Villa Signings and General Rumours Thread

Savman

So now it's all MON's fault that Barry wants to leave? Right :rolleyes:
And it's also MON's fault that he values Barry obviously more than Rafa does. And it's MON's fault Barry is worth so much, if he hadn't had been so effective in getting him back into the England fold and turning a £4m player into a £15m player.

That pesky MON, worst thing to ever happen to Villa. ":rolleyes:"

wynters

Villain wrote: »

But hey I'd still have MON over that Spanish guy any day.

I can understand a player wanting Champions League football. That's OK. And if it were Chelsea, Man Utd, or Arsenal who were after Barry (clubs we have NO realistic chance of catching) I'd doff my hat to Barry and say thanks very much for 10 years - 'Best of luck...! But of all the top 4 sides, Liverpool are the club most likely to drop out of that top 4. (There's problems at boardroom level, Benitez' signings tend to sink or swim in equal measure, his rotation policy in the league probably costs them 10+ points a season, and they're struggling for cash with the dollar being weak and a new stadium to develop). So, if Villa are one of the clubs most likely to break into the top 4, and Liverpool are the club most likely to fall out of it, then why should Villa strenghthen their closest rival and weaken themselves in one-fell-swoop by selling their best player for a knock-down price? Liverpool and their fans need to realize that if the market values Carrick, Hargreaves, Mascherano, Bent, SWP etc. upwards of £18m, then Barry is worth that too. And with that 4th CL place in mind, that's certainly what he's worth to Villa.

Liverpools have been no better than Madrid with Ronaldo chasing Barry, using every slimey low-down trick in the book - Going public in the first place, unsettling Barry with 2 games still to play for a UEFA Cup place (which ended-up being a home loss to Wigan and a draw to West Ham) / using Gerrard's 'friendship' as a lever in the press, now getting Barry to spin the problem back onto O'Neill by citing O'Neill's supposed shortcomings in NOT doing enough to try keep him??????? A public swipe from a previously model-pro at Liverpools instruction no doubt... just to discredit O'Neill to Villa fans.

The whole thing has become more than unprofessionally public. This is getting nasty now. Barry was a squeaky clean model-pro until today, but after a public attack like that, on a man like Martin O'Neill (whom I think we all know enough of at this stage to call 'a decent bloke'), Villa fans should back O'Neill 110%.

If Barry held a meeting with O'Neill 7 weeks ago and told him he'd made his mind up to leave back at that stage, then what more does he want the club to speak to him about?????? That's not inviting more dialogue, it's stating you don't want any! The only thing left to talk about is a satisfactory transfer value for Villa, and negotiations of that type don't involve the player, so Barry is talkin complete BS. It's pure spin now to suggest the reason Barry wants to leave is because O'Neill didn't do enough to try keep him. The problem here is Liverpool thinking they have an automatic entitlement to a player on the cheap because they hold the trump card of CL football, and a player who had his head turned (long ago).

I actually think that if this had been done in the right way, via the correct channels and behind closed doors, there's a chance Barry might already be a Liverpool player!!! But Liverpool's conduct from the off has been - quite frankly, disgusting. So much for the old-skool, 'bootroom' ethos. Liverpool are even worse than United and Chelsea at this stage...

If anything, this should and no doubt WILL harden O'Neills attitude further. And rightly so...

Helix

DSB wrote: »

Even if what Barry is saying is true (which I don't fully believe) its still despicable of him to be coming out and saying these things in the media while he is still currently the Villa captain

if what he says is true, then hes dead right doing what he did imo

Esse85

If what GB has said is true then he wont receive a warm welcome when he returns.
Liverpool are scum and i cant wait till Chelsea bid for Torres

Helix

Esse85 wrote: »

If what GB has said is true then he wont receive a warm welcome when he returns.

why? his manager has ignored him for 7 weeks

can you blame the guy for wanting to leave, especially since the club has basically made his mind up for him

his comments very much read like a bloke who was probably quite likely to stay if the club and manager didnt act the way they did, and actually kept in dialogue with him instead

thats if its true

if its NOT true, barry deserves a nightmare of a time from the vp fans

Mr Alan

Esse85 wrote: »

If what GB has said is true then he wont receive a warm welcome when he returns.
Liverpool are scum and i cant wait till Chelsea bid for Torres

they already have, and it was turned down outright. and the player confirmed to the fans that he is going to be there for many years to come.

calling people scum, how very classy of you.

