Ashley Young

[Villa'Zawg]

It's really weird this, I could swear that the title of this thread is a plain and simple 'Ashley Young'...

That boy has a lot to answer for.

[Dave Cooper please]

It's really weird this, I could swear that the title of this thread is a plain and simple 'Ashley Young'...

One of the delights of this forum is it's tendency to veer widely off topic without overbearing moderators telling us off. You're lucky we're still talking football and not biscuits or Supertom's amazing orgasmic abilities.

[Dante Lavelli]

Continuing with the off topic theme, or am I ontopic now?

Can some of the people claiming we're a selling club explain what is wrong with it, or more pertinently what is the other option?

Surely it's our, and pretty much every club's reality. If our commercial operations do not generate sufficient funds - which in our case they don't - then the club will occasionally have to sell their best players.

As (I think JJ-AV) demonstrated with the money we've recieved for Barry and Milner we have signed some pretty decent players. In Delph's case we've probably got the best to come...

In my opinion we're better off facing this reality and somewhat planning for it. For example selling players when we're in a position of strength rather than with one year left on their contract. Also anticipating which players will command the best fees and lining up replacements when they're young and we can get the best value for money.

[Concrete John]

Not sure I agree.

If you look at the example of Man Utd, who  are the most successful club in the country.  OK they have more money than us, but when you scale it down the reality is they buy them in and aren't afraid to spend to do so (similar to us) and get their best years, then move them on to recoup some of the outlay.  RVN is a prime exaple of this.  What this then entails is having the players through their prime years and accepting that will cost money.

However, the reason they are able to do this is because the players WANT to stay there as they win things and are guaranteed CL football.  Exceptions exist, such as Ronaldo, but generally they invest in players not to see a return and pump in back in, but to get the best from them on the pitch.

[TimTheVillain]

It's really weird this, I could swear that the title of this thread is a plain and simple 'Ashley Young'...

One of the delights of this forum is it's tendency to veer widely off topic without overbearing moderators telling us off. You're lucky we're still talking football and not biscuits or Supertom's amazing orgasmic abilities.

Off topic

[Dante Lavelli]

I take your points John but I'm not entirely sure that Man U is a comparable example. Before the Glaziers, they were making millions each year from their commercial operations enabling them to spend the surplus on transfers.

Unfortunately at the moment we do not have this luxury.

[Dave Cooper please]

It's really weird this, I could swear that the title of this thread is a plain and simple 'Ashley Young'...

One of the delights of this forum is it's tendency to veer widely off topic without overbearing moderators telling us off. You're lucky we're still talking football and not biscuits or Supertom's amazing orgasmic abilities.

Off topic

Sorry.

Errr...Ashley Young, yes, he's a footballer.

[KevinGage]

Pretty much every club is a selling club, even Dullchester United PLC.

If an offer is received that makes good financial sense (that is, usually way in excess of the players worth) then the deal will be done. Which is why United have sold their better players in the past (Ince, Kanchelskis, Beckham, Van Horseyboy, Pinnochio), Arsenal have sold the likes of Adebeyor and Toure to a prospective rival and Liverpool sold Torres. Even Barcelona have actually sold key players in fairly recent history.

Where we differ slightly is that RL, by his reticence to offer soundbites to the press and generally keep them onside has created the conditions (unintentionally) whereby they've waited for the first opportunity to put the boot in.

We buy and sell players as a matter of course. Short of keeping all our existing players on the books whilst we sign new ones and swell the squad to 60/70 strong (which is possibly the visionary route MON had embarked on) I'm not sure how else we could work it. That, more than anything else is what I think RL was alluding to in the comments re sell to buy last May.

Some chose to interpret it as a change of direction, that we'd given up the ghost and that we were now wholly in the business of flogging assets just to exist, like a slightly bigger Wigan. It was disappointing (though perhaps not entirely surprising) that some scribes went that route. It was even more disappointing that some of our own -after the commitment RL had shown since taking over in 2006- were so keen to join them.

[TheSandman]

Not sure I agree.

If you look at the example of Man Utd, who  are the most successful club in the country.  OK they have more money than us, but when you scale it down the reality is they buy them in and aren't afraid to spend to do so (similar to us) and get their best years, then move them on to recoup some of the outlay.  RVN is a prime exaple of this.  What this then entails is having the players through their prime years and accepting that will cost money.

However, the reason they are able to do this is because the players WANT to stay there as they win things and are guaranteed CL football.  Exceptions exist, such as Ronaldo, but generally they invest in players not to see a return and pump in back in, but to get the best from them on the pitch.

We're not Man United and barring a major miracle we never will be a club on their scale or wealth. We won't attract the same level of players and we cannot force our best players to stay when bigger clubs come in.

[Concrete John]

We're not Man United and barring a major miracle we never will be a club on their scale or wealth. We won't attract the same level of players and we cannot force our best players to stay when bigger clubs come in.

The point I was making is that we do this on a smaller scale more beffiting our finances.  If Man Utd can afford to get a player in for £50m, get 6-7 years out of him and then sell for say £15m, we should do the same with a £10m player and get about £3m back after the same length of service.  However, your 2nd point is quite valid in that we have the problem of circling vultures they do not.

[VillaAlways]

Young warns Villa he 'wants to win trophies'
ESPNsoccernet staff
May 13, 2011
In-demand Aston Villa winger Ashley Young admits he wants "to win titles and cups'' as speculation increases over his future.

Young is strongly tipped to quit Villa this summer, with Liverpool and Manchester United linked with a move for the England international.

Villa caretaker boss Gary McAllister has already conceded the lure of Champions League football may tempt Young away, although they will be keen to keep him at Villa Park.

Young, who has one year left of his current contract, has constantly stressed talks on his future will not take place until the end of the campaign.

But he told the Birmingham Mail: "I'm an ambitious person who wants to win titles and leagues and cups and stuff. Hopefully, fingers crossed, I can do that.

"I think they say players start to peak at 26 or 27. I'll soon be 26, so fingers crossed I can start peaking myself. I've been enjoying how things have been going for me.''

Villa would be looking for around £15 million should Young leave but a bidding war could increase the price for the former Watford man.

Young is determined to finish the season on a high note with Villa visiting Arsenal on Sunday. He said: "I want to be able to do well for myself, do well for the club and get them higher than we are at the moment.

"Fingers crossed, I can continue not to be injured, keep going, keep doing what I've been doing, and see it right through to the end of the season.''

Young made the switch to Villa in 2007 having spent five years with the Hornets and has made 39 appearances for Gerard Houllier's side this season.

Bye Ashley

[OzVilla]

Well that's either a massive 'come and get me' plea (although I'm sure his Agent has been hawking his signature around for the last 6 months or so so probably not) or it's his way of breaking the news to us in instalments - that's instalment one for you.

[Phil from the upper holte]

If he signs for Liverpool he's not guarenteed to win anything, They wont be in champions league either

[PaulWinch again]

I'd say it's a 'see you later' type of thing, but hardly unexpected.

[Edvard Remberg]

Hrmf..."Get THEM higher than we are at the moment". Not identifying with the club Ash?