Jesús García Pitarch - binned

[robbo1874]

Mate - it’s all opinions on here, you’re welcome to yours and I’ll say mine, I’m just saying I wouldn’t write him off yet. I think keeping hold of Tammy Abraham would’ve been a massive help last season, but for whatever reason (probably money related) we couldn’t do it. I reckon we’ll do a lot better next season with Davies, Wes and a couple (hopefully) of quality strikers. As I said though, which ones? I’ve got no clue. Don’t play Football manager, or really take any notice of clubs other than Villa.

[kippaxvilla2]

It would be nice if every so often we didn’t repeat the mistakes of the past.  See Riley, P.

I thought most people had finally got round to the idea that Riley actually signed quite a lot of very good players that were mismanaged into the ground by an incompetent halfwit?

Even if some of them did turn out to be good players, it was still demonstrably the wrong approach.

Yes I think what I was trying to say was lumping your whole PL future on a load of untried players from European leagues as opposed to sprinkling with some seasoned professionals.

[LeeB]

Mate - it’s all opinions on here, you’re welcome to yours and I’ll say mine, I’m just saying I wouldn’t write him off yet. I think keeping hold of Tammy Abraham would’ve been a massive help last season, but for whatever reason (probably money related) we couldn’t do it. I reckon we’ll do a lot better next season with Davies, Wes and a couple (hopefully) of quality strikers. As I said though, which ones? I’ve got no clue. Don’t play Football manager, or really take any notice of clubs other than Villa.

I'm with you pal, to be clear. I think he's a player and will come good.

It's that one-and-a-half headed cheating bastard from Bolton I couldn't stand.

[Dave]

I think keeping hold of Tammy Abraham would’ve been a massive help last season, but for whatever reason (probably money related) we couldn’t do it

Because Chelsea were serving a transfer ban, couldn't sign anybody and would have only had one striker had they sold him.

[robbo1874]

So essentially money-related. They couldn’t spend any and wouldn’t let us have him, because they needed him and he was good enough for them.

[DB]

Agree with that. To buy upcoming players with potential was daft. We finished 5th a division lower and should just got in experienced Prem players. Ok, I maybe not be the approach the club wants to take but needs must...we were not in a luxurious position to try to bed in so many players.

1: They would have cost much more money
2: They'd all be a year older now and worth less
3: We we're in such a position, because we did and we stayed up.

Yes we did stay up but we could have spend less money on better options than we did and would not have been shitting our pants up until 6pm Sunday, IMO.

[LeeB]

Agree with that. To buy upcoming players with potential was daft. We finished 5th a division lower and should just got in experienced Prem players. Ok, I maybe not be the approach the club wants to take but needs must...we were not in a luxurious position to try to bed in so many players.

1: They would have cost much more money
2: They'd all be a year older now and worth less
3: We we're in such a position, because we did and we stayed up.

Yes we did stay up but we could have spend less money on better options than we did and would not have been shitting our pants up until 6pm Sunday, IMO.

Who then?

[ozzjim]

I think Cahill for Engels would have been a decent shout at adding that bit of experience. Beyond that, I think we did not use loans well at all last summer, and should have got a couple in. Danny Rose on loan rather than 17 on Targett, with another pacey forward might have been a better call, but it is academic now, and we are in a better place for having a squad that has played at this level for a year. Now we must add 5 much better quality players to move it forward.

[Sexual Ealing]

Mate - it’s all opinions on here, you’re welcome to yours and I’ll say mine, I’m just saying I wouldn’t write him off yet. I think keeping hold of Tammy Abraham would’ve been a massive help last season, but for whatever reason (probably money related) we couldn’t do it. I reckon we’ll do a lot better next season with Davies, Wes and a couple (hopefully) of quality strikers. As I said though, which ones? I’ve got no clue. Don’t play Football manager, or really take any notice of clubs other than Villa.

I'm with you pal, to be clear. I think he's a player and will come good.

It's that one-and-a-half headed cheating bastard from Bolton I couldn't stand.

Agree on Davis. He'll never be a John Hartson-style prolific Big Man, but he could easily be a Heskey (who had a great career, despite his detractors).

[Dave]

Mate - it’s all opinions on here, you’re welcome to yours and I’ll say mine, I’m just saying I wouldn’t write him off yet. I think keeping hold of Tammy Abraham would’ve been a massive help last season, but for whatever reason (probably money related) we couldn’t do it. I reckon we’ll do a lot better next season with Davies, Wes and a couple (hopefully) of quality strikers. As I said though, which ones? I’ve got no clue. Don’t play Football manager, or really take any notice of clubs other than Villa.

I'm with you pal, to be clear. I think he's a player and will come good.

It's that one-and-a-half headed cheating bastard from Bolton I couldn't stand.

Agree on Davis. He'll never be a John Hartson-style prolific Big Man, but he could easily be a Heskey (who had a great career, despite his detractors).

Hmm. By the time that Heskey was Davis's age he'd played nearly 150 games, scored 40 or so goals, had a dozen England caps and was about to move to Liverpool.

Players adapt at different rates etc, but I don't think Davis shows anything to suggest he'll be anything like a Heskey.

[Sexual Ealing]

Mate - it’s all opinions on here, you’re welcome to yours and I’ll say mine, I’m just saying I wouldn’t write him off yet. I think keeping hold of Tammy Abraham would’ve been a massive help last season, but for whatever reason (probably money related) we couldn’t do it. I reckon we’ll do a lot better next season with Davies, Wes and a couple (hopefully) of quality strikers. As I said though, which ones? I’ve got no clue. Don’t play Football manager, or really take any notice of clubs other than Villa.

I'm with you pal, to be clear. I think he's a player and will come good.

It's that one-and-a-half headed cheating bastard from Bolton I couldn't stand.

Agree on Davis. He'll never be a John Hartson-style prolific Big Man, but he could easily be a Heskey (who had a great career, despite his detractors).

Hmm. By the time that Heskey was Davis's age he'd played nearly 150 games, scored 40 or so goals, had a dozen England caps and was about to move to Liverpool.

Players adapt at different rates etc, but I don't think Davis shows anything to suggest he'll be anything like a Heskey.

Not as 'good' as Heskey, no, but he could do the job that he did very competently if he can add a hanful of goals.

[Toronto Villa]

He’s a long, long way from Heskey. Heskey has pace to go with his great strength. And could score some good goals too.

[Sexual Ealing]

It's not a hill I intend to expire on so I'll leave it there.

[eamonn]

You love that "die on a hill" phrase!

[SoccerHQ]

Yep, we went down the route we did and achieved our primary aim for the season and now we a squad that is still young, with experience of playing at this level. All that suggests that, as tight as it was, we didn't get things wrong last summer. By doing it the way we did we have the basis of a squad that we can build around over the next 2-3 seasons. If we'd gone all out for premier league experience we'd either be looking at replacing most of those signings over the next year or 2 or we'd have had a much smaller squad and still be in the process of building that base.

This year reminds me of summer 2013. Lambert's first and we also stayed up from an unlikely position  given our from from December 2012 up to the March.

We had Guzan in good form back then plus Vlaar, Delph and a front 3 who ended the season all in excellent form so stronger spine than now arguably. Benteke also u turned that summer from joining Spurs.

That was the time to push on. Instead we just did exactly the same transfer policy as 12 months before and signed (deep breath) Helenius, Kozak, Luna, Bacuna, Okore and Tonev.

I really hope lessons have been learnt.