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

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Eh?
I wasn't referring to Chris.
It's undeniable that there were a lot of volte faces after the Harewood signing and McLeish appointment.
You'll see it again if Ireland has ONE decent game.

Had a post replying to this and the site crashed. Basically, I don't agree that there was rank hypocrisy on either McLeish or Harewood. Yes, some people who didn't rate them before they joined the club have decided to give them a chance now that they're here (yes, not really any other choice etc), but I can't think of many who have gone full circle from "he's shit!" to "he's great!". I can't think of one, in fact.

I think there are a hell of a lot that wouldn't have touched him with a bargepole and would have laughed at the thought of him being appointed, then finding out that he had, starting listing off his 'good' points.
Prior to him being a Villa Manager, you would not find ANYBODY on here with a good word to say about his managerial skills.
During the Villa/Blues clashes he was routinely described on here as a 'clueless ginger twat' and other descriptions that make that look mild.

With Marvellous Marlon, there were quite a few laughing about him when it looked as if he was on his way to the Dog shit or Wigan, this turned around when he signed for us and we were forever told about his one good season of 16 goals, over and over and over again.

[luke25]

Why is everyone soooooo against the alternate options of SWP and McGeady?  Say if they sign and they turn out to be fantastic players??  What if Nzogbia signs and he turns out to be the flop of the summer?  That would mean a £10m waste of money.  The other 2 COULD be, not saying they will be, bargain buys who do fantastically well for us.
Ok, SWP has lost his way since he moved to chelsea but say if he played week in week out at villa and rediscovered the form he showed when he first played for city.  As for Mcgeady, the only time i have seen him play was against Arsenal at the Emirates in the champions league a few seasons back and he looked like their best player on the pitch, cant really comment about his recent performanecs.
Just a thought thats all.

The biggest ifs and buts post ever made.

[Greg N'Ash]

SWP can't cross, thats why he went from Chelski, to Citeh, to Citeh's reserve. A winger who can't cross is pointless

[Concrete John]

The wage bill has to pay attention to position. If you've got 6 central midfield players then if you buy more some of them are unlikely to play meaning you're paying them for doing nothing. As I see it we have Petrov, Makoun, Delph, Bannan, Ireland and Hogg. Similarly we have Dunne, Collins, Cuellar and Clarke at centre back.

One of the things you criticised MON for was having players on good money not contributing. As it stands if we buy anyone in either of the positions mentioned we're going to be back to the same issue.

Three of those are youth team players who presumably aren't earning much in the grand scale of things.  And if Cuellar goes as looks likely, then we're left with two senior pros in defence in Dunne and Collins, both of whom were utter shite last season.

I'd imagine/hope that the 'only 1 more in for now' idea is open to change should other players leave.  So if Cuellar goes he should be replaced.

And whatever and individual player, be they youth or not, is earning isn't the issue. 

[Rick_avfc]

Why is everyone soooooo against the alternate options of SWP and McGeady?  Say if they sign and they turn out to be fantastic players??  What if Nzogbia signs and he turns out to be the flop of the summer?  That would mean a £10m waste of money.  The other 2 COULD be, not saying they will be, bargain buys who do fantastically well for us.
Ok, SWP has lost his way since he moved to chelsea but say if he played week in week out at villa and rediscovered the form he showed when he first played for city.  As for Mcgeady, the only time i have seen him play was against Arsenal at the Emirates in the champions league a few seasons back and he looked like their best player on the pitch, cant really comment about his recent performanecs.
Just a thought thats all.

The biggest ifs and buts post ever made.

This whole topic is full of ifs and buts.  "if we signed  XXXXX player then he would be brilliant for us"  "but if we signed XXXXplayer, it would be the end of the summer for me blah blah fucking blah"

Im just putting my opinion across so dont bother coming out with a stupid comments like "The biggest ifs and buts post ever made."

[Ger Regan]

I think there are a hell of a lot that wouldn't have touched him with a bargepole and would have laughed at the thought of him being appointed, then finding out that he had, starting listing off his 'good' points.
Prior to him being a Villa Manager, you would not find ANYBODY on here with a good word to say about his managerial skills.
During the Villa/Blues clashes he was routinely described on here as a 'clueless ginger twat' and other descriptions that make that look mild.

With Marvellous Marlon, there were quite a few laughing about him when it looked as if he was on his way to the Dog shit or Wigan, this turned around when he signed for us and we were forever told about his one good season of 16 goals, over and over and over again.

Name me one blues manager who would have ever been described on here in complimentary terms (Saunders being the obvious exception). I take your point about not wanting him (I am one of the many who were extremely depressed when I found out about it), but that doesn't mean that anyone showing some balance in their assessment of his career should be ridiculed or their actions labelled as shameful. Anyone who just lists the negatives is just as myopic as those who only list the positives.

