timharding

I think I would take smith over Bellamy, simply because of versatility. He can be used as DM cover in the short term.

Less goals though with smith

Anyone else think the Chavskis cunning plan involves signing up as many of the top players as rot in the reserves squad additions.... JUST so they don't go and play for the competition??!!!..

True! I think above average premiership players are gonna start seeing a move to Chelsea for what it is soon though- professional suicide.

Milan did this all the time in the early 90's. Used Burlesconi's money to buy players just because their rivals wanted them.

Yes I do.

But would you rather have 5 £10M signings or 10 £5M signings?

Id rather have 3 £10m and 4 £5m. But even then I look at newcastle and just hope we dontturn into them. Dont worry I dont think we will, but look at the top class (champions league) player that have gone up there.

Owen

Luque

Martins

Duff

Emre

Parker

And they're still shit. :winkold:

Sorry if this was posted earlier but i found this in The Times Online

Aston Villa want to sign Sheffield United's Nick Montgomery in a £1.4m deal.

Umm....Who?

No chance. Nice find tho fella.

what you said was scores the ODD thunderbolt, puts the ODD decent cross in, works tirelsessly.

Emile Heskey. Not saying there the same just found it funny

if we signed a Blackburn player, Id prefer it to be Morten Gamst-Pedersen

Am I the only person who thinks this guy is very over rated?

scores the odd thunderbolt that gets him in the papers, not much else

Scores the odd thunderbolt, puts the odd decent cross in, works tirelessly for his team mates. Yeah, other than that he's completely overrated :winkold:

The publicity he gets is more than he deserves therefore hes over-rated. Cos you just described emile heskey

theres no point having villa in the vote cos we'd get 100%. But you're right i should change the title...

Mine goes....

Villa obviously

west Brom

Cov

Wolves

Blues

Walsall

what about downing? he'd cost a few quid and i know a lot of you think he's over-rated but it aint his fault his dad always picks him...

if we signed a Blackburn player, Id prefer it to be Morten Gamst-Pedersen

Am I the only person who thinks this guy is very over rated?

scores the odd thunderbolt that gets him in the papers, not much else

Anyone for David Bentley?

Please be gentle with me cos this is just my opinion but..........Bent is nothing like Carew.

Alfonso Alves has an incredible scoring record

20m euro's apparently

People want FOWLER?!

Oh lord.

This isnt stupid as Villa are going through a transition period and I can assure you that Fowler wouldnt be a joke at Villa.

Huntelaar?Yes I would love it...but he is destine for a club involved in Europe!

We need to understand that Villa was placed 11th, we are NOT in Europe yet...but the club has huge potential. It will take us 2 years to be challenging for the top dogs in the football world and in order to do that we need to be in Europe!

Therefore I can see Fowler and Viduka as very good strikers to help the club aim for that spot...we wont get GIANTS as some people seem to think.Dream on boys!

Villa were 11th but for me Fowler should be looking at clubs like wigan. I keep hearing how we finished 11th and we should aim for players of that ilk, but its not true. Our stock is high amongst the media and players. We have MON and we have money. all these things matter more than our final position because players know that this season is the last we'll ever be at that level.

A good right back that Mon might wanna consider is the boy Bernard Mendy at PSG, he's got premiership experiance with the good spell he had at Bolton a few years ago and he's gone from strength to strength back in france, he's an international now also, the good thing is he's only 25 and likes to attack as well as being a decent defender!!, he's a younger Lauren imo.

Very good shout, I'd forgotten about him, he was great at Bolton

eddie argus does my head in which ruins any chance of me givin them the time of day.

If O'neill signs defoe its because he doesnt always intend to play the carew way. If we turn up at pompey say, we'd wanna play the quick mobile strikers against campbell and primus (remember the VP fixture last month) Defoe is nothing like Moore nor Gabby as people are suggesting, in fact the only thing they have in common is pace. Defoe is a very direct, clinical finisher who will literally shoot from anywhere and if we sign him we'll have a great mix in our striking four. Carew power, strength with good feet. Great at getting the ball down and laying it off. Gabby, pure pace, unpredictable almost unplayable for most defenders, Moore the more traditional striker, sufficient pace, great movement. Plus defoes as mentioned above. Different options no matter which two from 4. I find it unlikely that if Carew gets injured or dropped O'neill will want to simply plonk in a like for like (only not as good) striker and play exactly the same way. It would make us predictable. Carew for the games like Man U and spurs and arsenal, to bully ferdinand etc and pace and movement for the games like Pompey, everton etc where the defenders are less mobile.

