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Aston Villa 2008-2009

The second leg of the UEFA Cup first qualifying round is played tonight - we'll then know who we're in the hat with. It's seeded and divided into three sections .... we are in with the Netherlands, Belgium and the Scandinavian countries.

Should hopefully get a draw that is reasonably straightforward .... but remember Helsingborgs!
 
Boringer and boringer.

It was that twat at Liverpool's fault for making this public long before it should have been and it appears to be his fault for dragging it out so long.

Most damaging for Barry whatever happens now. Frankly, I wishing he'd just fuck off sooner rather than later now and that we start to build a team without him. If we can't rely on him we're better off without.

Boring boring Barry!
 
If these go through, they are good signings which will really shore up our defence in the absence of Bouma. Full back is a specialist position these days - you need specialist full backs on both sides to compete.
 
The official site is now reporting that both players are coming to Villa Park for medicals and to sort out personal terms. That is usually an indicator that the deal will be done. :cool:

http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~1360066,00.html

If we do sign Young, there is no reason for us to take Finnan in part-exchange which would be a further obstacle in the way of the Barry deal, if Liverpool are still insisting on cash + player rather than just cash.
 
They may not be world class full backs but they are both internationals and much needed. We will now have 2 and a half full backs (with Freddie Bouma injured) which is much more desireable than just an injured Bouma.
 
aylee said:
If these go through, they are good signings which will really shorey up our defence in the absence of Bouma. Full back is a specialist position these days - you need specialist full backs on both sides to compete.
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Amended!

They are both solid full backs who will do a proper defensive job rather than going AWOL as many full backs seem to do.

So, we have signed 2 keepers and 2 full backs. Now lets have 2 midfielders and at least one top class striker. We might be able to have a decent bench of subs then rather than half the youth team.
 
zaphod22 said:
They may not be world class full backs but they are both internationals and much needed. We will now have 2 and a half full backs (with Freddie Bouma injured) which is much more desireable than just an injured Bouma.
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Although I was being sarky earlier, I'm pleased that we're doing something about bringing in players for positions that we desperately need to fill, and I'm sure that they'll be good servants to the club.

But I'm getting worried that Reading are becoming our feeder club - who's next, Dave Kitson? In terms of his transfer policy (if indeed he has such a thing) MON really is the most unimaginative of managers, and I find it hard to get excited by most of his signings. But then again, he probably won't saddle us with another Bosko Balaban! :D :o :mad:
 
maximilian ping said:
is there anyone going who we can get? i would have beeen well happy with Malbranque, Alonso and Roque Santa Cruz, for example, but that aint gonna happen.

any ideas?
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I have no idea. The problem that we (and all other non top 4 clubs) have is that for the top players, playing in the Champions League is the holy grail. This doesn't seem to apply to Tottenham though for some reason. Chruist knows why?! :confused:
 
zaphod22 said:
I have no idea. The problem that we (and all other non top 4 clubs) have is that for the top players, playing in the Champions League is the holy grail. This doesn't seem to apply to Tottenham though for some reason. Chruist knows why?! :confused:
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Because Spuds are based in London which is much more attractive as a place to live as far as they're concerned.
 
Great news. Hopefully this will give our defence a lot more solidity than it had last season .... while we scored more goals than we'd managed in a quarter of a century, we also conceded far more than we usually do.

With Davies coming back from injury and Friedel behind our defence, our backline is starting to look like it can do a real job for us. :)
 
aylee said:
Great news. Hopefully this will give our defence a lot more solidity than it had last season .... while we scored more goals than we'd managed in a quarter of a century, we also conceded far more than we usually do.

With Davies coming back from injury and Friedel behind our defence, our backline is starting to look like it can do a real job for us. :)
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Agreed, Young was an ever present for 'boro last season as was Friedel for Blackburn so I'm hopeful they both will be for us. Shorey is guaranteed to play while Bouma is out and I would hope Davies and Laursen will play most games in the CB positions. Would like to see cover at CB and RB but there is an argument Gardner can cover at RB and Nathan Baker could make the step up from the reserves at CB. Not so worried now, our net spend so far is about 20 million so can still see a high profile signing happening once Barry goes.
 
