Glenn Whelan - Released

[manic-road]

Welcome Glenn, give 100% when you play wearing the Villa shirt please.

[Three Spires Villa]

From an Irish family i  take a keen interest in the boys in green and Glen Whelan has never let the side down always looks happy to play and is a better footballer than a lot of people think, in my humble opinion

[dave shelley]

Welcome Glenn.

[peter w]

Comparison to last season:

Gollini             Johnstone
Elphick            Terry
Richards          Samba
Amavi              Taylor
Tshibola           Whelan

This is a definite improvement in our solidity, surely?

On the flip side. This  time last year we had ayew and now it's hogan; and we were excited about McCormack and gestede in this division

One quality attacking player please. Even a loanee

Samba isn't our player. Thankfully. He would get run ragged by any nippy strikers in this league!

If we do sign him, i'll cross my fingers it's only a last last gasp emergency freebie to come on in only the most dire of situations

How many nippy strikers run Baker and Chester ragged last season?

[SoccerHQ]

There isn't that many but that Reading guy had a really good game at VP and Jota at Brentford ran the show at Griffin Park.

[tomd2103]

I can't really remember him being a holding midfielder, more a player who would play in a two.  It will be interesting to see what Bruce does with the midfield this season.  Will he go with a flat two, one holding with two more advanced or two holding with one in front of them?

[Tuscans]

About time we had a few nasty bastards at the club.

[finnegan]

Top signing. Well done Stevie Bruce. Exactly the kind of player we need.

[brentastonb6]

Welcome Glenn, give 100% when you play wearing the Villa shirt please.

This please

[Des Little]

About time we had a few nasty bastards at the club.

There's plenty on here for starters (winky thing)

[passitsideways]

I tell you what, this "holding the shirt while already dressed in full kit" business is really doing my head in.

[AV5nobs]

I tell you what, this "holding the shirt while already dressed in full kit" business is really doing my head in.

This made me laugh.

[badluckeric(gates)]

Top signing. Well done Stevie Bruce. Exactly the kind of player we need.

Agreed

[aj2k77]

To be fair most Stoke fans are a mixture of the following- Too slow for the top flight to be fully effective now but fantastic work rate, positioning, decent on the ball, brilliant professional and a battler.

I can see Bruce playing him in a 2 with Jedinak

                                              Johnstone
                               Terry         Samba           Chester           
  Elmohamady                                                                     Taylor
                                   Jedinak              Whelan
                           Hourihane                      Lansbury

                               Hogan                   Kodjia

[chrisw1]

To be fair most Stoke fans are a mixture of the following- Too slow for the top flight to be fully effective now but fantastic work rate, positioning, decent on the ball, brilliant professional and a battler.

I can see Bruce playing him in a 2 with Jedinak

                                              Johnstone
                               Terry         Samba           Chester           
  Elmohamady                                                                     Taylor
                                   Jedinak              Whelan
                           Hourihane                      Lansbury

                               Hogan                   Kodjia

These sort of formations require outstanding wingbacks.  I don't think ours are good enough.  If Amavi had fulfilled his promise he could have been perfect and I wonder if we should persist with him if this is the plan.