Hypothetically what happens if Carew breaks a leg first week of september and our striker options are Defoe, Agbonlahor, Moore, Ashley Young and Maloney?

Then thats who we play. duh

he may force their hand and they may need him off the wage bill first.

*note* I'm not saying this is the case just offering poss scenario's

If O'neill signs defoe its because he doesnt always intend to play the carew way. If we turn up at pompey say, we'd wanna play the quick mobile strikers against campbell and primus (remember the VP fixture last month) Defoe is nothing like Moore nor Gabby as people are suggesting, in fact the only thing they have in common is pace. Defoe is a very direct, clinical finisher who will literally shoot from anywhere and if we sign him we'll have a great mix in our striking four. Carew power, strength with good feet. Great at getting the ball down and laying it off. Gabby, pure pace, unpredictable almost unplayable for most defenders, Moore the more traditional striker, sufficient pace, great movement. Plus defoes as mentioned above. Different options no matter which two from 4. I find it unlikely that if Carew gets injured or dropped O'neill will want to simply plonk in a like for like (only not as good) striker and play exactly the same way. It would make us predictable. Carew for the games like Man U and spurs and arsenal, to bully ferdinand etc and pace and movement for the games like Pompey, everton etc where the defenders are less mobile.

Also not the first game I've seen him arrive in the box a la Taylor. The chance he missed against Man U and Pompey, his goal and various other occasions when the ball hasnt reached him.

Pelle, I enjoyed that long post, maybe you should stick it on the front page

The one thing I will say about SWP is - I think he IS good enough, because he has been playing consistently and seems to have his confidence back up.

However, he has only played so much because Robben & Cole have had so many injury problems, Duff aint there anymore (I thought he was the best out of those 4, personally) & the new signings aint been great... Plus he has stopped hugging the security blanket of the right-wing. When his confidence is up he spends a lot more time in the middle, and because he is nippy & skillful with an excellent low sense of gravity (a bitch of a combination for opposing defenders) he is actually very effective there. Something Aaron Lennon should do more of, IMO.

Therefore I firmly believe that the best move for SWP next season is to leave Chelsea and go somewhere that will give him first team football on a regular basis.

Will he do that, and if he does will he come to us? I'd say probably not, although it's hardly unimaginable.

But if we did get him, I think he'd be a cracking signing. I know many VT'ers are split on that, but my opinion has remained unchanged throughout - Shaun Wright-Phillips would be a star at Aston Villa.

In my humble opinion, of course :winkold:

With regard to SWP thats the closest opinion to mine that i've seen thus far.

Everyone keeps mentioning Bent, can you really see him at Villa Park next year when he will have the option of European football at Tottenham ,Liverpool,etc............ Not that were not a good prospect but it just aint gonna happen.

Yes I can. Not saying it is gonna happen but there's no saying that these clubs will want him when it comes down to it. If Liverpool bid, then I'll say he'll got there but its always possible that they'll find another option or we out bid spurs. Its always a psossibility and writing it off entirely is what we used to do.

How bout that young lad Billy Elliot, he's got great feet. Don't know how he got on after his big move to the capital though....

Hi General

Just remembered something I meant to write here a few weeks ago.

I took my family to VP recently (my 2.5 year old daughter informed me she was going just as I was getting my 4 year old son ready - she would not be moved on the matter - her first trip and she loved it) Anyway we sat on the external steps of the Holte when having an ice cream and looking at them up close they really are a nightmare.

They seem to be bulging outwards (a problem from when the concrerte was set?) with the old paint flaking off.

As well as looking awful I would have thought it is a health and safety problem with all the uneven bulges.

Knowing the new regime I expect it's all in hand but it did made me a little sad to see such a great stand looking so poor from the outside

They look like they're melting.

here we go again just like january people debating,arguing and getting worried about the caliber of player we might or might not sign and in the end everyone will be more or less happy with who we get because at the end of the day martin o`neill knows more about managing and putting a football team together than any of us so just sit back and be positive o`neill came through in jan he will come through again.

And breathe.......