Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Toronto Villa on June 12, 2023, 05:00:22 PM
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At the risk of this being a pie in the face as with any kind of recruitment seems to be enough smoke that this is nearly done and dusted. Strong reports coming out of Spain. He would become our new Sporting Director.
https://twitter.com/telefootball/status/1668180601671757828?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1668246707333636099?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
https://twitter.com/robdorsettsky/status/1668267789482639360?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
https://twitter.com/stancollymore/status/1668268467995148288?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
https://twitter.com/ekremkonur/status/1668248392885993473?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
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Sounds like this is a real coup for us. I have no idea but it's a proud day for the bald community.
Please be good, Monchi.
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Sounds like this is a real coup for us. I have no idea but it's a proud day for the bald community.
Please be good, Monchi.
Amen brother
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Romano on board
https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1668298525350699010?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
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Sounds like this is a real coup for us. I have no idea but it's a proud day for the bald community.
Please be good, Monchi.
It does look like TV combed the internet for all the available Monchi links.
Those of us with luxurious locks have Emery to look up to, so it's only fair the rest of you have Monchi.
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Well given Monchi and I have similar need for hairdressers I owed to myself to promote his impending appointment as prominently as I could.
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Will there be any Brits at the club in senior positions?
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Will there be any Brits at the club in senior positions?
Lee Preece.
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I hope Lee Preece is bald.
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If Paul Tyrell is still there he’s Chief Operating Officer.
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His record at Sevilla is anything but impressive over the last two years. Season gone they struggled in the La Liga. Let's hope he's better than that.
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I prefer to look at the track record of when Emery and Monchi worked together.
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When I saw this headline I thought we had signed that fella from Leeds. Is this a coup then? I have no idea who he is.
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He used to be brilliant but that was a fair few years ago now. Looking at his career as a whole the misses have begun to outweigh the hits. Here's hoping he rediscovers his mojo.
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Thing is recruitment is more than just the players, it’s how they adapt to the club, the manager etc. You would hope the combination with Emery that’s key.
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https://twitter.com/sidlowe/status/1668318727991877632?s=46&t=tRQc-IrzjqWPKBwYhGZpFw
Apologies, just realised that article is very old
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We're hoping for some Monchi Magic!
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He used to be brilliant but that was a fair few years ago now. Looking at his career as a whole the misses have begun to outweigh the hits. Here's hoping he rediscovers his mojo.
Yes. I hope he succeeds obviously but feels like yesterday's man.
And since Emery now runs the club who's reporting to whom? A sporting director that is an underling to the manager seems a novel approach.
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Yes, from everything you read he does seem to command love and hate in equal measures
I love Emery, but like Scott in the post above says putting almost total control in the managers hands might not be the best move long term for him as well as the club
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Yes, from everything you read he does seem to command love and hate in equal measures
I love Emery, but like Scott in the post above says putting almost total control in the managers hands might not be the best move long term for him as well as the club
Is it total control or a case of employing people that the manager trusts in order to create a more harmonious working environment? To use an analogy from on the pitch it’s similar to Tyrone being a better defender when he knows he has Emi behind him rather than the showroom dummy who occasionally stands in.
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About 5 years ago, I had a conversation with my manager's manager at work (a genetics scientist by trade) about a way that a software project I was working on could be structured, in terms of staffing/management, so that it would work better/more efficiently. That was taken up, and IMO it's been a resounding success.
It might be a similar thing here. Emery's been asked what he needs in place to succeed. Emery has said what that is, and now the club are making it happen.
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When I have had a few beers I get the Monchi's I'll get my coat lol.
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Yes, from everything you read he does seem to command love and hate in equal measures
I love Emery, but like Scott in the post above says putting almost total control in the managers hands might not be the best move long term for him as well as the club
Is it total control or a case of employing people that the manager trusts in order to create a more harmonious working environment? To use an analogy from on the pitch it’s similar to Tyrone being a better defender when he knows he has Emi behind him rather than the showroom dummy who occasionally stands in.
It feels like total control to me. Great whilst we're progressing. I do fear for us if it goes sour though, it looks like we would lose our entire structure in one fell swoop.
But for now I'm very happy.
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So is the consensus that Monchi might not be all he's cracked up to be then?
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So is the consensus that Monchi might not be all he's cracked up to be then?
He's had a few misses lately - but I think that is because he has started picking senior players and he was good at setting up a big scouting network at Sevilla, which found them younger - plus we don't know how much the manager dynamic didn't work. Certainly if his brief is to set up a big scouting network, I think he'll be fine. If it's just to find transfers, not so sure.
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I’m ignorant to what a sporting director does and doesn’t do. Maybe the scope of the role varies from club to club. Especially if a club has more than one.
I’m assuming that this chap is coming in to do all of the busywork that mr Emery can’t do all by himself. Negotiating transfer fees with clubs, phoning agents, sorting out players contracts, finding clubs for unwanted players.
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So is the consensus that Monchi might not be all he's cracked up to be then?
His big hits were all in his earlier years. Sevilla had been relegated, they brought him in to deal with the youth setup and overhall their scouting - he brought the likes of Sergio Ramos, Jesus Navas, Jose Reyes into the youth team, and the scouting network he created took the likes of Dani Alves, Seydou Keita, Julio Baptista and Ivan Rakitic there.
He basically turned Sevilla in that team that won all those trophies in the early 2000s. He then went to Roma, and bombed. As a glaring example, he thought that spending Ł10m on Robin Olsen would be the best way for them to replace Allison when he joined Liverpool.
Then went back to Sevilla and has basically been a bit lazy, spending huge amounts of money on not-very-good players. He spent Ł40m on Rony Lopes and Raf Mir (who couldn't get into the Wolves team at the time) and they've been either out on loan or very poor since joining.
Still some good bits in his second spell though - he took both Diego Carlos and Jules Kounde to Spain which was one of the best centre-half pairings in the league. So it's basically gone from "all really good" in his first spell. To "very bad" at Roma and "hit and miss" at Sevilla.
So he might be great, and maybe he just needs the right infrastruture around him - which you'd think he'd get here. But I do wonder if he's one of those who finds every last bit of value when he's financially constrained but just chucks money around willy-nilly when he has it.
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oh gosh does that mean we will keep Olsen 😳😃
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oh gosh does that mean we will keep Olsen 😳😃
No, but it does mean we're bringing back Augustinsson.
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So is the consensus that Monchi might not be all he's cracked up to be then?
His big hits were all in his earlier years. Sevilla had been relegated, they brought him in to deal with the youth setup and overhall their scouting - he brought the likes of Sergio Ramos, Jesus Navas, Jose Reyes into the youth team, and the scouting network he created took the likes of Dani Alves, Seydou Keita, Julio Baptista and Ivan Rakitic there.
He basically turned Sevilla in that team that won all those trophies in the early 2000s. He then went to Roma, and bombed. As a glaring example, he thought that spending Ł10m on Robin Olsen would be the best way for them to replace Allison when he joined Liverpool.
Then went back to Sevilla and has basically been a bit lazy, spending huge amounts of money on not-very-good players. He spent Ł40m on Rony Lopes and Raf Mir (who couldn't get into the Wolves team at the time) and they've been either out on loan or very poor since joining.
Still some good bits in his second spell though - he took both Diego Carlos and Jules Kounde to Spain which was one of the best centre-half pairings in the league. So it's basically gone from "all really good" in his first spell. To "very bad" at Roma and "hit and miss" at Sevilla.
So he might be great, and maybe he just needs the right infrastruture around him - which you'd think he'd get here. But I do wonder if he's one of those who finds every last bit of value when he's financially constrained but just chucks money around willy-nilly when he has it.
I think this is crucial to the success of any sporting director/ chief scout, whatever you want to call them. Under the previous manager much of Lange's work looked suspect but under the current incumbent it looks like he'd pieced together one of the strongest midfields in the league for less than he'd flogged an ungrateful academy player for.
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oh gosh does that mean we will keep Olsen 😳😃
No, but it does mean we're bringing back Augustinsson.
Yeah, he does seem to have an eye for not-very-good Swedes.
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Maybe it was Lopetegui that was the problem anyway, he had Wulvz sign that pile of shit from Athletico that was about Ł40m
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Our recruitment team, and in particular Lange's stats-based approach will really help to sort out the wheat from the chaff. I think that would mitigate the bad calls. Emery will undoubtedly too.
He's viewed positively, and whilst there always has to be some caution, if Emery and Sawiris think it's the way to go, I'd be supportive.
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
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Yes, from everything you read he does seem to command love and hate in equal measures
I love Emery, but like Scott in the post above says putting almost total control in the managers hands might not be the best move long term for him as well as the club
Is it total control or a case of employing people that the manager trusts in order to create a more harmonious working environment? To use an analogy from on the pitch it’s similar to Tyrone being a better defender when he knows he has Emi behind him rather than the showroom dummy who occasionally stands in.
No, you’re absolutely right, it could all work marvellously well
And if you’re going to give a manager a lot of control as to who he wants around the club in different departments then you’re not going to get much better than Emery a man who has no real ego and a heavy dose of humility
I do think it’s one of those where you can make it sound what ever you want good or otherwise
He is an obsessive control freak which doesn’t bother me as he’s an obsessive control freak about Aston Villa and he’s good
But I also don’t think it’s a negative thing to voice a few concerns every now and again about the distribution of power
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I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
I agree
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
If you mean specific players, for the most part, I'd hope not.
It should be Emery's job to say "I need a player who can do this, this and this and who doesn't do this", and then people who can spend all day, every day analysing who that player is can find names.
Emery seems to spend all of this time researching opponents and working out the best way to beat them, his time isn't going to be better spent watching non-Villa adjacent matches in the hope of seeing a player that he might want to buy.
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
If you mean specific players, for the most part, I'd hope not.
It should be Emery's job to say "I need a player who can do this, this and this and who doesn't do this", and then people who can spend all day, every day analysing who that player is can find names.
Emery seems to spend all of this time researching opponents and working out the best way to beat them, his time isn't going to be better spent watching non-Villa adjacent matches in the hope of seeing a player that he might want to buy.
Sid Lowe did a piece a few years back on him that he shared again yesterday, and he said then something like "the manager comes to me and says 'I need a left back who can run 11k in a game and do 800m at full pelt, we check the data and it will give us 10 players to look at at".
This is the kind of thing he'll be doing for us, working with Emery to specify fulfilling our needs.
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
I'd have imagined that Lange will have some input in that too.
In my head, Emery goes and says something like "get me a boss midfielder and a winger like Nico Williams and a 99 with both sauces and 4 different types of sprinkles".
Then Lange goes out and finds a boss midfielder (Tielemans), a winger like Nico Williams (which is just plain old Nico Williams of Bilbao fame), and then works out what the best ice cream van in the area is. Then he shows them to Unai, he says "Yes" or "Si" or whatever, and then Monchi Magic goes and arranges to get Tielemans on a free, gets Williams' contract sorted, and then arranges for the ice cream van to park up in front of the gates about 5 minutes before the away team coach arrives for the first home game of the season, and arranges for all the security staff to queue up for a free ice cream (copyright us, vs Chelsea 2021)
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
I'd have imagined that Lange will have some input in that too.
In my head, Emery goes and says something like "get me a boss midfielder and a winger like Nico Williams and a 99 with both sauces and 4 different types of sprinkles".
Then Lange goes out and finds a boss midfielder (Tielemans), a winger like Nico Williams (which is just plain old Nico Williams of Bilbao fame), and then works out what the best ice cream van in the area is. Then he shows them to Unai, he says "Yes" or "Si" or whatever, and then Monchi Magic goes and arranges to get Tielemans on a free, gets Williams' contract sorted, and then arranges for the ice cream van to park up in front of the gates about 5 minutes before the away team coach arrives for the first home game of the season, and arranges for all the security staff to queue up for a free ice cream (copyright us, vs Chelsea 2021)
"But make sure it's aproper Flake and not one of those shit ones they make in Egypt that fall apart"
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cadbury-flake-ice-cream-99-b2346555.html (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cadbury-flake-ice-cream-99-b2346555.html)
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
If you mean specific players, for the most part, I'd hope not.
It should be Emery's job to say "I need a player who can do this, this and this and who doesn't do this", and then people who can spend all day, every day analysing who that player is can find names.
Emery seems to spend all of this time researching opponents and working out the best way to beat them, his time isn't going to be better spent watching non-Villa adjacent matches in the hope of seeing a player that he might want to buy.
But that discounts the fact all the work Emery does studying the opposition, and all of the players he's worked with in the past. I'd be fairly certain that Tielemans was his pick through having watched him play for Leicester, for example.
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
If you mean specific players, for the most part, I'd hope not.
It should be Emery's job to say "I need a player who can do this, this and this and who doesn't do this", and then people who can spend all day, every day analysing who that player is can find names.
Emery seems to spend all of this time researching opponents and working out the best way to beat them, his time isn't going to be better spent watching non-Villa adjacent matches in the hope of seeing a player that he might want to buy.
But that discounts the fact all the work Emery does studying the opposition, and all of the players he's worked with in the past. I'd be fairly certain that Tielemans was his pick through having watched him play for Leicester, for example.
Which is why I mentioned there will always be exceptions where he says "this guy is perfect for us, go and get him", but that's not going to be the wider strategy.
Because the pool of players that aren't about to play, or have recently played Villa that we're going to want to buy is much bigger than the pool that are.
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Which is why I mentioned there will always be exceptions where he says "this guy is perfect for us, go and get him", but that's not going to be the wider strategy.
Because the pool of players that aren't about to play, or have recently played Villa that we're going to want to buy is much bigger than the pool that are.
Perhaps, and I guess there's no real way of knowing. But from Emery's comments regarding Zaha/Pepe after his time at Arsenal, I'd be surprised if most of our "big" signings weren't players that he personally asks for, rather than asking for a type of player based on stats. I think we'll still do that, but more for the up and coming players like Duran. Obviously the main requirement will be that they speak Spanish, and I hope that Tielemans is using his summer holiday to get up to speed having foolishly neglected that area of his game for too long.
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They were talking about him last night on Radio 5. Rory Smith the NY Times journalist made the point that at one time this guy had great inside knowledge and he had discovered Dani Alves playing in some under 20 tournament in Brazil. He said now such ‘inside knowledge’ isn’t as useful now as every club have access to virtually every database and every young promising player is known by so many clubs. He said that same tournament would now have hundreds of scouts watching.
His point was it would be interesting to see if appointed how he would fare as his recent record isn’t that great.
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Which is why I mentioned there will always be exceptions where he says "this guy is perfect for us, go and get him", but that's not going to be the wider strategy.
Because the pool of players that aren't about to play, or have recently played Villa that we're going to want to buy is much bigger than the pool that are.
Perhaps, and I guess there's no real way of knowing. But from Emery's comments regarding Zaha/Pepe after his time at Arsenal, I'd be surprised if most of our "big" signings weren't players that he personally asks for, rather than asking for a type of player based on stats. I think we'll still do that, but more for the up and coming players like Duran. Obviously the main requirement will be that they speak Spanish, and I hope that Tielemans is using his summer holiday to get up to speed having foolishly neglected that area of his game for too long.
Yup, that's probably about right. I certainly don't think we're going to see anyone going over Emery's head and saying "bollocks to Zaha, here's your new Pepe" like he had at Arsenal. If there's someone particular that Emery wants then I think we'd be going all out to get him as a priority.
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"There's a young fwd in Paris who wants out, go and make it happen please Monchi!" is the sort of thing then........
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Was talking to a Sevilla fan & he had this to say a out Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo;
He helped the team go from the second division to what the club is today. He is, in my opinion, the most important figure in the history of the club. Amazing with Sevilla, would call him a legend here. Kinda flopped with Roma, but he's an icon here.
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Sounds like the hold up is about compensation and the fact he has to give three months notice, which is no good to us
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I’d guess the initial signings will be dictated by Emery and Monchi will line up the next ‘cabs in the rank’ to suit Emery’s style of play. That’s what he did incredibly well at Sevilla (arguably what Brighton have done recently). from what I’ve read he signed some good players at Roma but they did not fit the manager’s system.
It’s a good model but its built on selling players for the right price which may not be popular.
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Perhaps it will mainly be Emery identifying who he wants and Monchi using his contacts to make the deals happen?
If you mean specific players, for the most part, I'd hope not.
It should be Emery's job to say "I need a player who can do this, this and this and who doesn't do this", and then people who can spend all day, every day analysing who that player is can find names.
Emery seems to spend all of this time researching opponents and working out the best way to beat them, his time isn't going to be better spent watching non-Villa adjacent matches in the hope of seeing a player that he might want to buy.
But that discounts the fact all the work Emery does studying the opposition, and all of the players he's worked with in the past. I'd be fairly certain that Tielemans was his pick through having watched him play for Leicester, for example.
If he watched Tielemans during his time as Villa boss he wouldn't have touched him with a barge pole.
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If you know you've got someone better in the pipeline, it makes it a lot easier to cash in someone who's seen to be at the peak of their market value.
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I follow Colin Millar on twitter, bloke who wrote The Frying Pan of Spain about the Sevilla - Betis rivalry. Anyway, he reckons Monchi expected Sevilla to waive the release clause as a goodwill gesture but they haven’t.
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Aston Villa are close to appointing Monchi as their new sporting director at Villa Park, Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has exclusively revealed to GIVEMESPORT.
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I’m sure I read somewhere that Sevilla wanted Ł1.7m in compensation.
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I struggle to believe that a Ł1.7m release clause would cause a problem.
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I struggle to believe that a Ł1.7m release clause would cause a problem.
I wouldn't image it will, but its part of the process I guess. I get it with work. There a project that we want to do and the client wants.
I say it costs x they want to pay y - eventually you find a point in the middle - but, you have to dance around it til you finally agree.
I imagine well agree to pay something so he can start straight away - but we would be crazy not to negotiate as it could save us hundreds of thousands
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There's the release clause and the notice period.... The latter is possibly the sticking point. It's either no comp and 2 years or the comp and 3 months. Neither of which suit us or him... I suspect it will cost a chunk more cash.
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Sounds like the hold up is about compensation and the fact he has to give three months notice, which is no good to us
Money will no doubt, persuade Sevilla to waive the 3 month notice clause.
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Sounds like the hold up is about compensation and the fact he has to give three months notice, which is no good to us
Money will no doubt, persuade Sevilla to waive the 3 month notice clause.
"We've got this brilliant reserve keeper you can have"
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Why is this guy so important to us right now? Surely we have identified all of our targets already? And have already made moves? I presume this guy is the bollocks at negotiating and that’s why we want him in pronto? Or is this to do with the gap that Purslow leaves behind?
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Martin Samuel in The Times today
“Monchi to Aston Villa could be the signing of the summer
West Ham have shown what it means to win the Europa Conference League - and Villa have every chance of triumphing next season with the much sought after sporting director set to join them.
Arsenal wanted Monchi, Barcelona wanted Monchi. He would appear to be going to Aston Villa. And to think there were some who continued doubting the worth of the Europa Conference League.
The best value ticket in the Premier League next season? It may well be found at Villa Park. Oh sure, the most beautiful football will no doubt still be played by Manchester City and the liveliest at Liverpool; who isn’t fascinated by what’s going to happen at Chelsea; and the rise of Arsenal and Newcastle United is compelling.
Yet Villa? They have an excellent head coach, an increasingly impressive team and a serious crack at winning their first trophy in 28 years. And no, it won’t be the European Cup as in 1982; it may not even be the FA Cup as in 1957. Yet anyone who saw the scenes after West Ham United’s victory in Prague last weekwill be only too aware of how the third-biggest competition in Europe can feel to a club the size of Aston Villa. Not that Villa plan on staying small for long.
Hence Monchi. He’s the man credited with transforming recruitment at Emery’s former club Sevilla, the serial Europa League winners, and through that, increasingly regular participants in the Champions League. That is, of course, Villa’s aim, too. And there is plenty of competition. Yet next season, their fans can afford to dream.
Stan Collymore wrote at the weekend about packing his flag and preparing for an European tour. He sounded as excited as any fan and had already booked a hotel room in Athens in hopeful anticipation of needing it come the final on May 29. A friend told me about social media accounts where Manchester City versus Inter Milan in the Champions League final was discussed purely in terms of how it could affect Conference League coefficients and seedings. This is what dreaming does for a club.
There were Villa supporters who didn’t get it, who thought the berth in the Conference League could prove a distraction from the more serious business of Premier League survival, or consolidation. They wanted Villa to not qualify. “Imagine,” said my friend, “if we had done, and then we’d seen what it meant to West Ham.”
Imagine Monchi, too. He turned down Arsenal in 2019, thanking the club for their interest in making him director of football, and committing further to the Sevilla project. If he comes to Villa it is because he sees a burgeoning venture there, too. Not one with the resources of, say, Newcastle, but one that can deliver consistent success on their own level. Sevilla haven’t won the league since 1945-46 or the Champions League ever, but since 2005-06 they have collected 11 trophies, including seven Uefa Cups/Europa Leagues. In the same period, Atletico Madrid have won eight pieces of silverware.
Monchi has spent 21 years building the modern Sevilla over two spells (he had two years at Roma from 2017-19) and is believed to be disappointed the club are asking for a Ł1.7 million release fee. For a suitor of Villa’s stature, however, that’s nothing, roughly half of what they paid Roma for the 33-year-old reserve goalkeeper Robin Olsen in 2022. Monchi, potentially, is the best value of the summer. Think what he might have saved Chelsea. And, yes, to followers of those clubs who dream of big pictures, of Trebles and Super Leagues, this may all seem rather small-time — but it’s not. Villa will now share a competition with Juventus, Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahce, Partizan Belgrade, Hajduk Split . . .
For them, it is the only place to be.”
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I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
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If Emery failed, then who could make us succeed.
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I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
It's not true that the entire staff are emery's people, though. It's fairly normal for a manager to have his own backroom team to work with (and the structures for the underage setup are entirely separate), as well as MacPhee still being in the first team setup. It did not take long for them to get in Emery's coaches and from everything i've seen from the owners so far, if the unthinkable happened, they'd act quickly to replace them. Lange and Mackenzie are still at the club, so even if the likes of Monchi and the newer scouts left with Emery there are still others around that could step in to those roles as well. We've finally got a modern, world class manager here, I kind of get the concern, but i think there's a much bigger risk in not giving Unai the supports he wants to make a real go of things.
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Martin Samuel in The Times today
“Monchi to Aston Villa could be the signing of the summer
West Ham have shown what it means to win the Europa Conference League - and Villa have every chance of triumphing next season with the much sought after sporting director set to join them.
Arsenal wanted Monchi, Barcelona wanted Monchi. He would appear to be going to Aston Villa. And to think there were some who continued doubting the worth of the Europa Conference League.
The best value ticket in the Premier League next season? It may well be found at Villa Park. Oh sure, the most beautiful football will no doubt still be played by Manchester City and the liveliest at Liverpool; who isn’t fascinated by what’s going to happen at Chelsea; and the rise of Arsenal and Newcastle United is compelling.
Yet Villa? They have an excellent head coach, an increasingly impressive team and a serious crack at winning their first trophy in 28 years. And no, it won’t be the European Cup as in 1982; it may not even be the FA Cup as in 1957. Yet anyone who saw the scenes after West Ham United’s victory in Prague last weekwill be only too aware of how the third-biggest competition in Europe can feel to a club the size of Aston Villa. Not that Villa plan on staying small for long.
Hence Monchi. He’s the man credited with transforming recruitment at Emery’s former club Sevilla, the serial Europa League winners, and through that, increasingly regular participants in the Champions League. That is, of course, Villa’s aim, too. And there is plenty of competition. Yet next season, their fans can afford to dream.
Stan Collymore wrote at the weekend about packing his flag and preparing for an European tour. He sounded as excited as any fan and had already booked a hotel room in Athens in hopeful anticipation of needing it come the final on May 29. A friend told me about social media accounts where Manchester City versus Inter Milan in the Champions League final was discussed purely in terms of how it could affect Conference League coefficients and seedings. This is what dreaming does for a club.
There were Villa supporters who didn’t get it, who thought the berth in the Conference League could prove a distraction from the more serious business of Premier League survival, or consolidation. They wanted Villa to not qualify. “Imagine,” said my friend, “if we had done, and then we’d seen what it meant to West Ham.”
Imagine Monchi, too. He turned down Arsenal in 2019, thanking the club for their interest in making him director of football, and committing further to the Sevilla project. If he comes to Villa it is because he sees a burgeoning venture there, too. Not one with the resources of, say, Newcastle, but one that can deliver consistent success on their own level. Sevilla haven’t won the league since 1945-46 or the Champions League ever, but since 2005-06 they have collected 11 trophies, including seven Uefa Cups/Europa Leagues. In the same period, Atletico Madrid have won eight pieces of silverware.
Monchi has spent 21 years building the modern Sevilla over two spells (he had two years at Roma from 2017-19) and is believed to be disappointed the club are asking for a Ł1.7 million release fee. For a suitor of Villa’s stature, however, that’s nothing, roughly half of what they paid Roma for the 33-year-old reserve goalkeeper Robin Olsen in 2022. Monchi, potentially, is the best value of the summer. Think what he might have saved Chelsea. And, yes, to followers of those clubs who dream of big pictures, of Trebles and Super Leagues, this may all seem rather small-time — but it’s not. Villa will now share a competition with Juventus, Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahce, Partizan Belgrade, Hajduk Split . . .
For them, it is the only place to be.”
I'm not a fan of Samuel but this is the kind of shit I want to read
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I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
I dunno - I think if you have a look at who'd be left if Emery packed up his bags tomorrow, it doesn't look so bad:
Scouting/analysis - I know Emery's brought in a couple of scouts, but it's still largely Lange's domain, and he isn't likely to go on the basis of Emery getting sacked.
Commercial - No way is Chris Heck an Emery appointment, or likely to keep/lose his job based on what Emery does
Coaching - This is far more Emery's domain, but you'd still have the prog rock roadie knocking about for some continuity
Youth development - This is Mark Harrison's area, again unlikely to leave based on what Emery does - likewise anyone else there - Jedi etc
I dunno, it just seems to me that - as influential as Emery has been here - it's mostly in that one area, but if he left then the people to replace would mainly be ones that a new, incoming manager might want to be replaced anyway. Maybe with the exception of Monchi, but then he seems to be a highly coveted person and one that might realistically be kept on if we got rid of Emery anyway.
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Martin Samuel in The Times today
“Monchi to Aston Villa could be the signing of the summer
West Ham have shown what it means to win the Europa Conference League - and Villa have every chance of triumphing next season with the much sought after sporting director set to join them.
Arsenal wanted Monchi, Barcelona wanted Monchi. He would appear to be going to Aston Villa. And to think there were some who continued doubting the worth of the Europa Conference League.
The best value ticket in the Premier League next season? It may well be found at Villa Park. Oh sure, the most beautiful football will no doubt still be played by Manchester City and the liveliest at Liverpool; who isn’t fascinated by what’s going to happen at Chelsea; and the rise of Arsenal and Newcastle United is compelling.
