Summer Transfer Thread: Speculation, Lies, Absolute Cr*p and Bosman Rumours

[tarzansbrother]

Remember Delph and Makoun will be like new signings.

Both ain't good enough. Another £13m+ pissed up the wall.

[supertom]

Remember Delph and Makoun will be like new signings.

Delph I think I've seen enough, but I'd like to see more of Makoun. He played for Lyon and is a Cameroon international so he can't be that bad.

The thing for Delph is that we've tried playing him a lot as a more holding midfielder, or defensive mid. It's not his game, especially as his tackling is shite. I'd like to see him get a go with more attacking freedom because he needs to be using his passing ability and shooting ability. He's a player who should be scoring us 5-10 goals a season, or at least that was the potential MON bought into. He seems to be a confidence player too. When he has none he couldn't pass water let alone a football and he just seems to be unable to keep the ball under his control. There's been signs of him looking like a new Gerrard in other games. All too brief signs but we've seen snippets. I just question his ability to be able to dictate games at premier league level consistently.

[tarzansbrother]

Remember Delph and Makoun will be like new signings.

Delph I think I've seen enough, but I'd like to see more of Makoun. He played for Lyon and is a Cameroon international so he can't be that bad.

The thing for Delph is that we've tried playing him a lot as a more holding midfielder, or defensive mid. It's not his game, especially as his tackling is shite. I'd like to see him get a go with more attacking freedom because he needs to be using his passing ability and shooting ability. He's a player who should be scoring us 5-10 goals a season, or at least that was the potential MON bought into. He seems to be a confidence player too. When he has none he couldn't pass water let alone a football and he just seems to be unable to keep the ball under his control. There's been signs of him looking like a new Gerrard in other games. All too brief signs but we've seen snippets. I just question his ability to be able to dictate games at premier league level consistently.

Don't forget his poor injury record aswell. We need a consistent player we can rely on.

[supertom]

Yes there's that too. You'd hope he could overcome it, but it was something he was known for at Leeds too. I think he deserves a chance though. Lets face it, if we sell him now we may even have to let him go for nothing. Write him off. No one will take him.

[Steve67]

I would be happy to let Delph leave for the swap for Snodgrass if Leeds were interested. Villa need more reliable players than him. He has showed some good signs but it just hasn't worked for him at Villa. Perhaps put a sell on clause in the swap if necessary so we have some protection later on if he joins Man yoo for twenty mill!!  As for Makoun, he's a touch player but very lightweight and will need to beef up for the premiership.  I'd like to see Lambert go out and buy two midfield tough nuts so Ireland gets the free role.

[Mazrim]

I'd still be confident on Delph doing well but for his injury record. The kid has just had no luck at all. In flashes he has looked brilliant but then is laid up before he can get any momentum going.

Makoun is very good and keeping the ball moving but apart from tidiness I'm not all that convinced. I think both will be off but Delph, if not for his injury record, would be far more useful to us. I hope he gets a chance to show that but I doubt he will now.

[garyshawsknee]

I think Delph is the sort if player Lambert can get a lot out of. Needs an injury free season.

[Risso]

I'd still be confident on Delph doing well but for his injury record. The kid has just had no luck at all. In flashes he has looked brilliant but then is laid up before he can get any momentum going.

Makoun is very good and keeping the ball moving but apart from tidiness I'm not all that convinced. I think both will be off but Delph, if not for his injury record, would be far more useful to us. I hope he gets a chance to show that but I doubt he will now.

Delph is a headless chicken.  Quite why we spent £8m on a 3rd division youngster, when we had much better players in our own youth set up is anybody's guess.

[Mazrim]

He needs guidance but he's not a headless chicken. I think people forget how young he is.
I believe he was £6m with potential add ons and at the time he was one of the brightest young talents in the country, that's why we paid it.
The player that came in and bossed the game against Inter was the player we thought we had. He started the season well and was the best passer of the ball in the team during that period. But unbelievable injuries, different managers and the fact he's still learning his trade have all been significant factors in what is now deemed a torrid time.

I'm not saying we should pin any hopes on him or anything but I also think that for what we'd get for him we may as well see if anything can be salvaged from the wreckage.

[Mazrim]

By the way, I dont know if this has been posted yet here but this guy seems to be one of the more reliable or accurate Tweeters...


INCOGNITO AVFC ‏@INCOGNITOAVFC

I dont want 2 jeopardize future deals so I cannot indulge you further, but expect a lot of movement over the next 7-10 days. #avfc

[KevinGage]

Agreed Maz. (it was Fiorentina BTW       )

When you've seen a player be as outstanding as he was that day, and against Man U at home later in that same season, it's hard to give up on them.

