We're a selling club

[MarkM]

We had a close run thing with relegation last season, now we have sold two of our best players and you can bet that Bent is probably weighing up his options as we speak!

So we are likely to start the next season in a weaker position with a suspect manager [no change from last season] and a lack of funds to improve the situation.

I would estimate that bottom half to mid table is highly likely for next season with the drop is revenue and ticket sales that that will entail, leading to a further eroding of our position.

Its a case of good bye top six and hello to being level with Wolves and West Brom

[hilts_coolerking]

I posted this elsewhere but take a look at this list and ask yourself what the hell were we thinking..

Habib Beye, 31 years old, fee £2.5m, 3 year contract, £40k wages

Emile Heskey, 31 years old, fee £3.5m, 3 and a half year contract, £65k wages

Stiliyan Petrov, 29 year old, contract extension, 4 year contract, £55k wages

Richard Dunne, 29 years old, fee £6m, 4 year contract, £50k wages

The age refers to the age of signing, sadly not their current age.

Now who is going to take them off our hands and why the hell would they want to leave for less money?

So much for all the nonsense that used to get trotted out during O'Neill's reign about Villa doing things 'the right way'.

[TimTheVillain]

I posted this elsewhere but take a look at this list and ask yourself what the hell were we thinking..

Habib Beye, 31 years old, fee £2.5m, 3 year contract, £40k wages

Emile Heskey, 31 years old, fee £3.5m, 3 and a half year contract, £65k wages

Stiliyan Petrov, 29 year old, contract extension, 4 year contract, £55k wages

Richard Dunne, 29 years old, fee £6m, 4 year contract, £50k wages

The age refers to the age of signing, sadly not their current age.

Now who is going to take them off our hands and why the hell would they want to leave for less money?

So much for all the nonsense that used to get trotted out during O'Neill's reign about Villa doing things 'the right way'.

Dunne £50k a week ffs, you'd think he'd at least try to look like a footballer.

[Villa'Zawg]

John, it's not what they cost but the ridiculous length of the contracts and the wages we put them on.

As I mentioned yesterday, Spurs captain Michael Dawson has been on £30k and they've just offered him a £5k increase and he's only 27. We seemed to have thrown money and lengthy contracts around to players with zero sell on value, like it was going out of fashion. The way I see it, the last 5 years have been a complete and utter waste of time and money. Now we are paying the price.

We can't compete with the top clubs on a financial level (stupid high wages) so will have to look at developing younger players (ie Ashley Young) and eventually they move on.
Your balancing the books comment is right and until we get rid of the mediocre players MON purchased on long contracts/£40,000+ per week this will hold us back. Once those players have gone I hope we get some fresh homegrown or purchased youngsters in and build a team.

I think we can expect better than just "fresh homegrown or purchased youngsters" but only when the wage bill has been put in order. Since Lerner took over we've been wreckless instead of ruthless with some of our signings. The problem is now we're stuck with players that earn a fortune and we can't move on, so we have to keep paying them which is draining the club financially.

I posted this elsewhere but take a look at this list and ask yourself what the hell were we thinking..

Habib Beye, 31 years old, fee £2.5m, 3 year contract, £40k wages

Emile Heskey, 31 years old, fee £3.5m, 3 and a half year contract, £65k wages

Stiliyan Petrov, 29 year old, contract extension, 4 year contract, £55k wages

Richard Dunne, 29 years old, fee £6m, 4 year contract, £50k wages

The age refers to the age of signing, sadly not their current age.

Now who is going to take them off our hands and why the hell would they want to leave for less money?

Which clubs don't have players aged 30+ on PL wages?

At least get the question right: Which clubs don't sign players aged 30+ on PL wages and 4 year contracts?

Technically, your question excludes Petrov (27 when signed), Dunne (29) and Heskey (3.5 year contract), so I'm not sure it is more "right" than my question. Perhaps you can come up with a question or statement that fits the point you're trying to make.

P.S. Dawson issued a statement categorically denying that he has any issues with his current contract.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Technically, your question excludes Petrov (27 when signed), Dunne (29) and Heskey (3.5 year contract), so I'm not sure it is more "right" than my question. Perhaps you can come up with a question or statement that fits the point you're trying to make.

You're right, technically, I should have extended it to '29 year olds plus with 3 to 4 year contracts on stupid wages'. However the point still stands. Add to that, Petrov was 29 not 27 when given a four year extension, in fact he was 6 weeks off being 30.

Which clubs don't sign players aged 29+ on PL wages and 3 to 4 year contracts?

[Villa'Zawg]

Technically, your question excludes Petrov (27 when signed), Dunne (29) and Heskey (3.5 year contract), so I'm not sure it is more "right" than my question. Perhaps you can come up with a question or statement that fits the point you're trying to make.

