Pez1974

Talk about starts, and who we have - we aim to be in a very different place next season - getting into the CL, and making progress will need a bigger squad.

We have been able to keep 2x LBs happy for a year - rotating and substituting every game (on the odd occasion they're both fit). It's been vital to our play.
Baily/Diaby rarely complete 90 mins, and seem to be prone to tiredness. 
Making 5 subs a game has changed the who squad mentality.

If JPB came back, and was up to standard - he'd get a lot of game time.  

4 minutes ago, MWARLEY2 said:

Thats fair enough. 6 months left on his contract. Gets his 60k a week off the books . 

Folk hero for absolutely no reason . But we mostly all loved him. The blind crossfield passes would probably have given Unai a heart attack. 

Exactly this. 

Makes room in the Bodymoor treatment room for someone else. 

15 minutes ago, VBM said:

I'm going to assume a few years ago West Brom's academy was something akin to Brazil 1970 given all the highly rated players who came out from there. 

That's why they brought in the forward thinking, dynamic managers they did

*checks notes*
Pulis? Megson? Pardew? Bilic? Allardyce? Bruce?

Wow. No wonder they rioted.

Great stuff

This will mean we have 4 young (being 20-23) keepers kicking around the squad, and all with a few games under their belt.
And all learning under the best in the world.

Surely one of the will be good enough to be second choice next season.

47 minutes ago, Wurzel said:

For me a loan that hasn't worked. He may not of got the gametime he wanted, but he hasn't, apart from a couple of occasions, done enough to warrant more game time. These things happen and not every player is suited the the Premier League. 

Exactly this
Better the loan (esp. with his previous injuries) than dropping £20m+ on a former prodigy, and have him take a huge salary for 5 years

Transfers don't always work out - and we've largely protected ourselves from the biggest risks on this one.

On 28/01/2024 at 20:40, choffer said:

I’ve been to about 70 Brentford games since I last went to Villa Park (in 2013). I’ve also been to Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and West Ham multiple times during that period and only one of those was to see Villa. 
I really need to sort that out. 

I haven't been to Villa Park since before Covid.
I even had to sell my Springsteen tickets from last summer (the wife's fault) - I'm cursed.

In that time - I have been to about 10 Walsall games (my mate if a season ticket holder, so we often go to a game before we go on the pop).

Excuse - I didn't want to go during our winning run, as I knew we'd lose and it would be my fauly!

1 hour ago, RicRic said:

This Rogers guy better be bloody Ronaldinho, four bids! for a player that is in the same conversation as Bidace is borderline concerning, emery and co better have thought this through a million times and been convinced by him.

4 bids according to journalists. 
I suspect it's more about the structure of the deal, given a hefty chunk is conditional, and there's a sell on to Citeh.
Plus - its all coming from Boro, so are they releasing info for their fans - who seemed to have thought they were getting £15m to £20m for him, but now seems to be £8m, plus add ons. 

The Bidace comparisons are mad. They're all about the here and now on a few games in different teams - but this guy can play across the line, so it isn't a direct comparison. Also, its often about potential, and Rogers may have a much higher ceiling than JBP. Professional coaches see this. 

These things are always much more nuanced that Twitter and ITKs would have us believe. 

But I agree  - anything less than Ronaldinho level would be a disgrace!

Journalism is dying in this country, and around the world. 
The Athletic is a different model, but they need subscribers, so they need to be relevant. Every day.

Ornstein is credible, about as good as it gets, but he still has to attract attention to keep his job.

Transfer windows are their big opportunity - and this January has been appalling for them. 
So everything is "FFP" related. WE just need to ignore it.

3 hours ago, duke313 said:

Options at the back next season:

Moreno Pau Carlos Konsa

Hermoso Pau Konsa Kosta

Moreno Hermoso Pau Konsa Kosta

I think he wants a mixture of CBs, and CBs who can play FB - giving us numbers and flexibility in how we play, plus an ability to rotate

So CBs - Pau, Mings, Carlos, Konsa, maybe Hermoso
LB - assume Moreno, Hermoso, maybe Pau or Mings - if we move on Digne
RB - I think we'll get a new first team starter, with Konsa covering - Cash could be moved on, given he is now probably at his highest value.

This would mean we could have 7 players for the back 4/5 positions. 
Probably add a youngster at each FB (the RB being the Croatian lad), plus CB - giving us some depth.

It feels thin on the ground, but suggests decent squad management - and allows us to shift 2 players for whom we could command a decent fee

11 hours ago, Zatman said:

Smith Rowe be a poor signing and type we ahould be going away from. Signing the dregs of the sky 6 is how they stay in power as clubs like Everton stupidly overpay

I think 'dregs' is harsh - but I would be wary of such a signing due to (a) cost, value for money - Arsenal will want big money for him, especially from us and (b) his injury record.
He was on the verge of the England squad, but could easily become someone who is suddenly 27, out of contract and has played 20 games in 5 years.

