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HolteExile

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Everything posted by HolteExile

  1. Aye, it's not as if he needs that vital North Birmingham demographic onside to make movies is it.
  2. Doesn't matter how he came to us. He's gone to Villa matches in his own free time when we've toured in the US. Now he's visited the home of football. He's one of us. Although I don't think he'll be answering questions on the Villa on Mastermind anytime soon.
  3. Sure I read something about one of his security team from Gloucester being a Villa fan and that's who got him involved way back in the early 00s.
  4. I'd start with the platform of Martinez, Mings, Douglas Luiz, Kamara and Watkins (at the very least as a squad player) and go from there. Moreno is Emery's first signing and -even though I haven't been particularly impressed so far - there's an argument to say he needs time to adapt and all the rest of it. Duran is one for the future. I'd be open to offers for the rest - Jacob Ramsey included. Problem is it doesn't work like that. The two players we would prob most want to keep (Emi and Boubs) are the players most likely to attract bids.
  5. You can pretty much 'call it' on every manager not being good enough at some stage in the future and getting the tin tack. Great insight, that. If a popular guy like Dean Smith isn't immune after the degree of success he had, Emery will feel the heat too if we're not in contention for Europe in the next 2>3 years.
  6. This all seems a bit capricious. His saves have kept us in games in fairly recent history - Leedzzz at home and Soton away in particular. If you do need a whole barrage of saves from your keeper against two of the worst sides in the division that illustrates deeper problems IMO. We've now played better sides, still looked as ropey at the back and the fecklessness and general shite decision making has caught up with us.
  7. Bert makes the game interesting. Interesting is good. He's dangerous - both to the opposition and us - because even he has no idea what he's going to do next.
  8. Augustinsson is still with us (just about). Even though Emery has spoke about him returning to his parent club. But with Ings, Bednarek, Guilbert and Sanson being offski that's £240k per week (at a conservative estimate) saved. More with Archer being away on loan as well. £13.5 million saved per year just with that little lot, so FFP shouldn't be an issue - not that it seems to bother other clubs anyway.
  9. At the very least it'll be interesting to see his reaction tonight, as he'll likely be asked If he plays it straight and is non committal about his future it's on. If he's emotional and talks about how much he's enjoyed his time at the club etc it could still be on. If he flat out says he's not going anywhere and it's just speculation so be it.
  10. £3 million is nowt in today's mad, bad football funhouse. West Ham, Everton, Wolves and possibly Leedzzz (longer term) being relegated or struggling badly enough to be out of contention for Europe aids our progress far more.
  11. He made the bench for Luton at home in BFR's first season 1991/92 - a game made famous by Paul Mortimer scoring the 4th that afternoon and flicking the V's at the Holte. McLoughlin never came on, so zero appearances.
  12. I could see this going on until the end of the month if we do manage it this window. Even if Marseille get Illic in, they've got Monaco this weekend and might want Guendouzi in the starting XI for a key game. A case of having your cake and eating it, perhaps. Can't blame them really. If a deal is that close, a lot will depend on the player. Word was MG was 'open' to linking up with Emery again but not desperate for a move. So he might be keen to play this weekend for them and go out on a high. Rather than 'head turned/needs to leave' etc. The outgoing deals we've done this week suggest at least once incoming fairly soon, mind. Maybe we'll revisit the Sarr deal, and have kept it under the radar this time? Expect it will be a deal like that, almost out of the blue.
  13. Marseille are still one of the big yins of French football and will be a draw for many players. It's not impossible they'd spend those sums even if they were looking to keep Sideshow Bob.
  14. Phil's drop off in form has been an odd one. You can point to three key incidents -injury, his loss of a place in the Brazil squad and Gerrard's departure - as potential factors. But to go from the start he had with us to zero goals and zero assists this season suggests a deeper malaise. A shame - because his name and profile alone has boosted our profile in places like Spain and France etc. Things like that can make a difference when it comes to attracting other quality players. Phillippe Coutinho at only 70 per cent of the player he was could still make a difference for us on the pitch too. Much less than that and you are talking about a glorified ambassador.
  15. Interesting. The obvious benefit there is if it's Russian/ CIS tanks the Moroccans are sending, there is less of a learning curve for the troops on the ground. The Ukrainians need the hardware NOW. Not the promise of something (possibly) tomorrow. Or in six months. If other nations possess these in decent numbers and are in a position to send ASAP, perhaps there is scope for NATO (or specific members) to compensate them. Either financially, or providing them with updated kit at a later date etc.
  16. I like Ings. But £120k a week for an occasional starter and an option from the bench is hard to justify as a reasonable use of resources for us. At Yanited or whoever it might be different. Your top wages should go to your best players and Ings was never really that for us. Wish him well and move on.
  17. The issue with that is Zelensky had repeatedly called for negotiations. He was elected in 2019 on a mandate of ending the war - he was even seen as a relatively popular figure by ordinary Russians. Compared to some of the alternatives. But whereas as leadership in a progressive country might hear those overtures from a neighbour and see an opportunity for peace, Putin and his acolytes viewed it as weakness. And the weak get beaten. The US and Britain pulling out of Afghanistan encouraged him further. If they didn't have the heart for their pet project, would they really expend too much time and effort trying to help Ukraine - and take on all that associated risk? The top brass in Ukraine were also quite realistic pre and post invasion that their desire to join NATO wouldn't be reciprocated. They knew they'd need to look at alternative security arrangements - including the prospect of being a 'neutral' state in the event of a future theoretical conflict between Russia and NATO. The pathway to full EU membership is problematic for so many reasons - even if Ukraine didn't have a despot for a neighbour. Despite encouragement from then-Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin and leaders of other smaller nations, there is no genuine desire for further EU expansion from the bigger states. All these things were known by both the Ukraine and Russian leadership. So the oft given reasons for the invasion; the de Nazifying of Ukraine, the threat of Ukraine joining NATO and EU expansion can be seen for the horseshit they are. How do you then negotiate with someone acting in bad faith; who uses such phoney justification because they have already decided on a course of action? Annexing territory is so 1930s.
  18. What's happened to Donyell Malen at Dortmund? His goalscoring record since joining in 2021 has fallen off a cliff there, five in 37 games. He had 40 in 81 at PSV. I take it he may be playing more out wide/disciplined for Dortmund (don't watch them enough to say for certain). Still only 24. With the amount of running and pressing Emery wants his front two to get through he might be worth a look. A more polished version of Bailey perhaps.
  19. Benni Carbone for the debut. Saunders for the home debut. As good as Deano was that day (should have had a hat-trick, hit the bar) this one tips it for me because there was a genuine sense we were on the up after that game. Those positive vibes carried us to second and we probably would've nabbed first but for Dalian's injury and Howard Wilkinson inexplicably gifting the Red Mancs Cantona. Ian Taylor scored at the Holte End on his debut against Chelsea in 1994/95 as well.
  20. Seems a good sort, slotted in well v Leeds away and at other times without being outstanding. Wonder what sort of wage he was on as back-up, could be that Moreno is on similar now we're only down on the transfer fee for that deal. Good business, if so.
  21. The obvious reason for him saying that is he is happy at Marseille and has no intention of leaving. But it could be an expression of his preference for the advanced role he played last night?
  22. Marv looked good for that spell pre injury last season and at various times during his stint with us. He also knows his own game and limitations. I don't think he tries whatever Dendocker was trying there in the final few minutes yesterday.
  23. As always, if you're a fair > middling club (or lower) it's not so much about the players you want rid of. It's what happens when bids invariably come in for the players you don't want to lose, such as Kamara and Martinez.
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