A selling club.

[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.     

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.

Well, if the reason we've not spent the Milner money or bought anyone else in is the timing of Martin's departure, I think it's reasonable to assume that this would also have prevented anything being done if Sidwell had gone?

I think the intention was there to clear a few out, but a rather stagnated transfer market and their high wages prevented this.  But in terms of this wages/turnover ratio that the club is concerned about, we've taken good strides towards rectifying this by the combined salary of Shorey, Bouma and Harewood now being removed.  I'd guess an average of £30,000 a week for them, so that's circa £4.5m a year saved, which is good considering their combined contribution over the last 2 years was pretty non-existant.  A total clear out?  No, not even close.  A step in the right direction to help future recruitment?  Yes, I'd say so.

So I'm saying I accept this needed to be done, but I now want to see this further recruitment.   

[pauliewalnuts]

Well, if the reason we've not spent the Milner money or bought anyone else in is the timing of Martin's departure, I think it's reasonable to assume that this would also have prevented anything being done if Sidwell had gone?

Sidwell didn't go, though, so what's the relevance of it?

Also worth noting that he was being linked with Fulham from June onwards. It's not as if it was going to be a last minute fire sale from which we were going to keep the money.

[Concrete John]

Well, if the reason we've not spent the Milner money or bought anyone else in is the timing of Martin's departure, I think it's reasonable to assume that this would also have prevented anything being done if Sidwell had gone?

Sidwell didn't go, though, so what's the relevance of it?

Also worth noting that he was being linked with Fulham from June onwards. It's not as if it was going to be a last minute fire sale from which we were going to keep the money.

Well, Milner was also linked with Man City from the earliest part of the window, yet we did not spend that money.  I don't want to get too hung up on the Sidwell thing, but I just fail to see what circumstance would suggest his sale/proceeds would have been dealt with in any way different to Milner and Shorey's?

[Drummond]

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?

That's pushing it. I'd have kept Milner.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

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?

That's pushing it. I'd have kept Milner.

Maybe we could have if we were not shelling out £100,000 per week to just Heskey and Beye alone.

[PeterWithe]

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?

That's pushing it. I'd have kept Milner.

Two definately, Milner and Cahill, two probably, Barry and Knight.

[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?

That's pushing it. I'd have kept Milner.

Two definately, Milner and Cahill, two probably, Barry and Knight.

I would guess he was talking about players we sold that we didn't want to but an offer was made and the player wanted to leave. Not players that the manager sold as they were surplus to requirements or wanted first team action and couldn't get it here.

[sfx412]

Can some one tell me why in their opinion Mon would not have bought players as he usually did in the last few days of the window.
Its hardly the Boards fault Mon quit when he did leaving no options let along no viable coaching or managerial staff
Or is it ?

[Villa'Zawg]

Can some one tell me why in their opinion Mon would not have bought players as he usually did in the last few days of the window.
Its hardly the Boards fault Mon quit when he did leaving no options let along no viable coaching or managerial staff
Or is it ?

because it is a myth that he predominantly bought players in the last few days of the transfer window. Yes there were some but the vast majority of players were bought before the final week of the January transfer window and the final 3 weeks of the Summer transfer window.

[Hookeysmith]

We are a selling club - just like that no ambition lot from London - err whats their name?...........
Chelsea

Ballack
Carvalliho
Deco

oh and they gave Joe Cole away for free

Any of those players would walk in to most prem sides

The day i actually give a toss what the like of the 5th Bee gee has to say is the day i give up football.

I do however agree that the club should fight back before this myth gets perpetuated even more

[Toronto Villa]

The best way for the club to fight back is to improve on the pitch as Houllier gets settled in and then invest in January. Houllier wouldn't have joined if he was told we're skint. There's some house cleaning to be done also to help raise funds, but there's some surgery required and I have no doubt Randy will support him in that effort.

[Ger Regan]

because it is a myth that he predominantly bought players in the last few days of the transfer window. Yes there were some but the vast majority of players were bought before the final week of the January transfer window and the final 3 weeks of the Summer transfer window.

I can think of 8 signings that were within the 3 weeks of the end of the summer window. There's probably more that i'm forgetting.

Edit: There is, forgot about Zat Knight and Scott Carson

[Ads]

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

He's the biggest O'Neill fan of the lot.

[Chris Smith]

Did we have in choice about whether to sell Milner? Of course we did.

Did we do it anyway knowing that we wouldn't be able to spend the money this summer? Of course we did.

Does that make us, in the short term, 'to all intents and purposes a selling club'? Yes, we've taken the money rather than keep the player.

Is that necesssarily a bad thing? No, as long as we do spend the money.

We are all expecting to bring players in during January, until we do we're in net profit this year so are a selling club.

[sfx412]

Can some one tell me why in their opinion Mon would not have bought players as he usually did in the last few days of the window.
Its hardly the Boards fault Mon quit when he did leaving no options let along no viable coaching or managerial staff
Or is it ?

because it is a myth that he predominantly bought players in the last few days of the transfer window. Yes there were some but the vast majority of players were bought before the final week of the January transfer window and the final 3 weeks of the Summer transfer window.

So ignoring the facts again, he did buy plenty of players late on, as he did at every club he managed, why would he have not repeated that this summer, please tell.
As well tell me why Milner is a special case. The policy Mon and the club had was never to keep players who wanted to move. It was a convenient excuse for some with the likes of Cahill, Davies, Ridgewell, Gardner, and others in his early clear outs, so what makes Milner a special case, other than a convenient means to knock the Board.

I thought I heard Houllier in his press conference suggest that buying players in January was not that advisable anyway, so I wouldn't build up too many hopes. That by the way was also Mon's stated policy too.