Esse85

Helix wrote: »

why? his manager has ignored him for 7 weeks

can you blame the guy for wanting to leave, especially since the club has basically made his mind up for him

his comments very much read like a bloke who was probably quite likely to stay if the club and manager didnt act the way they did, and actually kept in dialogue with him instead

thats if its true

if its NOT true, barry deserves a nightmare of a time from the vp fans

Publicly declaring you want to play for another team, having a go at the manager are both unwelcomed actions. MON is the main man at the club, GB is only a player, MON made him the international he is. What GB did was uncalled for.

Esse85

Mr Alan wrote: »

they already have, and it was turned down outright. and the player confirmed to the fans that he is going to be there for many years to come.

calling people scum, how very classy of you.

Would you ever get a life for yourself instead of spending all day every day being glued to a computer screen waiting for someone to post on the Villa thread.

You should try going for a walk:rolleyes:

Mr Alan

have you ever heard the phrase "attack the post not the poster"?

Helix

Esse85 wrote: »

Publicly declaring you want to play for another team, having a go at the manager are both unwelcomed actions. MON is the main man at the club, GB is only a player, MON made him the international he is. What GB did was uncalled for.

no, it was dead right IF what hes saying is true

if it wasnt, they it was uncalled for

Villain

Update from Official Villa site:

Martin O'Neill has expressed his and chairman Randy Lerner's 'surprise' at comments attributed to Gareth Barry in a national newspaper today.

The Villa boss insists Barry was offered 'a variety of options' to keep him at Villa Park - all of which failed to halt the skipper's desire to join Liverpool.

But O'Neill insists the Anfield club will have to match Villa's valuation of Barry to secure a transfer.

MON told [url]www.avfc.co.uk:[/url] "My chairman and I were surprised with the comments attributed to Gareth Barry in his exclusive interview with a national newspaper today.

"Contrary to what was reported, we desperately wanted to keep Gareth at Villa Park and he knows that.

"We asked both Gareth and his agent to consider what had been discussed at our meeting which included a variety of options to incentivise the player.

"But Gareth came back from England international duty in June and reiterated his intention to join Liverpool and he told me so.

"But Liverpool's valuation of Gareth has been consistently well short of our own and at the moment remains so.

"We have made our position clear in respect of Liverpool's interest in the captain of our club but if Liverpool meet our valuation then Gareth Barry will get his express wish to leave Villa Park."

Neil3030

Joe Mattock deal will supposedly go through next week in what should be an eventful period for Villa, seeing as MON is back from his beeb stint.

Bounty Hunter

wonder does Mattock signing (if he does) mean that no CB is signed as he can play LB with Bouma going in at CB when/if injuries happen.

Sidwell/Mattock to be unveiled together next week maybe. Things have gone quiet on the RB search recently though

Neil3030

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

wonder does Mattock signing (if he does) mean that no CB is signed as he can play LB with Bouma going in at CB when/if injuries happen.

Good point, though if Davies isn't fit I'd favour a new CB rather than an untested 18-year-old at left back and Bouma in the middle. But 10m for Ferdinand would be a silly silly purchase.

Helix

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

wonder does Mattock signing (if he does) mean that no CB is signed as he can play LB with Bouma going in at CB when/if injuries happen.

thats exactly whatll happen id say, unless he decides knight isnt good enough

One Cold Hand

Helix wrote: »

unless he decides knight isnt good enough

I'd imagine he's already decided that!!

Neil3030

I completely forgot about Knight! Haha, never even factored him in when thinking about potential starting CBs next year...

Hope MON does likewise...

One Cold Hand

GB's whole statement thing is very disappointing, whether it's or not.

If what GB says is true, then I'm really disappointed with MON and Randy for not making a bigger effort to keep him.

However when I read the article I wasn't convinced that it was true, and MON's statement appear to confirm that it either wasn't true, or was at least exagerated to some degree. We'll probably never know the real truth.

