ViewFromT2

I think your list of "we don't do's" is valid....but it is precisely because we don't have a player like Ryan Woods. This would be a frickin brilliant signing for us. I would say he has been the best player I've seen at Villa Park since we came down....certainly close to it anyway.

He probably will score 20 goals....but the team won't get close to the 72 goals we scored last year. I agree with the post, we look disjointed when he plays as our lone striker. We looked a better team immediately when Davis came in last season when he got injured. Unfortunately Davis doesn't bring the goals, he's very much like Heskey was for us. I would pick him ahead of Kodija though in a lone striker role. Personally I would play Kodija deeper in a free role or put him out wide.

We always look crap when Kodija plays. The team just doesn't function when he is playing as our striker. Shame (but no surprise) that nobody has been linked with him. As for Grealish. We were rubbish last season until he returned from injury. I don't think he is as good as a lot of fans think, but to us at this moment in time he is priceless and irreplaceable. I think he will go because surely he will want to play in the premier league but pray that he doesn't. Losing him and Chester would be a total disaster. We'd struggle to make the top half without both of them. Also, a lot of people seem to have forgotten just how many points Sam Johnstone preserved for us last season. I would go so far as to say we wouldn't have made the play offs without his contribution. We know Bunn is nowhere near that level, we can only hope that Jed Steer can become a star for us. Can't see us getting away with so many of those jammy 1 goal wins this season.

I think we need better than Kodija personally if we are looking to go up. We look a disjointed side when he plays. I know he has that bit of individualism that can get us a goal out of nowhere......but it's consistency that brings success. We scored far more goals last season without him. I'd take the cash if anyone lodged a bid personally.

he has a really bright future. hope it's with us

Rather have 2 flying wingers personally.

The only players we need to keep are Grealish and Chester. The rest are easily replaced. I would keep the nucleus of youngsters as long as they are going to get enough chances. Other than that, there isn't one player I would be sorry to see go.

Is it just me that thinks those 2 statements are totally contradictory? I like Snodgrass in terms of his effort etc, but really don't want to see him back again.

found a tracking website, think it's where this has been spotted. looks like it landed in Atlanta on Sunday and flew to BHX yesterday. 99.99999% not Villa related, but it's all good fun! Edit: Just seen a pic on the BHX blog page thingy....the unknow jet is parked up right next to the N345LC (Possible Wes Eden plane) on the tarmac at BHX. No idea if its standard practice or not but they are literally 'buddied up' on the tarmac!

One arrived last night at 2042...N878SM GLF4-......also 1st visit. Not sure how to trace ownership though....interesting nonetheless.

Spot on. If Bruce is dismissed today, then everything will already have been agreed with the new manager. We're not gonna sack Bruce and then start negotiating, we could end up with no manager! Wasn't there a rumour that the meeting was planned for yesterday but moved back till today.......wouldn't be becuase Thierry was in Ibiza I wonder?

Not really...... "Maurizio Sarri has promised to bring the fun back to Chelsea and the early indications are that the Italian is a man of his word. The new Blues boss has allowed a number of his players time off to attend Cesc Fabregas' wedding celebration in Ibiza on Tuesday evening. Sarri had intended to cancel days off that had been arranged by Antonio Conte, but has come to a compromise with many of his players invited to the event." "Chelsea arrived back in London on Tuesday morning after the 1-0 win over Perth Glory on Monday brought their short pre-season trip to Australia to a successful close. They will return to the club's training ground in Cobham for rehab and a warm-down before the wedding party. Wednesday's session has been made optional before full training resumes on Thursday. Fabregas shared a picture of them back on home soil on Tuesday, with the Spaniard posing outside a jet on a runway."

