JohnCresswell Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Seeing as it's the last Sunday of the transfer window, we've decided to bring back the Sunday Tabloid round up. We've rather kindly trawled through the rubbish about Jade Goody, Big Brother an pictures of Roman Abramovich's yacht, so you don't have to. First, onto the ‘News of the World’, where there is a small story about there being one player that definitely isn’t leaving. Levante have been looking at Villa’s Swedish defender Olof Mellberg again, having had a bid rejected in the summer. It appears the Spanish side are preparing a £5million bid to try to entice the former skipper back to Spain, but O’Neill says he’ll keep the Swede: “I will be giving any calls from Levante the short shriftâ€. I’m sure that Olof will be very disappointed not to be able to link of with Mathieu Berson in Spain. Did I say disappointed? I meant relieved. Speaking of being short (see what I did there?), it appears that Villa very nearly wouldn’t have had to have paide £9million for Ashley Young – as he may not have been in the game after the age of 16. Young was told by Watord that he was too small to make it professionally, but hard work paid off. He has said: “At 16 I wasn’t much over 5ft, they said I didn’t influence games as much as I could. I was going in two or three times a week after that. I worked hard and was eventually offered a professional contract†With Villa playing Newcastle at St James’ Park on Wednesday, Martin O’Neill visits the stadium he could have been calling “Home†had things turned out differently n the Summer. O’Neill turned down the team, and their current manager, Glenn Roeder, who doesn’t exactly have a very good managerial CV, thinks that O’Neill lacks bottle for turning the job down. “If a person doesn’t want this job then I think you have to question his courage.†Roeder squeaked, showing a total lack of awareness. Well perhaps, Glenn, money isn’t everything to Mr O’Neill. I’d also suggest you look back at the time and see that Martin turned Newcastle and Middlesbrough down in the Summer as the stories at the time suggested his wife hadn’t got the ‘all clear’ from her illness yet, and Newcastle weren’t prepared to wait. So to be honest, your quotes are looking a bit silly and tasteless now. “Many people have said this club is impossible to manage or it lives in the past too much†finished the manager who last won the FA Cup BEFORE Villa (and that was some time ago!) and has never won the League. Yeah, some history that. Onto the ‘Sunday’ Mirror. Not much in this one either, but one interesting story could be filed under “what could have beenâ€, as Dennis Nordon might say. George Gillet, American owner of the Montreal Canadiens Ice Hockey team is apparently getting closer in his bid to buy Liverpool from the Moores family (no, nothing to do with Luke and Stefan). Gillet had been interested in purchasing Villa – but lost out to Randy Lerner, which is probably just as well considering it is believed Gillet wishes to propse Everton and Liverpool play in the same stadium – can you imagine having to share a stadium with that lot from Small Heath? You’d have to bring a bottle of disinfectant with you to every game. There is one transfer story regarding Villa, with Shaun Maloney again being linked along with moves to Fulham, Wigan and Middlesbrough. Apparently he will be available at a cut price £500,000 but to be honest as O’Neill admitted on Friday no extra bids had been put in for players despite wanting to continue the spending, as we play on Wednesday there is little chance of players coming in. Once again a player has come out to praise manager Martin O’Neill, this time claiming “He makes you feel ten foot tallâ€. If this had been Alan Wright or the fantastic Barry Bannon, then it’d have been one amazing compliment. It actually came from six foot three inches John Carew, but don’t worry John, we know what you mean. The Norwegian has told www.avfc.co.uk : I can always get better and improve. I feel I do that every year. Of course I am 27 and not a teenager, but I still think I have more to offer. I have to work harder now, but I will. "I believe Martin O'Neill can bring even more out of me. Before I think about my long-term future and what I can achieve at Villa, I will try to do the best I can on the field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 I'd just like to thank Glenn Roeder for conducting Martin O'Neill's teamtalk for him Wednesday. Thanks Glenn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PB Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 I think we might see one more signing yet, a midfield player imo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picard1290 Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 The barcodes are playing so badly lately that their manager is resulting to criticism of another managers desicion not to manage the team he cant manage ?? !! clearing in the woods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villadude Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 That's the first time I've heard about what ratboy said about our gaffer, what a knob. Can't wait for him to lose his job... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheriffvilla Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 The one thing I will say is, I am not 100% Roeder said it. Just does not seem the type of thing he would say. But if he did... Ah man, roll on Wednesday. The insult to MO'N is bad enough, but essentially he is belittling the Villa as well. I hate Newcastle as it is. Like, so much that part of me enjoyed seeing SHA win 5-1, which is horrible. Honestley, if he did say it, then beating them on Wednesday would mean as much to me as any game I have seen Villa win. THAT is how offensive I find the comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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