Transfer Speculation / Gossip

[Toronto Villa]

Could be some decent players on the market in the summer - lescott, rodwell, Milner , Richards - all being linked with leaving city.

All good players who I would love to come the villa, unfortunately there also out of our price range

I think we'd pay the transfer fee but certainly not the wages. We have to increase our wage budget if we want to compete in the PL else we'll continue to be strugglers in this league.

I think we'd pay good wages for the right player, be it someone currently at the club or someone coming in. We won't be stupid and just give to everyone and especially tied to mental contracts. Though I would think it would be restricted to only a few players.

Who have we scouting for the "right player", Stevie Wonder?

The same scouts that got us Vlaar and Benteke or Bacuna I imagine. I was trying to have a sensible discussion with you. It didn't work.

Benteke's class but Bacuna's nothing special, and Vlaar has hardly set the world alight since coming here. You're very easily pleased.

I'm willing to be complimentary to players/the manager/the board when they deserve compliments. You should give it a try sometime and get out from under that permanent black cloud.

[Richard E]

I can feel another thread lock looming....

[saunders_heroes]

Could be some decent players on the market in the summer - lescott, rodwell, Milner , Richards - all being linked with leaving city.

All good players who I would love to come the villa, unfortunately there also out of our price range

I think we'd pay the transfer fee but certainly not the wages. We have to increase our wage budget if we want to compete in the PL else we'll continue to be strugglers in this league.

I think we'd pay good wages for the right player, be it someone currently at the club or someone coming in. We won't be stupid and just give to everyone and especially tied to mental contracts. Though I would think it would be restricted to only a few players.

Who have we scouting for the "right player", Stevie Wonder?

The same scouts that got us Vlaar and Benteke or Bacuna I imagine. I was trying to have a sensible discussion with you. It didn't work.

Benteke's class but Bacuna's nothing special, and Vlaar has hardly set the world alight since coming here. You're very easily pleased.

I'm willing to be complimentary to players/the manager/the board when they deserve compliments. You should give it a try sometime and get out from under that permanent black cloud.

When Villa turn things around on the pitch and we become something other than the perennial relegation strugglers then maybe I'll come out from under my black cloud. Until then though I'll call it as I find it.

[KevinGage]

Could be some decent players on the market in the summer - lescott, rodwell, Milner , Richards - all being linked with leaving city.

All good players who I would love to come the villa, unfortunately there also out of our price range

I think we'd pay the transfer fee but certainly not the wages. We have to increase our wage budget if we want to compete in the PL else we'll continue to be strugglers in this league.

I think we'd pay good wages for the right player, be it someone currently at the club or someone coming in. We won't be stupid and just give to everyone and especially tied to mental contracts. Though I would think it would be restricted to only a few players.

Who have we scouting for the "right player", Stevie Wonder?

The same scouts that got us Vlaar and Benteke or Bacuna I imagine. I was trying to have a sensible discussion with you. It didn't work.

Benteke's class but Bacuna's nothing special, and Vlaar has hardly set the world alight since coming here. You're very easily pleased.

He may not be McGrath or even Southgate/ Ugo/ Laursen class, but we always look a far poorer team without Vlaar.  Even last season. 

He's an improvement on James Collins -the player he replaced- too. 

A fair proportion of Lambert's transfer dealings to date have been underwhelming.  Vlaar is one of the better selections.

[saunders_heroes]

Could be some decent players on the market in the summer - lescott, rodwell, Milner , Richards - all being linked with leaving city.

All good players who I would love to come the villa, unfortunately there also out of our price range

I think we'd pay the transfer fee but certainly not the wages. We have to increase our wage budget if we want to compete in the PL else we'll continue to be strugglers in this league.

I think we'd pay good wages for the right player, be it someone currently at the club or someone coming in. We won't be stupid and just give to everyone and especially tied to mental contracts. Though I would think it would be restricted to only a few players.

Who have we scouting for the "right player", Stevie Wonder?

The same scouts that got us Vlaar and Benteke or Bacuna I imagine. I was trying to have a sensible discussion with you. It didn't work.

Benteke's class but Bacuna's nothing special, and Vlaar has hardly set the world alight since coming here. You're very easily pleased.

He may not be McGrath or even Southgate/ Ugo/ Laursen class, but we always look a far poorer team without Vlaar.  Even last season. 

He's an improvement on James Collins -the player he replaced- too. 

A fair proportion of Lambert's transfer dealings to date have been underwhelming.  Vlaar is one of the better selections.

Not sure about him being better than Collins, who wasn't a bad defender after all. Don't get me wrong I'd rather have Vlaar fit and in this Villa team but I still don't think he's all that, but beggars can't be choosers and all that.

[KevinGage]

I dunno.   Ginge was individually culpable for a fair few of our goals conceded in his last two seasons.

Even at West Ham, on the odd occasion I have seen their games, he has looked slow witted, not picking up his man at a crucial moment or making some sort of almighty phuck up.  Business as usual, in other words.

Vlaar is not as dominant in the air as I would like, not big enough -in true centre half terms.  But he has a composure and nous that the vast majority of our first XI lack.

I wouldn't swap him for Collins anyroad.

[Toronto Villa]

Could be some decent players on the market in the summer - lescott, rodwell, Milner , Richards - all being linked with leaving city.

All good players who I would love to come the villa, unfortunately there also out of our price range

I think we'd pay the transfer fee but certainly not the wages. We have to increase our wage budget if we want to compete in the PL else we'll continue to be strugglers in this league.