Yet Villa? They have an excellent head coach, an increasingly impressive team and a serious crack at winning their first trophy in 28 years. And no, it won’t be the European Cup as in 1982; it may not even be the FA Cup as in 1957. Yet anyone who saw the scenes after West Ham United’s victory in Prague last weekwill be only too aware of how the third-biggest competition in Europe can feel to a club the size of Aston Villa. Not that Villa plan on staying small for long.
Hence Monchi. He’s the man credited with transforming recruitment at Emery’s former club Sevilla, the serial Europa League winners, and through that, increasingly regular participants in the Champions League. That is, of course, Villa’s aim, too. And there is plenty of competition. Yet next season, their fans can afford to dream.
Stan Collymore wrote at the weekend about packing his flag and preparing for an European tour. He sounded as excited as any fan and had already booked a hotel room in Athens in hopeful anticipation of needing it come the final on May 29. A friend told me about social media accounts where Manchester City versus Inter Milan in the Champions League final was discussed purely in terms of how it could affect Conference League coefficients and seedings. This is what dreaming does for a club.
There were Villa supporters who didn’t get it, who thought the berth in the Conference League could prove a distraction from the more serious business of Premier League survival, or consolidation. They wanted Villa to not qualify. “Imagine,” said my friend, “if we had done, and then we’d seen what it meant to West Ham.”
Imagine Monchi, too. He turned down Arsenal in 2019, thanking the club for their interest in making him director of football, and committing further to the Sevilla project. If he comes to Villa it is because he sees a burgeoning venture there, too. Not one with the resources of, say, Newcastle, but one that can deliver consistent success on their own level. Sevilla haven’t won the league since 1945-46 or the Champions League ever, but since 2005-06 they have collected 11 trophies, including seven Uefa Cups/Europa Leagues. In the same period, Atletico Madrid have won eight pieces of silverware.
Monchi has spent 21 years building the modern Sevilla over two spells (he had two years at Roma from 2017-19) and is believed to be disappointed the club are asking for a Ł1.7 million release fee. For a suitor of Villa’s stature, however, that’s nothing, roughly half of what they paid Roma for the 33-year-old reserve goalkeeper Robin Olsen in 2022. Monchi, potentially, is the best value of the summer. Think what he might have saved Chelsea. And, yes, to followers of those clubs who dream of big pictures, of Trebles and Super Leagues, this may all seem rather small-time — but it’s not. Villa will now share a competition with Juventus, Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahce, Partizan Belgrade, Hajduk Split . . .
For them, it is the only place to be.”
I'm not a fan of Samuel but this is the kind of shit I want to read
Same here but thats a good piece.
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The only bit I'd argue with is beautiful football being played at Stockport City. There's nothing beautiful about that dreck.
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I think it's a little bit condescending in places, but overall OK. I think we will spend as much as Newcastle this summer.
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I think it's a little bit condescending in places, but overall OK. I think we will spend as much as Newcastle this summer.
I’m not so sure, like us after the last couple of seasons they do have some FFP headroom and they have that CL income boost so I’d be surprised if they didn’t outspend us quite considerably.
-
Martin Samuel in The Times today
“Monchi to Aston Villa could be the signing of the summer
West Ham have shown what it means to win the Europa Conference League - and Villa have every chance of triumphing next season with the much sought after sporting director set to join them.
Arsenal wanted Monchi, Barcelona wanted Monchi. He would appear to be going to Aston Villa. And to think there were some who continued doubting the worth of the Europa Conference League.
The best value ticket in the Premier League next season? It may well be found at Villa Park. Oh sure, the most beautiful football will no doubt still be played by Manchester City and the liveliest at Liverpool; who isn’t fascinated by what’s going to happen at Chelsea; and the rise of Arsenal and Newcastle United is compelling.
Yet Villa? They have an excellent head coach, an increasingly impressive team and a serious crack at winning their first trophy in 28 years. And no, it won’t be the European Cup as in 1982; it may not even be the FA Cup as in 1957. Yet anyone who saw the scenes after West Ham United’s victory in Prague last weekwill be only too aware of how the third-biggest competition in Europe can feel to a club the size of Aston Villa. Not that Villa plan on staying small for long.
Hence Monchi. He’s the man credited with transforming recruitment at Emery’s former club Sevilla, the serial Europa League winners, and through that, increasingly regular participants in the Champions League. That is, of course, Villa’s aim, too. And there is plenty of competition. Yet next season, their fans can afford to dream.
Stan Collymore wrote at the weekend about packing his flag and preparing for an European tour. He sounded as excited as any fan and had already booked a hotel room in Athens in hopeful anticipation of needing it come the final on May 29. A friend told me about social media accounts where Manchester City versus Inter Milan in the Champions League final was discussed purely in terms of how it could affect Conference League coefficients and seedings. This is what dreaming does for a club.
There were Villa supporters who didn’t get it, who thought the berth in the Conference League could prove a distraction from the more serious business of Premier League survival, or consolidation. They wanted Villa to not qualify. “Imagine,” said my friend, “if we had done, and then we’d seen what it meant to West Ham.”
Imagine Monchi, too. He turned down Arsenal in 2019, thanking the club for their interest in making him director of football, and committing further to the Sevilla project. If he comes to Villa it is because he sees a burgeoning venture there, too. Not one with the resources of, say, Newcastle, but one that can deliver consistent success on their own level. Sevilla haven’t won the league since 1945-46 or the Champions League ever, but since 2005-06 they have collected 11 trophies, including seven Uefa Cups/Europa Leagues. In the same period, Atletico Madrid have won eight pieces of silverware.
Monchi has spent 21 years building the modern Sevilla over two spells (he had two years at Roma from 2017-19) and is believed to be disappointed the club are asking for a Ł1.7 million release fee. For a suitor of Villa’s stature, however, that’s nothing, roughly half of what they paid Roma for the 33-year-old reserve goalkeeper Robin Olsen in 2022. Monchi, potentially, is the best value of the summer. Think what he might have saved Chelsea. And, yes, to followers of those clubs who dream of big pictures, of Trebles and Super Leagues, this may all seem rather small-time — but it’s not. Villa will now share a competition with Juventus, Dynamo Kyiv, Fenerbahce, Partizan Belgrade, Hajduk Split . . .
For them, it is the only place to be.”
I'm not a fan of Samuel but this is the kind of shit I want to read
Totally agree.
I really, really can't stand certain journalists, but when they write nice stuff about us, they're bang on the money.
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I think it's a little bit condescending in places, but overall OK. I think we will spend as much as Newcastle this summer.
I’m not so sure, like us after the last couple of seasons they do have some FFP headroom and they have that CL income boost so I’d be surprised if they didn’t outspend us quite considerably.
Watching sky last night one of the reporters who covers Newcastle was suggesting they could ‘only’ do 75/80m this summer due to FFP :-)
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Plenty of condescension in places in that article.
Instead of worrying about how things might end, think of how much progress the club has made in the past 9 months and how much we could make over a number of years. Man Utd and Arsenal had big changes to make after Ferguson and Wenger left but look at how much they won over those years.
As Gareth says, I think Newcastle have FFP constraints this summer. That's why Heck has an important role to play for us in building the commercial side.
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Plenty of condescension in places in that article.
Instead of worrying about how things might end, think of how much progress the club has made in the past 9 months and how much we could make over a number of years. Man Utd and Arsenal had big changes to make after Ferguson and Wenger left but look at how much they won over those years.
As Gareth says, I think Newcastle have FFP constraints this summer. That's why Heck has an important role to play for us in building the commercial side.
Newcastle have spent the best part of Ł300m (that's net) in the last three windows alone. That can't continue indefinitely. To put that into context, that's almost exactly our own net spend since we got promoted in 2019, and they've done that in 18 months. Now, they HAVE got the team into a Champions League position, so you could say they've got pretty good value for that spend, but they simply can't keep doing it at that level - at least not until they're champions league regulars and increasing their global revenues. I'd be very surprised if they spent over Ł100m net this window.
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Now they're in the CL they will sponsor their own shirts for a 'fair value' of c Ł40m. There will be plenty of other effectively self-funded sponsorships. Add in the CL TV revenue and extra fixtures, some dead wood leaving etc and they'll be spending big this window.
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I'd be very surprised if they spent over Ł100m net this window.
I wouldn't. Half of that will probably go on James Maddison.
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Seems a different story whatever you read
Some media state he is the recruitment Guru others quoting he has been far from a success and more an Emery acolyte
Suppose the proof will be on the signings made
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Now they're in the CL they will sponsor their own shirts for a 'fair value' of c Ł40m. There will be plenty of other effectively self-funded sponsorships. Add in the CL TV revenue and extra fixtures, some dead wood leaving etc and they'll be spending big this window.
I think I read the figure is 25m. From the sponsor I mean
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I'd be very surprised if they spent over Ł100m net this window.
I wouldn't. Half of that will probably go on James Maddison.
I also think Maddison is Newcastle bound, probably for Ł60m-ish, but I still don't think they'll spend over Ł100m net, unless I've completely misread Newcastle's position when they took over and they can accrue even more losses in their rolling FFP period. I know Man City are in a lot of potential trouble as far as FFP is concerned, but those are all "historic" breaches (as I understand it). In the last couple of years, since the rules have been tightened, they've been playing it more conservatively in terms of net spend. Newcastle don't have the wiggle room that city had five or six years ago to splurge big and 'hide it'.
I also can't see how Chelsea aren't completely fucked as far as FFP is concerned, so it might be I just don't understand this stuff as well as I thought I did!
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I'd be very surprised if they spent over Ł100m net this window.
I wouldn't. Half of that will probably go on James Maddison.
I also think Maddison is Newcastle bound, probably for Ł60m-ish, but I still don't think they'll spend over Ł100m net, unless I've completely misread Newcastle's position when they took over and they can accrue even more losses in their rolling FFP period. I know Man City are in a lot of potential trouble as far as FFP is concerned, but those are all "historic" breaches (as I understand it). In the last couple of years, since the rules have been tightened, they've been playing it more conservatively in terms of net spend. Newcastle don't have the wiggle room that city had five or six years ago to splurge big and 'hide it'.
I also can't see how Chelsea aren't completely fucked as far as FFP is concerned, so it might be I just don't understand this stuff as well as I thought I did!
In terms of Chelsea we're about to find out by the end of this month.
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I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
If it goes wrong under Emery I don’t know where we’ll turn then. A truly world class coach with his own staff around him surely means more chance of success. I reckon when he eventually leaves the chances are that the club will be in a much better position than it was before he came.
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The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
If it goes wrong under Emery I don’t know where we’ll turn then.
I'll become a lifelong Dolphins fan.
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Its no different though at any club with a world class coach - unless someone knows different, I doubt Pep G or Poch has any less control than Unai will have. If you want the very best, you have so some degree be prepared to allow them more control - else they won't come to you in the first place.
And if it goes tits up, it surely cannot be anywhere near as bad as what we have been through in the Lerner/Xi years.
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Blimey, are people seriously worried about it possibly going wrong? It's pre-season, chill out.
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Blimey, are people seriously worried about it possibly going wrong? It's pre-season, chill out.
Yeah, I can't remember looking forward to a season this much for a long time.
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I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
If it goes wrong under Emery I don’t know where we’ll turn then. A truly world class coach with his own staff around him surely means more chance of success. I reckon when he eventually leaves the chances are that the club will be in a much better position than it was before he came.
Spurs haven't had any success, and they always seem to appoint a manager with a good reputation.
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The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
If it goes wrong under Emery I don’t know where we’ll turn then.
I'll become a lifelong Dolphins fan.
:D
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Agreed a €3m buy out of his notice period.
Hey hey its the Monchi!
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Agreed a €3m buy out of his notice period.
Hey hey its the Monchi!
We can start getting up to some Monchi business
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Spanish commentators saying that Villa will pay €2.5m for the release clause while Monchi himself will pay an additional €600k for failing to comply with the deadlines of the notice.
Suspect that him "paying" something is to satisfy the Sevilla board's somewhat pathetic sense of having been betrayed by Monchi.
Just shows them to be small minded tossers.
They knew he wanted out and to move to Villa, they could have just called us up and said: "He's got a release clause of €x and us also obliged tp give 3 months notice, which we're prepared to waive that requirement for suitable compo. Can we negotiate?"
Recently when we've bought kids from other academies and in other signings we've made the way we've conducted ourselves has been praised and I'm sure we'd have done the same here - after all we want to build a reputation as a club that it's good to deal with.
Instead, they've been petty and dragged things out. The whole episode to my mind only reinforces the impression that Sevilla are a bunch of wankers.
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Here is a 14-episode long master class from the man himself. I'm not committed enough to attempt that but hopefully someone else will be.
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Looks like a job for FootyVill, he'd eat that up.
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It's in forin
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Agreed a €3m buy out of his notice period.
Hey hey its the Monchi!
Careful, you’ll trigger another Pleasant Valley Punday.
-
I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
If it goes wrong under Emery I don’t know where we’ll turn then. A truly world class coach with his own staff around him surely means more chance of success. I reckon when he eventually leaves the chances are that the club will be in a much better position than it was before he came.
Spurs haven't had any success, and they always seem to appoint a manager with a good reputation.
I know and it’s hilarious.
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I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
If it goes wrong under Emery I don’t know where we’ll turn then. A truly world class coach with his own staff around him surely means more chance of success. I reckon when he eventually leaves the chances are that the club will be in a much better position than it was before he came.
Spurs haven't had any success, and they always seem to appoint a manager with a good reputation.
I know and it’s hilarious.
I'm a bit puzzled about their latest appointment does he have a good reputation?
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I can definitely understand our fan base being cautious about any appointment the club makes. It’s only a few years back we since we nearly lost the club and it’s entirely understandable to question things.
What I would say is that the owners we have are experienced owners of sports clubs. They haven’t got to where they are by letting people walk over them and as we’ve seen won’t hesitate to pull the trigger if needed. I’m very comfortable with what’s going on because I can see the owners are competent and if needed, ruthless. This is going to be a very exciting time for our club and I can’t wait.
The point is, if and when they do pull the trigger there will be nothing left. The entire staff including the sporting Director will be Emery's people. It's great whilst it works, but if it stops working we're screwed.
It's the polar opposite of what we have been trying to do - set up a structure that a head coach can come in and work with, with the safety net of continuity.
I'm massively excited about the next few seasons, but feel that if it goes wrong, the fall will be a hard one.
If it goes wrong under Emery I don’t know where we’ll turn then. A truly world class coach with his own staff around him surely means more chance of success. I reckon when he eventually leaves the chances are that the club will be in a much better position than it was before he came.
Spurs haven't had any success, and they always seem to appoint a manager with a good reputation.
I know and it’s hilarious.
I'm a bit puzzled about their latest appointment does he have a good reputation?
He might have now but give it tine......
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Is it sorted then? Is he here?
Bet he's a monster in the transfer market.
Monster Monch 8)
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Spurs haven't had any success, and they always seem to appoint a manager with a good reputation.
And usually leave with it tarnished ;D
Really hope Kane fucks off as i really think they could fall as quickly Leicester without his goal and a bang average appointment such as they have made*
*Remember how lauded Gerrard was for ending Celtics dominance and then how shite he was in the big boys league?
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I agree, I think he'll be a disaster.
We as a club know how hollow "had success in Scotland" is.
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I agree, I think he'll be a disaster.
We as a club know how hollow "had success in Scotland" is.
I think he has more about him than Gerard but it is still Spurs
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I agree, I think he'll be a disaster.
We as a club know how hollow "had success in Scotland" is.
I think he has more about him than Gerard but it is still Spurs
This year's Christian Gross.
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Agreed a €3m buy out of his notice period.
Hey hey its the Monchi!
Careful, you’ll trigger another Pleasant Valley Punday.
Hopefully this is a good move for us and him, as long as we're not a stepping stone to somewhere else.
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Agreed a €3m buy out of his notice period.
Hey hey its the Monchi!
Careful, you’ll trigger another Pleasant Valley Punday.
With Monchi in charge you can be sure we wouldn’t have ended up with the Bandy Scouse Git
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I agree, I think he'll be a disaster.
We as a club know how hollow "had success in Scotland" is.
I think he has more about him than Gerard but it is still Spurs
He has implemented a style that works wherever he has been. They have all been lower levels: Japan, Australia and then Scotland but he's been successful in all of them and that's all he could do. It's obviously going to be a lot tougher but he has much more about him than Gerrard, he has had to actually work to get to where he has got to. I think they need too much work to be successful in the short term and I think that would be the case for any manager coming in.
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I agree, I think he'll be a disaster.
We as a club know how hollow "had success in Scotland" is.
I think he has more about him than Gerard but it is still Spurs
He has implemented a style that works wherever he has been. They have all been lower levels: Japan, Australia and then Scotland but he's been successful in all of them and that's all he could do. It's obviously going to be a lot tougher but he has much more about him than Gerrard, he has had to actually work to get to where he has got to. I think they need too much work to be successful in the short term and I think that would be the case for any manager coming in.
The big question is can he get Harry Kane to look him in the eye?
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I have a feeling he will be okay. Until around Christmas when their players just decide as usual they are going to get paid whether or not they turn up.
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With Spurs unless they finish inside the champions league places, anything else is deemed a failure. this is only heightened if Arsenal get champions league football.
Basically I think even if he does OK he’s fecked, because after the ten years they’ve had they’re somewhat entitled. “Big six” etc.
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Am I the only one who remembers when spurs were like pretty shit and regularly in division 2?
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Am I the only one who remembers when spurs were like pretty shit and regularly in division 2?
I guess you'd have to be in your 80s to remember when they were regularly a 2nd division team in the late 40s.
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Am I the only one who remembers when spurs were like pretty shit and regularly in division 2?
I remember them finishing below us consistently & my Spurs supporting mate 'still' going on about how Spurs were "massive"...
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With Spurs unless they finish inside the champions league places, anything else is deemed a failure. this is only heightened if Arsenal get champions league football.
Basically I think even if he does OK he’s fecked, because after the ten years they’ve had they’re somewhat entitled. “Big six” etc.
Yeah I agree, there's no chance they are getting top 4 and I think the fans will have to have a reality check. I expect the football to be more entertaining though which I know is a bit 'tallest dwarf' after Mourinho, Nuno and Conte.
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Am I the only one who remembers when spurs were like pretty shit and regularly in division 2?
I guess you'd have to be in your 80s to remember when they were regularly a 2nd division team in the late 40s.
I’m not that mate. Sure they’ve had a couple of 70s appearances though. Maybe I’m just plain wrong. Their ridiculous media wankfest coincided with Ardiles and Villa though I’m convinced.
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Am I the only one who remembers when spurs were like pretty shit and regularly in division 2?
I guess you'd have to be in your 80s to remember when they were regularly a 2nd division team in the late 40s.
I’m not that mate. Sure they’ve had a couple of 70s appearances though. Maybe I’m just plain wrong. Their ridiculous media wankfest coincided with Ardiles and Villa though I’m convinced.
Just the one year in 77/78.
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Am I the only one who remembers when spurs were like pretty shit and regularly in division 2?
I remember them finishing below us consistently & my Spurs supporting mate 'still' going on about how Spurs were "massive"...
Yep. I remember when Man U were in the second division with us as well.
Spurs are massive by virtue of their location and their backing. Ain't gonna change.
We can compete because we have recruited a genius manager.
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Am I on the wrong thread?
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Am I on the wrong thread?
Yes, Boris Johnson would be a terrible Right Back.
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Levy's doing what he always does, apparently offering Ł50m for BOTH Barnes and Maddison when Newcastle will probably pay Ł60m for Maddison. Not sure Levy can keep up with market valuations. Is he valuing Maddison at Ł30m and Barnes at Ł20m?!
I can't imagine Barnes playing as a wingback. If they switch to a back 4, they need to massively improve their centre back options. If they don't, it could be hilarious.
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This is as drawn out as the Bennie McCarthy failed transfer bid
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Am I on the wrong thread?
Yes. This is the Spurs/Other teams transfers/too lazy to search for the correct thread...thread.
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This all feels a bit like trying to catch a fish to catch fishes. Which given the date is quite apt.
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This is as drawn out as the Bennie McCarthy failed transfer bid
Drawn out? It’s been about 5 days. It’s only going to few drawn out of you stare at the hands of a clock. Time appears to go slower. But today it seems everything needs to be done faster. I reckon it gets announced today and we sign a player next week.
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This is as drawn out as the Bennie McCarthy failed transfer bid
Drawn out? It’s been about 5 days. It’s only going to few drawn out of you stare at the hands of a clock. Time appears to go slower. But today it seems everything needs to be done faster. I reckon it gets announced today and we sign a player next week.
Almost all the rumours around now are that it'll be official today or tomorrow. I also think we'll see a signing next week and, I predict, 3-4 in total by the end of June.
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3-4 by the end of June sounds aggressive but 1-2 I think isn’t unreasonable. I imagine Monchi and Emery will work on targets with their staff once he’s made official. There are a few to shift out too. But getting the main ones in as early as possible helps. There is just so much posturing this early in the window and everything is reported in granularity. So lots will happen in the next 60 or so days even if 60 days will feel like years.
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3-4 by the end of June sounds aggressive but 1-2 I think isn’t unreasonable. I imagine Monchi and Emery will work on targets with their staff once he’s made official. There are a few to shift out too. But getting the main ones in as early as possible helps. There is just so much posturing this early in the window and everything is reported in granularity. So lots will happen in the next 60 or so days even if 60 days will feel like years.
1 in already, plenty of rumours that Torres and Williams (although there's a counter rumour there) are pretty far along as well.
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The rumour I saw last night about Torres is that Bayern were in for him.
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Romano tweeting..
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Romano tweeting..
Ronan Keating?
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Monchi has left Seville this evening……apparently
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Monchi has left Seville this evening……apparently
*awaits news of PSG medical*
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FywQSJyXgAEU9G5?format=jpg&name=small)
From the Sevilla Twitter page
https://twitter.com/SevillaFC/status/1669767676426702850?s=20
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and now announced by us.
https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2023/june/16/monchi-appointed-president-of-football-operations/ (https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2023/june/16/monchi-appointed-president-of-football-operations/)
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We're on our way!
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Welcome Monchi - help us win something.
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Yessss!
Welcome Monch 8)
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MONCHI MAGIC
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Announced.
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Welcome to B6, El Presidente.
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Welcome Monchi as our new President of Football Operations. Have we had a President before?
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Reporting directly to Sawiris and Edens.
It looks to me like, with the changes they have made, they knew we had a structure which worked for getting promoted and staying up, but now we're looking at the next level, and they've realised it needs something different.
Even if it meant effectively potting Purslow, which can't have been an easy move for them.
It feels like we're being run by serious, ambitious people.
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Reporting directly to Sawiris and Edens.
It looks to me like, with the changes they have made, they knew we had a structure which worked for getting promoted and staying up, but now we're looking at the next level, and they've realised it needs something different.
Even if it meant effectively potting Purslow, which can't have been an easy move for them.
It feels like we're being run by serious, ambitious people.
I think it's more about the shift from a club to a group. Heck and Monchi have both been taken on at the group level (and Lange has moved over there as well). I wonder if, in part, it's a way of shifting some costs out of the FFP calculations.
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Welcome Monchi as our new President of Football Operations. Have we had a President before?
Unless you count Doug as President Emeritus.....
Welcome Monchi. Another clear statement from NSWE
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Welcome Monchi as our new President of Football Operations. Have we had a President before?
Yes, Doug Ellis was 'President Emeritus of Aston Villa'.
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Agreed a €3m buy out of his notice period.
Hey hey its the Monchi!
People say he Monchi's around. That's a good thing right? Come on Ramon! And welcome.
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He's just been presented to the crowd by Springsteen.
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MONCHI MAGIC
Born from an egg to make Villa top !
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He's just been presented to the crowd by Springsteen.
A sure sign that the Glory Days are on their way.
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MONCHI MAGIC
Born from an egg to make Villa top !
His nature is irrepressible.
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Welcome Monchi as our new President of Football Operations. Have we had a President before?
Only emiterus
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El Presidente. Lovely
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Welcome Ramon, I wish you well in the job
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No expert or even interested in US sports but from little I do know it does look like we're following the American model for sports management structure.
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He's just been presented to the crowd by Springsteen.
A sure sign that the Glory Days are on their way.
Was he Born in the USA ?
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He's just been presented to the crowd by Springsteen.
He’s coming on again in an hour. Loads dancing in the dark.
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No expert or even interested in US sports but from little I do know it does look like we're following the American model for sports management structure.
Me neither an expert on sports management structures. Seems that they know what they are doing. Nassef (on OS) talk about the new management team as a world class team and that they have growing ambitions so nothing wrong with the ambitions which have to be a good thing.
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Viva El Presidente
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Welcome Monchi as our new President of Football Operations. Have we had a President before?
Only emiterus
Emeritus out!
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Welcome Monchi as our new President of Football Operations. Have we had a President before?
We always had a president but it was a figurehead appointment in the days before non-execs. Pat Matthews was probably the best-known.
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From the man himself
Thank you very much for your confidence. Looking forward to start to work in this great Club.
I will respond with hardwork and hopefully success to this trust placed in me.
See you soon at Villa Park!
UTV!!!
https://twitter.com/leonsfdo/status/1669793112460238877?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
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I always imagine that when we sign players, especially foreign ones, the club's social media team teach them day one the meaning and importance of 'UTV!'
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Welcome Monchi as our new President of Football Operations. Have we had a President before?
Only emiterus
That's life.
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From the man himself
Thank you very much for your confidence. Looking forward to start to work in this great Club.
I will respond with hardwork and hopefully success to this trust placed in me.
See you soon at Villa Park!
UTV!!!
https://twitter.com/leonsfdo/status/1669793112460238877?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
His Twitter bio says he's a 'bilardista', which I'm pretty sure means he plays billiards. I'm all for this if so.
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Please don't be shit.
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I always imagine that when we sign players, especially foreign ones, the club's social media team teach them day one the meaning and importance of 'UTV!'
I like it too, it's not some cringey marketing bollocks, it's how we've addressed each other in passing for as long as I can remember
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As he doesn’t start until July and we will miss out on loads of decent players is this another one of those ‘we will go strong in the next window’ mantras?!
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I always imagine that when we sign players, especially foreign ones, the club's social media team teach them day one the meaning and importance of 'UTV!'
I like it too, it's not some cringey marketing bollocks, it's how we've addressed each other in passing for as long as I can remember
Too right.
Whenever we are anywhere away from the West Midlands, and we see someone walk towards us in a Villa shirt, my Mrs absolutely goes rigid with terror because she's worried I'm about to dispense an "Up The Villa!"
"Up the Villa!" is the last thing both my grandfather (aged 70 or so) and my great grand-mother (95) said to me.
In fact, thinking about it, it's the salutation my great grandmother gave me the entire time our lives overlapped.
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I always imagine that when we sign players, especially foreign ones, the club's social media team teach them day one the meaning and importance of 'UTV!'
I like it too, it's not some cringey marketing bollocks, it's how we've addressed each other in passing for as long as I can remember
Too right.
Whenever we are anywhere away from the West Midlands, and we see someone walk towards us in a Villa shirt, my Mrs absolutely goes rigid with terror because she's worried I'm about to dispense an "Up The Villa!"
