Summer transfer rumours, speculation and out-and-out b*ll*cks.

[fredm]

We've already got the perfect man for the DOF role at the club, IMO. We'd just need to find a younger manager with fewer tactical quirks to replace him first and allow him to move into the role.

I think there is a person at the blue side of Liverpool who might well be tempted to seek pastures new in the summer.

[villa for life]

agree 1000% with Moyes for manager and Houllier upstairs, for next season.

[Rigadon]

Wow, that really is perverse!!  I see what you're both saying with regards to playing the long game, but how long can a team be a work in progress?  Perpetually?  There has to be some point where you grow. 

It's best if you do it from a position of strength but maybe another one (4th, Heskey blah blah) won't be so quick in coming around.  So, selling our best player every single summer and not improving, even slowly, is a pretty uninspiring lot for a supporter. 

although tbf, clubs like arsenal have had to do it and it benefitted them immensely... take nicholas anelka for example, he was purchased for 500k, and then sold (reluctantly in wengers case) for 23 mil... with that 23 mil, arsenal purchased thierry henry... same thing with marc overmars, bought for 7 mil, sold for 25 mil.. they purchased robert pires and wiltord... (francis jeffers too, but they cant all be brilliant)... paul mersons sale funded vieira, etc etc... they also brought in some crap in with those purchases, eg, boa morte, grimandi, stepanovs, malz, etc, but to bring in a big bulk of what made them a great trophy winning side in the early parts of 2000 onwards, was used with money brought in through player sales...

Again, all good points.  But, Arsenal of the Champions league and Lyon of the Champions League and Milan of the Champions League will find it far easier to buy in quality replacements that are ready to go into the team than Aston Villa will - ESPECIALLY now we're being portrayed (even after smashing our transfer record last month)  as a club on the slide.

Who do people think we're going to rebuild with?  Are they going to be kids from the championship or France with potential?  I'd be fine with this approach aside form a very important point: where does that get you if at the very point they get anywhere near maturing into players that can propel us into the top 4 a club promising the ubiquitous 'CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FOOTBALL' comes along and cherry picks said players?  it just invites the question as to whether we will ever in my lifetime be able to compete with the teams in the bloody Champions League!

I guess we need some kind of perfect storm whereby we get in just at the right time.  See Tottenham ****ing Hotspur for an example of this eh?

[Rigadon]

I'd add that with the potentially special kids coming through it's not all doom and gloom

[Monty]

Lyon weren't of the Champions' League when they started the strategy. However, it must be said that a criticism of it is that it doesn't tend to bring through youth or forge team unity particularly effectively - and the two go hand in hand so often. If we can find a nice compromise between the two, that would be perfect.

[Salsa Party Animal]

I would rather go for Barcelona than Real Madrid method of building a team. I think we should keep GH for long term and use him to keep improving the club even when he step down as a manager.

[TheSandman]

We've already got the perfect man for the DOF role at the club, IMO. We'd just need to find a younger manager with fewer tactical quirks to replace him first and allow him to move into the role.

I think there is a person at the blue side of Liverpool who might well be tempted to seek pastures new in the summer.

Not a Moyes fan I must say. He is too much like O'Neill for me.

[Dave]

We've already got the perfect man for the DOF role at the club, IMO. We'd just need to find a younger manager with fewer tactical quirks to replace him first and allow him to move into the role.

I think there is a person at the blue side of Liverpool who might well be tempted to seek pastures new in the summer.

Not a Moyes fan I must say. He is too much like O'Neill for me.

If O'Neill had taken us from 5th to 8th to 13th in the last three seasons then there would have been uproar on here.

[murgsy]

How much would Cardozo cost from Benfica?

[eamonn]

O'Neill was far luckier with injuries than Moyes was.
Having said that Everton's injury excuse doesn't wash quite so well this season.

[cdbearsfan]

I see O'Neill and Moyes as being fairly similar. Difference is O'Neill had huge great piles of cash, as far ast the eye could see, Moyes has to make money for transfers by selling stolen car radios at car boot sales.

[Karl Bridges]

Shouldn't this be a sticky?

[Monty]

I see O'Neill and Moyes as being fairly similar. Difference is O'Neill had huge great piles of cash, as far ast the eye could see, Moyes has to make money for transfers by selling stolen car radios at car boot sales.

True, but however good you are at signings, it doesn't matter if you have the same mediocre football ideas. I very much respect what Moyes has done at Everton, much like I respect what MON did here, but I still don't think he's 'next level' material yet.

[cdbearsfan]

Agree wholeheartedly.

[hawkeye]

Not sure wahat Moyes can do, they supposedly started with the strongest squad this year, Arteta looks a shadow of his former self, Saha gets injured, comes back does nothing, then hits purple patch gets injured again, repeat many times, the other forwards Vaughn and Anichibe, strong runners thats about it, very reliant on Cahill. When Everton get thier best 11 out all fit and up for it they are a difficult team, other times ordinary.
He had nothing like the investment MON but kept them at the top end of the league. I think he has done a solid job but thats it.