Jordan Ayew - sold to Swansea

[silhillvilla]

Interesting if this goes through all 3 (Ayew, Amavi, Gueye) are with the same agent . Trying to establish if N'Tep is too

[Stirchley Villain]

And Villa's French Revolution continues...

[Jimbo]

Three French players isn't much of a revolution. In 1984 we had Six.

[john e]

Three French players isn't much of a revolution. In 1984 we had Six.

Very good

[Villafirst]

Mat Kendrick reporting that the fee has been agreed. Although he quotes the French Press....

[ktvillan]

On this matter of when to buy, the transfer window is in effect an auction.   In my own line of business I attend anything between two and eight auctions a week across East Anglia.   Like all sales, the seller wants to get the most money he can, the buyer wants to pay the least.  From a lifetime of experience you learn that the dynamic of a sale is a price peak between a third and a half way through a sale, but then as buyers spend their money the prices begin to fall and are at their lowest just before the end of a sale but the last few transactions the prices rise very sharply as panic buys kick in.   It's not rocket science.   You survey the entire range of what is on offer, whatever it might be, horses, properties, potatoes, cars and you don't dive in and chase the market if there are alternatives later in the day that are as good but cheaper.   The richest men at the car auctions are those who buy in the last hour of a sale, leave their purchases overnight and put them in the first hour of the following day's sale.   It is not failing to prepare it is using your money to best advantage.  In horse dealing the practice has the great name of "pinhooking".

I don't think your analogy quite fits Brian.  If you're still hanging around at the car or horse auction when the race has already started, you might get a good deal, but you aint going to win the race.

The analogy is fine if you recognise that both horse racing and motor racing are also run over seasons.

If you're a jockey lacking a ride with the choice of jumping on the first nag that goes past just to make sure you're in the first race, you're doomed to fail in that race and all those that follow. Wait a bit longer and the owner of a half decent horse with a bit of potential walks past looking worried because he can't find a jockey, we'll happy days, everyones a winner.

Or you've just turned up in F1 and you need an engine supplier.
Take the overpriced package from Renault (shit for those that don't follow F1), knowing that you're going to be at the back of the field all season, or wait to tie up a deal with Mercedes (currently supplying engines to 4 of the top 6) after a couple of races knowing that you'll at worst be competitive in the middle the field for the rest of the season.

Except you, and others,  are missing a rather important point that in football, if you fail to compete in the current race, you may not even be "at the races" the following season.  Or at least not at the same level.  And as a result you may not be bidding at the same auctions for quite a while. 

[Clark W Griswold]

Interesting.

[paul_e]

On this matter of when to buy, the transfer window is in effect an auction.   In my own line of business I attend anything between two and eight auctions a week across East Anglia.   Like all sales, the seller wants to get the most money he can, the buyer wants to pay the least.  From a lifetime of experience you learn that the dynamic of a sale is a price peak between a third and a half way through a sale, but then as buyers spend their money the prices begin to fall and are at their lowest just before the end of a sale but the last few transactions the prices rise very sharply as panic buys kick in.   It's not rocket science.   You survey the entire range of what is on offer, whatever it might be, horses, properties, potatoes, cars and you don't dive in and chase the market if there are alternatives later in the day that are as good but cheaper.   The richest men at the car auctions are those who buy in the last hour of a sale, leave their purchases overnight and put them in the first hour of the following day's sale.   It is not failing to prepare it is using your money to best advantage.  In horse dealing the practice has the great name of "pinhooking".

I don't think your analogy quite fits Brian.  If you're still hanging around at the car or horse auction when the race has already started, you might get a good deal, but you aint going to win the race.

The analogy is fine if you recognise that both horse racing and motor racing are also run over seasons.

If you're a jockey lacking a ride with the choice of jumping on the first nag that goes past just to make sure you're in the first race, you're doomed to fail in that race and all those that follow. Wait a bit longer and the owner of a half decent horse with a bit of potential walks past looking worried because he can't find a jockey, we'll happy days, everyones a winner.

Or you've just turned up in F1 and you need an engine supplier.
Take the overpriced package from Renault (shit for those that don't follow F1), knowing that you're going to be at the back of the field all season, or wait to tie up a deal with Mercedes (currently supplying engines to 4 of the top 6) after a couple of races knowing that you'll at worst be competitive in the middle the field for the rest of the season.

Except you, and others,  are missing a rather important point that in football, if you fail to compete in the current race, you may not even be "at the races" the following season.  Or at least not at the same level.  And as a result you may not be bidding at the same auctions for quite a while. 

Stop confusing race with season.  If you miss the start of a race you're out of it and can't enter, if you miss the first race of a 38 race season you're just reducing your potential winnings a little.

Put it this way would you rather spend £10m on a striker today who gets 10-12 in 38 or wait a few weeks and get one who scores 15-18 in 35 (like Benteke did for us in his first season) and which of those scenarios will result in a higher league position?

It's a gamble either way but I don't want the manager to settle for what he can get rather than wait for what he wants, settling for lesser quality isn't an option this year, quality is much more important than numbers for us, we have  abig squad, it's just not got the proven top half quality we want in it.

[Ron Manager]

Interesting if this goes through all 3 (Ayew, Amavi, Gueye) are with the same agent . Trying to establish if N'Tep is too

Its not Eric Hall I hope!

[mr underhill]

it's actually the two RAF geezers from 'Allo, 'Allo.

[john e]

Don't suppose we still have any contact with Houlier with all these French based players, but someone's got some knowledge of football over there, of course it's probably the scouting team,
But we do seem to be fishing a lot in France

Which I have no problem with as I haven't generally heard of most of the players we are linked with no matter where in the world they are

[silhillvilla]

Interesting if this goes through all 3 (Ayew, Amavi, Gueye) are with the same agent . Trying to establish if N'Tep is too

Its not Eric Hall I hope!

Mark McKay of excelfoot , trying to find out if he manages N'Tep, I don't think he does though.
Euro rate is helping aswell with these deals .

[Diablo]

Don't suppose we still have any contact with Houlier with all these French based players, but someone's got some knowledge of football over there, of course it's probably the scouting team,
But we do seem to be fishing a lot in France

Which I have no problem with as I haven't generally heard of most of the players we are linked with no matter where in the world they are

I wonder if it is a former Arsenal link/connection through Fox?

[Villa in Denmark]

Interesting if this goes through all 3 (Ayew, Amavi, Gueye) are with the same agent . Trying to establish if N'Tep is too

Its not Eric Hall I hope!

Mark McKay of excelfoot , trying to find out if he manages N'Tep, I don't think he does though.
Euro rate is helping aswell with these deals .

But are you working tirelessly for us?

[wally58]

This coming season we will be known as .........L`aston Villair