January Transfer Speculation (or lack of) Thread

[Dave Clark Five]

 'I don't want to take the easy route' says Marc. That implies he thinks he would walk into a first team place elsewhere.

Come on Marc, you're doing well here.

[Rigadon]

Liverpool are bigger and better than us at the minute. That is undeniable.

Is it?  All they have done is send a fuck load of money on players who played for us or clubs similar to us last season.  They aren't significantly better than we are or significantly higher placed in the league.  They are just the best of the rest this season. 

Not looking for an argument by the way, I just don't see how they are currently all that superior.  I certainly don't see how Downing is bettering himself there.  They aren't playing in a competition we aren't (are they still in the Eurozone League? - is so, so what.)  They've had a couple of good results against the genuinely 'better' teams, granted.   

[cheltenhamlion]

They weren't in Europe at all this season.

[KevinGage]

Rumours of Steven Davis returning in Jan.

It's the Mirror, so bring your own shovel as far as the salt is concerned, but it does have quotes from Big Eck:

clicky

McLeish plans £2m raid on Rangers

Villa boss McLeish will make a second attempt to sign Davis next month.

The Northern Ireland international spent three years with Villa before moving to Fulham in 2007.

McLeish wants the 26-year-old to add drive to his midfield and failed with a deadline-day bid in August.

He said: “We may do it even if no one goes out the door.”

At that price it wouldn't be the worst bit of business in the world.
Davis was one of the few players we let go early into the MON era that I wouldn't have minded see stick around.   

Particularly when we had the likes of Sidwell treading water in midfield a little over 12 months later. 

With the Jenas situation and talk of Stan leaving, this would make a degree of sense.
 

[cheltenhamlion]

I thought he wasn't given a fair crack at the time he went. His game has matured up there, it isn't expensive. No brainer for me.

[KevinGage]

Agreed cheltenhamlion.

[pedro25]

He's ok, but is he any better than Bannan?

[Chris Smith]

He's ok, but is he any better than Bannan?

Different sort of player, I think, more of a box to box type. I'd be quite happy to see him come back.

[Nirog72]

He's a different type of player to Bannan

[Percy McCarthy]

Never rated him, maybe he's improved.

[Rick_avfc]

I was a bit miffed when MON let him go as he wasn't given a proper run in the team.  Not sure about signing him back though.  Yes, he has matured a lot and probably improved his game albeit in a league which doesn't really offer much challeneges apart from the derby game between celtic and rangers.
I wouldn't be overly disappointed if we did sign him back as he is still fairly young and probably hasn't reached his full peak yet? 

[Mazrim]

Davis is not good enough. Absolutely pointless if true. Just try and loan a better player rather than scratch around the bargain bin and incorporate some of the youngsters who are (potentially if not actually) better players.
Fuck me we can do better than this, surely?

[Concrete John]

It would be the sort of signing to keep us ticking over in midtable, not to sort to improve us at all.

[Merv]

Re: Albrighton. Let's not get over-excited and ignore this quote: "But I am a Villa boy and I can't think of anything worse than leaving the club that's given me all my games and all my happy moments."

I can't see him leaving unless we literally show him the door by not playing him (and he may have turned a corner now). That's also my fear with Clark.

Davis - he'd be okay, agree with those who say he'd keep us ticking over but wouldn't drive us forward particularly.

[PaulWinch again]

Davis is not good enough. Absolutely pointless if true. Just try and loan a better player rather than scratch around the bargain bin and incorporate some of the youngsters who are (potentially if not actually) better players.
Fuck me we can do better than this, surely?

What I had to laugh at was the quote 'We may do this even if somebody doesn't go out of the door?'. That is a sad state of affairs, firstly he's average and secondly spending £2 million is seen as a really big deal.