jackbauer24

I think we only NEED one more quality signing. We will be fine if we spend every penny we have on a consistent goal scorer. Might be nice to have more depth in defence etc but the only thing we need is a striker, without one we're in big big trouble.

We have zero goal threat so every game this season will be a struggle. Ok, Amavi makes a mistake but it happens, can't say we weren't lucky to get the equaliser. Don't get the Guzan blame at all. He played it to a Villa player who had time to take a bad touch. He was trying to start a quick counter attack for the win. What would be the point of smashing it down field to an ineffectual Gabby and Gestede? No blame for Guzan on that one, think some people just like to target him these days. In the off season all we have done is spread any quality we had more evenly around the team, losing great players but upgrading poor ones. So now we are team of average players instead of a rubbish one with a few stars. However, it just means we will are still going to struggle this season and every season until we bring up the squad as a whole - and that's never going to happen when you can only spend money made from player sales. It is clear to everyone we need a striker. Even Sherwood. So he's tried bargain hunting in Gestede and Ayew and tried praying that Gabby steps up finally. Both are, at best, gambles. A loan attempt for Adebayor shows Sherwood realises we are short. Lerner needs to spend a little bit of cash on a more likely source of goals and it seems the best realistic target should be Austin. If we don't bring in a recognised scorer, we ARE going down. I have no doubt.

To be fair, goalkeeper, defenders and midfield have played well. The problem is that we offer absolutely zero goal threat. And it doesn't matter if you have world class defenders and midfielders, if you can't score you're going to lose games by narrow margins - like we are. This game is now finished, we can't score so 0-0 was always going to be only hope. Oh... Traore scored

Gut feeling (with my pessimistic mindset as usual); Finish 16th Scoring less than 38 goals Finishing with minus goal difference No player scoring over ten goals Expenditure after sales being less than £10m Player of the year (both categories); Amavi First player sold next season; Amavi Carling Cup Quarter-finalists FA Cup Fourth Round Significant injury to key player around Christmas

Whether we're in for him or not, Austin would be perfect for us. A bit of Premier experience, an English player for that 'balance' that has been talked of and lowish fee and wages. £15m is not a lot for ANY striker, never mind one who scored freely in this league last season and broke in to the England squad. People talk of injuries but 1) a 'Nilis' could happen to any signing, you insure for that as best you can and 2) I seem to recall our most adored player having a slight issue with his knees! The problem we have now is that we are using Randy money instead of sales so any chance of significant expenditure is radically reduced. Yes, it's the net spend argument and we're still one of the lowest spenders because Randy will not invest so IF we get any further players I expect them to be for nominal fees or loans.

Currently sitting in the sun (late thirty degrees) but didn't find match. John Bull only showing licensed games. Here for another ten days as at Sziget festival but will miss Utd game as music in full swing by then. Spent a few prefestival days around Budapest, been here before but went around a few of the ruin bars and had a great night. Cheap food, cheap beer, great weather. Good times!

I've just arrived in Budapest for a few weeks. Does anyone know anywhere that is likely to show the game against Bournemouth? I won't be free to watch the United game but hoping to catch the first one. I know New York (football factory) shows all 3pm kick offs so looking for somewhere similar!

I'm liking this just to see Cheryl...

To be fair, I think, I kind of understand what momo is saying. It's a bit like saying 'What's in a name?' A lot of fans will have a bond with players and in a normal transfer window even if your favourite player leaves you move on to your second favourite etc. Normally a team evolves over seasons so the transition between squads is minimal. Now if you sell every player in that team a lot of fans may feel 'lost' to some degree as they have no attachment to any of the players. The likelihood is this will only last six months though before new bonds are formed. Whether the overall effect on the teams performance is good or bad is almost irrelevant in this discussion, it's about emotional attachments. Like many I didn't particularly care about Benteke but liked Delph, Weimann and Lowton - it doesn't have to be based on ability, it's just players you have a soft spot for regardless of reasoning. With all of them gone, if my nephews ask who is my favourite player I'd need to think... it's a most a basic question but difficult to answer when all the players are new to Villa. Were the mass changes needed? Of course they were. But I can understand the element of coldness towards a squad we don't really yet have any attachments to. The comparison with City, I think, was meant to highlight the sheer number of changes. As for those who say why should we have emotion/ loyalty towards players who were getting us relegated - isn't this very much what an ambitious player would think? Whilst I think he's a pr*ck of the highest degree, surely this is Delph's view point - why should I have loyalty to a team who continually don't invest and struggle every year? So, for me, I do have loyalty towards some players both current and former as I think that's what strengthens bonds between fans and Villa. Evolution is an easier emotional transition. Revolution is a better performance transition. As it stands, I think the need for Revolution outweighed the prefered Evolution route.

Looks pretty useful so far but, I'm going to predict he gets sent off before he scores a goal!

