Recruitment

[JPAngel]

56 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Are you a @screwdriver and @villalad21 joint venture? 

I'd not seen Screwdriver's posts before but they are the usual miserable posts I'm used to seeing from some.

It also appears that he stopped posting right as we kicked on and started turning in some good performances. It's almost as if some people revel in the misery sometimes!

[nick76]

2 hours ago, VillaChris said:

It's a tough market this summer. Season is completely out of sync and clubs are being impacted by covid in different ways.

I have no issue waiting a few more weeks for 2-3 difference makers turning up. If we have to start the season with the present squad so be it, they did o.k when it mattered in the run in.

However if all we get at end of window is 4-5 players no matter than what we got last summer then big questions will have to be asked as to why we struggle to get in players who can get us to mid table.

Why is it a tough summer for us?  We have money, it is more likely the clubs who are suffering or have no money that it's tough for.  For us it should be easier because less competition for players because we have money and selling clubs are likely in need of selling to cover costs because of COVID.  We must have prepped on who we want and thus know likely fees for those players because Dean said we had two lists for players ....one if we were relegated and the other if we stayed up.

So I'm not convinced it's a tougher summer for us to be honest.

I have no issue waiting for 2-3 difference makers but I am concerned that it's more we are working our way down the list of 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice because we cant get the better option.  I am concerned though that we start the season in the matter of weeks and if we do have to wait until the end of the window that's 10% of the season gone and the player hasnt even met our players plus international break so it's mid October before we really see those players.  Is that bad planning or just the way it is.....I dont know.  Just the longer it goes on the more concern I have.

Although most likely we will have signed 2-3 players by this time next week and it all looks good.

For the time being I'm concerned, impatient but happy to sit on the touchline and watch it play out but it's not easy........

[hippo]

2 hours ago, VillaChris said:

It's a tough market this summer. Season is completely out of sync and clubs are being impacted by covid in different ways.

I have no issue waiting a few more weeks for 2-3 difference makers turning up. If we have to start the season with the present squad so be it, they did o.k when it mattered in the run in.

However if all we get at end of window is 4-5 players no matter than what we got last summer then big questions will have to be asked as to why we struggle to get in players who can get us to mid table.

It always a struggle to get decent players in - and probably always will be. My hope was that we would get better at it .........

[OLDVILLAIN]

If aston villa cannot attract the type of player we need to cement us in the league,then there has to be changes and big ones at the club.

[StefanAVFC]

Just now, OLDVILLAIN said:

If aston villa cannot attract the type of player we need to cement us in the league,then there has to be changes and big ones at the club.

Like?

[OLDVILLAIN]

4 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Like?

As much as i hate to say it a "bigger name manager" that big players will want to play for for one.

Bielsa at leeds for example,i hate leeds but he has the drawing power,i mean bringing in rodrigo from sevilla is a huge statement of intent from them..its what we should have been doing.

We could maybe change to postcode of villa park to a london one! but seriously we really need to make our club more attractive to "better" players.

People saying ah well other clubs have not signed anyone yet...we are not other clubs..we barely and i mean barely stayed up last season and if we dont find the right players this season we are definitely going down and we will stay down as well.

Whilst edens and sawaris saved the club and have HUGE aspirations for villa i for one just dont see them putting their money where their aspirations lay do  you to date?

[StefanAVFC]

3 minutes ago, OLDVILLAIN said:

As much as i hate to say it a "bigger name manager" that big players will want to play for for one.

Bielsa at leeds for example,i hate leeds but he has the drawing power,i mean bringing in rodrigo from sevilla is a huge statement of intent from them..its what we should have been doing.

30 odd million for a 29 year old scoring 1 in 4 in La Liga is a signing I would be very concerned about.

3 minutes ago, OLDVILLAIN said:

Whilst edens and sawaris saved the club and have HUGE aspirations for villa i for one just dont see them putting their money where their aspirations lay do  you to date?

120m last summer

[Enda]

"Huge statement of intent" is becoming the new "cheeky bid".

[OLDVILLAIN]

1 minute ago, StefanAVFC said:

30 odd million for a 29 year old scoring 1 in 4 in La Liga is a signing I would be very concerned about.

120m last summer

Rodrigo has 3-4 good years left in him and is a proven goalscorer..

120M to build a whole premier league team is buttons

[CardiffGreens]

Isn't the average time at a club for any manager ~18 months these days?  Chances are most players sign knowing they're going to outstay their boss at the club.

If anyone would like to do the maths in the meantime, here is a list across all 4 divisions, I will try to have a look later.

[Sulberto21]

3 -4 players of real repute and last season's 120-140 m suddenly makes sense. Then all of a sudden NSWE have spent 240 m plus on new players. The players from last season will improve.

