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

[Maradona10]

Can't see anyone disagreeing that Barton could be major trouble but the fact remains we need someone dominant in midfield presumably for sod all money wise.  there's not really that many candidates knocking around that fit that criteria which is why he's being considered in our current poverty stricken circumstances,

You think he'll be cheap just because he's a free? He'll demand to be one of the top earners at Villa no doubt.

[UsualSuspect]

I dont see why Barton is exactly what we need. On a free it looks good from a value point of view but the man is a hopeless bell end and may never get it together. Does it not strike anybody as odd that Newcastle have let him go for nowt? They must really want shot of him and despite Ashley being a fat idiot, I doubt he turns his nose up at a few million squid without a fucking good reason.

He's not the player we're looking for. There are better players out there who arent a tenth as much trouble.
I'd rather play Delph instead who may lack experience but has a similar style of play and could be, will be, a better player.
Its the defensive midfielder we need and Barton isnt that. Diarra is available for free too and IS the defensive midfielder we need.

Massive load of sense here Maz.
I would love to see Delph given a good run...he has fantastic potential and he's at the right age now. Just hope he 's not the sort of player who is injury prone. He only looks like a slip of a lad when he comes on in his adult size shirt!
I get the impression you're a bit of a Diarra fan...or his agent!

Agree totally about Delph

Him, makoun and the mentalist in the middle

[Greg N'Ash]

Can't see anyone disagreeing that Barton could be major trouble but the fact remains we need someone dominant in midfield presumably for sod all money wise.  there's not really that many candidates knocking around that fit that criteria which is why he's being considered in our current poverty stricken circumstances,

You think he'll be cheap just because he's a free? He'll demand to be one of the top earners at Villa no doubt.

comparitively he is cheap. At 28 you'd get 4 years out of him at least and mebbe get a fee for him at the end - if he's genuinely reformed which is 6 million dollar question.

Compared to Parker who would cost us the same or more in wages plus his fee of 7+m roughly over 3 years

[Mazrim]

I just think Diarra would offer more than Barton would. He's also free and a similar age but a much better character and a defensive specialist. If we went and got Parker I'd be just as happy.

But in truth if the three midfielders that I think we'll set up with more often than not all work hard enough we might get away without a specialist defensive midfielder.

[Mister E]

I dont see why Barton is exactly what we need. On a free it looks good from a value point of view but the man is a hopeless bell end and may never get it together. Does it not strike anybody as odd that Newcastle have let him go for nowt? They must really want shot of him and despite Ashley being a fat idiot, I doubt he turns his nose up at a few million squid without a fucking good reason.

He's not the player we're looking for. There are better players out there who arent a tenth as much trouble.
I'd rather play Delph instead who may lack experience but has a similar style of play and could be, will be, a better player.
Its the defensive midfielder we need and Barton isnt that. Diarra is available for free too and IS the defensive midfielder we need.

Massive load of sense here Maz.
I would love to see Delph given a good run...he has fantastic potential and he's at the right age now. Just hope he 's not the sort of player who is injury prone. He only looks like a slip of a lad when he comes on in his adult size shirt!
I get the impression you're a bit of a Diarra fan...or his agent!

Agree totally about Delph

Him, makoun and the mentalist in the middle

The issue is - in my opinion - not about the first-choice midfield selection. It's more about what happens when we get the inevitable injuries and general fatigue that put players out for periods during the season. I'm quite happy to see Petrov, Hogg, Herd, GG and Bannan being given meaningful support roles, but whether they will have the bite we need is debatable.

[Maradona10]

I just think Diarra would offer more than Barton would. He's also free and a similar age but a much better character and a defensive specialist. If we went and got Parker I'd be just as happy.

But in truth if the three midfielders that I think we'll set up with more often than not all work hard enough we might get away without a specialist defensive midfielder.

Agree, think it should be Makoun and Delph though.

[Greg N'Ash]

A midfield of Delph, Makoun and Nutjob....well i've not see anything so far to suggest that them three could dominate a midfield or be that combatitive. Delph flatters to decieve and disappears in games, Makoun - doesn't strike me as someone who will get stuck in. Ireland - just not his game. IMO we'd get steamrollered especially against the physical sides.

