MrBlack

Wow, I sincerely hope we never leave Villa Park. Don't think we will, for most of the reasons mentioned in this thread, but could see it going the same way. Move closer to an up market area, with shopping centres around it... atmosphere gone. Intimidation factor, gone. History might be limited to the name, and the record books, but the stadium is a huge part of that too.

Much like the loan in tag on El Ghazi's topic bugged me for days after we signed him... the player tag against Wesley is irking me a little. Do we not have one that represents "pending work premit"? I feel like we're tempting fate...

According to who/ what?

Romania U21 made Tomori look extremely bad. Hagi and Coman look amazing, but hard to tell if that's only because our defence were woeful or vice versa. They've got cracking strikes on them both though.

Actually makes me think he'll fit in better...with the threat we have from wide/behind. Maybe we're looking at further goal scoring wingers and going for a fluid front 4... AEG, Freakish, Moreice and a.n.other.

I voted 14th on an assumption of who we'll sign, based on my trust in the leadership... based on current squad it's 20th (given we don't have one) so not sure why anyone would vote based on that perspective. Maybe it could be a weekly thread based on who we've signed (or not) each week

They're making a load of money from their stadium move (selling old and renting new), so for this season at least they aren't forced to sell, meaning they'll ask for more than they are "worth". This may be the only opportunity they have for a long time to keep their best players and make a real push for promotion. They'd be stupid not to take it, unless they can get loads more for players than they budgeted for Edit: for this reason I don't see many moves for Brentford players happening, almost certainly lazy media speculation. Not saying it won't happen, but the vibe i'm getting from our owners is we'd rather gamble on value, than gamble on overpaying. Maybe If we still only have 8 players in two weeks time...

If they rate Kelly and Mephan as better current options, who are younger than mings, and cost them 13m, then they would have to be crazy to think we'll pay 20m for Mings. Sure, his value is possibly hiked because of him fitting at our club, but not by 7m, when sell on value will be no more (or less) than what we pay. His injury record is not wiped out after 6 months without one. Thankfully, I don't think Bournemouth are crazy, and I don't think our owners are either, so this deal will be done for 15m or less, or we'll find another option and Bournemouth will be left with a wage they don't want to pay. Would be a shame for Tyrone, but if that situation looks like happening he will have some power to force it through (forgoing his "loyalty payment" for example...). All that is assuming there even is an issue between the clubs... all of the rumours are total click bait guesswork. I second the call to chill. We won't be mugged off, and Mings will be a villa player next season if it suits us.

What I like about this signing is that it clearly shows they had a plan in place for if we got promoted this season. I know it sounds like I'm stating the obvious, but the links so far were to players we could have gone after in the championship and the was a nagging doubt in the back of my mind that we would have been caught out by our relatively late resurgence into playoff contenders. Any doubt, totally erased, totally hyped for the rest of the window. Great work NSWE and co, finally feels like we're going somewhere good!

That fan who thought they embarrassed us? Actually deluded. Can't complain if it winds them up; lost any sympathy for their fall from grace after their antics in the 1-1.

Loan in tag... get rid of it... please Edit: Thanks

How detailed was the information on the phone? I imagine it made hitc look like the BBC (before BBC started quoting Twitter on their news articles)

He sure did. Smith effect applies to how much more positive the fans have been this season too, which was another big factor in his love for our club. Now get that loan in tag removed...

Best signing I can think of in a long time. Genuinely... think the last time I felt this positive about a signing was Luc Nilis. Totally different circumstances, and hopefully a totally different outcome.

I think that analysis was done before the McCormack offloading so not sure what impact that will have... presumably more room for wages, slightly less for transfer fees. But I agree with DDID; I have a feeling the owners will find a way to spend more whilst still keeping us in check with whatever FFP rules require (including those of the EFL in case of relegation). Exciting times.

I've heard he makes no apology for linking his thinking with computer technology... With our new moneyball-esque managerial setup you might be on to something!

