Callum O'Hare and Mitch Clark

[Ad@m]

It's possible to not be sure that a player will be Premier League standard but, at the same time, not want players with a sell on value to walk away for nothing.

Sure but unfortunately that horse appears to have bolted.

Where we are now, letting him go and try to make a career somewhere else seems a better option than offering him another contract only to send him out on loan for the entirety of it.

[JUAN PABLO]

another Jota , ok in the championship but not prem quality

[brontebilly]

If we go down, he'll sign a new contract with us.
If not, he'll sign fo some Championship team.
I hope I never see him in a Villa shirt again!

He's a talent but in my opinion too lightweight for the top level.

Being lightweight was something Grealish corrected. It's something every pro coming through our academy should have corrected by COHs age through appropriate strength and conditioning.

Something, S&C, I suspect AVFC was a long way behind it's peers on, using Green and Davis persistent injuries as another example.

[Mister E]

... I think one of the problems with bringing young players through in the last 10-12 years is that there's been no trust in them, they'll get a few minutes here and there or a cup game against a lower league side and it's never enough to be sure either way so they're held back from loans in case we need them but not played because we don't know if they're ready.

Yes, and the environment in which they would have come into the first team reckoning was one where we've been on the back foot: struggling teams with managers under pressure pretty much describes our last 8-9 seasons.
We're back to the issues of short-term maangerial appointments and crap planning: it's scuppered our academy as well as the first team antics.

[algy]

I do think Villa should be trying to get players out on loans earlier, even if it's non-league football and we're picking up most/all of the wages.

As for O'Hare, he's 22 and not getting near the first team. Get rid. He might come good, but realistically he's not going to displace anyone in the side right now, and if we do end up losing McGinn or Grealish (hopefully not), we'll have enough money to aim higher than someone who looks decent in League 1.

[Steve67]

Following this whole pandemic thing and the need to support other clubs, I would honestly like to see Villa link with Walsall and send them our up and coming talent.  Help them with salaries, gives their fans something good to watch, prepares our players.  Doesn't need to be Walsall, could be Northampton, just examples.

[eamonn]

Someone said earlier in the thread that they were a sucker for the more technically gifted player
I'm also in that camp for good or bad.

Aye, that was me. And if they're Brummie/Villans all the better. It's why I always cut Lee and Luke so much slack. They had talent that can't be taught and I wanted them to win things for us by showing it. And also why it'll be so gutting to see Jack, a clear tier above, leave.

[OCD]

Following this whole pandemic thing and the need to support other clubs, I would honestly like to see Villa link with Walsall and send them our up and coming talent.  Help them with salaries, gives their fans something good to watch, prepares our players.  Doesn't need to be Walsall, could be Northampton, just examples.

I don't know why clubs don't forge stronger link-ups with clubs, especially in the current climate. A lot of good could come from it.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'd imagine it's probably to do with conflict of interests if they meet in a cup or end up in the same division.

[Steve67]

I'd imagine it's probably to do with conflict of interests if they meet in a cup or end up in the same division.

I think that's just part of the game.  If they loan players for the season, I don't think the parent clubs should get all precious about it if they play each other in the cups.  If we did loan out to, say, Walsall, we would only likely meet them in the first couple of rounds of the League or FA Cup. It would make us play the game more seriously as we wouldn't want to suffer the embarrassment of losing, but if we did lose, we would be doing so by learning about our loaned out players.  I take your point about conflict of interests but surely we'd want our players playing every game and not ask the loanee club to hold them back.

[SoccerHQ]

Bruce's lingering influence strikes again. He should have given CO'H more chances in 17/18. At least we would have known then if he was a player for us.

I think the first 2 season in the championship were a huge missed opportunity to bring through our younger players instead focusing on older players and loans which meant we were looking at another rebuild the next summer. RDM in particular pissed me off with it buying McCormack when we had Ayew and Grealish who could both play in that role and COH and RHM both in reserve and wanting to get some gametime, instead we went and spent the same again on Hogan. Does anyone think COH and RHM would've been any worse for us than that pair of useless fucks over the next 2 1/2 years, and we'd be £30m+ better off as well.

Even the young players we signed around that time didn't amount to much. Signed James Bree who was a regular at Barnsley in same division. Struggled a bit and now we're loaning him out every window hoping someone will buy him.

Jacob Bedeau also cost nearly a million but didn't last long.

[Legion]

Who?

[eamonn]

Full-back (?) from Bury, I think.

[kippaxvilla2]

Some bizarre signings over the years.

[sid1964]

I thought that the policy of the club is not to have players of his age holding back younger guys from being in the 1st team squad.

If at 22 he is not going to be near our first team then it is time he moved on.