Looks like Gaz Baz will stay now after Liverpool have officially declared him too expensive. Will the want away 'Ronaldo of Birmingham' still be loved by Villa fans and will he be off next year anyway?
 
It's difficult to know whether the reported refusal of the RedScouse ownership to stump up the cash for Barry is the final step in this saga, or whether it is a particularly cack-handed attempt to get Villa to reduce the price. Ultimately, the deal is still a possibility until either Barry or Liverpool makes a final decision that it isn't going to happen.

I reckon that O'Neill won't play Barry against the Icelanders in the UEFA Cup matches which are coming up so as to cup-tie him .... we shouldn't need to put our very best team out against them.

If Barry doesn't go, then I believe that he will grit his teeth, knuckle down and win the fans over by doing his job. He is professional enough to do that.
 
Biffo said:
Looks like Gaz Baz will stay now after Liverpool have officially declared him too expensive. Will the want away 'Ronaldo of Birmingham' still be loved by Villa fans and will he be off next year anyway?
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If he stays he will be as idolised as ever. He's been a fucking star for Villa. MON has handled this brilliantly IMO.

In retrospect, I strongly believe this was just an attempt by that twat at Liverpool to unsettle the team he sees as the biggest threat to a Fourth place position. He knew Barry was/is a key player in the Villa squad. I suspect that he now realises we're going to be a big threat with, or without Barry. Fourth place is ours even if we don't crack the top Three. Things are looking very good indeed :)

We already have a very nice (if small) squad with a very strong youth team to bring into the fold also.

I hope Barry stays, but fuck it - we can do well regardless.
 
Stanley Edwards said:
If he stays he will be as idolised as ever. He's been a fucking star for Villa. MON has handled this brilliantly IMO.

In retrospect, I strongly believe this was just an attempt by that twat at Liverpool to unsettle the team he sees as the biggest threat to a Fourth place position. He knew Barry was/is a key player in the Villa squad. I suspect that he now realises we're going to be a big threat with, or without Barry. Fourth place is ours even if we don't crack the top Three. Things are looking very good indeed :)

We already have a very nice (if small) squad with a very strong youth team to bring into the fold also.

I hope Barry stays, but fuck it - we can do well regardless.
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I don't think you'll be challenging seriously for the top 4, but i do think Rafa was just trying to unsettle you guys.
 
Quite hilarious that people on here actually think Benitez's only goal in this was to unsettle Villa because they are Liverpool's rivals. Also all the flack that he is getting when he hasn't even mentioned Barry's name in an interview since May whereas Woody Allen has spent the whole summer bleating shite.

Benitez rates Barry very highly and wants to buy him - even at £18m. But the Board won't let him. He was even prepared to sell Alonso to get Barry and that may still happen. This whole saga would have been over a long time ago if Barry had handed in a transfer request. Villa would have had to sell him at the best price - £14-15m probably. However Barry would have then forfeited his 10 year testimonial and lost about £2m personally.

Liverpool's statement yesterday will not make Villa drop their price. It may make Barry request a transfer though. He said he wants to play for Liverpool - but how much does he want it?

As for Villa being top 3 or 4 next season, well you're deluded frankly. Everton are clearly better than Villa and will be spending the Johnson money very soon to strengthen. Spurs will finish above Villa too and don't be too upset if Man City do the same. Quarter finals in the Uefa Cup is the most glory you can expect this year. Enjoy.
 
Biffo said:
Quite hilarious that people on here actually think Benitez's only goal in this was to unsettle Villa because they are Liverpool's rivals. Also all the flack that he is getting when he hasn't even mentioned Barry's name in an interview since May whereas Woody Allen has spent the whole summer bleating shite.

Benitez rates Barry very highly and wants to buy him - even at £18m. But the Board won't let him. He was even prepared to sell Alonso to get Barry and that may still happen. This whole saga would have been over a long time ago if Barry had handed in a transfer request. Villa would have had to sell him at the best price - £14-15m probably. However Barry would have then forfeited his 10 year testimonial and lost about £2m personally.

Liverpool's statement yesterday will not make Villa drop their price. It may make Barry request a transfer though. He said he wants to play for Liverpool - but how much does he want it?

