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

[luke25]

Just saw the news report on sky about balancing the books. No wonder he was so desperate to get McLeish. It's like Doug all over again, punishing the fans for foolishly over spending in previous years. Hurry up, get the money back you've spent and sell up!!!

Then why pay compensation for Mcleish when we could've had Hughes for free?

[tarzansbrother]

Just saw the news report on sky about balancing the books. No wonder he was so desperate to get McLeish. It's like Doug all over again, punishing the fans for foolishly over spending in previous years. Hurry up, get the money back you've spent and sell up!!!

Then why pay compensation for Mcleish when we could've had Hughes for free?

You think Hughes would be free with that twat of an agent he got.

[Lobsterboy]

So we've gone from delight at Given's arrival to despair within 24 hours; fickle anyone?

I would obviously like to see 2 or 3 new faces and we may well see them before the end of the window but I agree with aftab to some extent in that players like Warnock and Ireland 'could' and note the emphasis on 'could' come good/good again and give us a much better balanced squad

The likes of Clark, Albrighton, Bannan, Hogg, Herd and Lichaj are all going to have a bit more experience under their belts and I am really looking forward to Makoun starting on a regular basis and hoping to see Darren Bent bang in 20 plus goals for us this season

Do I see us qualifying for the Champions League? Not a chance, but neither do I see us favourites for relegation

So yes Big Eck's comments were a little disappointing but let's wait and see who he actually does bring in before all burning effigy's of Randy and returning our season tickets en masse...

[NorthYvillan]

Hurry up, get the money back you've spent and sell up!!!

To whom exactly? There isn't exactly a glut of people looking to buy Premier League clubs at the moment.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Hurry up, get the money back you've spent and sell up!!!

To whom exactly? There isn't exactly a glut of people looking to buy Premier League clubs at the moment.

See if we can get Bryan Robson on the case

[ozzjim]

I would count that a free transfer may still be a goer then, maybe Hitz to add a bit of depth in midfield. Loaning McGeady from Russia for a few months would not suprise me either, and both would be very cheap.

[Walmley_Villa]

Churchill Redknapp is the king of saying "I don't expect anyone in" before signing 2 or 3. McLeish might be the same. Might only be 1 but if he gets Warnock and Ireland onside aswell as giving Bannan and co a good chance I'm optimistic that we might surprise one or two. Get N'Zog and a battling midlfielder (although this could be Delph) and we will be ok. 

[boboonthecorner]

Hurry up, get the money back you've spent and sell up!!!

So we've gone from delight at Given's arrival to despair within 24 hours; fickle anyone?

I would obviously like to see 2 or 3 new faces and we may well see them before the end of the window but I agree with aftab to some extent in that players like Warnock and Ireland 'could' and note the emphasis on 'could' come good/good again and give us a much better balanced squad

The likes of Clark, Albrighton, Bannan, Hogg, Herd and Lichaj are all going to have a bit more experience under their belts and I am really looking forward to Makoun starting on a regular basis and hoping to see Darren Bent bang in 20 plus goals for us this season

Do I see us qualifying for the Champions League? Not a chance, but neither do I see us favourites for relegation

So yes Big Eck's comments were a little disappointing but let's wait and see who he actually does bring in before all burning effigy's of Randy and returning our season tickets en masse...

To whom exactly? There isn't exactly a glut of people looking to buy Premier League clubs at the moment.

Just goes to show how much our expectations have dropped. Why on Earth would signing of a 35 year old who didn't play a league game last season cause any kind of elation???

[Phil from the upper holte]

Perhaps I was misguided but I'm convinced I read/heared that the Young cash was to finance what we spent on Bent.  All AM has left is what he makes - i.e Downing.

so what happened to the milner money?

And the Gardner & Davies money

[sonlyme]

Aston Villa FC lost £36million last year - hence the belt tightening - how anyone can have a go at Lerner is beyond me - all he's done is spend money on the club - and OK - we are not Man Citeh or Chelski - we can't squander the wealth of nations on our team - but surely - just because we can't afford £40 for Tevez or £50 million for Torres - should we just give up?  Is that the end of it? 

Not for me.  It's up to the club to get them in younger and develop talent and build a team rather than buying one.  And we are one of the best at that.  You can't blame the owner for dodgy signings - that'll be down to the manager at the time.  Last season our kids knocked the shit out of the mighty Man Utd - and if the 'experienced' defenders had shown the same level of commitment we would have won the game not drawn it. 

Why is no one excited about seeing more of our youth?  I can't wait to see young Gary Gardner in the Premiership - and I think the others will have come on a bundle after last year. 

And I find it deeply ironic how the Houllier Out crowd have got their wish - and we are landed with AMC.  Not my idea of fantasy football but then again - trying to see it from Randy's pov - anyone who can lift the Blouse to Wembley glory is clearly blessed with something special - so why not?   I was a total acolyte when MON came - singing his praises - buying all the hype - but in the end the team he bought for £100 million was not good enough - it failed at every final hurdle.

AMC is not dissimilar to MON.  Indeed - AMC was the man who stopped MON's run of success in Glasgow.  So to judge to early would be foolish.  He will stop us leaking goals at least - thought the quality of the attacking play remains under question.  I'm not down - I'm not up - I frankly haven't got a clue what will happen this season.

On the bright side - we aren't owned by a money launderer or an American Bank and we don't have hundreds of millions of pounds of debt levied on us.

We're owned by a decent man who has a tattoo of the club crest on his ankle and who has spent hundreds of millions of his own money on our club and simply can't keep doing it.

We may not be able to buy success - but for me that is no bad thing - let's try to build it instead.


UTV

[boboonthecorner]

If he'd been more prudent a few years back rather than providing MON with ridiculous amounts of cash to throw at some very average footballers we wouldn't be in this mess? He's meant to be a business man, then why the fuck does the club do so awfully on generating revenue other than the tv money?

[dave.woodhall]

If he'd been more prudent a few years back rather than providing MON with ridiculous amounts of cash to throw at some very average footballers we wouldn't be in this mess? He's meant to be a business man, then why the fuck does the club do so awfully on generating revenue other than the tv money?

Is he the first club owner ever to be blamed for spending too much?

[willywombat]

Well said Sonlyme - I'm off to off-topic til September as I cant cope with anymore of this hysteria

[boboonthecorner]

Nope, looks like he's learned a few things from Peter Ridsdale though.....

[Phil from the upper holte]

When he brought us didn't he promise about £20m would be spent a year on players?