Summer 2016: Transfer rumours and suggestions

[robbo1874]

Im fed up of all the Westwood critics, he's a decent lad just struggles for confidence hopefully a drop down a division and potentially playing in a winning team will see him grow as a player. One of the only ones who looked like he gave a toss last season so for that alone he should keep his place in the new Villa side.

How many games does he need to get confident? Im sure he is a great bloke but he is a average footballer. Oh and he does point a lot and delivers terrible corners

Agree 100% with you.  Westwood plays in a position where he has to be involved in the game all of the time but he goes missing.  He is too weak for this position and does not have the pace to play further forward or wide.  His energy levels are very low.

I've very much been a critic of Westwood, and I'm truly sick of his wafty floaty corners after this season, but I still have a sneaking feeling that there could still be a half decent player there somewhere.

With some proper coaching, and a decent leader on the pitch alongside him (someone like Petrov) and I think he could still be of use. I may be clutching at straws, and my opinions have softened two weeks into the close season, but there are players more deserving of a shove through exit doors than Ashley.

its always jam tomorrow

westwood has had four seasons and if anything he's regressed

we make excuses, blame coaches, whatever the fact is we have too many players who are not up to the job and the longer we keep them at the club the longer we are going to be in decline

for me, when we signed Westwood it was always a bit of a 'meh' signing. He had a couple of seasons where he did quite well, as you rightly say, has since regressed. Maybe the new coaches will give him a new lease of life, but as far as I'm concerned he was a regular starter in that cluster fuck of a side last season. Don't care if he stays or goes, in all honesty. We could probably find a better player for not much of an outlay in fee and wages.

[KevinGage]

What couple of seasons are these?

He did OK-ish in the second half of Lambert's first season but since then has been largely ineffective.

Looking at the appearances the likes of he and Hutton have clocked up over the last four years goes some way to explaining why we'll be in the Championship next season.

They are the kind of players that should have been back-up options at best, not first team mainstays.

[aj2k77]

Hutton is a joke of a player who gets by because with his dirty tackles it appears he tries. I haven't seen many fullbacks at the Villa who are poorer positionally than Hutton and as for his attempts at marauding forward, he might as well fuck off because he's either not arsed enough to get back or he can't because he's a knacker.

Either way, terrible footballer.

[passitsideways]

What couple of seasons are these?

He did OK-ish in the second half of Lambert's first season but since then has been largely ineffective.

Looking at the appearances the likes of he and Hutton have clocked up over the last four years goes some way to explaining why we'll be in the Championship next season.

They are the kind of players that should have been back-up options at best, not first team mainstays.

I think he was genuinely very good during that stretch under Lambert, but it helped that the rest of the side were clicking as well. I'm pretty sure he also did quite well when he was brought back into the side under Sherwood, playing as a foil to Cleverley/Delph's energetic styles. There were probably a couple of other 4-6 week stretches where he looked decent, but yeah, I wouldn't quite go as far as saying two good seasons.

Agree with the rest of your post though - Hutton and Westwood are useful to have as backups, because you can plug them in for a game or two at a time and feel confident about getting a steady, mistake-free display, but they get exposed if left in the side for too long that other teams actively start gameplanning to exploit their weaknesses.

[wittonwarrior]

I  think everyone would agree that neither Westwood or Hutton as good  enough for Villa, however looking  at the players who we need to kick  out as a first wave - Lescott, Richards, Richardson, Guzan, Okore and Bacuna they may well survive the cull.

Impossible to bring  11 new players in and expect the team to automatically gel. 

Personally I would be looking  at the likes of Marshall at Cardiff, Cleverly at Everton who has struggled to  hold a first team place down, perhaps get Carrick in as our Captain and one or two from  the new management contacts.

[peter w]

No I think Westwood is. Hutton I agree with.

[Clampy]

Hutton is a joke of a player who gets by because with his dirty tackles it appears he tries. I haven't seen many fullbacks at the Villa who are poorer positionally than Hutton and as for his attempts at marauding forward, he might as well fuck off because he's either not arsed enough to get back or he can't because he's a knacker.

Either way, terrible footballer.

As much as I admire him for knuckling down when he lost his place and was outcast for a while and for his hard work and effort when not many others seemed to give a shit, I agree, he's a poor defender.

[Steve67]

Little link in the Sunday People to Graham Dorrans and a quote from his agent saying how he loved working under RDM. Grealish linked to Stoke again too.

