Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14

COYVB

sc86 wrote: »

keane wages wont be cheap either!

Course they will. Villa don't pay anyone (bar benteke and the existing big wage payers) more than 15k these days

Lambert is only on about that a week, so Keane will be in no more than half it

COYVB

Would anyone here be interested in contributing some writing to a theoretical not-for-making-money online villa magazine I'm currently knocking around in my head? Been moving into more digital magazine publishing in work lately and have a pretty great and versatile HTML5 framework in place that allows for some very pretty output with lots of functionality including liking/sharing individual pages, embedded audio/video, image carousels etc.

It's just an idea I'm knocking around because I'd like to move a little into different avenues with my writing and given the garbage written about villa in the media I figure a few of us on here probably can't do much worse. If anyone is vaguely interested, drop me a PM and we'll see if there's any legs to it

Mods: AFAIK this is within guidelines in that I'm not spamming a link or mentioning another site or anything like that. Just trying to gauge interest to see if there's anyone here in the Villa thread who'd like to try their hand at doing a bit of writing about the Villa, nothing else. But if it's seen as naughty, then feel free to let me know and delete it!

fgob

villa was my tip for relegation before keane and that has not changed. im surprised keane went there its a sleeping giant but its showing no sign of waking up they need to switch the life support machine off, they have been loitering around the bottom for to long and they are due the bullet

listermint

fgob wrote: »

villa was my tip for relegation before keane and that has not changed. im surprised keane went there its a sleeping giant but its showing no sign of waking up they need to switch the life support machine off, they have been loitering around the bottom for to long and they are due the bullet

i presume f gob is short for something...

circadian

At least he found the right forum to post his opinion in.

fgob

Freakin Good On the Ball

LeBash

fgob wrote: »

Freakin Good On the Ball

Well at least we know its not a metaphor for knowing anything about football.

Like anyone in the bottom half, there is a chance but we lost 3 key players for a huge chunk of last season and still managed to stay up.

Im betting not many from the from 17-10 last season and the 3 promoted clubs could manage that next year.

astonaidan

listermint wrote: »

i presume f gob is short for something...

I thought I had to have fifty posts before I was allowed join the soccer forum :mad:

circadian

It's open during the World Cup.

COYVB

Janoi Donacien signs a 2 year deal

BaronVon

COYVB wrote: »

Janoi Donacien signs a 2 year deal

Who?

Patser

infacteh wrote: »

Who?

Young central defender. Made the bench a few times last season and had a few asking fir him to be given a chance ahead of Clark/Baker.

Frankie Lee

Maybe Lambert was right not to throw him in at the deep end but he cannot be any worse than Clark or Baker. Hopefully he will be pushed up the pecking order or go on loan till January.

CSF

Hopefully Keane brings something to the table, it seems necessary because Lambert does seem to lack in areas. Keane probably a good shout for next manager as I don't see Lambert lasting the season

BUNK1982

CSF wrote: »

Hopefully Keane brings something to the table, it seems necessary because Lambert does seem to lack in areas. Keane probably a good shout for next manager as I don't see Lambert lasting the season

I don't think anyone would make an impact on the league with 10m to spend - certainly not Roy Keane.

I can't see any grounds for optimism until the issue of ownership is resolved and even at that, it could still get worse.

fgob

villa simply cannot afford for things to get even slightly worse, slightly worse is down.

CSF

BUNK1982 wrote: »

I don't think anyone would make an impact on the league with 10m to spend - certainly not Roy Keane.

I can't see any grounds for optimism until the issue of ownership is resolved and even at that, it could still get worse.

I mean on the dressing room. Just booked Hull at home there. Better not get changed for TV.

COYVB

fgob wrote: »

villa simply cannot afford for things to get even slightly worse, slightly worse is down.

Technically, slightly worse is 16th

BUNK1982

CSF wrote: »

I mean on the dressing room. Just booked Hull at home there. Better not get changed for TV.

True - he could be just who the likes of Westwood, Gardner, Lowton etc. need to be hearing from.

I am a Lambert sympathiser though...

CSF

BUNK1982 wrote: »

True - he could be just who the likes of Westwood, Gardner, Lowton etc. need to be hearing from.

I am a Lambert sympathiser though...

I'm a Lambert sympathiser too, not necessarily a Lambert supporter though.

