roadoftrinity

Pretty sure if the Rangers team consisted of the players from my Sunday League team we'd still manage to finish 2nd

Depends if McDefend!!!!!!!!!! was managing them.

Considering he won the league with Rangers that makes no sense?

as Clark is just to poor in the air.

Is he really?

No, he really isnt.

I think he is, watch him next time he plays, to be fair, Collins is pretty shocking in the air anyway as his positioning is so poor, I just feel Clark is a bit weak at the moment and get's beaten to much.

Hence I would bring Cueller in before Clark as we conceed so many of set pieces and I feel that's Clark's one weakness.

If Collins was dropped, it would have to be Cueller that came in the team for me as Clark is just to poor in the air.

As for Gardner, loan spell will do him good, also if one of the midfield players was injured Herd, Petrov or Jenas, I would like to see Delph given another go in the team, but not in the holding role he was asked to play before. Ask Gardner to play the same role you wouldn't see the best of him.

The exciting thing about Gary is that he is just the type of player that we need urgently. A goal scoring midfielder.

Agreed, think that Jenas is going to be given a chance at that role for bit so good for Gardner to get out and start some games.

I hope he does turn out to be the world beater most say he will. We do not have many saleable assets any more and he would certainly be one we could generate some cash for.

Gabby is a saleable asset but as he doesn't want leave we won't be selling him.

It will be the same with Gardner, if he wants to leave he will go, if he wants to stay we won't sell him.

---------------Given

Hutton, Cuellar, Dunne, Warnock

---------Herd-----Petrov

Gabby-------Jenas-------N'Zogbia

--------------Bent

With Gabby and N'Zogbia pushing on to make a front 3 in attack

Think that will be the team accept unfortunately I don't think he will drop Collins.

Also I would have Gabby on left and N'Zogbia on the right.

Yes, but we're owned by Lerner. So for all the free scarves, there are £8m "management" charges and flogging off bits of land to nefarious offshore related companies. When are you going to realise that all the early gestures was nothing more than cynical marketing ploys?

That's the first I've heard of this, are these management charges just for Lerner?

I keep hearing that the next few games ahead of us are bloody tough and we'll be in the relegation zone by New Year. You want to destroy the kid by throwing him into that? Or send him out for a month's experience lower down without pressure then bring him into the side when the fixtures ease up a bit.

A month at Coventry could be what he needs to make him ready

Plus Herd has done well since he has come in, so you don't want to have a midfield of Herd and Gardner, to inexperienced.

We have Jenas to come in with Petrov and Herd, plus Bannan and Delph as well.

A months loan seems the ideal thing to me.

Think it's a good move, he is still going to be behind Herd, Petrov and Jenas at the moment.

Means that he can play full games.

Lets not forget, there is unlikely to be any fee for Beye, no one is going to buy him. We will be paying him to leave where ever he goes due to his high wages and no doubt loyalty bonus he will be due at the end of his contract.

McKay is probably getting a proportion of his signing on fee.

Lets not forget as well, he had the option to go on loan to Ipswich last season but turned it down, so it's most likely only because of McKay that he is even going on loan.

[

Spurs have spent money over the years but I don't think they've spent the ridiculous amounts of money some keep banging on about. Our wage bill was out of control and theirs was still less.

Also apart from 1 or 2 players I don't see them signing the quality that we could never dream about. Like I said when they got 4th crouch was upfront for them.

Spurs aren't guaranteed 4th but their challenging and I don't see reasons why we can't expect to be in a similar position challenging.

Spurs wage bill wasn't much less than ours, and I'm pretty sure that it's more now after we have got rid of some players, however, there wage bill is sustainable as they can create more income than us, so unfortunately it's unrealistic for us to have a squad like theirs if we are living within our means.

Bannan would most likely come onto the bench for Jenas and I would think the team will be the same as against Norwich.

Personally I'm not actually convinced that McLeish has done all that much with Gabby.

Gabby has improved every season he has been with us with one exception, the season under Houllier.

It has long been very obvious that Gabby works harder to improve than most and despite how he at times comes across he is smart enough to understand he needs to work at his game and does in fact learn from the coaching he receives.

Has he improved this season compared to last season? No question. To me though that says far more about Houllier and how he managed/utilised Gabby than it says about McLeish. That isn't a critism of McLeish, I credit him with using Gabby in the right position and using his strengths but that is about it.

I think McLeish has given him confidence, but it's mainly down to Gabby, also, by the looks of it, Young/Downing leaving could be the making of Gabby as he seems to want to step up and be the main man for us.

That it appeared on the OS was not apparent (to me at least) for some time.

Anyway, some communication was better than nothing, but (just like the letter in the summer) it said precious little of substance. Nor did it give much kind of hint that he was really in touch.