[Maradona10]

They would be energetic in the middle of the park, by closing space down the problem we have which i've been saying for ages Petrov holds his DM position in a two and allows teams to dictate play in front of us however if Makoun, Ireland and Delph were in the middle, they would cover ground close down space. I think if we're looking for DM, a battler in midfield, that player is not Barton, considering he played most of his football further forward for Newcastle.

[Concrete John]

You missed the point.

The disturbing thing is that, if we did sign two utterly shit players of that level, nobody would be surprised.

That's not a reflection on McLeish, it is a reflection on the chairman pulling the plug so soundly.

Still, the General is telling people on VT we can push for fourth, so maybe they see something we don't. It's almost as if you can lose a load of players, sell two of your best ones and only replace one,  and just push on, regardless, whilst trusting a knot of players who let you down badly last season.

I actually think signing players like Campbell and Ridgewell is exactly what the club's new outlook/approach/strategy is all about NOT doing.  They'd be squad players who aren't good enough to take a first team place or any better than the kids coming though, yet on high wages.  What we have started doing is avoiding these type of journeymen and instead focusing our money on the better players as they become available, such as Bent and N'Zogbia.  Short term, that means using the kids, but as the last of the high earners we don't want slip away, space becomes available for a couple more in the Bent/N'Zogbia bracket, which won't happen if we clog the wagebill up again with DJ and our undercover agant. 

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I just think Diarra would offer more than Barton would. He's also free and a similar age but a much better character and a defensive specialist. If we went and got Parker I'd be just as happy.

But in truth if the three midfielders that I think we'll set up with more often than not all work hard enough we might get away without a specialist defensive midfielder.

Just hope the management are thinking along these lines re bringing players in. Whatever the issue with NRC (and I confess to being a fan) we still need someone with some grit who is happy to graft and do the dirty work. As someone said on here last night with regard to Barton, Nige showed no fear and sorted him out pronto, just as he did with Gardner v the scum. Is Delph the man to take on that role? I hope so.
Being naive and a bit hopeful, I'd like to think that we're gonna spend so much of our games going forward, a DM might almost be redundant if everybody else pulls their fingers out. Have my doubts about Ireland in this department. 

[N'ZMAV]

Lassana Diarra would demand a salary that I don't think we'll pay.

[Concrete John]

For us, it'll all be about balance in the midfield.  Petrov can read a game and intercept well, but lacks a really good engine, whereas Delph has that engine, but maybe not the experience and positional sense of Petrov.  If we could combine them, we'd be laughing.

I think Makoun is making a starting place his own, and Ireland will be given a chance as the most attacking of the three.  Asfter that I think Am needs to mix and match until he gets the blend right.  I don't think he's tried Makoun and Delpg together yet, has he?

[N'ZMAV]

You missed the point.

The disturbing thing is that, if we did sign two utterly shit players of that level, nobody would be surprised.

That's not a reflection on McLeish, it is a reflection on the chairman pulling the plug so soundly.

Still, the General is telling people on VT we can push for fourth, so maybe they see something we don't. It's almost as if you can lose a load of players, sell two of your best ones and only replace one,  and just push on, regardless, whilst trusting a knot of players who let you down badly last season.

I actually think signing players like Campbell and Ridgewell is exactly what the club's new outlook/approach/strategy is all about NOT doing.  They'd be squad players who aren't good enough to take a first team place or any better than the kids coming though, yet on high wages.  What we have started doing is avoiding these type of journeymen and instead focusing our money on the better players as they become available, such as Bent and N'Zogbia.  Short term, that means using the kids, but as the last of the high earners we don't want slip away, space becomes available for a couple more in the Bent/N'Zogbia bracket, which won't happen if we clog the wagebill up again with DJ and our undercover agant. 

As well as DJ Campbell did last season for Blackpool people need to remember that Blackpool attacked as well as any team in the Premier League last season. They created a boat load of chances every game. Any half decent striker would have had about half a dozen chances to score per game. So, put DJ Campbell in our team, not week-in week-out, as Bent will play, but give him a dozen starts and a dozen sub appearances, he'd probably get 1 decent chance per game, so, I can't see him coming in and having a big enough impact to warrant signing him at all.

[Concrete John]

Lassana Diarra would demand a salary that I don't think we'll pay.

The other issue is that coming from a CL club he's probably looking for another CL to go to.

[Greg N'Ash]

Lassana Diarra would demand a salary that I don't think we'll pay.

I always get confused when people start talking about Diarra. Is this the chelsea/arsenal one or the  other foreign based variety?