AvfcTheObsession

Like the sound of this one. Seems like it will be a runner, playing in the league below, wants to leave and can't see anyone bigger than us competing for his signature.

Agree with Ads. Delph showed good pace bursting forward a couple of times. We desperately need a good LB and for CNZ to pick up his game and we might actually have some options going forward.

Problem with that is that would end up as a straight swap, Lerner would pocket the £10m. IT'S LERNER **** MONEY IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!!111!!1! Jesus this pisses me off. Lerner is the sole owner. It's all his, Villa Park, BMH, the players everything. It's his. He has poured millions into the club and posts like this just sound like ungrateful beating. Back on topic, £10m and Defoe for Bent? I'd take their arms off. We should be selling Bent. Contributes nothing to wider play and isn't prepared to put the shift in to make something for himself. I'M THINKING IN FOOTBALL TERMS WHERE THIS MOVE IS CONCERNED!!!11!!!11 I'd rather have Bent than Defoe, and the likelihood is we wouldn't spend the 10m. Therefore it wouldn't be a good deal for AVFC.

I honestly think he needs a proper chance this season, new manager. Lets give him 8-10 games to show what he can do in a more attacking system.

Problem with that is that would end up as a straight swap, Lerner would pocket the £10m.

It's this all day long. If we were actually an attacking team, with 3 or 4 players making runs in advance of Ireland, he'd be able to come into his own and actually attempt through balls which would set up an attack. Not a lot he can do when he gets the ball and the only player ahead of him is Bent who has 4 defenders to contend with.

Work to do, but lets not write the kid off just yet. Didn't make any mistakes at the back, but needs to offer a lot more going forward.

At LB we had a 6 foot 2 defender who if he is given a chance in the first team (which I don't think he's ready for) should be at centre back. At RB we had someone who, judging by his crossing today when he did get forward, will take a while to make the step up to this level if he does.

Oh yes £2mil for someone who scored 15 goals iirc in La Liga last season at completely unfancied Rayo has to be good business Why aren't we signing players like this?!

Hi Alex No doubting he's a poor manager, but he's a poor, defensive minded manager. If we'd had a poor manager trying to play attacking football, judging by today that might just have done for us.

Was so poor today, think of all the times he had the ball only once did he not give it away. Should be loaned out to a Championship side for the season, might do him some good.

I actually think it's a good job McLeish was so cagey last season at times, if we'd tried to attack we still wouldn't have scored and would just have left ourselves more exposed to losing games.

Hopeless. Need 3-4 players THIS WINDOW, no waiting around until we are hovering just above the relegation zone in January. First XI lacks quality, and the subs bench is appalling, just a load of youngsters who cannot be relied upon to change a game.

People say lets see what Lambert's like at half time team talks and tactical changes - problem is we have no real good options on the bench.

Absolutely no cutting edge whatsoever. Don't look like fashioning a chance let alone scoring a goal. Delph and Ireland have been OK that's about it

Problem is I can't see us going from signing cheap foreign players and lower league players like Lowton to really investing any cash or wages in proven PL players like Johnson for example. Without adding more PL proven quality this will leave us short this season.

Lets hope so, I believe he will be a big success here IMO. like milner,but with more goals! If Holman can perform at a Kuyt level i'll be more than happy, I still can't believe Liverpool let Kuyt go for £1m He is 32 though and hardly the sort of player that's going to help Liverpool get CL football again. On Holman, as with all our other pre-season signings, I'm reserving judgement until I've seen them in a few league games.

I'm a winner! Just need to pop down the shops tomorrow. Nice one OP

I've heard that we've only sold 20,000 season tickets this season. Not good news if true.

Heskey?

I'll be there if the club actually send me my season ticket through in time! Shocking that I still haven't had it despite finishing paying my installments nearly a month ago. Got bored earlier so did a check on how many tickets had been sold to date according to the OS, 32,389 including the away fans.

Dempsey coming to us would be nothing more than a sideways move for him, let's be honest.

Gabby has hardly played up front in those two seasons either. Houllier played him in a bizarre defensive winger position and even McCleish reverted him to that position after a promising start to the season up front. Confidence shot? Maybe but I'd wager he'd soon get it back if played up front I hope I'm proved wrong on him but his main strength as we all know is his pace, which gets him into one-on-one situations with the keeper, and then he never looks capable of finishing.

Gabby has already proven he can get double figures and I'd have faith that weimann would if he played the whole season. Gabby hasn't even got 10 goals in his last 2 seasons put together, he's a player on the decline in my opinion, confidence has been shot and now is the time to sell. Weimann I do think is promising, but could not be relied upon to net us 10 league goals or more just yet. A few people have commented that Defoe is too old, he's the same age as Van Persie. Do people think when Man Utd were first considering bidding they thought 'nah better not he's too old'.

He's desperate for regular first team football. Absolutely no way he's going to stay on the bench for another year at Spurs, he's said as much himself. All we have to do is pretty much match his current wages.