Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

Paul Tergat

Would love to see Villa gatecrash the top 4.


Big fan of MON and hope A. Young can kick on in his career and sort out England's left sided problems. Really wish Utd would make a big move for him in the summer, he would be class for us (sorry!)

invincibleirish

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Would love to see Villa gatecrash the top 4.


Big fan of MON and hope A. Young can kick on in his career and sort out England's left sided problems. Really wish Utd would make a big move for him in the summer, he would be class for us (sorry!)

To be fair Young should be starting for England for at least last 12 months, don't think Capello fancies him.

Helix

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Really wish Utd would make a big move for him in the summer, he would be class for us (sorry!)

yis couldnt afford him

Bounty Hunter

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Would love to see Villa gatecrash the top 4.


Big fan of MON and hope A. Young can kick on in his career and sort out England's left sided problems. Really wish Utd would make a big move for him in the summer, he would be class for us (sorry!)

as long as Ashley is happy at VP you cant afford him so no need to apologise

Paul Tergat

invincibleirish wrote: »

To be fair Young should be starting for England for at least last 12 months, don't think Capello fancies him.

Yeah completely agree. I was calling for it last year too but for some reason he doesn't like what he sees. Can't be ignored this time around surely with his player of months etc

Helix

hes not playing for england coz whenever capello gives him a chance he chokes and plays ****e

basically

i think capellos just letting him mature a bit more, and hes fully aware that he's gonna be a hugely important player for him in future

Paul Tergat

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

as long as Ashley is happy at VP you cant afford him so no need to apologise

Helix wrote: »

yis couldnt afford him

Ha ha, i wasn't looking for a reaction lads I just think he's a great player.

how about a swap for nani and some cash?


Do you not think if it came into the headlines in the summer that Utd were genuinely interested he'd be looking to leave? It's one thing him being happy but when a bigger club come knocking (not taking the piss saying bigger btw) it can be hard to turn down - similar to Barry??

Bounty Hunter

the strange thing is Young and Villa as a whole probable played better last season yet hes got more recognition and our results have been an improvement again this season.

matrim

These 3 games are very important

Sunday, 22 March 2009
Barclays Premier League
Liverpool v Aston Villa, 16:00

Saturday, 04 April 2009
Barclays Premier League
Man Utd v Aston Villa, 15:00

Saturday, 11 April 2009
Barclays Premier League
Aston Villa v Everton, 15:00

As they are one after the other if we have a bad game in one of them, it might knock our confidence and have a knockon effect for the other games.

Paul Tergat

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

the strange thing is Young and Villa as a whole probable played better last season yet hes got more recognition and our results have been an improvement again this season.

yeah i've only seen a few games for Villa this season and to be honest you're not playing that well. It's similar with Utd, we're not playing well but getting the wins and with that comes the recognition.

Realistically what do you's think is the aim for the season from here then?

Bounty Hunter

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Ha ha, i wasn't looking for a reaction lads I just think he's a great player.

how about a swap for nani and some cash?


Do you not think if it came into the headlines in the summer that Utd were genuinely interested he'd be looking to leave? It's one thing him being happy but when a bigger club come knocking (not taking the piss saying bigger btw) it can be hard to turn down - similar to Barry??

Barry wanted CL football not to go to a bigger club, we look like we might be able to get that for our players who are currently happy, unless we dont progress in the next few years Young wont be going anywhere. think MON quoted 75m for him recently jokingly

edit: Nani would only make the bench for Villa for me (of course that is with Young and id never sell him in a deal for Nani unless with was Nani plus Rooney and Tevez (dont like ronaldo )

Paul Tergat

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

Barry wanted CL football not to go to a bigger club, we look like we might be able to get that for our players who are currently happy, unless we dont progress in the next few years Young wont be going anywhere. think MON quoted 75m for him recently jokingly

yeah fair enough on CL football but Utd is has to be said are the team who are winning leagues and last year the champs league. That's a couple of steps up from you guys and surely that would be hard to turn down?

I dunno how I've got into this and sorry if it's pissing anyone off.


