SIGNED: Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan)

[diehardvillan]

I think the deal is wrapped up personally and I will be chuffed to bits.

[Stevo985]

By the way Im not being negative Im being realistic!!!!

The mark of a pessimist

[Jarpie]

I think JulieB pasted some tweet earlier that Villa and Wigan would've finished the deal, and N'Zogbia would be coming for medical and negotiating his own contract to Bodymoor Heath at coming weekend.

[JulieB]

if N'Zogbia is in NYC, maybe there's something actually about that tweet he will come for medical at weekend.

Got it in one methinks ... I was just about to suggest this. If he wasn't leaving Wigan..he'd be training surely.

[smetrov]

The board are NOT saying one more signing..It is Alex McLeish saying it.. He has said that if he went to Lerner and asked for more money he would get it..But its McLeish and his own choice to make only one more signing.. He is happy with the squad he has available at this moment in time!

Not aimed at you SnC :winkold:

Happy with the squad at this moment in time? It's a poor squad with very, very little creativity. Clearly, he isn't able to see the lack of quality, having managed the scum and their terrible squad, it really shouldn't be a surprise should it I suppose? :evil:

Its a better squad that some give credit for. Bannan,Delph,Gardner and Ireland have bags of creativity and its a good mix of experience and youth. Albrighton and N'Zogbia(if we get him)are both excellent deliveries of the ball from wide ares and both having a good eye for goal. Collins alongside Dunne with Given in goal looks solid enough..All of them are top drawer when in form and happy.. They were not happy under Houllier.

Makoun and Petrov are 2 fantastic players on the ball, both move it about and will feed the wide and creative players around them. Its DM that worries me as im not sure Hogg or Herd are good enough as the back up(would rather Fofana).. And Delph is wasted as a DM, he is far better in the final 3rd like his days at Leeds.

Petrov & Mkoun don't fill me with confidence. Mkouns seems a little injury prone - and I have my doubts whether he is good enough TBH

[AValon]

If its going to happen, would have thought it might have been before the HK trip though.

[tinker]

if N'Zogbia is in NYC, maybe there's something actually about that tweet he will come for medical at weekend.

Got it in one methinks ... I was just about to suggest this. If he wasn't leaving Wigan..he'd be training surely.

My alarm bells are ringing already, not training because he coming to the Villa........f**king fantastic start for his new club.....

[JulieB]

if N'Zogbia is in NYC, maybe there's something actually about that tweet he will come for medical at weekend.

Got it in one methinks ... I was just about to suggest this. If he wasn't leaving Wigan..he'd be training surely.

Wigan fans corrected this perhaps afterward....they say he's in Wigan NOT NYC. They suggest pic was from CNZ's Summer Holidays over there with Floyd MayWeather.

If you watch the OS PC with AM & Given it's pretty obvious we're still after N'Zogbia, but we're also looking at alternatives in case it falls through. It would appear as we've been told by Kendrick, Tim Abraham etc that Wigan & Villa are still talking.

Someone who claims to be a Midlands Football correspondent tweeted both me and Tim Abraham earlier that N'Zogbia will be a Villa player by this time next week.....No idea if it's tosh or not before anyone starts!!

Given said in same PC his transfer has taken weeks to sort out with Faxes backwards and forwards.

We just need to chill & have another Cadbury's Caramel with BOF.

Anyhow I have promised myself I am not spending oodles of time on VT or anywhere else in this transfer window for ONE signing

What will be ...will be!

[NorthEastVillan]

He said: “I’ve been in this situation many times before, so it is important that we don’t end up with a custard pie on our faces.

“We do have others in mind that if the particular deal we are looking at falls through – we have to have fall backs if that one falls through.

“We have to look at alternatives as well, we can’t just hang our hat on one player. We have to be ready if we don’t get the particular player that we are after."

From Big Eck

[GarethRDR]

^Which is where I suspect the Vargas links are coming from.

[barry'sboots]

ts a better squad that some give credit for. Bannan,Delph,Gardner and Ireland have bags of creativity and its a good mix of experience and youth. Albrighton and N'Zogbia(if we get him)are both excellent deliveries of the ball from wide ares and both having a good eye for goal. Collins alongside Dunne with Given in goal looks solid enough..All of them are top drawer when in form and happy.. They were not happy under Houllier.