COYVB

IMO we're capable of finishing anywhere from 9-19th this coming season - it'll all just depend on how lucky/unlucky we get in terms of being punished for the inevitable mistake or 2 we make at the back every game

CSF

COYVB wrote: »

IMO we're capable of finishing anywhere from 9-19th this coming season - it'll all just depend on how lucky/unlucky we get in terms of being punished for the inevitable mistake or 2 we make at the back every game

I remember you saying something similar last year, while it's not literally impossible to get up there, it's ridiculously unlikely. 16th-20th seems inevitable. I just hope it's 16th or 17th.

COYVB

CSF wrote: »

I remember you saying something similar last year, while it's not literally impossible to get up there, it's ridiculously unlikely. 16th-20th seems inevitable. I just hope it's 16th or 17th.

I wouldn't say it's ridiculously unlikely at all to be honest. There's very little in it between 9-17th. A couple of bits of luck could mean a massive positional swing for a club, same with turning around some dire results against even a couple of teams. Turn the Palace and Fulham games into Villa wins (not at all something that's beyond the squad) and we'd have finished joint 9th on points.

You're literally looking at performing to the same level as last year, but with 4 flipped results for top half. There's not a team in the bottom half that's not capable of that, and there's as much chance of it being Villa as anyone else.

It all boils down to a single key factor: the premier league isn't very good

CSF

COYVB wrote: »

I wouldn't say it's ridiculously unlikely at all to be honest. There's very little in it between 9-17th. A couple of bits of luck could mean a massive positional swing for a club, same with turning around some dire results against even a couple of teams. Turn the Palace and Fulham games into Villa wins (not at all something that's beyond the squad) and we'd have finished joint 9th on points.

You're literally looking at performing to the same level as last year, but with 4 flipped results for top half. There's not a team in the bottom half that's not capable of that, and there's as much chance of it being Villa as anyone else.

It all boils down to a single key factor: the premier league isn't very good

Villa are definitely among the poorest teams in the league this year, coupled with uncertainty at the club and a manager who many will jump on very quickly.

I agree that the gap isn't huge outside the top 8, but villa are towards the bottom of the 20 in terms of quality.

COYVB

The gap is so small that it is unlikely to be a factor though. A bit of good luck could put any team in the top half, and a bit of bad luck could put the same team in the bottom 3. We're definitely not very good, but we're every bit as not very good as the other teams down there. It's going to be a crapshoot in terms of where we finish, a lot of which will be down to player mentality. I actually think Keane could be useful in that respect

CSF

COYVB wrote: »

The gap is so small that it is unlikely to be a factor though. A bit of good luck could put any team in the top half, and a bit of bad luck could put the same team in the bottom 3. We're definitely not very good, but we're every bit as not very good as the other teams down there. It's going to be a crapshoot in terms of where we finish, a lot of which will be down to player mentality. I actually think Keane could be useful in that respect

The gap isn't quite as small as you're making out, you couldn't compare the amount of quality at Swansea or West Ham to what is available at Villa. Best hope for Villa is that the newly promoted teams do more like Cardiff or Reading and less like Swansea or Southampton.

COYVB

I suppose it boils down to whether you think players and manager have underperformed. I think they have and they're capable of better. Probably not a huge amount better, but enough to be safe comfortably which, let's face it, we essentially were for the bulk of last season

matrim

COYVB wrote: »

I wouldn't say it's ridiculously unlikely at all to be honest. There's very little in it between 9-17th. A couple of bits of luck could mean a massive positional swing for a club, same with turning around some dire results against even a couple of teams. Turn the Palace and Fulham games into Villa wins (not at all something that's beyond the squad) and we'd have finished joint 9th on points.

You're literally looking at performing to the same level as last year, but with 4 flipped results for top half. There's not a team in the bottom half that's not capable of that, and there's as much chance of it being Villa as anyone else.

It all boils down to a single key factor: the premier league isn't very good

I'd say we are about 3 good players from being comfortably in the 9th - 11th spots but at the moment and given the money we have to spend we are realistically very unlikely to get above about 15th and even then we have probably as much chance of floping and end up in the bottom 3

Frankie Lee

A lot depends on how Okore does, can the likes of Grealish, Carruthers, Gardner, Robinson and Donacien force their way into contention, how long Benteke is out for, can the full backs learn how to defend, can Nathan Baker be kept away from the team and whether or not the signings of Cole and Senderos can avoid being totally disastrous. One thing that is for certain is that things are uncertain.

