Charlie Adam

[Toronto Villa]

I like him but you have to ask what mcliesh would want with him.. i'm not sure he's much good at hoofing the ball forward at every opportunity.

He was effective for him at Rangers, and Gardner got 10 from midfield for Blues. The hoofing came about through having Zigic up there. I don't think it will happen here.

you wonder just by his set pieces and general creativity would he provide as many assists as Ash? Obviously completely different players, but it's not like Ash's freekicks or corners were really that productive. Adam might be limited in some ways, but he's deadly around the box.

And yes greg, McLeish only has one way of playing. In fact I heard he's going to sell all of our midfield players and wingers, sign 9 more 6ft plus defenders and we're just going to pump the ball into the box from our own penalty area to Bent all day. We get it, you don't like McLeish FFS.

[brontebilly]

No from me, it's time to give Delph and Bannan chances. Plus throw in that Clark and Downing could do a job in a three man midfield. I think we have enough lefties.

[Greg N'Ash]

I like him but you have to ask what mcliesh would want with him.. i'm not sure he's much good at hoofing the ball forward at every opportunity.

He was effective for him at Rangers, and Gardner got 10 from midfield for Blues. The hoofing came about through having Zigic up there. I don't think it will happen here.

you wonder just by his set pieces and general creativity would he provide as many assists as Ash? Obviously completely different players, but it's not like Ash's freekicks or corners were really that productive. Adam might be limited in some ways, but he's deadly around the box.

And yes greg, McLeish only has one way of playing. In fact I heard he's going to sell all of our midfield players and wingers, sign 9 more 6ft plus defenders and we're just going to pump the ball into the box from our own penalty area to Bent all day. We get it, you don't like McLeish FFS.

 i have no feelings about him one way or the other, I don't care he's from the blose. I just don't like his football and you kidding yourself we're going to turn into Barcelona is tragic

[Toronto Villa]

I like him but you have to ask what mcliesh would want with him.. i'm not sure he's much good at hoofing the ball forward at every opportunity.

He was effective for him at Rangers, and Gardner got 10 from midfield for Blues. The hoofing came about through having Zigic up there. I don't think it will happen here.

you wonder just by his set pieces and general creativity would he provide as many assists as Ash? Obviously completely different players, but it's not like Ash's freekicks or corners were really that productive. Adam might be limited in some ways, but he's deadly around the box.

And yes greg, McLeish only has one way of playing. In fact I heard he's going to sell all of our midfield players and wingers, sign 9 more 6ft plus defenders and we're just going to pump the ball into the box from our own penalty area to Bent all day. We get it, you don't like McLeish FFS.

 i have no feelings about him one way or the other, I don't care he's from the blose. I just don't like his football and you kidding yourself we're going to turn into Barcelona is tragic

yes, that's what I think. Like there's nothing between the way he played his football at Birmingham and Barcelona is there? It's absolutely nailed on that he'll always now play his football in the same manner. That he won't adapt based on the players he's now got. Are you sure he played that way in Scotland too?

[madirishvillain]

he was honking for rangers

ask any rangers fan - see what blackpool paid for him

1 good season in the championship and 1/2 a season in the premierships and now he is a 10million pound player

dont touch with a barge pole

[Greg N'Ash]

he could but if we'd appointed pullis or allardyce would you be claiming similar? because thats the level of football he specialises in so far.. what evidence have you that he will see the promised land, abandon his old ways, and launch into a new era? Would Pullis and Big Sam have been the turned away from the dark side once villa came calling. And if so why didn't we go with them?

[Matt Collins]

I'm not sure Adam will go to Liverpool. They've already got Gerrard, Lucas, Henderson, Meireles, Spearing, Poulsen, Shelvey competing for central midfield places.

If you're Kenny Dalglish you'd be focused on wide players, worryingly for us. I'm not sure if they've got enough money for Downing, I don't see why we'd sell for much under £20m. We don't sell our best players cheap.

I'm ambivalent on Adam. Gets a bunch load of assists and goals, and I was very impressed with him against man u on the last day of the season. But I've also seen him lose the ball in poor positions a lot. He's slow and I think he may have to play in a 3 man midfield. I'm all for a 3 man midfield but I'm not sure Mcleish will go down the 4-3-3 route.

[brian green]

In all the flying skin and hair on these boards over recent days there was an excellent little thread entitled Impression Opinion Fact.   It sought to examine the progression between what we see on the field of play to what we think of it to what we believe to be proven.

It was too good a thread to live and was buried under Titanic metaphors  of fans being plunged into icy graves and I said bollocks you're a ****** offerings.

As I see it  all the impressions McLeish made on the world of football in general and on Villa fans in particular is now  becoming opinion and metamorphosing from maggot to chrysalis and will one day emerge as a beautiful free flowing passing game top four butterfly.   (At this point I will refrain from commenting that the butterfly known as the Small Heath (true) is very much in danger of extinction).

This is where fact enters the process.   The establish facts are that Alex McLeish is a poor manager compared with his peers and that all the evidence indicates that he will revert to type.

The fact of how good a manager he will prove to be hinges on whether he signs players like Charlie Adam and whether players like Charlie Adam can also metamorphose from relegation fodder into top four players.   Time will tell but as a person who has gambled heavily all his life and from time to time advises professionally on betting, my money is on modest budget mid table mediocrity with occasional cup flourishes and regular flirtations with relegation.   To me that is the message which has come over loud and clear from our board and our owner in recent days.

[Jim Shoes]

Stop! No real link's, just more friend or a friend ITK crap!

I don't believe any of them, however well meaning they may be as most have been proven to be attention seekers.

The only one I have any time for is MM, he passes on what he hears but always adds a caveat that its just that, hearsay.

10m that Blackpool are quoting is ridiculous, GH got the right price 3.5m. We may feel like mugs right now but that would be nothing compared to how we would feel if we were to even think of paying silly money for a slow over rated player like him.

[enigma]

He always looks at least a stone overweight to me. Not the most mobile or hard working player. You'd need a workhorse or two in midfield to accommodate him.

[citizenDJ]

I wouldn't be surprised if we did sign Adam, and i'd be happy enough. He's not as good as the media seems to believe, but he is a player I think would fit into our team well. Worth a go I'd say, even if is a bit of what Richard Moore calls a 'highlights player'.

[ozzjim]

12 goals and 9 assists last season for Blackpool. Hardly relegation fodder stats. Young was 11 assists, 7 goals. Both took pens. He would replace a creative element we will be losing and give balance with his left foot. I can't see how in our position we can turn our noses up at the prospect of a player that got double the assists and quadrouple the goals of a player that Spurs want 40 million for in a similar position.

[Summers]

I think he'd be a brilliant signings.

[Reuben]

Well Sir Alex said his corners alone were worth 10 million (or something) and our policy is getting people in on his recommendation...

therefore NAILED ON!

[citizenDJ]

Thinking about it, and I don't really hold with all this 'who's the biggest club' bru-ha-ha, but if if if we could pull of the Adam signing, it would probably represent a bit of a coup and maybe restore a bit of 'status' to the club. After all, he is a sought after player, so to bring him in would represent a bit of a restoring of order.