Anyone Getting Excited?

[villan from luton]

Concerned.Big number of players to integrate, many untried in Premiership. Very difficult season ahead I fear.

You may be correct at the start, but I would rather this stance than what has been going on for many years, even in the MON era

[Steve67]

I think we might be in for a fair few high scoring games this season. 

[villan from luton]

Concerned.Big number of players to integrate, many untried in Premiership. Very difficult season ahead I fear.

Whereas last summer we seemed to buy exclusively experienced Premier League players, some of whom had racked up hundred of matches.

And obviously that meant that last season went just fine.

Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea etc seem to manage to integrate players without PL experience just fine.

To be fair they can do it a bit more gradually

[Drummond]

I'm just happy that we're actually trying something different for the first time in a very very long time.

[Havencheese]

Short term, there will possibly be a few teething problems. Compare the newness of our squad to Bournemouth's who will possibly be more cohesive. The Villa squad hardly know each other in a footballing sense and possibly in a personal way. We'll want to at least see good signs and endeavour if the results aren't going our way in the first six-eight weeks, who knows we could be top 6? If not, after a while I feel it'll click into gear and when it does it'll be very, very exciting. I think Sherwood is highly capable of moulding all types of personalities together. I also like to think we have a lot of cover in this squad, more than I've witnessed in many years and it's a feature of this new intake of players. I do still want one more solid defender brought in perhaps and one let go. I feel we might be a bit injury prone in that area.

We're very much an unknown entity on the park right now compared to three weeks ago. Sherwood and Fox for their letdowns, still keep really impressing me at the helm. It'll be frustrating at times but I think this season is ultimately going to be a *lot* of fun. Mid table and improving onward into the following season. I'm excited.

[robbo1874]

As we walked away from Wembley stadium in May, and I distinctly remember saying to my mates that I would be happy if every last one of the wastrels who had let us down so badly were got rid of and we started again.

That's pretty much what is happening, and I am over the moon about it.

Vive la revolution !!

mate we just got battered by a very good side on top of their game. It wasn't pretty, but to call them wastrels is harsh. Don't forget the performance against L'pool in the semi to get there.

[Virgil Caine]

It's my Birthday today and I would just like to thank my Uncle Tim Sherwood for buying me a new Aston Villa football team. You really shouldn't have but I'm glad you did.

[brian green]

The last few weeks have reminded me of an old Three Stooges movie when they bake a cake.  Mo reads the cookery book and says "flour" Larry throws a bunch of flowers in the oven. Mo says "milk" so Shemp throws a bottle of milk in the oven. For good measure Mo throws in the cookery book and they close the oven door. Minutes later, the open the cooker and remove a perfect cake with lighted candles on the top.  Good slapstick stuff.
 The Villa cake will take a little while to bake and there will be howls of anguish in the first week or two, of that I am certain, but we have brought in players of better quality than we had and the club is clearly going about its business in an efficient positive manner.   That will without doubt bring better results on the pitch.   How much better only time will tell.   What can be said with certainty is that the common denominator for the whole of the period since MON flounced out has been overall lack of quality in the squad.   There have been exceptions of course but in the main the teams we have fielded have simply not been good enough and neither has their management and coaching.   We must hold our nerve in the early days as the team gels and the period from November onwards will see us begin to achieve Premiership security upon which we can build.   My prediction? 46 points and lots of goals, for and against.   Bring it on.

[Jimbo]

We're acting like a football club instead of a corporate entertainments facility, so, yeah, it's mildly exciting.

[PaulWinch again]

Obviously a squad overhaul has its risks, but it is exciting. If we could just get in Cambiasso, a winger and a centre half I'd be happy.

[peter w]

Not excited yet as its still quite a lot on unknowns having to gel together as a team. That could take a while. luckily Amavi has already had a few games and Richards also. Gestede already plays in England too so he won't take time to get up to spped. But really its a lot of unknowns playing with players that have performed poorly as a team for a while.

You can argue either way whether it would have been better for a tougher start so we don't drop points to teams we should look to beat, but didn't because of a team not settled. Bournemouth away, however, is as tough as you'll get for an opening day. Small ground, fans up for it, players running into everything at 100 mph, it'll be like an away 3rd round FA Cup game against a lower league team. If they're not at the races that day they could get a beating 3 or 4, even 5. Today will be important. Today should, and probably will for an hour, be played as the first game of the season. Heavy training is done, now its game heads on.

Not excited, just wary and watchful. And hopeful.

[UK Redsox]

I'm so excited, I could crush a grape

[Holte L2]

Yes. This time next week I'll be in Bouremouth!

[PaulWinch again]

It's great that most of these players are signing 5 year deals. It really feels like we're refreshing from the misery of the last two years. It also backs my view that whilst Benteke is brilliant, selling him and reinvesting  the money across the squad could make us a much better team in the long run.

[Ger Regan]

Short term, there will possibly be a few teething problems. Compare the newness of our squad to Bournemouth's who will possibly be more cohesive.

Bournemouth have made something like 6 signings this summer, though.