We’re at the business end of the transfer window, and as I write this we have yet to add to our squad, writes Villa blogger Gregg Williams.
Having drawn at home to Blackburn on Saturday it seems like some Villa fans are already starting to push the panic button, fearing that we are a couple of injuries away from our season collapsing.
The team looked short on ideas, but you can’t fault Blackburn’s organisation and desire to get something from the game.
They packed the midfield and made life very difficult for us.
I see that Petrov is getting stick again, which really frustrates me because he was head and shoulders above Reo-Coker, despite being forced to play wide right.
He really has become a scapegoat, but can take solace from the fact that Marlon Harewood seems to have transformed himself into a cult hero following his goal against Liverpool.
Right now I have no idea whether we’re going to sign anyone, such is the cloak and dagger nature of our transfer dealings.
It looks like Gary Cahill will be on his way out, which as i’ve said before, is a real shame. £5 million is a good price right now, but I have a feeling his next move will be for twice that amount.
Thankfully King Olof Mellberg will be staying till the summer, if we’d lost them both we’d be down to four recognised defenders!
As it stands, I remain hopeful that a right-back will be signed, maybe accompanied by one other.
I’m not going to lie and say i’m over the moon with the lack of signings, but I am very happy with the progress this season, and the fact is we are currently on course for a points tally that would see us reach Europe.
Martin O’Neill is playing down our lack of signings, suggesting he isn’t desperate to get anyone in.
This has also upset some fans, but what sort of message would it send to our squad if he came out and said ‘I’m working around the clock to get players in but its hard, the fact is if I don’t make at least three signings we’ll have no chance of Europe?’
He’s being diplomatic, he will try and bring players in, if it doesn’t happen he’ll make it work with what he’s got.
Sure we could be unlucky and pick up an injury but we could also sign Kaka and then see his leg broken by Bocanegra against Fulham on his debut.
We need to get behind the team and Martin and if he has to chuck one of our reserves for a game we’ll get behind them too.
Villa fans have your say below
15 Comments
i like villa, and feel for once a manager is putting together a squad, but its taking to long, he is only buying one player per window and that is costing villa, they will come about 8th (which is fairly good for villa) but how often is 4th space going to be available?not to often. villa need to get spending quickly theres not really striker out there to sign. if i was villa id make cheeky bid for bentley to be honest. and maybe kenwyne jones to replace carew in next few seasons
GOALKEEPER….BLOODY GOALKEEPER….WISE UP WE NEED A GOAL SCORER, ATTACKING MIDFIELDER AND A RIGHT BACK..GET A GRIP
Gregg as usual i agree with most of your comments, especially with relation to the possibilty of not making signings, having an injury or two and really struggling and signing kaka and his leg getting broken in his first game,
but surely thats the vagaries of football and indeed the transfer windows as it stands,
but i suppose my disappointment lies in the promise, or hint of one from MON in the summer that obvious areas for improvement in our squad would be fulfilled this january, with a big named signing coming in and wasn’t able to do so until then, now this hasn’t happened yet, and there is still plenty of time as we know from last season, but my worry is that while MON is not demanding £100M to spend (Keegan), or purchasing lots of unknown foreign players to please the fans, with only one or two being able to step up to the plate in the premiership (Sven), that he is keeping the WAR CHEST given to him for that big-named signing(s!!), the bit of extra quality, but it has’t happened yet, in the last two transfer windows (Summer and this Jan) there have been a number of excuses/reasons on various news threads, or forum threads, that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to get those players.
If we are indeed on the march, what is it that is stopping us from identifying those quality players we need, and showing them the way! The Claret and Blue Way? I am sick of being linked to every Tom, Dick or Harry that is sounding out his discontent at his current club, or isn’t accepting contract offers from the clubs they’re at, is that the sort of player we want coming to the villa?
I think its a dangerous game we are playing with Cahill leaving, its amazing that Mellberg has done so well in the right back position, that it is no surprise that a big club like Juventus have come in for such a Quality player and given him what he wants. Its not to say that we could have offered him enough to stay, maybe it was right for him to move on, he has been a great servant for us, and will be greatly missed, but surely these are the sort of players we should be looking at keeping, if not buying ourselves, if indeed he does help us into europe at the end of the season, will there be a player in to replace his quality, his ability to move from the centre of defence to any position on the back line? because thats where we should be looking! It only takes one or two injuries in defence and/or midfield to really upset the applecart. So far, so good this season!
