New signing - Neil Warnock!

[wozwebs]

According to the Mirror lol

Alex McLeish last night says Charles N'Zogbia can make Aston Villa an "explosive" force next season.

McLeish also challenged Stephen Ireland and Neil Warnock to revive their "dormant" Villa careers after promising them both a fresh start.

New boss McLeish, who has lost Brad Friedel, Ashley Young and Stewart Downing from last season's team, is beginning his rebuilding and N'Zogbia will complete a £9.5million move after a medical.

Ahead of Villa's clash against Blackburn today in the Premier League Asia Trophy, the Scot also made it clear that he believes forgotten men Ireland and Warnock will be instrumental this season.

McLeish's predecessor Gerard Houllier banished full-back Warnock, who was in England's World Cup squad a year ago, from the first-team picture and nearly sold him last season.

Ireland also fell out with Houllier in spectacular fashion, just weeks after his £8m move from Manchester City as part of James Milner's move to Eastlands.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder, whose career has been blighted by a string of fall-outs and rows, was farmed out to Newcastle on loan after Houllier publicly criticised his playing style and attitude.

It looked as if Ireland's Villa career was going to be over before it had even started, but Newcastle backed out of a permanent deal because back problems meant he barely played in three months at St James' Park.

However, McLeish is confident both men will seize their second chances and says N'Zogbia, together with new £5m keeper Shay Given, will make the Brummies a force to be reckoned with.

"We believe everything else is just about there [on the N'Zogbia deal]," said McLeish. "Charles will be a great addition to the squad. He's an explosive player and he gives us an extra bit of quality that replaces one or two of the guys who have left the club.

"You've seen his exploits last season - especially at the tail-end of the campaign when he scored five or six goals in the last few games which were extremely important for Wigan to stay in the league.

"He's an explosive type of player who can play in positions across the front. We needed to replace Downing with similar quality. He's [N'Zogbia] broken into the French national team, scored on their tour in the summer.

"There's also a lot of talent [at Villa]. We will look for one or two players who have been a little bit dormant, in whom Villa have made a massive investment.

"A couple of years ago, he [Ireland] looked an amazing player, he was making runs from midfield, getting in the box, scoring goals, picking out the right passes. Every ball he touched turned to goals.

"Now, all of sudden, his game hasn't gone the way you'd expect.

"Since [McLeish's] coming into Aston Villa, the player has excelled in training. He's looked, really, as if he's making those piercing runs in the practice matches, and I'm looking forward to Stephen Ireland being fully fit and competing for a whole season.

"Again, as a manager, you have to try and get the best you can out of every individual. That's what I'll do.

"Stephen Warnock, too, has to resurrect his career. He's played for England - what do you have to do to do that?

"He's pushing himself now, though, and his enthusiasm is there. The fitness guys have actually had to try and rein him in."

Despite losing three big-name internationals in Young, Downing and Friedel, the Villa boss is confident his team will come out of his rebuilding in a stronger position.

Downing, sold to Liverpool for £20m, will be replaced by N'Zogbia - meaning Villa can bank a £10.5m profit - and Given will come in for Friedel.

On the face of it, it looks a shrewd bit of business on McLeish's part, even though they have lost Young.

But the Scot is hoping youngster Marc Albrighton can step up and produce on a more regular and consistent basis after showing great promise last season.

"There are a lot of young players - players who have had to make their mark," said McLeish. "They have the potential, but can they make a big impact on a league as tough as this one?

"That is where the experienced players come in. You need that strong nucleus, that strong spine through the team that can bolster the side and allow the introduction of the young players.

"I wouldn't want to shout from the rooftops that we will compete for the top four, I'd be a fool to do that.

"We finished ninth last season. Can we better that? It would be extremely difficult given every team has been gearing up, Sunderland have signed 10 players and Stoke are linked with many players at extortionate transfer fees.

"The league will be more competitive than ever. Last year was an amazing campaign. Who's to say the competition will be better next season?

"We've added a couple of players who can enhance the qualities of the squad and can help us get off to a good start."

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Aston-Villa-bound-Charles-N-Zogbia-will-be-explosive-force-in-rebuilt-side-predicts-manager-Alex-McLeish-article776349.html

[Rip Van We Go Again]

McLeish quote

"We finished ninth last season. Can we better that? It would be extremely difficult given every team has been gearing up, Sunderland have signed 10 players and Stoke are linked with many players at extortionate transfer fees.''