A team that finished 17th last year A weaker defence (through departures, injuries and Richards at CB) An improved midfield probably (at least overall) A weaker strikeforce An improved squad depth A large player turnover makes things unpredictable An uninspiring pre-season in terms of results and performances Tendency to let in last minute goals remains Limited preason for Guzan, Okore and Grealish Richardson and N'Zogbia still involved! With all that data open to interpretation it really is one of the most impossible seasons to predict. We could have a completely new starting XI come Bournemouth! My personal opinion is another season of struggle. The main reasoning being the shaky defence, the limited goal threat and the sheer number of changes. 15th to 19th. However, if all signings hit the ground running, gel with each other and goals are spread around a little more, plus we are lucky with injuries and suspensions then we could make 9th to 14th. I just think the odds, and experience, means the first scenario is more likely. I hope I'm wrong.

I actually think Westwood is one of our most underrated players. He just keeps things ticking over, breaks things up, does the simple stuff, short successful passes. He works hard every match, is professional and rarely lets the team down. It's only because he doesn't score goals that he isn't rated much more highly by Villa fans and the wider footballing world. Having watched him in the preason games he has, once again, been possibly one of the most consistent, best performers. Quietly doing his job well. He is so calm with the ball and plays the right pass 9 times out of 10. Of course if he could add a few goals to his game even better, perhaps try to go past a few players but overall he'd be one of the first names on my teamsheet, far ahead of Sanchez, Cole etc. Mr. Reliable.

Whilst I'm interested in how this will all pan out and am surprised at both the sheer number of signings and the values attributed to them, I have absolutely no 'credit' to give to Lerner. As it stands we haven't spent more than we've earnt, we've probably reduced the wage bill and there is a bit of a (perhaps needed) risk in the strategy. Suggesting Lerner deserves credit for not keeping all the profits shows how beaten down we've become. If he invests £10m to £20m improving the team then that's a more credible argument, and it may happen yet, but at the moment some are effectively thanking him for doing what ge should do and not punching us in the gut.

Me too. But it's a blend of wanting to scream in hysteria at our current situation and just throwing my arms in the air and giving up for me. It's the quiet before the storm. Some people are optimistic we'll be better off overall, others are convinced we're doomed. But, more than any other season, we head in to the next one with a great amount of uncertainty in what we'll produce. We could start with 5/6/7 new faces in the first XI, mostly unknown names to the masses, playing in a new way that doesn't focus on lumping the ball to Benteke. So neither group really has enough evidence to suggest it will be better/ worse. It really is a case of wait and see.

I do wonder if Sherwood has mixed up his naughty and nice list. He'd make a cr*ppy Santa Claus... How the hell else do you explain departures of Delph, Benteke and Cleverley and the current retention, and even recall, of Tonev, N'Zogbia, Richardson and Bennett?! Considering the massive overhaul of the squad this summer, there is frankly no reason to keep the above names, they're not even useful as squad players. Cole and Senderos add experience at least. Gardner and Sanchez could be given a chance to prove potential. At worst, Hutton, Westwood, Baker, Cissokho and Gabby are squad players. With all the changes, goalkeeper is last on our to do list but Sherwood seems to be working down the list of our best performers of last few years and getting rid of them rather than getting rid of the worst first.

I don't know where people get their positive spin from! I agree the squad needs an overhaul after years of cr*p but the way to do that is not to sell the only players of quality and keep the absolute wastes of space! End of May you ask most Villa fans who we must try to keep; Delph (gone) Benteke (going) Cleverley (gone) and probably Grealish (personally think he has a lot to prove) End of May you ask most Villa fans who we must try to get rid of; Richardson (still here) N'Zogbia (still here) and also bring back Tonev and Bennett. Big questions over Sanchez, Senderos and Cole too - all still here. That is not a squad overhaul. That is just eradicating any quality from the squad.

I said this when we first 'sold' Delph a week ago, but it is not unreasonable to EXPECT Villa to spend £70m this summer considering the sales. Benteke + Delph + Weimann + Lowton + Sylla = c. £45m + wages of Bent, Vlaar and Given in particular = £8m (worked out as £50k each x 52 weeks) + moderate investment considering poor performance of team and new manager well within FFP = £20m It's only a sign of how beaten down as a fan base, how shoe-string a budget we run year on year, how unambitious our Chairman is that we think this is unrealistic. We all expect now that we will make a profit on sales over spending and reduce the wages yet again. Obviously expenditure on signings and wages is invariably (but not guaranteed) to link to quality. So a team that is so obviously dire, will reduce the quality of the squad once more and simply hope to survive again. And we as a fan base, and I'm equally as guilty, will just shrug our shoulders and accept how pathetic we have become when we invest so little. Depressing.

As a team that finished 17th and has since lost its captain, top scorer and at least five or six other players and replaced them with a consistently injured RB who has been promised a CB spot, a third choice keeper and an untested (Premier League) midfielder who actually hasn't got clearance yet, we have to be considered favourites. As it stands. Spend £50m in the next three or four weeks on recognisable quality and we might stand a chance of standing still for another year.

