Unai Emery

[Risso]

That weren't available.

That's utter bollocks though.

[kippaxvilla2]

Anyone who doesn't think our squad is painfully thin needs to explain to me why we are the only team in the entire country that has had two goalkeepers on the bench for the last two games.  At one point I thought Olsen was going to come on to replace Watkins.

[Dave]

I think it's fairly clear that squad players aren't on the transfer agenda. They'll want to bring first team players in that make some of the current XI the squad players rather than what we did with Dendoncker. Quality over quantity

Sure, but 'twas ever thus.

I can't remember a single transfer window where we were sitting here saying "the first team is absolutely fine, now we just need to fill the bench".

The fact that we want to sign better players than those we have isn't going to ever change, regardless of how well we do. And it's definitely not an excuse to spend half a season with only three-quarters of a squad.

Is it really three quarters of a squad? The people who've been shipped out were playing about 5% of the minutes. We don't have cup competitions or major fixture congestion so a similar XI will play most of the games from here. If there's injuries and KKH or some other youngster make up some minutes, it's not a disaster. I'd rather do this than have watched them panicked and signed Ayoze Perez or something

Well, our 25 man squad contains 21 players. So let's call it four-fifths of a squad.

And nobody was advocating panicking and signing Ayoze Perez, they were advocating going out and signing better players than the ones that we currently have.

That weren't available.

If these players are completely, 100% "not available at any price" now then it's hard to see how they suddenly become easy for us to sign in the summer, surely?

[kippaxvilla2]

No.  Because they will see the attraction of signing for a 14th placed Preeeeemier League side first hand.  As opposed to the one in January handily placed in 11th and poised for a charge at European football.

[Risso]

The Marseille chairman said they didn't have any offers for Guendouzi. Call me old fashioned, but you'll never know if something's available or not if you don't make an offer.

[Drummond]

The Marseille chairman said they didn't have any offers for Guendouzi. Call me old fashioned, but you'll never know if something's available or not if you don't make an offer.

Interesting. Perhaps the player wasn't convinced. Or maybe he'd indicated he wouldn't sell or wanted more than we were prepared to pay.

[Risso]

The Marseille chairman said they didn't have any offers for Guendouzi. Call me old fashioned, but you'll never know if something's available or not if you don't make an offer.

Interesting. Perhaps the player wasn't convinced. Or maybe he'd indicated he wouldn't sell or wanted more than we were prepared to pay.

All of those are quite possible. It does slightly piss on the bonfire of "nobody was available" when they didn't even get round to making an offer.

Personally I don't for one second believe we're going to really go for it in the summer. Not at all.

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

Personally I don't for one second believe we're going to really go for it in the summer. Not at all.

I have the same reservations. I got a feeling any warchest will come from a Martinez transfer fee.

[Rigadon]

I'm in the believe it when I see it 'camp'. 

[Dave]

The Marseille chairman said they didn't have any offers for Guendouzi. Call me old fashioned, but you'll never know if something's available or not if you don't make an offer.

Interesting. Perhaps the player wasn't convinced. Or maybe he'd indicated he wouldn't sell or wanted more than we were prepared to pay.

All of those are quite possible. It does slightly piss on the bonfire of "nobody was available" when they didn't even get round to making an offer.

It's also not a situation that is unique to any of Guendouzi, us or Marseille. We and other clubs will probably have found situations where the player we'd really like isn't available. It's usually fixed by moving on to a different player or offering more money.

And it's not a situation that is magically resolved by it being July that the conversation is happening rather than January.

[PaulWinch again]

Indeed.

[dorsetvillian]

It's obvious to me that a manager like Emery would have had cast iron assurances about proper investment in the short and long term from NSWE or he wouldn't have come to Villa. A lower-level manager in charge and I might agree about the Jan window being poor, but with Emery it is a different scenario. With an elite manager like Emery and NSWE in charge, I am convinced Villa are on an upward curve.

[Drummond]

I wonder whether we've written this season off completely. With Emery talking about avoiding relegation, and our continually kamikaze approach to goal kicks, I wonder whether he's just decided that we have to press on with his tactics and style of play, regardless of results.

What I'm basically saying is that he is going for the mid to long term view rather than short-term and getting results. It's a dangerous game, but hopefully with longer-term benefits.

[Nev]

What we have to remember is that this manager has only been here five minutes in relative terms, not for him false dawns, batshit owners, carpet headed and pig headed "name" managers, relegation, empty promises and Stephen Ireland. As frustrated as many of us may be, a settling in period and consolidation is the most likely aim before investment and a full season where ambition is likely to be greater. The paucity of activity in January will rightly concern those of a more cynical bent and may yet make the rest of the season more stressful than it could have been but it will be somewhat entertaining and while we are competing and playing half decent stuff I'm doing my best to enjoy it.

[Risso]

I wonder whether we've written this season off completely. With Emery talking about avoiding relegation, and our continually kamikaze approach to goal kicks, I wonder whether he's just decided that we have to press on with his tactics and style of play, regardless of results.

What I'm basically saying is that he is going for the mid to long term view rather than short-term and getting results. It's a dangerous game, but hopefully with longer-term benefits.

It certainly looks like it. The tactics bit I can live with, that's just a manager doing what he's paid to do. I think he'll need to mix things up a bit, but we're moving in the right way. The weakening of the squad is a load of bollocks though, and it's more than risky, it's just stupid. Firstly, finishing further up the table is worth tens of millions these days, so there's that. But also, I firmly believe that Liverpool and Chelsea will get their acts together next season, the usual top 7 will be set in stone again, and we'll be scrapping round somewhere between 8th and 12th as per bloody usual. It'll be more of the same.  "We've got two players in this summer, let's add a couple in January, then go again next summer."