Villa Stu

4 minutes ago, sir_gary_cahill said:

I think they are worse than Wesley and El Ghazi, yes, we’ve paid an awful lot of money for them. I think it would be foolish to write them off after such little time

Personally, I always thought Abraham was good enough for Chelsea. He’s proving that currently, let’s see if he can maintain it

I’m not writing off AEG or Wes. When AEG is on his game he is unbelievable but he is hot and cold. I just think it would do them both good to have some real competition and it wouldn’t break the bank.

By the way I’m not saying they would be my first choices, I was just pointing out that I think they would be gettable and offer us something. I would much prefer us to sign players like Wilson, Giroud etc but it’s not always plausible

2 minutes ago, sir_gary_cahill said:

Neither are Premier League quality in my opinion 

Are they any worse than Wes and AEG?

At least they would work for the club

Don't forget people said that Tammy wasn’t prem quality

Not the most exciting names but what about a double swoop for Lolley and grabban? Just thinking we could do with a few more players that would put a shift in us

I can’t believe what I’m reading! McGinn - our best player last season and people are questioning if he is in the starting 11.

I get we need to improve due to the step up but we also want to keep as much of the spine of the team together that got us up. For me Mings, McGinn and grealish are guaranteed to start until one of them have a bad game. The places are theirs to lose

On 01/03/2019 at 17:00, sir_gary_cahill said:

You think he’s average? No-one’s taken a chance on him, wherever he’s been he’s scored goals throughout his career, I’d take him here in the Summer

So had McCormack mate. We need to change our approach, which it looks like Smith is doing judging his Jan signings

8 minutes ago, villabromsgrove said:

This may sound weird given the current state of play, but I'm genuinely excited by the prospect of DS having a full summer transfer window, and preparing the right players for next season. I'm expecting bags of energy, pace, attitude, character and hunger, with a decent amount of technique!

I feel the same mate. He needs to get in players that can play a high tempo, high pressing, pass and move game instead of the aging, immobile players that make up the majority of our squad. 

You only need to look at the way Brentford play to see how he likes to play football and that’s a team that most likely cost less than McCormack. 

He needs his own type of players and I think we will be smashing teams again.

Wow!!!!!!! 

14 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Can this be moved to other football now? 

   Football and Micah 

32 minutes ago, villa89 said:

No he didn't, he seemed very over priced given he was 29 at the time.

I meant Kodjia seemed a bargain at £15m compared the £12m we spent on McCormack. I maybe should have worded it better

1 hour ago, holteend1982 said:

Kodjia is good but not sure he's £15 million good and jedi is another good one, forgot RDM signed him tbf 

Fair point, but at the time of spending £12m on McCormack, Kodjia seemed an absolute bargain. How times have changed for us.

9 minutes ago, holteend1982 said:

Yeah, was probably the only good thing RDM did at the club in signing Chester. 

Kodjia and Jedi for me too

7 hours ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

We did have Bruce's team of which 8 - Bree, Elmohamedy, Chester, Taylor, Hourihane, Lansbury, Bjarnasson, and Hogan - remain.

The rest of his team have now left and he only has players left from previous regimes (that he needs to offload) and the youth system. 

The full team he did have he failed his objective with. I do not see how he will now suddenly get us promotion with what is left and the task ahead considering he has other players to move on first whilst potentially has no funds whatsoever to play with either. - His black book this season will be as much use as a chocolate toaster.

With the kitty he has had for this division many manager would have achieved automatic promotion atleast. For me, he has had his role of the dice armed with significant funds to do it with and just under in under 2 seasons. He has done well but it has not been enough.

His best chance was last season. How he set us up and played how we did at Wembley he bottled our approach to the game and we paid for it like many of the results that season in the same approach. It's beyond fouls and red cards I'm afraid.

For the good he has done in turning us around when he arrived to now I think he needs to leave as I just cannot see how he will do any better than last season with what remains left as his playing personel this season and £0 to spend. So it is back to square one really either way whether Bruce stays or leaves given other club circumstances at the moment.

