Aston Villa sign Charles N'Zogbia (Reply#1151)

[Ads]

A 5 year deal sounds like we're learning!

Its something of an idictment of modern football mind when you look at 4 year deals as being 2 seasons maximum.

[Caiphus]

in 08-09 when Ireland was playing at his best he was on the left of a midfield three, and actually covered a lot of ground.  He can nick a ball or two of opposition players, Delph can get a little exuberant but I'm sure he will tighten up and Makoun didn't look like he could tackle in his few appearances in the prem, but I'm pretty sure once he's had a pre-season and a few more games to get used to the speed of the premier league he will be pretty decent at getting a leg in.  His strength is that he reads play so well that he can intercept midfield passes and quickly move it to advantage.  I think having a midfield destroyer is good for squad depth, but with an energetic 3 man midfield of quality ball players with lots of running you don't need one.

[VillaAlways]

Reading the Sunderland forums a lot of the fans are absolutely convinced that CNZ is desperate to go to them and still think their in with a chance even though Steve Bruce is on record saying that the deal is too rich for them

http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611585
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611229

Anyone think there's a chance they could hijack the deal ?

[Toronto Villa]

Reading the Sunderland forums a lot of the fans are absolutely convinced that CNZ is desperate to go to them and still think their in with a chance even though Steve Bruce is on record saying that the deal is too rich for them

http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611585
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611229

Anyone think there's a chance they could hijack the deal ?

nope. I said earlier that no other club has made a firm offer despite being made well aware of the fee being asked by big gob Whelan. We made the only firm offers so far, both those rejected and now accepted. Talk of Everton and Sunderland was just talk, and as much as they'd like the player, Whelan will want cash up front which we have. I think this gets done by Wednesday/Thursday to allow Martinez time to dip into the market himself. Entertaining new bids now will only slow things down which I don't think Wigan will want.

[KevinGage]

Delph and Makoun both have a combative streak to their game and like to tackle (though I wouldn't quite go as far as to say they're particularly fantastic at it at the moment).

So another midfielder in there alongside them -who can either sit and dictate play or almost solely focus on breaking up the oppositions rhythm- would give us decent balance in the centre of the park.

Delph and Makoun being given the responsibility to hold the midfield together on their own though would give me kittens.

[KevinGage]

Reading the Sunderland forums a lot of the fans are absolutely convinced that CNZ is desperate to go to them and still think their in with a chance even though Steve Bruce is on record saying that the deal is too rich for them

http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611585
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611229

Anyone think there's a chance they could hijack the deal ?

Well obviously if a club as big as Sunderland come in for him there's only one place he's going to end up. Or something.

I know some of our lot take stick for delusions of grandeur, but some of the nonsense they spouted after the Bent deal was first class.

[Toronto Villa]

Scott Parker for me is the key. Put him in there as an all action CM, and have him bring through Delph who still has a lot to learn. Signing Scott Parker makes sense on so many different levels, both for the fans, and for the club which is why AM wants him. Stick him in that midfield and it will be much stronger. In fact if we ended our buying with Parker and another CB (should Cueller go) then I'd be happy. Maybe a loan at RB too if I'm bring greedy.

As much I'd like it, I just don't think Parker will come if Spurs or Chelsea get serious bids in.

[Risso]

Scott Parker for me is the key. Put him in there as an all action CM, and have him bring through Delph who still has a lot to learn. Signing Scott Parker makes sense on so many different levels, both for the fans, and for the club which is why AM wants him. Stick him in that midfield and it will be much stronger. In fact if we ended our buying with Parker and another CB (should Cueller go) then I'd be happy. Maybe a loan at RB too if I'm bring greedy.

As much I'd like it, I just don't think Parker will come if Spurs or Chelsea get serious bids in.

Agree TV.  Selling Ashley Young and Downing, then bringing in N'Zogbia is all a bit "meh" at best.  Selling those two and bringing in N'Zogbia AND Parker would be a different matter altogether, and just makes sense on so many levels.

[VillaAlways]

Reading the Sunderland forums a lot of the fans are absolutely convinced that CNZ is desperate to go to them and still think their in with a chance even though Steve Bruce is on record saying that the deal is too rich for them

http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611585
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611229

Anyone think there's a chance they could hijack the deal ?

