Jon

I say yes because if it improves him as a player thats good for us as a club and I really couldn't give a shit about SHA to care enough if they come up or not. I tend to think a bit bigger in terms of our rivals over the next few years than that shower from down the road!

seconded.

I voted Yes.

spot on Mr Blandmeister, i agree entirely (even after having read and ignored the post directly above this one).

MON had done "OK" so far and, having (apparently) come through our sticky patch, and having brouight in some decent additions, i think we can look forward to a decent run in and next season should hopefully offer new horizons.

TBF Petrov seemed like a good signing the first match Jon.

and still does, in my eyes.

However, whilst i agree that one swallow does not make a summer, i think we can be cautiously optimistic that MON has got in 3 or 4 decent players in this window who will in all probablity add to the first team strength.

It's a good start for them, performance wise.

The newspapers won't say

Newcastle Utd 3 Aston Villa 1 (but unlucky).

.

In fact, almost every report is saying exactly this

Hit the woodwork what...3 times? perfectly good goal disallowed? Their keeper MOTM by a mile?

Its all about results at the end of the day, and this one goes down as a defeat of course, but I think I will reserve judgement until i hear from those who were there

exactly Bozzy.

Spot on. I've just read the Grauniad report and it did basically said that we dominated the match and probably deserved to win it. We were all over them apparently. Good goal dissallowed. Their keeper makes some blinding saves - ours did the opposite.

I would take a lot of positives from this match, most notably the performance of our debutants.

good signings it seems MON. Well done.

Diop just turned down Wigan.

Interesting

eyebrows now in raised position .....

I havent read this article for this very reason and I wont either. It'll be alot of back-tracking and finger pointing and frankly I dont really care anymore.

Still as I scrolled down and past it, it looked long. Well done.

ditto.

yep - i scrolled past and looked at the responses instead. Same old fare, IMO.

argument goes in circles and then back-tracks. People rise to the bait, etc etc ...

Edit: I also look out for Malcs posts as they usually ellicit an eloquent response from Pete Bossy.

I'm rarely dissapointed by such responses, as they are top notch.

I think his ability to tie up defenders and make space for others, will make wonders for our current players with flair and pace.

spot on Tarj.

I think he'll work wonders as the middle man in a front 3, tying up defenders and creating room for the like of young and gabby/Moore to exploit.

I think he'll suit the 4-3-3 MON seemingly wants to employ down to the ground.

I'd be shocked now with these 2 purchases and the return of Moore if MON didn't go back to 4-3-3

for me there should only be 11 worldclass players in the world..........

FWIW I disagree with this completely. There are many world class players in the world, not just the best one in his position. Arjen Robben is world class but I'd still put Ronaldinho on my left wing. Which of these is not world class - Henry, Klose, Rooney, Torres, van Nistelrooy. All strikers.

FWIW i completeley disagree with you...............

Out of that list of strikers id say youd pick Henry & Van Nistelrooy as your front two, the rest would be behind them in the pecking order........... so Henry & van Nistelrooy are the better option, therefore the WORLDCLASS option

same goes for Robben and Ronaldinho - if Ronaldinho is better than Robben for the wing, then Ronaldinho is the WORLDCLASS player, Robben is not !!!

just my opinion..............

so by that logic, there are in fact only 11 WORLD CLASS players that currently exist in world football.

:shock:

He's 50k p/w. Now Heinze is a bargain.

cheap as chips. All 57 varieties .....

I'd imagine MON would like 11 signings of the calibre of Drogba/Terry.

But we're in the real world here. He was talking, IIRC, of an "ideal scenario" type situation.

£40 to me is the same as 2 million to Randy Lerner.

On the basis that RL is worth in the region of £600m, i've worked it out that you are therefore worth £4800 pounds.

I'll forward you a tenner for a drink and a hot meal :winkold:

let's just go the whole hog and put a link to some hardcore porn in a "sticky" with an age verification thingy on it .....

hang on - why don't we just link to Rob's blog?

What even if MON wanted him?? Would he be good enough then :wink:

obviously :winkold:

i just don't think MON will be interested, that's all.

Not they type of player he is looking for, IMO.

He's gone on record as saying he's looking to bring in pace and athleticism.

MON is looking for pace and athleticism, so IMO Golden Balls does not fit the bill.

factor in stupidly extortionate wages (i'd imagine).

No chance, IMO. I think IF he came back to blighty it would be to the capital only.

Meh, the papers are grasping but know **** all. Ive got a feeling some signings, and maybe one big one, will come out of the blue. (Maybe even from the blues :wink: )

from the Sea?

Like a big whale perhaps? Sh*t - maybe we're signing Hartson .......

Chelsea are leaking heavily without JT and Cech, so we have some sort of chance.

125/1 does look a bit generous, i agree, and JPA is due a goal (if he starts).

But i still voted for you anyway ....

Grauniad and The Times for me, although i don't buy 'em myself.

Our works office gets the Times each day and my folks get the Grauniad.

My gran is a bit of a right wing scaremongering type so no prizes for guessing which is her paper of choice ....

i too agree with all that Ian. It's just that i have the suspicion that the players MON probably wants to push us forward (as opposed to make do "stocking fillers") will not be available in the Jan window.

And some people may then take that opportunity to "sound off" against MONty, which IMO would be unfair.

I must admit I am in the camp that would like to see a bit more positive statements coming from MON. DOL was moaned at by a certain bunch of people for negative comments whereas MON can seemingly say what he wants and its not viewed the same way.

Yeah but surely Ian we all gave the previous incumbent plenty of leeway in that 1st season?

It wasn't until we'd had 2+ years of excuses and downbeat patronising soundbites that it got a bit much for us, especially combined with bad results.

MON has made some realistic quotes. I wouldn't want him to come out with some unrealistic tosh which he then couldn't deliver.

Freddy Eastwood's available from Southend.

But is he any good?

Maybe its O'Neill playing down expectations Blandy because he's into this organic growth thing and doesn't feel he's under any real pressure, maybe there isn't the money available yet as expected, maybe the money for transfers has to be generated, maybe O'Neill doesn't have the balls to risk to deal with the big names in the game, maybe and maybe.

maybe, and here's a real shocking theory, maybe the players MON wants will not be available during the January window and so he is preparing us for this fact?

Just a wild stab in the dark .....

Maybe you need to add a little more positivity to your posts?

well spotted Sir :winkold:

For me, it's the old adage of under promise and over deliver.

exactly - managing expectation levels. We all know that "some" Villa fans will be wanting expecting unrealistic players to be purchased in january.

Like you say, under promise and over deliver.

Unlike the previous incumbent, who under promised and under delivered ....

WHAM don't need to sell any of their best players and IMO won't.

Unless of course that player is a w*nker and is causing major unrest at the club.

I suspect Curbs will steady the ship and none of the good players will be offski, sadly

out targets will come from elsewhere, IMO

2-2

Well done.

Sorry, my finger sliipped.

Win ur homes and draw ur aways.

That's ok.

it would be if that's what we were still doing ...... :winkold:

Taylor can't be blamed for the goals as such - but he doesn't inspire confidence in the defence because he's scared to come off his line, so even a simple cross causes trouble.

When Arsenal sold him Wenger said he was a good shot-stopper but would never command his area, and I think we've seen that in the last few games.

He's a liability, I'm afraid to say.

spot on analysis IMO. That's certainly the impression i got from being at the game too.

"Does not command his area" is the phrase that springs to mind