What if McLeish decided we didn't need to buy?

[ktvillan]

Big if and he surely wouldn''t be mad enough to even contemplate it. We struggled last season and have since lost Friedel, NRC, Walker, Young, and possibly about to lose Downing.  Also Carew. We need to sign at least four just to stand still, even if Warnock and Ireland can be rehabilitated.  The priority must be a new keeper, because we don't have anyone of proven PL pedigree.  If we don't get at least that I think we will be in deep shit by Christmas.

[GJH]

Why are we pinning our hopes on Beye and Ireland! After all they both said they havent settled in the midlands and wanted away last season and Warnock! Big time charlies after a big pay day.

If we dont sign a decent goalkeeper, right back and attacking midfielder we will go this season. Any blues players you can forget it!!!

[madirishvillain]

no what ifs about it

mcleish has taken on the job after being told he wasnt getting any money to buy anybody

Young and Downings sales cover the outlay on Bent with a bit of profit thrown in

instead we are getting drip fed shite like - "everyone starts with a clean slate", "Ireland will get chance to show what he can do"  and "its time Delph showed why we spent a few quid on him" etc etc

we are being taken for mugs - and the papers (that during the manager debacle,  were always wrong, and dont believe what they write ) are loving every second of it

[Clampy]

I think we'll end up with a goalkeeper, a replacement for Ash and a couple more.

We'll definatley bring players in, anyone who thinks we won't is mad.

[Dave]

Given imo a better keeper than Friedel

And no matter how many people try and convince me Stuart Downing should be kept hold of, if someone offered what we paid for him, I'd ship him off with a first class stamp to that location (that'd be the only first class thing about him!)

mcleish has taken on the job after being told he wasnt getting any money to buy anybody

I thought it was worth quoting three of the more mental statements we've had on the site in recent weeks.

Hopefully you'll all wake up in the morning and realise your folly.

[eamonn]

Is there any chance that McLeish has spoken to Houllier about current players/potential signings that Houllier had lined-up that we may still go for? The ones that Dave Woodhall heard were going to get us into the top four?!

As an aside...in his first interview on Pravda, it was interesting to hear AM talk about Borussia Dortmund's success in Germany last season...I can't remember what the context was, it was just a bit surprising/refreshing to hear him talk about the surprise success of a team in a different country.

[Dante Lavelli]

Isn't the average age of the Dortmund squad about 23 years old?

I'd be quite excited if villa took such a bold approach of playing some more youngsters. Let's face it we haven't got the £200m to buy our way to the top four so we may as well try something else.

[willywombat]

Given imo a better keeper than Friedel

And no matter how many people try and convince me Stuart Downing should be kept hold of, if someone offered what we paid for him, I'd ship him off with a first class stamp to that location (that'd be the only first class thing about him!)

mcleish has taken on the job after being told he wasnt getting any money to buy anybody

I thought it was worth quoting three of the more mental statements we've had on the site in recent weeks.

Hopefully you'll all wake up in the morning and realise your folly.

Sorry oh great fountain of wisdom, I'll go and stand in the corner

[Dave Cooper please]

no what ifs about it

mcleish has taken on the job after being told he wasnt getting any money to buy anybody

Young and Downings sales cover the outlay on Bent with a bit of profit thrown in

And you know all this as 'fact' do you?
Bloody hell man, cheer up, we haven't even played the first friendly and you're already panicking and shivering like a shitting dog.

[Villanation]

I would be expecting this or near to it, I think McLeish has been appointed because he fits into the way That Randy see's the direction of the club going.

On a budget in short.

What other way would you recommend bearing in mind all our financial circumstances?

Name of the game, everybody in the Premiership is facing the same problem, everybody in the UK is facing the same problem, in fact they should rename the UK, Rising Costs, and corruption of course, but hey ho!, that's another thread.

Point is we are either going to show some metal and give Mcliesh a level playing field to start with, allow him to at least introduce his own plan and players, or the bloke has been taken on with the remit, this is what you've got, live with it, and if that's the case we have a very tough season ahead.

We have this far lost Ashley Young, Brad Friedal, Reo Coker, looks to me like Downing is on his way, that's a massive void in a squad the size of Aston Villa's.

Financial problems or not, frankly i don't see we have any choice but to get deeper in and go for it, it isn't as though we have a dearth of talent waiting in the wings, 1 or 2 younger players like Albrighton, but we don't have enough.

As I say if you look at the pattern of the appointment surrounding McLiesh he seems to me to be the right man to put in charge if you are going down the road of austerity and possibly another relegation battle, possibly even relegation, lets face it in that case a bloke as thick skinned as he obviously is, you couldn't want better, put another way, if you wanted to win things in this next season you probably wouldn't go for appointing our Alex would you.

Remember our chairman is by nature a banker, he's not covering his tail for today or tomorrow he's thinking end of season and what IF!!!!!. IMO.

[villa_oldie]

Given imo a better keeper than Friedel

And no matter how many people try and convince me Stuart Downing should be kept hold of, if someone offered what we paid for him, I'd ship him off with a first class stamp to that location (that'd be the only first class thing about him!)

mcleish has taken on the job after being told he wasnt getting any money to buy anybody

I thought it was worth quoting three of the more mental statements we've had on the site in recent weeks.

Hopefully you'll all wake up in the morning and realise your folly.

Ah I see... I've woken up this morning and seen you're right because you say so. I'm wrong again...

I base my opinion on Downing on what I saw last season and half a season before and his pig ignorant attitude towards us this summer.
He's a half arsed player, who's scared of getting injured, bottles challenges, can't cross for beans.

Being voted player of the season last year really isn't an acheivement.

But like i said, sorry Dave - I'm wrong :-)

[Concrete John]

Right now the issue with Downing is not how much he's worth, but how much we can get for him given the way Liverpool are spunking money on players right now.

[not3bad]

Right now the issue with Downing is not how much he's worth, but how much we can get for him given the way Liverpool are spunking money on players right now.

True.  We need to be covered in at least as much spunk as the other teams Liverpool have bought from recently.

[Toronto Villa]

no what ifs about it

mcleish has taken on the job after being told he wasnt getting any money to buy anybody

Young and Downings sales cover the outlay on Bent with a bit of profit thrown in

And you know all this as 'fact' do you?
Bloody hell man, cheer up, we haven't even played the first friendly and you're already panicking and shivering like a shitting dog.

Does this thread come to a crashing halt as soon as we buy one player? Will Madirishvillain implode at the same time?

[pedro25]

If we spend £20m received from Downing on Given £4m, N'Zogbia £9m and Parker £7m and don't touch the Ash cash we will be in decent shape.  Then we can assess Ireland and Warnock, if they're not up to it, ship them out with Heskey and Beye for say a combined £10m, and sign say Kranjcar and Hutton nr the end of the window for £10 - 12m combined.  We would not have spent a penny net, yet be £15-17 m up and have a better squad to start the new season with.  I suppose I'm trying to make the point it doesn't really matter what we have to spend or not it's what we do with it that counts.