What's funny though is reading this thread and comparing it to last years. It was always oh another **** up against so and so and one injury away from disaster. Suddenly Petrov clicks, Sidwell looks a decen buy, heskey on board and options are there. Must be pretty good to be a Villa fan for the first time in a while!

mike65

Can I just say I'm slightly envious cos you are on the up, I can see only good things happening this summer for Villa. City might have dillusions of grandure but your lot have much more substance.

Bounty Hunter

p_larkin99 wrote: »

yeah fair enough on CL football but Utd is has to be said are the team who are winning leagues and last year the champs league. That's a couple of steps up from you guys and surely that would be hard to turn down?

I dunno how I've got into this and sorry if it's pissing anyone off.


What's funny though is reading this thread and comparing it to last years. It was always oh another **** up against so and so and one injury away from disaster. Suddenly Petrov clicks, Sidwell looks a decen buy, heskey on board and options are there. Must be pretty good to be a Villa fan for the first time in a while!

tbh its been all positive since MON/Lerner took over and I dont think Young would wanna go anywhere at the moment when he and the club are developing so well together. Maybe a la MON in a few years if the landscape has changed a bit not to us fans liking but not now even for man utd imo.

invincibleirish

Helix wrote: »

hes not playing for england coz whenever capello gives him a chance he chokes and plays ****e

basically

i think capellos just letting him mature a bit more, and hes fully aware that he's gonna be a hugely important player for him in future

Yeah he wasn't great against T&T or someone but also of course England have had decent results so there's big clamour for his inclusion. If Capello has a few bad results i'm sure Young will become the next big thing who needs to be included.

Paul Tergat

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

tbh its been all positive since MON/Lerner took over and I dont think Young would wanna go anywhere at the moment when he and the club are developing so well together. Maybe a la MON in a few years if the landscape has changed a bit not to us fans liking but not now even for man utd imo.

Yeah the steady progression is something to be admired.

I guess it would be good for young to take Villa as far as possible first before seeking a 'bigger' (maybe not the right word) challenge.

On Lerner, how good has he been? You must be very grateful that he's kept out of affairs, got in a good manager and supported him. The ingredients for a really good club are all there for Villa + there's a history too. I also like the fact that there is a core of good British players there.

Bounty Hunter

p_larkin99 wrote: »

Yeah the steady progression is something to be admired.

I guess it would be good for young to take Villa as far as possible first before seeking a 'bigger' (maybe not the right word) challenge.

On Lerner, how good has he been? You must be very grateful that he's kept out of affairs, got in a good manager and supported him. The ingredients for a really good club are all there for Villa + there's a history too. I also like the fact that there is a core of good British players there.

Lerner is imo the example that all new owners into the prem should try to emulate and is a stark contrast to people in charge at places like Anfield and St James.

Helix

randy lerner is the perfect owner

Headshot

Helix wrote: »

randy lerner is the perfect owner

brilliant owner

best owner in the pl

Kinetic^

A draw in the pool-chelski game and a win for us = 2nd...........COME ON VILLA!!!!!

Savman

No beating around the bush, United are light years ahead of most clubs and very few players (if any) could turn down that kind of a move. You're talking about international recognition the likes of which are unheard of for a club at Villa's level, which admittedly has been "nearly men" for oh, about three decades now.

That said, I can't see the MON/Ashley Young romance ending anytime soon and I think Ashley would be mental to even consider a move anywhere...just aint gonna happen anytime soon. Uncomparable to the Barry situation where age played a big factor, Young need not be in any hurry because he won't ever be short of offers for CL footie.

I don't think I've ever enjoyed a run-in as much as I'm gonna enjoy this one, the last time I felt like this was the Big Ron season when we pushed United all the way in '94.

The main thing is, we have reaffirmed our status in the PL so Phase 1 is already complete IMHO, regardless what happens this season. Most Villa fans would have taken Top 6, UEFA Cup qualification and a decent cup run this season. The team has already surpassed all expectation, so no matter what happens they will be applauded off the field on May 24th.

CL football is still the dream, it's not yet in the bag though, but I think this MON fella has broken a few jinxes at Villa Park and right now I'd be very surprised if his team collapsed upon itself. We will be beat at some stage, we've rode our luck for a while, but he's a good enough manager to be able to get them bouncing back.

