We're a selling club

[Chris Smith]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

I fully understand why people are concerned but I still think it's premature to judge the direction of the club at this stage in the summer. 

[LeeB]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

As Chris has already said, it's still a little early to be drawing conclusions.

[Risso]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

I fully understand why people are concerned but I still think it's premature to judge the direction of the club at this stage in the summer. 

Pretty soon we'll be into "hasn't had a full pre season" excuse territory for any players we do actually sign.

[Risso]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

As Chris has already said, it's still a little early to be drawing conclusions.

I'll still be unhappy that we've sold two players of Young and Downing's ability at the end of August, whether we've signed N'Zogbia or not.

[Chris Smith]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

I fully understand why people are concerned but I still think it's premature to judge the direction of the club at this stage in the summer. 

Pretty soon we'll be into "hasn't had a full pre season" excuse territory for any players we do actually sign.

I'm not looking to make excuses but rather waiting until I've got all the evidence before passing verdict. It might be that we do bugger all and your predictions are shown to be correct but it's just the way I am that I give the benefit of the doubt.

[Chris Smith]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

As Chris has already said, it's still a little early to be drawing conclusions.

I'll still be unhappy that we've sold two players of Young and Downing's ability at the end of August, whether we've signed N'Zogbia or not.

I'm disappointed that they wanted to leave but don't think we had much choice but to let them go.

[Risso]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

I fully understand why people are concerned but I still think it's premature to judge the direction of the club at this stage in the summer. 

Pretty soon we'll be into "hasn't had a full pre season" excuse territory for any players we do actually sign.

I'm not looking to make excuses but rather waiting until I've got all the evidence before passing verdict. It might be that we do bugger all and your predictions are shown to be correct but it's just the way I am that I give the benefit of the doubt.

We'll still have a crap manager and have sold our best players by the time the season kicks off, whoever we've signed.

[LeeB]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

As Chris has already said, it's still a little early to be drawing conclusions.

I'll still be unhappy that we've sold two players of Young and Downing's ability at the end of August, whether we've signed N'Zogbia or not.

I'll be sad to have lost Young, but in an ideal world I'd have looked to replace the bastard son of the tin-man and the lion from the Wizard of Oz.

[Villa'Zawg]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

I fully understand why people are concerned but I still think it's premature to judge the direction of the club at this stage in the summer. 

Are you aware that the General is still banging on about wages in his recent VT post?

I think the direction has been clear since summer 2009 and have no reason to believe we have changed course.


Risso is right. I am still being rational or at least I think I am. What is it in the appointment of McLeish, the release of Friedel, NRC, Carew and the sale of Young, Downing and now Cuellar that gives you room for optimism? Have you got anything other than blind faith?

[Concrete John]

Pretty soon we'll be into "hasn't had a full pre season" excuse territory for any players we do actually sign.

Like it or not, we changed manager in the early part of the summer, so any scouting/indentifying Gezza and his staff did goes out the window.  That means Mcleish starts from scratch and needs to assess what he's got and then approach agents/clubs.  Plus there were two high profile departures that he may understandably have wanted sorting first, but from a budget perspective and in terms of knowing where his priorities lay. 

So although that may be true about pre-season, it's a 'excuse' when it comes to how quickly the new players settle in and perform and not in relation to available funds.  Whatever we're spending, it was never going to be spent quickly. 

[LeeB]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

I fully understand why people are concerned but I still think it's premature to judge the direction of the club at this stage in the summer. 

Pretty soon we'll be into "hasn't had a full pre season" excuse territory for any players we do actually sign.

I'm not looking to make excuses but rather waiting until I've got all the evidence before passing verdict. It might be that we do bugger all and your predictions are shown to be correct but it's just the way I am that I give the benefit of the doubt.

We'll still have a crap manager and have sold our best players by the time the season kicks off, whoever we've signed.

That's one of the most defeatist sentences I've ever read, and you don't even have the excuse of being a Brummie!

Fuck me Risso, what would you be like if you didn't live by the sea, tax-free?

[pauliewalnuts]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

As Chris has already said, it's still a little early to be drawing conclusions.

In looking at the trajectory of the club, it's not just about thinking what might happen next season, though, is it.

It is also about what has happened over the last year and what is happening at the moment.

I hope things turn around and will be willing McLeish on to make us look numpties as much as the next man who thought it was a bad appointment (and lest we forget, when it was first mooted there was universal disapproval and disbelief, despite some of the "holier than tho" posturing which seems to have broken out from some on the subject), but it's hard to ignore the way things have been at the club for an extended period now.

And I say that as one who can be described to have been a "happy clapper" where the board and their vision for the club is concerned for a long time until relatively recently.

[Concrete John]

Perhaps they're still rational and just don't like what's happening at the club?

I fully understand why people are concerned but I still think it's premature to judge the direction of the club at this stage in the summer. 

Are you aware that the General is still banging on about wages in his recent VT post?

I think the direction has been clear since summer 2009 and have no reason to believe we have changed course.


Risso is right. I am still being rational or at least I think I am. What is it in the appointment of McLeish, the release of Friedel, NRC, Carew and the sale of Young, Downing and now Cuellar that gives you room for optimism? Have you got anything other than blind faith?

We spent quite a bit in 2009 - do you mean 2010 when Milner went?

I can't speak for Chris, but al the departures are understandable to me:-
Freidel - too old and should not have been given the 2 years he wanted.
NRC - Wanted a lot more than he was worth
Carew - wasn't contributing and right time for him to leave
Ash & Downing - both wanted to leave and big money offers came in

As for 'blind faith' I'm more inclined to look towards the deals Randy has sanctioned in the past and think "Yeah, he ain't afraid to spend."  I think we're seeing a clearing of the decks ready for McLeish to bring his own men in.

[pauliewalnuts]

Ash & Downing - both wanted to leave and big money offers came in

We were never going to keep Ashley as soon as Man United came in, let's be honest, and most of us hold no malice towards him.

If we are going to fight to keep our better players then we have to show them that we have ambition to go places, to do things, and we'll find we've a better chance of holding on to them.

In fact, it was that ambition that enabled us to hold on to Ashley Young for four years in the first place. I never thought he'd be off to Spurs despite the constant rumours over the years, as they weren't really much more than a sideways step.

Right now if any of our players got linked to Spurs, I'd expect them to be off like a shot, and who could blame them?

[Risso]

That's one of the most defeatist sentences I've ever read, and you don't even have the excuse of being a Brummie!

Fuck me Risso, what would you be like if you didn't live by the sea, tax-free?

Eh?  It's a simple statement of fact.  If I'd have said to you at the end of May that by the start of the 2011/12 season, we'd have appointed Alex McLeish and sold Young and Downing, everybody would have said I was mental, and that if that it did come to pass they'd be severely pissed off.