Villa Signings and General Rumours Thread

Time Magazine

You can't over-emphasize one thing enough for "squad" players. Opportunity cost. Young players looking to improve their career prospects get paid less than old lads with only a couple of years left. So literally you're at the situation where Gavin McCann and Lee Hendrie would get paid more than Reo-Coker and Agbonlahor. I imagine Routledge, Delboyfoneuso, Maloney and Salifou (who's still young) are on relative peanuts.

With rough guesses as to their wages:
Lee Hendrie = £18k
Chris Sutton = £25k
Gavin McCann = £18k
Jlloyd Samuel = £15k
Juan Pablo Angel = £35k
= £111k p/w = £5.7m over a year.

I'm excluding e.g. Baros whose wages would go directly to Carew. Getting rid of those older players provides enough cash at the end of the year to buy a £6m player. Add a little bit onto that and after one year of being tight you have the money to buy another Ashley Young.

Of course we should be spending money on Youngs already, and nobody is arguing the squad is big enough, but a bit of common sense goes a long way. I'd much rather have another Ashley Young on the right wing and do without those lads for a year than have them Patrik Berger-ing up the reserves.

One Cold Hand

shoutman wrote: »

It really baffles me that people can wholeheartedly doubt MON and the Villa Park setup.

Yes he is not THE best manager in the world, but I really do not see who would be better at this moment in time.
I also honestly believe that having the deadwood to slot in in times of injury, right back in particular, would have made zero difference to the results. Cahill to centre back and Mellberg on the right, would that have earned us a draw against united?
Not a chance.

Don't anyone is claiming it would have changed the United result, that'd be ridiculous. It could very well have made the difference, however, in games against the like of Arsenal which we should have won, and against teams like Boro, Fulham and Sunderland that we should be beating.

invincibleirish

So amidst this Hysterical MON madness/Bertie's exit & the CL games all distracting us, what of Bolton at home this Saturday, surely even this must be a home win, but that was said about Boro & Sunderland, the form book is out the window, but surely Villa will beat Bolton, they cant be that badYes they can!

Will Gary Cahill come back to haunt Villa like a Shakespearan character?

Neil3030

He'll play a significant part alright. Can't see him just having a "solid game at the back", he'll probably score, give us a penalty or even better lob in a couple of Ridgwell specials.

I hope the 4 goals conceded against Man U won't prompt MON to bring back Knight though. I still maintain Mellberg+Laursen in centre, with either Gardner or even Reo C at RB is a stonger set-up than any involving that pleb in at centre-half.

Savman

Isn't Gardner injured?

Neil3030 wrote:

than any involving that pleb in at centre-half.

Mature. :rolleyes:

Neil3030

He's a pleb. Last-gasp fringe player at most. Stop standing up for weak players out of blind patriotism, it waters down your arguments in support of unjustly criticized people, e.g., MON.

Raekwon

invincibleirish wrote: »

Will Gary Cahill come back to haunt Villa like a Shakespearan character?

€10 says Cahill scores an OG alá Mr. Ridgewell & Mr. Hughes

This really should be 3 points in the bag type game but Bolton played very well agaisnt Arsenal last weekend and Villa.............well, you know the rest.

2-0 Villa. Cahill OG & Maloney

Savman

Neil3030 wrote: »

He's a pleb. Last-gasp fringe player at most. Stop standing up for weak players out of blind patriotism, it waters down your arguments in support of unjustly criticized people, e.g., MON.

How is it the player's fault that a manager choses to bid for him? Zat Knight, as I've said hundreds of times, always performs to the level expected of Zat Knight, for better or worse. That doesn't make him a "pleb" - he's a good servant to the club who had a solid run in the team until a harsh sending off. I just do not see what makes him such an enemy of the fans when he's only ever done his best, even when his best hasn't been good enough.

I fail to see what is to be gained by talking our own players into the ground.