Looking forward to the trip to Anfield especially...and I would love it if we could go and beat them, love it

spiderdan

No matter what happens its been a great year to be a Villa fan!! Im really looking for a good performance on Sat, I think we're getting a little too carried away, we're not playing well!!! Haven't been for a while and have been extremely lucky in the past few games. 3 points vs Wigan and a great performance to prove our class and that we do rightly belong in the top 4.

Savman

Someone tell the fat lady to grab a kit kat.

4th March - Manchester City - Away
15th March - Tottenham Hotspur - Home
22nd March - Liverpool - Away
4th April - Manchester United - Away
11th April - Everton - Home

Whatever O'Neill has done up to this point, it will be the Martin magic in these 5 games that will determine our season.

If we come thru these still in touching distance, we have a run-in that is friendly on the eye:
West Ham (H)
Bolton (A)
Hull (H)
Fulham (A)
Boro (A)
Newcastle (H)

L'prof

Savman wrote: »

4th March - Manchester City - Away
15th March - Tottenham Hotspur - Home
22nd March - Liverpool - Away
4th April - Manchester United - Away
11th April - Everton - Home

:eek: That's a horrible run of games!

Savman

jasonorr wrote: »

:eek: That's a horrible run of games!

What're we looking at realistically, 5pts from 15? 8pts? I'd take a draw at Anfield & OT, I think we have the beating of Spurs at VP. Everton are a tough side and Man City unpredictable tbh.

Helix

Savman wrote: »

What're we looking at realistically, 5pts from 15? 8pts? I'd take a draw at Anfield & OT, I think we have the beating of Spurs at VP. Everton are a tough side and Man City unpredictable tbh.

id be looking for at least 9 tbh

shoutman

I think 9 points from 15 would probably be the top end of my estimation.

invincibleirish

Assuming key players are available then Villa should definitely be able to come away unbeaten against Pool and Man City and should have the beating of Spurs & Everton at home. probably lose to MU though.

8pts from those games should be minimum expectation. Of course i'm not sure how potential FA & Wafer cup games could throw a spanner in the works.

Savman

invincibleirish wrote: »

Of course i'm not sure how potential FA & Wafer cup games could throw a spanner in the works.

I hate saying this, because I'm heading to the CSKA game, but we will have to start prioritizing these competitions.

For example, CSKA on the Wednesday, Chelsea on the Saturday and CSKA again on the Thursday, there's no way you can play Gabby, Ashley & co. in all 3 games. Chelsea will tear us apart if we put anything but our very best team out.

I think in the first CSKA game, anything bar defeat is a result because with this counter attack buzz I fancy us to score on the break in Moscow.

invincibleirish

Well with the news Bouma & Carew are back in full training hopefully MON will be in position to rotate just a little for the CSKA/Chelsea games.

If he stays with the 442 at least that'll take some pressure off the midfield with Sidders standing in for Stan or GB. IMO it would not be the end of the world if one or two players are rested for the CSKA home game, i doubt MON would send out the reserves ala Hamburg.

As an aside that tricky run of games in April should hopefully coincide with Laursen returning to full fitness to inspire Villa across the finishing line!

mirwillbeback

shoutman wrote: »

Booked my flights for the spurs game. Heading over with my girlfriend, but still up for a few pints with whoever is heading over.

Going to the spurs game meself on the early flight on Sunday and staying over in Holiday Inn in Birmingham City Centre.

Will be sitting on me own as my yid mate got a ticket for the away end, but sure it's better than listening to him going on about a possible UEFA spot :rolleyes:

Savman

invincibleirish wrote: »

As an aside that tricky run of games in April should hopefully coincide with Laursen returning to full fitness to inspire Villa across the finishing line!

If anybody can....

Helix

laursen retired from international football

JPA

Helix wrote: »

laursen retired from international football

Hopefully that will ultimately be good news.

Savman

I'd say we've another year before he calls it a day.:(

Villain

What is it with Great Villa CB's and bad knees, i.e. GOD

Helix

JPA wrote: »

Hopefully that will ultimately be good news.

maybe

hopefully its not that he knows he doesnt have long left

JPA

Helix wrote: »

maybe

hopefully its not that he knows he doesnt have long left

Lets hope not. But he's been fine for ages before this injury so lets hope he can get over it.

invincibleirish

Laursen retiring from International football can only be good news for Villa. Don't think its a sign he is on his way out but just being sensible about things. MON could do worse in the summer time and try and tempt Olly back to VP.

