Damian Vidagany - Director of Football

[Brazilian Villain]

. I hope Sawiris tells him to get off twitter and pull his finger out.
This season was a massive opportunity to do something. Teams like manu and man city falling away, instead we've been sucked back in to midtable.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing

Hindsight is risk-free, and its rewards are commensurate.

[eye digress]

Diaby seemed to have a massive loss of confidence in front of goal/in the final third sometime around Christmas.

But he always showed willing and energy, I felt (Philogene take note), and even when he was off colour, he still managed to produce some end product (Brentford away, Luton away, Liverpool home, for example).

It’s hard to argue with his sale, however, as we secured a premium given that his mediocre form in the second half of the season would not really have warranted a “natural” increase in value on European markets.

I thought it was a reasonable punt to imagine Philogene replacing the parts of Diaby that, as Dave points out, Rogers cannot reach. But he has made late-season Diaby look positively world class, hence perhaps the rose tinted specs. Can’t see Philogene turning that around now, sadly.

[Olneythelonely]

Not too shabby at all

You'd have 6 assists and 2 goals out there by now, with an xG of 20, if you went out there.

I have never watched saudi football at all. I know the standards low but i would imagine his team mates would be at a very poor level?

Benzema, Kante, Fabinho, Aouar, Bergwijn...

Yeah, but, erm, it’s probably hot out there.

[eamonn]

"Monkey and Vidy" - as nicknames go, fair play!

[DB]

I suppose this is a good place as any for this:
https://x.com/kieranmaguire/status/1874729941486727224?s=61&t=xJ3Qpfj5c0SMrRQDwdeZJg

[aj2k77]

As frustrating as this season has been we have to acknowledge how hamstrung we've been by the bent ffp rules they use to keep everyone in their place. I was bored and took a look after we beat Man City at the cost of all the starting 11's that played that weekend and ours was only the 10th most expensive.

By and large we've done well with what we've spent, it's just frustrating that we qualify for the Champions League and have to sign players from Hull and Luton to comply with some arbitary rule that doesn't affect others because they charge thousands for suits to eat prawn sandwiches. Nothing to do with on the pitch.

Chelsea £435m
Man City £360m
Man Utd £359m
Liverpool £350m
Arsenal £312m

Newcastle £309m
Tottenham £297m
West Ham £286m
Brighton £181m
Aston V £170m

Wolves £164m
Notts F £160m
Bournemouth £154m
Leicester £126m
Brentford £117m

Fulham £111m
Southampton £105m
Everton £100m
Crystal P £88m
Ipswich £77m

[LeeB]

As frustrating as this season has been we have to acknowledge how hamstrung we've been by the bent ffp rules they use to keep everyone in their place. I was bored and took a look after we beat Man City at the cost of all the starting 11's that played that weekend and ours was only the 10th most expensive.

By and large we've done well with what we've spent, it's just frustrating that we qualify for the Champions League and have to sign players from Hull and Luton to comply with some arbitary rule that doesn't affect others because they charge thousands for suits to eat prawn sandwiches. Nothing to do with on the pitch.

Yeah, I looked at that table in the post above then a few minutes later looked at the gossip page on the BBC, which is leading with Man Utd looking to bring in Gyokores for £80m.

Fuck off.

[aj2k77]

Modded my post with the starting 11 costs I'd worked out. Obviously not 100% accurate and doesn't include add on's but gives a general view of the fee's. The gap from 9th to 8th spend is as large as the gap from 9th to 20th. We've done really well but without the rules being relaxed we have a glass ceiling.

[Bent Neilsens Screamer]

Modded my post with the starting 11 costs I'd worked out. Obviously not 100% accurate and doesn't include add on's but gives a general view of the fee's. The gap from 9th to 8th spend is as large as the gap from 9th to 20th. We've done really well but without the rules being relaxed we have a glass ceiling.

I know it’s a rough calculation but Im surprised the top 3’s combined cost isn’t bigger tbh.

