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

[danlanza]

Pep Guardiola just been seen at Birmingham airport. He asked the Customs officer, Nigel, how to get to Villa Park 

That's the dream I've been having for the last two months mate! Nightly!

Me to ! It has took some explaining to the Mrs about the wet patches on my side of the bed 

[aj2k77]

Reading signed the Sporting Lisbon captain, a full back, for £600,000 this week. You telling me he wouldn't be a better player than the current donkeys we have there.

The players are out there, we need to work harder.

[wolfman999]

I think we need to pick a front two from Benteke, Bent and Weimann every week. All three will hopefully score goals. The harder part is then making the other nine players at least functional by buying a centre-half, left-back and centre-mid with experience.

On the plus side, Westwood and Lowton look decent and Delph and N'Zog seem to be improving.

Sorry, all a bit obvious I know. Just trying to get my head straight as it's spinning a bit at the moment.

Lowton and Westwood have promise but thats about it. Lowton was desperate in the first half yesterday, the game totally bypassed Westwood. Think they both need time out of the time but our options are limited.

If yesterday is an indication of Nzogbia improving...........

Agree with both quotes.
I think the biggest thing is that our options are limited.
How can you prepare for the injuries to the experienced players.

By having enough experienced players in the first place

[eastie]

Pep Guardiola just been seen at Birmingham airport. He asked the Customs officer, Nigel, how to get to Villa Park 

That's the dream I've been having for the last two months mate! Nightly!

Me to ! It has took some explaining to the Mrs about the wet patches on my side of the bed 

Sadly it's being reported that guardiola has agreed to go to man city in the summer , I'm not sure if their are any other foreign managers that may fit the bill, magath, rikjaerd etc but I doubt they would want to work under randys guidelines.

[danlanza]

Pep Guardiola just been seen at Birmingham airport. He asked the Customs officer, Nigel, how to get to Villa Park 

That's the dream I've been having for the last two months mate! Nightly!

Me to ! It has took some explaining to the Mrs about the wet patches on my side of the bed 

Sadly it's being reported that guardiola has agreed to go to man city in the summer , I'm not sure if their are any other foreign managers that may fit the bill, magath, rikjaerd etc but I doubt they would want to work under randys guidelines.

Mancini to Villa it is then. I will take that one.

[eastie]

Pep Guardiola just been seen at Birmingham airport. He asked the Customs officer, Nigel, how to get to Villa Park 

That's the dream I've been having for the last two months mate! Nightly!

Me to ! It has took some explaining to the Mrs about the wet patches on my side of the bed 

Sadly it's being reported that guardiola has agreed to go to man city in the summer , I'm not sure if their are any other foreign managers that may fit the bill, magath, rikjaerd etc but I doubt they would want to work under randys guidelines.

Mancini to Villa it is then. I will take that one.

Knowin randy he'd probably go and get terry Mancini!

[danlanza]

Pep Guardiola just been seen at Birmingham airport. He asked the Customs officer, Nigel, how to get to Villa Park 

That's the dream I've been having for the last two months mate! Nightly!

Me to ! It has took some explaining to the Mrs about the wet patches on my side of the bed 

Sadly it's being reported that guardiola has agreed to go to man city in the summer , I'm not sure if their are any other foreign managers that may fit the bill, magath, rikjaerd etc but I doubt they would want to work under randys guidelines.

Mancini to Villa it is then. I will take that one.

Knowin randy he'd probably go and get terry Mancini!

Ha

[Toronto Villa]

Pep Guardiola just been seen at Birmingham airport. He asked the Customs officer, Nigel, how to get to Villa Park 

That's the dream I've been having for the last two months mate! Nightly!

Me to ! It has took some explaining to the Mrs about the wet patches on my side of the bed 

Sadly it's being reported that guardiola has agreed to go to man city in the summer , I'm not sure if their are any other foreign managers that may fit the bill, magath, rikjaerd etc but I doubt they would want to work under randys guidelines.

Mancini to Villa it is then. I will take that one.

Knowin randy he'd probably go and get terry Mancini!

Having made mistakes, he got us the manager that almost all of us wanted. Lest not forget that not many if any complained upon Lambert's appointment. Now he has to back him with two or three players.

[ClarrieBlue]

I think we need to pick a front two from Benteke, Bent and Weimann every week. All three will hopefully score goals. The harder part is then making the other nine players at least functional by buying a centre-half, left-back and centre-mid with experience.

On the plus side, Westwood and Lowton look decent and Delph and N'Zog seem to be improving.

Sorry, all a bit obvious I know. Just trying to get my head straight as it's spinning a bit at the moment.

Lowton and Westwood have promise but thats about it. Lowton was desperate in the first half yesterday, the game totally bypassed Westwood. Think they both need time out of the time but our options are limited.

If yesterday is an indication of Nzogbia improving...........