Well obviously if a club as big as Sunderland come in for him there's only one place he's going to end up. Or something.

I know some of our lot take stick for delusions of grandeur, but some of the nonsense they spouted after the Bent deal was first class.

Here's an example
I am 100% convinced that N'Zogbia will sign for Sunderland.

Villa can do what they want, its irrelevant.

N'Zogbia is Bruces main target and he will be backed by Quinn/Short who have backed him for all his 'lesser' targets.

Everything that has gone on thus far is merely positioning to get the best price possible.

Just wait and see.


Read more: http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611229&page=61#ixzz1T7rkML12

[pauliewalnuts]

Reading the Sunderland forums a lot of the fans are absolutely convinced that CNZ is desperate to go to them and still think their in with a chance even though Steve Bruce is on record saying that the deal is too rich for them

http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611585
http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=611229

Anyone think there's a chance they could hijack the deal ?

Well obviously if a club as big as Sunderland come in for him there's only one place he's going to end up. Or something.

I know some of our lot take stick for delusions of grandeur, but some of the nonsense they spouted after the Bent deal was first class.

I remember an outpouring of bile from them (inc that one Dave had the ruck with on Look North or whatever they call Midlands Today up there) about "why would he leave a top six side for a struggling one" where they made the error of

- assuming the season stopped in January
- assuming one fleeting appearance in the top six makes you "a top six side"
- ignoring that Villa have finished in the top six for half of all seasons since Sky invented football, and in the same time Sunderland hadn't even been *in* the top flight for half the seasons.

It was richly ironic when last season, after all that, and after a terrible season for us, we still finished above them.

[KevinGage]

Agreed TV.

Scott Parker - or at the opposite end of the spectrum- a tall athletic DM would do the job nicely. Shame we don't still have GH on the payroll in regard to sourcing those kind of players on the way up.  Fofana looked a good shout and Romelou is now due to join Chelsea (he was set to sign for us in Jan before he was injured IIRC).

[PeterWithe]

Wasn't there a big song and dance about GH making up a list of all these young overseas players, surely it didn't go straight in the bin as soon as he left?

[KevinGage]

I remember an outpouring of bile from them (inc that one Dave had the ruck with on Look North or whatever they call Midlands Today up there) about "why would he leave a top six side for a struggling one" where they made the error of

- assuming the season stopped in January
- assuming one fleeting appearance in the top six makes you "a top six side"
- ignoring that Villa have finished in the top six for half of all seasons since Sky invented football, and in the same time Sunderland hadn't even been *in* the top flight for half the seasons.

It was richly ironic when last season, after all that, and after a terrible season for us, we still finished above them.

Thing is, I generally don't mind Sunderland.

Found their fans on the whole to be decent in the past.

But I'd like to think if I supported a club who had spent the last 20/30 years yo yoing between the divisions, I might be a bit circumspect before I engaged in the whole 'my club is bigger than yours'  pissing contests.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'm not convinced we'd go for Parker. He's 31 soon, on a long and lucrative contract at West Ham so will cost premium money with no realistic chance of getting any money back on him. Will the board go for that after all the dead money from MON signings that fell into the same category?

[Mazrim]

The thing with players like Makoun is he needs to have players around him that move the ball quickly and smartly.
That's his game really. Screening the back 4, moving the ball and keeping it tidy.
With like minded players around him, not only would he become more effective but they would too. In theory.

Now, say Ireland does continue to get his act together and be the player we all hoped he would be for us, and we have N'Zogbia in there and Delph too. These are all sharp minded players with sharp passing and a great range of passing. Think of what might be if they all gelled?

Yes, it might seem that theres a bruising enforcer missing and that's probably right, and I'd like to have one that also possessed a bit of quality on the ball too, but is the league about crunching tackles now? I'm not sure it is any more. Once upon a time you couldn't imagine not having a midfielder who got "stuck in" but now teams are more about organisation as a team, putting yourself in the right place. Positioning and tactics.
The kids we have that could come in, the likes of Bannan, Herd, Gardner, Johnson etc have all been indoctrinated into playing this kind of football already.

Just some food for thought.