BaronVon

I'm happy with the Roy Keane appointment. He's a winner, no harm trying to rub off that attitude on some of the young players!

CSF

COYVB wrote: »

I suppose it boils down to whether you think players and manager have underperformed. I think they have and they're capable of better. Probably not a huge amount better, but enough to be safe comfortably which, let's face it, we essentially were for the bulk of last season

To be honest, I think the lads got better results last season than the performances warranted, which is more dangerous again.

CSF

infacteh wrote: »

I'm happy with the Roy Keane appointment. He's a winner, no harm trying to rub off that attitude on some of the young players!

I think if it was a given that Roy Keane was a winner, he would be the new manager rather than the new assistant.

pavb2

Uncertainty is the watch word at Villa.

As regards RK if you strip away the personality and the media circus he has vast experience in the PL both as a player and a manager my hope is that at least this is an improvement on the previous coaching regime

the bigger problem I see is friction /conflict between him & lambert ... two women in the same kitchen etc etc not a good analogy I know but it's late and I'm starting to feel the effects of World Cup burn out

CSF

You would think that with Keane having already worked as an AM for Ireland that he will know what is and isn't his role. You would hope anyway.

pavb2

CSF wrote: »

You would think that with Keane having already worked as an AM for Ireland that he will know what is and isn't his role. You would hope anyway.

Agreed but he's not known for holding back and I'd say he's got more respect for MON than PL

CSF

pavb2 wrote: »

Agreed but he's not known for holding back and I'd say he's got more respect for MON than PL

I'm sure he has the same respect for PL or he wouldn't have taken the job

BUNK1982

CSF wrote: »

I'm sure he has the same respect for PL or he wouldn't have taken the job

That would be my take on it as well. He definitely respected him as a player - especially after Dortmund knocked MU out of the Champs Lge.

Could be the ultimate good cop/ bad cop routine but it's still very hard to call

Frankie Lee

It was Paul Lambert's Norwich hammering that put some of the final nails in the coffin of his managerial career.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_div_1/9216659.stm

Corholio

Faulkner gone

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~3973205,00.html

Who knows what this means to be honest. I doubt Lerner will appoint anyone full time when he's looking to sell, maybe to facilitate a smoother transition takeover with someone?

V1llianous

Corholio wrote: »

Faulkner gone

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~3973205,00.html

Who knows what this means to be honest. I doubt Lerner will appoint anyone full time when he's looking to sell, maybe to facilitate a smoother transition takeover with someone?

He's promoted the CFO to be acting Chief Executive and can't see them advertising or filling the role with the club up for sale.

shoutman

Strikes me as slightly strange, you'd think Faulkner would be happy to hang around until the club is sold? He was hardly on a contract that he didn't want to have to renew given the state of the club at present?

I fear that this season will be a disaster with all the uncertainty around the place.

Lerner doesn't seem like he'll be leaving the club in a better state than which he found it, other than improved training ground of course.

V1llianous

It may have something to do with his child's diagnosis and illness or it may be that he is trying to play catch up on Randy's other businesses so he doesn't have to play catch up in a new role once a sale goes through.

TheJackAttack

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/sport-opinion/aston-villa-comment-mat-kendrick-7390672

Interesting read. What on earth is going on at Villa????

Neil3030

Mat Kendrick has arguably the most depressing job in the world!

COYVB

Corholio wrote: »

I doubt Lerner will appoint anyone full time when he's looking to sell, maybe to facilitate a smoother transition takeover with someone?

According to the club statement, Faulkner was offered a broader position with Randy outside of Villa, and a non-executive role at Villa. He declined and left wholesale, but that doesn't change the fact that Randy had made the decision to move him out of the CEO position regardless. That's interesting IMO

LeBash

We are turning into a cross between Eastenders and Newcastle

JPA

Is bendnter next? :-/

listermint

Helenius going back on loan from where we bought him.....

matrim

listermint wrote: »

Helenius going back on loan from where we bought him.....

Looked to have a bit of promise from the couple of times he played. Surprised we didn't try to send him to a Championship instead of back to Denmark

listermint

matrim wrote: »

Looked to have a bit of promise from the couple of times he played. Surprised we didn't try to send him to a Championship instead of back to Denmark

Well there must have been a reason. I'm sure the lads seen him in action in training. Agree he looked alright from the little we saw.