One Cold Hand

Neil3030 wrote: »

He's a pleb. Last-gasp fringe player at most. Stop standing up for weak players out of blind patriotism, it waters down your arguments in support of unjustly criticized people, e.g., MON.

Bit harsh I think. 'A pleb' would imply that he's an idiot, or a slacker or a waster of some description. He's none of these. He tries extremely hard every time he gets a chance and his heart is in the right place. He may not be the most talented centre back in the world, but there's no need to start insulting him.
He was probably signed mainly as a squad player by MON. Its not his fault he was given a chance. Actually to be honest, he's performed better than I honestly thought he would.

shoutman

I agree totally with the above, also he scored on his debut winning us the game against chelsea ON HIS OWN!

He played like pele that day, he was magnificent, so magnificent that MON actually turned down a bid from Chelsea after the game for him.....

Neil3030

A pleb is not an idiot. A pleb is a commoner, a member of the general body, someone who is void of any prestige or class. Essentially... every quality Savman and One Cool Hand described Knight as while trying to refute my calling him a pleb... :rolleyes:

invincibleirish

Zat aint no pleb, he's gangsta! he's crap, here's hoping he has a goood game, Bolton are pretty blunt when it comes to their attacking options, although that polish guy they got from Soton is pretty handy from set pieces with his ceann, if Villa dont keep a clean sheet on Saturday then i will laugh & cry.

Bounty Hunter

Martin O'Neill asks Aston Villa supporters to be patient
Apr 3 2008 By Bill Howell

MARTIN O'Neill believes supporters will have to be a little patient as his blueprint for a bright new future at Villa Park takes shape.

The boss has found himself on the back foot in recent weeks as Villa have dropped points and slipped down the table, putting their European chances in grave doubt.

But he is already planning for his first steps into what will be a busy summer of transfer activity and says the job at Villa was never going to be a quick fix.

O'Neill enjoys a very close working relationship with chairman Randy Lerner, who has totally backed the Irishman's judgment throughout his 20 months at the helm and will again do so this summer.

"I think the club is in really good hands," O'Neill said. "The expectation is very high and I have always said I am pleased it is high.

"Now what we have to try to do is match that expectation and the best way to match that is to win. While we do not have the resources Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have, we have to work hard to get there.

"It does not happen overnight. It is not consumed by one good result or one poor result."

O'Neill is still angered by some of the names Villa are linked with and the supposed ease with which some people think they can be brought to the club.

"We know we need to strengthen the side," he said. "The decisions I took in January were not that difficult because the players I had in mind weren't available for the price.

"Anybody, I suppose, is available - out-side the best players in the world - at the end of the day. But this idea you can just go and cherry-pick. I am sorry."

O'Neill insists he wants to see Villa at the very top of the English game and added: "Where I think the football club is going and where I want it to go is exactly the same place as every single Aston Villa fan.''

for me:

Villa 2 - 1 Bolton
young' & Barry (Pen) - Davies

Helix

Savman wrote: »

I fail to see what is to be gained by talking our own players into the ground.

more than is gained by tolerating woeful transfers

Helix

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

for me:

Villa 2 - 1 Bolton
young' & Barry (Pen) - Davies

re that mon quote, we've heard it all before

probably the exact same press release in fact

i think mon has about 5 different press releases that he rotates

invincibleirish

MON is pretty snappy with it comes to media matters, there is always an encouraging media release just to sooth our worries, no doubt this is something attributed to the *Clough* school of management isnt it? We do hear an awful lot of Roy these days dont we?

Bounty Hunter

Keane is like Mourinho as in he keeps the papers talking about him and his press releases instead of his players and their performances.

