - not unless you can set some time aside for the answer. About the only thing it didn't include was a holiday.

But then vacations can wait, when the Premier League has come calling. That, and fatherhood for the second time. If Holman's hallmark on the pitch is his busyness, it's been equally true in the rest of his life thanks to his move to Aston Villa.

His actual debut in the Premier League may be - literally - on ice for a week or two, as he nurses a bruised leg courtesy of Scotland's Gary Caldwell in this week's Socceroos friendly, but Holman won't allow it to be a major obstacle.

Too much work has gone in over the past 10 years, not to mention the past couple of months. Having concluded a decade in Holland's Eredivisie, in several senses Holman is ready to carry the torch for Australians in the world's highest-profile league.

Herald Sun Digital Pass

"It has been a bit full-on these past few weeks, there's been times when I've hardly had a chance to think," he said. "We've had the birth of our second child, moving club, moving country, finding a new house, a new manager coming in at Villa, the club's pre-season tour to the States.

"But the trip to America was good in helping me to blend in with the team, and the boys seem to have accepted me pretty well."

His arrival at Villa was, he admits, nerve-wracking. Having signed a pre-contract deal with then Villa boss Alex McLeish in March, Holman watched in bemusement as McLeish was sacked within hours of the end of the season.

"It was a huge shock, I'm happy to admit that," Holman said. "When the guy who signs you suddenly leaves the club, of course you don't know where you stand at first.

"You wonder how the new manager (Paul Lambert) will react, whether you'll be in his plans, and it was pretty stressful when it happened.

"But one of the first things the new manager did was call me in for a good chat, very honest. He said there was no hiding the fact it was an unusual situation, he didn't sign me, but equally he said we're both new and we'll give it a crack.

"He basically told me that everyone started with a clean slate and chance to impress him, which was a big relief, and I've really thrown myself into it in pre-season. Hopefully I've done enough to earn a place in the starting XI."

In fact to a dispassionate observer, the arrival of Lambert was heaven-sent for a player whose combination of craft and graft dovetails perfectly with Lambert's aesthetic football. His Norwich side last season were pass masters, and he wants the same having succeeded McLeish at Villa.

"If there was one manager I'd have wanted to come in, it would have to be him," Holman said.

"The way he wants to play, the way he wants to train, the way he gets his ideas across all fit my style.

"In one way, what happened (with the change of coach) has actually helped me out. The training sessions that Paul Lambert and (assistant coach) Ian Culverhouse put on are pretty stimulating and the football is the right way."

All of which augurs well, but if Holman does find his feet and enjoy the Premier League stage, he knows the spotlight on him will only grow.

It's not a position he has been comfortable with for much of his career - but now age, experience and confidence mean the limelight needn't be a trial.

"You grow into it, and maybe sometimes it takes a while," he said.

"It's like you are as a player I guess, you become better (at dealing with the media attention) but it doesn't happen overnight.

"There's a gradual increase in your profile, the spotlight shines on you a bit more each time and eventually you get used to it. There's more to come, I know that, the Premier League is as big as it gets for being under scrutiny.

"But I'm more comfortable with it now, I'm older and if you feel a bit more appreciated it can make you a bit more confident."

Here

I think calling him our 'New platt' is a bit premature..

Whys that? Because you have only seen a couple of pre season games with him in?

I've seen him play more than most on here as I've been watching him play for the Aussies for a few years now.

No, perhaps it is because until now he hasn´t actually played in a domestic league that is of a particularly high standard so it might be wise to hold the likening to a player like Platt a while longer.

The Dutch domestic league is not even in the top 3 leagues in Europe, perhps not even in the top 5. While there are some very decent sides in the league and certainly clubs with fantastic histories the reality is the league is a long way behind the Spanish, Italian, English, German in no particular order and some might argue the French in the current day.

While some players have moved from Holland to England and been a huge success there have been far higher profile players than Holman come and fail.

We will have to wait and see how he gets on starting on Saturday but to try and label him the new Platt before he has made his competitive debut is at best premature and at worst just a little daft.

