Albion blog: Sign of the times

No one can fault our summer spending. It was up there with the best. However the punishing winter schedule is taking its toll.

Injuries to Morrison, Fletcher, Brunt and Olsson have reduced options dramatically. Judging by the performance against Southampton we are in great need of reinforcements.

We experienced easily the worst performance of the season so far against The Saints and the players looked jaded. The difficulty we face is introducing the right personnel that will supplement or enhance our squad, for the right cost.

History will tell us that we are not exactly prolific when it comes to signing players in the January window. I was surprised to learn that we have actually conducted just over 20% of our business during this period since the introduction of the new system in 2002. I didn't think it was that high a percentage!

History will also tell us that there have been some season changing additions made during this window, none more so than The Great Escape season of 2005.

Who can forget the added impetus the signings of Richardson and Campbell gave us during that time? You can add Horsfield to that list, helping us win promotion in 2004, Mulumbu, Kiely, Fortune and to some extent Miller, Andrews, Bifouma and Vela (for scoring against Stafford).

In recent times we have bought in McManaman and Fletcher. For reasons best known (and respected) by Tony Pulis, McManaman seems out of favour and likely to depart. Fletcher was instrumental in digging us out of the hole we were in this time last year. His capture proved an inspirational bit of business that continues to reap dividends.

We need to be mindful of the fact that we are only six points clear of the drop zone in one of the most competitive seasons ever seen. There is a huge scramble to avoid the drop this year as the well documented financial rewards from TV deals kicks in.

Clubs below us are signing. We are not in bad shape and are really not far away from having a very decent squad. We must not rest on our laurels or, in Pulis's words, become complacent and let all the hard work be undone.

Surely given the Southampton performance and the growing injury list now is a good time to invest.

Whilst on the subject of transfers; one piece of business I sincerely hope can get done is the sale of Berahino. I personally feel he's having a negative impact on the squad. Turning up late for training, tantrums on social media and numerous pictures of him on the sidelines with a face like a wet weekend are becoming tiresome and draining.

If it's Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle or even Walsall (All quiet at the Banks's Stadium today), I'm not fussed. I think the disdain with which he treats our club is completely unnecessary, self-centered and ill-conceived. Concerns for his prospective career have long since subsided. So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye Saido.

Finally; I couldn't sign off without commenting on Rudy Gestede's quip that "We'll (Villa) treat it the same as any game." Please feel free to treat it like any of the previous 22 Rudy, where your team has done so well.

It will be a huge derby once again though. The stakes are high; Villa will play without fear, almost resigned to relegation and thus have nothing to lose. We will need to be firing on all cylinders to complete the double, something we are very capable of doing. COYB!!!