I think that O'Neil's Press release (above)although yes very like other statements previously made sums up the Villa situation perfectly. the fans need to remain patient, Villa is in good hands with Randy Lerner and have come quite a way but realism is needed we arent going to be competing with the big 4... not yet. Players cant be got as easy as fans often think especially not in January and the ones he wanted were not available but he and everyone else at Villa know (what the fans are trying to point out anyway) that we need re-inforcemants . He wants what we want, Success at Villa Park!

homah_7ft

How wrong I was with my gut feeling before the Man U game. I picked up a head cold for my trouble after freezing in the rain:( Petrov surely has to go, he was as good as absent in the midfield.

Neil3030

Team news taken from the beeb:

Aston Villa
22 Carson
04 Mellberg
16 Knight
05 Laursen
03 Bouma
20 Reo-Coker
19 Petrov
06 Barry
07 Young
10 Carew
11 Agbonlahor

Substitutes
13 Taylor, 09 Harewood, 17 Salifou, 18 Routledge, 23 Berger

Good fixture for Routledge to get a run, see what he's about.

homah_7ft

Does anyone know of a stream where this one can be watched?

I'm looking forward to seeing Routledge so hopefully he will get at least 20 minutes.

Bounty Hunter

is Maloney injured? no defenders on the bench. also hope Routledge gets on instead of Petrov for 20+ minutes

9th minute Gareth Barry goal

Raekwon

4-0

Not a bad way for MON & the team to answer their critics

Bounty Hunter

Barry with 2 and neither is a peno!

Gabby gets his first goal in a good while

and after his start last week the Hare is back to being a super-sub with goal number 4

Charlie

Good result for your lads. Villa should have always beaten Bolton but they needed to get their momentum going again.

I think this result though (with Barry and Gabby scoring) illustrates how dependent you are on goals from them. MON will surely splash big on a striker er this summer.

Bounty Hunter

hopefully, a quality striker in to replace Luke Moore in the summer alright.

Bolton are not good though and i really do expect them (and infact all the current bottom3 atm) to go down. without Anelka they are virtually no goal threat

invincibleirish

Great result for Villa, even though BWFC are cannon fodder and seemingly doomed down to Div. 1, it was important to halt the recent crappy form in a professional manner.

For those still hurtiing maybe Villa can pick up Cahill on the cheap in the summer, though after shipping 4 today, those rose tinted glasses aint what they used to be!

Esse85

Great displays by Barry, Young and Petrov

The second goal was an excellent move, an all round team goal, however just before that Bolton had about 3 corners in a row, all of which Carson made a complete hash of. We were lucky to get away with this.

Id really like to see Petrov score a goal, anytime he's been dropped he hasnt moaned or sulked, he's vowed to work harder and get back into the team. This is the attitude we need, maybe if he were to get a run in the middle of the park we might just see a goal:eek:

Bounty Hunter

Petrov suits the 4-3-3 Villa seemingly were going to play with (and did play against Bolton from what i saw) with Reo-Coker and Barry playing the more Defensive of the three CM roles and Gabby and Young playing as Wing-Forwards off big John Carew. This formation was only rarely used last season including in Petrovs first game at Villa in which he played a blinder, and this season it has been mostley 4-4-2. In a 4-4-2 Petrov is forced into either a Central DM role or more often out onto the right wing which really does not suit him.

(Villa's first XI in this formation)
................Carson..............
Mellberg Laursen Davies Bouma
........Reo-Coker..Barry..........
.................Petrov...............
..Gabby ..................Young...
................Carew..............

we would actually like to see Petrovs name on the team sheet if this was the formation being employed (at least I would) although along with RB and GK and perhaps CF/WF it is the one position in the starting XI that would need improving on if we were to move forward.

Esse85

Did petrov play in kind of a 3 man central midfield under MON at Celtic?

Bounty Hunter

dont think he did all that often probably as much as he has at Villa but that was at a much lower standard of football where he would more easily be able to perform th defensive aspects of CM but instead was usually just playing as an Attacking CM.

following on from that Bolton article before the Villa game here is another snipet on how the see their former Villa trio.

What can one say about Jlloyd Samuel that hasn`t already been said? He`s a fine, pacy left-back with a subtle appreciation of the game`s finer points. See, it`s easy if you try.

