I've said it before and I'll say it again, but the more substitutes allowed on the bench, the easier it is to keep more players happy, the bigger the squads the rich clubs can manage.Dean Saunders left the 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' for us when there were only 2 named subs because he wanted regular first team football and he wasn't going to get it there. Just wouldn't happen nowadays.It's all about the money and as in life, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer and it shows no signs of changing.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, but the more substitutes allowed on the bench, the easier it is to keep more players happy, the bigger the squads the rich clubs can manage.
We cannot compete on £££ but we may be able to make more of our reputation as a player-dveloper.In order to do this, I think RL needs to keep GHou as a senior football presence on the management team but bring in one of the up-and-coming managers from the lower divisions - Lee Clark, Lambert, McDermott would be my short-list. Alternatively, I might consider Martinez, since I think he is highly respected as a developer of players and football-style.But I stress, I think this all needs to happen quickly.
Quote from: EffDee on May 29, 2011, 03:19:41 PM We cannot compete on £££ but we may be able to make more of our reputation as a player-dveloper.In order to do this, I think RL needs to keep GHou as a senior football presence on the management team but bring in one of the up-and-coming managers from the lower divisions - Lee Clark, Lambert, McDermott would be my short-list. Alternatively, I might consider Martinez, since I think he is highly respected as a developer of players and football-style.But I stress, I think this all needs to happen quickly.EffDee, I understand what you are saying here but I have huge reservations. If we were a club from a small town or small city this would make sense, but, for me, this type of mindset and strategy is selling Villa short. The major club of the UK's second largest city seeing itself as a player developer? This is a realistic strategy for clubs from towns like Wigan and Reading (and I say that with genuine respect). For Aston Villa to see itself as that kind of club would be absolutely criminal. Spain's second largest city is Barcelona - that, surely, should be our blueprint?