For me It's time for a new manager with fresh ideas and imputus seeking a big challenge. 

Was Chester a Bruce signing? I thought he was RDM signing.

2 hours ago, Villan4Life said:

Depends how much we want to spend mate!!

I mean if Jack did go (no one want hims too) Oztumer on a free would have been a good option if it didnt work out we could have easily flogged him for a mil or two!

 

Goalkeeper i would obviously look at Dean Henderson, but i'll show you Walsall video in min or a gem i spotted Liam Roberts he is a **** excllent shotstopper he is only 6ft but makes up for it in other areas and is only 23. Also Lee Burge of Coventry is improving all the time he is a solid keeper.. Made a lot of mistakes a few years back but everytime i saw him last season he was solid in 5 games.

 

I'd take Kory Roberts from Walsall too, he wouldn't a starter but he has good potential and could improve a lot was very impressed with him in games i saw then he got dropped which did nothing for his confidence

Interestingly Walsall have signed Andy Cook from Tranmere a player i put through to the club with Ollie Banks in Dec when went watch them vs Solihull Moors. St Mirren tried for both players but they chose Walsall and Tranmere. Cook is 27 and could well do a Danny Newton next season or even climb leagues like Vardy!! i don't think Cook will make it to Prem but could be a decent forward in Championship he scores goals for fun and Manager Dean Keates said he remind him of Lee Trundle.

 

I would take Jordan Shipley, Tom Bayliss and Jordan Ponticelli all from Coventry. Coventry have about 7 kids in first team these days and about another 15 breaking through. Hence why Leicester nicked George Thomas for a low fee and Everton took Bassala Sambou for a few hundred thousand in last two years.. Because of Sisou princes was dirt cheap but with them winning promotion expect them to want about 3mil for Bayliss, 2,5 for Shipley and 1.5 for Ponticelli.

 

I'm looking forward to watching Coventry again next season due to all these brilliant prospects they have which they only started to bring through after the Lee Hughes era blowing £5mil on that idiot it's certainly reaping its rewards

 

I would also take Jodi Jones from Coventry who started season on fire but been injured since about October, he is like a faster Tony Daley but is left footed and plays on right wing and likes cut inside and turn defenders inside out. his crossing is good and very much Ashley Young style when he was with us with ball at his feet.

Mohamed Eisa of Cheltenham could be a good bargain for Championship sides, Jack Payne (Blackburn has 11 assists in 18 games since arriving from Southend) Tariqe Fosu of Charlton is a good young player when i saw them live.Ryan Tafazolli impressed me when Peterborough beat us in cup, 6ft 5 and would be a good defender bring in.

 

A good striker i saw at Jamie Vardy V9 is Gethyn Hill (who's just left Weston Super Mare) he had good potential he scored twice yesterday was leagues better than any other player and scored a lot for Weston last season he is only 23 and could easily rise through divisions he will get signed by a league club, trying get him into St Mirren but will have better offers. A low punt on him could work well with better coaching (he's better than Jordan Bowery and actually knows where the net is lol)

 

many other players mate i feel could do a job for us instead of  spunking 15mil on McCormack i knew he would work out as he has angered all the fans and staff at Rangers, Cardiff, Leeds, Fulham and now us... we are taught on scouting qual NOT to go for players like this so what do Tony/Keith and the others do they pay him 50k a week and give him a mega contract when he is a known trouble maker.

 

I just Villa learn their lessons with no money now, it;s not what you pay for players or wages it'g applying common sense and fitting the team together like  a jigsaw puzzle and avoiding players like McCormack is in 4 corner model (he only hits 1 of the 5 targets based on his past so why do it) when we can get players in that hit all 5 for a small fee with scope to improve.

Funny how Fulham took the £15mil for McCormack and built a great attacking team using that money with modest fees and wages spent on players whilst we went gung ho with no real focus apart from look everyone we paid £15mil

 

I just things change this season but i doubt it as if we keep Bruce he will try and sign more 33/34 year olds like Whelan and waste a couple of million on him when we can be clever by going for some of the talented, hard working kids i mentioned above

 

Anyway watch all Roberts saves here for Walsall at game i went to in January.. He made about 6 or 7 world class saves not all was shown in this video but check it out, the kid is quality

 

 

 

If worse comes to the worst and we lose Jack, is there anyone of the above you think could step up? Obviously I’m not expecting them to come in and be as good as Jack, but just someone that could come in and add that creative spark in the middle of the pitch. 