We all know that this was a transitional season, and next season is where we should be looking, but with MON coming into the last year of his contract next season, why not get there this season, get him tied down with a new, even more lucrative contract that a genius like him deserves, then cement our position in the top 5/6 of the league!
As for throwing in a Reserve player or two, or some youth, there are a few players who have been mentioned(by my dad who keeps his ear to the ground with the youth team and reserves) and then there is sailfou? When is going to be right for him, or is he not up to the challenge, we only have him signed up to a one year contract!
Always keepin the faith, with the midnight hour of the 31st fast approaching!!
I think it’s all very well MON saying that he’s not going to be making any panic buys over the next 72 hours. But like he says, if we do pick up an injury and we already have a small squad, why is Cahill being linked to a move out??!!!! that’s one less player, assuming we don’t strengthen. I thought we had money to burn now and so even though under ellis, we would’ve had to sell Cahill to buy someone else…..i wouldn’t sell Gary Cahill unless we sign a reliable replacement first.
Anybody remember the times when we bought aging players on big contracts who lasted a couple of years and then disappeared with no return, ( transfer fee or trophy)Balaban, Ginola, Hadji, Kachloul, Stone, Shmeichel the list goes on, be patient, buy quality for the future and build steadily, Arsenal and Man Utd are the benchmark, look at the words on your scarf “Proud History - Bright Future” not “proud history - Quick fix” continuety and progress is the way forward. It will be worth it in the end.
Mick (5) i am with you, i agree totally, no quick fixes here,
but there is plenty of quality out there, i think what makes it difficult is to understand our position in the transfer window,
we are constantly linked to some quality players and players withe the potential to be so, as MON likes, but its not just us, the supposed Newcastle Revolution, linked with every player going! That will fall flat on its face, and Newcastle will look like the fools we all know they are, quoted as everyones favourite second team?? Not mine!
I just think that if we have the spending power as has been reputed, why not go out and get one or two quality players? Yes a punt on David Bentley, as someone else has mentioned, Chimbonda? No, he has two years at a club and then wants to move on, we want someone who will see a future at Villa, a BRIGHT FUTURE and WANTS to be a part of that.
We do need a right back, we do need a (in my opinion) two midfielders, one defianately on the right side, and a double figure scoring striker!
I think we will probably see Chimbonda, by Friday, parading in Villa shirt (good player, but an ego the size of Karen Brady’s backside!!). Heard Routledge mentioned as well, could be a good fit for us as he’s got pace to burn and can put a good cross in,only downside is why he hasn’t made it at Spurs and Fulham??
I’ll keep the faith in MON and hope to see at least 2 by friday. UTV
BEN, Get some work done!!!!
Graham, I am working, this is important stuff!!
MON has been quoted on SkySports as saying:
“We are, in terms of numbers, a little bit short. What we want to try to do is safeguard the situation.
and
“Will I sign no-one at all? Anything is possible. We are looking every single day. New names are thrust upon us every day.
“But what I don’t want, generally speaking, are new names that I don’t know an awful lot about - unless they are short-term affairs, players in on loan where there is really no risk.
“Loans can supplement the squad, boys who have got a wee bit of quality.”
Now this i find somewhat confusing, is he saying we are looking at short term loan players,
What is he safeguarding? Is he doing the job of Financial Director and keeping an eye on wages and what is being spent where?
I thought we where supposed to be safeguarding our position!?
And what is the risk he talks about? We should be expanding on our threadbare squad with quality and mixture of youth and experience,
But thats my opinion
Up the Villa!
Ben (Villa Fan) Definately NO to Chimbonda, Routledge would be worth a look on loan, your comments on the Newcastle Revolution got me thinking : Villa(a)Man U(h)Blackburn(h)liverpool(a)Blues(a)Spurs(a)pompey(a)Sunderland(h)W Ham(a)Chelsea(h)Everton(a) oh and Arsenal tonight, can’t see too many points for the King Kev Barcodes there, But back to what matters, why would Blackburn sell Bentley, that would be like us selling Gabby, it’s not going to happen, I feel we have enough danger up front, but we don’t have enough from midfield, especially now Barry’s goals seem to have dried up, Reo Cocker (good player) gets nose bleed around opponents box, Petrov out of position and Young out wide, Somebody driving through the middle is what we need.
