Karim El Ahmadi CONFIRMED (Reply #278)

[PeterWithesShin]

Maybe, but McLeish had money and arguably wasted it
Hutton £5m - value for money ?
NZogbia £10m - same question
Jenas £1m loan fee + £2m in wages !!
Given and Robbie Keane you can argue were good signings

Most on here wanted N'Zogbia at that price.

With Luke Young leaving and Lichaj getting a longterm injury a day or so before deadline day we had to buy a RB. Hutton probably fit our price range and i'm assuming OVM knew him from Rangers days.

Jenas is the only shit signing he made. And that's mainly down to the contract which I doubt was OVM's decision.

There's a million and one sticks to beat OVM with, his signings were never one of them. What he did with them once he signed them is a different mattter.

You've got to be kidding.  Hutton was an abysmal signing, whichever way you try to dress it up.

We had a little over a day to sign a RB within our budget after Lichaj got injured. I can see why at that little notice OVM went for him. Not saying I agree with it but a lot folks forget the Rangers connection and the Lichaj injury when talking of the Hutton signing.
Maybe he would have signed him anyway thinking he could get the best out of him.

My point is everyone slates his signings when Hutton is the only bad one, which potentially had mitigating circumstances due to Lichaj. And a couple of bad contracts (Jenas & Given) that we don't know had anything to do with him once he had told the board he wanted the players.

[PeterWithesShin]

Most on here wanted N'Zogbia at that price.

With Luke Young leaving and Lichaj getting a longterm injury a day or so before deadline day we had to buy a RB. Hutton probably fit our price range and i'm assuming OVM knew him from Rangers days.

Jenas is the only shit signing he made. And that's mainly down to the contract which I doubt was OVM's decision.

There's a million and one sticks to beat OVM with, his signings were never one of them. What he did with them once he signed them is a different mattter.

Isn't that the time when you can tell whether they were good signings or not? N'Zogbia, when on-form is possibly a £10m player. He hasn't showed that form so far and was pretty shit/disillusioned under McLeish so I'd classify him as a poor signing until he proves himself under the new management.

Completely missing the point that the vast majority on here wanted N'Zogbia signed.

[Percy McCarthy]

Is that what constitutes a good signing then, the approval of supporters?

Let's look back at the clamour from fans to sign Yorke, Platt and Macca, and then we can work out if they were good signings or not.

Completely missing the point that our approval means fuck all, it's how they perform that matters.

[PeterWithesShin]

Is that what constitutes a good signing then, the approval of supporters?

Let's look back at the clamour from fans to sign Yorke, Platt and Macca, and then we can work out if they were good signings or not.

Completely missing the point that our approval means fuck all, it's how they perform that matters.

So it's not hypocritical to have a go at a manager for signing a player we wanted him to sign?

Having a go at him for not getting the best out of them once they've signed is one thing. Having a go for signing them in the first place when they wanted that player signed is another.

[villastikz]

Maybe, but McLeish had money and arguably wasted it
Hutton £5m - value for money ?
NZogbia £10m - same question
Jenas £1m loan fee + £2m in wages !!
Given and Robbie Keane you can argue were good signings

Most on here wanted N'Zogbia at that price.

With Luke Young leaving and Lichaj getting a longterm injury a day or so before deadline day we had to buy a RB. Hutton probably fit our price range and i'm assuming OVM knew him from Rangers days.

Jenas is the only shit signing he made. And that's mainly down to the contract which I doubt was OVM's decision.

There's a million and one sticks to beat OVM with, his signings were never one of them. What he did with them once he signed them is a different mattter.

You've got to be kidding.  Hutton was an abysmal signing, whichever way you try to dress it up.

We had a little over a day to sign a RB within our budget after Lichaj got injured. I can see why at that little notice OVM went for him. Not saying I agree with it but a lot folks forget the Rangers connection and the Lichaj injury when talking of the Hutton signing.
Maybe he would have signed him anyway thinking he could get the best out of him.

My point is everyone slates his signings when Hutton is the only bad one, which potentially had mitigating circumstances due to Lichaj. And a couple of bad contracts (Jenas & Given) that we don't know had anything to do with him once he had told the board he wanted the players.

Whether Hutton was a rush buy he is shit and a bad buy, he wasn't wanted by Spurs for a reason. They paid £5m for him and loaned him to Sunderland who wanted to keep him but refused to pay the £5m asking price then AML strolls in and snaps him up even tho he wasn't good enough to make the Spurs team and they wanted rid of him, if he wasn't good enough for Spurs he shouldn't of been good enough for Villa. The first of his bench warmers he brought in.

His second bench warmer he brought was Given who was signed at the age of 35 for £3.5m on a 4 year contract worth £50k a week which comes to over £10m in wages - to me that is bad business for a keeper who isn't at the best time of his career, has had injury problems, is making mistakes and struggles with coming off his line and taking the ball out the air and if we don't sell him now I feel he will end up winding down his contract with last 2 years spent with his feet up on the bench whilst he counts his £50k for sitting down for 90 minutes.

His third bench warmer was Jenas, a complete waste of time and should never of been brought in especially with how much it cost.

Keane done OK for us, although I doubt he would manage a full season in the EPL these days and his short time at the club wasn't really worth the money it cost, think it worked out at over £70k per game in fees and wages - he only gets paid £35k a week by LA Galaxy.

N'zogbia I believe will come good and make the £10m worth paying and was the only signing I think AML done good with out of those players, shame he screwed him up.

Maybe some the contract decisions weren't all entirely his but he was the one that chose the players to bring in and IMO only N'zogbia was worth bringing in out of them 5 for the monies it cost for each of them to be at the club and if Lambert gets him playing again he could be a valuable member of the squad for a few years to come.