JPA

invincibleirish wrote: »

Laursen retiring from International football can only be good news for Villa. Don't think its a sign he is on his way out but just being sensible about things. MON could do worse in the summer time and try and tempt Olly back to VP.

Olly is a legend but that will never happen.

invincibleirish

JPA wrote: »

Olly is a legend but that will never happen.

Why won't you let me dream

Neil3030

A lot of talk N'Zogbia is all but signed bar issues with a medical...

JPA

Neil3030 wrote: »

A lot of talk N'Zogbia is all but signed bar issues with a medical...

Nowhere you can actually trust though.

Bounty Hunter

He or his agent has a really big mouth but a lot of that is being put down to his desperation to leave St James. He has stated that he wont play again under Kinnear at Newcastle now too, aswell as revealing that there are offers on the table for him. He also most recently talk up how he would like to move to Villa aswell as Lyon or Arsenal.

He's got talent and could develop further here, would be happy to be a squad players according to those recent comments about Villa and could provide backup for Ashley Young. He still doesent seem to have a MON type personality but is able to play in more than one position and does seem apossibility.

Neil3030

I think he'd be a very solid signing. Back up LB and LM. Provided he knows his place of course.

Bounty Hunter

Neil3030 wrote: »

I think he'd be a very solid signing. Back up LB and LM. Provided he knows his place of course.

Unless N'Zogbia were to join as Shorey left id say he would only come in as backup for Young and maybe Sidwell if we are going 4-5-1/4-3-3 and only taking Barry's backup (3rd choice) LB role. He isnt really a LB and isnt the best there, dunno wether he was played there for Newcastle cos of a complete lack of options/injuries or just to make room for him in the line-up but id rather him as a midfielder.

id be for this move as again it wouldent be the most expensive but it would move us closer to having backup thats good enough to start for all our positions and thus a real proper CL standard squad.

Neil3030

I really can't wait until Freddie is back fit. Can't wait to have L.Young/Milner assaulting the right flank; A.Young free on the left with Heskey holding the show up for all of the above in addition to Gabby. Can't f***ing wait!!

Bounty Hunter

cant recall if this was posted here but Laursen has called it a day with Denmark and announcing his International retirement. Good news for Villa and is obviously a result of his injuries.

Laursen quits international scene

Martin Laursen will now concentrate on playing solely for Aston Villa
Aston Villa captain Martin Laursen has retired from international football with Denmark so he can concentrate on prolonging his club career.

Laursen, 31, who has already overcome a career-threatening injury to his left knee, is recuperating after having surgery on his right knee.

"My knee can no longer cope with playing for both Villa and the national team," said Laursen.

"In this situation, the only real solution is to play for the club."

Laursen has been a key figure in Villa's resurgence under Martin O'Neill over the last two seasons after battling against persistent knee problems when he joined Villa from AC Milan in May 2004.

He had seemingly put those injury worries behind him and had made 63 consecutive Premier League starts.

But his other knee flared up after the pre-Christmas win at West Ham. And, although he missed three games before returning for the home win over West Bromwich Albion on 10 January, it was decided to operate. It's the most difficult decision I've ever had to make in my football career

Martin Laursen

And, with the injuries to both his knees having taken their toll, Laursen has reluctantly admitted to himself that it was time to concentrate on prolonging his domestic career.

"The thoughts of a return to the national team was an ambition which spurred me on through my injuries," said Laursen.

"There's nothing I would rather do than try and help the national team qualify for the World Cup."

"But the decision was my own and it's the most difficult I've ever had to make in my football career."

Laursen, who won 53 caps for Denmark, signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract at Villa Park in January 2008.

Helix

Neil3030 wrote: »

A lot of talk N'Zogbia is all but signed bar issues with a medical...

hopefully not

hes a mouthy dickhead whos done nothing but try his best to upset the apple cart at newcastle

not the kinda thing we want or need, regardless of how good a player he is

we dont want a david bentley, we want a jimmy milner

Savman

Don't know much about N'zogbia tbh, other than the fact that he's just gone on strike at Newcastle. Hardly endearing....