"Up the Villa!" is the last thing both my grandfather (aged 70 or so) and my great grand-mother (95) said to me.
In fact, thinking about it, it's the salutation my great grandmother gave me the entire time our lives overlapped.
We were sat in Wonder Bar One in Amsterdam this time last week on a table looking out onto the street with the windows open. I saw a lad walk past in a Villa shirt and climbed over my mate to dispense a solid, heavily intoxicated 'Up the fucking Villa' to him, which was warmly received
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I wonder how far back it goes, I'm sure as a nipper in the 70s, say 76 or 77, having one of those sew on patches you could get back then, and it was a thumbs up with 'Up the Villa' on it.
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As he doesn’t start until July and we will miss out on loads of decent players is this another one of those ‘we will go strong in the next window’ mantras?!
I can't imagine the club would go into next season without a backup striker, backup GK, an additional right back, and a #10 or someone to play on the right side of the front 3.
There's still loads of work to be done this window and we've showed too much promise to just stall out.. I hope.
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As he doesn’t start until July and we will miss out on loads of decent players is this another one of those ‘we will go strong in the next window’ mantras?!
July is in 2 weeks.
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From the man himself
Thank you very much for your confidence. Looking forward to start to work in this great Club.
I will respond with hardwork and hopefully success to this trust placed in me.
See you soon at Villa Park!
UTV!!!
https://twitter.com/leonsfdo/status/1669793112460238877?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
His Twitter bio says he's a 'bilardista', which I'm pretty sure means he plays billiards. I'm all for this if so.
Oh fuck, what if it's bar billiards that he plays. You have to be hard as nails to drink in a pub with bar billiards table, at least round me. Worse than flat roof pubs.
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His Twitter bio says he's a 'bilardista', which I'm pretty sure means he plays billiards. I'm all for this if so.
Oh fuck, what if it's bar billiards that he plays. You have to be hard as nails to drink in a pub with bar billiards table, at least round me. Worse than flat roof pubs.
Hard to know when it comes to these forrin takes on our sports. Sinuca brasileira (Brazilian snooker) only bears a passing resemblance to the snooker we know and love.
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Scouse mate texted me. He's sound and knows his stuff.
Said a dynasty is coming at Villa now.
A good director of football is as good as a top manager and he says we now have both.
Gotta say I'm excited for the future of Villa now.
UTV
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Up the Villa was a sew on badge from the Seventies wit the Churchillian two fingers and up the Villa underneath . Normally sewed on to your jean jacket or for the smelly biker types some sort of imitation leather .. later pride of place on your parker .....
Glad its back ...very unique because of the Villa bit .
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I always imagine that when we sign players, especially foreign ones, the club's social media team teach them day one the meaning and importance of 'UTV!'
What? They don't even know the difference between is and are! ;-)
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He's just been presented to the crowd by Springsteen.
:(
A sure sign that the Glory Days are on their way.
And The Promised Land
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Up the Villa was a sew on badge from the Seventies wit the Churchillian two fingers and up the Villa underneath . Normally sewed on to your jean jacket or for the smelly biker types some sort of imitation leather .. later pride of place on your parker .....
Glad its back ...very unique because of the Villa bit .
Too late now, that could have been a suggestion for the new crest!
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Welcome to our project.
Please be as good as we hope you are
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Interesting that many of the new roles refer to “the group” now. Empire building.
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Damian Vidagany is not getting much recognition on here for becoming our new DoF. I have no idea what his qualifications are other than being UE's personal assistant.
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I wonder how far back it goes, I'm sure as a nipper in the 70s, say 76 or 77, having one of those sew on patches you could get back then, and it was a thumbs up with 'Up the Villa' on it.
I definitely remember those.
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I wonder how far back it goes, I'm sure as a nipper in the 70s, say 76 or 77, having one of those sew on patches you could get back then, and it was a thumbs up with 'Up the Villa' on it.
I definitely remember those.
Wasn't there also a version with the 'V' sign hand gesture with the words 'Up the Villa' beneath it?
I also seem to remember a metal badge done of the same, or am i getting them mixed up with another badge?
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I wonder how far back it goes, I'm sure as a nipper in the 70s, say 76 or 77, having one of those sew on patches you could get back then, and it was a thumbs up with 'Up the Villa' on it.
I definitely remember those.
Wasn't there also a version with the 'V' sign hand gesture with the words 'Up the Villa' beneath it?
I also seem to remember a metal badge done of the same, or am i getting them mixed up with another badge?
Yes, I had the V sign one sewn on my parka as a nipper.
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I wonder how far back it goes, I'm sure as a nipper in the 70s, say 76 or 77, having one of those sew on patches you could get back then, and it was a thumbs up with 'Up the Villa' on it.
I definitely remember those.
Wasn't there also a version with the 'V' sign hand gesture with the words 'Up the Villa' beneath it?
I also seem to remember a metal badge done of the same, or am i getting them mixed up with another badge?
Yes, I had the V sign one sewn on my parka as a nipper.
It was iconic. Sewn onto the back pocket of your Levis or the front pocket of your denim jacket seemed to be the way. I got one but never got round to the stitching it onto anything.
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I see there's a bit of a storm brewing on Twitter about him attending a cultural event in Spain that involves wearing blackface.
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I see there's a bit of a storm brewing on Twitter about him attending a cultural event in Spain that involves wearing blackface.
It’s not the El Jolson story is it ?
-
People actively searching out things to be offended by.
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People actively searching out things to be offended by.
#standard 👀
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I wonder how far back it goes, I'm sure as a nipper in the 70s, say 76 or 77, having one of those sew on patches you could get back then, and it was a thumbs up with 'Up the Villa' on it.
I had one of those badly stitched (by me) onto a scarf...
... or maybe it was the V version.
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People actively searching out things to be offended by.
This.
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I wonder how far back it goes, I'm sure as a nipper in the 70s, say 76 or 77, having one of those sew on patches you could get back then, and it was a thumbs up with 'Up the Villa' on it.
I definitely remember those.
Wasn't there also a version with the 'V' sign hand gesture with the words 'Up the Villa' beneath it?
I'm familiar with it but not from the 70s. Was it featured on the cover of a Villa book (similar to the one on 'Children of the Revolution') or have I just seen photos of it?
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People actively searching out things to be offended by.
Yep. There are things as an Indian person or black person that we know are genuine forms of racism. A white person dressing as one of us never really registers. I found Kenneth Williams in Carry on up the Khyber funny. Fuck I’m old for that reference.
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People actively searching out things to be offended by.
And the trouble is that it plays into the hands of the Can't Say Anything These Days mob whose mate at work Chalkie loved Alf Garnett.
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People actively searching out things to be offended by.
And the trouble is that it plays into the hands of the Can't Say Anything These Days mob whose mate at work Chalkie loved Alf Garnett.
Exactly Dave. To be fair, I don't know anything about the Spanish/Basque festivals in question, but then I'm guessing nor does the person calling Monchi a racist and the club a disgrace for employing him.
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I wonder where they were when we employed John Terry.
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People actively searching out things to be offended by.
And the trouble is that it plays into the hands of the Can't Say Anything These Days mob whose mate at work Chalkie loved Alf Garnett.
Exactly Dave. To be fair, I don't know anything about the Spanish/Basque festivals in question, but then I'm guessing nor does the person calling Monchi a racist and the club a disgrace for employing him.
You can also hear the sanctimonious outrage from Small Heath in space.
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I wonder where they were when we employed John Terry.
There were loads that didn't want him at the Villa, including on here.
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I see there's a bit of a storm brewing on Twitter about him attending a cultural event in Spain that involves wearing blackface.
It was probably a Moors and Christians festival. They have them in loads of towns in Spain, is a centuries old thing.
They basically have a big parade and then do a bit of cruelty to animals, that sort of thing.
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I see there's a bit of a storm brewing on Twitter about him attending a cultural event in Spain that involves wearing blackface.
It was probably a Moors and Christians festival. They have them in loads of towns in Spain, is a centuries old thing.
They basically have a big parade and then do a bit of cruelty to animals, that sort of thing.
From what I have read, it was a festival to do with Christmas. Three Kings parade, I think its called.
People like Van Nistelrooy & Sergio Ramos did it too.
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I see there's a bit of a storm brewing on Twitter about him attending a cultural event in Spain that involves wearing blackface.
It was probably a Moors and Christians festival. They have them in loads of towns in Spain, is a centuries old thing.
They basically have a big parade and then do a bit of cruelty to animals, that sort of thing.
From what I have read, it was a festival to do with Christmas. Three Kings parade, I think its called.
People like Van Nistelrooy & Sergio Ramos did it too.
Someone has to play Ice Cube.
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If you fancy a visit, here's some stuff about Barcelona's festivities for this Christmas
https://irbarcelona.org/christmas-barcelona/three-kings-day/#:~:text=After%20a%20few%20words%20of,and%20sweets%20to%20the%20children.
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What a load of old bollocks! Get a grip all you offended people out there! The Brits dress up as white Jesus, white St George, White Mary and Joseph, and nobody tells them off. Get a grip you twats! FFS!
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What a load of old bollocks! Get a grip all you offended people out there! The Brits dress up as white Jesus, white St George, White Mary and Joseph, and nobody tells them off. Get a grip you twats! FFS!
And 'Jesus' wasn't white.
He was a man of middle eastern descent.
Always cracks me up when you see some Southern American hardcore redneck evangelist spouting their "we are a god fearing people" yada, yada, hatred with a picture in the background of a blue eyed blond haired Casper the Ghost looking mother fucker as their 'Jesus'. 😂
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What a load of old bollocks! Get a grip all you offended people out there! The Brits dress up as white Jesus, white St George, White Mary and Joseph, and nobody tells them off. Get a grip you twats! FFS!
And 'Jesus' wasn't white.
He was a man of middle eastern descent.
This isn't true. He spoke English and looks like Robert Powell.
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Jesus was a black man
*starts stopwatch, sits back*
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What a load of old bollocks! Get a grip all you offended people out there! The Brits dress up as white Jesus, white St George, White Mary and Joseph, and nobody tells them off. Get a grip you twats! FFS!
And 'Jesus' wasn't white.
He was a man of middle eastern descent.
This isn't true. He spoke English and looks like Robert Powell.
. My beliefs also
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I'm not sure about this. Wouldn't that mean God is Jasper Carrot? Doesn't sit easily, that one.
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Jesus was a black man
*starts stopwatch, sits back*
No Jesus was Batman.
-
Jesus was a black man
*starts stopwatch, sits back*
No Jesus was Batman.
*stops stopwatch*
Not bad, 26 minutes.
I’d expect LeeB to normally react within 3 minutes but I know he’s out tonight doing a “throw the stuff out the window” job on a late paying family in a shed he rents out in Newham.
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What a load of old bollocks! Get a grip all you offended people out there! The Brits dress up as white Jesus, white St George, White Mary and Joseph, and nobody tells them off. Get a grip you twats! FFS!
And 'Jesus' wasn't white.
He was a man of middle eastern descent.
This isn't true. He spoke English and looks like Robert Powell.
And became a detective in later life.
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It can't be a Christian festival because they pronounce it "Hey-Zeus" which is obviously ancient Greek :)
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Jesus was a black man
*starts stopwatch, sits back*
Readers of my book Gangsters, Geezers & Mods with good memories may be familiar with a passage in it about Jesus being black. It was adapted from this true story.
I’d been out drinking all day with an acquaintance of mine, a big Irish boxer who fancied himself as a bit of a rapper. We ended up in the Chelmsley Wood Catholic club discussing the MOBO Awards which had been on TV a few days previous. To my surprise, he opined that the awards were racist, and complained that there was no Music of White Origin awards. We got into a heated debate which somehow ended up with me saying “Jesus was black, and if he came out looking like that” (pointing at a portrait of blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus on the wall), “then no wonder his mother was making up all sorts of bullshit stories about who the father was”.
He chinned me before it got split up, but I got him back with the help of my mate Slasher Reid a couple of weeks later.
-
Jesus was a black man
*starts stopwatch, sits back*
No Jesus was Batman.
He handed out fish, man
With a centre parted sun tan
Then cured all the lame
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The nativity has no historical basis.
-
Jesus is basically like a religion version of Callum Best or Peaches Geldof ... he's only famous because of who his dad is.
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The boss has spoken
Nassef Sawiris “Monchi´s arrival will add to the world class team we are assembling both on and off the pitch. He is, like Unai Emery, a serial winner”
-
Jesus was a black man
*starts stopwatch, sits back*
Readers of my book Gangsters, Geezers & Mods with good memories may be familiar with a passage in it about Jesus being black. It was adapted from this true story.
I’d been out drinking all day with an acquaintance of mine, a big Irish boxer who fancied himself as a bit of a rapper. We ended up in the Chelmsley Wood Catholic club discussing the MOBO Awards which had been on TV a few days previous. To my surprise, he opined that the awards were racist, and complained that there was no Music of White Origin awards. We got into a heated debate which somehow ended up with me saying “Jesus was black, and if he came out looking like that” (pointing at a portrait of blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus on the wall), “then no wonder his mother was making up all sorts of bullshit stories about who the father was”.
He chinned me before it got split up, but I got him back with the help of my mate Slasher Reid a couple of weeks later.
What year was this?
-
Jesus was a black man
*starts stopwatch, sits back*
Readers of my book Gangsters, Geezers & Mods with good memories may be familiar with a passage in it about Jesus being black. It was adapted from this true story.
I’d been out drinking all day with an acquaintance of mine, a big Irish boxer who fancied himself as a bit of a rapper. We ended up in the Chelmsley Wood Catholic club discussing the MOBO Awards which had been on TV a few days previous. To my surprise, he opined that the awards were racist, and complained that there was no Music of White Origin awards. We got into a heated debate which somehow ended up with me saying “Jesus was black, and if he came out looking like that” (pointing at a portrait of blond-haired, blue-eyed Jesus on the wall), “then no wonder his mother was making up all sorts of bullshit stories about who the father was”.
He chinned me before it got split up, but I got him back with the help of my mate Slasher Reid a couple of weeks later.
What year was this?
About 2000.
Or the book?
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I see there's a bit of a storm brewing on Twitter about him attending a cultural event in Spain that involves wearing blackface.
It depends what context it is in though I suppose. There was a bit of a furore in Birmingham a few years ago about a group of morris dancers who performed in the city centre with blackened faces.
Turned out that it was nothing to do with skin colour and seem to remember someone saying it dated back centuries to a time when performing on the street was seen as begging and was illegal, so the dancers covered their faces In charcoal amongst other things to escape detection.
-
The boss has spoken
Nassef Sawiris “Monchi´s arrival will add to the world class team we are assembling both on and off the pitch. He is, like Unai Emery, a serial winner”
That's great to hear. Just for one of the owners to be using the phrase "serial winner" is a seismic shift in the mentality of those running the club.
-
I see there's a bit of a storm brewing on Twitter about him attending a cultural event in Spain that involves wearing blackface.
It depends what context it is in though I suppose. There was a bit of a furore in Birmingham a few years ago about a group of morris dancers who performed in the city centre with blackened faces.
Turned out that it was nothing to do with skin colour and seem to remember someone saying it dated back centuries to a time when performing on the street was seen as begging and was illegal, so the dancers covered their faces In charcoal amongst other things to escape detection.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/spain-blackface-three-kings-balthasar-b1984515.html
(https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/12/30/16/blackface.jpg?quality=75&width=990&crop=4%3A3%2Csmart&auto=webp)
I mean, it's a really difficult area - a bit like the Zwarte Piet / Black Pete tradition in the Netherlands. People feel very attached to customs etc, and trying to de-program an entire nation to see something that has for centuries been seen as harmless is now suddenly the antichrist is going to be very, very difficult. Particularly different times etc. I mind going to [primary] school in blackface* once. We were celebrating other countries & cultures and, wisely or not, I decided that I wanted to celebrate Caribbean culture and went in dressed as Dwight Yorke.
Now, there wasn't a single bit of malice in that. If someone told me at the time that what I'd done was racist ... well, I'd not even have understood what they meant. I was, in my mind, trying to be Dwight Yorke. I was trying to show my love for this young player who was pretty much a sub in the Villa team but I thought was amazing. You can see how many telling someone who is saying that they absolutely love this person is suddenly then being racist ... it'd have made no sense.
I mean, ask me now and obviously there's no way that I'd think that was in any way socially acceptable. But at the time, in a school where every kid would've filled in "White British" on the census ... in my head it felt like I was being cosmopolitan. I dunno, I guess my point here is that cultural things translate differently, attitudes change ... if he's wandering around the Bullring in blackface today then obviously that's not on. Something that happened many years ago, in a celebration that's deeply rooted in Spanish culture ... that's far harder to judge, and it's not to say that he feels the same about it now that he did at the time.
* not the red lip thing, just black facepaint, a Villa Shirt, Bermuda shorts, and a bucket hat with "Dwight Yorke - Trinidad & Tobago" written on it
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It's ironic that it's being treated less seriously on this den of left-wing wokeism than it is on the Trumpite Twitter.
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I’ve not seen any black Villa fans talking about it on social media and their voices should be at the forefront of this.
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Good post algy. The thing that irked me was the rush to launch into him and the club two-footed with no pause for thought.
Is Monchi a racist? I don't know much about the bloke, but there's loads out there on the internet that seem to indicate he's very much the complete opposite, with him taking lots of anti-racism stances at various times.
Even if it's a centuries old tradition, is blacking up a good thing to do these days? Absolutely not. But is stridently calling for his sacking and an apology from the club the right way to go about educating people about the issue? Also absolutely not, I would argue.
Written as a white, middle aged bloke obviously, so my views on racism aren't particularly worth reading, but sometimes people need to take a step back and look at the wider issue. Society is developing with regards to anti racism, and different countries change at different rates. It's not that long ago we had prime time TV shows (eg Bo Selecta and Little Britain) with comedians blacking up to play characters, that they are now apologising for. People make msitakes, realise why it's not on, and as a society we hopefully progress a bit.
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Also, anyone who has previously said, "when in our country you should respect are culture and traditions and talk English" might want to have a think about being up in arms about an age-old festival in Spain.
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This is a load of nonsense.
As others said, you have to take context into account.
It’s all an outcry in search of an issue.
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I say FTMF! Welcome Monchi. UTV!
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This is a load of nonsense.
As others said, you have to take context into account.
It’s all an outcry in search of an issue.
"Left absolutely speechless". You're after clout on the internet you mean.
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Hey everyone, I hope you’ve had a good weekend. Below is a short breakdown detailing all you need to know about Monchi (from his strengths and weaknesses to how I think he’ll fare at Villa) for those interested. Would love to answer any questions you may have in mind, cheers!
https://youtu.be/VubdBwp9OqY
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Hey everyone, I hope you’ve had a good weekend. Below is a short breakdown detailing all you need to know about Monchi (from his strengths and weaknesses to how I think he’ll fare at Villa) for those interested. Would love to answer any questions you may have in mind, cheers!
https://youtu.be/VubdBwp9OqY
'Complex data analysis program" = Football Manager 2023... 😂
Only joking... 😉
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This is a load of nonsense.
As others said, you have to take context into account.
It’s all an outcry in search of an issue.
I agree with that. Saying that anyone attending this is racist is obviously absurd. However, equally stupid is to try and pretend that the festival itself (similar to the Zwarte Piet festival in Holand) is not racist. It's not just that they black up - the whole images they use are racist stereotypes.
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Turned out that it was nothing to do with skin colour and seem to remember someone saying it dated back centuries to a time when performing on the street was seen as begging and was illegal, so the dancers covered their faces In charcoal amongst other things to escape detection.
Centuries back, when there was no CCTV, Facebook, Crimewatch etc, wouldn't the forces of law and order just have grabbed them by the collar and threw them into gaol/stocks, whatever they had rubbed into their faces?
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Zwarte Piet was also justified on the grounds that the Piets worked in chimneys delivering presents and so got sooty. Not sure how they got the exaggerated lips the same way though...
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Turned out that it was nothing to do with skin colour and seem to remember someone saying it dated back centuries to a time when performing on the street was seen as begging and was illegal, so the dancers covered their faces In charcoal amongst other things to escape detection.
Centuries back, when there was no CCTV, Facebook, Crimewatch etc, wouldn't the forces of law and order just have grabbed them by the collar and through them into gaol/stocks, whatever they had rubbed into their faces?
Can't grab hundreds of people though, but if you recognise them you can probably go and 'collect' them from home over the course of a few days.
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Anyways... How long before this fella serves up the first signing? I would image a lot of the ground work has already been done by Lange and his team
I would imagine this guys remit is more about costs, contract negotiations and agents fees rather than actual scouting
I am sure he has been involved already prior to signing...i bloody hope so
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Finally we have owners that care and are building a world class support team for Unai to hopefully achieve all our hopes and ambitions - lets enjoy it rather than moaning.
We need to realise how lucky we are.
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Who's moaning?
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Not even Flinty is here moaning.
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Anyways... How long before this fella serves up the first signing? I would image a lot of the ground work has already been done by Lange and his team
I would imagine this guys remit is more about costs, contract negotiations and agents fees rather than actual scouting
You could pay somebody Ł100K a year to do basic admin. Of course he's going to be about identifying players.
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Written as a white, middle aged bloke obviously, so my views on racism aren't particularly worth reading
That you seem to have bought some sexist, ageist and racist thinking here is problematic. None of those things are a bar to reason.
It's wrong to claim blacking up (or whiting up) is necessarily racist.
Obviously it can be done with a racist motivation, but equally it can be done with no such motivation which is sometimes obvious to many but not all depending on familiarity with the context. Moreover some observers lack the understanding that it isn't racist to do something without any racist motivation (even something as wrong as murdering someone of another race) and others cynically choose to disregard a likely innocent motivation to claim the moral high ground or undermine traditions.
But then it gets complicated where someone thinks of doing something for innocent reasons, but realises it might be misconstrued. At this point they usually conclude that it isn't worth the hassle or that they don't wish to offend, but are they necessarily being racist if they go ahead with it? And if not, is it reasonable of an observer to assume they probably are racist? And is that good enough to condemn them? If the answer to the last two is yes, then some innocent customs end up going out of the window and any value they held is lost (personally I'm not seeing much value in any that involve blacking up, but others will have markedly different interests, traditions and perspectives).
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I can’t pretend to know anything about Spanish religious traditions, but isn’t it (like most things), all about context? Is the intention of dressing up as Balthazar to honour, or to ridicule him? I suppose
Algy’s Dwight Yorke story is basically illustrating the same point. The most important thing would seem to be how black people feel about it.
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Written as a white, middle aged bloke obviously, so my views on racism aren't particularly worth reading
That you seem to have bought some sexist, ageist and racist thinking here is problematic. None of those things are a bar to reason.
It's wrong to claim blacking up (or whiting up) is necessarily racist.
Obviously it can be done with a racist motivation, but equally it can be done with no such motivation which is sometimes obvious to many but not all depending on familiarity with the context. Moreover some observers lack the understanding that it isn't racist to do something without any racist motivation (even something as wrong as murdering someone of another race) and others cynically choose to disregard a likely innocent motivation to claim the moral high ground or undermine traditions.
But then it gets complicated where someone thinks of doing something for innocent reasons, but realises it might be misconstrued. At this point they usually conclude that it isn't worth the hassle or that they don't wish to offend, but are they necessarily being racist if they go ahead with it? And if not, is it reasonable of an observer to assume they probably are racist? And is that good enough to condemn them? If the answer to the last two is yes, then some innocent customs end up going out of the window and any value they held is lost (personally I'm not seeing much value in any that involve blacking up, but others will have markedly different interests, traditions and perspectives).
Good lord ..(if that's allowed)
Up the Villa ...
That's with the Churchillian two fingers .
Not being rude .
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Written as a white, middle aged bloke obviously, so my views on racism aren't particularly worth reading
That you seem to have bought some sexist, ageist and racist thinking here is problematic. None of those things are a bar to reason.
It's wrong to claim blacking up (or whiting up) is necessarily racist.
Obviously it can be done with a racist motivation, but equally it can be done with no such motivation which is sometimes obvious to many but not all depending on familiarity with the context. Moreover some observers lack the understanding that it isn't racist to do something without any racist motivation (even something as wrong as murdering someone of another race) and others cynically choose to disregard a likely innocent motivation to claim the moral high ground or undermine traditions.
But then it gets complicated where someone thinks of doing something for innocent reasons, but realises it might be misconstrued. At this point they usually conclude that it isn't worth the hassle or that they don't wish to offend, but are they necessarily being racist if they go ahead with it? And if not, is it reasonable of an observer to assume they probably are racist? And is that good enough to condemn them? If the answer to the last two is yes, then some innocent customs end up going out of the window and any value they held is lost (personally I'm not seeing much value in any that involve blacking up, but others will have markedly different interests, traditions and perspectives).
Well that wasn't odd...
What Risso said was fine.
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That’s a lot of words that haven’t amounted to much.
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That’s a lot of words that haven’t amounted to much.
It's a lot of bollocks, that's what is.
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Written as a white, middle aged bloke obviously, so my views on racism aren't particularly worth reading
That you seem to have bought some sexist, ageist and racist thinking here is problematic. None of those things are a bar to reason.
It's wrong to claim blacking up (or whiting up) is necessarily racist.
Obviously it can be done with a racist motivation, but equally it can be done with no such motivation which is sometimes obvious to many but not all depending on familiarity with the context. Moreover some observers lack the understanding that it isn't racist to do something without any racist motivation (even something as wrong as murdering someone of another race) and others cynically choose to disregard a likely innocent motivation to claim the moral high ground or undermine traditions.
But then it gets complicated where someone thinks of doing something for innocent reasons, but realises it might be misconstrued. At this point they usually conclude that it isn't worth the hassle or that they don't wish to offend, but are they necessarily being racist if they go ahead with it? And if not, is it reasonable of an observer to assume they probably are racist? And is that good enough to condemn them? If the answer to the last two is yes, then some innocent customs end up going out of the window and any value they held is lost (personally I'm not seeing much value in any that involve blacking up, but others will have markedly different interests, traditions and perspectives).
By the miracles of the wind blowing the Wi-Fi from my parents caravan two down, your correspondent on location in Pembrokeshire reporting in.
Having had to go back to see the offending post by Risso, well, as Edgy Sats said, there simply isn’t one.
So Charlatan the main thing I take issue with you here is the binary nature of your idea of racism. The feel (my reading of course) is you are either a raging racist or could never in a month of Sundays be accused of being anything near racist. I’d suggest this is inherently unhelpful.
I always think of the Akala video, it’s been a year or two since I watched so I just did, again. I think it’s almost like going to the dentist annually for me to re-watch it. I just googled my profile name and the link to try to find where I posted it before to save me (and you) the re-hashing, forgive me the pomposity of quoting myself from the Tyrone thread a few years back. I’ll chuck in a segment of another nearby post that someone had replied to that I happened to see, just referencing the most important thing, that Risso refers to, being the importance of change for the better (and the conditions from which change arises).