Makoun and Petrov are 2 fantastic players on the ball, both move it about and will feed the wide and creative players around them. Its DM that worries me as im not sure Hogg or Herd are good enough as the back up(would rather Fofana).. And Delph is wasted as a DM, he is far better in the final 3rd like his days at Leeds.

Petrov & Mkoun don't fill me with confidence. Mkouns seems a little injury prone - and I have my doubts whether he is good enough TBH

I have to say I think it is a poor squad at the moment, lacking balance and relying on too many players "coming good" under McLeish.

- Given sorts out the goal keeping issue, if he can stay fit

- We lack a RB that can really drive, although I think Luke with Lichaj as back up will suffice. I would really like Naughton.

- We are wholly reliant on Warnock recovering his form at LB. He had a real stinker last season. I hope it was just a fall out with Houllier but he wasn't great for the latter half of the previous season after his injury.

- I worry about our CB's as they tend to be slow and are always diving in (especially Collins). Cuellar is the pick for me but it looks like he is off. Clark, whilst the best ball player of the four/five, is lightweight and is a yellow/red card in the waiting - he needs a really commanding (e.g. Samba) alongside him to bring him through IMO.

- I am happy with our ball players in CM - Delph, Makoun and Bannan give us three decent options - but do not believe Stan is any longer a suitable first choice for DCM as he is just too slow and ponderous and lacks energy/drive and we are relying on SI coming good again which could be a big risk as he is our only ACM as I see it other than possibly Gardner who clearly needs to be eased in.

- Even if we get the Zog I still think we are an option short out wide. Even if Albie steps up and finds consistency we will need a third option for rotation/injuries/suspension.

- I am happy with the forward line as I see us playing a lone striker and Benty has a pretty good fitness record with Gabby as great back up and the Fonz needing to get a chance.

I think we are taking a lot of risks going into the new season with that depth of squad and I would see us as a 7-12 team competing with Fulham, Everton, Sunderland and Newcastle behind the current top 4, Plop and Spuds.

A bit more quality/options - Hutton/Naughton, Dann, Mulumbu, Pjanic and Shaqiri (spend £40m) - with Dunne, Collins, Stan and Heskey exiting (for circa £10m (which would see us spending the Downing and Ash proceeds) would see us back in the hunt I feel.

[NorthEastVillan]

“I have spoken to Charles a few times this summer,” Bramble told The Journal at Sunderland’s German training base.

“When I spoke to him last year he said it’d be a fantastic move for him. Whether it materialises for him or not I don’t know – but you never know in football. I think the players would love him here, the fans would love him to be here – but it’s out of our hands.

“We want as many fantastic players as we can here, he’s a fantastic player and he’d be great for this club.”

Quotes from Sunderland's Titus Bramble today. Reckon we need to get this sown up soon.

[Rob182]

I am really hoping we get our fingers burnt with Nzogbia it is an absolute disgrace that we have done nothing with him I hop he signs elsewhere cos I really want a fan revolt against the board. Its pathetic that we have had AM for 4 or 5 weeks and we have signed just Given Whelan said 10 mil we bidded 9 just get your head outta your arses and sign him, I am defo not gunna bother if we cant sign anyone just wish someone would say were in debt and be done with it

[JulieB]

Just asked Dean Scoggins (Journo & Villa fan IIRC from the Sun)... for an update on Zog to Villa... as he tweeted that despite what McLeish said we'll get a few more in AFTER N'Zogbia this morning.

He's just tweeted me back... "talks happening today. I wouldn't think it'd be long"

Let's hope so!

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

Just asked Dean Scoggins (Journo & Villa fan IIRC from the Sun)... for an update on Zog to Villa... as he tweeted that despite what McLeish said we'll get a few more in AFTER N'Zogbia this morning.

He's just tweeted me back... "talks happening today. I wouldn't think it'd be long"

Let's hope so!

we wouldn't believe the sun newspaper so why should we believe someone who works for the sun?

Not to say it's not true but don't really see it as very reliable.

[Alec]

In a 4-4-2 which 2 x central players would you pair together?

Makoun and Delph?

Petrov and Makoun?