'He's a quality full-back and I know he's one to watch going forwards,' explains former boss Martin O`Neill. We didn`t realise that Aston Villa`s manager had such a keen sense of humour. It`s ok to watch Samuel as he goes forward, but there`s little need to do anything else as by the time he gets to the half-way line he`s forgotten why he set out in the first place. Then he gives you the ball. Is this unkind? Probably, but like a lot of other rubbish Premier League players Samuel will be crying all the way to the bank. If he can find the bank.

Gavin McCann`s signing wasn`t welcomed by Wanderers fans. The word 'donkey` seemed to be uttered quite a lot. Yet, on the whole, he`s acquitted himself well. He can break up attacks and get play moving the other way with a simple pass. Anything more complicated and his brain would explode, but fortunately for him, Bolton don`t have anyone who does 'complicated.`

And so to Gary Cahill. The young defender looks confident and composed. Too much so at times, which may explain why he`s given away penalties against Blackburn and Arsenal, both of which proved significant, and gifted Liverpool two goals. If Nicky Hunt had done that a lynch mob would have been formed. Cahill isn`t the finished product, but he has the potential to be a very good player. Whether that`s with Bolton remains to be seen.

Bounty Hunter

even if Villa come 7th (where we currently are) will we not get intertoto cup football for definate as Portsmouth are guaranteed Uefa cup football through the FA cup as Cardiff cant represent England in Europe?

DSB

Yeah I think thats the case.

JPA

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

even if Villa come 7th (where we currently are) will we not get intertoto cup football for definate as Portsmouth are guaranteed Uefa cup football through the FA cup as Cardiff cant represent England in Europe?

Postsmouth haven't applied for the intertoto so we need to finish ahead of Blackburn and City. We can forget about Pompey and wherever they finish or do in the cup is irrelevant.

CantGetNoSleep

Esse85 wrote: »

Did petrov play in kind of a 3 man central midfield under MON at Celtic?

Yeah he played a 3-5-2 with wing backs fairly regularly, with Lennon, Petrov and Lambert/Sutton/someone else playing CM

invincibleirish

I see across the Villa message boards respect is being payed to the man himself Olof Mellberg

I believe its a shame he is leaving, but he stuck with Villa through some pretty dark times, and he was always a colossus.

after Southgate & Ehiogu jumped ship, it seemed it would be unlikely they could be bettered. but Olof came in and impressed. a decent defender,(thats why he is going to Juventus), what made him so popular and captain under DOL was his attitude and a stare that would leave you knowing exactly what he could do to you. isnt that right Freddy?

highlights?

there was of course those comments about the bluenoses

"Before the game, Mellberg said he did not "particularly like" Birmingham."

David Dunn: ""I tried to shake Mellberg's hand at the end and I can't repeat what he said."


the stare

the beard

the hoofed balls out of defence everytime!

i'll keep it short but really i have to say he will be missed, maybe the club tried all they could do to keep him, maybe he had his heart set on a move away, no matter, he will always be loved & remembered!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On4t0ZKi3F4

DSB

Yeah wish him plenty of luck with Juventus and wherever else his career takes him.

shoutman

Well said.

No doubt he has been a huge asset to the club. I do believe that, like Martin Laursen, the club have looked after him well and so thus he has repaid the faith shown in him.
The fact that there wasn't boo said to him once he made up his mind is great. No player should be forced to stay at a club against his will, its always a lose lose situation and no doubt Olof needed a change, he is coming towards the end of his career after all.

Good luck to the man and I hope he wins something big with Juve.

CantGetNoSleep

Best of luck to him in Italy, another few years could have seen him become more of a Villa legend by playing in the CL with them

A front 6 of

---

Reo Coker---Barry

---

Agbonlahor

---

AN Other

---

Young

---

AN Other

---

would come close to CL qualification were it not for the resources of the big 4

A permanant GK, 2 new fullbacks (RB in particular), cover for CB, a quality attacking midfielder and a top class striker would be on MON's summer shopping list i'd say

Bounty Hunter

Mellberg was a great servant to the Villa and i hope he does well at Juve.