[TheSandman]

... His second bench warmer he brought was Given who was signed at the age of 35 for £3.5m on a 4 year contract worth £50k a week which comes to over £10m in wages...

Five year contract, not four.

As you were.

[Percy McCarthy]

Much as I agree that Given was a bad signing, I don't see how he can be labelled a bench-warmer.

[villastikz]

... His second bench warmer he brought was Given who was signed at the age of 35 for £3.5m on a 4 year contract worth £50k a week which comes to over £10m in wages...

Five year contract, not four.

As you were.

Opps my bad, but that just makes it worse.

[villastikz]

Much as I agree that Given was a bad signing, I don't see how he can be labelled a bench-warmer.

He was a bench warmer at City when we brought him as Hart was no1.

Hutton and Jenas weren't first choice players either.

[WA Villan]

Most on here wanted N'Zogbia at that price.

With Luke Young leaving and Lichaj getting a longterm injury a day or so before deadline day we had to buy a RB. Hutton probably fit our price range and i'm assuming OVM knew him from Rangers days.

Jenas is the only shit signing he made. And that's mainly down to the contract which I doubt was OVM's decision.

There's a million and one sticks to beat OVM with, his signings were never one of them. What he did with them once he signed them is a different mattter.

Isn't that the time when you can tell whether they were good signings or not? N'Zogbia, when on-form is possibly a £10m player. He hasn't showed that form so far and was pretty shit/disillusioned under McLeish so I'd classify him as a poor signing until he proves himself under the new management.

Completely missing the point that the vast majority on here wanted N'Zogbia signed.

I wanted N'Zogbia, he has been crap, but I don't blame Mcleish I blame N'Zogbia. Any footballer who gets paid a small fortune to play this game and still needs encouragement to play needs shooting.

[villastikz]

Most on here wanted N'Zogbia at that price.

With Luke Young leaving and Lichaj getting a longterm injury a day or so before deadline day we had to buy a RB. Hutton probably fit our price range and i'm assuming OVM knew him from Rangers days.

Jenas is the only shit signing he made. And that's mainly down to the contract which I doubt was OVM's decision.

There's a million and one sticks to beat OVM with, his signings were never one of them. What he did with them once he signed them is a different mattter.

Isn't that the time when you can tell whether they were good signings or not? N'Zogbia, when on-form is possibly a £10m player. He hasn't showed that form so far and was pretty shit/disillusioned under McLeish so I'd classify him as a poor signing until he proves himself under the new management.

Completely missing the point that the vast majority on here wanted N'Zogbia signed.

I wanted N'Zogbia, he has been crap, but I don't blame Mcleish I blame N'Zogbia. Any footballer who gets paid a small fortune to play this game and still needs encouragement to play needs shooting.

Find it funny when people say players get paid loads so should be brilliant week in week out.

Players are only human and no matter what job you do and however much you get paid if your boss is rubbish, doesn't know how to run the business properly, puts all blame on his staff, denies all responsibility and undermines his staff by saying they aren't good enough to beat competitors and puts people in jobs they aren't used to doing then things are going to go down the pan quite quickly, which is exactly what happened last season.

I will happily print off this message and eat my words if we don't see a completely different N'zogbia this season.

[Stu]

... His second bench warmer he brought was Given who was signed at the age of 35 for £3.5m on a 4 year contract worth £50k a week which comes to over £10m in wages...

Five year contract, not four.

As you were.

I refuse to believe those figures, please tell me you're joking.

[villastikz]

... His second bench warmer he brought was Given who was signed at the age of 35 for £3.5m on a 4 year contract worth £50k a week which comes to over £10m in wages...

Five year contract, not four.

As you were.

I refuse to believe those figures, please tell me you're joking.

Given was on £80k a week at City but had to take a pay cut to around £50k a week.

£50k a week totals £2.6m a year x 5 years (not 4 as I said before) comes to a grand total of £13m wages.

His 5 year contract plus transfer fee totals £16.5m.

And I believe he got a £1m pay off from City too as part of the deal so the whole deal is worth £14m in Given's bank account.

[Stu]

It's not really the wage I'm concerned about (even though I think it's way too much for Given), it's the length of the contract. 5 years @£50k a week for a 34 year old keeper is bonkers.

[Chipsticks]

Most on here wanted N'Zogbia at that price.

With Luke Young leaving and Lichaj getting a longterm injury a day or so before deadline day we had to buy a RB. Hutton probably fit our price range and i'm assuming OVM knew him from Rangers days.

Jenas is the only shit signing he made. And that's mainly down to the contract which I doubt was OVM's decision.

There's a million and one sticks to beat OVM with, his signings were never one of them. What he did with them once he signed them is a different mattter.

Isn't that the time when you can tell whether they were good signings or not? N'Zogbia, when on-form is possibly a £10m player. He hasn't showed that form so far and was pretty shit/disillusioned under McLeish so I'd classify him as a poor signing until he proves himself under the new management.

Completely missing the point that the vast majority on here wanted N'Zogbia signed.

I wanted N'Zogbia, he has been crap, but I don't blame Mcleish I blame N'Zogbia. Any footballer who gets paid a small fortune to play this game and still needs encouragement to play needs shooting.

Find it funny when people say players get paid loads so should be brilliant week in week out.

Players are only human and no matter what job you do and however much you get paid if your boss is rubbish, doesn't know how to run the business properly, puts all blame on his staff, denies all responsibility and undermines his staff by saying they aren't good enough to beat competitors and puts people in jobs they aren't used to doing then things are going to go down the pan quite quickly, which is exactly what happened last season.

I will happily print off this message and eat my words if we don't see a completely different N'zogbia this season.

I agree.