Edited August 26, 2020 by Sulberto21

[TRO]

3 hours ago, nick76 said:

Why is it a tough summer for us?  We have money, it is more likely the clubs who are suffering or have no money that it's tough for.  For us it should be easier because less competition for players because we have money and selling clubs are likely in need of selling to cover costs because of COVID.  We must have prepped on who we want and thus know likely fees for those players because Dean said we had two lists for players ....one if we were relegated and the other if we stayed up.

So I'm not convinced it's a tougher summer for us to be honest.

I have no issue waiting for 2-3 difference makers but I am concerned that it's more we are working our way down the list of 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice because we cant get the better option.  I am concerned though that we start the season in the matter of weeks and if we do have to wait until the end of the window that's 10% of the season gone and the player hasnt even met our players plus international break so it's mid October before we really see those players.  Is that bad planning or just the way it is.....I dont know.  Just the longer it goes on the more concern I have.

Although most likely we will have signed 2-3 players by this time next week and it all looks good.

For the time being I'm concerned, impatient but happy to sit on the touchline and watch it play out but it's not easy........

I think most of our fans will have similar thoughts.....if having the funds is a sound belief,( no reason to doubt it) it makes it more uncertain, that you wouldn't force the issue for a first choice target.

Its very difficult to form an opinion, when we are all unsure, what the issues really are......if we can't secure our first choice targets, I would favour looking at loans.....if we keep signing 2nd and third choice targets we will be pissing money up the wall and never likely to move forward at the rate we need to secure purposeful progression.

I am all for hard nosed negotiation, but equally sceptical of procrastination.

Edited August 26, 2020 by TRO

[Pimlico_Villa]

I know everyone on here likely invests a lot of time and emotion into the Villa and use an unfounded sense of optimism as a coping  mechanism, but I am genuinely amazed by the blind faith that so many have. Utterly detached to say the least. 
 

Here we are having barely survived last season with one striker that hasn’t scored since January and one striker who is completely allergic to scoring goals and there are still swarms of happy clappers that aren’t even remotely concerned with that predicament. 
 

Genuine question: based on the prior two windows and activity so far, what makes you believe that we are going to sign proper players?
 

Much more logical to look at the approach taken this window - relative to how desperate the need is for proper players -  and deduce that the club is just not bothered. Far more evidence to support this than the contrary, but I know happy clappers don’t like hearing that. 

Edited August 26, 2020 by Pimlico_Villa

[dudevillaisnice]

I think the club are bothered. I just don’t think we are able to attract the type of quality players we want.

[VillaChris]

5 hours ago, nick76 said:

Why is it a tough summer for us?  We have money, it is more likely the clubs who are suffering or have no money that it's tough for.  For us it should be easier because less competition for players because we have money and selling clubs are likely in need of selling to cover costs because of COVID.  We must have prepped on who we want and thus know likely fees for those players because Dean said we had two lists for players ....one if we were relegated and the other if we stayed up.

So I'm not convinced it's a tougher summer for us to be honest.

I have no issue waiting for 2-3 difference makers but I am concerned that it's more we are working our way down the list of 2nd, 3rd, 4th choice because we cant get the better option.  I am concerned though that we start the season in the matter of weeks and if we do have to wait until the end of the window that's 10% of the season gone and the player hasnt even met our players plus international break so it's mid October before we really see those players.  Is that bad planning or just the way it is.....I dont know.  Just the longer it goes on the more concern I have.

Although most likely we will have signed 2-3 players by this time next week and it all looks good.

For the time being I'm concerned, impatient but happy to sit on the touchline and watch it play out but it's not easy........

Because imo we haven't got enough clout about us just yet to sign higher calibre seasoned international standard players. Y'know ones we used to sign in the past, Merse, Dublin, Townsend, God, Petrov, Laursen, Mellberg, John Carew Carew etc. You see the trouble we're having trying to convince Rashica and he's a mid tier level player.

These guys formed the core of teams that got us 6th consistantly. Just signing from championship or Belgium all the time isn't going to get us top half anytime soon imo so I'd like to sign us from better clubs e.g. regulars at europa league standard clubs which Leicester and Wolves do regularly. Leeds agreed to sign a first choice player from a team who reached last 16 of CL today aswell.

Perhaps if we finish 11th or 12th this season then it should be easier next summer as then we'll be seen as on upward trend and not that far from competiting for top 8. We finished 11th in MON's first season for instance and from that point some better signings started to occur.

[Sam-AVFC]

1 hour ago, Pimlico_Villa said:

I know everyone on here likely invests a lot of time and emotion into the Villa and use an unfounded sense of optimism as a coping  mechanism, but I am genuinely amazed by the blind faith that so many have. Utterly detached to say the least. 

For me I just decide not to get wound up each day as there's **** all I can do about it.

1 hour ago, Pimlico_Villa said:

Here we are having barely survived last season with one striker that hasn’t scored since January and one striker who is completely allergic to scoring goals and there are still swarms of happy clappers that aren’t even remotely concerned with that predicament. 