3 hours ago, Darth Villa said:

He was meant to have £500m cash in UK accounts when buying the Villa, based on some reports at the time, enough to cover the next 2 to 5 years. Clearly that's no longer the case.

I agree that the football authorities also need to take a long hard look at themselves too. 

I wonder if that was loan too?

It was £100m he had in a uk bank

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-qa-tony-xia-11383863

27 minutes ago, TRO said:

Its very, very worrying.

I think the lack of clarity and muddy waters of Tony's whole existence is perhaps, the most perplexing element.

However, I thought the Football Authorities, signed him off with a clean bill of health?

Personally I would like to see a new Owner, one with substance....not to just bank roll the club, but ensure the stable footing and over see clear and transparent management.

Where can you get a man with capital and a trusted soul?

I agree but just worry about what type of owner would we be getting? Would they have the clubs best interest at heart or just come in and sell any and all assets?

58 minutes ago, maqroll said:

Because the club is teetering on the brink and hes entering his prime.

So would that make you, as a Villa fan, not want to play for Villa?

3 hours ago, maqroll said:

Tony might scrounge up some money to retain Grealish and Chester etc., but if you were them, would you really want to stay now?

As a fan I would say Grealish would choose to play for Villa over any other club, just imagine being in his position as a fan playing for the club you love and being the main man on the pitch, hearing the crowd sing your name, the question for me is why wouldn’t he want to stay at Villa?

On 07/06/2018 at 00:22, paul1984 said:

It would have to be free never mind getting a fee for him. Even though it would save us 2 million on his wages next year it would actually count as a big loss on our FFP accounts...... crazy.

What would happen, in terms of FFP, if we managed a swap deal? No fee, just player for player and look at getting someone in on lower wages. 

6 hours ago, babyblue said:

Nobody is looking down from what I can see, just that very few think he's worth anything close to the reported numbers, for all the reasons I outlined yesterday.

Thinking you'd get £30-40m is laughable, I'm sorry it just is. We're losing out best player, the best player we've ever had, a player who gets bags full of goals and assists at a higher level whilst in a defensive team, a PFA player of the year... for £60m. Your numbers just don't add up, the market as you seem to see it, we do not.

You are within your rights to ask for however much you want, everyone else is also free to say he's worth nothing close to that. I know it's emotive with him, he's a fan we all adore that sort of player when they come through, but the market hasn't moved on as much as you seem to think it has.

£28m for Slimani says that it has

10 minutes ago, jjaacckk91 said:

I know second is as good as gone, but optimistic me can't help thinking if we take advantage now and give these a good hiding to boost our goal difference it could hugely increase our chances

That’s the spirit mate, let’s keep the pressure on the teams above and see what happens over the next couple of games.

4 hours ago, Shropshire Lad said:

If @omariqy‘s  prediction turns out to be accurate, the Bruce thread will be fun between the Norwich and Ipswich games.

It will be fun after the Sheffield Utd game mate, never mind between the Norwich and Ipswich games

1 minute ago, CosmicVillan said:

Replacement for Onamah maybe ?

He certainly could be, do we have the money to be signing him without selling first though?

2 minutes ago, CosmicVillan said:

According to reports, Aston Villa are interested in signing Nick Powell from League One side Wigan Athletic.

Anyone seen him play? 

Used to play for crewe alongside Westwood, then went to Man Utd the same time we signed Westwood. Wigan signed him a few seasons ago, fairly decent performer mate 

Looks to have gained a yard of pace. Best player on the pitch for the 3rd game in a row. He is making us click and controls the game and brings others players into the game. Keep it up jack utv!

Great game. Grealish motm for me. Everyone played brilliant today great start to 2018