Randy is still spending too much..!

[Ivo Stas]

Is the problem that Randy is still spending too much money on players for Aston Villa? What if we took the tightening of the purse strings to the ultimate conclusion and never signed any players. (Or at least any adult players.) Would it be so bad to be a sort of Aston Bilbao and just field teams of home-grown players?

Here’s a home-grown team that could turn out for us this season. Would it really do much worse than our current mob? All it would really need to do is stay in the Premiership because a cup run is beyond the current team anyhow. The money saved on signings could be used to slash ticket prices and fill the stadium.

GK: Boaz Myhill

RB: Chris Herd
CB: Gary Cahill
CB: Ciaran Clark
LB: Liam Ridgewell

RW: Marc Allbrigton
MF: Steven Davis
MF: Barry Bannan
MF: Gary Gardner
LW: Peter Whittingham

CF: Gabby Agbonlahor

SUBS:
Craig Gardner
Jonathon Hogg
Shane Lowry
Nathan Baker
Isiah Osbourne
Eric Lichaj
Luke Moore
Andreas Wiemann

Can anyone add to this team? Who have I overlooked..? I could strengthen this team by including Gareth Barry in it, but have assumed that he would have left for Man City even in my parallel universe.) I’ve also decided that Lee Hendrie, Jlloyd Samuel and Darius Vassell are past it now. I could do with some cover at goalkeeper and am not allowing myself to count Brad Guzan. Who should we get to be manager?

[Ger Regan]

That team would be a cert for relegation.

[Ivo Stas]

Brian Little (as an ex-home-grown player) would qualify for manager but I'd want to use a time-machine and pluck him from 1994.

[Ger Regan]

To answer the most important question, yes, that team would do a lot worse than the current crop. A lot lot worse.

[hipkiss92]

We'd still be able to sign the likes of Sturridge/Lescott in this scenario as Bilbao are only allowed to sign players from the Basque region. Though that might mean we'd be without Clark, Bannan, Davis etc.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Who should we get to be manager?

Tommy Docherty. Always keen on blooding the kids. When Jimmy Brown made his debut at 15, he told him and us that he would become captain of Scotland for years. Also The Doc is 83 now, we wouldn't have to pay him much money either.

[joe_c]

Hard to see that midfield winning a tackle let alone a match.

[Ivo Stas]

Hard to see that midfield winning a tackle let alone a match.

I'm happy for anyone to select a better team and formation, just so long as they follow the rule of home-grown players only :-)

We seemed to be best blessed in creative midfielders (is this because we have a Barcelona-like academy system?), so I went with five of them. Perhaps I should have put Hogg in there to win the ball back..?

[Ivo Stas]

To answer the most important question, yes, that team would do a lot worse than the current crop. A lot lot worse.

Fair comment but in my defence, I think quite a few of my team are full internationals. Agbonlahor and Cahill have played for England, Bannan for Scotland, Clark for Ireland and Steven Davis for Northern Ireland. Has Myhill kept goal for Wales..? And Herd played for Australia? That would be 7 full internationals in my starting 11 (and I could re-jig the team and play Eric Lichaj at leftback to make it 8 as he has played for the USA).

[saunders_heroes]

That's a team destined for relegation if ever I saw one

[Handsworth Wood Villa]

We'd still be able to sign the likes of Sturridge

How did we let Sturridge get away?

[Macho Man Randy Savage]

I think we have a good youth system, but when you put the players together like that it suddenly doesn't look so good.

[TheTimVilla]

Also, that side certainly wouldn't fill a stadium, even at reduced prices. And there'd be players who'd want to leave 'in order to win things'.

[JUAN PABLO]

D.J Campbell would have helped to keep that team up

[hipkiss92]

I'd have Craig Gardner ahead of Davis in midfield though, despite his Bluenose tendencies he would add a bit of bite in the middle.