juanpabloangel18

For me, regardless of cost, this would smack of failing to learn from the previous two windows.

We already have too many attacking players with no clear system of where they ought to fit in. I don't think the "dual 10s" works with Coutinho and Buendia both playing as they'd both be trying to find Watkins who, as good as he is at running behind, is only one man. That's before you worry about leaving Ings, Bailey, etc on the bench. 

Buendia and Ramsey are two very talented young players who are effectively competing for the Coutinho spot, I'd be happy to trust them going into next season and focus all our recruitment energies on a DM and CB. That said, he's obviously a class player, and the price quoted makes this a tough one.

Sky News has now presented its overall assessment of the results. Like the BBC, it tries to assess what would have happened if there had been elections in all of Britain, instead of just in certain areas. But it focuses on trying to assess what that would mean if people had voted in a general election in the same way, and it says the Conservatives would be the largest party - but almost 50 seats short of a majority.

Here are the projections.

Conservatives: 278 seats (down 87 on 2019)

Labour: 271 (up 68)

SNP: 50 (up 2)

Lib Dems: 23 (up 12)

A general election outcome like this would almost certain lead to Keir Starmer becoming prime minister. The SNP and the Lib Dems would definitely vote down a Johnson government, but might consider supporting a minority Labour government in some form or another (or at least not voting it out immediately.)

What do the Tories have to do for people to stop voting for them?

11 hours ago, Awol said:

Sign (but also go back to 4-2-3-1 and play Phil as the 10). Ramsey, Coutinho, Buendia, with two holders behind them.

I think the issue with this is not enough pace / runners in behind - too reliant on an isolated Watkins

13 hours ago, Davkaus said:

As if this is going to do anything but encourage people to stay away in case they have to meet this word removed

 

Creepiness aside, as my mate who works in the CS has pointed out, pretty much all CS departments have a hot desk policy, so this doesn't even make sense.

56 minutes ago, Ingram85 said:

Again, what do the resident VT Tory voters think about everything going on at the moment? 

Gordon Brown sold our Gold

35 minutes ago, ciggiesnbeer said:

Another great game against Everton. I love to see him bomb forward.  Such a  great defender. Glad he was there to help clean up a couple of Digne's mistakes (which are understandable its a new team, system and he was returning to his old club.)

Sarcasm or were we watching different games!

7 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

The N word in question is apparently not deemed racist in Uruguay and is actually seen as affectionate. 

I would like to hear black Uruguayan's take on this claim...

7 minutes ago, The_Rev said:

 

 

I'm sceptical about this deal.

I don't see how the £100m we spent in the summer on Ings, Buendia and Bailey gets on the pitch if Coutinho is in the squad.  

As exciting as the deal is from a stature POV, these are my thoughts. We have a very unbalanced squad. Recruitment is Man United esque. At least with the option to buy it's a low risk move but there doesn't seem to be a great deal of planning going on.

21 minutes ago, sparrow1988 said:

Well he was arrested on suspiscion of sexual assault. Investigation ongoing.

Maybe not as bad as a rapist / nonce but not good either.

Did not know this! 

Can we get Bissouma please

Scary potential. Brave on the ball, excellent control, pacey, and an eye for a progressive pass. Excited to see how he flourishes under the new manager.

5 minutes ago, Rodders said:

there's a lot of pages to go back, where's the link with Gerrard? Would be **** woeful to go for him. Scottish league is a useless indicator of capabilities, especially at either Rangers / Celtic

Alex Ferguson says hello...

Didn't watch on Saturday, but looking ahead I'd have thought Buendia either plays here:

--Watkins--Ings--Buendia

--McGinn----Ramsay/Sanson---

--------Nakamba----------

...In which case Bailey/Watkins/Ings misses out. Or here as more box-to-box:

--Watkins--Ings--Bailey

--McGinn--------Buendia---

--------Nakamba----------

...but it seems he's relatively unproven in that role and I'd have major concerns about that midfield.

I agree with other posters that there doesn't seem to be much of a plan with the personnel we've brought in, they don't all fit into a balanced side at the same time. Which for me, is a bit of a concern.

19 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

this for me is how we will line up when everyone is fit...442 (not bothering with the back 5 as that picks itself)

        Ings           Watkins

Buendia                           Bailey

       McGinn      Sanson/Luiz/Marv

Apart from Buendia being out of position and McGinn not being able to play in a two, this is... still not going to work

24 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Every world class footballer worth their salt negotiates release clauses these days. he could easily have insisted on an 80m release clause. Or a 70m release clause.

He could have not signed a new contract at all and he'd be going for far less.

Signing that contract has probably made us 20-30m.

Why shouldn't the club be threatened with Legal action if they were refusing to accept a bid that met a contractual release clause?!

 

I agree that we'd be far better with grealish and we'd have a chance of the top 6. But he's been offered essentially a premier league title, probably a cup and very possibly a champions league win. Not in 5 or 10 years IF everything goes absolutely perfectly for us. He's been offered it now. At the best club in Europe. Playing with some of the best players in Europe. For the best manager. Playing alongside his idol.

Even if everything goes amazingly for Villa, we wouldn't be able to offer him what he's being offered now for 10 years. And the chances of even that are minute.

It's not like he's **** us off for 50m to go to a club who have scraped into the champions league like Spurs or Leicester

Not sure about that. There wasn't a clause in his old one, he had 4 years left, and we didn't want or need to sell. He'd have probably had to hand in a transfer request

11 hours ago, Jas10 said:

Big season for McGinn. While I do love him, he gives the ball away far too frequently with wayward passes and his shooting boots have been missing for well over a year. If I were Deano I'd be telling him to keep it simple, we can't afford to gift opponents possession several times a match.

Could be the missing link in our MF, with a full pre season under his belt. 

Just now, a m ole said:

@juanpabloangel18 it’s a joke

Thank goodness 

You have to assume the plan is for Buendia to play centrally. Surely?!

2 minutes ago, cyrusr said:

I suspect the reality will be that they will be interchangeable with Bailey/Buendia switching flanks and when Watkins grabs the ball out wide they will be running into the box. I really suspect they will be a front 3 a la Mane/Firmino/Salah at Liverpool. 

Our own BBW  

Are Liverpool's front 3 that interchangeable? I thought it was just Salah is RW and Mane is LW..?

Posted this in the Bailey thread but relevant here too:

As the dust starts to settle on this week's madness, perhaps someone can enlighten me...

What I don't understand, is that seemingly both Buendia & Bailey's strongest position is RW. Bailey explosive cutting inside to finish whereas Buendia more of a free roaming role drifting inside and a playmaker. We've a gaping hole now in LW. Is Bailey effective there or are we going to put our record signing (Buendia) in a relatively new position (10)?

As the dust starts to settle on this week's madness, perhaps someone can enlighten me...

What I don't understand, is that seemingly both Buendia & Bailey's strongest position is RW. Bailey explosive cutting inside to finish whereas Buendia more of a free roaming role drifting inside and a playmaker. We've a gaping hole now in LW. Is Bailey effective there or are we going to put our record signing (Buendia) in a relatively new position (10)?

Well surely he wouldn't participating in training if he'd already decided to join City.

And great that it gives the lads a chance to get in his ear.

I see the JG transfer discussion is now around how "Manchester's best bands aren't even from there"

This thread should be submitted for some kind of sociological research