My comments on an article I just read in the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/dec/22/gerard-houllier-aston-villa-overhaul1. Glad to see Sidwell go (he should have been sold earlier) because he is useless in a 4-4-2 (but was good back when we played 4-5-1 in the days when we won seven consecutive away Premier League games before we bought Heskey).
2. Curtis Davies was turning into Zat Knight so best to get rid of him if we can (although he’ll probably end up playing well at somewhere like Stoke).
3. John Carew is too old now, so goodbye and good luck to him. It’s time to play Delfounso instead.
4. Richard Dunne was an excellent player until O’Neill left and Houllier should work with him and keep him.
5. Likewise Warnock, although he has been poor since the Carling Cup final. I can’t see the point in selling him. Where are we going to get another left back?
6. Stephen Ireland is a strange one. He arrived praising Villa for being a ‘proper club’ but now wants to leave already. He hasn’t moved down to Birmingham. He reminds me of Petrov when he arrived (skilful but ineffective). I wouldn’t be gutted if we got £8 million for him.
7. Brad Friedel is an excellent goalkeeper and has at least one more season in him. Madness to let him go, he’ll just end up being great at somewhere like Fulham for two more years.
8. Habib Beye was one of O’Neill’s odder signings. Like Shorey, he signed him, watched him play and never picked him again.
9. Reo-Coker is an effective player at breaking up play but is very ordinary on the ball and we have other youthful options in midfield now (Hogg, Clarke) if he wants too much money to re-sign.
I agree with a transfer strategy “target promising young talent as opposed to experienced players in the twilight of their career who come with big wage demands and have no sell-on fee” but this was what O’Neill was already doing with players like Milner, Young, Delph and Downing anyway. Thank god we are not going to sign Robbie Keane though.
All your opinions welcome...