Reaching for the star

[dave.woodhall]

A few very quick words.

https://heroesandvillains.info/2022/12/20/reaching-for-the-star/

[cdbearsfan]

Excellent article pretty much sums up my views. Non-Villa fans desperate for every good player in the world to play for the same handful of clubs are sad enough. The fact that there are some Villa fans poised to pack his bags for him so we can get a nice fee and help whatever Londonchester club make an approach first is utterly baffling.

He signed a new five year contract in January. We've no need to sell and I'd be hugely disappointed if we even considered it.

[Toronto Villa]

I said the same the other day. Some Villa fans, the moment a player reaches a certain point in their career starting making lists of where we will sell him. I know we have lost good players but I’ve always said that’s almost entirely our fault. We as a club need to build around our best players and for pretty much all of my life we have failed to do that. And there is a football food chain and our job is get higher up. But this notion of every time a player goes on international duty or just does really well immediately indicating we are about to sell him is so weak minded, fragile and defeatist.

[Axl Rose]

Emi's going nowhere! He loves the Villa.

[algy]

Good article, agree completely. We've got a manager and a goalkeeper who are widely regarded as being world class. Time to build on that & act like the club we aim to be.

[Nunkin1965]

Excellent article pretty much sums up my views. Non-Villa fans desperate for every good player in the world to play for the same handful of clubs are sad enough. The fact that there are some Villa fans poised to pack his bags for him so we can get a nice fee and help whatever Londonchester club make an approach first is utterly baffling.

He signed a new five year contract in January. We've no need to sell and I'd be hugely disappointed if we even considered it.

Yes another spot on article and its exactly where our minset as a club.
As Dave has rightfully said Emery hasn't joined us for us to sell our best and most high profile player 5 minutes after walking through the door.
I'm excited for the January transfer window to appear and interested to see the level to which we go recruitment wise.

[Lucky Eddie]

20 years of losing our best players and we're to blame for becoming hardened to it and pre-empting it.

Fine.

[Brend'Watkins]

Couldn’t agree more with that Dave. It’s going to take some cultural shock to the system for Villa fans to realise we’re serious about where we’re going and how we do it.

[Rigadon]

Agree with the sentiment, but I'd just say the words 'release clause'.  If a player wants to go, and somebody is willing to meet the fee, there is jack shit the club can do to stop it.  OTHER THAN showing ambition in the transfer market and pulling off transfers that nobody else expects or wants us to.  With Emery coming in, I'm confident again that this is our plan.  So hopefully more 'Santa', than 'release'. 

After Grealish left, I am more desensitised to any player fucking off.  Losing Martinez anytime soon would be annoying though. 

[bob]

The sale of Grealish meant we lost our best player at the time but now we have a better squad.

Our new manager needs funds to take us to the next level.

Selling El Dibu whilst his stock is highest would most likely be detrimental in the short term but longer term would be a net benefit.

It's hardly baffling or fragile to suggest.

[Billy Walker]

I said the same the other day. Some Villa fans, the moment a player reaches a certain point in their career starting making lists of where we will sell him. I know we have lost good players but I’ve always said that’s almost entirely our fault. We as a club need to build around our best players and for pretty much all of my life we have failed to do that. And there is a football food chain and our job is get higher up. But this notion of every time a player goes on international duty or just does really well immediately indicating we are about to sell him is so weak minded, fragile and defeatist.

What gets me is the type of Villa fan who thinks a club owned by NSWE, culturally, is the same as the club owned by Doug Ellis.  Sawiris and Edens must have been scratching their heads when Grealish and Family (supposed Villa fans) inserted a clause in their boy's contract to facilitate a move 'to a club that can win trophies' should the opportunity arise...Wes and Nassef would surely have been thinking, "but why not stay here - at the club you support - and try to win trophies with us?"   

The ingrained defeatist, smalltime attitude that *some* Villa fans have is baffling and makes no sense.    Believe in the Club. Get behind it - Ellis is long gone. 

[LeeB]

I called it as 'Dougification' on twitter.

[Simon Page]

I'll attempt a defence of our fans expecting the worst. It's not a reflection on Villa, it's modern football. Success is now only about collecting expensive players, either to improve your team or stop others doing so. On that basis, unless we play the same game virtually all our best players will eventually be poached. Not because Villa isn't a big club with big ambitions, but because football has been designed to sustain a rich-kids-get-everything-they-want model.

Although to be clear, I don't think he's going anywhere for the foreseeable.

[Brend'Watkins]

I called it as 'Dougification' on twitter.

Doug popped into my dream last night, he was smiling and tanned but not particularly well dressed in a dated suit and a pale blue v neck jumper. This adds nothing to the discussion but it is the first time I’ve had him pop in.

[Billy Walker]

I called it as 'Dougification' on twitter.

That's the very word.  A whole generation who think Villa are incapable of winning trophies and are deemed not worthy enough to have world class players.