Willy Sagnol linked to Villa today, getting on a bit but a quality RB who would be a great addition to the squad.

shoutman

Just saw the other crowd got their two of their board arrested for being cheaters, be it tax or otherwise.....

Neil3030

Papers Rumour Accuracy For Aston Villa - from www.footballtransferleague.co.uk

The Guardian - 4/9 - 44.44%
The Times - 10/23 - 43.48%
Daily Record - 3/7 - 42.86%
The Express - 5/20 - 25%
Daily Star - 14/60 - 23.33%
Daily Mail - 7/34 - 20.59%
Daily Telegraph - 2/12 - 16.67%
Daily Mirror - 20/128 - 15.63%
News Of The World - 6/47 - 12.77%
The Sun - 5/42 - 11.9%

Numerator=accurate rumours reported
Denominator=total rumours reported

Bounty Hunter

shoutman wrote: »

Just saw the other crowd got their two of their board arrested for being cheaters, be it tax or otherwise.....

should make for some interesting chants at the derby:D

invincibleirish

Tis hiliarious, Brady & Gold arrested

City of London Police detectives earlier said they were questioning a 59-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. It has now been confirmed that the people concerned are the two Birmingham City executives.

What are they like? could it be the Blues were crap all these years because someone had their hands in the till?

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2272093,00.html

Xavi6

Greetings sports fans!

As some of you may have seen, I am currently doing a bit of a survey on the soccer forum. I know some of you have responded so cheers for that but it would great to get as many people as possible.

It's just three short questions so pop on over!

Bounty Hunter

Villa Reserves now 2 points from winning the Reserves league with 3 games left after beating Pompeys reserves 2-0 with both Ciaran Clark and Nathan Delfouneso both scoring in the second half.

PHB

Neil3030 wrote: »

Papers Rumour Accuracy For Aston Villa - from www.footballtransferleague.co.uk

The Guardian - 4/9 - 44.44%
The Times - 10/23 - 43.48%
Daily Record - 3/7 - 42.86%
The Express - 5/20 - 25%
Daily Star - 14/60 - 23.33%
Daily Mail - 7/34 - 20.59%
Daily Telegraph - 2/12 - 16.67%
Daily Mirror - 20/128 - 15.63%
News Of The World - 6/47 - 12.77%
The Sun - 5/42 - 11.9%

Numerator=accurate rumours reported
Denominator=total rumours reported

Ha, that website is absolutely ****ing brilliant!!

invincibleirish

I suppose it could call for its own thread as to wonder why people read the tabloids in the first place when most of what you are reading is bull****.

but as a guardianista, my middle class snob knows best demeanour would alienate the Sun* loving masses!

*except for those cheeky scousers still peeved all these years later about the Sun reporting lies and backing the establishment, should i tell them or shoud someone else?

Raekwon

Predictions for tomorrows game at Derby?

Derby are officially relegated so with nothing to play for but pride they could frustrate Villa. I'm going to go for a 1-0 Villa win with Agbonlahor to get the solitary goal.

Btw did anyone else hear that Chelsea have approached Villa to take Sorensen for the last few games of the season to cover the injured Cech & Cudicini? Probably just paper talk.

Bounty Hunter

Sorenson is the best goalkeeper in the Prem not needed by his club (he doesent even play reserves ATM) but im not sure it will happen.

2-0 to Villa for me with derby holding out until late when Villa get the two goals their performance deserve and a confortable victory. Gabby' & Maloney'

Villain

I was surprised Sorensen didn't leave in Jan, he's a good keeper for cover wouldn't be surprised if Chelsea wanted him for backup for Hilario.

We should beat Derby 3 or 4 nil