Nathan Baker?

[Villa in Denmark]

Bite? Somebody clearly hasn't read what i posted and it is that person who shouldn't bite? Right, okay.

I'll bite. 

However, I agree that his disgraceful behaviour last season may be something he can't and maybe shouldn't be allowed to come back from.

says to me that given the option you would give him yet another chance, but other circumstances dictate you couldn't, but a guy that possibly put 1 foot out of line in 3 years should be run out of town like some low life scum that's been harrasing your daughter.

I hope for the sake of the people you assess in your job that your a bit more objective in your assessments and reasoning than you are on here.

[peter w]

Grow up.

Let's move this back to Nathan Baker, eh?

[Mister E]

Lescott, Richards and Okore are probably all going to go. Baker is worth keeping for me. As is Clark(e). Nathan isn't the best but what he is, is a player who'll put himself on the line. Sometimes to his detriment, but you can never fault his commitment. He's fine at that level and will be a fine stand-in, as/when needed. Buy two new decent senior CH's.

Hopefully our sensible new management team will persuade Okore to stay.

Hopefully they will fuck him right off.

I'm hoping that young, hungry and decent players are given a chance. I put Okore in that bracket.
Your opinion of Okore is clearly different to mine.

[peter w]

Lescott, Richards and Okore are probably all going to go. Baker is worth keeping for me. As is Clark(e). Nathan isn't the best but what he is, is a player who'll put himself on the line. Sometimes to his detriment, but you can never fault his commitment. He's fine at that level and will be a fine stand-in, as/when needed. Buy two new decent senior CH's.

Hopefully our sensible new management team will persuade Okore to stay.

Hopefully they will fuck him right off.

I'm hoping that young, hungry and decent players are given a chance. I put Okore in that bracket.
Your opinion of Okore is clearly different to mine.

Well I can see Baker as  more of a talker and Okore, wherever he ends up next season and of course I hope its not with us, needs that with us. I thought at times that baker would have been a better option for us at centre-half last season seeing what happened to the rest of them. Another point to remember, is that he had a seemingly good season for Bristol City in what was deemed a relatively good season for them. He is coming back from a good, happy dressing-room not tainted with everything that went on at Villa.

not sure how good this Elphick is, if he's any good, or which side he plays on, but we need to buy at least one right-sided centre-half. Someone who has experience and has been playing football. If Clark does stay, then we'd have him, Baker, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Lescott stay, either. That's very left-sided. And out of those 3 only Baker came out of last season with any credit - although in the lower level where we now find ourselves.

I hope Richards isn't around, and obviously Okore, so we need two more in there.

[saunders_heroes]

Lescott, Richards and Okore are probably all going to go. Baker is worth keeping for me. As is Clark(e). Nathan isn't the best but what he is, is a player who'll put himself on the line. Sometimes to his detriment, but you can never fault his commitment. He's fine at that level and will be a fine stand-in, as/when needed. Buy two new decent senior CH's.

Hopefully our sensible new management team will persuade Okore to stay.

Hopefully they will fuck him right off.

I'm hoping that young, hungry and decent players are given a chance. I put Okore in that bracket.
Your opinion of Okore is clearly different to mine.

You must have been watching a different Okore to me since he arrived then. I think he's been overrated by a lot of fans and seems clumsy and lacking in concentration to me. Add that to his never ending injury problems and his refusal to play late last season and I think it's time to get rid before another long term injury means we're stuck with him.

[paul_e]

Why do people keep going on about players who are "fine at championship level" like that is what we need?

Yes, fine if we're planning to hang around that level like Leeds, not so good if we want to get out of it quickly.

We need players who are too good for that level, not of that level.

We do not have some divine right to bounce back. We will need good players, not dross like Baker.

Yes, but we are unlikely to be able to get a whole team of "too good" in one or even two transfer windows, so we are going to have to get as many as we can afford and who will come here and then complement them with "good enough".

Exactly, ones who've not quite been good enough for where we were but can do a job in the squad for this season should be way down the list of people to replace.  Let the people who won't stay and the people who are hated go this summer and then revisit the likes of Westwood and Baker in Jan/next summer.

[tomd2103]

I'll be very disappointed if Baker is anywhere near the match day squad next season.  Said it before, but I would much prefer to sell him and use Toner as back up. 

[saunders_heroes]

I'll be very disappointed if Baker is anywhere near the match day squad next season.  Said it before, but I would much prefer to sell him and use Toner as back up. 

I agree. Baker is a car crash waiting to happen and we need to finally be rid of these players that have played their part in our downfall. A clean sweep please.

[kippaxvilla2]

At the start of last season most of us would have said Micah Richards would have been 'too good for Championship level.'  I don't see a clamour to keep him though and I am not one of them.

[Oscar Arce]

Nathan Baker did well for Bristol City last season and he is definately Championship standard.
Somebody mentioned he is a 'talker'..well he definately isn't and I wopuldn't be surprised if he goes, I like his commitment personally.
Richards must be binned, and the Bouyrnemouth lad is a good shout to be paired with someone like Baker.
Okore personally I'd persevere with, I think a good defender is in there, but the management need to find out if he wants to stay.

[cheltenhamlion]

Why do people keep going on about players who are "fine at championship level" like that is what we need?

Yes, fine if we're planning to hang around that level like Leeds, not so good if we want to get out of it quickly.

We need players who are too good for that level, not of that level.

We do not have some divine right to bounce back. We will need good players, not dross like Baker.

Yes, but we are unlikely to be able to get a whole team of "too good" in one or even two transfer windows, so we are going to have to get as many as we can afford and who will come here and then complement them with "good enough".

Exactly, ones who've not quite been good enough for where we were but can do a job in the squad for this season should be way down the list of people to replace.  Let the people who won't stay and the people who are hated go this summer and then revisit the likes of Westwood and Baker in Jan/next summer.

That is my take as well. We can't buy a whole new squad of players that are miles better than anything in the Championship so you get 3 or 4 that would make all the difference and have squad players that can do a job but aren't fixtures in the team.

[Risso]

I understand Baker did OK for Bristol, and also stayed relatively fit, which in my opinion was always his biggest failing.  I'd like to see how he does after having a regular run with a regular partner.  He's a big, no nonsense sort of player, and I think he could be plenty good enough for a top 6 Championship player.  I'd certainly rather see him in a Villa shirt again than Richards, Lescott or Okore.

[cheltenhamlion]

More importantly, if his form dips, you drop him for a couple of months.

[bill]

Build a team for the Championship.....and that's where you might end up staying.

[paul_e]

Build a team for the Championship.....and that's where you might end up staying.

Buy 20 new players and the same happens.

For that reason we need to keep our good players, replace our poor players (poor in skill or attitude) with other good players and then use the average players to fill out the squad.  I honestly believe that much more than 5-6 new players this summer would be a mistake but they need to be 5-6 players who are regulars in the team.