KevinRichardsonsMoustache

I know nothing about Garde. But I've watched poop for a while now and I want to be excited about the club I love again. For a few minutes in that game, a few players looked like they cared. Ayew and Gil deserve all the praise they're getting. Gabby and Richardson, for all of the tub thumping about either loyalty or 'professionalism', I hope to never see start a game again. Would Wenger put up with them?

Good luck, Remi. 

four minutes Carles...four minutes 

Dirty talk. Wonderful dirty dirty talk. 

Ayew kidding?! Sorry.

Got 5 live on at the same time. Absolutely f-Ing shocking commentary and punditry. Please put Motty out to pasture. 

I'm absolutely bemused by this. Low confidence: yes. Any pride at all: no. 

I feel empty.

A stronger squad, certainly.

From a personal perspective, this has been the most intriguing and positive transfer window I've ever been through. There was that fortnight period starting with Veretout and ending with Adama that it was just exciting to be a villa fan again. Sherwood has been bold.

Furthermore, Sherwood clearly wanted more exciting, perhaps unpredictable, players. He was obviously bothered by how we had no plan b once the balls to Benteke stopped working last year.

I don't think Sherwood fully trusted a lot of his inherited squad either. His placement of Gabby as 'club captain' I think shows that, while rewarding loyalty, Sherwood doesn't see Gabby playing too often once Ayew gets underway.

This is Sherwood's squad for sure but the whole gelling issue will continue to be a source of concern.

Pleased with this. Good, shrewd, buy for the money.

Tim has a good few options at CB:

Richards Lescott

Okore Clark

Senderos Ilori

Baker Suliman

A bizarre read about the mind of Adebayor

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/tottenham-hotspur/11837986/Emmanuel-Adebayor-refuses-to-leave-Tottenham-Hotspur-because-he-needs-a-sign-from-God.html

This is fascinating. Thanks for posting it.

I don't really like how it's being reported. If he wants to wait on God or whatever then fine. The real issue is how cankered footballers' contracts are. That he, and perhaps Berahino, are no longer fulfilling the duties and their roles and still receiving payment.

Adebayor is clearly a troubled man - the stuff about his family and the shooting are horrifying - and I hope he finds some sort of comfort before playing again. I do have to pose one question, though: To paraphrase Balotelli, 'why always him'?

So Kozak then?!

Other options clearly didn't pan out. Tim obviously didn't see Austin fitting in for whatever reason. I think he's been fairly open in that he'd 'do something if someone becomes available'. That obviously didn't happen.

Fair play to him for not selling us down the river for Adebayor. He claimed at the weekend that Adebayor was a friend. I think Adebayor will genuinely look back on it as a missed opportunity. At least he can do so from atop his pile of cash. If his attitude stinks or he wasn't up for it 1% then Sherwood did e right thing.

I'm trying to be optimistic. The squad, on paper at least, looks far better than last season. It's just that the big goalscoring cog in the machine is either missing or an unknown commodity. It's certainly risky.

Bobby Olejnik II.

Boaz Myhill II.

Hope he gets a look if good enough.

Welcome! Wonderful opportunity for him.

 

Villa have signed highly-rated goalkeeper Matija Sarkic from Anderlecht.

The 18-year-old stopper has penned a three-year deal with the claret and blues.

He has come through the youth system at the Belgian club - which oversaw the development of Vincent Kompany and Romelu Lukaku - and has been playing for their U19 team.

Internationally, Sarkic featured for Montenegro in the U17 European Championships of 2013 and has just been called up into the U21 squad for their European Championship qualifier in Moldova, which takes place this Friday.

In other news, U21 regular Riccardo Calder has joined Dundee until January 2016.

He will now link up with manager Paul Hartley at Dens Park in the Scottish Premiership.

 

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~4972909,00.html

Is Sherwood tall or the keeper not so?

On a box.

Helps for facials.

Predictable link...

Link removed, feel free to repost quoting the article ala site guidelines. Thanks - Trent

 

Villa have signed highly-rated goalkeeper Matija Sarkic from Anderlecht.

The 18-year-old stopper has penned a three-year deal with the claret and blues.

He has come through the youth system at the Belgian club - which oversaw the development of Vincent Kompany and Romelu Lukaku - and has been playing for their U19 team.

