Summer 2013: Villa Transfers, Speculation, Suggestions and Rumours

[john e]

No idea where that is. A quick google search sent me to campanile Birmingham which is somewhere on the canal. And looks pretty nasty on the old trip advisor.

That's a welcome and a half to Birmingham if true and I've got the right place. Is someone on a wind up?

no, pete a couple of pages back got his info from twitter, so its as good as fact

[dave.woodhall]

No idea where that is. A quick google search sent me to campanile Birmingham which is somewhere on the canal. And looks pretty nasty on the old trip advisor.

That's a welcome and a half to Birmingham if true and I've got the right place. Is someone on a wind up?

They're winding you up. He's in the Campanile on McDonald's island.

[midnite]

Even better... Much classier place!

[Mazrim]

I have it on good authority that he's arm wrestling ruffians in the Anvil in Sutton.

[OCD]

To think when our pre-season friendlies were announced some were asking who would be playing with such a small squad. If these rumours start coming off, I don't think our small squad size will be an issue for very long.

[OCD]

Has Bacuna been playing in the U21 tournament?

[villa kicks]

This is the best transfer window ever.  The wife has already asked when the transfer window is shutting so I can talk to her again. August 31st of course!

just gets better as it September 2  as 31 falls on a sat.

[Leighton]

Due to forgetting to book my normal hotel, I had to spend last night in the Camponile at Milton Keynes. What a shit hole. Plus it was opposite a place called Pink Punters, so I gave that a miss.

[Surrey Villain]

Okore is on his way............

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2340472/Aston-Villa-4m-bid-Jores-Okore-accepted-close-Nicklas-Helenius.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

[pauliewalnuts]

I've stayed in loads of Campaniles while driving across France, and they're perfectly OK.

There is something about the concept being moved to the UK that makes it much worse, though.

[Pete3206]

No idea where that is. A quick google search sent me to campanile Birmingham which is somewhere on the canal. And looks pretty nasty on the old trip advisor.

That's a welcome and a half to Birmingham if true and I've got the right place. Is someone on a wind up?

no, pete a couple of pages back got his info from twitter, so its as good as fact

Now 100% confirmed.

That I've never been on Twitter.

[midnite]

I have it on good authority that he's arm wrestling ruffians in the Anvil in Sutton.

Now we're talking. Nothing like an introduction to the flodge on your tour around Birmingham.

[paul_e]

Have watched a bit of Bacuna on youtube and I'm noticing a pattern.  All the players we've been linked with this summer look very comfortable with their technique, all happy taking a pass when marked and moving it on, all confident enough to back themselves.  If you look at Lowton, Benteke and Westwood they all have that same self-belief in their ability to control the ball.  Most players that you see like this are the ones who you also hear lots of stories about them staying late for extra training and always giving 100%.

This has been the lynchpin of German football for a very long time and is a clear indication of the Dortmund influence on Lambert.

I think we can add technical to the description of our targets (along with young and hungry).

This is a route I've thought Villa should follow for a long time as we seem to produce youngsters like this quite well but we've not really made the most of them in the past.

[LeeB]

Have watched a bit of Bacuna on youtube and I'm noticing a pattern.  All the players we've been linked with this summer look very comfortable with their technique, all happy taking a pass when marked and moving it on, all confident enough to back themselves.  If you look at Lowton, Benteke and Westwood they all have that same self-belief in their ability to control the ball.  Most players that you see like this are the ones who you also hear lots of stories about them staying late for extra training and always giving 100%.

This has been the lynchpin of German football for a very long time and is a clear indication of the Dortmund influence on Lambert.

I think we can add technical to the description of our targets (along with young and hungry).

This is a route I've thought Villa should follow for a long time as we seem to produce youngsters like this quite well but we've not really made the most of them in the past.

Agreed Paul.

[Dave]

A word of caution, though that these players are still untried and untested. Good prospects definitely and itsgreat work of the club to be looking at transfers straight away. We're not resting on laurels and going on our holibobs. But, if we want to avoid a repeat of the last few seasons then we need more steel, more strength, and more experience in the team. We finished the season brilliantlybut there's no guarantee we'll click at the start of the new season. adisappointing run could hit confidence. The team needs experience in the rightareas. especially the back and probably midfield. That is thetrick for this summer.

I agree with that entirely.

I don't. "Experience in the right areas" this time last season would have been Fletcher instead of Benteke. Given instead of Guzan. N'Zogbia instead of Weimann.

I'm quite happy for Lambert to bring in a 20 year old instead of a 30 year old, as the signings that he's brought in so far seem to suggest that experience isn't really a substitute for competence. If we can get someone who is "experienced" AND is happy to accept sensible wages AND has a sensible transfer fee AND is happy to play for a team that finished in the bottom half AND is actually going to be a really good player then I'm quite happy. But until this mythical beast appears, I'm not going to complain too about the interesting players that we are bringing in.

Peter says that there's "no guarantee that we'll click". Of course there isn't. Nor would there be if we spent stupid amounts of money on players who just so happened to have played a couple of extra seasons in the Premier League. When they first came in, Sidwell was experienced and Young wasn't. Harewood was and Gabby wasn't. Knight was and Mellberg wasn't.

So while neither of them is a guarantee I'm happy to take Okore over Lescott and Helenius over whichever "experienced" player we would have bought from the Premier League before the current regime was in place.