Unless we have some significant purchases in the next few weeks, I am convinced we will score even fewer goals than last season. We scored a paltry 31 goals in the league last season. When, as we all expect Benteke leaves, we will have a squad that scored a COMBINED total of 12 goals. That's simply scary. Add that to fact our midfield has been largely stripped of the limited quality we had last year (in Delph and Cleverley) and there will be even fewer chances made and no one to finish it off. Unless there are significant ambitious signings, this squad is the worst we've ever had in the last twenty years and we will be relegation favourites.

I'm so fed up of modern football. I'm particularly fed up with Villa trying their hardest to prove you can always sink lower. Rubbish season. Delph, Benteke, Cleverley and Grealish (6/7 games) the only ones to come out of it with any credit. So lose Cleverley, sell Benteke and Delph. Grealish has had a questionable summer too. Release or sell six or seven squad players of mixed ability. Bring in free Richards and second or third choice keeper. Still waiting for confirmation of Gueye too. Everyone else is reluctant to join us. Adebayor link is worrying too. So even if Lerner doesn't want to spend a penny, after another disaster in not being able to sell the club, we have at least £40m to spend quickly on our paper thin, already useless squad. It's going to take a miracle to avoid relegation. We're three weeks from kick off with a worse squad than we ended last season with. Sick of this club/ Lerner/ football. I have a season ticket every year and it doesn't bring me any joy. I'm so fed up of modern football. I'm particularly fed up with Villa trying their hardest to prove you can always sink lower. Rubbish season. Delph, Benteke, Cleverley and Grealish (6/7 games) the only ones to come out of it with any credit. So lose Cleverley, sell Benteke and Delph. Grealish has had a questionable summer too. Release or sell six or seven squad players of mixed ability. Bring in free Richards and second or third choice keeper. Still waiting for confirmation of Gueye too. Everyone else is reluctant to join us. Adebayor link is worrying too. So even if Lerner doesn't want to spend a penny, after another disaster in not being able to sell the club, we have at least £40m to spend quickly on our paper thin, already useless squad. It's going to take a miracle to avoid relegation. We're three weeks from kick off with a worse squad than we ended last season with. Sick of this club/ Lerner/ football. I have a season ticket every year and it doesn't bring me any joy.

First time round I hated Villa and how far we've sunk and half thanked Delph for giving us £8m when he could have left on a free. I would have had no problem with him and wished him luck despite being gutted. Saying he wanted to stay in January to help the cause and not sitting well with him leaving for free but leaving in the summer would all be fine. But if it happens now, he's undone any goodwill. You simply can not backtrack that quickly and maintain any dignity. You automatically become a complete kn*b. He would be worse than Downing and Unsworth, less than a week between speaking to the fans directly and assuring them he was staying as club captain. I hate football.

It's a little nightmare isn't it. A rubbish football team losing three of its top four players. Takeover falling through. Adebayor being the strongest striker link we're getting. Our big signing still actually waiting for clearance. Other exciting names being incredibly reluctant to join us. Being seen as a small time club that struggles to survive in the Premier League. Not even being the top club in the Midlands. It's a crap time to be a Villa fan isn't it?! I'm just hoping this nightmare doesn't all come true in the next few days, but I'm already getting the feeling it will. I'll forever be a season ticket holder because I'm a weak idiot but I'm so sick of football and Villa in particular. The only way I'll have any hope if the above comes true is if we spend well over £50m on further signings (bearing in mind that Lerner would only need to spend £10m odd with our sales) but I fear we're goin to make a big profit this year on player sales.

Resisting urge to kick off like I did last time. I was not happy with anything Villa when it first emerged he was going. Then he stayed, so I relaxed... but this would be 10 times worse than the first one. Originally him leaving was awful, sickening etc but we got something for nothing as he signed that contract in January and was loyal to even do that. However, leave now a week after that statement and he's worse than almost any other player who's left us - it's a blatent lie. If, maybe, we'll see.... So biting tongue until 100% confirmed this time.

I think most agree that Townsend isn't worth £15m BUT I'd still be quite happy with the signing. Although clearly not on the same level, much like signing someone like Beckham, you're currently buying someone who brings hype with him. Although it may not be value for money, it still sends a signal when you're buying a hyped up England international and looks good. Obviously the hope is that his halo doesn't slip while he's at the club, although Sherwod should know what he's capable of more than anyone. However, I still would be very shocked if there was any truth in this rumour. Seems a little out our budget, Benteke sale or not, wages would be massive and sure he'd have better options should Spurs even choose to sell him. Also quick glance as his twitter as mentioned above - last thing was a month ago so doubt any link to any move!

Unlike the potential Delph departure, I really don't care about Benteke leaving. £32.5m is a sizeable chunk of cash, arguably more than he's really worth. I also have never thought of him as even as fondly as Carew evn though he scores far more. Furthermore, I think he makes us too one dimensional and think we may see an improved style of play without the lumping it towards the big man tactic. Take the money and move on. Replace with Austin and I'd be more than happy!