Internationally, Sarkic featured for Montenegro in the U17 European Championships of 2013 and has just been called up into the U21 squad for their European Championship qualifier in Moldova, which takes place this Friday.

In other news, U21 regular Riccardo Calder has joined Dundee until January 2016.

He will now link up with manager Paul Hartley at Dens Park in the Scottish Premiership.

 

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~4972909,00.html

Are we sure this isn't just Sherwood's son or nephew? I'm getting old...

I know this is to fill the free air, but the Mail put up an interesting piece in our history of deadline deals.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villas-deadline-day-signings-9965105?

Some interesting ones in there. Thing that becomes most clear is that, for the very very occasional gem, we don't like deadline day.

Also a photo of Erik Bakke - I'd forgotten about him!

Next stop, fuzzy photo of him and Father Ted on the pitch.

All Summer not one ITK has had a clue what's going on at VP. The only time they've got close is when the deals are very close to being done and by that time it's public knowledge. Things can change very fast today as Sherwood said it can be a case of the domino effect. .

These kind of comments push up my positivity meter. Come on! I said defender and striker and I'd be happy. I think deadline day has gone to my head.

I have a feeling this net spend issue is going to rumble on.

Big money came in for two players. Two players who formed an integral part of the team last year, the money that was spent beyond that brought in,m,whatever the clauses and wages on top, has been pitiful.

There's no change in the chairman's approach. Fair play to Sherwood for deploying the money so well and improving a great many areas of the team but there has been no investment. Imagine if we would've kept Benteke and Delph. We might've been lucky to just get Adama and Richards.

I'm not in the business of getting on the chairman's back, i don't see the point. It needs pointing out, though.

i totally agree. We don't know how much money Sherwood was promised.

The problem is, whether one looks at net, gross or total spend, the fact is that a relegation contender from last year has spent very little.

Sherwood has done a cracking job in trying to reinvest the cash that has come in. Ayew and Gestede have not made an incredible impact immediately but there is time before we can pass judgement properly.

I would have loved to see what he could've done with more but I guess this is the usual problem.

Maybe Sherwood signed up to these terms. Maybe that's why he took on the exciting young prospects - as investments.

What gets me most is all the talk that the Chairman is reinvested emotionally in the club. The evidence suggests that he is not willing to show his financial commitment. Entirely his prerogative, of course, but I clearly have a different definition of commitment.

I don't want the window to end in this manner - the transfers thus far have reinvigorated the energy surrounding the club. In fact, the forum has been buzzing if that's any indicator.

Anyway, rant over. Jim White...over to you.

If we are offering a 1.5m loan fee for Gayke, that shows we ain't spending today. Shame that as soon as the money from sales dries up, we go back to being tighter than a nuns fanny.

This.

Expressed far more clearly than I tried! Spot on DK82.

Darren Lewis ‏@MirrorDarren 4m4 minutes ago

Villa understood to have offered £1.5m loan fee for Dwight Gayle. Crystal Palace will only sell him - for £10m. @MirrorFootball

I can hear Randy scraping the barrel. A Premier Lesgue team that, for all intents and purposes, seems to have run out of money to be competitive in the transfer market.

I might be overreacting here, I don't know what's going behind closed doors, but Sherwood clearly wants a striker. The Thunderball-style transfers, of promising youngsters with incredible ability, seem to have stopped.

If this isn't an agent trying to drum up interest, then it's appalling that the money has dried up.

It reminds me of the Oyvind Leonardsen and Ronny Johnsen transfers years ago.

On paper, with Adebayor and Lescott, we'd be a far stronger proposition than last year.

The gelling issue is still there but hopefully Adebayor can help give Ayew some confidence/swagger. Was the photo of the two together that was circulating real?!

I think this has to be a done deal. Or near.

I think it might be that Evans needs persuading that WBA are worth a punt that's stalling the deal. I can't see Pullis being as intense a personality as Sherwood in one-to-one meetings. Especially if Evans is asking questions about Berahino.

??? Evans has already signed and been pictured with their shirt.

Whoops. These ill-informed posters, eh?! Stand corrected!

Pullis facial?! There's a Bank Holiday image for you.