Prepare for lower than 9th, although that won't be McLeish's fault..

[MarkM]

Always nice to have your hopes smashed even before a ball is kicked!

[ktvillan]

Maybe it's AM's way not to build expectations too much.  That said,  leaders are meant to inspire their teams, and as rallying calls for the new season go, it's hardly "Cry God for Harry, England and St. George".  Anyway the General has already said we won't finish any lower than 9th so everything is okay.

[Eigentor]

"We finished ninth last season. Can we better that? It would be extremely difficult

Anyway the General has already said we won't finish any lower than 9th so everything is okay.

9th is the new 6th.

[Risso]

McLeish quote

"We finished ninth last season. Can we better that? It would be extremely difficult given every team has been gearing up, Sunderland have signed 10 players and Stoke are linked with many players at extortionate transfer fees.''

Prepare for lower than 9th, although that won't be McLeish's fault..

He forgot to mention the shit manager we've appointed.

[Olneythelonely]

I'd imagine it's clear case of lowering expectations. It's not as if our manager thinking it'll be difficult is going to stop us from trying. We'll be trying harder if anything.

Some of the White flag flying attitude on here is strange, to say the least.

[Brend'Watkins]

Some of the White flag flying attitude on here is strange, to say the least.

Isn't it just. 

[Chris Smith]

Always nice to have your hopes smashed even before a ball is kicked!

Come off it, half of you have already made up your minds anyway so there are no hopes to dash.

It does raise an interesting point, though. Having sold our two best players you'd have to say that if we do finish better than ninth then the manager will deserve a lot of the credit for it.

[Merv]

If he can get Warnock and Ireland integrated back into the squad again and playing well - not to mention getting Dunne and Collins back to their best - the manager will deserve credit for that, as well.

[pauliewalnuts]

Always nice to have your hopes smashed even before a ball is kicked!

Come off it, half of you have already made up your minds anyway so there are no hopes to dash.

It does raise an interesting point, though. Having sold our two best players you'd have to say that if we do finish better than ninth then the manager will deserve a lot of the credit for it.

Well, look at the squad last season, and look what we have now. if we only get Zog in, then I think ninth would be an achievement.

If that is where our sights are, then fair enough, it is just disappointing.

I do worry though, that when the General said on VT the other day that we'd be gunning for fourth, he actually believed it was feasible.

[pauliewalnuts]

If he can get Warnock and Ireland integrated back into the squad again and playing well - not to mention getting Dunne and Collins back to their best - the manager will deserve credit for that, as well.

He absolutely has to try to get those players performing, and will deserve huge credit if he does.

Relying on him to do so, though, scares me. I see, for instance, that we've had the YouTube videos of Ireland posted, with "look at the player we could have" comments.

Those comments are fair enough, but they're exactly the same ones we had when he signed, and probably the same things Newcastle fans said when he went there.

Hope he starts to perform? Very much so. Rely on him doing so? No

[N'ZMAV]

Ireland and Warnock are like new signings, I agree. Beye, also, hmmm....

[Chris Smith]

Always nice to have your hopes smashed even before a ball is kicked!

Come off it, half of you have already made up your minds anyway so there are no hopes to dash.

It does raise an interesting point, though. Having sold our two best players you'd have to say that if we do finish better than ninth then the manager will deserve a lot of the credit for it.

Well, look at the squad last season, and look what we have now. if we only get Zog in, then I think ninth would be an achievement.

If that is where our sights are, then fair enough, it is just disappointing.

I do worry though, that when the General said on VT the other day that we'd be gunning for fourth, he actually believed it was feasible.

I don't believe it is the limit of our ambitions but the facts are that we under performed and finished ninth last season and have since sold our two best players. If the new manager galvanises the squad and gets the best out of them then I think we can be in or around the top 6 again. Should that happen then I think he'll deserve most of the credit for fixing a dysfunctional group of players and I'd expect most on here to be big enough to acknowledge that.

[NeilH]

Ireland and Warnock are like new signings, I agree. Beye, also, hmmm....

I reckon there's a broom closet somewhere in Bodymoor Heath where Beye has been living for the last year or so, if you open it he'll fall out and declare himself raring to go.