Huge Summer....

[garyfouroaks]

AVFC was bought as an investment. Any investment may be sold, for the right price.

The galling thing for all Villa fans is that under that first cash injection, and MON’s leadership we got  close, very close. Another “go” financially makes little commercial sense for any owner. When the market price now is £75m to buy Henderson/Downing/Carroll (plus wages) to get Liverpool challenging for fourth , there is no financial return.

I always regarded FFP as a cruel illusion, a devise to safeguard the wealthy, not empower the poor, and still believe that.
Where is the profit in buying and selling PL clubs in the short term/medium term? When Liverpool were first sold, Moore’s shareholding was decades old- and there were only two buyers, one of whom went bust the other of whom could not afford to run it. Three years later only one serious buyer emerged for the club, who only paid £200m cash, for a club whose income the previous  year was around £180m.

Randy might always sell, not for a profit specifically, but just because he has had enough. Equally why does he HAVE to sell? Not because he can’t afford it.

In football, always follow the money ( a Champions league with lots of non-champions in it, a World cup in Qatar? Never!). A proper European league ( with some domestic element retained) will come. A world club tournament taking in a resurgent South America led by Brazil will follow. A world franchised club tournament with “assembled” teams from New York, Bejing, Kuala Lumpar, Sydney etc won’t be far behind.

I think that Randy will be around for a little longer yet.

[Stu]

I thought this thread was going to be about N'ZMAV having it large in Ibeefa this coming summer. Bit disappointed.

[Mazrim]

That squad that Mazrim put up is very worrying

Depends who comes in.

Yes, good point. You got faith in the current manager to bring in the quality we'll need?

I don't know about faith but until he's had the chance, who knows?

[Dave]

Our rise, albeit steady and expensive, was hardly headline catching though, the media just love to see someone fall...

It was exiting to be a Villa fan though - such optimism after the Ellis years.

Now, sadly we're back where we were I feel, but with debt this time.

It was exciting, however, we was lucky at times, our Football wasn't the 6th best in the country, was average most of the times....

Who exactly do you feel should have finished above us then?

[olaftab]

It's funny how the parallels are always with doomsday scenarios

That is us  Footballs  fans Dave. We worry when we have a corner that opposition will score a breakaway goal!

[olaftab]

Remember everyone knows what we did last summer!

[Mazrim]

We have Paul Montgomery and Arthur Numan as scouts and they have a good reputation. Let's see what they can come up with.

[Mister E]

What I imagine next years squad to be:

GK- Given, Guzan, Siegrist.
DF- Hutton, Lichaj, Stevens, Williams, Baker, Clark, *New left back*, *New centre half*, *New centre half*.
MF- Ireland, Gardner, Johnson, Carruthers, N'Zogbia, Albrighton, Delph, Herd, Bannan, *New midfield general*
F- Bent, Agbonlahor, *New #10 forward*, Delfouneso, Weimann, Burke.

I've heard that Warnock is off regardless. I expect Dunne and Collins to leave. I would offer Cuellar a new contract but I doubt that will happen. So we need at least two experienced centre halves and a senior left back.
One of Weimann or Delfouneso may have to leave but perhaps not.

So out from this years squad will go:
Marshall, Beye, Warnock (I've heard he is definitely off), Dunne, Collins, Cuellar, Jenas (although I reckon McLeish might try and sign him), Petrov, Keane (see Jenas) snd Heskey.

The resulting squad should see a very young group that will need very selective additions to guide them and take pressure off them.
But that's a saving in the region of 400k p/w before any acquisitions.

I actually can't see N'Zog, Ireland or Defouneso staying, in addition to your other "outs". The former is exactly what I expected - a hot n'cold palyer; Ireland is still IMO too temperamental; and young Nathan simply ain't good enough.

[Mazrim]

I believe he is good enough, but that doesn't mean it's going to work out for him here.
The problem he has is that the likes of Robinson, Burke and Drennan will soon be ready for a look in and he'll have to shit or get off the potty.

It seems he's only getting cameos for Leicester so in hindsight its probably not the move he needed. He needs a run of 90 minute matches. We need him to have them.

[Vanilla]

It's quite amusing looking at some of the 'bish bash bosh' assessments of our squad.

Kind of reminds me of last summer, when this attitude was applied to the losses of Downing and Young being easily made up through the utilisation of Albrighton, and the purchasing of N'Zogbia to play on the wings.

I think Mat Kendrick was about right in his article the Mail the other night when he said a bulk of the squad needs a major overhaul. Sadly though, if any of the last two summers are anything to go by, I think more players will leave than be brought in, with the squad being tinkered with rather than overhauled.

[Chris Smith]

So in September will it have been a Hot Town Summer in the City or will I be saying the Long Hot Summer Just Passed Me By?

[Mazrim]

I keep hearing Dirty Black Summer by Danzig. But I don't know what that means for us.

[N'ZMAV]

Boys of Summer, Don Henley...

[Concrete John]

I believe he is good enough, but that doesn't mean it's going to work out for him here.
The problem he has is that the likes of Robinson, Burke and Drennan will soon be ready for a look in and he'll have to shit or get off the potty.

It seems he's only getting cameos for Leicester so in hindsight its probably not the move he needed. He needs a run of 90 minute matches. We need him to have them.

If he can't get a regular game for the side 13th in the Championship, doesn't that say a lot?

[Mazrim]

I believe he is good enough, but that doesn't mean it's going to work out for him here.
The problem he has is that the likes of Robinson, Burke and Drennan will soon be ready for a look in and he'll have to shit or get off the potty.

It seems he's only getting cameos for Leicester so in hindsight its probably not the move he needed. He needs a run of 90 minute matches. We need him to have them.

If he can't get a regular game for the side 13th in the Championship, doesn't that say a lot?

Maybe. But they have pretty good forwards for that division and they rely on them.
I'd rather he went somewhere that would start him rather than use him as cover or a sub.

Look, I'm not denying he has to earn it and take his chance when he does.
The clock is ticking for his Villa career. But I'm convinced he has the talent at least.