Got any examples of people saying they're happy with it? I imagine you'll have quite a few lined up considering the "swarms" saying stuff like this.

1 hour ago, Pimlico_Villa said:

Genuine question: based on the prior two windows and activity so far, what makes you believe that we are going to sign proper players?
 

Much more logical to look at the approach taken this window - relative to how desperate the need is for proper players -  and deduce that the club is just not bothered. Far more evidence to support this than the contrary, but I know happy clappers don’t like hearing that. 

Yet last summer we got most of our business done really quickly and it was clear they weren't the right players. Would you like us to do that again?

There are lots of clubs desperate for players that haven't got anyone in yet. The market is obviously difficult, but that doesn't change the fact we need players in. If we fail at that I'm sure there will be lots of uproar.

If you actually believe the owners who are investing huge amounts of money are "just not bothered" then I'm not sure you can take a high horse on logical deductions as it's an absolutely moronic position.

It doesn't surprise me you consider anyone showing a little patience and not criticising on a daily basis "happy clappers" considering your posts read like the inner workings of an angsty teens mind.

[nick76]

14 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Because imo we haven't got enough clout about us just yet to sign higher calibre seasoned international standard players. Y'know ones we used to sign in the past, Merse, Dublin, Townsend, God, Petrov, Laursen, Mellberg, John Carew Carew etc. You see the trouble we're having trying to convince Rashica and he's a mid tier level player.

These guys formed the core of teams that got us 6th consistantly. Just signing from championship or Belgium all the time isn't going to get us top half anytime soon imo so I'd like to sign us from better clubs e.g. regulars at europa league standard clubs which Leicester and Wolves do regularly. Leeds agreed to sign a first choice player from a team who reached last 16 of CL today aswell.

Perhaps if we finish 11th or 12th this season then it should be easier next summer as then we'll be seen as on upward trend and not that far from competiting for top 8. We finished 11th in MON's first season for instance and from that point some better signings started to occur.

While I agree in part we know smaller teams can get bigger players to their clubs because at the end of the day if you havent got European football to offer you have to pay wages and we know we are one of the lowest paying teams in the PL from the reports that we have been seeing.  We need to step that up or we are arent going to attract the players we need or we are going to have players that arent good enough sitting on big(ish) wages. 

You look at any of the estimation of weekly wage packets of Villa players and compare that to most teams in the PL we are well behind.  Footballers wages are stupid, we know that but we also know if you dont pay you dont get the talent in.  We have to be careful to make sure we are sustainable, I get that but I hope that isnt going to completely hinder us in paying the wages that quality desire or attracted to.  I assume that isnt the case but we arent going to get quality if we keep paying the 20-30k a wage type wages and to attract quality because we have no European football or mid table attractiveness then maybe we have to pay a premium.  I'd rather pay premium for quality than 2nd, 3rd or 4th choice options.  Plus if we dont play a premium we dont get players and then we are fighting relegation again and may not survive this time.

Also Petrov was from Celtic,  Laursen was a bit player/fringe at AC Milan and Mellberg was from Racing Santander......not exactly high profile players.  They are the level we can still get now.  I just hope that while we are spending for fees we wont scrimp on salaries as that is what will influence the players at our level as the the players we are looking at arent going to an European chasing PL team.  Then aside from wages surely we are more appealing than the likes of Burnley, Southampton and co in the middle section.  London is hard to argue with so Palace, Fulham and West Ham will be harder to compete against but aside from Fulham we seem to be after different players to the other two.

 

 

[Pimlico_Villa]

56 minutes ago, Sam-AVFC said:

Got any examples of people saying they're happy with it? I imagine you'll have quite a few lined up considering the "swarms" saying stuff like this.

 

Can’t you read? I said that there are people seemingly not concerned, not that they’re happy about it. 
 

It isn’t what you describe as ‘showing a little patience’, either. It’s happy clappers desperately trying to put any gloss on what is a truly chronic situation. 
 

[Sam-AVFC]

17 minutes ago, Pimlico_Villa said:

Can’t you read? I said that there are people seemingly not concerned, not that they’re happy about it. 
 

It isn’t what you describe as ‘showing a little patience’, either. It’s happy clappers desperately trying to put any gloss on what is a truly chronic situation. 
 

No, I can't read.

You're right, there is way too much apathy. Protest outside Bodymoor Heath tomorrow? Bring the signs and I'll be there.

[skarroki]

I know it's been a frustrating year with lockdown and a lot of the time a week can feel like a month at the moment, and new signings for Villa would be a welcome distraction.

I just think we need to be patient. By September 1st I'm convinced we'll be very happy with the progress we're making in the market. This is a unique window where most clubs in the world have struggling to get deals done.

- It's not that we can't secure targets, the ones we think we know about haven't gone elsewhere either yet.

- It's not a big name we need, look at Leed's and Everton's confirmed transfer dealings to date.

- It's not a lack of ambition. It's just not. Case closed.