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

[paul_e]

£10m is enuogh if it's well spent.

Sissoko at £3m is a steal, Douglas is probably available for similar or less.  Both are available free in the summer but 5-6m is worth spending if they help us turn things round this season.

That leaves 4-5m to find a wide player and a full back, make one of those a loan and we'd be fine.

[not3bad]

Lerner can now really go fuck himself. I've had enough of this bullshit. They are totally preparing for us to go down. If that is the case (which it seems highly likely) then I'm not ploughing anymore money into the club this year what so ever.
I will just catch the games on the net and save myself a fortune.
Its beyond a joke now and what hurts the most is it seems to us all that RL really does not care. If he did we would be bringing in the x4 players we are desperate for, just to give us a chance to stay up!

I think a lot of kidology goes on during transfer windows as the last thing you want a selling club you may be talking to hearing is we've got money to spend!  We spent £25m in the summer, which is a decent amount, so based on that I'm willing to wait and see what happens money wise before I blast Randy for not supporting his manager.

Granted. However I don't think it would be too much for PL to say something along the lines of
"I know we do need some fresh faces and I know the areas of concern"
His comments instead just sound like they havnt even really gone past an initial 'chat' about a couple of people.

I don't think they're meant to.  We knew when he took over that Lambert was not the sort to give much away.

[LeeB]

Has anyone actually seen Sissoko play, or are they like me and try to sign him as soon as possible on Champ Manager because his stats are good and he's cheap?

[Toronto Villa]

£10m is enuogh if it's well spent.

Sissoko at £3m is a steal, Douglas is probably available for similar or less.  Both are available free in the summer but 5-6m is worth spending if they help us turn things round this season.

That leaves 4-5m to find a wide player and a full back, make one of those a loan and we'd be fine.

it just isn't that simple though is it? What if Sissoko wants wages that are outrageous, and his agent is angling for a fee that the club simply disagree on. We don't know what is being demanded. If anything the transfer fee is the easiest bit to negotiate because it is a number between the buyer and seller but there is so much more that likely goes into a deal than I've mentioned. This isn't a slight at you Paul, but this isn't Football Manager where deals are a click of a button. Villa have got a structure now in place that for better or for worse they are going to stick and because the scars of the past regimes have yet to properly heal. I have no doubt they have players identified and are working to get those deals done, but I don't think it's as easy as saying this is what we have so let's get the deals done.

[paul_e]

£10m is enuogh if it's well spent.

Sissoko at £3m is a steal, Douglas is probably available for similar or less.  Both are available free in the summer but 5-6m is worth spending if they help us turn things round this season.

That leaves 4-5m to find a wide player and a full back, make one of those a loan and we'd be fine.

it just isn't that simple though is it? What if Sissoko wants wages that are outrageous, and his agent is angling for a fee that the club simply disagree on. We don't know what is being demanded. If anything the transfer fee is the easiest bit to negotiate because it is a number between the buyer and seller but there is so much more that likely goes into a deal than I've mentioned. This isn't a slight at you Paul, but this isn't Football Manager where deals are a click of a button. Villa have got a structure now in place that for better or for worse they are going to stick and because the scars of the past regimes have yet to properly heal. I have no doubt they have players identified and are working to get those deals done, but I don't think it's as easy as saying this is what we have so let's get the deals done.

But none of that is relevant to the point that a transfer budget of £10m isn't enough.  I've given examples of 2 of the 3-4 players we need who could be picked up easily with that transfer budget.  The wages is a different situation and it may be that those players would want to much, or are not on our list of targets.

I understand there's a lot more too it, I was merely pointing out that the calls for us to spend 20-30m or we'll go down are, in my opinion, wide of the mark.

To go back to wages I doubt those 2 would ask for much more than Dunne and Warnock are pulling between them, both of whom are into the last 6 months with us so it would only be a temporary increase in the wage bill.

[Lsvilla]

I've always thought that with fixtures coming thick and fast in the first half of this month we weren't likely to see any activity until after tomorrow's game - Lambert then has a full week before the Albion game to invest some time getting the deals done before another stupidly congested period of matches (made worse by the Millwall game being brought forward to the Friday night).
Now we just need to see things happen - and on the back of a win tomorrow everything will look a lot more rosy before the Smethwick game and ahead of the second leg. On the other hand, if this time next week nothing has happened then I shall start to be concerned as the current lot clearly need some help.

[paul_e]

Has anyone actually seen Sissoko play, or are they like me and try to sign him as soon as possible on Champ Manager because his stats are good and he's cheap?

Yes a couple of times, he looks a lot like Essien did before he went to Chelsea.  Big, athletic and works his socks off, he's hasn't progressed as well as expected though, which is why we have a chance.

[PeterWithesShin]

I've never forgiven Sissoko for that Thong song.

[PaulWinch again]

Has anyone actually seen Sissoko play, or are they like me and try to sign him as soon as possible on Champ Manager because his stats are good and he's cheap?

Yes a couple of times, he looks a lot like Essien did before he went to Chelsea.  Big, athletic and works his socks off, he's hasn't progressed as well as expected though, which is why we have a chance.

Same seen him play a few times in the French league.

[Villafirst]

It's not encouraging is it.

Agree, Lerner outlined his blueprint for us to be relegated in August 2010. So far, it's all going to plan and should eventually come to fruition in May 2013.

[Proposition Joe]

Lerner can now really go fuck himself. I've had enough of this bullshit. They are totally preparing for us to go down. If that is the case (which it seems highly likely) then I'm not ploughing anymore money into the club this year what so ever.
I will just catch the games on the net and save myself a fortune.
Its beyond a joke now and what hurts the most is it seems to us all that RL really does not care. If he did we would be bringing in the x4 players we are desperate for, just to give us a chance to stay up!

That's how I read it too. They are accepting that there is a good likelihood we'll go down and don't want to splurge the money for an ultimately futile attempt at staying up.

[PaulWinch again]

I severely doubt that, the TV deal for next year is ridiculous they'll want to be involved in that.

[Clampy]

It's not encouraging is it.

Agree, Lerner outlined his blueprint for us to be relegated in August 2010. So far, it's all going to plan and should eventually come to fruition in May 2013.

What rubbish.

[paul_e]

Lerner can now really go fuck himself. I've had enough of this bullshit. They are totally preparing for us to go down. If that is the case (which it seems highly likely) then I'm not ploughing anymore money into the club this year what so ever.
I will just catch the games on the net and save myself a fortune.
Its beyond a joke now and what hurts the most is it seems to us all that RL really does not care. If he did we would be bringing in the x4 players we are desperate for, just to give us a chance to stay up!

That's how I read it too. They are accepting that there is a good likelihood we'll go down and don't want to splurge the money for an ultimately futile attempt at staying up.

Complete and utter nonsense.  There is no chance that the club is 'being prepared for relegation'.  The club is being moved to not require any more cash from Lerner to cover running costs, it's not been done as well as we'd like but that's what the plan is, stay in the league, get the wages sorted so the big money goes to the best players and the squad filler is relatively cheap, but with time on their side to grow into being quality.

We're not doing a great job of seeing it through but that's the plan.  The idea that Lerner is expecting to be relegated and budgeting around that is so far from reality that I can only think people suggesting it are on a wind up.  If we do end up going down it will be a disaster, the club know that.

[NeilH]

Seriously? Do you honestly think that the club has a tacit policy to allow us to be relegated?  I mean I read some things on here over the years, but this one really is into the realms of WTF.

Please give me one possible positive financial reason to allow us to go down?