Either way I'm disappointed as it appears that Barry has burnt his bridges and will be definately be leaving now. I was still holding out hope that he might stay. I'd imagine it's just up to Liverpool to bid enough money for him, which I'd be surpirsed if they did.

One Cold Hand

Neil3030 wrote: »

I completely forgot about Knight!

Wouldn't blame ya!

Neil3030

But who's the better out of O'Halloran and Mattock? Because as a LB, O'Halloran could also fit into a scenario where Bouma covers at CB in the case of injury.

One Cold Hand

Neil3030 wrote: »

But who's the better out of O'Halloran and Mattock?

Bouma!

We shouldn't be moving Bouma into the centre to cover a centre half. His best position is LB (at least it's where he's been playing for the last few years and is settled). We should be getting more cover for CB.
Imagine Laursen gets injured at the start of next season (I know, I don't wanna imagine it either!). Bouma moves into the centre and Mattlock comes into LB. That leaves us with a defense of
A.N. Other --- Knight --- Bouma --- Mattlock.
Not looking so hot is it?
RB we know about, Knight is rubbish, Bouma out of position, and an inexperienced Mattlock.

/edit....not to mention Robinson in Goal!!

invincibleirish

One Cold Hand wrote: »

/edit....not to mention Robinson in Goal!!

Shush! If we dont mention it then it might not happen:pac:

One Cold Hand

Does that mean if we don't mention Gaz Baz that might not happen either?!

invincibleirish

Who?:cool:

Raekwon

invincibleirish wrote: »

Who?:cool:

Touché

Helix

One Cold Hand wrote: »

I'd imagine he's already decided that!!

dunno about that, the chap paid hard currency for him when everyone else could see he wasnt good enough, so he might still not have spotted it

Neil3030

Off the ball just announced Deco has signed for Chelsea, so if Sidwell has the slightest bit of sense he should be gettin on that M1 pretty quick sharp. Hard to see him being needed around the bridge next season.

Bounty Hunter

Deco will probably be a direct replacement for Lampard, but id still say that Sidwell is as good as confirmed as a Villa player. could be wrong tho

Similarily I think Gomez signing for Spurs means its only a matter of days till robinson goes to most likely Villa.

Neil3030

So when Ronaldo signs for Real, Schneijder should be on his way to Brum?

Helix

so how many in tomorrow morning? 6? 9? 128?

Helix

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

Deco will probably be a direct replacement for Lampard, but id still say that Sidwell is as good as confirmed as a Villa player. could be wrong tho

Similarily I think Gomez signing for Spurs means its only a matter of days till robinson goes to most likely Villa.

wouldnt it be great if we were signing the players that these guys are bringing in as replacements tho, and not being stiffed with everyone elses reserve teams

invincibleirish

Helix wrote: »

wouldnt it be great if we were signing players

Fixed that for you:pac:

Neil3030

Dammit... the OS just put up an interview with Craig Gardner, how he's eager to get going... no signings this week so...

One Cold Hand

He seems pretty eager alright!
I was really impressed wtih him last year. I reckon he's the new Gareth Barry! (I'm kinda serious when I say that though)

Helix

ive always rated gardner, hes gonna end up an immense player for us in the next few years

One Cold Hand

I think he'll be a really good central mid. While he spent most of the time at RB last year, he was on the RW a bit and seemed really impressive coming forward, the little bit of him that I saw.

Liverpool can have GB, we don't need him anyway!

Helix

the thing about gardner is that he simply CANNOT be wasted as a right back, either in training or in games. itll stunt his development, let him focus on being a midfielder imo

One Cold Hand

Yup fully agree. Already wasted a year, though he did quite well there.

It would be a brave decision to throw him into midfield with NRC though.
Maybe instead of NRC!

Reckon he'd be better in the centre or on the right? They're both areas we're light in (assuming Barry goes)

Helix

id play him in the middle with nrc as it stands, if as expected, sidwell joins then id give him 3 months on the right to see what he can do

Savman

I think the Deco transfer might be the catalyst in pushing a lot of other transfers thru. It's widely known it only takes one move to start it all off and I reckon this could be it when you consider the knock on effect to Lampard, Sidwell, maybe even SWP.