Agree with both quotes.
I think the biggest thing is that our options are limited.
How can you prepare for the injuries to the experienced players.

By having enough experienced players in the first place

Many teams in the Premiership have sufficient playing resources to leave out top class, fully fit players to give them a rest. It's called squad rotation. It's nothing new and as far as I know is part and parcel of modern football. It is a luxury we do not have and have arrived at a point where we can only cover injuries by playing the youngest/most inexperienced teams we have ever put out. That is down to our transfer policy over the last three years or so. It's not really about being unlucky with injuries. All teams have to expect and plan for them. I remember when Houllier arrived we very quickly had a similar situation and ended up playing all the kids as we ran up to Christmas. Over Christmas and just after we were in the bottom three. That sound's a pretty familiar story to me.

[danlanza]

Pep Guardiola just been seen at Birmingham airport. He asked the Customs officer, Nigel, how to get to Villa Park 

That's the dream I've been having for the last two months mate! Nightly!

Me to ! It has took some explaining to the Mrs about the wet patches on my side of the bed 

Sadly it's being reported that guardiola has agreed to go to man city in the summer , I'm not sure if their are any other foreign managers that may fit the bill, magath, rikjaerd etc but I doubt they would want to work under randys guidelines.

Mancini to Villa it is then. I will take that one.

Knowin randy he'd probably go and get terry Mancini!

Having made mistakes, he got us the manager that almost all of us wanted. Lest not forget that not many if any complained upon Lambert's appointment. Now he has to back him with two or three players.

Will he back him though ? If he does he has got to be prepared to increase the wage bill and that is exactly what he has not been doing.

[mr-villa]

We are all repeating the same mantra that we need to look at bringing in experience in this window but there seems to be plenty of moaning both on here and on the radio phone-ins without coming up with suggestions.  Given that consensus seems to be saying that we need a LB CB and Centre Mid general as a minimum my challenge is for any future posters on this thread to provide three names.  If you choose to accept this challenge they need to be realistic targets regarding transfer fee, wage demands and effectiveness.  If we were all tasked with examining the current squads of the 20 premier league clubs for example how many of us could supply three players for PL to consider?  And before anybody asks I know football exists outside the PL but it is a good starting point is it not?

[danlanza]

We are all repeating the same mantra that we need to look at bringing in experience in this window but there seems to be plenty of moaning both on here and on the radio phone-ins without coming up with suggestions.  Given that consensus seems to be saying that we need a LB CB and Centre Mid general as a minimum my challenge is for any future posters on this thread to provide three names.  If you choose to accept this challenge they need to be realistic targets regarding transfer fee, wage demands and effectiveness.  If we were all tasked with examining the current squads of the 20 premier league clubs for example how many of us could supply three players for PL to consider?  And before anybody asks I know football exists outside the PL but it is a good starting point is it not?

And there is the problem. We do not know of any targets that we could be looking at because the club is so distant from the fans at the moment. Not even rumours have been banded about from any source, nothing in the press at all.

[supertom]

We are all repeating the same mantra that we need to look at bringing in experience in this window but there seems to be plenty of moaning both on here and on the radio phone-ins without coming up with suggestions.  Given that consensus seems to be saying that we need a LB CB and Centre Mid general as a minimum my challenge is for any future posters on this thread to provide three names.  If you choose to accept this challenge they need to be realistic targets regarding transfer fee, wage demands and effectiveness.  If we were all tasked with examining the current squads of the 20 premier league clubs for example how many of us could supply three players for PL to consider?  And before anybody asks I know football exists outside the PL but it is a good starting point is it not?

Lionel Messi.
Paul McGrath (at 28 yrs oldish please).
Robert Carlos (As above).
Lothar Mattheus and Franz Beckenbauer.

[danlanza]

Would be a start

[mr-villa]

We are all repeating the same mantra that we need to look at bringing in experience in this window but there seems to be plenty of moaning both on here and on the radio phone-ins without coming up with suggestions.  Given that consensus seems to be saying that we need a LB CB and Centre Mid general as a minimum my challenge is for any future posters on this thread to provide three names.  If you choose to accept this challenge they need to be realistic targets regarding transfer fee, wage demands and effectiveness.  If we were all tasked with examining the current squads of the 20 premier league clubs for example how many of us could supply three players for PL to consider?  And before anybody asks I know football exists outside the PL but it is a good starting point is it not?

And there is the problem. We do not know of any targets that we could be looking at because the club is so distant from the fans at the moment. Not even rumours have been banded about from any source, nothing in the press at all.

Yes Danlanza but what I am asking is what could we and all the other posters come up with?  The problems the club appear to be having identifying potential additions could just be reflective of the state of the market and our own ineptitude in identifying honest and realistic targets who would reasonably guarantee an instant effective improvement in performance and results.  That's just it isn't it it is easy for me to moan and groan but no so easy for me to provide three names to fill the positions I feel we need to reinforce.