Bailey was offside - but why 4 minutes? Also, Lenglet was definitely fouling the defender. Such an easy decision. 

Tarkowski has been studying Bee Mee - I thought those out of control, off the ground challenges were an automatic yellow? He did at least 2.

Diaby should've gone down - it would have been a pen (albeit VAR is now random). Not smart.

McGinn had space, but an off game for me. Unfortunate. 

We need to stop the silliness - Dougie again could've been booked twice. We don't need it. We keep collecting bookings and it will hurt us.

The ref needs firing. No control. Poor decisions. Again. 

These type of signings are the future of our club.
Get them in whilst they are relatively cheap. Develop them at a high standard. Make sure they are playing to the Aston Villa way of playing, so they are more 'first team ready'. 

However, as a business we either:

1. get a player cheaper than they would be at 23, or
2. Sell on and get the FFP benefit. 

In the case of FFP, I believe 'youth development' is excluded from FFP calculation of spend. So it could be that these purchases aren't in our costs, but the sales in a few years give huge benefit.
Running the youth team for profit, with the hope of them making the grade, could buy us a lot of FFP scope in years to come. 

Another big tick in the box!

Excellent news

2 hours ago, HalfTimePost said:

Though suppose selling / not registering Bertrand Traore is an option, as is not registering Mings for the 2nd half of the season if he's unlikely to be ready before end of the season.

So there's ways around it, but I think it's likely we sign a homegrown keeper either now or the summer, particularly with many of our Top Youngsters that would have padded out our Homegrown numbers being sold, we need to add some bodies in that department

I would rate our chances of selling Traore as zero.
Injured. Barely played. Likely to spend a month at AFCON. Out of contract in June. 

Might as well de-register him if we need a slot in the squad. 

12 hours ago, Spoony said:

This must be the most woeful competition we’ve competed in in my memory. Even inter-toto games were more entertaining. Still this is a means to an end (the end being better European football). 

These are the steps we need to go through if we are to become a top club in Europe.
We were (just about) seeded in the draw as we picked up the PL co-efficient points, otherwise we have no European ranking points so are ranked bottom, along with sides from the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Malta and Scotland. 
This is what has also hurt Newcastle in the CL, and put them in "the group of Death" - they just aren't seeded as they have no historical points. It's how UEFA try and protect the 'big boys'.

We are building our points base; just slowly. It will all help in the end, as you rightly say.

19 minutes ago, WallisFrizz said:

Tbf, I still wish we’d signed a replacement. RB is the position that leaves me most nervous.

Actually no, GK, but still RB is a worry.

Oh - in my view we need to upgrade Cash and he become a squad player (unless Unai thinks he can step up again).
I was just amazed he let Young go at all.

I was so wrong!
 

On 26/11/2023 at 18:02, Demitri_C said:

I gotta say i did question it, but unai was right to release young. He is past his best now. Age finally catching up with him

Agree - I had exactly the same reaction in the summer; more so when we didn't sign a replacement.
 

Ollie is back. Need him to go on one of those scoring runs.
I believed - into my fantasy league team this week after a goal!

He's genuinely giving me McGrath vibes. Not at that level of course - no mortal can ever be - but he just does everything so well without a fuss. 
As others have said - not the quickest, tallest or strongest, but good in all those areas, and reads the game well.

The pundits rave about Lewis Dunk (who I rate), and often show his last ditch tackles. But he's making those tackles because he didn't stop the danger earlier. Konsa usually does. I know which I prefer. 

4 hours ago, Mazrim said:

Villa Benteke vs non Villa Benteke is not even the same universe. I dont know why. Injury? Finding the right club at the right time? Whatever the reason, he never got close to his Villa self and remains the best all round striker I have seen in my time as a Villa fan, going back to 1980.

Duran has the same fire and potential I saw in Benteke. Its very early days but he's very, very exciting. Pace, power, audacity, attitude, awareness. 19 years old.

 

1. Injury

2. Being at a club built entirely around you scoring goals. He kept us up, the team was built to serve him. Liverpool don't do that unless you're Salah quality. 

I thought Gary Gardner was going to be as good as Gerrard.

I thought Micah Richards was a great signing.

And many much worse I have worked hard to forget. 

2 hours ago, CVByrne said:

I wonder if we just leave him there or if we pull him in Jan if he's doing amazing and send him back to League 1

Leave him, as long as he's playing.

He needs a full season; he needs goals.