Petrov and Delph?

N'Zogbia and Albrighton both excellent for out wide mind..

This pretty much crystallises my concerns about our midfield; we simply don't have the players to make 4-4-2 work. I'm not exactly happy about the 'one more signing' revelations but can see some credence in allowing the likes of Ireland, Makoun and Delph to stake a permanent claim on the team. However, each of them only ever looks comfortable when part of a central three, with Petrov (who also looks lightweight in a pairing) sitting deeper with two others further advanced either side. I haven't got a huge problem with either of the following;

Makoun - Petrov - Delph

Ireland - Petrov - Delph

Makoun - Petrov - Ireland

Obviously, you then have two wide men playing either narrower or interchanging sides behind Darren Bent. It's the formation we ended the season playing and its the way most of Europe's successful teams are setting up. What worries me are the claims that Agbonlahor will be playing as a second out and out striker alongside Bent, which means you have to sacrifice one of the three midfielders, and what happens when/if one of Albrighton and whoever ultimately is signed as our other winger gets injured or suspended?

Clearly, much of this is based on supposition and rumour and we have to wait and see how we line up against Fulham before we are going to know definitively what McLeish's thinking is, but any attempt to either prepare for the new season with only one more addition or send the team out to play a traditional, flat 4-4-2 seems destined to cause problems.

And it is increasingly apparent that we absolutely need to tie up N'Zogbia as there are no other options of that standard that could quickly fit in that I can see, whichever formation is used.

[LondonLax]

I have to say I think it is a poor squad at the moment, lacking balance and relying on too many players "coming good" under McLeish.

- Given sorts out the goal keeping issue, if he can stay fit

- We lack a RB that can really drive, although I think Luke with Lichaj as back up will suffice. I would really like Naughton.

- We are wholly reliant on Warnock recovering his form at LB. He had a real stinker last season. I hope it was just a fall out with Houllier but he wasn't great for the latter half of the previous season after his injury.

- I worry about our CB's as they tend to be slow and are always diving in (especially Collins). Cuellar is the pick for me but it looks like he is off. Clark, whilst the best ball player of the four/five, is lightweight and is a yellow/red card in the waiting - he needs a really commanding (e.g. Samba) alongside him to bring him through IMO.

- I am happy with our ball players in CM - Delph, Makoun and Bannan give us three decent options - but do not believe Stan is any longer a suitable first choice for DCM as he is just too slow and ponderous and lacks energy/drive and we are relying on SI coming good again which could be a big risk as he is our only ACM as I see it other than possibly Gardner who clearly needs to be eased in.

- Even if we get the Zog I still think we are an option short out wide. Even if Albie steps up and finds consistency we will need a third option for rotation/injuries/suspension.

- I am happy with the forward line as I see us playing a lone striker and Benty has a pretty good fitness record with Gabby as great back up and the Fonz needing to get a chance.

I think we are taking a lot of risks going into the new season with that depth of squad and I would see us as a 7-12 team competing with Fulham, Everton, Sunderland and Newcastle behind the current top 4, Plop and Spuds.

A bit more quality/options - Hutton/Naughton, Dann, Mulumbu, Pjanic and Shaqiri (spend £40m) - with Dunne, Collins, Stan and Heskey exiting (for circa £10m (which would see us spending the Downing and Ash proceeds) would see us back in the hunt I feel.

This is how I'm feeling as well. We are not looking very strong for the season ahead.

[Big_John_10]

Its a better squad that some give credit for.

Didn't you spend all last season saying how shit it is.

Can't believe so many people put faith in twitter rumours

Smoke and mirrors

The general is a master of deception

[Ulver]

CharlesNzo Charles N'Zogbia

In NYC with @FloydMayweather and @Vi_Deluxe Best Summer ever ☺ http://yfrog.com/kk3pdyuj

he is in NYC..

Maybe it's just me but ...

He can't be in NYC if he's pre season training can he ?

I think people have mistaken a photograph taken in NYC and posted on twitter as meaning he's there now

I posted a photo on Facebook last week saying Me and Dave in Hammersmith

It was took in 1987

[kingphil]

I posted a photo on Facebook last week saying Me and Dave in Hammersmith

It was took in 1987

Who's Dave ?