January 2016 - Transfer Rumours, Speculation & Suggestions

[OzVilla]

It is pretty concerning that other clubs in the relegation mix all seem to be buying players whereas we seem to be doing nothing.
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It is pretty concerning that other clubs in the relegation mix all seem to be buying players whereas we seem to be doing nothing.

Are we seen as still being in the relegation mix though? Unfortunately when you're this far adrift the players that come have to be happy to play Championship football for at least a season or expect to be heavily remunerated for the inconvenience.  Our targets won't do the first bit and we wont do the second.

I've no doubts they're trying though.

[ozzjim]

The summer is going to be interesting. Burnley and Hull should be seen as decent examples. Keep the squad together, work very hard and the quality will shine through as the season wears on.

We need to be very astute as Burnley were, and make sure we identify and pay the money out for a goalscorer in that division. The top 2 also have the best defence in the league too. If we can keep Okore, Lescott, Cissokho together and add a capable right back (maybe risk Hutton and Bacuna) with Amavi coming back from injury and have Baker as back up we will likely only need a right sided centre half. The bulk of the spend has to be on a goalscoring midfielder or 2 and some forward options. I was hoping a couple of forwards would have come now to be ready. For the money a 6 month gamble on Santos - you would pay a lot more for a loan of most - to see how he goes, and then I would get Bamford in. Knows the league, will score and unlikely to drop in value.

[tomd2103]

It is pretty concerning that other clubs in the relegation mix all seem to be buying players whereas we seem to be doing nothing.

To be honest the only player I would want that the teams around us have bought is Afobe.  We were linked with him in the summer and I think we missed out there.  I suppose Shelvey and Townsend might have added something, but their price tags were way too steep. 

I still think we'll see some players coming in, but it will be late in the window.

[Steve67]

I hope, if we are keeping our powder dry, and I really disagree with doing so, that Remi has been told that getting back up is so important that he will be backed properly in the summer. I doubt it though as they've planned disastrously thus far!

Senderos, Zog, Richardson, Cole et al will all be off the wage bill too. All that said, take an educated gamble now and bed a couple of players in so they are ready and acclimatised.

[brian green]

I think in their position I would want to bring in players who tick three boxes. Firstly will they help improve performance between now and the end of the season, secondly if we are relegated will they be be the type of players to fight our way back up and thirdly when we are back up will they continue to be of value to us.

Anything less than three ticks and we are back to the short termism that has got us in this mess.

Add to those considerations the reluctance of quality players to come to us and the probable brief Hollis has come with to keep the purse strings tight and you get some idea of the magnitude of the problem facing Remi Garde.

[Locko]

While there is still the possibility of remaining in the division the current inertia is becoming  a shameful surrender. It illuminates Lerner as the spineless spoiled little rich kid he really is and thick to boot. He may be well educated but he's clearly dumb as a rock, he's blown a quarter of a billion and we're worse after that sort of spending, fuckwittery if the highest order. He needed to dig deep and spend whatever it takes to return this around this time and then write it off when were sold. We're a far less attractive proposition to any potential buyer in the championship. Shameful, shameful surrender. Lerner fuck off you twunt.

[villabear]

Bamford on loan has got to be worth a go surely? If it goes well follow up with a permanent deal. Too logical for our 'brain trust' methinks.

[kippaxvilla2]

Guzan should be made to reapply for his work permit if high talent and skill are prerequisites.

[boboonthecorner]

Milosevic was actually Bosnian, just to add to the confusion.

Did he actually play for Bosnia as well as Yugoslavia?

[PaulWinch again]

It is pretty concerning that other clubs in the relegation mix all seem to be buying players whereas we seem to be doing nothing.

Yep it's pretty depressing.

[LeeB]

Bamford on loan has got to be worth a go surely? If it goes well follow up with a permanent deal. Too logical for our 'brain trust' methinks.

I reckon even our 'brains trust' know he's already on loan elsewhere.

[Zouch Villa]

While there is still the possibility of remaining in the division the current inertia is threatening to a shameful surrender. It illuminates Lerner as the spineless spoiled little rich kid he really is and thick to boot. He may be well educated but he's clearly dumb as a rock, he's blown a quarter of a billion and we're worse after that sort of spending, fuckwittery if the highest order. He needed to dig deep and spend whatever it takes to return this around this time and then write it off when were sold. We're a far less attractive proposition to any potential buyer in the championship. Shameful, shameful surrender. Lerner fuck off you twunt.

Whilst I don't want to come across as a Lerner apologist, and neither do I intend to turn this thread in to a debate on when or where it all went wrong, as there are numerous other threads more suitable for that subject, it's this kind of over simplified bollocks that really hacks me off.

There is no doubt that we could have expected more success on the pitch given the level of investment made in earlier years, but it is never guaranteed. We rolled the dice, made some very dubious decisions, and then compounded the mess with further poor decisions.  Unfortunately, this cannot be rectified by just chucking more money at the team.

I have just about seen enough to trust in Garde and allow him the time to build what he believes is needed to turn us around.  As for the ownership and executive management of Aston Villa as a business, none of us know what remit Hollis has been set, but we will begin to infer it from the actions taken over the next six months. As much as this transfer window might give a few pointers, and I just about still have enough belief to say we should not roll over and accept relegation yet, I would be more concerned if we were throwing money around in some desperate QPR style death throw.

[PaulWinch again]

"You are looking a little bit long-term or medium term but then players fully understand that this football club can be huge and they want to be part of the new building of this football club."

I like this comment from Garde, we need to keep hold of him.

[PaulWinch again]

It is pretty concerning that other clubs in the relegation mix all seem to be buying players whereas we seem to be doing nothing.

To be honest the only player I would want that the teams around us have bought is Afobe.  We were linked with him in the summer and I think we missed out there.  I suppose Shelvey and Townsend might have added something, but their price tags were way too steep. 

I still think we'll see some players coming in, but it will be late in the window.

It's not so much the players Newcastle have signed, it's more the intent they're showing.

[SamTheMouse]

Yes. I remember stories that he argued with Milosevic in the dressing room during the Balkan War.

He was another work permit refusee, Man U got turned down for one. We were able to sign him shortly afterwards.

I am very dopey. When I read this, my first thought, quite genuinely, was: "What the hell was Bozzie doing with Slobodan Milosevic?"