Ah yes, of course. Kachloul was the real star back then

Possibly right on Cahill, but feel his combination of having played for us before (and being forced out through no fault of his own) and what he has won at Chelsea means he'd be worth signing on a free. Our history with him may mean we get him for less than others would pay, but if he wants top dollar then i'd agree his current ability isn't enough to match those demands. My comment on experience isn't just specifically premier league, although of those you mentioned, Grealish is the only one id hope to see in the starting lineup next season, maybe Elmo if we prioritise other reinforcements... this, for me, is a concern at the moment. Fwiw, I do expect Dean and co to be aware of this and to remedy it this window, unlike previous regimes who released players with no plan and no alternative, I think we've got a plan. Just not sure I can think who these experiences hires will be.

The hash tags give it away... official Premier League status incoming soon. As for signings, there are very few 30+ players I would take (that would consider coming to us). If Milner was an option it would be an absolute no brainer to take him, however, he just played in the champions league final... there is very little chance this will happen. Cahill would be one worth considering, the experience, and his history with us, means he'd be an asset that we might get. Free transfer too means more funds for elsewhere. Generally, I'm happy with us looking to the future with most of our signings, but if we only do that then the team we assemble will not survive the first season. There's simply not enough experience in our team as it stands

The detailed analysis linked by Wilko suggested we could spend up to 100m in transfer fees and 30m per year on salaries, before any further unusual activity that may or may not be planned by our owners to allow further spending. Presumably some variation of that which sees our net outgoings stay the same (taking into account amortisation - very basically spreading the purchase cost over the term of the players contact) would also be acceptable. Whilst this would see us make nearly the maximum net loss allowable under Premier League FFP rules, I'd still expect a similar level of outgoings knowing they have the option to purchase Villa Park if needed as cover. Given this, and the impending transfer of Jota for ~4m (who I expect will be on £1m a year more than GG), that leaves us with ~£96M and £29m a year on salaries to spend. For the minimum 6 players we still need to buy, that averages out at 16m per player on 90k a week. Make it 8 players and it's 12m per signing and 69k per week All in all, I think we're good from an FFP perspective, the real issue we face now is getting the right people in, and hoping they settle in and don't upset the apparent happy atmosphere that Dean has fostered. I'm confident he can do this.

I doubt they'd bother with the stadium purchase at this stage, given the EFL can now only fine us as opposed to deduct points. Keep it in their back pocket as a future emergency option

Chelsea were a distinctly average club before Roman bought them, with very limited history. The odd fa cup win (one against us) and a couple of lesser European trophies. Our record against them is probably swayed by the 10 or so years before they bought their way to the top... that said, our record against Newcastle is shockingly poor. Oldham, the only team we've not beaten in the premier league, an interesting bit of trivia. Let's hope we can avoid adding Brighton to that come the end of next season!

Oh Tammy Tammy... Please stay (Assuming we learn to defend and somehow get promoted)

Game was lost the second Tammy got injured. I suspect Smith brought Hogan on based on a memory of what he used to be able to do, but the Villa version has never been able to work up front on his own. I don't think Kodjia would have been much better though as the ball virtually never reached that far forward. It's almost like the psychology of losing our threat meant everyone stopped trying. Norwich pressed us incessantly, credit to them for their fitness levels so definitely had an impact on our ability to play. Would be nice to see the same from some of our players. No McGinn was evident. Feel like Bjarnasson could become a very useful player through the rest of this season with his style fitting Dean's approach, and Whelan and Jedi's clearly not. Not surprised or disappointed, the next 2.5 months will be much the same unless we can get special dispensation to sign a gk on the grounds of the current crop being unusable.

Not had chance to watch the conference yet but, given the comments here, I'm ecstatic about this appointment and the confirmation that it wasn't a last minute decision by the board. Reinforces my belief they know what they're doing and that the structure in place will set us up for the future as well as getting the team earning their right to play. If they're not earning it, they won't be starting and that is the perfect solution for me. Go get 'em Deano