Clemi

There's a risk with any length of contract, be it 2 years or 5 years. Any player could break their leg tomorrow and that would be it, it's just something the club has to live with.

In the scheme of things, 5 years does seems like a long time, but at least that's now a position that we don't have to worry about for a good few summers yet. If he has a good season this year I'd feel a lot happier knowing he still has 4 more years on his contract rather than only 1 or 2, as that would greatly increase the likelihood of him leaving as other clubs would probably think putting an offer in is a risk worth taking and we all know that if an opportunity comes up to get another signing-on fee, players generally take it (in our experience anyway!).

I'm not saying that particular risk goes away with a longer contract, but it'd certainly make people think twice as they'd know they would have to at least match the length of the deal or offer a hefty pay increase, combined with quite a high transfer fee.

It feels as though we are saying to other clubs with this, 'he's ours until he retires, look elsewhere', and he's signed the contract, so is happy to agree to that as well.

If it doesn't pay off, then so be it, but we would have had doctors, lawyers, accountants and not to mention the manager, chairman and CEO all to approve & analyse this, they would have looked at all the facts and have obviously spent a great deal of time and effort securing this deal and considered it a risk worth taking. I've got no problem with that.

Getting the kind of deals I like is difficult enough on Football Manager, never mind real life! For me this deal is a.....Given.

Welcome to Villa Shay!

I think a motivated back four of Dunne, Collins, Young and Warnock could potentially still be excellent.

Good to hear that Mcleish is having some influence on the dressing room and players who had drifted into oblivion are wanting

to make a mark.

He's a thoroughly fair minded, honest and decent bloke is McLeish and the players know exactly

where they stand, which they appreciate and respond to.

Hope he makes some on here eat their words!

(Disgusting that any so called Villa fan can call him McWank before we've even kicked a ball - that's appalling!)

I'd agree with this and add that they are all of the right vintage being around the 30 year old mark. Communication is also a big part of a fully functional back line and there wouldn't be a problem with that here. In all, a very solid looking back line, one I think that would be hard to improve (i.e. make more 'technical') without the lure of Champions League football.

James Milner has a coal mine in his back garden, he mines the coal himself using his jawbone to slice it off and then uses it in his house which is built from brown bread, grime, slate and gravy.

James Milner dunks Sheffield made steel girders in his brew.