[eastie]

kendrick saying he thinks there could be one or 2 cheap deals coming in as well as the one major signing.

welcome mathew upson and david bentley?

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I think there are a hell of a lot that wouldn't have touched him with a bargepole and would have laughed at the thought of him being appointed, then finding out that he had, starting listing off his 'good' points.
Prior to him being a Villa Manager, you would not find ANYBODY on here with a good word to say about his managerial skills.
During the Villa/Blues clashes he was routinely described on here as a 'clueless ginger twat' and other descriptions that make that look mild.

With Marvellous Marlon, there were quite a few laughing about him when it looked as if he was on his way to the Dog shit or Wigan, this turned around when he signed for us and we were forever told about his one good season of 16 goals, over and over and over again.

Anyone who just lists the negatives is just as myopic as those who only list the positives.

But that's the point Ger, the negatives out weigh the positives.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

kendrick saying he thinks there could be one or 2 cheap deals coming in as well as the one major signing.

welcome mathew upson and stephen carr ?

Whoopee!
Stick that in your pipe, all those that doubted the board.

Yes, Stephen Carr wouldn't surprise me, or one of his other spunk bubbles from the Dog shit.

[ASHTONVILLA]

New manager , clean slate for all -i wont hold my breath on beye but he will get his chance.

Too much reliance on too many players coming good is my main concern with our situation. If we had an already adequate squad sans any Lazarus style career recovery for the likes of Ireland, Warnock, Dunne, Collins and Beye, then it wouldn't be a worry. I am all for trying to rehabilitate them, but to base our season on it with no plan B if it doesn't come off is just crass stupidity.

More often than not as players age, the performances either maintain or drop a level season on season. To expect the likes of Dunne to roll back to performances he hasn't shown in over a year is a big ask. Worth a try yes, likely to work no.

Factor in that the manager tasked with doing this has no track record of getting the best out of fading players (unlike MON, who for all his faults did have a record of squeezing a lot out of limited players). Case in point David Bentley, a player that Eck took on at Blues in the hope of getting his head right and getting back to the form he had shown before his move to Spurs. It didn't happen. Ditto Hleb.

Eck has no demonstrable track record of polishing turds at his previous clubs, so to base our hopes of treading water in the Prem on expecting him to polish our turds is a trifle fanciful.

Neither do I expect him to be able to magically tighten up our defence with his expert coaching. His defence at the Blues was even worse than ours last season, and it got them relegated. That was in a team which had players in midfield capable of tackling, something we for all our good attacking players, lack.

[pauliewalnuts]

New manager , clean slate for all -i wont hold my breath on beye but he will get his chance.

Too much reliance on too many players coming good is my main concern with our situation. If we had an already adequate squad sans any Lazarus style career recovery for the likes of Ireland, Warnock, Dunne, Collins and Beye, then it wouldn't be a worry. I am all for trying to rehabilitate them, but to base our season on it with no plan B if it doesn't come off is just crass stupidity.

I would say that if our situation was such that we really were relying in Ireland, Warnock, Dunne, Collins and Beye to ALL come good, and that didn't happen, we'd struggle to not get relegated.

Massive over-reliance on players who've - amongst that lot - shown themselves to be sulky and not bothered (and shit), mental, unreliable  (two of them) and of shit attitude (fighting with staff, anyone?) and lazy means pretty heavy consequences if they dont come good.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Neither do I expect him to be able to magically tighten up our defence with his expert coaching. His defence at the Blues was even worse than ours last season, and it got them relegated. That was in a team which had players in midfield capable of tackling, something we for all our good attacking players, lack.

Same here.
People talk as if he had a magic touch on the defensive side of the game at the Dog shit, he didn't, it just involved pulling 9 men back behind the ball and then punting it up to Cameron Jerome.

[LeeB]

Well I think we'll be alright, and anyone who doesn't can suck my balls.

So there.

[Ger Regan]

But that's the point Ger, the negatives out weigh the positives.

I agree, but I'm not sure anyone has ever said otherwise (I'm open to correction here). They've merely said that as he has been relatively successful in the past, then there is the possibility (however remote) that he could be relatively successful here (and I'm not sure how anyone could really argue with this viewpoint). Which comes back to the original issue over hypocrisy and the "shameful" comment. Which is frankly bollocks to be honest.

Personally I'm very sceptical, I can't see past mid-table, but at the same time I don't believe we'll be relegated, which a few of the more cheery members of this site seem to consider to be a certainty.

EDIT: Probably best to leave this back to transfer rumours and other related bollocks.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Personally I'm very sceptical, I can't see past mid-table, but at the same time I don't believe we'll be relegated, which a few of the more cheery members of this site seem to consider to be a certainty.

Relegation won't happen, you're right that is over the top.
But I think it will be a bumpy ride.