He's what, still only 22/23?   Far too soon to write him off.  For me, just about every attack minded player we had last season who underperformed gets a clean slate.  The hope is that a manager not completely paralysed by fear when it comes to taking the game to the opposition will get something out of the likes of Delph, Bannan, Albrighton, Ireland and N'Zog.   It's perhaps unrealistic to expect all of them to shine, but get anything approximating decent form out of just 2/3 of that lot and we'll be an infinitely better side for it.

[Caiphus]

Agreed Maz. (it was Fiorentina BTW       )

When you've seen a player be as outstanding as he was that day, and against Man U at home later in that same season, it's hard to give up on them.

He's what, still only 22/23?   Far too soon to write him off.  For me, just about every attack minded player we had last season who underperformed gets a clean slate.  The hope is that a manager not completely paralysed by fear when it comes to taking the game to the opposition will get something out of the likes of Delph, Bannan, Albrighton, Ireland and N'Zog.   It's perhaps unrealistic to expect all of them to shine, but get anything approximating decent form out of just 2/3 of that lot and we'll be an infinitely better side for it.

I'm prepared to forgive the performances of pretty much every player under 26 in our squad.

Our lack of movement off the ball last year made any of our attacking players look like shit because the passes they were forced to play were low percentage or because they had no options they got tackled before any option opened up.

Albrighton was a very good crosser in the first half of 2010-11... second season syndrome is pretty common in young blokes who have had a single season playing premiership football, when your targets in the box are heavily outnumbered by defenders it's pretty difficult to get the perfect ball directly to the man.

Delph we have seen play terribly when shoehorned into a position that doesn't suit him, but I also remember seeing him play some beautiful curving through balls off the outside of his foot down the line in a few games when Houllier was here.  He has some skills.

N'Zogbia was getting the ball played to him too deep and with his natural dribbling game had too many defenders to try to go past and dribbled himself down a blind alley.

Gabby was dangerous down the flank in the first half of the season because his fullback was coming in Narrow generally to try to limit the space for Bent to move off the shoulder.  They would then pressure from a distance hoping that Gabby's touch would be too heavy and they wouldn't have to risk tackling him.  When Bent got injured, Gabby just didn't get enough ball to be damaging down the centre and wasn't handling being double marked too well because there was inadequate threat from anywhere else to draw defenders away from him.

Herd is pretty good box to box, and I think would step up another level if a possession style game was played.  He is tidy enough on the ball, can pass reasonably well and has enough mongrel in him that any talk of bringing NRC back is misguided.  Like most of the Sid coached kids who came through from the youth he makes himself available for return passes too.

Lichaj I like, but I'm not 100% confident in his first-touch, or dribbling.  He seems to have reasonable positioning, good pace and strength and a big tank.

I'd like to think that Lambert has ambition to play an attractive game of football and the main problem is that players like Ireland, Delph and Bannan would all be competing for the same position in the hole.  I think we could play with a diamond using all three if we had a superstrong super quick DCM like Moussa Sissoko or someone like that and athletic fullbacks to provide width.  I don't see that as a likely occurrence because traditionally Villa park is a wide ground and we wouldn't want another season of teams coming to counter attack us and have acres of space down the sides.

A defensive midfielder, a left-back/wing-back, experienced midfield cover and a CB who is captaincy material and a defensive organiser is what is required in my opinion.  We need at least four new players before letting anyone go.  I wouldn't sell any of the existing squad to soon unless there is stupid money being offered.  Lambo needs to see the players for a couple of weeks of pre-season to decide who has the attitude he can work with to bring the best out of them.

I am yet to see how Holman will fit in to the side...  He has amazing work ethic, but I don't particularly rate his skills that highly.  He is too lightweight and undisciplined in his positioning for anywhere other than attack, but he really only seems to create via pressuring the defence and running all day.  He follows the ball around a bit too much for my liking, so it's not like his running creates space.  If he wasn't lightweight, I would use him as a box-to-box mid or a tucked in winger.  I'm a bit dubious as to his potential impact in the premiership to be honest.

[Mazrim]

I would say Delph's best position is left side of a three man midfield rather than in the hole. He's a box to box midfielder. For instance, you could play him with a specialist defensive midfielder with somebody like Ireland ahead of him. That way you make best use of his two strongest suits as I see it - his tenacity and his passing range. As a secondary option I would say he could be slightly more advanced, maybe in the hole, but I wouldn't say its his natural position.

I know absolutely nothing about Holman apart from youtube videos and hearsay so I'm interested to see him play. He could be one of those players that just come in and suprise everybody or another Michael Boulding.

[Matt Collins]

I agree with the post above. I also think bannan's best position is left of a midfield 3.

[Mazrim]

I see Bannan as basically a far more limited version of Delph.