Summer transfer, gossip, speculation and the usual butter ollocks thread

[algy]

The trouble with that is that it will work for a club that isn't used to the giddy heights, so they don't mind taking the occasional step back to go forwards again. Try saying to our supporters that we're building for the long-term and see how far it gets you.

This is the first thing that came to my mind. If you look at seasons where we've gone for a more long term approach (when we signed a load of Francophones called Jordan, or the transfers this last summer) the manager gets slated because either they're not the finished product (Big Wes), or they're not Premier League quality (Konsa), or they're a gamble that was never going to come off (Trez).

People like the idea of buying players cheap and selling them on at a huge profit but not the reality, which is a squad full of cheap players, and losing any that develop in to decent talents.

[Steve67]

If and when we drop, I would like us to try to bargain for swaps as well as outright transfers.  Grealish with the likes of Tuanzebe thrown in for example.  McGinn for Gayle, possibly Hayden for instance.  The number one position to sort for me is the centre of midfield, we really need a ball winner in there.  Luyindu has been linked from Turkey, although he might not want to come if we drop.

What makes you think Hayden and Gayle would want to drop a division?

They are just suggestions.  Who knows who might want to go where.  Newcastle being taken over, Hayden and Gayle will be surplus to requirements if it goes through.  Hayden also wants to move further south due ti family reasons apparently and might see us as a good option if we buy sensibly (Yes, I know!). 

[dave.woodhall]

Gollini: Lowton, Mings, Okore, Amavi: Gueye, Vertout, Grealish: Traore, Benteke, Ayew. Subs: Nyland, Clarke, Westwood, McGinn, Luiz & a few others. I wonder how that team would get on in the Premier League.

[brian green]

A darn sight better than we have become used to.  I would add Andi Weimann to that roll call.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Gollini: Lowton, Mings, Okore, Amavi: Gueye, Vertout, Grealish: Traore, Benteke, Ayew. Subs: Nyland, Clarke, Westwood, McGinn, Luiz & a few others. I wonder how that team would get on in the Premier League.

Terrible defence, and fairly good midfield. Plenty of pace though, and a ball winner plus a better bench. Traore on current form would be a big difference but Benteke and Ayew not much use these days.

Problem was half that lot didn't want to be here. Veretout, Guys, Anarvi, Ayew Benteke and Gollini all pushed to leave.

Traore is the one that got away, but there again he didn't look up to much at the time and Adomah helped get us promoted.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Sorry accidental double post.

[dave.woodhall]

Gollini: Lowton, Mings, Okore, Amavi: Gueye, Vertout, Grealish: Traore, Benteke, Ayew. Subs: Nyland, Clarke, Westwood, McGinn, Luiz & a few others. I wonder how that team would get on in the Premier League.

Terrible defence, and fairly good midfield. Plenty of pace though, and a ball winner plus a better bench. Traore on current form would be a big difference but Benteke and Ayew not much use these days.

Problem was half that lot didn't want to be here. Veretout, Guys, Anarvi, Ayew Benteke and Gollini all pushed to leave.

Traore is the one that got away, but there again he didn't look up to much at the time and Adomah helped get us promoted.

The thing is, though, how good would they all be if they'd been together for five years with the occasional new signing? Lowton is a perfectly good Premier League player, Gollini is an international and Amavi will be in the next Champions League. That's what long-term planning can do.

[brian green]

They all, without exception wanted to with Villa in the first place.  As for Benteke and Ayew being not much use these days I hate to think where that places Davis, Samatta and Moraes.

[brian green]

And Traore didn't  look up to much at the time?  It must have been somebody else whose name we were singing.

[brian green]

And Notts County got five yellow cards for kicking him?

[mr underhill]

Yes but that's all he had Brian - pace. He had no awareness or positional acvumen at all. It was like watching someone with a firecracker up their arse running very fast in a straight line but ultimately going nowhere. Coaching - good coaching  has changed that, but it was never going to happen at Villa.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Gollini: Lowton, Mings, Okore, Amavi: Gueye, Vertout, Grealish: Traore, Benteke, Ayew. Subs: Nyland, Clarke, Westwood, McGinn, Luiz & a few others. I wonder how that team would get on in the Premier League.

Terrible defence, and fairly good midfield. Plenty of pace though, and a ball winner plus a better bench. Traore on current form would be a big difference but Benteke and Ayew not much use these days.

Problem was half that lot didn't want to be here. Veretout, Guys, Anarvi, Ayew Benteke and Gollini all pushed to leave.

Traore is the one that got away, but there again he didn't look up to much at the time and Adomah helped get us promoted.

The thing is, though, how good would they all be if they'd been together for five years with the occasional new signing? Lowton is a perfectly good Premier League player, Gollini is an international and Amavi will be in the next Champions League. That's what long-term planning can do.

Yeah I take the point. My main worry is the coaching, under so many different managers players have gone downhill after joining us and got better after leaving. Baffling. You could add Stevens, Albrighton too, it's a big list.

Of the new batch I think El Ghazi, Nakamba, Luiz, Guilbert and Engels have all shown glimpses of ability. Plus Ming's and McGinn more regularly.

Main issue is we consistently try too many new players at once and have no good way to select a balanced team from them. Not always the club's fault that, with players pushing for moves and FFP kicking in on relegation.

[dave.woodhall]

Exactly. Rip it up and start again. Every summer.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Exactly. Rip it up and start again. Every summer.

Going to happen again this summer if we go down though. Best players will go, and five or six will need to come in. Agree we need to keep more this time, and think we will. Coaching needs to improve though to see if they can come along.

Also we actually need to get the right few players in so we can pick a formation that has 11 players that can play in it without glaring issues. At no point in the last 3 seasons have we had that. Whatever system we pick somewhere we don't have the right player.

[KevinGage]

Gollini: Lowton, Mings, Okore, Amavi: Gueye, Vertout, Grealish: Traore, Benteke, Ayew. Subs: Nyland, Clarke, Westwood, McGinn, Luiz & a few others. I wonder how that team would get on in the Premier League.

Terrible defence, and fairly good midfield. Plenty of pace though, and a ball winner plus a better bench. Traore on current form would be a big difference but Benteke and Ayew not much use these days.

Problem was half that lot didn't want to be here. Veretout, Guys, Anarvi, Ayew Benteke and Gollini all pushed to leave.

Traore is the one that got away, but there again he didn't look up to much at the time and Adomah helped get us promoted.

Traore, Gueye and Veretout all made it clear that they didn't want to stick around once relegation had been confirmed. They weren't interested. Gueye even said as much as early as Feb/ March 16.

 Ayew and Amavi did at least want to be here and part of a promotion push.  But Bruce benched Ayew pretty much from the oustet (even opting to start with Gabby against Brighton away) and we took the masterstroke of agreeing a swap for Neil Taylor and not much money that Jan.  Despite Ayew looking our biggest attacking threat up until October.

Amavi's form was up and down in that first season back after serious injury. But he gave us that year, at least.