[aj2k77]

Modded my post with the starting 11 costs I'd worked out. Obviously not 100% accurate and doesn't include add on's but gives a general view of the fee's. The gap from 9th to 8th spend is as large as the gap from 9th to 20th. We've done really well but without the rules being relaxed we have a glass ceiling.

I know it’s a rough calculation but Im surprised the top 3’s combined cost isn’t bigger tbh.

Well take Man Utd for example, it didn't include Anthony, Mount, Di Ligt, Yoro or Hojlund. That would be another £300m alone. It was just fee's for the starting 11 players on the weekend before Christmas. Squad costs for some of them like Chelsea would be astronomical.

[Percy McCarthy]

Our net spend is even more impressive when you consider that most of our players are either pure profit, near-as-dammit pure profit because they’ve been almost fully amortised or (in Duran’s case) because they’re worth a fortune compared to their initial fee.

PP: Ramsay, Tielemans, Kamara, Barry.

Near-as-dammit: McGinn, Konsa, Cash, Martinez, Mings, Watkins, Duran,

Still a fair bit to pay: Carlos, Onana, Torres, Digne, Maatsen.

Bargain bucket: Olsen, Hause.

Turning like a wheel dragging a heavy stone,
A weight that ties us down that we will always own:

Coutinho.

[eamonn]

Is that Weller?

[Percy McCarthy]

Is that Weller?

Paraphrased, yes.

As You Lean Into The Light, from Heavy Soul.

The subject I was posting about made me think of it, that made me put it on in my headphones, and during that first listen, my mate rang and told me his sister had been put on DNR at the QE.

What a turn of events.

Erm… happy new year everyone! Sorry.

[Tuscans]

https://www.avfcfab.co.uk/letter-from-damian-vidagany

Letter From Damian
Damian Vidagany is Aston Villa's Director of Football Operations and very much Unai Emery's right-hand man.

The Villa FAB was greatly encouraged by our first meeting with Damian back in December. He is a football man through and through, and it was clear that the meeting was never intended as a PR exercise. His transparency and thoughtfulness were both welcome and refreshing.

It’s our belief - and his - that for Villa to truly break into the 'big six' and achieve the belief and consistency required, the team and the supporters must move forward together, working in unison, especially on match days.

Following the dramatic night at Villa Park against PSG  - a powerful reminder of what a fully charged home crowd can achieve - Damian sent the Villa FAB the message below. He kindly agreed that we could share it publicly, as it was written with every single Villa supporter in mind.

Message to Villa supporters
18th April 2025

Dear Fan Advisory Board members,

 

First, I would like to show how grateful we are to the supporters - from everyone at the club, the manager, the players, and the staff - for the European night atmospheres we had at VP. We know how hard it was for many people to get tickets… and pay for them.


We had the responsibility to make it worthwhile, and we did our best. We finished angry because we should be in the semi-final, but we will have our opportunity to come back stronger.

 

It comes to my mind the nice meeting we had at Christmas. I remember that I asked you to keep the faith and trust the process of the team. We delivered. Now is the time to ask you one more thing. We need you every single match providing the energy and strength to the squad.

 

We cannot ever think that we have had enough. We want and we need to qualify for UCL again. This is where we belong, and we won’t stop now. Not a second to be self-proud of what we did. Everything is coming now. We want a trophy, and we want to go Champions League.

 

We need you guys fully engaged, please help us spreading the message: A winning team, a winning club, never is full and never is tired of getting new challenges.

 

Newcastle tomorrow is the new “PSG”  for us. It is like a UCL semi-final.

 

Up the Villa.

 

Damian Vidagany.

[Hookeysmith]

Fair play to him and the club.

For the last 20 odd years I have not gave a toss about the champions league as it was dominated from our league by the same scum 6.

Now that we have tasted those nights it is drug we surely must all crave. Let's start by beating these fuckers and the 115 mob  to stamp our mark on our place