Huge Summer....

[Mazrim]

I don't expect any change of ownership this summer.

I would be surprised though if Randy's still our owner in 18 months/2 years time.

Just hope we survive in this league in the meantime.

No way RL will go. He's not sold up on the Brown's - he's had then since 2002 and they've been awful with fan dissatisfaction and been very unpopular with the fans. So if he not giving up on them he ain't giving up on us.

The Browns are in his family, Villa are not. Whilst I do not doubt his love for Villa he sees himself as a temporary custodian.
It's not the same with the Browns. He will feel obliged to keep them in the family as his father would have wanted.

I expect Randy to sell either part or whole relatively soon. But Villa will go before the Browns do. No doubt in my mind.

[Irish villain]

If we had the likes of Silva, Aguero etc, then of course we would sell out. We would fill 55k plus with that calibre of player, partly through the increased media attention too.

I think there's huge potential there. Look at the following villa had in the forties through to the early eighties. Look at how quickly we became one of the few clubs to have an average attendance just shy of capacity during the years we challenged the top four.

Villa fans are often described as 'long suffering'. Given some entertainment and reasons to be positive they will flock into VP

[PaulWinch again]

I've been thinking about this and the the reality is that the squad needs a massive overhaul. It has become stale, and there are probably about 10-12 or so that I would keep. I don't think a big overhaul will happen, but I think without it we are going to continue with the pattern we have seen this season and last.

[Concrete John]

I've been thinking about this and the the reality is that the squad needs a massive overhaul. It has become stale, and there are probably about 10-12 or so that I would keep. I don't think a big overhaul will happen, but I think without it we are going to continue with the pattern we have seen this season and last.

I think we need to do it over a few windows.  If we haven't got the funds to a) pay all the players we want rid off and b) buy and pay new ones we need, then lets do it in stages.   

[WarszaVillan]

My biggest fear when MON left (and this is not to open a debate about him) is that he depended on creating a group that were loyal to him and would play for him. Once he went then it was going to fall apart and the team spirit and cohesion would go. This on the whole is still MON's team, but with the best bits taken out and MON gone. We need a big overhaul of the squad and whoever is in charge needs the chance to build his own team.

[Dante Lavelli]

He also told me (and this probably will only be of interest to Maz and a few reserve and youth watchers) that we have only retained 3 of this seasons second year YTS players.

Is this normal?  What does this imply? 
It sounds a bad thing to me - cutting costs where we need to spend most - however it might be normal procedure based on how good the players are or have the players been poached?

[UK Redsox]

The Browns are in his family, Villa are not. Whilst I do not doubt his love for Villa he sees himself as a temporary custodian.
It's not the same with the Browns. He will feel obliged to keep them in the family as his father would have wanted.

I expect Randy to sell either part or whole relatively soon. But Villa will go before the Browns do. No doubt in my mind.

Randy's father only bought the Browns when the new franchise was placed in Cleveland in 1999. It's not like there's a decades long ownership like the Maras in New York or the Rooneys in Pittsburgh.

[Concrete John]

The Browns are in his family, Villa are not. Whilst I do not doubt his love for Villa he sees himself as a temporary custodian.
It's not the same with the Browns. He will feel obliged to keep them in the family as his father would have wanted.

I expect Randy to sell either part or whole relatively soon. But Villa will go before the Browns do. No doubt in my mind.

Randy's father only bought the Browns when the new franchise was placed in Cleveland in 1999. It's not like there's a decades long ownership like the Maras in New York or the Rooneys in Pittsburgh.

But wasn't his Dad a life long fan before that?

[Mazrim]

Yes, exactly. As Randy himself is.

[Larry Duff]

Is this normal?  What does this imply? 
It sounds a bad thing to me - cutting costs where we need to spend most - however it might be normal procedure based on how good the players are or have the players been poached?

No, its quite normal.  The club have to make room for younger players coming through. Our first choice team for youth cup U18 and next gen U19 games had very few second year YTS lads in the team. U17 players like Webb, Lewis, Kinsella, Graham, Robinson, Melvin and Grealish usually get picked ahead of boys who are a year older.

[Dante Lavelli]

Is this normal?  What does this imply? 
It sounds a bad thing to me - cutting costs where we need to spend most - however it might be normal procedure based on how good the players are or have the players been poached?

No, its quite normal.  The club have to make room for younger players coming through. Our first choice team for youth cup U18 and next gen U19 games had very few second year YTS lads in the team. U17 players like Webb, Lewis, Kinsella, Graham, Robinson, Melvin and Grealish usually get picked ahead of boys who are a year older.

Why?  Purely down to the quality of the current crop?

[Mazrim]

More lie a case of the ones who are younger just being better players and picked on merit.
If the players behind you are better bets then you're for the high jump. Cruel but how it works.
Room constantly has to be made for new players and for the best players to advance. 

[stubbsyandy]

It has to be a summer of some change of playing and coaching staff, but more importantly a change of attitude.
I can't remember this much depression even when Billy McNeill was here

[john e]

It has to be a summer of some change of playing and coaching staff, but more importantly a change of attitude.
I can't remember this much depression even when Billy McNeill was here

i think its that oft used word 'hope'
 Mcneil didnt last long,  SGT came in and straight away there was a positive feeleing around VP, relegation wasnt anywhere near the fianancial catastophie it is today and any team with a decent manager felt they could realisticaly have a crack at the title.

to think that we will finish somewhwere nondescript in the league, whilst playing not very interesting football, then having to watch Mcliesh with no money sell the deadword and bring in some of his own picks just fills me with dread,

in fact i cant think of anything more depressing than knowing thats what we are heading for this summer

[DB]

I've been thinking about this and the the reality is that the squad needs a massive overhaul. It has become stale, and there are probably about 10-12 or so that I would keep. I don't think a big overhaul will happen, but I think without it we are going to continue with the pattern we have seen this season and last.

I don't think it need a massive overhaul, the squad is sound IMO, but the manager is not getting the best out of them - tactics, squad selection, whatever - that squad should be higher up the table. I hate to say it a bit like the Bruce scenario at S-land, MON came in and got them playing more to their full potential.