Alex McLeish confirmed as manager

[Oscar Arce]

AM refused to say - for legal reasons - at what point he became a candidate for the Villa job. It's looking more and more as though we tapped him up, isn't it?

Yes he did swerve all those questions well didn't he Frank ? I'm sure we tapped him up.

[Toronto Villa]

Lots of talk about treading carefully and keeping an eye on the future spending.  I wouldn't be expecting any exciting signings this summer.

Nobody had any notion that Bent would be signing either in January Risso. In fact Villa led the media a merry dance about sell to buy and similar bollocks. We can always revisit this in September, but Randy has always found funds for his manager. I see no reason that we cannot continue to spend responsibly. That includes buying proven talent that provides quick returns like a Darren Bent as the opportunity arises.

We've balanced the books on transfers since summer 2009 i.e. sell-to-buy.

have we actually set in place a policy that we can only buy if we sell or is that a really convenient media spin on things? Because if that was really the case, we'd have sold Ashley Young in January to fund Darren Bent. That would have been the embodiment of sell to buy. Spending responsibly is not the same as sell to buy.

You're now going to say that that the Bent money came from Milner, and I would argue that we would have spent that money in August had he had a commited manager. I still believe that Darren Bent would have been acquired because the opportunity arose, and it provided us with a player of proven quality and well worth the investment. MON's transfer dealings too often had players that weren't involved despite major outlays and had little or no return on that investment. The board are done with those days.

[garyshawsknee]

Any mention of bathroom staff ?

You noticed my freudian slip! Could've been worse and predicted texted backside staff.

[mazrimsbruv]

Lots of talk about treading carefully and keeping an eye on the future spending.  I wouldn't be expecting any exciting signings this summer.

Nobody had any notion that Bent would be signing either in January Risso. In fact Villa led the media a merry dance about sell to buy and similar bollocks. We can always revisit this in September, but Randy has always found funds for his manager. I see no reason that we cannot continue to spend responsibly. That includes buying proven talent that provides quick returns like a Darren Bent as the opportunity arises.

We've balanced the books on transfers since summer 2009 i.e. sell-to-buy.

I'd be interested to see your figures on that but, even if that's true, I don't think that's what 'sell-to-buy' means.

Sell-to-buy means transfer money has to generated from player sales before being used for player purchases, i.e. the manager generates his own transfer pot.

I don't think it applies to up-front investment from the owner under the vague understanding that the books will eventually be balanced at some indeterminate point in the future.

[Concrete John]

Our curtailed transfer dealings since January 2009 are more to do with wages, as we all know.  Randy will give his manager £20m to buy a new playerif it's needed and makes sense, but he'll expect a reasonable wages/turnover ratio to be maintained.

Our ability to buy Darren Bent wasn't due to the Milner fee as much as it was to the saved wages for Gardner, Shorey, Davies, Sidwell, Carew and anyone else I've forgotten who's left recently.   

[Villa'Zawg]

Lots of talk about treading carefully and keeping an eye on the future spending.  I wouldn't be expecting any exciting signings this summer.

Nobody had any notion that Bent would be signing either in January Risso. In fact Villa led the media a merry dance about sell to buy and similar bollocks. We can always revisit this in September, but Randy has always found funds for his manager. I see no reason that we cannot continue to spend responsibly. That includes buying proven talent that provides quick returns like a Darren Bent as the opportunity arises.

We've balanced the books on transfers since summer 2009 i.e. sell-to-buy.

have we actually set in place a policy that we can only buy if we sell or is that a really convenient media spin on things? Because if that was really the case, we'd have sold Ashley Young in January to fund Darren Bent. That would have been the embodiment of sell to buy. Spending responsibly is not the same as sell to buy.

You're now going to say that that the Bent money came from Milner, and I would argue that we would have spent that money in August had he had a commited manager. I still believe that Darren Bent would have been acquired because the opportunity arose, and it provided us with a player of proven quality and well worth the investment. MON's transfer dealings too often had players that weren't involved despite major outlays and had little or no return on that investment. The board are done with those days.

Yes your right, the Milner money paid for Darren Bent. You can keep thinking up hypothetical scenarios and I'll keep totting up the amount of money raised and spent in the transfer market.

[richard moore]

A nice look of steely determination about him. He has the look of a man who is out to prove a lot of people wrong and, of course, we all hope that is the case

He also called my beloved Villa 'a massive, massive club'. I like that, always wins me over.....easy catch me!

[Mr Diggles]

I still imagine there will be quite a bit of money to spend (Young's fee, this season's budget, any other outgoing players) but the real limiter is in the form of the wage bill, which suggests young players to me, either brought through from the academy or from outside the club. And that would fit in well with the moves Houllier was making apparently, so it just seems an extension of the policy last year, which is absolutely fine by me. McLeish has a very good track record at buying cheap talent doesn't he?

[cheltenhamlion]

The way I understand it with wages is they want an end to forty grand a week reserves who aren't likely to sniff first team action.

After all the hassle they went through to appoint McLeish it would be barking mad not to back him with a decent transfer budget.

[PaulTheVillan]

I think players like Beye, Heskey will be replaced in the squad with younger players & saving money there.

[The Laughing Policeman]

I watched it on SSN in the pub, until the wa**ers decided that speculation on who the Russian gangster will sack at the end of next season was more important.
To me it came across that he has a steely determination, not to prove us doubters wrong, but to prove to himself that he's up to the job.
Don't forget that Mr. Saunders was well into building his third team at the Villa before he got it right.
A little more patience than looking at the first few results may be required.
As John Lennon may have been trying to say...."Give McLeish a chance".

[damon loves JT]

Go on then, you ugly bugger. Prove me wrong.

[Klaus Katt]

Give Alex AtLeast a chance!

[Concrete John]

I think players like Beye, Heskey will be replaced in the squad with younger players & saving money there.

And if those replacements are the likes of Lichaj/Baker and Delfouneso/Weissman, then there's no transfer fee outlay, which is good. 

[London Villan]

Going to be interesting how the club deals with the sales of Young and potentially Downing. We are going to need to positive stories, and hopefully signings, to improve the atmosphere.

Fingers crossed!