A selling club.

[joe_c]

How many players have we sold in the last four years who we'd like to have kept? Two?

How many have Arsenal sold? Or Spurs? Or even Manchester United?

I'd have preferred to have held on to Nicky Shorey. Especially seeing Warnock's recent form.

*deadly serious face*

Is Warnock playing in trainers these days? He seems to end up horizontal a disturbing amount of time.

[Somniloquism]

How many players have we sold in the last four years who we'd like to have kept? Two?

How many have Arsenal sold? Or Spurs? Or even Manchester United?

I'd have preferred to have held on to Nicky Shorey. Especially seeing Warnock's recent form.

*deadly serious face*

Is Warnock playing in trainers these days? He seems to end up horizontal a disturbing amount of time.

If we had someone who could play LB I would move warnock into Midfield. He could well be the DM we so sorely lack. (assuming he doesn't just get run past easily and doesn't give away silly FK's..............ah.)

[KevinGage]

There was talk in the summer that he was unsettled and that his reluctance to move closer to Brum was causing problems.

Dunno how true, but he's been very iffy this season, as he was at the backend of last year.
Completely different player to the one who started so brightly with us.

[Toronto Villa]

I hope we are a selling club. We need to sell a number of the players that are just coasting right now. Then we can be a buying club again and bring in players who actually want to fight for their places. Seriously though, we're no more a selling club than any other club anywhere. No club turns down stupid money for their players, and no sane club chairman ever will.

[hilts_coolerking]

I hope we are a selling club. We need to sell a number of the players that are just coasting right now. Then we can be a buying club again and bring in players who actually want to fight for their places. Seriously though, we're no more a selling club than any other club anywhere. No club turns down stupid money for their players, and no sane club chairman ever will.

Well said.

[myf]

There was talk in the summer that he was unsettled and that his reluctance to move closer to Brum was causing problems.

Dunno how true, but he's been very iffy this season, as he was at the backend of last year.
Completely different player to the one who started so brightly with us.

I heard this as well - lives nr Southport / Formby apparently.  Presume he stays in one of those Aparthotels in Holloway Head Tower during the week to train as quite a distance to commute every day?

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Patrick Barclay in The Times is at it now, he says now that MON has left, 'Villa are on a slippery slope.'

[pauliewalnuts]

Patrick Barclay in The Times is at it now, he says now that MON has left, 'Villa are on a slippery slope.'

It's unbelievable, really.

What do they think is going to happen when a manager and entire coaching staff leave en masse days before the season starts?

That'd destabilise anybody.

[Concrete John]

I think what we've seen this summer, multiple players leaving and only one coming in with a transfer profit made, can be put down to circumstance of the timing of Martin's departure.  It's what happens from now on that will either prove or rubbish claims we are a 'selling club'.

Maybe not Jan as it's hard, but come 01/09/11 we'll know the answer.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think what we've seen this summer, multiple players leaving and only one coming in with a transfer profit made, can be put down to circumstance of the timing of Martin's departure.  It's what happens from now on that will either prove or rubbish claims we are a 'selling club'.

Multiple players leaving?

Shorey and Milner?

[Concrete John]

I think what we've seen this summer, multiple players leaving and only one coming in with a transfer profit made, can be put down to circumstance of the timing of Martin's departure.  It's what happens from now on that will either prove or rubbish claims we are a 'selling club'.

Multiple players leaving?

Shorey and Milner?

Bouma and Harewood also.  Plus the intent was obviosuly there to shift the likes of Sidwell and Davies aswell - would they have been replaced??

[pauliewalnuts]

I think what we've seen this summer, multiple players leaving and only one coming in with a transfer profit made, can be put down to circumstance of the timing of Martin's departure.  It's what happens from now on that will either prove or rubbish claims we are a 'selling club'.

Multiple players leaving?

Shorey and Milner?

Bouma and Harewood also.  Plus the intent was obviosuly there to shift the likes of Sidwell and Davies aswell - would they have been replaced??

Bouma was hardly a surprise, though, I don't think anyone was counting on him returning. Same with Harewood.

For Sidwell and Davies, even in these days of scepticism towards the board, it seems a bit harsh to criticise the non-replacement of two players we didn't actually sell.

[Merv]

I wouldn't worry too much what the likes of Lawrenson says on MOTD. Those guys are pretty ill-informed - I watched it on Sat night and when those comments were made, I just rolled my eyes. Just a pretty lazy opinion. We've sold two players who, in an ideal world, we would have liked to retain - and got very very good money for both. There are others who we need to move on because they've proven to be not good enough. That doesn't make us a selling club. We've also invested millions in new players, which is now conveniently overlooked.

Another lazy opinion, trotted out Lawrenson, was that Kevin M has done a good job. He's done okay, nothing more. To say 'Villa have won two games' and believe that's a good start - when you've played West Ham, Newcastle, Everton, Stoke and Bolton - is pretty ignorant. And been knocked out of Europe. The two teams we have beaten have made dreadful starts.

As others have said, the media have got an agenda now, and they'll run with it until convinced otherwise. May as well put up with it.

[Concrete John]

Bouma was hardly a surprise, though, I don't think anyone was counting on him returning. Same with Harewood.

For Sidwell and Davies, even in these days of scepticism towards the board, it seems a bit harsh to criticise the non-replacement of two players we didn't actually sell.

I'm not actually being critical of them, although we all know Sidwell would have gone to Fulham had Hodgson not left. 

I think we've had a mini 'clearing of the decks' this summer, which was needed and a few others should also be moved on.  As i said before, the timing of Martin's departure, plus their slowness in appointing a replacement, meant that that could not be coupled with recruitment.  Fine - I accept that.  My only proviso is that we start seeing some player purchasing again now those reasons have been removed and continue to improve the side/club.     

[pauliewalnuts]

Bouma was hardly a surprise, though, I don't think anyone was counting on him returning. Same with Harewood.

For Sidwell and Davies, even in these days of scepticism towards the board, it seems a bit harsh to criticise the non-replacement of two players we didn't actually sell.

I'm not actually being critical of them, although we all know Sidwell would have gone to Fulham had Hodgson not left. 

I think we've had a mini 'clearing of the decks' this summer, which was needed and a few others should also be moved on.  As i said before, the timing of Martin's departure, plus their slowness in appointing a replacement, meant that that could not be coupled with recruitment.  Fine - I accept that.  My only proviso is that we start seeing some player purchasing again now those reasons have been removed and continue to improve the side/club.     

So why assume Sidwell wouldn't have been replaced?

I agree with you, we need to see investment at the soonest opportunity, but I do think it is too easy to jump to negative conclusions about hypothetical situations (wouldn't have replaced Sidwell or Davies).

I also don't think we had anything approaching a clear out this summer, to be honest. The contract expiry and Bouma, plus Shorey - that's nothing like the kind of clear out most of us were expecting.