January Transfer Window - Rumours, Links, B*llsh*t and Made-Up Nonsense

[ozzjim]

Keeper wise I don't recall a game where Fulop has been playing and I have not thought he was a good keeper.

I would refer the honourable gentleman to this match, from three days ago:

Chelsea 7-0 Ipswich

I am pleading the Wenger. All 7 times. And the rick against us. HE always looks ok to me.
Not convinced by Westwood but better than Lewis or McGregor who I think is the worst of those linked.

[damon loves JT]

Ipswich fan of my acquaintance says he had a good game, weirdly

[JJ-AV]

Makoun and Adam for under £10m is brilliant value for the calibre of player. To get those two for half of what we got for Milner is fantastic.

Adam will give us a penalty taker as well thank god. And another set piece taker. If Ashley goes in the Summer Adam would take over as our play maker, I reckon.

I'd like next season to go something like this:

Walker - Samba - Clark - Figueroa
Albrighton - Makoun - Adam - Downing
Ashley
Rodallega

Unlikely it'll be that I guess, can't see Ashley going but as a 'dream team' on paper that looks wonderfully balanced in each area, attainable by next season and good value for money.

Rodallega would get a hatful at a better team, Albrighton and Downing have goals in them and there's players comfortable on the ball all over the park.

[ozzjim]

Ash is woeful in the hole. We need a 20 year old Robbie Keane for that role!

[JJ-AV]

I fucked up my post, I meant can't see Ash staying so we can sign the next Robbie Keane for that role

[Macho Man Randy Savage]

I wouldn't say it was that clear we will be signing Charlie Adam based on the couple of articles I've read. Holloway doesn't sound keen.

[JUAN PABLO]

English Premier League strugglers Aston Villa's manager Gerard Houllier neared agreement on Wednesday to buy Cameroon international midfielder Jean II Makoun, seen here in 2010, from one of his former clubs, Lyon.
The seven-time French champions admitted that their president Jean-Michel Aulas had held talks with Houllier, who coached Lyon from 2005-07, in Paris over the transfer of 27-year-old Makoun for a price of around 6million euros.

"The progress of the discussions depends on the agreement of the player and his advisors, who have yet to give their assent," the French club said in a statement.

Makoun, capped over 50 times and a member of last year's World Cup finals squad, has been at Lyon since signing from Lille in June 2008 for 14million euros joining his former coach Claude Puel at the club.

However, Makoun has never succeeded in winning over the supporters and has been the target of abuse from the stands with many believing he has been favoured by Puel at the expense of other players.

Makoun has made no secret of his desire to leave the club during the transfer window.

[JUAN PABLO]

Colorado Rapids forward Omar Cummings has been training with English Premier League club Aston Villa since December 31. Today, he provides a look into his first two weeks with the Birmingham, England club.

"Well, first off, being on the plane heading to England, I was kind of two minds. One part of me wanted to be back in Jamaica hanging with my wife, and family and friends. But this was an opportunity to train and play with Aston Villa, and you just don’t say no to that – not at this stage of my career.

I didn’t get to meet the team until my third day at Villa with them having so many games. But putting the gear on for the first time and heading to my first practice was exciting, and cold.

There isn’t a lot of difference in training sessions from what we do in Colorado. At the Rapids, we pretty much do the same things leading up to games. The intensity is high and there are a lot of quality footballers.

I would say I’ve been accepted pretty well at the club, from both the players and staff alike. Two players that I would say I connected with immediately were Brad Guzan and Emile Heskey.

Every player knows about MLS and many ask me questions. Some even express interest that one day they would like to play in MLS. However not very many knew that I came from the championship team.

I’ve seen one home game, which I watched from the press box with one of the Villa media personnel. I didn’t go to the reserve game but the coach did congratulate them on a job well done, and stressed their improvement in the last couple of months. (NOTE: Villa's Reserves defeated Arsenal's Reserves 10-1 earlier this week).

I’m staying in a hotel called New Hall Hotel. In fact, Arsenal just stayed here for their game against Birmingham. It’s shaped like a castle and is rumored to be haunted – so say some of the players that have stayed there before. Much of my down time involves watching football games in TV and the ‘net.

Birmingham is a city shared by two teams, Birmingham City and Aston Villa FC. I’ve taken taxis to and from practice almost every day in my two and half weeks here, and I haven't met one taxi driver that supports Birmingham - all so far have been for Villa.

I would say the best part of being here is just being in the locker room and on the practice pitch with all these amazing players, learning to be a better professional.

The worst thing – other than missing my wife and my wedding anniversary – is that I’ve been here two and a half weeks and have seen the sun once!"