Well Thierry is partying in Ibiza...would of thought he would be here talking to the new owners if he was about to become our new manager surely? "Stars including Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and John Terry attend glamorous post-wedding party of Cesc Fabregas and Daniella Semaan" "A string of A-list stars including Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and John Terry partied together at Cesc Fabregas' post-wedding party in Ibiza on Tuesday night. Chelsea star Fabregas tied the knot with Daniella Semaan in May, however the couple waited until the height of summer - and after the league season and World Cup - to hold their celebratory bash. It took place on the Balearic island and was the perfect place for any football fan hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the game's biggest names." "There were also reminders of Fabregas's youthful days as a Gunner, with former goalkeeper Jens Lehmann and the club's all-time top scorer Thierry Henry in attendance at the party. Henry, like Terry, was taking a break from Villa-related rumours amid talks he is on the verge of replacing Steve Bruce as manager following a takeover at the Championship club. Fabregas and Semaan were of course the stars of the show, both wearing striking, jewelled, white outfits as they kissed for the cameras. The couple were joined by four of their five children, Leonardo, Lia, Capri and Joseph, for pictures - the eldest, Maria, was the only one not in the snaps. Lebanese-born Semaan, 43, is 12 years older than her new husband, but that has not stopped romance blossoming and Fabregas proposed in December 2017. " http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5988547/Team-mates-past-present-attend-Cesc-Fabregas-post-wedding-party.html

11 satisfied charges showing on companies house now for yesterday. Wonder if more will follow today? It seems they have a cunning plan m'lord!

certainly does seem that way. hopefully more to come

yeah, it would of all changed over. if you look on the companies house page you can see details of each charge

those mortgages were taken out years and years ago. None of the new Xia charges are showing as satisfied yet.....hopefully they will be over the next few days. We seem to have satisfied lots of mortgages on houses around birmingham. I wondered if it might have been players homes in the 50s?

Looks like the charges satisfied today are from well before Xia came along..... Mortgage Created 26 February 1936 Delivered 9 March 1936 Status Satisfied on 23 July 2018 Mortgage Created 31 July 1959 Delivered 12 August 1959 Status Satisfied on 23 July 2018 Mortgage Created 31 July 1959 Delivered 12 August 1959 Status Satisfied on 23 July 2018 Mortgage Created 31 July 1959 Delivered 12 August 1959 Status Satisfied on 23 July 2018 Legal charge Created 20 January 1971 Delivered 5 February 1971 Status Satisfied on 23 July 2018 Legal charge Created 1 July 1986 Delivered 16 July 1986 Status Satisfied on 23 July 2018

I must admit I was lost with all that, but clearly he has read into this and knows his stuff. He sounded like we have nothing to worry about, and it's down to some accountancy work done the year we came down which the new owners can easily exploit..... Also said, villa now have the 3rd richest owners in english football. just let that sink in. only man city and chelsea are ahead of us.....if they want to flex their muscles.....wow!

yep

He took an incredible amount of stick from Villa fans when he suggested Xia was not all sweetness and light, from the very start of his reign. Xia had a twitter spat with him if you remember?...and to be fair to him, Matt Scott said he wouldn't last 2 years! The problem is he was saying things fans just didn't want to hear after the Lerner charade. I have to say, he is very much more positive about the new owners.

Just seen on Twitter that Matt Scott is on Talksport at 1230 talking Villa. He knows his stuff when it comes to football finances. He has been tweeting recently that he doesn't believe FFP is anything to worry about for us and he thinks the previous regime were hiding behind it. Thinks Villa's FFP problems were from the Lerner era, the last season in particular. Since then the clubs finances are showing signs of improvement. No figures available for last season yet, but think we made a healthy profit on transfers. Might be worth a listen.

Bloomberg are stating £30m for 55% stake https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-20/billionaire-sawiris-wes-edens-to-buy-aston-villa-club-stake

I hope we can avoid selling them mate (as we all do). Statement mentions improving the squad.....selling Jack won't do that. Perhaps any sale could be put off till January now, and see where we are then?

I would expect them to put a competent CEO in place to run the club day to day. Nicola Cortese would be my choice. Need someone that knows the 2018 game, not the bloody 1998 game!