The more we all own our everyday racism/prejudices of every kind and generally stop pointing fingers at each other*, the less chances my little ones will have of having to face hassles in life for being mixed race. I’ve probably also cited before my experience of gaining an Indian (now my legal) name through Buddhist ordination in 2014. Taking the then gf to Liverpool away, Gormley statues on Cosby beach of course, but having to make a complicated request on a Beatles tour booking, it was an eye opener for me to have to even entertain the idea that having (for the first time) a foreign sounding name might mean I get treated differently.
*owning my own tendency to call people out, which I guess I’m even doing here [sweating smiling emoji]
Agreed. “Othering” is very seductive and makes it feel easier to be who we are, to not own our* shadow/less pleasant bits. There is unconscious/everyday racism in all of us.
I was struck with that “Liam Neeson says he's 'not racist' after controversial interview”. If he’d have started from acknowledging we all have our concious or unconscious prejudices he might have got his good intentions taken more seriously.
I always recommend this (3.5mins) video to folk on everyday racism by Akala (Musician/writer/all rounder, was West Ham/Wimbledon youth)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/video/2015/mar/18/everyday-racism-what-should-we-do
Have seen it really affect a training group atmosphere as collective pennies drop.
*edit: individual and collective
One thing I try to remember when I’m in Uganda and having to find the right/realistic balance with homophobia (including potentially effectively state/foreign sponsored hatred & violence) is that it was still illegal in the UK in 1967 and still labelled an illness in my life time 1973/1987. I’m not sure there is a clear point here beyond a need to retain some perspective and create the best conditions and opportunity to change, literally opportunity for some people to think, sometimes for the first time, beyond the hatred and prejudice they’ve learned/assumed.
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Put much better than I could muster Mr Trousers
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Written as a white, middle aged bloke obviously, so my views on racism aren't particularly worth reading
That you seem to have bought some sexist, ageist and racist thinking here is problematic. None of those things are a bar to reason.
Well that wasn't odd...
What Risso said was fine.
Considering Charlatan's posting history, I suspect he means that just because Risso is "a white, middle aged bloke", he is not precluded from having a worthwhile view on racism.
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Written as a white, middle aged bloke obviously, so my views on racism aren't particularly worth reading
That you seem to have bought some sexist, ageist and racist thinking here is problematic. None of those things are a bar to reason.
Well that wasn't odd...
What Risso said was fine.
Considering Charlatan's posting history, I suspect he means that just because Risso is "a white, middle aged bloke", he is not precluded from having a worthwhile view on racism.
Yes, but Risso is savvy enough to understand that because he's not the target of racism it's not his call to say what is and what isn't offensive
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Both interesting points SN & LeeB. Aware also of my own potential to be accused of being ‘stale, male & pale’, though the lack of dullness in my life might preclude the stale, I might aspire to a bit more dullness on the surface at least.
The question of who who gets a call to say something is offensive or not is fascinating too. What I do know is I’m proud the Holte turned on the guy calling Dwight Gale on loan to Newcastle a West Brom Monkey or Gorilla or whatever it was. I think there was more history of deep unpleasantness than I was aware but it’s was just brilliant that the mainly white crowd around him was having absolutely none of it, and he was challenged in every way.
However we are still in the realm of conscious/volitional racism. Just as Akala catches himself being racist towards someone who looks just like him. The video is only 3.5mins if you’ve never seen it, I’d argue is essential watching to touch base with terms of reference almost. I’m not a fan of the feel of micro-aggressions, but seem very willing with his help to own my own ‘everyday racism’.
So my point is I am racist. We are all racist. To varying levels and degrees of awareness. Start from there and we can get somewhere. The assertion around its not racist if it wasn’t meant to be nasty is not very helpful, and fails to take into account structural racism that shapes all of us however unconscious.
The idea of innocent customs (gollywog toys anyone?) or ‘innocent motivations’ for even crimes (I think that’s a bit unfortunate taking about that next to murder). Just thinking about stop and search frequencies, the athletes that had a horrific experience because of their nice car and colour of their skin; the idea of profiling (of course socio-economic, migrational variables etc). There’s just a lot in that post that never mind the black and white right and wrong, doesn’t seem massively helpful, or in my tradition’s ethical language, ‘skilful’.
Just for the sake of completeness I thought I’d dig out the Liam Neeson story, blimey it’s still a bit shocking to read today and I can make more sense of my previous comment. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47133868.amp
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That video link won't work for me however, might it be this, from a Frankie Boyle election special from 2015?
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Yes, but Risso is savvy enough to understand that because he's not the target of racism it's not his call to say what is and what isn't offensive
Exactly what I was getting at, thanks mate.
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Both interesting points SN & LeeB. Aware also of my own potential to be accused of being ‘stale, male & pale’, though the lack of dullness in my life might preclude the stale, I might aspire to a bit more dullness on the surface at least.
The question of who who gets a call to say something is offensive or not is fascinating too. What I do know is I’m proud the Holte turned on the guy calling Dwight Gale on loan to Newcastle a West Brom Monkey or Gorilla or whatever it was. I think there was more history of deep unpleasantness than I was aware but it’s was just brilliant that the mainly white crowd around him was having absolutely none of it, and he was challenged in every way.
However we are still in the realm of conscious/volitional racism. Just as Akala catches himself being racist towards someone who looks just like him. The video is only 3.5mins if you’ve never seen it, I’d argue is essential watching to touch base with terms of reference almost. I’m not a fan of the feel of micro-aggressions, but seem very willing with his help to own my own ‘everyday racism’.
So my point is I am racist. We are all racist. To varying levels and degrees of awareness. Start from there and we can get somewhere. The assertion around its not racist if it wasn’t meant to be nasty is not very helpful, and fails to take into account structural racism that shapes all of us however unconscious.
The idea of innocent customs (gollywog toys anyone?) or ‘innocent motivations’ for even crimes (I think that’s a bit unfortunate taking about that next to murder). Just thinking about stop and search frequencies, the athletes that had a horrific experience because of their nice car and colour of their skin; the idea of profiling (of course socio-economic, migrational variables etc). There’s just a lot in that post that never mind the black and white right and wrong, doesn’t seem massively helpful, or in my tradition’s ethical language, ‘skilful’.
Just for the sake of completeness I thought I’d dig out the Liam Neeson story, blimey it’s still a bit shocking to read today and I can make more sense of my previous comment. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-47133868.amp
I fully agree with this, and I also think a lot of people don't really understand the term, like they think racism is only when it's something directly aggressive or nasty.
You have to work at it, challenge your own prejudices. Maybe it's not 'racism' in the classic sense but the habit of 'othering' and then subconciously applying it in your head, I think the same kind of thinking produces mysogyny too.
I've tried to teach my kids in the basic sense that people are not better or worse because they're black, white, mixed race, male or female, they're only representative of themselves and not a group. Except for Blues fans.
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So my point is I am racist. We are all racist. To varying levels and degrees of awareness. Start from there and we can get somewhere. The assertion around its not racist if it wasn’t meant to be nasty is not very helpful, and fails to take into account structural racism that shapes all of us however unconscious.
Avenue Q got it right twenty years ago, Everyone's A Little Bit Racist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RovF1zsDoeM)
(warning, contains Sesame Street style puppets singing. And having just rewatched it for the first time in ages, there's probably a few lines that are a bit uncomfortable, even if it is tongue-in-cheek)
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Haha yes my kids have free choice of religion etc, but if they want to eat they know who they support! It’s actually a lovely shared thing so far, and dilutes the more concerning money side.
Drummond this is the one on YouTube. Will have a look at that one when I have time/more signal.
https://youtu.be/uZUvjAJGFkM
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Whilst I doubt Mochi was being deliberately racist, I can certainly see why people would find it offensive. Let’s hope he doesn’t do it again whilst at Villa.
I have only encountered ‘blackface’ twice, and both times felt very uncomfortable. The first was in China (Shandong province). China is far more racist than Europe, by our standards. In the agricultural areas I visit many people have never seen a white or black person before.
Curiously the second time was this weekend, where somebody turned up to my partners aunts 60th party (was 80s themed) as Michael Jackson complete with brown makeup. A lot of the family are black or mixed race, and I think they were less shocked than the white people. Someone must of had a word as he left inside half an hour. Doubt he was being deliberately racist, but it was clueless and offensive.
On the transfer front, can’t see us going as high as Ł80m for anyone, but I do like the look of the Sporting player.
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Haha yes my kids have free choice of religion etc, but if they want to eat they know who they support! It’s actually a lovely shared thing so far, and dilutes the more concerning money side.
Drummond this is the one on YouTube. Will have a look at that one when I have time/more signal.
https://youtu.be/uZUvjAJGFkM
It's a different one, so I'll check it later, thanks. I like his approach and delivery and the message really resonates.
The video I posted is very powerful, it makes you think, and if it does that, and it makes you question yourself and society as a whole, then we will all be better for it.
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Written as a white, middle aged bloke obviously, so my views on racism aren't particularly worth reading
That you seem to have bought some sexist, ageist and racist thinking here is problematic. None of those things are a bar to reason.
It's wrong to claim blacking up (or whiting up) is necessarily racist.
Obviously it can be done with a racist motivation, but equally it can be done with no such motivation which is sometimes obvious to many but not all depending on familiarity with the context. Moreover some observers lack the understanding that it isn't racist to do something without any racist motivation (even something as wrong as murdering someone of another race) and others cynically choose to disregard a likely innocent motivation to claim the moral high ground or undermine traditions.
But then it gets complicated where someone thinks of doing something for innocent reasons, but realises it might be misconstrued. At this point they usually conclude that it isn't worth the hassle or that they don't wish to offend, but are they necessarily being racist if they go ahead with it? And if not, is it reasonable of an observer to assume they probably are racist? And is that good enough to condemn them? If the answer to the last two is yes, then some innocent customs end up going out of the window and any value they held is lost (personally I'm not seeing much value in any that involve blacking up, but others will have markedly different interests, traditions and perspectives).
Just because someone doesn’t realise or intend something to racist, doesn’t mean it’s not racist. It just means they are ignorant about why it is racist, and need to find out.
It’s the different between murder and homicide manslaughter - intent. But either way, someone is dead.
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Whilst I doubt Mochi was being deliberately racist, I can certainly see why people would find it offensive. Let’s hope he doesn’t do it again whilst at Villa.
I think he'll only be doing it in festivals in Spain to which he is invited as a member of the procession. And I doubt that happens every year.
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It’s the different between murder and homicide - intent. But either way, someone is dead.
Murder is homicide by definition. Manslaughter is homicide with no intent.
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Whilst I doubt Mochi was being deliberately racist, I can certainly see why people would find it offensive. Let’s hope he doesn’t do it again whilst at Villa.
I think he'll only be doing it in festivals in Spain to which he is invited as a member of the procession. And I doubt that happens every year.
This has really tickled me. The idea of just showing up as Balthazar to Wigan away in the League Cup for no reason.
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Soooooo do we think this guy can be a catalyst for next level signings we are looking forward to?
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Soooooo do we think this guy can be a catalyst for next level signings we are looking forward to?
Yes.
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Soooooo do we think this guy can be a catalyst for next level signings we are looking forward to?
Yes.
I’m still not 100% on the remit exactly with Lange being around. I think Lange has had, overall, a good few hits rather than misses (as good a ratio as you can have in sport) so I assume he’ll do more of the analysis side and Monchi’s role will be more geared towards shaking people down so we don’t pay ridiculous prices.
Can’t say which way it’ll go but it just feels exciting to have some forward momentum about the place. Kicking ass and taking names, as it were.
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Soooooo do we think this guy can be a catalyst for next level signings we are looking forward to?
Yes.
Agreed. I think he'll also develop a better scouting network too.
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Soooooo do we think this guy can be a catalyst for next level signings we are looking forward to?
Yes.
I’m still not 100% on the remit exactly with Lange being around. I think Lange has had, overall, a good few hits rather than misses (as good a ratio as you can have in sport) so I assume he’ll do more of the analysis side and Monchi’s role will be more geared towards shaking people down so we don’t pay ridiculous prices.
Can’t say which way it’ll go but it just feels exciting to have some forward momentum about the place. Kicking ass and taking names, as it were.
Lange is moving to a different role, at V Sports group level.
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About five or six years ago I was wandering around Wokingham town centre when a morris dancing display was about to start, so the missus and I decided to watch for a couple of minutes. Every dancer was in blackface. I was surprised, but I didn't think it was deliberately racist, I just thought it was a bit... weird. Surely people these days recognise that blackface is considered racist?
I looked it up later, and there are types of morris dancing that have always been done in blackface. No one is entirely sure why (plenty of theories). I believe it's changed since the BLM movement a couple of years ago.
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It’s the different between murder and homicide - intent. But either way, someone is dead.
Murder is homicide by definition. Manslaughter is homicide with no intent.
Ah yes, sorry, I meant manslaughter not homicide.
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Lange will be establishing academies in the clubs that are part of V Sports.
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That video link won't work for me however, might it be this, from a Frankie Boyle election special from 2015?
Blimey he’s/that’s good eh.
Interestingly I’ve not had any interest to even look up the Monchi thing but obviously do have the motivation to chime in on the subtleties of a racism debate.
I guess it’s limited how much one can judge from a distance, but for me it’s was notable how much it hurt when we necessarily potted Deano as I loved him and the human qualities he seemed to show. (I was swooning at a Potter article and would have gone got him over Gerrard at that point).
I’ve also had a sense of satisfaction of the at least apparent sense of politeness I get from Emery. Do we know much about his (Emery’s) character/ethics/politics, him as a man I guess? I naively probably project some ‘goodnes’/wholesome qualities onto him and therefore probably rely on his judgement of characters the club hires, not much idea of how valid that is.
I’m someone who seems to have morally been ‘convenient’ around Emi’s dark arts and perhaps through attrition taken on the idea of our having not been nasty enough/been too nice, but I’d still ideally win/succeed with good folk up front and central and ‘playing fair’.
That brief dip into the Mings thread when he beautifully handled racism in an England shirt (along with the tweet calling out Priti Patel & the Tory’s hypocrisy in not backing the players gesture on race but being willing to be publicly at the consequences of their actions) was a lovely reminder of what a great ambassador he is. Makes me wonder what he’ll do post playing days, if he’d be sensible enough to skip the craziness of the management game and put his qualities to use somewhere.
Anyway Monchi, trust in Unai, trust in his men etc.
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That video link won't work for me however, might it be this, from a Frankie Boyle election special from 2015?
That is brilliant. This man should run the world, he is so articulate and so correct in everything he said.
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An article on Monchi’s scouting process and philosophy;
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/why-monchi-will-be-aston-villa-greatest-signing-data-analysis-statistics (https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/why-monchi-will-be-aston-villa-greatest-signing-data-analysis-statistics)
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You've saved me a job! Thought it was an interesting read.
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An article on Monchi’s scouting process and philosophy;
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/why-monchi-will-be-aston-villa-greatest-signing-data-analysis-statistics (https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/why-monchi-will-be-aston-villa-greatest-signing-data-analysis-statistics)
Done by a "20-year old analyst from Germany. I am currently studying football management as I aspire to work in elite football" and it very much reads like it.
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An article on Monchi’s scouting process and philosophy;
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/why-monchi-will-be-aston-villa-greatest-signing-data-analysis-statistics (https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/why-monchi-will-be-aston-villa-greatest-signing-data-analysis-statistics)
Done by a "20-year old analyst from Germany. I am currently studying football management as I aspire to work in elite football" and it very much reads like it.
I’m very much looking forward to reading yours! :P
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An article on Monchi’s scouting process and philosophy;
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/why-monchi-will-be-aston-villa-greatest-signing-data-analysis-statistics (https://totalfootballanalysis.com/data-analysis/why-monchi-will-be-aston-villa-greatest-signing-data-analysis-statistics)
Done by a "20-year old analyst from Germany. I am currently studying football management as I aspire to work in elite football" and it very much reads like it.
I’m very much looking forward to reading yours! :P
Buy cheap, sell high.
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It’s monchiball time.
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Hello Mr Monchi are you there?
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Now that the "racist" festival furore has died down, can I assume we're going for the 'mon-CHEE' pronunciation of his name as opposed to 'MON-kee'?
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Has Monchi arrived at the club.?
Anyone seen him?
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Has Monchi arrived at the club.?
Anyone seen him?
And when he did/does show up, will he sing
"Hey hey I'm the Monchi!
And people say I monkey around.
But I'm too busy signing
Wingers to play at this ground"
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Has Monchi arrived at the club.?
Anyone seen him?
And when he did/does show up, will he sing
"Hey hey I'm the Monchi!
And people say I monkey around.
But I'm too busy signing
Wingers to play at this ground"
Mmmmmm🤔
Do you have a day job?
If so - we’ll you can guess the rest 😊
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Has Monchi arrived at the club.?
Anyone seen him?
And when he did/does show up, will he sing
"Hey hey I'm the Monchi!
And people say I monkey around.
But I'm too busy signing
Wingers to play at this ground"
Mmmmmm🤔
Do you have a day job?
If so - we’ll you can guess the rest 😊
Excellent.
In fact, here he comes, walking down the street.
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Lovely for us balds out there. A solid Monchi sighting
https://twitter.com/avfcofficial/status/1679131804022841347?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
(https://i.ibb.co/KbwjQnM/IMG-7847.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KbwjQnM)
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Lovely for us balds out there. A solid Monchi sighting
https://twitter.com/avfcofficial/status/1679131804022841347?s=46&t=0-BUXD66ovTcofwrbTW4Ag
(https://i.ibb.co/KbwjQnM/IMG-7847.jpg) (https://ibb.co/KbwjQnM)
Monchi looks cool as fuck, to be honest.
The three of them do.
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That picture says to me:
"None of us have come here to fuck about"
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That picture says to me:
"None of us have come here to fuck about"
It helps that Emery has a quasi-futuristic-evil-corp uniform on.
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The Don 8)
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Emery's a month older than me, and looks about 35 in that photo. The twat! ;)
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That picture says to me:
"None of us have come here to fuck about"
Monchi looks like he’s sent to collect overdue money by the mob, sits down and calmly listens to you beg for more time to pay, then without saying a word drives a knife clean through your hand and into the table below.
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Emery's a month older than me, and looks about 35 in that photo. The twat! ;)
Emery seems to be getting younger whereas most Villa managers age 10 years after 6 months in the hot seat ;)
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Emery's a month older than me, and looks about 35 in that photo. The twat! ;)
He does look very well, doesn't he!
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That picture says to me:
"None of us have come here to fuck about"
Monchi looks like he’s sent to collect overdue money by the mob, sits down and calmly listens to you beg for more time to pay, then without saying a word drives a knife clean through your hand and into the table below.
Excellent
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He wasn't really involved in either of our 2 signings so far, was he? Definitely not Tielemans, and I think Torres was agreed before he arrived too.
He's going to have to do something really impressive now with the next signing to prove he's worth it.
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He wasn't really involved in either of our 2 signings so far, was he? Definitely not Tielemans, and I think Torres was agreed before he arrived too.
He's going to have to do something really impressive now with the next signing to prove he's worth it.
Fucking hell you are a hard taskmaster!
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He wasn't really involved in either of our 2 signings so far, was he? Definitely not Tielemans, and I think Torres was agreed before he arrived too.
He's going to have to do something really impressive now with the next signing to prove he's worth it.
Moussa Diaby?
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Fucking hell you are a hard taskmaster!
In all seriousness though I was just thinking how hyped everyone was about him coming to work for us, and we've managed to do some really decent business without him, so I'm doubly hyped now to see what he can do.
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He wasn't really involved in either of our 2 signings so far, was he? Definitely not Tielemans, and I think Torres was agreed before he arrived too.
He's going to have to do something really impressive now with the next signing to prove he's worth it.
Moussa Diaby?
That'll do, pig. That'll do.
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Fabrizio thingy on Twitter reckons MD to Villa is nailed on.
Feather for Monchi if so! ( Everything crossed)
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Fabrizio thingy on Twitter reckons MD to Villa is nailed on.
Feather for Monchi if so! ( Everything crossed)
I work with a Leverkusen nut. Even has their club crest on his suit jacket!
Will be having a chat with him at lunch if I can find him in one of deepest darkest labs on campus 😂
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Fabrizio thingy on Twitter reckons MD to Villa is nailed on.
Feather for Monchi if so! ( Everything crossed)
I work with a Leverkusen nut. Even has their club crest on his suit jacket!
Will be having a chat with him at lunch if I can find him in one of deepest darkest labs on campus 😂
Get a proper assessment from him, I'm not getting mugged off by a youtube compilation again.
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I guess we can cross Isco off our transfer list!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12310157/Isco-claims-Aston-Villa-sporting-director-Monchi-grabbed-neck-assaulted-Sevilla-year-ex-Real-Madrid-star-shares-reasons-exit.html
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We haven't been subjected to such scenes since O'Neill squared-up to Reo-Coker at training and The Sun screamed "Nigel Reo-Choker".
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Monchi looks like a mob boss that would shoot his brother for looking at him the wrong way. I like it.
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He's known for his negotiating skills. No wonder, one stern look and you end up handing over the deeds to your house and your last will and testament.
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The tactics obviously worked as the player did indeed fuck off. I wouldn't be keen on repeating it with big Korts though
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The tactics obviously worked as the player did indeed fuck off. I wouldn't be keen on repeating it with big Korts though
Or big Keinan.
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Or big Phillipe
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They'll send him round to collect the money for the soon inforced cup scheme or he'll take your season card away
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I do not like the sound of a cup being forced in.
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Get in Monchi. Well done on getting Torres and now Diaby (almost) over the line.
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Need some of these trainers
(https://i.ibb.co/0hhQ07k/IMG-7916.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0hhQ07k)
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Need some of these trainers
(https://i.ibb.co/0hhQ07k/IMG-7916.jpg) (https://ibb.co/0hhQ07k)
Anyone else see that picture and have the Reservoir dogs theme tune in their head?
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So it appears it's Monchi transfer sales approach that sees sale of Ramsey. Clever.
Source is transfer exclusivity by Alan Nixon.
Burnley purchase of Ramsey is the idea of Monchi with buy back clause agreed.
Getting money in for the club but with a guarantee can bringback the home grown player
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Alan Nixon, the least reliable sports journalist out there.
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Alan Nixon, the least reliable sports journalist out there.
and has got the brass neck to try to charge for his rubbish.
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What? He's a special kind of ITK. Surely you can see that?
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Nixon is useful for stories related to clubs in the North West.
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Exactly and in particular. He's spot on with Burnley and Blackburn.
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He used to have a Blackburn connection, but you're going back 15 years. He scatterguns all sorts of rubbish these days.
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He’s a fossil. Left behind by more connected and relevant football journalists. He spouts stuff more for attention these days than anything concrete or accurate.
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(https://i.ibb.co/YDHqPnm/IMG-0108.jpg) (https://ibb.co/YDHqPnm)
And more to come says Monchi
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Bit bizarre that Alemany is leaving Barca in 2 weeks at the end of the window after turning us down. Maybe we dodged a bullet?
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Not getting on with Deco, apparently.
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So he did a Joe Bryan on us and ends up out on his arse anyway. Fuck him. We have Monchi.
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I wonder if we could still find a role for him?
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Not getting on with Deco, apparently.
Everyone detested him in The Commitments too. I see a pattern forming.
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I wonder if we could still find a role for him?
Nicky Keye's loss is still keenly felt.
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I wonder if we could still find a role for him?
Nicky Keye's loss is still keenly felt.
Putting an 's' on her surname is like putting an 'e' in Keinan Davis. (The Davis bit, you need one for Keinan, obvs)
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Sounds like Spudz want him now
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I wonder if we could still find a role for him?
Nicky Keye's loss is still keenly felt.
Putting an 's' on her surname is like putting an 'e' in Keinan Davis. (The Davis bit, you need one for Keinan, obvs)
She’s my mate’s ex and she bought one of my books. No idea if she read it.
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Nicky? Is she as great a person in real life as she was at the ticket office?
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Great job so far this window by Monchi to get all these deals done before June 30th. We have two lost two fringe players, and might also with Duran and will bring in a couple of prospects, an outstanding LB and experienced cover in Barkley. Once we get to July 1st I expect us to target proven quality players for first team positions. And we still need to move out the likes of Chambers, Archer, Donck etc.
But so far he’s earned his money getting all this done with his team and Unai.
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We haven’t signed anyone have we?
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We haven’t signed anyone have we?
Not officially no. But the incoming deals I am referring to are close to completion. Maatsen, the lads from Juve, Dobbin and Barkley.
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We might start talking to clubs about post-July targets this week, if we haven't already. There's always going to be a bit of a lag and the more time they get to spend with us during pre-season, the better.
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Yeah pre-June we're in our wheeling and dealing phase to make the accounts for PSR a sizeable net gain. Then we can hopefully pick up some of our main targets.
But that we have replaced one of Moreno and Digne (suspect Moreno) with one of Europe's best left backs, brought in cover/depth for Kamara, cover/depth for Diaby, Bailey or at full back with Iling, suggests we should hopefully have a strong window.
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Agree with TV and Ads, I like the cut of his jib so far.
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As Ads says, I think this is just the get us compliant/lay the foundations for big outlays phase and it looks like we’re navigating it reasonably well. July is going to be very interesting.
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Right now it's all about branding. If Carpet Head had sold Dougie for Ł20m (Total deal Ł46.5m) with a couple of kids thrown in I'd expect him to being getting pelters. Monchi does it and he's a genius.
FWIW I think to two young players will improve season on season and expect the season after next for both to be regular starters. At €15m a pop they're not cheap (unless you're Chelsea) but they should prove to be great investments.
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Right now it's all about branding. If Carpet Head had sold Dougie for Ł20m (Total deal Ł46.5m) with a couple of kids thrown in I'd expect him to being getting pelters. Monchi does it and he's a genius.
FWIW I think to two young players will improve season on season and expect the season after next for both to be regular starters. At €15m a pop they're not cheap (unless you're Chelsea) but they should prove to be great investments.
Who's Carpet Head?
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Carpet head = Stevie G (I think)
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Monchi's given-up his annual leave in June for the greater good. Fair play, like.
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Monchi's given-up his annual leave in June for the greater good. Fair play, like.
A bit like Father Christmas deciding to give up his December holidays.
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Right now it's all about branding. If Carpet Head had sold Dougie for Ł20m (Total deal Ł46.5m) with a couple of kids thrown in I'd expect him to being getting pelters. Monchi does it and he's a genius.
FWIW I think to two young players will improve season on season and expect the season after next for both to be regular starters. At €15m a pop they're not cheap (unless you're Chelsea) but they should prove to be great investments.
Who's Carpet Head?
Carpet Head = Legohead = Twat
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I don't quite see the Gerrard- Monchi comparsion. The reason why people feel a bit more confident about Monchi doing it is because Emery is the manager and not Gerrard.
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Our attempts at "Monchi work" under Gerrard was Purslow chucking suitcases of money at Coutinho (not due to stop for two more years unless reports of a contract-release are true).
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We're not selling Doug for Ł46m either.
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Right now it's all about branding. If Carpet Head had sold Dougie for Ł20m (Total deal Ł46.5m) with a couple of kids thrown in I'd expect him to being getting pelters. Monchi does it and he's a genius.
