Summer 2010 Transfer Thread: B*llsh*t, Rumours & Wishes

[pauliewalnuts]

carew on his day is a good player no doubt , but he does seem a little disinterested at times and plays with that appraoch , and then other times when hes up 4 it he plays like a totally different player.

maybe hes a player who needs a kick up the arse now an again to get him going.

I think that's fair comment.

[Concrete John]

when exactly were we 4th last season? Just interested..

I don't know where to find table for a ceretain point in the season, but it might have been after Burnley at home?

But we were.  And I think you know we were as well.

Here

http://www.statto.com/football/teams/aston-villa/2009-2010

Third for two weeks.

Mind you, look at this for consistency:

http://www.statto.com/football/teams/aston-villa/2008-2009

Thanks, Paulie!

[LeeB]

carew on his day is a good player no doubt , but he does seem a little disinterested at times and plays with that appraoch , and then other times when hes up 4 it he plays like a totally different player.

maybe hes a player who needs a kick up the arse now an again to get him going.

I think that's fair comment.

I do too. On his day, he's genuinely unplayable. I'm just more than concerned that those days seem fewer, and further apart.

[Concrete John]

when exactly were we 4th last season? Just interested..

I don't know where to find table for a ceretain point in the season, but it might have been after Burnley at home?

But we were.  And I think you know we were as well.

Here

http://www.statto.com/football/teams/aston-villa/2009-2010

Third for two weeks.

Mind you, look at this for consistency:

http://www.statto.com/football/teams/aston-villa/2008-2009

yep, big difference. i don't know how anyone can claim we weren't challenging more than last season whatever the final points total says

I think the highligted word is the crux of the argument.  We may have looked more likely during the season, but the prizes are only given out after 38 games, at which point we were closer in 09/10 than in 08/09.

[pauliewalnuts]

carew on his day is a good player no doubt , but he does seem a little disinterested at times and plays with that appraoch , and then other times when hes up 4 it he plays like a totally different player.

maybe hes a player who needs a kick up the arse now an again to get him going.

I think that's fair comment.

I do too. On his day, he's genuinely unplayable. I'm just more than concerned that those days seem fewer, and further apart.

Dunno about that, like I said, 17 in 42 is a decent record still, and he struggled with, errm, "injury" a bit last season.

Or was that the season before? I dunno.

[Concrete John]

i fear harrys possibly decided to go for huntelaar and therefore hurried up the keane deal, as much as i would like keane i feel huntelaar would offer more goals .

I don't know if Harry is after Huntelaar or not, but I'd agree that he would be a better option for us than Keane.

[pauliewalnuts]

when exactly were we 4th last season? Just interested..

I don't know where to find table for a ceretain point in the season, but it might have been after Burnley at home?

But we were.  And I think you know we were as well.

Here

http://www.statto.com/football/teams/aston-villa/2009-2010

Third for two weeks.

Mind you, look at this for consistency:

http://www.statto.com/football/teams/aston-villa/2008-2009

yep, big difference. i don't know how anyone can claim we weren't challenging more than last season whatever the final points total says

I think the highligted word is the crux of the argument.  We may have looked more likely during the season, but the prizes are only given out after 38 games, at which point we were closer in 08/09 than in 09/10.

True, but using your own measure, the question is whether we were sufficiently "closer".

09-10 - 6th - 64 points
08-09 - 6th - 62 points
07-08 - 6th - 60 points

By one measure (position) it is not improvement. By another measure (points) it is, but that rate of improvement doesn't really look sufficient to suggest we're going to break the top four any time soon.

[Greg N'Ash]

when exactly were we 4th last season? Just interested..

I don't know where to find table for a ceretain point in the season, but it might have been after Burnley at home?

But we were.  And I think you know we were as well.

Here

http://www.statto.com/football/teams/aston-villa/2009-2010

Third for two weeks.

Mind you, look at this for consistency:

http://www.statto.com/football/teams/aston-villa/2008-2009

yep, big difference. i don't know how anyone can claim we weren't challenging more than last season whatever the final points total says

I think the highligted word is the crux of the argument.  We may have looked more likely during the season, but the prizes are only given out after 38 games, at which point we were closer in 09/10 than in 08/09.

again if your in a race and in the top 3 or 4 for a lot it but fall away to 6th, its more impressive than running in at the end and getting 6th in a slightly better time

[mcgrath_85]

I would keep big John as a mere squad player. I think he's capable of making a difference when called upon.
I think it's essential to sign a mobile forward: Huntleear to partner Gabby. This would stop us from being lazy in just hoofing it up to big John or Heskey when in a little doubt.

Big John has never scored in a big game from what I can remember, whereas he regulary scores against the lower teams.
If mon decides to rotate a bit this year, then big John is perfect to come in for Gabby and our new marquee signing in these type of games and in the mickey mouse Europa cup.

[Des Little]

All I know is that we are extremely predicatable/stale going forward.  For all the pace we have on the flanks we just don't create and score enough goals.  Carew is extremely one dimentional, therefore if we have to scarifice him to get some new ideas in (Keane, Huntelaar etc), then we have to do it.

[Clampy]

i fear harrys possibly decided to go for huntelaar and therefore hurried up the keane deal, as much as i would like keane i feel huntelaar would offer more goals .

I don't know if Harry is after Huntelaar or not, but I'd agree that he would be a better option for us than Keane.

My only worry about Huntlelaar is that other than his own country, he dose'nt seem to have hacked it anywhere else, so it's not saying he'll hack it in the Prem either.

[Concrete John]

True, but using your own measure, the question is whether we were sufficiently "closer".

09-10 - 6th - 64 points
08-09 - 6th - 62 points
07-08 - 6th - 60 points

By one measure (position) it is not improvement. By another measure (points) it is, but that rate of improvement doesn't really look sufficient to suggest we're going to break the top four any time soon.

I think we've reached a level where the increase in points becomes harder, so the above doesn't surprise me.  We need a 'quantum leap' to bridge the gap that currently exists, although where and how we're going to get that I do not know.

[Ads]

We needed three goals against West Ham, Sunderland and Blackburn to breach the gap last year.

[Concrete John]

again if your in a race and in the top 3 or 4 for a lot it but fall away to 6th, its more impressive than running in at the end and getting 6th in a slightly better time

Just moving those positions up a bit to make a comparison, if a runner is 2nd for most of the race and ends up 4th, you'd give him the bronze over the bloke that did finish 3rd because he was there all race and did nothing else?

[pauliewalnuts]

We needed three goals against West Ham, Sunderland and Blackburn to breach the gap last year.

Then again, you could probably pick three matches where we were lucky to get a win rather than a draw last season and argue that that was all that stopped us from finishing one position above Blues.

Like John said, ultimately the table tells the stories, and the ifs and buts don't really count for much.