We have to ask the question, do the type of players we require to push on onto the top four want to come to AVFC?, Young hungry players with a great desire, I hope through international duties from players in our team, that AVFC is a good place to be. We have to trust in MON and RL, because this is the best it has been in years. My belief is once the first one or two come in the rest will follow
agree no quick fix, but in 2seasons top 4 maybe clear even likes of everton spurs
villas chance is this season to be established regular in europe etc… the last time this chance came was everton which was 3-4yrs ago now
Mick, as for Bentley, there was a time he was spoken about as a replacement for Beckham, and again, with the three lions under fabio’s control and having impressed most this season he is looking in again at a possible england call up,
looking around the net it is hard to establish his official preferred position as some have him marked up as a forward and some as a midfielder, i think the few times i have watched blackburn, be it on sunday for the full 90 mins, or on MOTD in brief highlights, he has played wide right, which is somewhere we need to look at. He has a desire to do well, and is obviously impressing all around him, as he is being noticed and is being ear-marked for the next england game(granted only against switzerland!).
As for who we should be looking for, well, you only have to look at MON’s past signings, young english talent/prospect. I know alot of people who baulked at Villa paying what we did for Ashley Young, but who is laughing now, we have statistically the best crosser of the ball in the premiership with the most goals being scored by balls supplied by him than any other player in the league, now when you think about the players out there, in the top 3 teams, we got a bargain, and it looks like england might now have a new option!
So is this where we should be looking, homegrown talent, i don’t think entirely, as has been said by DAVID PUGH, with some of our stars in selected for International duties, we will soon be recognised as a place to come. I mean look at the benefits of being at the villa, unlike RAFA at anfield, and his rotation policy, at villa, if your playing well, your playing, you don’t have to worry about being dropped. Unlike chelsea, we aren’t spending our money frivolously on players who scored a spectacular goal one week, then we pay £18m for him to sit on a bench or is farmed out on loan the next, and as for newcastle, we don’t have dillusions of grandeur, we know what we are capable of, and our PROUD HISTORY is evidence of what we can achieve. We have the manager, we need a few more players to be in a position to get it!
So where do we go now? Where do we look? Its obvious the positions that need developing, so where do we look, is there anyone in the UK that can and want to achieve want we want as the VILLA!? I say the UK, due to the constant link to Hutton at Rangers, though the lure of the big smoke is more important to some.
Does the club have scouts out in europe looking for some young talent, i just don’t want to be caught short in big games with an injury or two, and there is no back up, and most importantly no experience, striking that balance is going to be difficult.
Mick as you said at 5. we don’t want to buy hasbeens who are just after a paycheck, but again, is there any of this type of player avaialble to us in this country? That seems to be MON’s preferred option. This season has been more diffcult than most due to a lot of clubs improving both on the pitch and in the financial arena, a lot of clubs have had fresh investment, and with that fresh impetus, inclucing us, so your right, why would bentley come from one of the scrapping pack for 4th place to another? What is it that is not desireable about AVFC that is with Rovers? We have one of the most respected managers in the game, a chairman who seems to be in it for the long haul, and facilities that rival the best in the country.
Its a mystery, but lets hope as has been said, if one or two come, then more will follow, lets hope so, but we need that one or two yet!!
UP THE VILLA!!!
What I meant to say at 13 was
Mick as you said at 5. we don’t want to buy hasbeens who are just after a paycheck. Is there a young talented prospect avaialble to us in this country? That seems to be MON’s preferred option
Going for a big name at this point (or a “quick fix” as some of you say) is EXACTLY what we need. If you recall last year we started very strong (the last team to lose a game in Europe) and finished very strong with the streak at the end of the year. The struggle was in the Dec-Jan months. Since we are in the middle of an unbeaten streak now all that needs to happen is to finish out like 2007. If the market drives up prices between now and Thursday (which it will) Lerner will pay it! I’m not looking to 2008-2009, I’m looking at right now. There’s no reason the Villa can’t get into the top 4 this year. I say we press right now and strike while the iron is hot- MON is the right man to get us there this year AND next.
UP THE VILLA!