FWIW I think to two young players will improve season on season and expect the season after next for both to be regular starters. At €15m a pop they're not cheap (unless you're Chelsea) but they should prove to be great investments.
Who's Carpet Head?
Carpet Head = Legohead = Twat
Is Arteta not lego head? I mean, the result is the same.
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Trumpton hair, for those of us old enough to remember!
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Arteta is also Captain Black.
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We're not selling Doug for Ł46m either.
€15m + €15m + €25m = €55m
€55m converted to GBP is Ł46.49m
All fees have been reported in Euros since day one.
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We're not selling Doug for Ł46m either.
€15m + €15m + €25m = €55m
€55m converted to GBP is Ł46.49m
All fees have been reported in Euros since day one.
but no one has any idea what the 2 players are being valued at so you're still making a guess.
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We're not selling Doug for Ł46m either.
€15m + €15m + €25m = €55m
€55m converted to GBP is Ł46.49m
All fees have been reported in Euros since day one.
Nit what I've been reading. Deal is Ł60m.
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We're not selling Doug for Ł46m either.
€15m + €15m + €25m = €55m
€55m converted to GBP is Ł46.49m
All fees have been reported in Euros since day one.
Nit what I've been reading. Deal is Ł60m.
Ok, keep your hair on.
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He's been combing the transfer websites
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That post was in Geordie.
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Arteta is also Captain Black.
...which makes Gerrard Captain Cońo
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We're not selling Doug for Ł46m either.
€15m + €15m + €25m = €55m
€55m converted to GBP is Ł46.49m
All fees have been reported in Euros since day one.
Nit what I've been reading. Deal is Ł60m.
Ok, keep your hair on.
Yeah, I’m sure they’ve been through the figures with a fine-toothed comb.
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We're not selling Doug for Ł46m either.
€15m + €15m + €25m = €55m
€55m converted to GBP is Ł46.49m
All fees have been reported in Euros since day one.
Nit what I've been reading. Deal is Ł60m.
Ok, keep your hair on.
Yeah, I’m sure they’ve been through the figures with a fine-toothed comb.
Nurse!
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He's been combing the transfer websites
Ahem!!!!!
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He's been combing the transfer websites
Ahem!!!!!
:-X
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Arteta is also Captain Black.
...which makes Gerrard Captain Cońo
More like Captain Cunto!
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Disappointed we haven’t signed or sold anyone today. Monchi overrated as VillaTim would say.
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Hair today gone tomorrow.
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A little more interesting from Damian as his english is better.
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Really interesting listen 👍
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"We don't need to have a meeting because every day we have a meeting".
I love that philosophy. I get it! Monchi is zen.
I appreciate how straight-talking Damian is. A pity Stelling and Townsend don't have the intellect to press him with specific questions and not generalities. I bet they did fuck-all research too and wouldn't have paid much attention to our selling of Luiz and Diaby.
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"We don't need to have a meeting because every day we have a meeting".
I love that philosophy. I get it! Monchi is zen.
I appreciate how straight-talking Damian is. A pity Stelling and Townsend don't have the intellect to press him with specific questions and not generalities. I bet they did fuck-all research too and wouldn't have paid much attention to our selling of Luiz and Diaby.
Oh, come on, that’s unfair! They got what colour toast out of McGinn.
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Good read about the process Monchi, Unai and co took to bring the new players in.
Monchi.
Exclusive: Shrewd Spanish operator on the twin challenges of helping Unai Emery prepare for Champions League and navigating PSR.
Monchi - Monchi lifts the lid on Aston Villa's transfer strategy: 'We start with 500 players of interest'
Monchi says building the Aston Villa squad is his 'obsession'
It was at the start of June that Aston Villa’s president of football operations, Ramón Rodriguez Verdejo, known to everybody bar his mother as Monchi, gave supporters a teaser of the busy summer that has followed.
In a picture he posted on social media with the message “Work day. Up the Villa”, Monchi was sitting around a table in Madrid with head coach Unai Emery, director of football operations Damian Vidagany and scouts Alberto Benito and Pablo Rodriguez.
But what really caught the eye of Villa fans was the file marked ‘Aston Villa players of interest’ that lay open in front of Emery, as the club’s transfer committee plotted how best to prepare the squad for Champions League football.
“I’m not sure exactly, but when we start, we have maybe 500 players [of interest],” said Monchi. “Normally, we have 20, 25, 30, 35 in every position. But every step it’s reduced and then in the end there’s a shortlist with maybe eight or 10 players for every position.”
Aston Villa players of interest
The social media post that got Aston Villa fans excited: on the table sits a folder marked 'Aston Villa players of interest'
‘We need to make another step’
By his own admission, this summer has been one of the most challenging of Monchi’s career as he has attempted to help Emery get Villa ready for the Champions League while balancing the need to work within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability (PSR) rules and Europe’s financial guidelines.
Monchi is one of football’s shrewdest transfer operators, which is perhaps best proved by his work at Sevilla where he helped the club win 11 trophies. When he spoke to Telegraph Sport during 45 fascinating minutes at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground, Villa had signed eight players during the summer window and sold or loaned out 17.
“It’s very difficult because when you qualify for the Champions League you might think ‘OK, it’s finished’,” said Monchi, who has been at Villa for just over a year and lives with his family in the centre of Birmingham. “No it’s not finished, we need to make another step. The most difficult thing is not to arrive, but to stay, to remain in the Champions League.
“We were very clear where we wanted to work in the squad. In our opinion, and Unai is the one who decides, we needed to increase the level of the squad in three points: Physical, first. A younger squad, and to have a more complete squad, so Unai can have more options.
“When you play in the Champions League, it’s very difficult because you need to have 20 to 21 players at the same level. You might play on Wednesday in Paris against Paris Saint-Germain and then you need to play against Crystal Palace, and you need to have the same level because both games are very difficult. Unai needs to have the option to maybe choose two different starting XIs, but with the same level. This objective, in my head, is an obsession, to build a squad with a similar level in the different profiles and positions. It’s very difficult.”
‘It’s true, we work with a big file’
Midfielder Amadou Onana is Villa’s biggest signing of the summer, arriving in a deal worth Ł50 million, and referring back to June’s transfer meeting that was captured on camera, Monchi said: “Unai was on holiday, so it was easier to have a meeting in Madrid because the other guys, Pablo and Alberto, live in Spain.
“For this moment, for the midfield, Unai wanted a physical player that plays well with the ball. We worked in this direction with many names and in the end we signed Onana. He’s a top player, he played in England, his adaptation is easier. But it’s true we work with a big file.”
Ross Barkley has returned to Villa from Luton Town, having spent a season on loan at the club four years ago.
“With Ross, it was a personal decision from Unai,” said Monchi. “Together with me, but Unai wanted him 100 per cent because he knows him after playing against Luton twice.
“Unai wanted this profile. A player who is physically good, technical, plays well and can fight. And with experience because we need to play in the Champions League and we need to have some mature players.
“Ross, when we had the first meeting with him at the Belfry Hotel, he was very, very happy to come back. And for me and Unai, that is very important when a player has a desire to play in our club. It’s the first important step. He’s a different profile than we have in the squad. Not Onana, not [Boubacar] Kamara, not [John] McGinn, not [Youri] Tielemans. He is, technical and physical, maybe the most complete player. He can play as a six, a No 8, maybe a No 10.”
Jaden Philogene-Bidace is another player to have returned to Villa Park, albeit in very different circumstances to Barkley. Monchi inserted a matching rights clause into the deal that took the winger to Hull City last summer, which the club triggered after Ipswich Town and Everton made moves for him.
“With Jaden, it’s an interesting story,” said Monchi. “When he left the club last season, maybe not every day, but every week, Unai would say to me: ‘Monchi, maybe we’ve made a mistake to sell Jaden.’ Because he played very well for Hull and every week, it was: ‘Monchi…’ I would say: ‘OK, Unai, but we have the possibility to bring him back.’
“When we had the possibility, we didn’t have any doubts and we fought to sign him. We are very happy because he’s a top player and he’s homegrown, he’s an academy player for the Champions League. An interesting profile for many situations.”
‘PSR is not working in the right way’
Villa have balanced their incomings with some high-profile outgoings, such as Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, which Monchi admits were influenced in part by the profit and sustainability rules that he believes need modifying.
“We agree there must be controls because we need sustainability,” he said. “I don’t see many clubs more sustainable than Aston Villa. We have no debt and we have solid and committed owners.
“In my opinion, any financial control must preserve the right of every club to have ambition and to be competitive. The rules need to be fair and not work to the advantage of some clubs over other clubs.
“I think the Premier League knows that because they want to change the rules next year. But it is strange to accept that the system is not working, but still enforce the rules for one more year.
“PSR currently is not working in the right way if the system forces the clubs to sell academy players, inflate the cost and protects the highest revenue clubs, not considering the debt of the clubs.
“It’s true that PSR and the Uefa rules [squad cost ratio] were the primary motivation for the Douglas Luiz and Diaby sales because we needed the profit. But I must say that Unai, me and Damian thought it was the moment to sell them to invest the money in other players, and it was possible to replace them.
“This is what I have done, in my history, when I work in Sevilla. The level of Sevilla increased by selling players, to buy players, to sell players. I think that is the way to increase our level.
“Diaby is a situation because he had a big offer for him and for us it was a good offer because we invested a lot of money when we bought him from Bayer Leverkusen. Maybe our first idea was not to sell him, but when a good offer arrived, we studied it and made a decision.”
The Ł19 million sale of 18-year-old Omari Kellyman to Chelsea undoubtedly gave Villa some PSR breathing space, but there was one academy graduate the club did not contemplate cashing in – no matter how much it might have helped the books.
“If we wanted to sell Jacob Ramsey, we would have sold him already because we had different offers from different clubs,” said Monchi. “But Unai has big confidence in him and I think that Jacob can continue to improve his level. Last season was difficult for him because of three injuries, but Unai thinks that with Jacob, Aston Villa is the best thing. He’s convinced 100 per cent that Jacob’s level will increase this season.”
‘Aston Villa is a family’
The success or otherwise of Villa’s summer deals will be important to whether or not the club can maintain their upward trajectory under Emery. But, just as important in Monchi’s view, is the culture he has helped to cultivate.
During the pre-season tour of the United States, Villa co-owner Wes Edens hosted an upmarket reception to toast the achievements of last season and look forward to the new campaign, which all 70 club employees who had travelled were invited to attend.
“This is the spirit and reflects what Aston Villa is, a family,” said Monchi. “The difference between the teams is not far. Manchester City maybe, Real Madrid. But between Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester United, Aston Villa, the difference is in the small things.
“I was a goalkeeper at Sevilla and in the 1992/93 season, I had a coach, [Carlos] Bilardo. He had a philosophy that success is in the small things. It’s easier to find success if we all want the same. If someone goes to the left and another goes to the right, it doesn’t work.
“If you want to go fast, you can’t go alone. If you need to go far, you need to work together. It’s been my mentality for the last 25 years and I won 11 trophies with this mentality.”
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Thanks for posting that Tuscans. Good read.
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Thanks for posting that Tuscans. Good read.
Aye it was pretty insightful and interesting that. From the Times.
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Monchi:
"We navigated two distinct phases in this transfer window. Pre-June 30 was about addressing financial fair play concerns, while post-June 30 shifted focus to assembling the best squad conceivable. The last week of June was particularly tough as the stakes couldn’t have been higher.”
Monchi suggested to sell either Watkins or Martinez could simplify PSR challenges.
Maybe that is why it took so long for the Douglas Luiz deal and that went through last minute because there was debate on which player to sell.
It's know Ramsey had offers but Emery wasn't looking to sell him.
And it's also now being revealed there were offers again for Emi Martinez.
Also if Monchi was trying to shift these players does this impact Watkins no show over pre season ? Was there a idea to protect the asset.
And what of Duran? Monchi ultimately failed selling him before ethe deadline.
And Carlos. If those two were sold would have allowed few more incomings.
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I think you need to reread that
He said selling either of those players would have solved the problem.
It’s a hypothetical situation. One which you don’t really need to be Monchi to understand.
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Well the complications in the deal for Luiz and the Juventus exchange players led to us having to settle on a Spanish speaking Barrenechea who wasn't first choice. The point being Monchi could communicate with them quicker to get the deal through.
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Why can't I give my views, theories and ideas without being criticized. Just because you have different ideas doesn't mean it's stupid.
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Deleted, i honestly cant be bothered.
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Why can't I give my views, theories and ideas without being criticized. Just because you have different ideas doesn't mean it's stupid.
Different ideas aren't necessarily stupid. Stupid ideas are though.
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Why can't I give my views, theories and ideas without being criticized. Just because you have different ideas doesn't mean it's stupid.
That is very true, Footy, it doesn't make different ideas stupid.
However in this case, you really are talking absolute nonsense.
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Unai having a few pics with the fans....
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GXnugbDXwAAQuN9?format=jpg&name=large)
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Well the complications in the deal for Luiz and the Juventus exchange players led to us having to settle on a Spanish speaking Barrenechea who wasn't first choice. The point being Monchi could communicate with them quicker to get the deal through.
Footy there one of the reasons
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us having to settle on a Spanish speaking Barrenechea who wasn't first choice. The point being Monchi could communicate with them quicker to get the deal through.
Surely Monchi could chose any player he wanted irrespective of language spoken, and just use Python 3.11.
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Unai having a few pics with the fans....
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GXnugbDXwAAQuN9?format=jpg&name=large)
Tracksuits just don't suit some people.
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Monchi: “I plan the transfer market with a scouting department & a data department. Data is important but not infallible. We have to shorten the time taken to make decisions & reduce the margin of error. We oversee approximately 32 championships divided into three levels (Class A, B & C). Argentina is class A..
“The coach chooses the profiles he needs, not the names. We select a list, we refine it to around 15 players & at that stage I sit down with Emery & we choose 4/5. With those I start to negotiate to see conditions, salary, possibility of leaving etc. From there, the chosen one finally comes out..”
“Money opens up opportunities but it doesn’t bring you success. Aston Villa have invested a lot, but they are also one of the biggest earners. We reinvested what we had generated, but we are still a long way from the clubs that dominate English football..”
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Argentina is class A..
David Cootes perked up at that point
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Unai having a few pics with the fans....
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GXnugbDXwAAQuN9?format=jpg&name=large)
Tracksuits just don't suit some people.
I have a very similar picture of when me and a mate met Micheal Atherton - lets put it this way - Im not Monchi or Unai
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What do people make of Monchi moves in the summer and now his attempts this window?
Likes of Bade and Foyth were attempted moves where he drew on already established contacts.
He's also been talking to Chelsea operatives like he talked to Chelsea in the summer to arrange dealings.
He also likes to get players to sign a new contract and then we send then move them out on loan , wise to be protecting assets.
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What do people make of Monchi moves in the summer and now his attempts this window?
Likes of Bade and Foyth were attempted moves where he drew on already established contacts.
He's also been talking to Chelsea operatives like he talked to Chelsea in the summer to arrange dealings.
He also likes to get players to sign a new contract and then we send then move them out on loan , wise to be protecting assets.
Less than impressed with our summer transfer window. I'll wait and see how this one pans out.
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What do people make of Monchi moves in the summer and now his attempts this window?
Likes of Bade and Foyth were attempted moves where he drew on already established contacts.
He's also been talking to Chelsea operatives like he talked to Chelsea in the summer to arrange dealings.
He also likes to get players to sign a new contract and then we send then move them out on loan , wise to be protecting assets.
Haven't a clue at the moment because he's giving me severe migraines
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Unai having a few pics with the fans....
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GXnugbDXwAAQuN9?format=jpg&name=large)
Tracksuits just don't suit some people.
I'm almost certainly repeating this story, but a (good) few years back, I went to go and watch Hereford United vs Small Heath in a pre-season friendly at Edgar Street. Before the game, we'd been chatting away on the terrace to this old boy. One of the first things he'd said to us, was "Arr, they call this The Meadow End [long pause] they named it after a field [silence]". All said with this kind of air that he was passing over some important information known only by a select few Hereford fans.
Anyway, the other came during the warm up. We were watching the players running up and down, and he was saying "That one there's such-and-such, winger, we bought him from Random FC" and the like. Anyway, as he was talking noticed this bloke in a tracksuit on the pitch. Didn't really suit him as he was kind of round-shaped, looked like he enjoyed a cream cake or two. He was also leaning up against the goalpost, chain smoking fags, occasionally shouting at the players. My mate asked who he was, and the old boy said "Oh, him - he's been here for years ... he's the fitness coach". Again, this was all completely serious - he wasn't trying to joke or anything. Really struggled to keep my face straight.
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Can we add new chief recruitment person to our list please between now and the summer. Monchi seems to think running the squad thinner and thinner each window is the way forward. He seems utterly incapable of actually strengthening us.
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Next few days will be highly indicative of whether he’s any good or has any meaningful connections.
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I fear he's bloody clueless at the moment. The only 2 that's actually start that we've signed since he came are Youri and Rogers, both Unai players. Add in that Barkley was also Unai and the other one getting himself into the side, the Monchi signings are looking fairly expensive without actually strengthening us. 2 years in we're mainly using Gerard and Dean Smith's team. Unai is a bloody genius, but he's having to do everything himself. He's carrying Monchi. Save his wages.
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It's ok to criticise Monchi but Emery has said they all work together on identiyfing players to sign. If we are weaker come Monday night then all of them (including Damien) should be fair game.
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They all identify. It's his job to go and get the job done. If I didn't successfully go and purchase the services my business requires in budget to time after they had been identified, and it affected the end product, I'd be in trouble. He seems very ineffective.
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I fear he's bloody clueless at the moment. The only 2 that's actually start that we've signed since he came are Youri and Rogers, both Unai players. Add in that Barkley was also Unai and the other one getting himself into the side, the Monchi signings are looking fairly expensive without actually strengthening us. 2 years in we're mainly using Gerard and Dean Smith's team. Unai is a bloody genius, but he's having to do everything himself. He's carrying Monchi. Save his wages.
I think this is very short sighted. A big part of what Monchi is doing is lowering the age profile of the squad which means a lot of the signings are players that wouldn't necessarily be expected to come in and start every game immediately. Maatsen, Ned, Garcia, Onana, Turkish fella are all players signed with an eye on the next season or 2 as much as now. That's what I want the recruitment team focusing on. If Emery wants someone immediately then great, go get them, but he can't be the guy plucking players from youth teams or lower/smaller leagues.
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They all identify. It's his job to go and get the job done. If I didn't successfully go and purchase the services my business requires in budget to time after they had been identified, and it affected the end product, I'd be in trouble. He seems very ineffective.
we haven't been docked any points. I'm sure it's a nightmare staying on the right side of that and we escaped last summer by the skin of our bollocks. The whole PSR thing has made things a nightmare.
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In fairness to him he’s also done a good job renewing key contracts - but he/they need to make bloody sure we have another centre half and forward in come the end of Monday.
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Maatsen was an ffp fudge deal, I'd be amazed if he's here in 18 months time.
Ned, agreed one for the future.
Garcia, considering Cash is made of glass has to be a now and future, so we'll judge that in the next few weeks.
Onana... Hmmm. He's hot and cold, but cost Ł10m more than the guy he replaced and is technically nowhere near his level. I like Onana, but he's not either consistently fit enough, or in the game enough, to warrant the money paid. Which Everton fans all said.
Turk - has he even signed? Hopefully he'll be decent.
I don't think Onana and Maatsen took much imagination or scouting. Was that Ł85m well spent?
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Maatsen was an ffp fudge deal, I'd be amazed if he's here in 18 months time.
Ned, agreed one for the future.
Garcia, considering Cash is made of glass has to be a now and future, so we'll judge that in the next few weeks.
Onana... Hmmm. He's hot and cold, but cost Ł10m more than the guy he replaced and is technically nowhere near his level. I like Onana, but he's not either consistently fit enough, or in the game enough, to warrant the money paid. Which Everton fans all said.
Turk - has he even signed? Hopefully he'll be decent.
I don't think Onana and Maatsen took much imagination or scouting. Was that Ł85m well spent?
I think you’re probably overreaching a bit. Maatsen was in the Champions League team of the year and he’s shown a lot of potential. Onana when fit has been really good, and it’s atypical with his career to have so many injuries.
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Paul_e and Toronto, you both make good points, but if we finish the window as we are, no amount of long term planning or squad management, or any spin is going to disguise the fact that we’ve effectively decided to throw away a season where we’ve got into the knock out stages of the champions league (for the first time in 4 decades) with a good draw, still in the FA Cup and still have a decent chance of qualifying for next seasons champions league with the fluctuations in the league. That for a bit of cash for Duran and Carlos, not fixing the right back issue (unrealistic to rely on the championship level Spanish kid), lack of centre back coverage and swapping a Dortmund reserve for Philogean would be unambitious at best. Negligent and poor management at worst. Factor that in with the increased ticket prices as the justification to compete.
But, there’s still time before the window shuts to at least address some of the issues before we try and find Kourtney Hause’s number or check out what Samatta is up to.
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Paul_e and Toronto, you both make good points, but if we finish the window as we are, no amount of long term planning or squad management, or any spin is going to disguise the fact that we’ve effectively decided to throw away a season where we’ve got into the knock out stages of the champions league (for the first time in 4 decades) with a good draw, still in the FA Cup and still have a decent chance of qualifying for next seasons champions league with the fluctuations in the league. That for a bit of cash for Duran and Carlos, not fixing the right back issue (unrealistic to rely on the championship level Spanish kid), lack of centre back coverage and swapping a Dortmund reserve for Philogean would be unambitious at best. Negligent and poor management at worst. Factor that in with the increased ticket prices as the justification to compete.
But, there’s still time before the window shuts to at least address some of the issues before we try and find Kourtney Hause’s number or check out what Samatta is up to.
If we finish the window with no new signings then yes it will have been a disaster, but Emery is on record today as saying the plan is to get 2 or 3 in. so we can't make that call yet.
What we can say though is that of the players that have left this window the only one that is a big loss is Duran, the rest were either underwhelming or rarely played.
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Maatsen was an ffp fudge deal, I'd be amazed if he's here in 18 months time.
Ned, agreed one for the future.
Garcia, considering Cash is made of glass has to be a now and future, so we'll judge that in the next few weeks.
Onana... Hmmm. He's hot and cold, but cost Ł10m more than the guy he replaced and is technically nowhere near his level. I like Onana, but he's not either consistently fit enough, or in the game enough, to warrant the money paid. Which Everton fans all said.
Turk - has he even signed? Hopefully he'll be decent.
I don't think Onana and Maatsen took much imagination or scouting. Was that Ł85m well spent?
I think you’re probably overreaching a bit. Maatsen was in the Champions League team of the year and he’s shown a lot of potential. Onana when fit has been really good, and it’s atypical with his career to have so many injuries.
Not sure what I've said there that's not fair Paul. I like Maatsen but he's not anywhere near Digne as a left back. Left winger he'd be ace, but for the money, for the position, we'd have been way smarter to get Chalobah for example in the Kellyman FFP deal.
Onana, as said, I like him. Ł50 million... We've been had. Ł30-35 tops.
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Paul_e and Toronto, you both make good points, but if we finish the window as we are, no amount of long term planning or squad management, or any spin is going to disguise the fact that we’ve effectively decided to throw away a season where we’ve got into the knock out stages of the champions league (for the first time in 4 decades) with a good draw, still in the FA Cup and still have a decent chance of qualifying for next seasons champions league with the fluctuations in the league. That for a bit of cash for Duran and Carlos, not fixing the right back issue (unrealistic to rely on the championship level Spanish kid), lack of centre back coverage and swapping a Dortmund reserve for Philogean would be unambitious at best. Negligent and poor management at worst. Factor that in with the increased ticket prices as the justification to compete.
But, there’s still time before the window shuts to at least address some of the issues before we try and find Kourtney Hause’s number or check out what Samatta is up to.
If we finish the window with no new signings then yes it will have been a disaster, but Emery is on record today as saying the plan is to get 2 or 3 in. so we can't make that call yet.
What we can say though is that of the players that have left this window the only one that is a big loss is Duran, the rest were either underwhelming or rarely played.
Agreed. I was hardly a fan of Carlos but would rather have him than nobody. Sublime as Kamara is, moving him to centre back removes our best midfielder.
There’s still time but we have had a few games short now which is far from ideal. Even Bunedia could have been useful as evidenced by his performance away at Monaco. It would be lunacy if we’d have let him go on loan only (with no obligation to buy) for a few quid and have no replacement.
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Nah Maatsen’s young and has all the talent, he’s already very good and he can kick on.
Onana has everything as a midfielder, if he stays fit and I’m sure he will at some point we’ll see that.
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He did get in the Champions League team of the year as a left back, though. He can't be no mug there.
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Nah Maatsen’s young and has all the talent, he’s already very good and he can kick on.
Onana has everything as a midfielder, if he stays fit and I’m sure he will at some point we’ll see that.
Yep, I agree I think those 2 will be very good players for us over the next few years.
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Maatsen was an ffp fudge deal, I'd be amazed if he's here in 18 months time.
Ned, agreed one for the future.
Garcia, considering Cash is made of glass has to be a now and future, so we'll judge that in the next few weeks.
Onana... Hmmm. He's hot and cold, but cost Ł10m more than the guy he replaced and is technically nowhere near his level. I like Onana, but he's not either consistently fit enough, or in the game enough, to warrant the money paid. Which Everton fans all said.
Turk - has he even signed? Hopefully he'll be decent.
I don't think Onana and Maatsen took much imagination or scouting. Was that Ł85m well spent?
Emery clearly doesn't agree re KN. We paid quite a bit of money for him and were scouting him for some time. If he can't be an effective backup for Cash this season of all seasons then I really don't think he will ever make it with us. I think Garcia's signing confirms it.
Maatsen from playing in a CL final last season, the odd cameo aside, has been disappointing. He's further away now from displacing Digne than he was at the start of the season.
Onana was a poor signing from day 1. Injuries aside, he has nowhere near the quality of either Luiz or Kamara. That's the level that got us CL football.
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Maatsen was an ffp fudge deal, I'd be amazed if he's here in 18 months time.
Ned, agreed one for the future.
Garcia, considering Cash is made of glass has to be a now and future, so we'll judge that in the next few weeks.
Onana... Hmmm. He's hot and cold, but cost Ł10m more than the guy he replaced and is technically nowhere near his level. I like Onana, but he's not either consistently fit enough, or in the game enough, to warrant the money paid. Which Everton fans all said.
Turk - has he even signed? Hopefully he'll be decent.
I don't think Onana and Maatsen took much imagination or scouting. Was that Ł85m well spent?
Emery clearly doesn't agree re KN. We paid quite a bit of money for him and were scouting him for some time. If he can't be an effective backup for Cash this season of all seasons then I really don't think he will ever make it with us. I think Garcia's signing confirms it.
Maatsen from playing in a CL final last season, the odd cameo aside, has been disappointing. He's further away now from displacing Digne than he was at the start of the season.
Onana was a poor signing from day 1. Injuries aside, he has nowhere near the quality of either Luiz or Kamara. That's the level that got us CL football.
he's just turned 19, writing him off after half a season is about as ridiculous as your player ratings.
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I’d avoid being too hasty on those. I suspect a good number of people were calling Digne out as not worth the money etc. Onana absolutely has it and Maatsen has already player a key role in a team getting to the Champions League final. They are both young, and have been at the club 6 months. They’re not bad signings because one has been unlucky with injuries and the other is playing in oa role where the incumbent has been exceptional.
Doesn’t change the fact we have left ourselves exposed going into the last couple of days of the window, and that needs addressing, but there’s some real talent that’s joined the club.
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Diego Carlos wanted to move in the summer and wanted to move in January. We couldn’t find a deal and 7 months on a few injuries added on we found a deal for the glass giant. It was absolutely the right thing to do to sell him for decent money and remove his massive wages.
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Agreed. But we knew for 7 months we needed to replace him, and we're now playing our best midfielder at centre half. That's pretty poor planning
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All our current issues are not new and have been there for awhile. The squad we had at the start of the season is the squad we budgeted for, presumably within PSR and that’s before accounting for the win bonuses from champions league games.
Now, I thought with Carlos, we had decided not to sell him to Fulham in the summer because we couldn’t get a replacement in place first? If this correct, then it would seem weird to do it in January and for a lot cheaper (Ł15m vs Ł8.5m??).
Edit: or was that Carlos wouldn’t go to Fulham so we were stuck with him?
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Whatever happens now it’s obvious we’ve been reactive not proactive this window and that’s down to Monchi. As was only signing players from English clubs in the summer with the exception of the two Juventus cast offs.
He’s been underwhelming to say the least and compares v unfavourably with Lange and Smith.
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Whatever happens now it’s obvious we’ve been reactive not proactive this window and that’s down to Monchi. As was only signing players from English clubs in the summer with the exception of the two Juventus cast offs.
He’s been underwhelming to say the least and compares v unfavourably with Lange and Smith.
Lange's parting gift just made us Ł50m, and really could have gone for more.
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Whatever happens now it’s obvious we’ve been reactive not proactive this window and that’s down to Monchi. As was only signing players from English clubs in the summer with the exception of the two Juventus cast offs.
He’s been underwhelming to say the least and compares v unfavourably with Lange and Smith.
Far too soon for this kind of statement. Mastsen and Onana are signings for the next few years, Barkley has been good. We dont know about Malen yet.
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Agreed. But we knew for 7 months we needed to replace him, and we're now playing our best midfielder at centre half. That's pretty poor planning
No, that's because our two first choice LCB are injured.
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And people have no idea whether the Duran sale is pro or re active. I suspect we cashed in at the right time to the right place.
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Agreed. But we knew for 7 months we needed to replace him, and we're now playing our best midfielder at centre half. That's pretty poor planning
No, that's because our two first choice LCB are injured.
One who's coming back from a terrible injury, the other who was injured at the start of this window. There has been plenty of time to sort a centre half this month.
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Agreed. But we knew for 7 months we needed to replace him, and we're now playing our best midfielder at centre half. That's pretty poor planning
No, that's because our two first choice LCB are injured.
And both will be back in the next few weeks. Mings probably sooner. The other thing is we are trying to convince a CB to join us really to be back up. That’s not so easy at the top end in January. Likely why Diasi has stalled. Back up at Chelsea to back up with us. Why move home and from his mates for that? And we think Bade turned us down for that reason.
I reckon we finally get Joao Felix and Malen becomes the back up striker. And we will get the back up CB but might not be who we really wanted.
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Disasi being held up will be to do with us trying to get Felix.
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Not sure how I feel about Monchi shooting his mouth off on Spanish radio about some of the Duran money being needed to balance the books and the "love" and "desire" Emery has for Asensio and Felix.
Our PR fella, the Scottish bloke, presumably wouldn't recommend our figureheads be so revealing in what they say during regular press conferences. Monchi's comments give the air of someone who thinks he can chat casually to Spanish journalists he's familiar with in Spain without realising it will get picked-up by Villa fans/the UK media.
Just seems amateur, showing our hand publicly when there's no need to do so. It puts more pressure on himself and the club to land players as good as these by Monday night.
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Not sure how I feel about Monchi shooting his mouth off on Spanish radio about some of the Duran money being needed to balance the books and the "love" and "desire" Emery has for Asensio and Felix.
Know what you mean, but our excessively high wages to revenue ratio is public knowledge, isn’t it?
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Disasi being held up will be to do with us trying to get Felix.
You reckon it’s a BOGOF deal.
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I’m not this is too much to with planning, but more to do with these financial regulations. Once upon a time, especially under MON we could keep buying players regardless of moving people on. Or for many years we’ve sold players for peanuts.
It’s now all about the right deals for players coming and going and the line is very fine on what we are actually allowed to do without breaching the rules.
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Not sure how I feel about Monchi shooting his mouth off on Spanish radio about some of the Duran money being needed to balance the books and the "love" and "desire" Emery has for Asensio and Felix.
Know what you mean, but our excessively high wages to revenue ratio is public knowledge, isn’t it?
Might just be a ploy. Other clubs know what we got for Duran and will try and add 10m or 20m onto any future deal. Hence, Monchi pleads poverty!!
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Diego Carlos wanted to move in the summer and wanted to move in January. We couldn’t find a deal and 7 months on a few injuries added on we found a deal for the glass giant. It was absolutely the right thing to do to sell him for decent money and remove his massive wages.
Agreed.
We're stronger now than at the start of the window, IMO.
Malen for Philogene - can cover the Duran bit part sub role n'all. And we now know Kamara can step in and play centre back to good effect on the few occasions he may be called upon as back up. Our main centre backs aren't injured for the rest of the season.
I'd rather have Kamara filling in than Carlos.
We've got at least Ł70 million bunce to play with as well, so I'd expect at least two incomings (three might be pushing it at this late juncture).
Into the knockout stages of the CL - despite Monchi et al being so inept at this transfer malarkey.
I'm fairly certain that our next starting XI and bench in the next CL game (and the next league game after Wolves) will look a lot better than the one we've had for the last two games.
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How does all that make us stronger when, to take one element alone, gone is one of the most promising strikers in European football and in is the option of using Malen?
And just the one fit CB but it’s alright we can play our best midfielder there. What about midfield?
It doesn’t pass even the most cursory glance
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Stronger?? That's taking trying to be positive to the next level.
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I think he may mean when everyone is fit. At the moment, obviously not.
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Monchi, rhymes with Donkey. That's how he's performed over the last 2 windows. Emery's magic is holding this all together. Heck, Corner routine man, Monchi, the lot of them. They're all relying on the brilliance of Emery. Without him they'd be floundering and found wanting.
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We’re not stronger, that’s just evidently not true. We have 1 fit centre back.
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Even then, I'd respectfully disagree that we're stronger.
It's a big ask for Malen to come in and cover Duran's supersub role, one of the best mins to goals in prem history wasn't it?
Philogene contributed next to nothing, so Malen is likely an upgrade there.
Little Emi and Carlos out, with no replacements yet. We might end up stronger if we bring some quality in, we might not, so at the moment it's an odd call, imo.
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Monchi, rhymes with Donkey. That's how he's performed over the last 2 windows. Emery's magic is holding this all together. Heck, Corner routine man, Monchi, the lot of them. They're all relying on the brilliance of Emery. Without him they'd be floundering and found wanting.
That 'Donkey' has just got us Ł70m for a player who has had one good half season and not far off Ł80m on a few youth players.
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After selling one. That was our choice. We had 2 games where we've had a left back and a midfielder as a centre back and that's been our choice made for us by our transfer dealings. Not injuries. It's a shit position to have put ourselves in and we are one injury away from playing wingers as strikers too.
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The talk was Kamara may be able to play CB because he'd played a few games there for Marseille in the early stages of his career.
We now know he can do it at a high level, in a pressure game when we need to get a result, if required.
It's not a desirable long term solution because of what we'd lose in the centre of the park, true. But we coped without him there for most of the second half of last season and the early part of this season - and still finished 4th and got decent results in the early part of this campaign.
I have little > no faith that Carlos would have been the solution in any sort of crisis. Quite the opposite. His clown show moments -which he seemed to save for the most crucial part of a game - would've poured petrol on the flames.
Glad he's gone, but get that people still pine for Diego, Diego, Diego based on two good games against Arsenal last year and one against Citeh. They were very much the exception rather than the norm based on his time with us.
Malen has a better goalscoring output than Philogene and Duran combined.
Plus Emery seems confident he'll be getting up to three more in.
We're stronger now compared to Jan 1. And will get stronger yet.
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Monchi, rhymes with Donkey. That's how he's performed over the last 2 windows. Emery's magic is holding this all together. Heck, Corner routine man, Monchi, the lot of them. They're all relying on the brilliance of Emery. Without him they'd be floundering and found wanting.
That 'Donkey' has just got us Ł70m for a player who has had one good half season.
Haven't most people on here been saying he's a Ł100m player? He's a donkey. Duran sold himself. It hasn't been some kind of expert wrangling that has gotten us over the odds.
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Monchi, rhymes with Donkey. That's how he's performed over the last 2 windows. Emery's magic is holding this all together. Heck, Corner routine man, Monchi, the lot of them. They're all relying on the brilliance of Emery. Without him they'd be floundering and found wanting.
That 'Donkey' has just got us Ł70m for a player who has had one good half season.
Haven't most people on here been saying he's a Ł100m player? He's a donkey. Duran sold himself. It hasn't been some kind of expert wrangling that has gotten us over the odds.
Good to see you know the in's and out's of our contract negotiations.
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I do find it a little amusing that the seasoned, experienced, knowledgeable, influential and powerful people running our club, are really just donkeys, wasters, unprofessional and naive.
It makes you wonder how they ever managed to scrape a living together in the football world.
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Monchi, rhymes with Donkey. That's how he's performed over the last 2 windows. Emery's magic is holding this all together. Heck, Corner routine man, Monchi, the lot of them. They're all relying on the brilliance of Emery. Without him they'd be floundering and found wanting.
That 'Donkey' has just got us Ł70m for a player who has had one good half season.
Haven't most people on here been saying he's a Ł100m player? He's a donkey. Duran sold himself. It hasn't been some kind of expert wrangling that has gotten us over the odds.
Good to see you know the in's and out's of our contract negotiations.
Ok, you're right. Duran's worth Ł20m but Monchi haggled them up....
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I do find it a little amusing that the seasoned, experienced, knowledgeable, influential and powerful people running our club, are really just donkeys, wasters, unprofessional and naive.
It makes you wonder how they ever managed to scrape a living together in the football world.
It's silly isnt it? Well, they know best obviously.
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I do find it a little amusing that the seasoned, experienced, knowledgeable, influential and powerful people running our club, are really just donkeys, wasters, unprofessional and naive.
It makes you wonder how they ever managed to scrape a living together in the football world.
Everyone in the football world isn't genius level experts in their field. The game is littered with fools. Hello Steven Gerrard. This whole thing is supported by Emery. He is the genius level expert.
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That might be true, but you’re entirely guessing.
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Monchi, rhymes with Donkey. That's how he's performed over the last 2 windows. Emery's magic is holding this all together. Heck, Corner routine man, Monchi, the lot of them. They're all relying on the brilliance of Emery. Without him they'd be floundering and found wanting.
That 'Donkey' has just got us Ł70m for a player who has had one good half season.
Haven't most people on here been saying he's a Ł100m player? He's a donkey. Duran sold himself. It hasn't been some kind of expert wrangling that has gotten us over the odds.
Good to see you know the in's and out's of our contract negotiations.
Ok, you're right. Duran's worth Ł20m but Monchi haggled them up....
What about the money for Kellyman, Archer, Chucky, Philogene etc or was that all down to them as well? Its as if psr doesnt exist.
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That might be true, but you’re entirely guessing.
Correct. I could be wrong and Monchi could by a genius and Emery is having his arse covered by Monchi finding undervalued gems such as Onana, Diaby and Maatsen.
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I love how some posters think that clubs pay us exactly what we want straight away without haggling or putting in a lower offer first. Its laughable.
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Well, or it’s a collective piece and it isn’t one person who’s competent and everyone else who’s stealing a living.
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That might be true, but you’re entirely guessing.
Correct. I could be wrong and Monchi could by a genius and Emery is having his arse covered by Monchi finding undervalued gems such as Onana, Diaby and Maatsen.
Maybe you could write to the club and offer to replace Monchi ?
Get you CV in and see if you can get an interview 😉
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I do find it a little amusing that the seasoned, experienced, knowledgeable, influential and powerful people running our club, are really just donkeys, wasters, unprofessional and naive.
It makes you wonder how they ever managed to scrape a living together in the football world.
Everyone in the football world isn't genius level experts in their field. The game is littered with fools. Hello Steven Gerrard. This whole thing is supported by Emery. He is the genius level expert.
He is which probably means he’s also not bad at picking the right people to work with.
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Monchi, rhymes with Donkey. That's how he's performed over the last 2 windows. Emery's magic is holding this all together. Heck, Corner routine man, Monchi, the lot of them. They're all relying on the brilliance of Emery. Without him they'd be floundering and found wanting.
That 'Donkey' has just got us Ł70m for a player who has had one good half season.
Haven't most people on here been saying he's a Ł100m player? He's a donkey. Duran sold himself. It hasn't been some kind of expert wrangling that has gotten us over the odds.
Good to see you know the in's and out's of our contract negotiations.
Ok, you're right. Duran's worth Ł20m but Monchi haggled them up....
What about the money for Kellyman, Archer, Chucky, Philogene etc or was that all down to them as well? Its as if psr doesnt exist.
Chucky was sold before Monchi ever set foot in Villa Park. The others were just an example of us doing what all the other top clubs have been doing for years. Which is not to knock him because we hadn't. PSR is hampering us, that's clear. We need maximum value for our signings and I'm not seeing it from this guy. We are still mostly playing a first team that is Dean Smiths/Gerrards.
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Hmmm. So we are playing with a team mostly built on Smith and Gerrard signings ?
That is a very fair comment.
However, what has led to those same players performing and operating at the levels they are now ?
What we have achieved under this management TEAM is nothing short of miraculous.
And that includes the donkies in that management team.
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Ive just seen a tweet showing two pictures. One of the players looking at the phone at West Ham to see if we had stayed up and one from the other night waiting to see if we had qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League.
And some of Emery's staff are donkeys.
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How many of the signings we've made under Monchi for Ł200m get in the team?
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How many of the signings we've made under Monchi for Ł200m get in the team?
Haven’t you noticed a very serious factor in transfer restrictions over the last 18 months or so? Maybe this is one of the main reasons he’s been brought in. For years and years we’ve floundered with our transfers, we’ve waisted millions of pounds on contracts and players we can’t shift. We’ve bought players at the end of their career.
Now we’re in the Champions League, we’re buying young players and they are either out on loan or being sold for profit, or sniffing around the first team. We’re slowly adding potential and established players to our ranks and we are working within the rules.
I’ve been jealous for years with how other teams operate, especially Brighton, compared to what we’ve done previously so I’m very happy trusting people Emery want bring in and work with.
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How many of the signings we've made under Monchi for Ł200m get in the team?
For years and years we’ve floundered with our transfers, we’ve waisted millions of pounds on contracts and players we can’t shift.
Definitely needed to tighten our belts.
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The sales have been very good business, well done.
The buys, not so much.
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The sales have been very good business, well done.
The buys, not so much.
Many of the buys are done with future PSR business in mind. All young players who can be sold on. Rogers has been outstanding. Barkley has done well. Onana hasn't been a flop and he's very young. Maatsen samne thing and he came really as part of the Kellyman deal. I don't think it's been that given the financial bollocks we've had to deal with.
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I expected him to bring in sub Ł20m players who would be quickly ready for the first team. Rogers and to an extent Moreno have been good, after that pretty underwhelming.
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Very disappointed we haven't had a new defender in the door. A defender should have been in the door the minute Carlos went out the door. We could be regretting this if we finish a couple of points outside European places.
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Unacceptable to me we've messed about for two weeks trying to get a CB in.
I don't think too many were fussed with Carlos leaving. However I think most assumed we'd have someone ready at Bodymoor to sign once his move to Turkey was confirmed.
The Bade U turn clearly surprised us and you can understand Chelsea taking their time to give us Disasi given we're only three points off them.
The problem though is we're losing crucial points to bottom 6/7 teams with makeshift backlines. If we miss out on Europe by a couple of points we'll look back at this period of the season as the crucial moment I suspect.
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nailed on. I didn't expect this sort of mucking around from this regime.
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I'm not remotely convinced having thought about it. The CB issue has been pathetic.
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What does Monchi do all week
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He needs to get his fucking act together because as things stand, we've got a significantly weaker squad than we had at the start of the window.
It's not good enough.
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You haave really fucked this up monchi. You and damien have done terrible jobs this season
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Wankers. Glad they had to sit and watch it.
Any other role, you'd be booted.
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He needs to get his fucking act together because as things stand, we've got a significantly weaker squad than we had at the start of the window.
It's not good enough.
Anyone defending Monchi right now needs to re-watch that game. We have just played a premier league game, a derby game, with:
1 centre back out of sorts.
A spanish second division right back making his debut. Replaced at half time by the player caught in headlights filling in for our best midfield player...
Our best midfielder at centre half, which cost us both the ball and a number of chances to them.
Our break out star on his knees with no alternative but to keep running him into the ground, clearly not up to being the talisman twice a week, as our league form post CL games clearly shows. He's knackered.
Tielemens at holding mid, where he always looks slightly uneasy, and detracts from our ability further forward.
And now... our 1 striker left also injured.
It is a fucking mess. The team is not right, the squad is bloody light years from last season.
Unai has his hands tied. We're heading back to mid table mediocrity or worse long term under this bloke making transfer calls.
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Great post ozz. That's nail on head
I honestly would consider sacking monchi in summer if he does not fix this in next few days.
How you letting carlos and duran go with no fucking replacement ? Then knowing mings is also injured yet you have to make our wonderful manager gamble and put kamara at cb. You let dougie go and get two players who are out in loan which dont benefit us this season at all.
You really are a clown monchi
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The team and the squad a weaker than when he arrived.
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Rogers, the one transfer successful buy, was personally chosen by Unai, wasn’t he?
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The lack of a defence is a dereliction of somebody's duty.
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He strikes me as a little too keen on his own publicity and image, and the wheeler dealer thing selling Philogene and Archer twice over plus signing some kids for the future.
What about now? The state of the squad is absolutely disgraceful, just as we've qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League. Absolutely pissed away the opportunity here.
And signing Marcus Fucking Rashford is not going to fix that.
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Does Rashford play centre back?
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The other issue I have. We didn't sign a player last summer, having made the top 4, that genuinely improved the starting 11.
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What I don't get - if this was (pre Duran sale) about money, why did we spend Ł85m on two players of the type which were nothing like the priority requirement?
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The other issue I have. We didn't sign a player last summer, having made the top 4, that genuinely improved the starting 11.
I said countless times in the summer that we look weaker than last season when window shut. I said selling diaby and luiz in same window and not ralaly replacing them would be a disaster and here we are. Onana hasnt shown why he is a 50m player. Maatsen hasnt looked great for the 40m we paid either. The best signing has looked to be barkley and thats saying something.
Just a very poor recruitment window and now getying rashford in shows to continue that.
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Getting Rashford in at the last moment is the sort of shit, desperate "look, we are trying" thing Arsenal would do, from the later Wenger years onwards.
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Everything with him seems a bit chaotic with him at the moment, like there's no joined up thinking at all. The Rashford thing is just desperate but leaving us with one fit CB is fucking stupid.
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Agreed Paulie.
Barkley was our best signing in the summer, only one that brings balance to the side in midfield, but also that drive from deep.
Newcaslte have had their struggles, but Gordon, Isak, Tonali, Botman and Guimares would each be our best player if they arrived tomorrow (short of Kamara - not signed by Monchi). We just have not bought the quality in you need to to stay where we were, and are now paying for it on the pitch.
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Newcaslte have had their struggles, but Gordon, Isak, Tonali, Botman and Guimares would each be our best player if they arrived tomorrow (short of Kamara - not signed by Monchi).
Would they balls.
You show me a Villa fan that is swapping Sven Botman or Sandro Tonali for Morgan Rogers.
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Agreed Paulie.
Barkley was our best signing in the summer, only one that brings balance to the side in midfield, but also that drive from deep.
Newcaslte have had their struggles, but Gordon, Isak, Tonali, Botman and Guimares would each be our best player if they arrived tomorrow (short of Kamara - not signed by Monchi). We just have not bought the quality in you need to to stay where we were, and are now paying for it on the pitch.
Which also shows you how good Unai is. Imagine how good we would be with decent signings!
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Some way way over the top posts on here, from some who I'm surprised at. Calm down everyone.
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Total shambles. Are we witnessing us cock all this up?
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Getting Rashford in at the last moment is the sort of shit, desperate "look, we are trying" thing Arsenal would do, from the later Wenger years onwards.
I know we dont always agree on things paulie but you are 100% spot on
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Calm down everyone.
Why?
Two days left, squad totally not up to it. That's someone's job.
What we don't need is "calm down, don't be silly". If you're going to disagree with people, why don't you lay out your arguments to the contrary?
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
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Newcaslte have had their struggles, but Gordon, Isak, Tonali, Botman and Guimares would each be our best player if they arrived tomorrow (short of Kamara - not signed by Monchi).
Would they balls.
You show me a Villa fan that is swapping Sven Botman or Sandro Tonali for Morgan Rogers.
I'll give you that one
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
Do you think Rashford would have made 1 iota of difference out there tonight?
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Calm down everyone.
Why?
Two days left, squad totally not up to it. That's someone's job.
What we don't need is "calm down, don't be silly". If you're going to disagree with people, why don't you lay out your arguments to the contrary?
The role of the Management staff is to put us in the best position to win. That seems fairly uncontroversial.
To make decisions that have worsened our chances which has happened this month is inept and negligent.
Trying to rescue things over the final 48 hours doesn't lessen the damage of results such as tonight's.
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What is Monchi actually contributing other than rock up every month or so for pics on X looking like the hard man in fast and furious . He needs to seriously up his game .
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What is Monchi actually contributing other than rock up every month or so for pics on X looking like the hard man in fast and furious . He needs to seriously up his game .
Feel we need a list of his signings to see what he has contributed
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Anyone got a list of our ins and outs with Monchi? Don't think it would look particularly great. Some of it is forced, I doubt we'd sell Luiz or Diaby if PSR wasn't a thing, but the recruitment looks poor overall.
Luiz and Diaby both walk back into this team.
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
That’s the attitude - from those at the Club not you - that has got us in this mess!
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Moving on players in this window is fine if you've got someone else lined up who can fit in and improve the team quickly. However that has not happened and the timing seems out of kilter.
If we sign some of the players we are linked with who are not current first team regulars, we may not even see them have any impact for a few weeks.
If we are not careful, European football next season may look more distant in a season when it looks like at least 8 teams will qualify.
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I figured it out - clampy is damien vigadamy.
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
That’s the attitude - from those at the Club not you - that has got us in this mess!
Mess? Really? When I say 'calm down', this is exactly the thing I mean.
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I'm not as down on him as some but it's a bit damning that if everyone was fit the majority of our best 11 would still be Bruce, Smith and Gerrard signings as the 4th window is about to close.
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People are aware that Emery does have the final say on the 3,4 or 5 candidates Monchi and his team have identified right? Go back a few pages here and have a look at how the recruitment works because I think some feel Monchi chooses the player and Emery hears about it for the first time from the OS.
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
That’s the attitude - from those at the Club not you - that has got us in this mess!
Mess? Really? When I say 'calm down', this is exactly the thing I mean.
Like I say …
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I have just listened to the bbc interview for Unai and I think he said 'we have some players coming in and that is fantastic'. Certainly sounds like three or four incoming but he wouldn't be drawn on Rashford on his Sky interview.
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
That's your usual post in situations like this. Argue to the contrary if you disagree.
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What is Monchi actually contributing other than rock up every month or so for pics on X looking like the hard man in fast and furious . He needs to seriously up his game .
Has it crossed your mind that maybe your expectations were too high?
There were plenty of people who said when he joined that he was joining us off a decade of failure and wasn't actually transfer Jesus.
It was like being excited that Mourinho was going to be our new manager based on what he did twenty years ago.
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
That’s the attitude - from those at the Club not you - that has got us in this mess!
Mess? Really? When I say 'calm down', this is exactly the thing I mean.
Can you explain how we are not in a mess ? Put aside the Champions league for a second. How can anything but the word 'mess' not be described our current situation in the league?
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Can you explain how we are not in a mess ? Put aside the Champions league for a second.
*2017 Villa just joined the chat*
Lols.
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Can you explain how we are not in a mess ? Put aside the Champions league for a second.
*2017 Villa just joined the chat*
Lols.
*2024 villa joins the chat 😃
Jokes aside dave are you seriously saying we are not in a mess?
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If you think this season is a mess, then fair enough.
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
That’s the attitude - from those at the Club not you - that has got us in this mess!
Mess? Really? When I say 'calm down', this is exactly the thing I mean.
Can you explain how we are not in a mess ? Put aside the Champions league for a second. How can anything but the word 'mess' not be described our current situation in the league?
The current situation in the league is 4pts from 4th and 5th. But seeing I don't think we would qualify again this season for the Champions League, 3pts from Europa League....in January with 42pts to play for. What's so messy about that? You did see some of the scores the last week right, Bournemouth 5 - 0 Forest , today...Forest 7 - 0 Brighton ...it's a mad season. But you make out we're fucking Southampton every week.
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I do find it a little amusing that the seasoned, experienced, knowledgeable, influential and powerful people running our club, are really just donkeys, wasters, unprofessional and naive.
It makes you wonder how they ever managed to scrape a living together in the football world.
The football world is full of charlatans, Steven Gerrard was in charge of a PL club for 18 months for example.
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I do find it a little amusing that the seasoned, experienced, knowledgeable, influential and powerful people running our club, are really just donkeys, wasters, unprofessional and naive.
It makes you wonder how they ever managed to scrape a living together in the football world.
The football world is full of charlatans, Steven Gerrard was in charge of a PL club for 18 months for example.
*11.
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What is Monchi actually contributing other than rock up every month or so for pics on X looking like the hard man in fast and furious . He needs to seriously up his game .
Has it crossed your mind that maybe your expectations were too high?
There were plenty of people who said when he joined that he was joining us off a decade of failure and wasn't actually transfer Jesus.
It was like being excited that Mourinho was going to be our new manager based on what he did twenty years ago.
You've effectively underlined my thinking . I'd take Lange back over Monchi who just seems to be all hype , remember this bloke scouted Olsen for Roma , case closed .
Glenn Roeder did a better job that this clown .
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Yeah but why do you think we are not?
We have let buendia, carlos, and duran leave with no replacement in site. We have had mings injured ans known about it for a week yet no replacement.
We can't keep a clean sheet and we have struggled all season for consistency and a
Good performances.i would argue of we are not in a mess we are very close to one
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Can you explain how we are not in a mess ? Put aside the Champions league for a second.
*2017 Villa just joined the chat*
Lols.
*2024 villa joins the chat 😃
Jokes aside dave are you seriously saying we are not in a mess?
I'm absolutely saying that.
I would guess that there are about a dozen clubs in Europe that wouldn't instantly swap places with us at the moment.
Shit defeat to Wolves and poor centre-back coverage n' all.
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Didn't we try and get someone else from Barcelona first? He ended up doing a U turn so we got this guy instead?
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We've been on the back foot in this window ever since Bade turned us down. Clearly no one involved was expecting that given we haven't come close to signing a CB in the two weeks since despite endless links.
If we get in Bade and Malen in the same week then it's not a crisis and we've probably got another three points on the board which would've been very crucial when May comes around.
Annoying that we had good momentum again from the Arsenal comeback and since then it's been three really poor performances due to lack of options and playing the same core of players every 3-4 days so that was preventable.
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Didn't we try and get someone else from Barcelona first? He ended up doing a U turn so we got this guy instead?
Alemany
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Can you explain how we are not in a mess ? Put aside the Champions league for a second.
*2017 Villa just joined the chat*
Lols.
*2024 villa joins the chat 😃
Jokes aside dave are you seriously saying we are not in a mess?
I'm absolutely saying that.
I would guess that there are about a dozen clubs in Europe that wouldn't instantly swap places with us at the moment.
Shit defeat to Wolves and poor centre-back coverage n' all.
Well in my opinion your wrong.
No organised club allows three players to go with so many injuries already, with no replacements brought in. Thats poor planning and a mess. Then go get a panic signing that wont be fit for weeks on big wages is very worrying indeed.
As above torres and mings both been injured yet not one cb has been bought in so we have forced to play our best dm there. Another mess.
Monchi and Vidagany have a lot to answer for.
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I would imagine the problem is we have to let players move before we can bring in replacements for FFP.
Noone is it yet but I would imagine we are being ambitious with the players we want - and probably have some insurance deals that we will do if we cant get our main targets.
For example, Gallagher was our first choice midfielder, Onanna our second etc. But ultimately, Im sure we would have rather have not sold Dougie. Likewise with Diaby. I think hes trying to opperate with both hands tied behind his back most of the time.
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Can you explain how we are not in a mess ? Put aside the Champions league for a second.
*2017 Villa just joined the chat*
Lols.
*2024 villa joins the chat 😃
Jokes aside dave are you seriously saying we are not in a mess?
I'm absolutely saying that.
I would guess that there are about a dozen clubs in Europe that wouldn't instantly swap places with us at the moment.
Shit defeat to Wolves and poor centre-back coverage n' all.
Well in my opinion your wrong.
No organised club allows three players to go with so many injuries already, with no replacements brought in. Thats poor planning and a mess. Then go get a panic signing that wont be fit for weeks on big wages is very worrying indeed.
As above torres and mings both been injured yet not one cb has been bought in so we have forced to play our best dm there. Another mess.
Monchi and Vidagany have a lot to answer for.
Go on then. If I'm wrong, pick your 12 + 1.
That you would swap places / seasons with.
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This isnt how this works. Ive explained my reasons why i think we are in a mess, you have to counter argue my points or explain why you think we are in a mess - only if you want to engage in a friendly debate of course 😁
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I would imagine the problem is we have to let players move before we can bring in replacements for FFP.
Noone is it yet but I would imagine we are being ambitious with the players we want - and probably have some insurance deals that we will do if we cant get our main targets.
For example, Gallagher was our first choice midfielder, Onanna our second etc. But ultimately, Im sure we would have rather have not sold Dougie. Likewise with Diaby. I think hes trying to opperate with both hands tied behind his back most of the time.
Thats all well and good but it really doesnt explain the mess at centre back. The club have been trying to dump Carlos for ages so surely had any number of replacements scouted. This Bade dude turns us down and we seem to have no plan B. This is with Torres already out with a long term injury and definitely doubts about Mings ability to play two games a week.
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The centre back debacle is a real fuck-up. It’s not crazy to say it’s cost us 5 points.
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Thankfully it hasn’t cost us an fa cup or champions league yet
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This isnt how this works. Ive explained my reasons why i think we are in a mess, you have to counter argue my points or explain why you think we are in a mess - only if you want to engage in a friendly debate of course 😁
It is how it works. Every club is in a mess. It's all relative.
Arsenal fans think they're in a mess because they think they should have won a title by now. Man City fans think they're in a mess because they only scraped through in the Champions League and won't make it however many title wins in whatever number of years. Bury fans think they're in a mess because they were liquidated and had to start again five divisions below where they were before.
A few years ago our mess was almost certain relegation. A few years before that it was imminent administration. Today our mess is being one of the eighth best teams in Europe, a lacklustre defeat to an inferior team and a (at time of writing) slightly cack-handed transfer window.
None of that makes a defeat to Wolves today fine, but if you think our current situation is a disgrace or an embarrassment or whatever dopey bit of hyperbole you want to employ, then there is literally no level of football Villa can get to that is ever going to satisfy you.
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It’s an unforced self-inflicted mess whatever comparisons are made and however you dress it up.
We may well get back on course but it will still be overcoming the mess we currently find ourselves in.
Amazed anybody trying to argue the unarguable!
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I would imagine the problem is we have to let players move before we can bring in replacements for FFP.
Noone is it yet but I would imagine we are being ambitious with the players we want - and probably have some insurance deals that we will do if we cant get our main targets.
For example, Gallagher was our first choice midfielder, Onanna our second etc. But ultimately, Im sure we would have rather have not sold Dougie. Likewise with Diaby. I think hes trying to opperate with both hands tied behind his back most of the time.
Agreed
According to Percy/Law in the DT we couldn’t sign Malen until the Philogene transfer had definitely gone through because of FFP (or whatever it’s called now)
Obviously automatic qualification for the next phase of the CL plus the Duran money has changed things
But that’s only happened in the last few days
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This isn’t me defending Monchi but isn’t blaming him without including Emery a bit like blaming Heck without blaming Nas and Wes? They are all in this together as they make decisions. And Monchi was someone Emery wanted. It’s impossible to judge him properly given the FFP and PSR rules we’ve had to contend with. But no doubt things aren’t exactly looking great. But as it relates to the defence, the disaster of injuries we’ve had aside, that falls all on Emery and his staff. It’s dreadful right now.
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The centre back debacle is a real fuck-up. It’s not crazy to say it’s cost us 5 points.
No, but I don’t think a centre back would have gotten us a win today. So it’s possibly cost us three points. Two against West Ham and a point today.
It depends on who we get in I suppose. It’s better to suffer today than sign someone last week who isn’t quite right on a four year deal.
I don’t understand the right back situation really. We’ve signed two players for the future when we don’t ever seem 100% convinced by Cash. I thought that might have been a priority.
The start of the season was Onana and Tielemans in midfield. I’m hoping that Onana will improve playing next to Kamara. But am not sure where that leaves Tielemans if we play Rogers centrally.
Signing Rashford, I don’t see where he fits. So am wondering if we might be trying something different in the next few weeks.
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It’s not just him, my point on the centre-back fuck up is aimed at all involved. Like I said, it’s quite conceivable it’s cost us 5 points.
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
That's your usual post in situations like this. Argue to the contrary if you disagree.
Oh, Paulie, me and you and been on this forum a lot longer than most so I'm a little disappointed really. There are a lot worse to vent your anger at.
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This isn’t me defending Monchi but isn’t blaming him without including Emery a bit like blaming Heck without blaming Nas and Wes? They are all in this together as they make decisions. And Monchi was someone Emery wanted. It’s impossible to judge him properly given the FFP and PSR rules we’ve had to contend with. But no doubt things aren’t exactly looking great. But as it relates to the defence, the disaster of injuries we’ve had aside, that falls all on Emery and his staff. It’s dreadful right now.
From the day Emery walked in until last summer we were a machine. He had the players playing so well, in roles that suited them. We just fired on all cylinders. We scored so many early goals and just controlled game after game. The subs were perfect, the mentality was right. Bailey as an impact sub sometimes just picked off tired defences. It was a joy to behold We were a top four team, undeniably and came close to a trophy too.
We all can sense it. That is no longer the case. and the table also shows a decline. What's changed? Well we have traded out a lot of players and bought in a lot of players and the quality has declined, by a fair bit. None of it looks half as convincing as it did those glorious 18 months. Where do we point the finger? Has to be Monchi.
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This isn’t me defending Monchi but isn’t blaming him without including Emery a bit like blaming Heck without blaming Nas and Wes? They are all in this together as they make decisions. And Monchi was someone Emery wanted. It’s impossible to judge him properly given the FFP and PSR rules we’ve had to contend with. But no doubt things aren’t exactly looking great. But as it relates to the defence, the disaster of injuries we’ve had aside, that falls all on Emery and his staff. It’s dreadful right now.
From the day Emery walked in until last summer we were a machine. He had the players playing so well, in roles that suited them. We just fired on all cylinders. We scored so many early goals and just controlled game after game. The subs were perfect, the mentality was right. Bailey as an impact sub sometimes just picked off tired defences. It was a joy to behold We were a top four team, undeniably and came close to a trophy too.
We all can sense it. That is no longer the case. and the table also shows a decline. What's changed? Well we have traded out a lot of players and bought in a lot of players and the quality has declined, by a fair bit. None of it looks half as convincing as it did those glorious 18 months. Where do we point the finger? Has to be Monchi.
Most sensible and honest post on here tonight!
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So Monchi did all this alone?
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This isn’t me defending Monchi but isn’t blaming him without including Emery a bit like blaming Heck without blaming Nas and Wes? They are all in this together as they make decisions. And Monchi was someone Emery wanted. It’s impossible to judge him properly given the FFP and PSR rules we’ve had to contend with. But no doubt things aren’t exactly looking great. But as it relates to the defence, the disaster of injuries we’ve had aside, that falls all on Emery and his staff. It’s dreadful right now.
From the day Emery walked in until last summer we were a machine. He had the players playing so well, in roles that suited them. We just fired on all cylinders. We scored so many early goals and just controlled game after game. The subs were perfect, the mentality was right. Bailey as an impact sub sometimes just picked off tired defences. It was a joy to behold We were a top four team, undeniably and came close to a trophy too.
We all can sense it. That is no longer the case. and the table also shows a decline. What's changed? Well we have traded out a lot of players and bought in a lot of players and the quality has declined, by a fair bit. None of it looks half as convincing as it did those glorious 18 months. Where do we point the finger? Has to be Monchi.
We also weren't playing in Europes elite competition at that time. It's the nature of the beast a decline was inevitable that only the leading clubs can manage with the squad quality. But I say decline, we're 4pts of 4th and 5th place in January. We sound like fucking whining Arsenal fans right now.
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This isnt how this works. Ive explained my reasons why i think we are in a mess, you have to counter argue my points or explain why you think we are in a mess - only if you want to engage in a friendly debate of course 😁
It is how it works. Every club is in a mess. It's all relative.
Arsenal fans think they're in a mess because they think they should have won a title by now. Man City fans think they're in a mess because they only scraped through in the Champions League and won't make it however many title wins in whatever number of years. Bury fans think they're in a mess because they were liquidated and had to start again five divisions below where they were before.
A few years ago our mess was almost certain relegation. A few years before that it was imminent administration. Today our mess is being one of the eighth best teams in Europe, a lacklustre defeat to an inferior team and a (at time of writing) slightly cack-handed transfer window.
None of that makes a defeat to Wolves today fine, but if you think our current situation is a disgrace or an embarrassment or whatever dopey bit of hyperbole you want to employ, then there is literally no level of football Villa can get to that is ever going to satisfy you.
Have you seen me use the word disgrace or embarrassment in the above post? The only time i said tonight was losing to wolves was embarrassing and putting in such awful performance. They lost the last 5 and have been woeful most of the season.
Your example of arsenal and city are completely different to us. Arsenal for example are sitting 2nd and have squad depth. City hit poor form but didnt sign anyone but yet turned it around.
None of them sides have let 3 players go and not replaced any of them. Or played their dm at cb knwoing they have cbs injured for 7 days or more. Its a mess and i still stand by that.
The next few days will be interesting because we simply cannot go on on like this. We need at least one center back to come in.
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This isnt how this works. Ive explained my reasons why i think we are in a mess, you have to counter argue my points or explain why you think we are in a mess - only if you want to engage in a friendly debate of course 😁
It is how it works. Every club is in a mess. It's all relative.
Arsenal fans think they're in a mess because they think they should have won a title by now. Man City fans think they're in a mess because they only scraped through in the Champions League and won't make it however many title wins in whatever number of years. Bury fans think they're in a mess because they were liquidated and had to start again five divisions below where they were before.
A few years ago our mess was almost certain relegation. A few years before that it was imminent administration. Today our mess is being one of the eighth best teams in Europe, a lacklustre defeat to an inferior team and a (at time of writing) slightly cack-handed transfer window.
None of that makes a defeat to Wolves today fine, but if you think our current situation is a disgrace or an embarrassment or whatever dopey bit of hyperbole you want to employ, then there is literally no level of football Villa can get to that is ever going to satisfy you.
Have you seen me use the word disgrace or embarrassment in the above post? The only time i said tonight was losing to wolves was embarrassing and putting in such awful performance. They lost the last 5 and have been woeful most of the season.
Your example of arsenal and city are completely different to us. Arsenal for example are sitting 2nd and have squad depth. City hit poor form but didnt sign anyone but yet turned it around.
None of them sides have let 3 players go and not replaced any of them. Or played their dm at cb knwoing they have cbs injured for 7 days or more. Its a mess and i still stand by that.
The next few days will be interesting because we simply cannot go on on like this. We need at least one center back to come in.
Are you Tai from AFTV? You know about Bade agreeing terms then having a change of mind? Disasi agreeing terms and Chelsea playing hardball? You seem to complain about this need of needing a centre back, right now, should of been last week, should of foreseen the injuries, should of done this and done that. How about we don't rush into signing the wrong player because if we do you'll complain they didn't take their time and that player isn't good enough because all you do is that, complain about everything.
Spurs have been without fit centre backs for months and it's only tonight they sign one....it's not as easy as you think and also you mention you would sack Monchi in the summer. Emery has wanted these players, you know that right?
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This isnt how this works. Ive explained my reasons why i think we are in a mess, you have to counter argue my points or explain why you think we are in a mess - only if you want to engage in a friendly debate of course 😁
It is how it works. Every club is in a mess. It's all relative.
Arsenal fans think they're in a mess because they think they should have won a title by now. Man City fans think they're in a mess because they only scraped through in the Champions League and won't make it however many title wins in whatever number of years. Bury fans think they're in a mess because they were liquidated and had to start again five divisions below where they were before.
A few years ago our mess was almost certain relegation. A few years before that it was imminent administration. Today our mess is being one of the eighth best teams in Europe, a lacklustre defeat to an inferior team and a (at time of writing) slightly cack-handed transfer window.
None of that makes a defeat to Wolves today fine, but if you think our current situation is a disgrace or an embarrassment or whatever dopey bit of hyperbole you want to employ, then there is literally no level of football Villa can get to that is ever going to satisfy you.
Have you seen me use the word disgrace or embarrassment in the above post? The only time i said tonight was losing to wolves was embarrassing and putting in such awful performance. They lost the last 5 and have been woeful most of the season.
Your example of arsenal and city are completely different to us. Arsenal for example are sitting 2nd and have squad depth. City hit poor form but didnt sign anyone but yet turned it around.
None of them sides have let 3 players go and not replaced any of them. Or played their dm at cb knwoing they have cbs injured for 7 days or more. Its a mess and i still stand by that.
The next few days will be interesting because we simply cannot go on on like this. We need at least one center back to come in.
Are you Tai from AFTV? You know about Bade agreeing terms then having a change of mind? Disasi agreeing terms and Chelsea playing hardball? You seem to complain about this need of needing a centre back, right now, should of been last week, should of foreseen the injuries, should of done this and done that. How about we don't rush into signing the wrong player because if we do you'll complain they didn't take their time and that player isn't good enough because all you do is that, complain about everything.
Spurs have been without fit centre backs for months and it's only tonight they sign one....it's not as easy as you think and also you mention you would sack Monchi in the summer. Emery has wanted these players, you know that right?
My argument though is - dont let carlos leave until you have your replacement in. Its just mental to do that. We gambled with mings too. Hw has just come back from a big injury. Unlikely he can play week in and out. I do agree with your point about not rushing but the problem is we now have ti rush as we dont have much time left in the window.
As for spurs look where they are in the table to see the mistakes they are making! We dont wantvto be like them
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As for spurs look where they are in the table to see the mistakes they are making! We dont wantvto be like them
You've spent a large part of the last twelve months bemoaning the fact that we are not More Like Them.
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This isnt how this works. Ive explained my reasons why i think we are in a mess, you have to counter argue my points or explain why you think we are in a mess - only if you want to engage in a friendly debate of course 😁
It is how it works. Every club is in a mess. It's all relative.
Arsenal fans think they're in a mess because they think they should have won a title by now. Man City fans think they're in a mess because they only scraped through in the Champions League and won't make it however many title wins in whatever number of years. Bury fans think they're in a mess because they were liquidated and had to start again five divisions below where they were before.
A few years ago our mess was almost certain relegation. A few years before that it was imminent administration. Today our mess is being one of the eighth best teams in Europe, a lacklustre defeat to an inferior team and a (at time of writing) slightly cack-handed transfer window.
None of that makes a defeat to Wolves today fine, but if you think our current situation is a disgrace or an embarrassment or whatever dopey bit of hyperbole you want to employ, then there is literally no level of football Villa can get to that is ever going to satisfy you.
Have you seen me use the word disgrace or embarrassment in the above post? The only time i said tonight was losing to wolves was embarrassing and putting in such awful performance. They lost the last 5 and have been woeful most of the season.
Your example of arsenal and city are completely different to us. Arsenal for example are sitting 2nd and have squad depth. City hit poor form but didnt sign anyone but yet turned it around.
None of them sides have let 3 players go and not replaced any of them. Or played their dm at cb knwoing they have cbs injured for 7 days or more. Its a mess and i still stand by that.
The next few days will be interesting because we simply cannot go on on like this. We need at least one center back to come in.
Are you Tai from AFTV? You know about Bade agreeing terms then having a change of mind? Disasi agreeing terms and Chelsea playing hardball? You seem to complain about this need of needing a centre back, right now, should of been last week, should of foreseen the injuries, should of done this and done that. How about we don't rush into signing the wrong player because if we do you'll complain they didn't take their time and that player isn't good enough because all you do is that, complain about everything.
Spurs have been without fit centre backs for months and it's only tonight they sign one....it's not as easy as you think and also you mention you would sack Monchi in the summer. Emery has wanted these players, you know that right?
My argument though is - dont let carlos leave until you have your replacement in. Its just mental to do that. We gambled with mings too. Hw has just come back from a big injury. Unlikely he can play week in and out. I do agree with your point about not rushing but the problem is we now have ti rush as we dont have much time left in the window.
As for spurs look where they are in the table to see the mistakes they are making! We dont wantvto be like them
And who's at Spurs, Lange. Is Monchi an improvement on Lange for you? And remember for every Bailey there's a Werner.
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This isnt how this works. Ive explained my reasons why i think we are in a mess, you have to counter argue my points or explain why you think we are in a mess - only if you want to engage in a friendly debate of course 😁
It is how it works. Every club is in a mess. It's all relative.
Arsenal fans think they're in a mess because they think they should have won a title by now. Man City fans think they're in a mess because they only scraped through in the Champions League and won't make it however many title wins in whatever number of years. Bury fans think they're in a mess because they were liquidated and had to start again five divisions below where they were before.
A few years ago our mess was almost certain relegation. A few years before that it was imminent administration. Today our mess is being one of the eighth best teams in Europe, a lacklustre defeat to an inferior team and a (at time of writing) slightly cack-handed transfer window.
None of that makes a defeat to Wolves today fine, but if you think our current situation is a disgrace or an embarrassment or whatever dopey bit of hyperbole you want to employ, then there is literally no level of football Villa can get to that is ever going to satisfy you.
Have you seen me use the word disgrace or embarrassment in the above post? The only time i said tonight was losing to wolves was embarrassing and putting in such awful performance. They lost the last 5 and have been woeful most of the season.
Your example of arsenal and city are completely different to us. Arsenal for example are sitting 2nd and have squad depth. City hit poor form but didnt sign anyone but yet turned it around.
None of them sides have let 3 players go and not replaced any of them. Or played their dm at cb knwoing they have cbs injured for 7 days or more. Its a mess and i still stand by that.
The next few days will be interesting because we simply cannot go on on like this. We need at least one center back to come in.
Are you Tai from AFTV? You know about Bade agreeing terms then having a change of mind? Disasi agreeing terms and Chelsea playing hardball? You seem to complain about this need of needing a centre back, right now, should of been last week, should of foreseen the injuries, should of done this and done that. How about we don't rush into signing the wrong player because if we do you'll complain they didn't take their time and that player isn't good enough because all you do is that, complain about everything.
Spurs have been without fit centre backs for months and it's only tonight they sign one....it's not as easy as you think and also you mention you would sack Monchi in the summer. Emery has wanted these players, you know that right?
My argument though is - dont let carlos leave until you have your replacement in. Its just mental to do that.
He was desperate to go and I doubt Fenerbahce were going to wait around.
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Thankfully it hasn’t cost us an fa cup or champions league yet
Yet ultimately it will .
We just got battered by one of the worst teams in the EPL.
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We're certainly not a mess as a club. We're in a great position.
Nonetheless, the squad has a couple of gaping holes in it, and most of our best players were signed under Smith and Gerrard.
Monchi's performance so far hasn't exactly been stellar, and frankly letting so many players go in the middle of the season without having improvements lined up is tantamount to dereliction of duty.
Could they really not wait until June?
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If we have brought in Malen, Garcia, Rashford, Asensio a CH and maybe Felix by Monday.
On top of offloading Carlos and Duran for €80m plus Buendia off the books.
If Monchi still a donkey? I’m just trying to work out the rules here.
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Thankfully it hasn’t cost us an fa cup or champions league yet
Yet ultimately it will .
We just got battered by one of the worst teams in the EPL.
We didn't get battered. We controlled most of the second half.
They are fighting to stay in the PL, and we were coming from a CL game after which which we rarely perform well with a depleted defence.
They deserved to win based on effort and commitment, but we had a perfectly good goal disallowed.
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OK Genuine question
Have the signings we have made since Emery was appointed improved the squad overall
I am not pointing the finger at Emery as it's not his desicion in isolation
Rogers - good investment
Pau -improved playing style going forward defensively gets bullied too often
Duran - great ROI
Struggling to see where any other player has helped in "taking us to the next level" ?
Squad seems weaker now than when the scouse idiot was in charge
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Well I do think our hideously ponderous play of late does show the importance of Pau. That’s not to say he doesn’t make errors, but he passes like, and has the vision of, a quality midfielder. It makes a big difference to the stodgy play we see, because his range is so good.
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Well I do think our hideously ponderous play of late does show the importance of Pau. That’s not to say he doesn’t make errors, but he passes like, and has the vision of, a quality midfielder. It makes a big difference to the stodgy play we see, because his range is so good.
Yeah but because he's not Terry Butcher, lots of people don't get that.
Torres is vitally important to how we play. Just as important as Kamara.
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Yep and it’s really bloody noticeable when we’re just aimlessly (and slowly) passing the ball sideways and backwards.
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In fairness one of the few qualities Carlos did show from time to time was an ability to play a great diagonal pass. Neither Konsa or Mings have that quality. Hopefully whoever we sign this week does.
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Yep and it’s really bloody noticeable when we’re just aimlessly (and slowly) passing the ball sideways and backwards.
Exactly, across the back four with zero clue how to advance it.
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Well I do think our hideously ponderous play of late does show the importance of Pau. That’s not to say he doesn’t make errors, but he passes like, and has the vision of, a quality midfielder. It makes a big difference to the stodgy play we see, because his range is so good.
Yeah but because he's not Terry Butcher, lots of people don't get that.
Torres is vitally important to how we play. Just as important as Kamara.
When he is playing well...for me he hasn't done so consistently since before his injury after Xmas last season. You can't simply ignore his poor form before this injury, as often happens players when they are out for a while. He was struggling in possession too, not to the level of Konsa and Mings but not great either.
None of our centre backs have performed this season and Martinez standards have dropped too. Thankfully we have just invested in forwards who can really help defending from the front....
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Well I do think our hideously ponderous play of late does show the importance of Pau. That’s not to say he doesn’t make errors, but he passes like, and has the vision of, a quality midfielder. It makes a big difference to the stodgy play we see, because his range is so good.
Yeah but because he's not Terry Butcher, lots of people don't get that.
Torres is vitally important to how we play. Just as important as Kamara.
When he is playing well...for me he hasn't done so consistently since before his injury after Xmas last season. You can't simply ignore his poor form before this injury, as often happens players when they are out for a while. He was struggling in possession too, not to the level of Konsa and Mings but not great either.
None of our centre backs have performed this season and Martinez standards have dropped too. Thankfully we have just invested in forwards who can really help defending from the front....
Torres is great on the ball and is instrumental with us playing out of defence, his ball-carrying is vital, he moves us up the pitch.
The fucking state of Konsa for a long while now, though, he's reverted to Gerrard era Konsa.
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Yep he is, even off form he is a significant level above the other defenders on the ball.
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Fair play to Lange on Durán, he deserves a Fortnum & Mason hamper from Emery and Monchi. But he also brought in Dragusin for Spurs. Whatever you take about our motley crew of centre backs, that guy is just.....blose.
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Didn't he also bring in Kamara for Ł0 though?
That's worthy of gratitude.
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You're right, though, that Dragusin is fucking shocking. Excellent.
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I didn't say 'don't be silly', I just said calm down. Let's just see how things pan out.
That’s the attitude - from those at the Club not you - that has got us in this mess!
Mess? Really? When I say 'calm down', this is exactly the thing I mean.
You can't question Monchi because he's a professional and it's his job he knows more than any of us. Idiot.
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*Checks to see the regular roster of posters who turn up with disparaging remarks whenever we lose*
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*Checks to see the regular roster of posters who turn up with disparaging remarks whenever we lose*
Monchi’s fault too. Ever since his arrival, the HnV squad has lost a bunch of important contributors, replaced with hyperbole and negativity. Not to mention the state of spelling and grammar - we need a replacement with BE’s skillset too. Shambolic!
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OK Genuine question
Have the signings we have made since Emery was appointed improved the squad overall
I am not pointing the finger at Emery as it's not his desicion in isolation
Rogers - good investment
Pau -improved playing style going forward defensively gets bullied too often
Duran - great ROI
Struggling to see where any other player has helped in "taking us to the next level" ?
Squad seems weaker now than when the scouse idiot was in charge
To be fair, there is a key ingredient missing from that question though which is just how much PSR has limited us?
For all we know, we may have been working within very tight financial restrictions and it would therefore be very difficult to criticise.
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He's spent Ł200m+ on players. Net spend is difficult but how many of his signings are in the team?
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This isn’t me defending Monchi but isn’t blaming him without including Emery a bit like blaming Heck without blaming Nas and Wes? They are all in this together as they make decisions. And Monchi was someone Emery wanted. It’s impossible to judge him properly given the FFP and PSR rules we’ve had to contend with. But no doubt things aren’t exactly looking great. But as it relates to the defence, the disaster of injuries we’ve had aside, that falls all on Emery and his staff. It’s dreadful right now.
Quite right. It is well-established that UE is in complete control of the football side at Villa. They are all his people, including Monchi and Vidagany. Not a single transfer is decided or executed without UE's say so.
UE rightly gets all the plaudits for the many positive footballing developments under his tenure. But that also must mean he is accountable for anything that has gone less well.
As Dave has repeatedly pointed out, Monchi hasn't done well in this role for a decade or so. But he is appointed by UE. If Monchi is asked to go, we can conclude he has underperformed. If not, then UE approves of his performance.
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Yes there are very few signs of the transfer genius.
In fact you could argue his dealings are a shambles.
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I do find it a little amusing that the seasoned, experienced, knowledgeable, influential and powerful people running our club, are really just donkeys, wasters, unprofessional and naive.
It makes you wonder how they ever managed to scrape a living together in the football world.
The football world is full of charlatans, Steven Gerrard was in charge of a PL club for 18 months for example.
*11.
Oops lol.
“He was only on the pitch for 10 minutes.”
*25..
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I would imagine the problem is we have to let players move before we can bring in replacements for FFP.
Noone is it yet but I would imagine we are being ambitious with the players we want - and probably have some insurance deals that we will do if we cant get our main targets.
For example, Gallagher was our first choice midfielder, Onanna our second etc. But ultimately, Im sure we would have rather have not sold Dougie. Likewise with Diaby. I think hes trying to opperate with both hands tied behind his back most of the time.
Thats all well and good but it really doesnt explain the mess at centre back. The club have been trying to dump Carlos for ages so surely had any number of replacements scouted. This Bade dude turns us down and we seem to have no plan B. This is with Torres already out with a long term injury and definitely doubts about Mings ability to play two games a week.
ITK. More ITK than Emery even.
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Well I do think our hideously ponderous play of late does show the importance of Pau. That’s not to say he doesn’t make errors, but he passes like, and has the vision of, a quality midfielder. It makes a big difference to the stodgy play we see, because his range is so good.
Yeah but because he's not Terry Butcher, lots of people don't get that.
Torres is vitally important to how we play. Just as important as Kamara.
When he is playing well...for me he hasn't done so consistently since before his injury after Xmas last season. You can't simply ignore his poor form before this injury, as often happens players when they are out for a while. He was struggling in possession too, not to the level of Konsa and Mings but not great either.
None of our centre backs have performed this season and Martinez standards have dropped too. Thankfully we have just invested in forwards who can really help defending from the front....
Torres is great on the ball and is instrumental with us playing out of defence, his ball-carrying is vital, he moves us up the pitch.
The fucking state of Konsa for a long while now, though, he's reverted to Gerrard era Konsa.
Indeed. The maddest thing about not getting Bade was this idea that he wouldn’t get game time in front of Konsa*. IMO he should have been told he definitely would.
*If true of course, I don’t claim to be ITK on Unai’s inner thoughts like some.
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Roma fans apparently hate this guy as his dealings were terrible for them.
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The next two bog window's are big for me as if he doesnt get it right we might have to look at replacing him as i feel he did a terrible job in the summer with his recruitment
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The next two bog window's are big for me as if he doesnt get it right we might have to look at replacing him as i feel he did a terrible job in the summer with his recruitment
You're posts are going down the pan.
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The next two bog window's are big for me as if he doesnt get it right we might have to look at replacing him as i feel he did a terrible job in the summer with his recruitment
You're posts are going down the pan.
Bog standard for sure
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''Monchi was known for finding unknown players and selling them for large sums. However, some say he didn't replace the talent effectively with the money he made from sales. Instead, he chose to add depth to the squad rather than improve the starting lineup.''
https://giallorossiyorkshire.com/features/ranking-every-signing-monchi-made-at-roma/ (https://giallorossiyorkshire.com/features/ranking-every-signing-monchi-made-at-roma/)
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Summer 2023 was very good imo.
Pau is a real marmite player for so many with his style but we signed an experienced CB for around 30m and he played big part in helping us get from 7th to 4th.
Tielemans great pick up on a free and after a slow start played his part.
Diaby hit and miss but I do think he'd have kicked on and had a season like Bailey last year eventually. We had to take the fee though but he's been missed this season with how bad our right hand side has been for most games.
Zaniolo and Lenglet just reactions to losing two regulars to ACLs but at least some reaction to players getting injured compared to this window.
Last summer was more of a gamble and I'm afraid we just didn't sign enough ready made first team players. Barkley probably the most proven of them and he's only started about five games I think in the league?
The problem this window is how slow we've been in getting a CB in and it has cost us points. 1-0 up against West Ham and then we completely implode as soon as Mings goes off. Yesterday we needed Kamara in midfield with how bad we were first half.
Five points is quite a sum to throw away at this point in the season.
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Tielemans was signed before Monchi and Torres a few weeks after, so not sure if he had any part in that.
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Tielemans was signed before Monchi and Torres a few weeks after, so not sure if he had any part in that.
Most of these are Emery requests though? We play Boro, he is tipped off about Rogers from one of our academy coaches and likes the look of him live and we sign him?
Same for wanting to work with Marcus Rashford seemingly.
It's a different structure to Lange/DS or even dare I say Purslow/Gerrard which has set us back massively last few years even if we've had good success on the pitch.
Monchi also done well getting in good fees for most of our departing players which has been a problem for the club for decades.
I just don't get why we didn't have a CB ready to sign as soon as Carlos left. We had Malen in even before the Philogene sale was confirmed as an example and it has cost us points.
Perhaps Pau and Mings will be back in 2-3 weeks so Emery feels it's just short term pain but the gamble is not paying off currently.
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Can't fault the value we've got on the outgoings. From a financial point of view, Duran was a massive success. Big question marks on the quality of some of the the incomings so far though, for me. Maybe that's why we've got full hammer on some established 'names' on loan for the hopefull immediate impact.
Can't shake the concern he signed Olsen. Twice.
I'd probably put 3 Emery players in our strongest 11, Pau, Tielemans and Rogers. Some might make the case for Mings over Pau.
One one hand it shows how well Emery is doing with other people's players, on the other it raises questions about his teams recruitment.
I've been trying to find a full list of our signings under Monchi, but my memory is too shite. Likely more miss than hit though, or 'might come good in the future' signings like Maatsen and Onana.
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Far from convinced on Monchi. Given the whole PSR issue and what we've been spending on players I do feel like we need to be unearthing more gems like Bournemouth and Brighton have done with the occasional 30mill plus signing. Pau I like but it's not like he was a cheap hidden gem. He was highly sought after and cost a pretty penny.
Some players are certainly Unai signings, and he's not without fault on that front.
We'll see. I'm not averse to the loan market in January, so as unimaginative as Rashford and Asensio are on paper, I do see the benefits of getting players of proven ability (albeit not consistency) when there aren't that many permanent deals to be had.
But we're really going to need to see more signings of the Rogers ilk and (hopefully) Garcia and we need a good success rate. What we paid for Onana really feels like we got our pants pulled down, because injury issues aren't new with him. As a player I like him but even so, I don't see that he's even a first 11 player and for that price he really should be.
Reality is, our best players are still pre-Monchi signings with the exception of Morgz. That's not good enough.
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Another black mark against this fella if we manage to go the rest of the season bare bones at centre back.
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He's an animal.
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Another black mark against this fella if we manage to go the rest of the season bare bones at centre back.
You mean the guy who has managed to stop us from getting docked points by selling our players, especially the young ones for crazy money. Are you also placing a black mark against Emery too? He's very involved.
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Far from convinced on Monchi. Given the whole PSR issue and what we've been spending on players I do feel like we need to be unearthing more gems like Bournemouth and Brighton have done with the occasional 30mill plus signing. Pau I like but it's not like he was a cheap hidden gem. He was highly sought after and cost a pretty penny.
Some players are certainly Unai signings, and he's not without fault on that front.
We'll see. I'm not averse to the loan market in January, so as unimaginative as Rashford and Asensio are on paper, I do see the benefits of getting players of proven ability (albeit not consistency) when there aren't that many permanent deals to be had.
But we're really going to need to see more signings of the Rogers ilk and (hopefully) Garcia and we need a good success rate. What we paid for Onana really feels like we got our pants pulled down, because injury issues aren't new with him. As a player I like him but even so, I don't see that he's even a first 11 player and for that price he really should be.
Reality is, our best players are still pre-Monchi signings with the exception of Morgz. That's not good enough.
I agree with this.
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Another black mark against this fella if we manage to go the rest of the season bare bones at centre back.
You mean the guy who has managed to stop us from getting docked points by selling our players, especially the young ones for crazy money. Are you also placing a black mark against Emery too? He's very involved.
Whoever is involved with us having 1 centre back and 0 right back has fucked up yes.
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*Checks to see the regular roster of posters who turn up with disparaging remarks whenever we lose*
Monchi’s fault too. Ever since his arrival, the HnV squad has lost a bunch of important contributors, replaced with hyperbole and negativity. Not to mention the state of spelling and grammar - we need a replacement with BE’s skillset too. Shambolic!
Although I'm not sure Risso was a beacon of positivity!
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Another black mark against this fella if we manage to go the rest of the season bare bones at centre back.
You mean the guy who has managed to stop us from getting docked points by selling our players, especially the young ones for crazy money. Are you also placing a black mark against Emery too? He's very involved.
Whoever is involved with us having 1 centre back and 0 right back has fucked up yes.
We need a centre back tonight, simple as.
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I can only presume that Tyrone is fit to play at the weekend.
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He is until the 17th minute.
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Monchi has gone right down in my estimation. The situation in central defence is criminal. Like Heck, he is lucky Emery is a genius. Emery is papering over a lot of cracks at the club.
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Good at selling kids. Shit at recruitment so far. They've had 6 months to scout and prepare a range of centre backs depending on what situation we find ourselves in. If all he came up with was Bade (who he's scouted and signed before by the way) and Disasi who has been shit at Chelsea then I suggest they work a little harder.
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Monchi has gone right down in my estimation. The situation in central defence is criminal. Like Heck, he is lucky Emery is a genius. Emery is papering over a lot of cracks at the club.
Emery brought Monchi in.
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Monchi has gone right down in my estimation. The situation in central defence is criminal. Like Heck, he is lucky Emery is a genius. Emery is papering over a lot of cracks at the club.
Emery brought Monchi in.
An does Emery do his job for him too? Monchi's job is to provide the players Emery needs.
But snide comments is all you get here.
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as soon as Unai goes or things got shitty on the pitch then yeah, I agree with Villa82 - it'll unravel, and Heck, Monchi and the rest will be in for it
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Id imagine they’ll all go en masse which is where it gets tricky.
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Monchi has gone right down in my estimation. The situation in central defence is criminal. Like Heck, he is lucky Emery is a genius. Emery is papering over a lot of cracks at the club.
Emery brought Monchi in.
An does Emery do his job for him too? Monchi's job is to provide the players Emery needs.
But snide comments is all you get here.
Snide?
You stated Emery is a genius and papering over the cracks. I just happened to state that Emery decided to bring Monchi in, and to work with him for three transfer windows now. It is also Emery's call to get rid if he thinks it isn't working and he hasn't.
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Monchi has gone right down in my estimation. The situation in central defence is criminal. Like Heck, he is lucky Emery is a genius. Emery is papering over a lot of cracks at the club.
Emery brought Monchi in.
So what? Emery isnt his boss. Its like recommending you for a job you do a shit job but it would be my fault. You are the one accountable for doing the shit job. So in this case its on monchi as for me he has done a poor job in the last two windows. He would have negotiated the fee of 50m for onana and the fee for maatsen ( i think we over paid for both)
And this window if he fails to bring a center back in again i hold him responsible along with damien vigadamy. They are playing a game of roulette with our season. Sheer madness.
Only thing i blame unai for me is authorising loaning center backs e.g swinkels when we have literally no options to play there at present.
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Always seemed like a chancer to me.
Maybe a list of his successful signings and astute bargains would change my mind
As for catweasel I think his time is also up, can we have a defensive coach, please.
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Weirdos
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Monchi has gone right down in my estimation. The situation in central defence is criminal. Like Heck, he is lucky Emery is a genius. Emery is papering over a lot of cracks at the club.
This kind of post from a few folk isn't going to age well if Diasi does now sign.
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Looks like he’s got it across the line - well done.
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What a fucking ace transfer window it's been. Well done Monchi.
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Weirdos
Are you on the pop C?
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Trust the Process!
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Where's flip floppy? Want to see his next post of, "Fangtastic windo, Monke and Videogamer hav dun a grate jobs, alleyway new thay wood"
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Where's flip floppy? Want to see his next post of, "Fangtastic windo, Monke and Videogamer hav dun a grate jobs, alleyway new thay wood"
This made me laugh….a lot.
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Three loans and one permanent if the chelsea lad comes in. Not at all shabby of hw8 comes in.
Quite clear the plans to spend big in the summer
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Beatify this visonary!
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Trust the Process!
And a little bit of patience
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Three loans and one permanent if the chelsea lad comes in. Not at all shabby of hw8 comes in.
Quite clear the plans to spend big in the summer
Close enough.
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Has this clown gone yet? Can't be doing with his improving the squad and keeping us financially stable ways.
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Has this clown gone yet? Can't be doing with his improving the squad and keeping us financially stable ways.
Donkey, not clown.
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The jury is out. 4 players who have been out of favour this season. 3 of those have barely played for 2 months and a second division spanish player. Massive wages being poured in to this window. Over to Emery.
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Has this clown gone yet? Can't be doing with his improving the squad and keeping us financially stable ways.
None of his January signings have scored yet! (That have counted anyway)
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Mess, mess it tell thee.
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The jury is out. 4 players who have been out of favour this season. 3 of those have barely played for 2 months and a second division spanish player. Massive wages being poured in to this window. Over to Emery.
Surely these players are an improvement on Buendia, Jaden and Carlos?
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The jury is out. 4 players who have been out of favour this season. 3 of those have barely played for 2 months and a second division spanish player. Massive wages being poured in to this window. Over to Emery.
Not sure I would phrase it quite like that but I'm not a million miles away from agreeing. They are all, to a degree, surprising signings from surprising places. Garcia aside.
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The jury is out. 4 players who have been out of favour this season. 3 of those have barely played for 2 months and a second division spanish player. Massive wages being poured in to this window. Over to Emery.
Read that back to yourself and give your head a wobble.
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Well yeah they all have something to prove, but the upside potential with Rashford and Asensio is immense.
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The jury is out. 4 players who have been out of favour this season. 3 of those have barely played for 2 months and a second division spanish player. Massive wages being poured in to this window. Over to Emery.
Surely these players are an improvement on Buendia, Jaden and Carlos?
Monchi Magic!
He's pulled some great signings with pedigree and reputation!
These are the names we've been expecting to bring in.
Certainly offensively.
Exciting times.
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Monchi Magic!
(https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/6dd219488d8e530055c075b13e95d676?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=294&cropW=442&xPos=0&yPos=31&width=862&height=575)
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The jury is out. 4 players who have been out of favour this season. 3 of those have barely played for 2 months and a second division spanish player. Massive wages being poured in to this window. Over to Emery.
Disasi and Malen although not nailed on first teamers have played and contributed as far as I’m aware.
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So what? Emery isnt his boss. Its like recommending you for a job you do a shit job but it would be my fault. You are the one accountable for doing the shit job. So in this case its on monchi as for me he has done a poor job in the last two windows. He would have negotiated the fee of 50m for onana and the fee for maatsen ( i think we over paid for both)
And this window if he fails to bring a center back in again i hold him responsible along with damien vigadamy. They are playing a game of roulette with our season. Sheer madness.
Only thing i blame unai for me is authorising loaning center backs e.g swinkels when we have literally no options to play there at present.
You really think Emery isn't in total control of everyone on the footballing side? I mean the people wouldn't have been hired without him saying so and if he thought they had done shit jobs, they wouldn't still be at the club. Every interview with Damian and Monchi is that all three of them have offices next to each other and they sit and go through the players together.
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Aye, UE hasn't been slow to get rid of playing staff who haven't done what he's says, why would it be different for the admin staff?
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The BBC deadline day page is asking...Can Villa claim to have won the transfer window?
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We'll be running round the Bullring with the transfer window cup
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The BBC deadline day page is asking...Can Villa claim to have won the transfer window?
Which can be answered in about 4 months time.
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The BBC deadline day page is asking...Can Villa claim to have won the transfer window?
Unfortunately, West Ham won it last time and then turned to absolute pish
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The BBC deadline day page is asking...Can Villa claim to have won the transfer window?
Unfortunately, West Ham won it last time and then turned to absolute pish
You say unfortunately. I say hilariously.
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Monchi has gone right down in my estimation. The situation in central defence is criminal. Like Heck, he is lucky Emery is a genius. Emery is papering over a lot of cracks at the club.
This kind of post from a few folk isn't going to age well if Diasi does now sign.
Cause I’m too messy and then I’m too fucking clean
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The BBC deadline day page is asking...Can Villa claim to have won the transfer window?
Unfortunately, West Ham won it last time and then turned to absolute pish
You say unfortunately. I say hilariously.
ha ha yeah you know what I meant though
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Monchi Magic!
(https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/6dd219488d8e530055c075b13e95d676?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=294&cropW=442&xPos=0&yPos=31&width=862&height=575)
Ha ha! Is that the new back four?
What a bat shit crazy show that was by the way.
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Monchi Magic!
(https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/6dd219488d8e530055c075b13e95d676?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=294&cropW=442&xPos=0&yPos=31&width=862&height=575)
Ha ha! Is that the new back four?
What a bat shit crazy show that was by the way.
That and Water Margin are both on Amazon Prime at the moment.
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What the original Monkey? I’ve just signed up for a month so I may check it out and see if 40 years later I actually have any idea what’s going on.
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Trust the Process!
It's almost as if - and hear me out - there was a contingency plan and list of targets in place, for the event a forward and defender requested to leave the club.
🤷♂️
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Where's flip floppy? Want to see his next post of, "Fangtastic windo, Monke and Videogamer hav dun a grate jobs, alleyway new thay wood"
Haha!
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Monchi Magic!
(https://live-production.wcms.abc-cdn.net.au/6dd219488d8e530055c075b13e95d676?impolicy=wcms_crop_resize&cropH=294&cropW=442&xPos=0&yPos=31&width=862&height=575)
Love it lol.
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Have to say the guy has earned his corn whilst (are we the only ones) to stay within the rules.
Great turnover of players, even if they are in the main loans, but buys us time and financial breathing space for the summer
Now lets get that 4/5th place and Champs league
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Toronto Villain credit , shared from The Athletic.
"Villa’s business was led by Monchi and Damian Vidagany, the president’s and director’ of football operations, relying on close contacts and players known to him and Emery. This, to a certain extent, was a product of an unpredictable market.
The power between the three is geared on Monchi and Vidagany, a key conduit with agents, facilitating Emery’s desires while offering suggestions for the manager to accept or reject. Having trusted contacts meant alternative targets could be sourced and sounded out swiftly"
I think they are to be called : The 3 amigos!
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Oh FFS, more quotes from the same article? It really isn't necessary.
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Monchi got a lot of praise for his janauary transfers but i think summer he has to really improve on kast summers transfers and get a new defence in order as this defence is fucking a shambles
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We did a lot of business last summer, but didn’t manage to solve all of the issues in the squad. Looking back it’s clear that only Everton, Chelsea and Juventus would do business with us to help our PSR predicament. For this reason we ended-up with several players who weren’t worth including in the squad, and still didn’t manage to sign a right back. With the benefit of hindsight, Onana and Maatsen haven’t justified their transfer fees. However, I don’t know how we could have done any better in the circumstances - we weren’t in a position to sign similarly valued players from other clubs.
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This bloke is shite.
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... said no one after the Liverpool and Chelsea games.
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Doug hasn't been blamed for a few years about time we resurrected his thread.
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... said no one after the Liverpool and Chelsea games.
Said me. I don't like his business for us and I think the summer and January work wasn't good enough. We had issues with defense that weren't resolved both Summer and Jan. Chelsea's 6th choice centre back who can't get a game isn't the answer.
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Doesn’t Emery say where he needs a player e.g. central defence and Monchi goes out and looks for one, with what they need? Perhaps Emery didn’t want or thought he needed a defender for example.
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They have got 500 targets per position.
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Monchi using his time off to present a lecture reflecting on theology and one's daily faith.
https://islapasion.net/monchi-ensalza-una-madruga-infinita-junto-a-jesus-nazareno-y-la-virgen-de-los-dolores/
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Monchi: “The Premier League ended nine days ago, & we haven't stopped. There’s no time to rest — a sporting director’s vacation is in September.”
“Emery has been able to bring out the best in Rashford, & Unai is the number one for that. He’s a player with top-notch, elite ability. We haven’t lost hope — he has a significant connection with the club & Unai.”
“The story between Dibu & Aston Villa must continue, that’s my wish. He’s happy & content, but I’m not in his head. Asensio hasn’t lost his talent — he’s given us a lot, & he’s in our best interest.” @elpelotazocsr #avfc
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That’s a weird stream of consciousness type set of quotes.
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Positive though.
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That’s a weird stream of consciousness type set of quotes.
I like to think this is how he talks in real life - only in soundbites
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Positive though.
Yep, that’s what I thought
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Spanish and Italian newspaper football quotes are always so much more dramatic and spill the tea than the media-trained boring cvnts we get over here.
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Positive though.
I suppose that depends on your point of view. It's my view that Rashford's presence in the squad reduces the involvement / effectiveness of the likes of Ramsey and Rogers, and that keeping him would only make sense if we were in the ECL. His high wages will only inhibit other signings.
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The fact that we still want to keep Rashford is positive in the way that may suggest financially, all is not that bad.
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Positive though.
I suppose that depends on your point of view. It's my view that Rashford's presence in the squad reduces the involvement / effectiveness of the likes of Ramsey and Rogers, and that keeping him would only make sense if we were in the ECL. His high wages will only inhibit other signings.
I don’t think Rashford inhibits Rogers. Ramsey maybe, but then if it forces JJ to up his game that’s a good thing.
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Ramsey wide left, Roger’s through the middle behind Rashford. Just need a player on the right with a surname starting with R for a full house.
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Ramsey wide left, Roger’s through the middle behind Rashford. Just need a player on the right with a surname starting with R for a full house.
Rashford through the middle - has that ever really worked? Harnessing Rashford and Watkins (or Malen) looked good when we actually tried it.
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Positive though.
I suppose that depends on your point of view. It's my view that Rashford's presence in the squad reduces the involvement / effectiveness of the likes of Ramsey and Rogers, and that keeping him would only make sense if we were in the ECL. His high wages will only inhibit other signings.
I don’t think Rashford inhibits Rogers. Ramsey maybe, but then if it forces JJ to up his game that’s a good thing.
If it pushes Rogers onto the right, I think it does.
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The fact that we still want to keep Rashford is positive in the way that may suggest financially, all is not that bad.
Yep, that's what I found encouraging. Plus, I want Rashford back.
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Ramsey wide left, Roger’s through the middle behind Rashford. Just need a player on the right with a surname starting with R for a full house.
This is the real reason we're signing Zepiqueno Redmond.
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Ramsey wide left, Roger’s through the middle behind Rashford. Just need a player on the right with a surname starting with R for a full house.
This is the real reason we're signing Zepiqueno Redmond.
Ha!
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Rashford through the middle - has that ever really worked? Harnessing Rashford and Watkins (or Malen) looked good when we actually tried it.
He scored all his goals for us from the CF role when played there.
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https://x.com/leonsfdo/status/1944135092646920321
Fair play to him. https://x.com/laligaandbeyond/status/1944120985906524244
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Indeed fair play.
But, and not wishing to be overly myopic, but isn’t this a bit of a key time for the Sporting Director role? And assuming it is, do we have someone/a process to fill that gap.
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I'm sure everything is in hand, and no dereliction of duties.
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Hmmmm. That’s going to go down well.
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If this is true, he is employed by Villa, oh fair play to him? He has a job to do here at the most important time of his job. I wish I could step away from my job to do something else for a bit.
Although, perhaps he and the club know we are not going to do much this window so he can stay in Spain
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Maybe it’s a cunning plan
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Apparently, it's at the end of the window...nothing official.
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If this is true, he is employed by Villa, oh fair play to him? He has a job to do here at the most important time of his job. I wish I could step away from my job to do something else for a bit.
Although, perhaps he and the club know we are not going to do much this window so he can stay in Spain
Are you never allowed leave then?
It is also a weekend or do we expect them to be working 24/7 365 days a year?
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Hmm. This don't sound great .
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Hmm. This don't sound great .
It doesn't, but Monchi seems confident he can help save San Fernando CD.
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Please don't confuse me and VT. 🙁
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Maybe time to get Ian Storey Moore and Glen Roeder back .
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Pretty poor taste.
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So long as the owners and Unai are ok with whats happening then its fine. I cant think any of them would tolerate anything having a significant impact on his Villa role
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If this is true, he is employed by Villa, oh fair play to him? He has a job to do here at the most important time of his job. I wish I could step away from my job to do something else for a bit.
Although, perhaps he and the club know we are not going to do much this window so he can stay in Spain
Are you never allowed leave then?
It is also a weekend or do we expect them to be working 24/7 365 days a year?
So, he is leaving Villa?
You know how employment works?
If he is doing it in his spare time and not being paid, then ok, go for it. But, he is employed by Villa and he still expected to do his job with no adverse impact from this new activity.
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I'm talking about holiday from your job sometimes called Annual Leave and shortened to leave. It can also mean sick leave or maternity/ paternity leave, bereavement leave etc. Not leave as in not coming back. If you aren't allowed any time off to do anything outside of your job, you need a better job.
In this instance he seems to have flown back to his home town for the weekend to protest the owners of his local town team, and have a chat with the local mayor. And tbh, with tech of today where zoom / teams, email and phones mean you can be contacted at a moments notice, I doubt him being over there for a few days is hampering anything for the Villa anyway.
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If this is true, he is employed by Villa, oh fair play to him? He has a job to do here at the most important time of his job. I wish I could step away from my job to do something else for a bit.
Although, perhaps he and the club know we are not going to do much this window so he can stay in Spain
Are you never allowed leave then?
It is also a weekend or do we expect them to be working 24/7 365 days a year?
So, he is leaving Villa?
You know how employment works?
If he is doing it in his spare time and not being paid, then ok, go for it. But, he is employed by Villa and he still expected to do his job with no adverse impact from this new activity.
Err, as Somniloquism said, you've misread what he wrote.
Everyone is allowed time off. Everyone can do what they want in that time off so long as it doesn't prejudice their job.
I don't think for a nanosecond he's getting paid to do this.
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I think my conclusion from all of this is that Monchi = good guy.