As for Villa being top 3 or 4 next season, well you're deluded frankly. Everton are clearly better than Villa and will be spending the Johnson money very soon to strengthen. Spurs will finish above Villa too and don't be too upset if Man City do the same. Quarter finals in the Uefa Cup is the most glory you can expect this year. Enjoy.
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decent post. But i'm still surprised Barry wants to play for an outfit like Liverpool instead of Villa.

To most outsiders Liverpool at the moment is a bloated shambles run by an array of shitbags. For the past few years they've mainly been a mish mash of expensive players which end up playing 3 games and hanging out in some crap nightlclub pulling ropey scouse birds all season. Obviously there is some class there - Gerrard, Carragher and Torres especially - but i don't see much team spirit at the club.

On the other hand, Villa are an up and coming team, we are the shizzle at the moment. third highest scorers in the league and a team which is growing together. that's why i can't understand Barry - at his age - doesn't want to try and get into the Champions League with his homeboys. Surely much richer satisfaction and achievemnet in playing in champion's league with the team you have come up with, rather than with some ragtag bunch of strangers.
 
IIRC (can't find a trancript of the interview), what Barry said was that he wanted Champions League football to further himself, and saw Liverpool as the means of achieving that. Think he also said something along the lines of "If I could achieve it with Villa, then I'd stay". It does seem a funny time to be leaving, just when that aim seems to be getting closer and closer. I still think the Villa fans will support him (apart from some knuckleheads at the back of the Holte), but it's never going to be quite the same.
 
Biffo said:
Quite hilarious that people on here actually think Benitez's only goal in this was to unsettle Villa because they are Liverpool's rivals. Also all the flack that he is getting when he hasn't even mentioned Barry's name in an interview since May whereas Woody Allen has spent the whole summer bleating shite.

Benitez rates Barry very highly and wants to buy him - even at £18m. But the Board won't let him. He was even prepared to sell Alonso to get Barry and that may still happen. This whole saga would have been over a long time ago if Barry had handed in a transfer request. Villa would have had to sell him at the best price - £14-15m probably. However Barry would have then forfeited his 10 year testimonial and lost about £2m personally.

Liverpool's statement yesterday will not make Villa drop their price. It may make Barry request a transfer though. He said he wants to play for Liverpool - but how much does he want it?

As for Villa being top 3 or 4 next season, well you're deluded frankly. Everton are clearly better than Villa and will be spending the Johnson money very soon to strengthen. Spurs will finish above Villa too and don't be too upset if Man City do the same. Quarter finals in the Uefa Cup is the most glory you can expect this year. Enjoy.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I personally don't think that Benitez deliberately started shit-stirring in order to try to unsettle Barry and the rest of the club. I don't think he's that sly .... Ferguson is and Mourinho was capable of such behaviour but I don't think Benitez has that degree of ruthlessness (or cuntishness, depending on your perspective) and subtlety.

Most commentators I've seen think that Everton might not do as well this year and I think they're right, although you're right to point out that selling Johnson to Fulham is a tidy piece of business given that he hasn't done the job for any team since leaving Crystal Palace. There is more than a hint that Moyes is becoming frustrated given the lack of money in the pre-season this year and if he goes, Everton will struggle to replace him with a manager of similar quality.

Spurs .... well, I'll accept that on paper they're probably the only team who are a serious rival for the top four, but they've repeatedly failed to translate that into a serious challenge. It is interesting that their league results last season under Ramos were worse than those under Jol. Modric is a great signing for them but losing Keane and probably Berbatov will be serious blows for their prospects.

Man City .... apart from Jo, they haven't really added much to their squad and I don't see them sorting out the inconsistencies that made them fade fast after the first third of the season last year.

Villa .... I think Stanley was getting a little carried away. Our targets for this season have to be:

- a decent UEFA Cup run
- a decent run in one of the domestic cups
- to finish fifth and to finish within say six points of fourth place
- to take points off all the top four teams, including fucking ManUre for the first time in God knows how long. :rolleyes:

Those are all achievable, I think. O'Neill is in this for the long game.
 
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