Fans Worried Over Villa Future

[peter w]

I agree wholeheartedly about gareth barry. I started a thread last year that if we had top 4 aspirations it would be unlikely to include Gareth barry in the team. The thing with Moore is that he tends to have a great game, an okay one, then disappears again for 10 games. He'll come off the bench score a goal and then it'll be back to the, 'Great goalscorer' comments. He might be, he just hasn't proved it.

On another point it would interesting to compare the Premier league credentials of much maligned marlon Harewood, and departed God and mythological Juan Pablo Angel.

[JD]

Peter, I think this is the year Luke has to prove himself. MO'N has removed the cotton wall from him and I have the feeling that Luke has been told to prove himself. I can't wait to see what happens..

[damon loves JT]

They've all had their period of grace. I think the ones who think they don't have to prove themselves are the ones who are leaving.

[brian green]

I think the edge which Gabby has and will continue to have on Luke is that Gabby does not take the extra split second Luke takes before he pulls the trigger.

Every top flight striker I have ever seen has had instantaneous reactions in the box.   The classic example was Jimmy Greaves whose shot was as weak as piss but because he got the shot off in a flash it was bobbling across the goal line before the goalkeeper could straighten his cloth cap.   The most instinctive Villa strikers of late are obviously Gary Shaw and Dwight Yorke both of whom needed zero sighting time.  

If Luke can develop that sort of reactive speed he can become a great striker but I think our best front three will be John, Ashley and Gabby this season.

[peter w]

I will admit to being alittle jittery. 8 days to go and 2 players in. A keeper and a right-back are an absolute must. i would have thought the days of having patched up sides, especially for the first game of the season, were long gone. Not that I'm advocating panic buys, but sometimes you have to flex your muscles to get players in quicker and complete outstanding negotiations.

Maybe its agents. Asking too much for them and players. Whatever it is, I'm jittery.

[brian green]

I think I will join you Peter in asking for a transfer from Worried Ward to Jittery Ward.   In fact a natural spin off from this epic thread would be Fans Jittery About Villa Future.

This sale of Ridgewell to Small Heath without having first signed a replacement central defender is a massive piece of circumstantial evidence to support the scenario that Martin ONeill and his advisers are floundering.

We have sold players to the Noses in the past -greater heroes than Bumfluff will ever be - Stan The Wham Lynn, Jimmy Dugdale, even Blessed Sir Brian so that is only a minor irritation compared with the fact that there is daily and growing evidence that Martin ONeill has either voluntarily decided not to pay the asking price of players available or more likely that he has had his money supply turned off and, having sold record season tickets on the strength of a Bright Future nobody at Villa Park has got the balls to tell us.

If you have got a gas leak you do not go looking for it with a lighted candle.   If you have a small squad you do not let eight or ten of them leave before you find replacements.   To compound this fundamental mismanagement the players we have bought - with the exception of John Carew - have all cost too much and the players we have sold have all been undervalued by comparision with the prices obtained for other players, Marlon Harewood being a typical example.

I am very sorry to say it but I fear the honeymoon with Martin ONeill is very rapidly coming to an end or perhaps if it is a question of him being denied the funds he was promised the honeymoon with the new owner is over.

[peter w]

I still have complete faith in the manager, and do believe he has people coming in that will make there departure an irrelevance. Ridge, Right-back, etc. However, even if we sign someone next week they have little chance of being ready for the first game of the season. This seems very amateurish at this stage of the pre-season.

You'd prefer to hit the ground running and our only positive now is that the Blackburn game has been put back. Giving us more time to get players and meaning we don't 'lose' games in the getting to know each other process.

Not an ideal position to be in. But to go in to next saturday with only one recognised keeper really is not a healthy position to be in.

[James]

Hello people. I think I need to check in here.

I just don't understand this summer's activities at VP and am really worried that we may be starting our bright future somewhat short of cover in the squad.

<yellow man thingy nervously chewing finger nails>

You're right though Peter, I do like what you've done with the place!  :smt002

[ROBBO]

It is totally depressing, even if he brings quality in now they will have had no pre season with the rest of the side. I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that something is wrong, it looks so amateurish. We are now linked with a 4 million centreback and a loan player at right back. Where has all the optimism gone where has all the free spending disappeared to. Have a look at the os and look at all the players we've been linked with and then look at what we've got, it's almost razor blade time.

[brian green]

Spot on ROBBO

[peter w]

Although I agree its worrying I'd rather not panic and wait and get the players we want. That's why I think we didn't go for Luke Young. A player has been identified for the right-back slot and I believe we will get him. Not ideal but Ollie can fill in there. Its the keeping situation which I am worried about. If taylor was to break a finger tomorrow then what? I see this as a make or break decision over the next week. Get the wallet out and get a keeper in. If Sorensen is going to be a week or two then maybe MON is gambling. If he's going to be out for months rather than weeks, and we haven't got a quality replacement, then he definitely is gambling.

[James]

Agree with you Robbo. Amateurish is right. It's all very well saying that signings will come by the end of the month, but the season starts on the 11th!

[RonBurgundy]

Do you have to book yourself in here?
can you come and go as you please?
you see i keep going from worried to calm and trusting every hour or so...i just want this dismal transfer window to be over and to get on with the playing of the football

[OCD]

Why worry about something that we have no control or influence over?

[peter w]

No need to be all biblical OCD. But its natural for people to see othe rclubs bringing in players and some people will want a piece. I, too, believe it will happen. Just want it sooner. I suppose its also to do with the fact that for the past few years we've been very underwhelmed by our summer transfer activity. Now we've got some ambition we want to say it. The CEO comes out with 'World-Class signings' which was also quoted in the season-ticket/DVD package I believe. It wasn't quoted then as persoanl opinion but the General is now stating that this is personal opinion. That's nonsense. So, some fans are beginning to worry about what's going on.

I fully expect us to be fine by the 31st. It would nice to be ready for the 11th though.