[john2710]

Many of the players we have are plenty good enough to get us out of the championship, let's worry about them being good enough for the premiership if we manage to get there. Some will go, Ayew, Amarvi, Gana & Gil etc. To be honest it's only Ayew & Amarvi I would try to keep.

We need to strengthen the spine of the team, replace the shite, perpetual losers & slackers like Guzan, Richards, Gabby, Okores, Bacuna & Lescott. I'd include Hutton in this too based on him being shite.

Grealish has just wasted one season of his development & I just can't see him spending a season in the Championship.

Traore is a strange one, undoubtedly skilful / quick but not a team player & probably a luxury we can't afford. He seems oblivious of everyone around him. If he hasn't learned it's a team game at Barcelona he never will. Nobody will take him unless it's on loan.

Whoever is in the team when the season starts, even if it's the likes of Bacuna & Gabby will get my backing, if they show the right attitude.

[robbo1874]

What couple of seasons are these?

He did OK-ish in the second half of Lambert's first season but since then has been largely ineffective.

Looking at the appearances the likes of he and Hutton have clocked up over the last four years goes some way to explaining why we'll be in the Championship next season.

They are the kind of players that should have been back-up options at best, not first team mainstays.

his first and second. He went to shit when the rest of the team did the last two. I'm not defending him- if you read the rest of my post I said I couldn't give a fuck if he stays or goes.

Not good enough really for the premiership, may do OK in the championship with 4 prem seasons experience and new coaching setup. I wouldn't cry if we sold him tomorrow though.

[robbo1874]

I  think everyone would agree that neither Westwood or Hutton as good  enough for Villa, however looking  at the players who we need to kick  out as a first wave - Lescott, Richards, Richardson, Guzan, Okore and Bacuna they may well survive the cull.

Impossible to bring  11 new players in and expect the team to automatically gel. 

Personally I would be looking  at the likes of Marshall at Cardiff, Cleverly at Everton who has struggled to  hold a first team place down, perhaps get Carrick in as our Captain and one or two from  the new management contacts.

i think I read in the last couple of days (Graun?) that Mourinho wants Carrick for another season.

[The Laughing Policeman]

I  think everyone would agree that neither Westwood or Hutton as good  enough for Villa, however looking  at the players who we need to kick  out as a first wave - Lescott, Richards, Richardson, Guzan, Okore and Bacuna they may well survive the cull.

Impossible to bring  11 new players in and expect the team to automatically gel. 

Personally I would be looking  at the likes of Marshall at Cardiff, Cleverly at Everton who has struggled to  hold a first team place down, perhaps get Carrick in as our Captain and one or two from  the new management contacts.

i think I read in the last couple of days (Graun?) that Mourinho wants Carrick for another season.

I read somewhere last week that Carrick has been offered another twelve months at OT but I still think we should have ago at getting him in and rebuilding the team around him. The man is a class act and the type of player that others would look up to and hopefully try to emulate him.

[N'ZMAV]

Westwood isn't one I'd prioritise to move on. If someone makes us a decent offer then we should sell. But, there's a few morons I'd be kicking out first before Westwood.

[ozzjim]

Dorrans was outstanding in the Championship under Di Matteo. Thought he was older the 29

[passitsideways]

I  think everyone would agree that neither Westwood or Hutton as good  enough for Villa, however looking  at the players who we need to kick  out as a first wave - Lescott, Richards, Richardson, Guzan, Okore and Bacuna they may well survive the cull.

Impossible to bring  11 new players in and expect the team to automatically gel. 

Personally I would be looking  at the likes of Marshall at Cardiff, Cleverly at Everton who has struggled to  hold a first team place down, perhaps get Carrick in as our Captain and one or two from  the new management contacts.

i think I read in the last couple of days (Graun?) that Mourinho wants Carrick for another season.

I read somewhere last week that Carrick has been offered another twelve months at OT but I still think we should have ago at getting him in and rebuilding the team around him. The man is a class act and the type of player that others would look up to and hopefully try to emulate him.

He's a top player, even though his legs are gone, but it sounds pretty likely that he'll be signing for 12 more months at United, and even if he doesn't, there'll be plenty of suitors in the PL who would want him.

A commanding midfielder would be top of my wishlist for summer business though - we obviously need reinforcements just about everywhere, but our midfielders are just so limited: Sanchez and Gana can only break up play (although they do it well), Westwood is tidy but that's it, Veretout is a WIP and might leave anyway, and we obviously can't treat Gary Gardner as a saviour.