You're right, technically, I should have extended it to '29 year olds plus with 3 to 4 year contracts on stupid wages'. However the point still stands. Add to that, Petrov was 29 not 27 when given a four year extension, in fact he was 6 weeks off being 30.

Which clubs don't sign players aged 29+ on PL wages and 3 to 4 year contracts?

Good question, I can only think of Arsenal and they've probably done it once or twice.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The Heskey and Beye wages defy belief.

What were O'Neill and Mr Lerner Sir thinking?

[Dave Cooper please]

Without reading it (I don't think I have the will!), this is another "The board, the manager and everything at Villa is shit" thread isn't it?
Same people on both sides, same arguments we've had for weeks?

Please confirm then I don't have to bother with it.

[Meanwood Villa]

The Heskey and Beye wages defy belief.

What were O'Neill and Mr Lerner Sir thinking?

Heskey was going to get us into the Champions league, remember?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Technically, your question excludes Petrov (27 when signed), Dunne (29) and Heskey (3.5 year contract), so I'm not sure it is more "right" than my question. Perhaps you can come up with a question or statement that fits the point you're trying to make.

You're right, technically, I should have extended it to '29 year olds plus with 3 to 4 year contracts on stupid wages'. However the point still stands. Add to that, Petrov was 29 not 27 when given a four year extension, in fact he was 6 weeks off being 30.

Which clubs don't sign players aged 29+ on PL wages and 3 to 4 year contracts?

Good question, I can only think of Arsenal and they've probably done it once or twice.

Again, technically you're right, as I haven't excluded goalkeepers but I'm struggling to think of aging players that are given lengthy contracts on high wages. Closest I can get is 30 year old Michael Owen at Man Utd on a two year contract and Newcastle signing 45 year old Obafemi Martins on a 4 year contract.

[Holtenderinthesky]

The Heskey and Beye wages defy belief.

What were O'Neill and Mr Lerner Sir thinking?

Heskey was going to get us into the Champions league, remember?

Wasn't Beye NUFC player of the year when we signed him?

[Concrete John]

Without reading it (I don't think I have the will!), this is another "The board, the manager and everything at Villa is shit" thread isn't it?
Same people on both sides, same arguments we've had for weeks?

Please confirm then I don't have to bother with it.

Pretty much.

But if you want to avoid such a thread Off Topic is the only place you're safe right now!

[Villa'Zawg]

Technically, your question excludes Petrov (27 when signed), Dunne (29) and Heskey (3.5 year contract), so I'm not sure it is more "right" than my question. Perhaps you can come up with a question or statement that fits the point you're trying to make.

You're right, technically, I should have extended it to '29 year olds plus with 3 to 4 year contracts on stupid wages'. However the point still stands. Add to that, Petrov was 29 not 27 when given a four year extension, in fact he was 6 weeks off being 30.

Which clubs don't sign players aged 29+ on PL wages and 3 to 4 year contracts?

Good question, I can only think of Arsenal and they've probably done it once or twice.

Again, technically you're right, as I haven't excluded goalkeepers but I'm struggling to think of aging players that are given lengthy contracts on high wages. Closest I can get is 30 year old Michael Owen at Man Utd on a two year contract and Newcastle signing 45 year old Obafemi Martins on a 4 year contract.

I don’t know where to find stats on the age of players and the length of the last contract signed. I can relatively easily find stats on players over 30 and when their contracts finish.  I don’t think we appear to be in any worse shape than the other clubs I looked at.

Richard Dunne (06/2013), Luke Young (06/2012), Habib Beye (06/2012), Stilyan Petrov (06/2013), Emile Heskey (06/2012)

William Gallas (06/2013), Ledley King (06/2012), Peter Crouch (06/2014), Robbie Keane (06/2013)

Joseph Yobo (06/2014), Distin (06/2012), Tony Hibbert (06/2014), Phil Neville (06/2012), Mikel Arteta (06/2015), Leon Osman (06/2014), Tim Cahill (06/2014), Luis Saha (06/2012)

Kyrgiakox (06/2012), Jamie Carragher (06/2013), Fabio Aurelio (06/2012), Christian Poulson (06/2013), Stephen Gerrard(06/2013), Maxi Rodriguez (06/2013), Jovanovic (06/2013), Dirk Kuyt (06/2013)

[jibba81]

There is a chapter in 'Why England Lose' which suggests that most successful clubs are 'selling clubs'. A big money sale generally means that the club has used an opportunity to take advantage of the transfer market, which is driven by perceived quality rather than any quantifiable value, to get an inflated price for a player. The best clubs reinvest this money wisely. Lyon, Barca and Man U are cited iirc.

You can't judge a club's stature by the personnel that is leaving a club, but by who is joining it. So we're fucked

[Oscar Arce]

Answer to the question : yes of course we are a selling club.
Our squad looks piss poor, even with three new signings we are in for a season of struggle.