Woody1000

I'm 99% that is him. Could be a very good signing, especially if the reports of Feyenoord's financial trouble are to be believed.

I'd take Howson

Snodgrass is meh

Howson is with squad in Austria, next.

Jesus you are a sad case aren't you? The window is open for 45 more days and you think a player is going to stay because he went to the pre-season tour? You support Norwich, none of your players would want to stay if any offer came in from a proper Premie League-club, as opposed to staying at one with a 95% probability of relegating within the next two years.

I only said where Jonno is now, not that he'd stay with us, if you can't grasp that then who's really the sad case eh?

And btw, your arrogance is astounding.

All this "12th best team in the land" bollocks, one season back in the PL and you think you're this established club.

Don't come on our board, if your only intention is to troll - we've got enough of those already.

I'd take Howson

Snodgrass is meh

Howson is with squad in Austria, next.

http://goo.gl/M8j3R

I don't know if this is old news, but fantastic to hear.

Keep fighting Stan!!

Desperately trying not to get too excited just yet, but he just looked some calm and collected on the ball yesterday.

It just goes to show what value you can get buying abroad when it comes to technical ability.

I'm really excited to see how he will link up with SI, assuming that he is in Lambert's plans of course.

Re Carroll: I just don't see enough benefit to justify a deal whether permanent or on loan.

If we buy him and it doesn't work out, it's another drain on our wage bill that has handicapped us enough in the last 2 years. Plus if stories are to be believed about his social life, he sounds like the sort of piss-head that we've been desperately trying to get out of our club.

A loan deal simply helps Liverpool by a) Saving them best part of £60k per week in wages Putting him in the 'shop window' for them and c) Potentially 'training him up' for them to use to full effect next season.

Another reservation about Carroll is the type of football that we would need to play to play to his strengths, we desperately need to move away from percentage football if we are going to try and get closer to the top sides in England, and dare I say Europe.

I don't see a striker as a top priority this summer to be honest, we're still in need of a LB, and 2 CB's which in my opinion is way more important than another striker. Especially if Gabby will be played as an actual striker this season, along with Weimann (Who this will be a very interesting season for IMO).

One of my best mates is a Norwich fan, but to be fair to him he's thought that McNasty has acted like a complete prick about things.

I think the final straw for me has been reading that Pink 'Un forum of theirs - Talk about deluded and bitter, some of them actually think they've got a better manager now in Hughton!

We'll see who finishes higher come next May, I have a feeling Norwich might be converting to npower......

Richard - Do you think there will be a marquee signing?

I think the manager will sign players he thinks can improve us in the positions we need strengthening for the money he has available. I don't think he will spend big just to spend big but if there is a player he wants, and no decent alternative, and who will cost a bit more then he will get him.

A post earlier was interesting, you see I do think he needs around 6 or 7 positions strengthening and if he has, let's just say for the sake of arguments 30m or so, that's around 4m per player on average, unless he sells one or two. That does not mean each will cost exactly 4m though. All IMO of course

Overall, I'm really pleased with the movements that have been made thus far in the transfer market.

Someone like OGS comes in (although there is nobody quite like OGS):

5% Chance of Disaster. 10% Chance of Something Special

Someone like Lambert comes in:

2% Chance of Disaster. 4% Chance of Something Special

Give me Option A.

Did you have a theory, or did you just pull those figures out of your arse?

Today was the final straw for me.

I left today as soon as Stoke equalised. I have NEVER left VP before the final whistle before, but I just couldn't stand to watch us throw away another 2 points.

I don't blame McLeish for everything that has gone wrong this season, but the guy just doesn't have the skills to turn things around.

I have been agonising over re-newing my ST for next year, but I've decided that I am not putting another penny into the club until McLeish is gone. It pains me to do it, but Lerner can go f*** himself if he thinks that Villa fans like me are just going to keep coughing up regardless. I haven't been on holiday for 3 years so I could afford a ST - What a f***ing mug I am!!

I think we'll survive this season (just), but once a few more players are sold off in the summer to balance the books we'll definitely be looking at relegation next season.

McLEISH OUT!!!!!

This really puts the game that we spend hours of our day obsessing over into perspective.

Whatever your feelings about Petrov the player (and believe me, I´ve had more than a few negative ones over the years), no one can argue that Stan is a top class human being, and captain of our club.

After hearing about him actually wanting to play yesterday, I just hope that he is not worrying about our league form and potential relegation battle while he is on the side-lines - He needs to concentrate 100% on getting HIMSELF better, AVFC need to go to the back of his mind.

I am not ashamed to admit that watching Stan wipe away tears after that 19th minute applause had me doing the same.

Hope to see you in a Villa shirt again soon Stan.

God Bless.

If he´s not careful, he´ll end up pissing his career away.

I don´t think he´s good enough for the Premier League, but could easily do as well as Peter Whittingham has done in the Championship.