So, Sidwell and Robbo, my feelings couldn't be more mixed but I'll cut the latter some slack when he's signed. Right now Robbo comes with zero expectation level so, like Harewood, can only surprise.

Also, ITSOTP!

One Cold Hand

Helix wrote: »

id play him in the middle with nrc as it stands, if as expected, sidwell joins then id give him 3 months on the right to see what he can do

On the right? But where will Bentley play when we sign him?!

Savman

Interesting comments if you read between the lines...

The General wrote:

1. Barry: Obviously I am not going to get into a debate with Gareth Barry on a Fan Web Site...it would not be professional and it is not the way I operate. At the same time, I would expect the Fans to take a step back and think about this issue. Barry is the Captain of our Squad. Barry has played for us over the years. Barry has been successful for Aston Villa Football Club and, recently, been successful for the English Side. Does any Fan actually believe that we have just waved goodby? Does any Fan actually believe that we haven't spoken to Gareth or his Agent? Does any Fan actually believe that no one has told Gareth that he is valued? These are simple questions but ones that I hope you would ask yourself. Our Fans are pretty savvy folks...and I have confidence that they will come up with the right answers. Our Fans certainly do not need me to engage in a debate...they can think for themselves.

So, is he pretty much telling us Gareth is a lying bastard?

The General wrote:

2. MON's comments on the Barry issue pretty much tell the tale. It is now up to the fans as to who they believe. I can state, unequivocally, that MON hit the nail on the head....and was kind to Barry in doing so. We have tried very hard to be professional in all of this...and we will continue to do so. L'pool knows our price...they either will pay it or not.

Helix

Savman wrote: »

Right now Robbo comes with zero expectation level so, like Harewood, can only surprise.

surely we cant concede any more than last time round anyway

One Cold Hand

Savman wrote: »

Interesting comments if you read between the lines...

So, is he pretty much telling us Gareth is a lying bastard?

To be honest I would find it VERY hard to believe that MON and Randy just said something like 'okay you can go for the right price. Off with you,' and then didn't make any effort to encourage him to stay. Gareth seems to be implying that they did literally nothing. I'd be really disappointed in them if that was the case.

Savman

Helix wrote: »

surely we cant concede any more than last time round anyway

FWIW I'd have taken Carson quicker than Robbo, but if rumours are to believed and Benitez wants £10m then poor Scotty will never get out of the Anfield reserves cos aint no way anyone gonna pay silly money for him. Half that, maybe.

Savman

One Cold Hand wrote: »

To be honest I would find it VERY hard to believe that MON and Randy just said something like 'okay you can go for the right price. Off with you,' and then didn't make any effort to encourage him to stay. Gareth seems to be implying that they did literally nothing. I'd be really disappointed in them if that was the case.

C'mon if anything MON & RL have integrity with stuff like this...Barry is a damn fool for trying to shoot them down in the public eye. It really is pathetic. Just hand in a transfer request ye damn judas :rolleyes:

Neil3030

Reo Coker
Sidwell
Petrov
Gardner
Salifou

I reckon that's not a half bad centre mid selection for next year.

spiderdan

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/gossip_and_transfers/7482666.stm

Bad signing IMO- why are we constantly targeting reserve team players, there's only so much of this I can take- we have the money!! Arthur Buroc- amazing keeper- Jussi quality- Carson better the Robbo!! Juzman good reports! I'm sick of all this good bit of business talk about MON- buying Buroc would be good business I'm sure we could get him for under 15m! anyway the 10m difference between him and Robbo would be worth it!! Spurs- Gomes simple as, although I'm not s sure about him but even still they see a player and sign him instead of pissing about looking for bargain buys in other teams reserves, I know its early but Sidwell is a good buy but replace Barry?? and replacing Carson with Robbo- its looking bleak at this early stage! Hopefully he'll come good and splash out on some real quality- i.e. Bentley, McGeedy, Santa Cruz, these types

Helix

spiderdan wrote: »

e have the money!!

i dont believe that we have loads of money for a second any more unfortunately

Neil3030

spiderdan wrote: »

McGeedy

No more unproven SPL small-ponders please, exception being Boruc.

edit - and not for a penny more than 9m