Lets hope he is the new Platt but lets at least wait until he has a few games under his belt first, it isn´t all that long ago our American posters were telling us that Bradley was the next.... oh I forget who now....

To be honest, i haven't seen much of him playing in Holland, all the games i have seen him playing in are for the Aussie team, which admittedly has been against some poor teams, but has also played some decent ones and has looked consistent through out.

The comparison to Platt is that he gets up and down the pitch a lot and scores goals, which i think is all that Platt did?? Unless my memory is fading with old age...

Holman will also create goals too, which is different to Platt.

I think calling him our 'New platt' is a bit premature..

Whys that? Because you have only seen a couple of pre season games with him in?

I've seen him play more than most on here as I've been watching him play for the Aussies for a few years now.

He'll be our new David Platt, runs around a lot and has an eye for goal.

I think he'll do fine for us

I think all of the young ones deserve a new start and a chance to have a go under the new manager. Too many people only remember last season and how poor players like Bannan, Albrighton and even Delph looked, but did anyone look any good under McLeish? Gabby started the season on fire, but soon lost all confidence under the ginger one, as did everyone else.

I think it's time to give them all a new start under a manager that will give them confidence and then see who will and won't make it.

I would keep all the young guns and get rid of the old shite like Collins, Warnock and Hutton that we know will be just as brutal whoever the manager is!

Agree with the two posts above, 100%! Please no Defoe, can't stand the one trick pony.

He comes from a family of Gypsies so how anyone can expect an angel is beyond me!

For me 15m would be a great buy and for those saying we need to sort the defence first, I disagree, we need to sort defence, midfield and forwards at the same time! As soon as Bent got injured last season we struggled to score goals, you simple can't rely on one forward!

Now can someone pull out that old photo of him and downing holding that Liverpool scarf and change it to a Villa one and post it on the scouse scum websites so we can all have a laugh..

I told you that on page 22...

Green to QPR is pretty much a done deal, so if Given goes it won't be there...

I'm absolutely horrified at the so called adults having a pop at a 15 year old kid in this thread.

Horrified, but not surprised.

Exactly my thoughts...

Obviously idiots that try to make themselves feel better.

To the OP, I would say the options already mentioned are your best bet and probably sending the shirt to a printing firm is the best of those options.

FWIW I also had no problem reading your post so maybe some of these posters don't have the IQ to look over a few grammar errors...

Now let's be Aston Villa again!

It's been a long time, but this sums up exactly how I feel! What brilliant news and welcome Mr Lambert!

He if joins you make you think what where they talking about

"you've got it all wrong Alex, the idea is to take teams up the table not down..."

I think I'll log off the site until Friday....when our new manager is announced!

No point in getting wound up until then...

Just woke up here in Oz and thought I'd catch up with who our next manager is...

...seems like its a two way fight between a Duck and a Duct...wtf.

Mods please lock this before it gets more embarrassing

Martinez turned us down 12 months ago

Since then we've got even shitter and actually finished below a vey shite Wigan

He won't come here, please lock and stop lots of heartbreak to other VT'ers

Why do you always ask for threads to be locked when you've had enough of it? If you've had enough then simply stop reading it...surely that isn't too hard is it?

The Mods are Mods for a reason and i'm sure they know when to call it a day on a thread, the fact there is a photo of Martinez and Henry doesn't mean it is done and dusted at all. Henry will be meeting a few candidates i'm sure, and there is a possibility that Lerner has also met him he just didn't get caught on camera with him.

And if i was Martinez and a couple of teams came in for me, I think i'd speak to them both to see what was the best offer for me.

Until Villa, Liverpool or Martinez himself officially says something i see no reason at all to lock this thread, just because you are bored of it.

Ye ’re just not getting it, Henry and Lerner are meeting several candidates.

The only thing that matters is the final announcement.

Thank god there is finally someone with a bit of sense on here...

Oh shit finding it harder to say that ones fake

It's obvious that it's a fake, he's lost his iPad...

:winkold: