Aston Villa's Wasted Millions.

[dcdavecollett]

Shouldn't have tried to sign him in the first place, imo.

He (or his agent) tried to blackmail Small Heath over more money when they wanted to sign him when McLeish was there.

I do wonder what he would have been like under a good manager, like the one we've got now.

[Daley’s dreads]

Know someone who used to teach N’Zogbia piano when he was here. Said he was a nice guy but that he knew the fans didn’t like him and that he was very sensitive.

[LeeB]

I liked him.

Well I hated him less than Stephen Ireland anyway.

[paul_e]

I never disliked n'Zogbia, I just thought he was the wrong player signed for the wrong reasons and not remotely what we needed at the time. It looks like chicken feed now but at the time he was a massive investment from us into a player who'd only looked worth that in a team that was built almost entirely to give him the chance to add a 'little bit of magic'.

That entire window is probably the worst I can think of for us. Given signed on a 5 year contract he was never going to see out as a premier league level player, N'Zog signed for double what he should've bene because McLeish wanted wanted to 'get his man' after missing out on him the year before and Hutton signed as the only remotely decent deal of the window but coming in to replace Young, Young, Downing, Friedel, Carew and Reo-Coker who had all been pretty much regulars over the last couple of years.

[kippaxvilla2]

There is one redeeming feature about N’Zogbia.  He turned the noses down and something wants to tell me that he didn’t think it was a step up from Wigan.

[dcdavecollett]

It wasn't !

[Risso]

Yes that summer pretty well marked the end of the Lerner project in respect of him having any meaningful ambition. We completely dismantled the last of the O'Neill team, and in losing Downing and Young, they HAD to get another top flight winger in. N'Zogbia had finished the season well for Wigan, which unfortunately for us elevated his profile temporarily, and we massively overpaid for him.

[dcdavecollett]

Yes, on both wages and transfer fee!

[dcdavecollett]

AND length of contract (five years!), I should have said.

[Cliftonville Villlain]

Until the end of my days I will never see a worse player in a Villa shirt than Richards. Bad players are quickly forgotten but we now have to endure this waste of space every Saturday night. Incredibly.

[rob_bridge]

Until the end of my days I will never see a worse player in a Villa shirt than Richards. Bad players are quickly forgotten but we now have to endure this waste of space every Saturday night. Incredibly.

Totally agree. He was brought in to be a leader on and off pitch and bring degree of professionalism and winning mentality.

He is an utter disgrace. The fact he can do that grinning clown ‘..Ang On. And On a Meeenite. Can Aye Jiiust Say…..’

Total wanker. Sorry a bad un for us

[dcdavecollett]

At least he was able to play for us under Sherwood, though I recall a comment on here that his performance was like a Labrador chasing around after a balloon!

Once Garde came in, his agreed fitness regime was torn up, according to Richards, and the injuries soon mounted up.

Oh, the joys of signing perma-crocks!!