It's a pity as I think in essence his intentions are good. My view is that if it were not for the executive appointments he's made then there'd be no worry - it would not be worth quibbling about his lack of communication.

We just have to see how things are going by January, and that we knew before the interview.

No mater what he said though, the proof would be January, and to be honest, the proof more will be in the summer, when the wage bill comes down a bit, hopefully we won't be selling a star player and we will see how much is invested in the playing squad.

What he says doesn't mater really anyway, if McLeish makes a good job of been manager, Lerner will have done a good job, if McLeish **** up, then Lerner will have **** up.

You can't see why people think the choice of medium for speaking to the fans was poor?

I can't see that no, especially as an interview was put on the offical site as well.

The majority of Villa fans are happy to hear from him no mater what medium he uses. There will always be some people unhappy and this forum brings out the extremes on both sides.

Personally, I'm happy that he wants to keep the club lets hope he is proved correct with his faith in McLeish.

Mate, it's not that people are not happy to get communication but that there's a deep suspicion amongst more than a few that what is delivered is not getting to the heart of the matter.

Isn't the heart of the mater that we only have enough money to challenge for 7th under Lerner and he wants to stop around as owner?

What is the heart of the mater?

The majority of Villa fans are happy to hear from him no mater what medium he uses. There will always be some people unhappy and this forum brings out the extremes on both sides.

Personally, I'm happy that he wants to keep the club lets hope he is proved correct with his faith in McLeish.

that clearing in the woods of a journo who seemed to want to bum MON, forget his name

Oliver Holt? what a word removed.

That's the one, what a rocket polisher.

I hope Lerner didn't fire MoN as it will make him worse than I already think he is.

What idiot would sack a manager 5 days before the start of a season and replace them with houllier?

As the club stated he resigned and that clearing in the woods of a journo who seemed to want to bum MON, forget his name, but he said he was forced to quit, I'm pretty sure you will chose to believe the poster on here as it suits you. Same as with your earlier post claiming he must have been forced out due to compensation.

You are quoting something that I did not say.

I can make no judgement as to what a man who 1. has a fairly large ego and 2. would be interested in a potential 7 figure payout, would or would not do in relation to the press.

Yep, I read back and saw it wasn't them words, as you see from my previous post it is obviously Doug who told you he was sacked. Once again, all speculation and going back to your initial post saying.

So back to your quote

All a bit tiresome, but for the umpteenth time, MON did not quit, he was FIRED!

That is a pointless quote really when you aren't going to back it up with anything.

I guess that you would then be getting into the debate of why a man who resigned was awarded compensation, which I think has been done.

So you said you heard from the "horse's mouth", which means that more people could have heard it, and therefore, MON would have surely let someone in the press know, as the idea that he resigned has tarnished his name, no only with Villa fans, but with other football chairman etc as well.

Looking at what you originally said, it was Doug that told you he was fired.

Like I said in the above though, I don't see why MON would let the footballing world think he quit, doesn't make any sense for someone like MON who is so concerned about himself as a brand.

I guess that you would then be getting into the debate of why a man who resigned was awarded compensation, which I think has been done.

So you said you heard from the "horse's mouth", which means that more people could have heard it, and therefore, MON would have surely let someone in the press know, as the idea that he resigned has tarnished his name, no only with Villa fans, but with other football chairman etc as well.

I think that you are putting words into my mouth.

Anyone within earshot of the indiscreet utterances by the person concerned was aware. The subsequent, albeit much further down the line, compensation agreement, with the (assumed) gagging clause tended to give those utterances an awful lot of credence.

Just to confirm then, the club, Paul Falkner and Randy Lerner lied to us with the following statement

A club statement this afternoon said: "Aston Villa can confirm that Martin O'Neill has resigned as manager of the football club with immediate effect.

Sorry, how do you know what conditions MON would work in? The only way MoN would stay is if he could screw the club up?

And you truly believe an independent tribunal who heard all the facts awarded a large compensation package to Mon because he refused to sort out the finances and just quit? Really?

And now you are guessing as well. None of us know the reason for him reason, we don't know if the compensation was unpaid bonus's etc or compestation due to constructive dismisal.

Claiming that any compensation is proof that MON was some how in the right is complete speculation and therefore utter bollocks.

It's Randy's money, the buck stops with him. O'Neill was nothing more than an employee, and as owner, seemingly gave him carte blanche to spend what he likes. That's the sign of a bad owner, and a shit businessman.

Bollocks, the blame can't be pined solely on Randy's door. He was backing his manager on the players his manager needed to get the club into the Champions League, we didn't get there as the players weren't good enough and for other reasons. Is that a bad owner that backs his manager?

We always knew Randy's plan was to make us self financing, he has **** up at times, but the blame is completely his and now he we are having to make changes to make us self financing and we just have to accept it.