I think we'd pay good wages for the right player, be it someone currently at the club or someone coming in. We won't be stupid and just give to everyone and especially tied to mental contracts. Though I would think it would be restricted to only a few players.

Who have we scouting for the "right player", Stevie Wonder?

The same scouts that got us Vlaar and Benteke or Bacuna I imagine. I was trying to have a sensible discussion with you. It didn't work.

Benteke's class but Bacuna's nothing special, and Vlaar has hardly set the world alight since coming here. You're very easily pleased.

I'm willing to be complimentary to players/the manager/the board when they deserve compliments. You should give it a try sometime and get out from under that permanent black cloud.

When Villa turn things around on the pitch and we become something other than the perennial relegation strugglers then maybe I'll come out from under my black cloud. Until then though I'll call it as I find it.

so basically, instead of admitting things that are actually good about the club everything is shit until you deem it otherwise? As Dave said, it is so black and white with you. This is a thread about transfer gossip and even here you've managed to hijack it with your negativity. Congratulations.

[Dante Lavelli]

Zzzzzz
X

[Havencheese]

Could be some decent players on the market in the summer - lescott, rodwell, Milner , Richards - all being linked with leaving city.

All good players who I would love to come the villa, unfortunately there also out of our price range

I think we'd pay the transfer fee but certainly not the wages. We have to increase our wage budget if we want to compete in the PL else we'll continue to be strugglers in this league.

I think we'd pay good wages for the right player, be it someone currently at the club or someone coming in. We won't be stupid and just give to everyone and especially tied to mental contracts. Though I would think it would be restricted to only a few players.

Who have we scouting for the "right player", Stevie Wonder?

The same scouts that got us Vlaar and Benteke or Bacuna I imagine. I was trying to have a sensible discussion with you. It didn't work.

Benteke's class but Bacuna's nothing special, and Vlaar has hardly set the world alight since coming here. You're very easily pleased.

I'm willing to be complimentary to players/the manager/the board when they deserve compliments. You should give it a try sometime and get out from under that permanent black cloud.

When Villa turn things around on the pitch and we become something other than the perennial relegation strugglers then maybe I'll come out from under my black cloud. Until then though I'll call it as I find it.

so basically, instead of admitting things that are actually good about the club everything is shit until you deem it otherwise? As Dave said, it is so black and white with you. This is a thread about transfer gossip and even here you've managed to hijack it with your negativity. Congratulations.

I'm not sure if black and white is correct, perhaps brown and then more shades of brown?

[BoskoDjembaSalifou]

I'm glad we got rid of Collins. He really is a horrible "player". Typical Allardyce CB.

[Caiphus]

Vlaar is a lot quicker (straight line, not in an agility/acceleration sense) than what I thought he would be and a lot more cultured in his skills than I expected given his size. Aerial dominance isn't something you really expect from continental CBs nowadays and so I can accept that he is just average in the air.  His ability to organise and read the play are exceptional though, in my opinion, as he can really make some young inexperienced defenders around him look pretty good for large portions of games that, if they were left to their own devices, would be a lot more inconsistent over the same 90 minute periods.

I think he has deservedly elevated himself to a first choice Dutch CB now (not super difficult considering it's probably the area with least competition in their national team - and has been for a good while) and I think we have as much to worry about from him performing well at the World Cup as we do in regards to Benteke with other teams looking to pounce.  Our form over the season can probably be more directly tied to Vlaar's presence in the team than any other player and he would probably be the front-runner for our player of the season with Delph being the only likely challenger.  I would say that Kompany is the only world-class CB in the League at present and in my opinion Vlaar is on the next rung down along with the majority of the CBs from the top 6 teams...

With that in mind, I find it difficult to assume that we can easily find an upgrade on him and some of the dismissals of his ability/importance to the team a bit rich.  We would have to spend a fair chunk to displace him on the team sheet and he has probably doubled his value in his time here while catching the eye of suitors.

[KevinGage]

If we still had designs on being a top 6, Vlaar is easily good enough for a top 6 aspiring side.  Better than that, I'm not sure.

[SoccerHQ]

I thought Collins was rubbish tbh and luckily we had other strong players in our back 4 at the time.

We were shipping plenty of goals in McLeish's season after all with him in the team. Vlaar has more about him and is way more comfortable on the ball.

Bacuna has the potential to grow further for us as a player and 5 league goals is fantastic aswell. Not sure what was expected for 1m really or does any player signed in that price range automatically stay rubbish in SH's mind?

[Chris Smith]

I think the only time Collins looked any good for us when he was playing alongside Dunne who, despite his issues, was a good defender. Without that type alongside him he looks very limited and error prone.

[supertom]

Collins had a very good first season. Far exceeding what any of us expected when we signed him for 5 million quid (ridiculous). I think the following two years he was back to his level. Inconsistent, and couldn't cope without an experienced man beside him. Collins wasn't an organizer. Again, he returned to West Ham, performed very well initially but that tailed off, complacency set in and the mistakes came back. I think all that sets him apart from Baker is a bit of experience. Nothing more.

As for Vlaar I think it's his injuries that will continue to hold him back from being able to step up a level. I think he could be a top 8 player (not top 4, though if Demichelis is then maybe he could) if not for the injuries. That's why, good world cup or not I wouldn't worry about him moving on to a bigger club. I think we're his peak. When he leaves us he'll head back to Holland to see out his career.