Yet another terrible performance!! It is actually painful to watch us play.

I have tried to stay positive, and I understand that he has not had the funds to work with that MON and GH had, but clearly he cannot motivate the players.

His team selections have been completely baffling at times, and he has fallen out with senior players to the detriment of the team. His persistance to squeeze a clearly well past it Emile Heskey into our side just proves the ineptness of the man.

I like to think that I am not an unrealistic fan - I do not expect us to go to the top sides in the country and win, but I will not stand for us going there and playing like a League 2 side trying to keep the score down. It´s defeatist, and not befitting a club of our reputation and stature.

I understand that the wage situation at the club had to be addressed before we got any further into the s*** financially, so logic would have suggested that RL would at least bring in a more popular choice to keep attendances up, but to bring in the manager of our arch rivals who have just been RELEGATED was absolute madness!! It´s not like he even had a reputation for exciting football to keep the VP fans happy at home games!

The big problem for me is who RL would bring in to replace McLeish? We´re not going to get a ´big´ name, and would a young up and coming manager like Brendan Rogers or Paul Lambert want to put their head on the block to take it? RL has seemed to come across more and more as an incompetant rich boy than a shrewd business man with his running of the club in the last 2 years, I think what he does in the next 18 months is vitally important in maintaining our Premier Leage status!

I can honestly say that I feel more down as a Villa fan now than I have any time in the last 20 years, and I can see us being relegated next season with McLeish leading the way, unless RL makes the correct decision to remove him from his post.

It's not just this game.

Our approach to games in general is terrible and I can't see any evidence to suggest Mcleish can build a winning team.

It's made worse to see how well Swansea outplayed us and how positive their approach to the game was today.

The thing for me is that I cannot remember the last time that we were consistantly playing in a positive way, even under MON our game was reliant upon counter attacking, but we had much more steel to us, and looked far less fragile in defence.

I think one of our main problems is the lack of movement when we havee possession of the ball, it allows the opposition to press us until it just goes back to the keeper to be hoofed up field.

A frustrating half, but not as bad as made out by some.

We still seem to suffer from the MON era where we look a better side on the counter, ie against the Chelsea´s of this world, than we do against sides that we should be taking the initiative.

That said, Swansea play some very nice stuff at times.

he has more technical ability than busquets

Granted, Busquets is no Xavi or Iniesta, but he's light years ahead of anyone in our squad in the technical ability department.

Let's hope we never have to find out how much he's worth!!

Is there really any point to this thread?

Houllier is no longer here so he is not going to do anything to change anybodies opinion of him.

No matter how many games McLeish loses or we play poorly, the fans who dislike Houllier are not going to change their minds about him due to how they feel he disrespected them as a fan or us as a club.

Personally, I wanted him to stay, but I can understand the people who didn't. I honestly don't think there is a right or a wrong as he did some good things in his time here, but he also did some bad.

Talk about splinters in the arse lol!!!

I believe it was Ramos Trent, but I might be wrong.

A bit disappointed, thought we made the Bannan substitution 10 mins too late as our most dominant spell had ended by the time he came on.

I like Makoun, he's got good feet and an eye for a pass. He moves the ball quickly, which is something that I wish Petrov would do more of.

The problems are the other aspects of his game let him down, and are more exposed in the English game.

I hope he stays until the end of the season at least, just to see if he can adapt to the style. I think it was difficult for him to come in when he did as we were struggling, and the type of player that Makoun is was a luxury that we could not afford at the time - we needed grafters!

I think what I'm trying to say is Makoun has been a lack of suitability, rather than a lack of quality.

I´ve got no real beef with him starting every week if he puts in performances like yesterday, although I still have doubts about his ability to last for the full 90 minutes.

Of course I´d replace him if we could find better, but surely that would go for the majority of the squad.

I do wish at times that he was a bit more positive with the ball when in possession, but a player with his experience is vital when you look at how many young midfielders we have in our squad.

I dont think Petrov is what we need in midfield - he takes too long on the ball for me and tires after 60/65 mins (and anyone who calls that a 'myth' is talking out of their arse!!).

I think he could be a very good squad player, coming of the bench with 15/20 mins left to help us see out results etc. For me, it's not that I think he's a poor player, I just feel that time has caught up with him.

I have no issue with the guy being club captain - he's a good professional and he seems to be a popular figure, but not if that means he has to play 90 mins every week.

Until Randy loosens the tightened purse-strings though, I think we'll be seeing Stan starting every week for at least another season!!

I'm getting tired of seeing people talk about £1million like it's £20!! We shouldn't let Whelen take the piss!!

We are nothing but a stepping stone club

sadly, we arent even that any longer by the looks of it.

We're the very definition of a selling club!

So I guess after all these years of "At least we're not Leeds" we are in fact now Leeds!

How ironic that under Ellis at least we weren't Leeds is actually a positive!