Transfer Speculation / Gossip

[cheltenhamlion]

Pack it in, Gregory's Boy. What fucking difference between the clubs? Olbiyun are happier to splurge a big wage on an older player? So what? They need him more.

Perhaps we have our money lined up elsewhere. Perhaps we are trying to do it all on a budget of a pound. Who knows.

What I do know is I am getting increasingly frustrated that some of our fans are looking for absolutely anything, no matter how hysterical or not founded in fact, to beat the club with.

[Gregorys Boy]

I respect trying to run things on a budgit but you have to get the right balance between that and actually moving the team forward on the football pitch, and at the moment we don't seem to be getting that balance.  If we go down that is not going to be good for business surely.

The point about us and West Brom is that awhile ago certain people on this board claimed that Lescott was an unrealistic target for Villa, but that West Brom have signed him surely shows than if wanted him we may well have got him.  The guy just wants to play football at the top level.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think we'll get a better picture when we see what we've done by the end of the window - ie when we've spent our whole allocated wages and budget.

It is fair comment that maybe we went for the cheaper option with Senderos as it enabled us to save some wage money to allocate it on better signings elsewhere.

Which is fine, so long as we do actually make those better signings required elsewhere.

I don't blame anyone for suspecting that those signings might not be forthcoming, though, not based on the spending patterns of the last two years, the club talking about the wage bill constantly over that period, and Randy's announcement he wants out (with the implied "in which case, I won't be spending much" it comes with).

[dave.woodhall]

I respect trying to run things on a budgit but you have to get the right balance between that and actually moving the team forward on the football pitch, and at the moment we don't seem to be getting that balance.  If we go down that is not going to be good for business surely.

The point about us and West Brom is that awhile ago certain people on this board claimed that Lescott was an unrealistic target for Villa, but that West Brom have signed him surely shows than if wanted him we may well have got him.  The guy just wants to play football at the top level.

Maybe that's the reason - they've guaranteed him that he'll be first choice, we're going with Okore and Vlaar.

[LeeB]

It doesn't matter that Lescott is not a big name, he would have improved us no end.  Him and Vlaar (should Vlaar stay) would be a have been a great partnership.  That West Brom have got him and we have settled for Senderos just shows the difference between the two clubs right now.

Which is?

[jcsutv]

I respect trying to run things on a budgit but you have to get the right balance between that and actually moving the team forward on the football pitch, and at the moment we don't seem to be getting that balance.  If we go down that is not going to be good for business surely.

The point about us and West Brom is that awhile ago certain people on this board claimed that Lescott was an unrealistic target for Villa, but that West Brom have signed him surely shows than if wanted him we may well have got him.  The guy just wants to play football at the top level.

Maybe that's the reason - they've guaranteed him that he'll be first choice, we're going with Okore and Vlaar.

I agree. Vlaar and Okore with Senderos as back up is a move in the right direction.

[andrew08]

It's like the Albrighton situ for me: if Albion want him and no one else does and let's face it other than Burnley everyone pays more than them, then he's not worth having.

[Gregorys Boy]

It doesn't matter that Lescott is not a big name, he would have improved us no end.  Him and Vlaar (should Vlaar stay) would be a have been a great partnership.  That West Brom have got him and we have settled for Senderos just shows the difference between the two clubs right now.

Which is?

Well I just gave the answer in my follow up post.  I actually thought West Brom might struggle next season, and they still might but Lescott is a very good buy for a club at their level and is the sort of player we should be looking at also.

[oishiiniku]

I'm not sure Lescott would've been that great a signing. He's always seemed pretty error-prone and I think he has benefited from playing alongside better defenders who have compensated for his lack of ability.

[RussellC]

Pack it in, Gregory's Boy. What fucking difference between the clubs? Olbiyun are happier to splurge a big wage on an older player? So what?

Replace 'older' with 'better' and you've answered your own question.

[Gregorys Boy]

I respect trying to run things on a budgit but you have to get the right balance between that and actually moving the team forward on the football pitch, and at the moment we don't seem to be getting that balance.  If we go down that is not going to be good for business surely.

The point about us and West Brom is that awhile ago certain people on this board claimed that Lescott was an unrealistic target for Villa, but that West Brom have signed him surely shows than if wanted him we may well have got him.  The guy just wants to play football at the top level.

Maybe that's the reason - they've guaranteed him that he'll be first choice, we're going with Okore and Vlaar.

I agree. Vlaar and Okore with Senderos as back up is a move in the right direction.

Well we still don't know about Okore but I am willing to give him a chance.  But Dave made my point for me, because we should be offering someone like Lescott first team football as it would improve our defence in the present, we can still develop the younger players at the same time.

[supertom]

I'm not sure Lescott would've been that great a signing. He's always seemed pretty error-prone and I think he has benefited from playing alongside better defenders who have compensated for his lack of ability.

His goal record at Everton also papered over a few cracks to be fair.

[Gareth]

One thing I'll be interested to see with Lescott is how he reacts to being in a team that is under the cosh for significant proportions of games, bet it's been 5/6 years since he was regularly in that position.

Also interesting that Spurs, Everton and even Liverpool with Champions League need defensive depth but also 'allowed him' to go to Baggies

[dave.woodhall]

I respect trying to run things on a budgit but you have to get the right balance between that and actually moving the team forward on the football pitch, and at the moment we don't seem to be getting that balance.  If we go down that is not going to be good for business surely.

The point about us and West Brom is that awhile ago certain people on this board claimed that Lescott was an unrealistic target for Villa, but that West Brom have signed him surely shows than if wanted him we may well have got him.  The guy just wants to play football at the top level.

Maybe that's the reason - they've guaranteed him that he'll be first choice, we're going with Okore and Vlaar.

I agree. Vlaar and Okore with Senderos as back up is a move in the right direction.

Well we still don't know about Okore but I am willing to give him a chance.  But Dave made my point for me, because we should be offering someone like Lescott first team football as it would improve our defence in the present, we can still develop the younger players at the same time.

You still haven't said what the difference is you can see between us and a team that finished below us last season and whose supporters are protesting about their new manager.

[Gregorys Boy]

One thing I'll be interested to see with Lescott is how he reacts to being in a team that is under the cosh for significant proportions of games, bet it's been 5/6 years since he was regularly in that position.

Also interesting that Spurs, Everton and even Liverpool with Champions League need defensive depth but also 'allowed him' to go to Baggies

But those clubs are at a higher level than us so you have to judge transfers in a different way.  Also, Spurs are clueless when it comes to transfer policy which is part of the reason I only see them going backwards.  Are Everton that bad defensively?