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

[Greg N'Ash]

personally i think a Houllier/Moyes partnership could work a treat. Houllier has good contacts with regards to players and Moyes would soon sort out the wasters and move them on

[eastie]

houllier has great contacts and some very good ideas and could develop the clubs profile worldwide , he would add some valuable experience of a football nature upstairs and would be a useful asset-i dont think man management is his greatest strength but i think director of football could be a good role for him and villa.

i wouldnt be adverse to giving him until at least xmas as manager but if he moves upstairs and we attract a moyes kind then id be happy with that.

i think moyes is a really good man manager, his teams are well organised, not the most exciting football to watch but they produce results.

[WikiVilla]

Moyes teams start slowly but usually pick up post xmas and have strong finales

[Dr Butler]

personally i think a Houllier/Moyes partnership could work a treat. Houllier has good contacts with regards to players and Moyes would soon sort out the wasters and move them on

Houllier up top with Moyes as manager could work as they look like they are friends.

I like it .

UTV
The Doc

[Risso]

Where's this evidence of Houllier's great contacts?

[Greg N'Ash]

I don't think he's done bad so far with transfers given the circumstances. Bent 5 goals in 10 games is a fair return given what the existing strikers have managed. Makoun looks a good player but needs time to adapt. Walker has played well on occassions, Uncle Bob and the other guy - the less said the better but they're on loan, were only brought in to bolster the squad short term, so no loss to us

[Risso]

I don't think he's done bad so far with transfers given the circumstances. Bent 5 goals in 10 games is a fair return given what the existing strikers have managed. Makoun looks a good player but needs time to adapt. Walker has played well on occassions, Uncle Bob and the other guy - the less said the better but they're on loan, were only brought in to bolster the squad short term, so no loss to us

The point is we were told he had a great network of contacts in France and the rest of Europe.  The result of this is that we bought Bent, a great buy but I reckon my 5 year old daughter could have suggested buying him.  Walker was a Spurs player on loan at another English club, then we have Bradley who's of no use, Pires who was being training at Arsenal but looking at playing for non-league clubs, and Makoun the only possible signing who'd fit the criteria of requiring European knowledge, and I think the jury is definitely out on him so far.

Add in the fact that he bought a right load of old shit towards the end of his Liverpool days, and I hope that come the summer he's nowhere near the club in any sort of capacity.

[eastie]

I don't think he's done bad so far with transfers given the circumstances. Bent 5 goals in 10 games is a fair return given what the existing strikers have managed. Makoun looks a good player but needs time to adapt. Walker has played well on occassions, Uncle Bob and the other guy - the less said the better but they're on loan, were only brought in to bolster the squad short term, so no loss to us

The point is we were told he had a great network of contacts in France and the rest of Europe.  The result of this is that we bought Bent, a great buy but I reckon my 5 year old daughter could have suggested buying him.  Walker was a Spurs player on loan at another English club, then we have Bradley who's of no use, Pires who was being training at Arsenal but looking at playing for non-league clubs, and Makoun the only possible signing who'd fit the criteria of requiring European knowledge, and I think the jury is definitely out on him so far.

Add in the fact that he bought a right load of old shit towards the end of his Liverpool days, and I hope that come the summer he's nowhere near the club in any sort of capacity.

sure criticise him on man management , tactics etc but how can you seriously slag off his transfer record when in one months window he addressed the holding midfield role , striker and right back roles , something the previous manager never solved in 4 yrs of trying. houllier can be criticised for a lot but certainly not his transfer dealings in january-ridiculous!

[Greg N'Ash]

well you have to look at the circumstances really. I don't think GH in an ideal world would have brought a youngster in on loan if he'd had a better option. Likewise, Pires and bradley. we'd be in deep deep shit if we hadn't brought Bent in and a guy who if he'd been here from the start of the season would have been on course for 15 odd goals in a struggling side was probably a priority more so than paying 6m odd for a defender. I know opinions differ on the squad he inherited but to my mind he got a team who'd lost their best player and been replaced by a madman, a couple like petrov, carew who are quite obviously over the hill, and some who weren't performing before he arrived like Dunne. He's made a lot of mistakes granted but the striker was the priority and he acted.

[DrGonzo]

He also had Fofana over for a medical, which obviously didn't work out, and to be fair to the guy it was january, a time that is notoriously difficult to sign players at value.  Having spunked nearly £25mill he perchance had to kick his heels until the summer for players to wind down contracts/Lerner to get over the shock of a lightened wallet.

As with everything in football, things take time, you can't expect the guy to sign a new squad in January, and at least he had the balls to spend big on a proven striker, when did we last do that?

[WikiVilla]

Come on eastie the jury is still out on Makoun, Bradley & Walker
Bent has been a top signing but that was an obvious buy
Cummings was just a dead end

[eastie]

wiki, your jury may be out but ive seen enough to suggest makoun, bent and walker are all quality players and given the fact he had one month to deal in i think houllier did very well in the transfer window-maybe you just want him out at all costs and will not give credit where its due?

[SheffieldVillain]

Come on eastie the jury is still out on Makoun, Bradley & Walker
Bent has been a top signing but that was an obvious buy
Cummings was just a dead end

You're criticising him now for taking someone on trial? 

[SheffieldVillain]

Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere. Surely it can only be a matter of time before Joey Barton chins him in training. Odious little prat.

From Sporting Dreams.

Stephen Ireland has spoken of his happiness at Newcastle and would be open to staying beyond the end of the season.

The midfielder moved to St James' Park on loan from Aston Villa in January but has yet to make his debut for the Magpies due to injury.

However, manager Alan Pardew hinted last month that a long-term contract could be agreed and Ireland admits that is something he would be interested in.

The 24-year-old is looking for some stability and is hopeful of remaining on Tyneside, either on a permanent arrangement or a new loan deal.

He told the Chronicle: "This is a good place for me to settle in the next few months, and who knows what could happen in the summertime.

"It could turn out to be permanent. We don't know, or it could turn into a loan again. We will see what happens in the next two months."

Ireland is fit and available for selection and could be given a first opportunity to impress Pardew when Newcastle face Manchester United next Tuesday.

He has not played since turning out for Villa in December, having fallen down the pecking order under Gerard Houllier.

"It has been an absolute nightmare - it feels like I have not kicked a ball for so long," he said.

"I have not played competitively for so long and it has been difficult.

"When the new manager came in at Villa, I was left out of eight squads in a row - and that hurts.

"The lads were going away to hotels and playing games, and I felt really isolated at home."

[Greg N'Ash]

god he's such a whining little c**t. 3 months and yet to play says it all to me - think he's kidding himself and he'll be back here unfortunately