[brontebilly]

Think we have dodged bullets with Bridge and Adam. Both overweight slow players. Can't see how Adam would be suited to 442. a tidy footballer no doubt but he is a player that couldn't hack it in the SPL not too long ago don't forget. Bridge has been touched on by enough posters. We already have enough players that were decent 3 or 4 years ago we didn't need another one.

But the failure to make these deals happen is a clear sign that the managerial instability at the club naturally has prospective players and their agents wary. Considering we are in the relegation zone in mid January that is very worrying.

In which way is it a "clear sign"?

They can't really win, reading your post.

1. "The players are shit" - so we're approaching crap players.

and

2. "We can't sign them" - which isn't actually the case, as there's still plenty of transfer window left.

and

3. "The reason we haven't signed them yet is because of the instability at the club" - which you've decided without any actual evidence.

1 - yeah bar Makoun I havent been impressed with the players we have been closely linked with - Adam, Bridge, Figueroa - have you?

2 + 3 - when players are turning us down for West Ham it aint good whatever way you look at it.

Makoun has fantastic experience but by all accounts has been off the boil for some time at Lyon. Just hope the fans can be patient with him as it may not be until next season that we see the best of him. If he does sign I cant see a future for Reo Coker at the club really. Isnt Reo Coker free to speak with other clubs now anyway?

[itbrvilla]

The amount of money MON has wasted on players is frightening

[dave.woodhall]

Think we have dodged bullets with Bridge and Adam. Both overweight slow players. Can't see how Adam would be suited to 442. a tidy footballer no doubt but he is a player that couldn't hack it in the SPL not too long ago don't forget. Bridge has been touched on by enough posters. We already have enough players that were decent 3 or 4 years ago we didn't need another one.

But the failure to make these deals happen is a clear sign that the managerial instability at the club naturally has prospective players and their agents wary. Considering we are in the relegation zone in mid January that is very worrying.

In which way is it a "clear sign"?

They can't really win, reading your post.

1. "The players are shit" - so we're approaching crap players.

and

2. "We can't sign them" - which isn't actually the case, as there's still plenty of transfer window left.

and

3. "The reason we haven't signed them yet is because of the instability at the club" - which you've decided without any actual evidence.

1 - yeah bar Makoun I havent been impressed with the players we have been closely linked with - Adam, Bridge, Figueroa - have you?

2 + 3 - when players are turning us down for West Ham it aint good whatever way you look at it.

Makoun has fantastic experience but by all accounts has been off the boil for some time at Lyon. Just hope the fans can be patient with him as it may not be until next season that we see the best of him. If he does sign I cant see a future for Reo Coker at the club really. Isnt Reo Coker free to speak with other clubs now anyway?

1. I haven't seen any of them playing for us.

2 and 3 are one player, who has spent the last God knows how many years looking for easy paydays so maybe he'd like that state of affairs to continue. 

[pablopicasso_10]

wayne bridge went to the shammers be closer to his child...

i personally, have no complaints over that...

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Think we have dodged bullets with Bridge and Adam. Both overweight slow players. Can't see how Adam would be suited to 442. a tidy footballer no doubt but he is a player that couldn't hack it in the SPL not too long ago don't forget. Bridge has been touched on by enough posters. We already have enough players that were decent 3 or 4 years ago we didn't need another one.

But the failure to make these deals happen is a clear sign that the managerial instability at the club naturally has prospective players and their agents wary. Considering we are in the relegation zone in mid January that is very worrying.

In which way is it a "clear sign"?

They can't really win, reading your post.

1. "The players are shit" - so we're approaching crap players.

and

2. "We can't sign them" - which isn't actually the case, as there's still plenty of transfer window left.

and

3. "The reason we haven't signed them yet is because of the instability at the club" - which you've decided without any actual evidence.

1 - yeah bar Makoun I havent been impressed with the players we have been closely linked with - Adam, Bridge, Figueroa - have you?

2 + 3 - when players are turning us down for West Ham it aint good whatever way you look at it.

Makoun has fantastic experience but by all accounts has been off the boil for some time at Lyon. Just hope the fans can be patient with him as it may not be until next season that we see the best of him. If he does sign I cant see a future for Reo Coker at the club really. Isnt Reo Coker free to speak with other clubs now anyway?

If Makoun signs think we should sell Reo Coker and try and get some money for him while we can. Also get him off the wage bill. Hogg can replace him as he is as good as him already, at a fraction of the price ...........

[Shrek]

Ray Houghton was just on talksport talking about the Liverpool game last night, he said it looked liked Charlier Adam was making an effort to clap all the fans after the game like he was saying good bye.

Holloway is saying Adam should wait till the summer because the player will be in a
Much stronger position, but reading between the lines the Blackpool board don't seem to think the same and look like they want as much money for him as possible.

[Dave P]

Adam is like a poor mans Gareth Barry and a similar age.  Why not try and get Gareth Barry ?


(runs for cover)