Deadline day and a half!

Villa_Dan wrote:Tiago Ilori? I know we were linked with him earlier but the deal sheet is in so happening?

No idea where in defence he plays. RB?

CB... Doesn't make any sense...

Richards, Clark, Okore, Lescott, Senderos, Baker (Loaned out), and now Ilori??? Don't forget Sanchez and Crespo can also play there too.

3 at the back? I always thought Sherwood would want to play 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 with wing backs

Or Richards to RB? Fuck knows. CB is the 1 position I didn't see a need for once we'd announced Lescott

Strange one bringing in another CB, there seems a lack of balance in the squad, we are overloaded in some positions and lacking in others.
It's great we have an eye on the future bringing in young players, however it's the hear and now, as going forwards we need to see real progression to attract bigger sponsors, better players etc and simply have to avoid relegation. I'm not as impressed with the business we have done as some, too many gambles, we lack a real goalscorer and a goalkeeper that spreads confidence rather than panic across the back 4.
But this is what we have going forwards, I just hope it's enough and there are 3 worse teams again this year

I think this means Okores injury is worse than reported or Sherwood wants to give him a long time to recover, so he doesn't get injured again. Also pretty sure Senderos is done...

CB group this season will be Richards, Clark, Lescott, Ilori, and Okore when he returns. 5 CBs is pretty standard.

I think we need to have faith in our current squad, we have bought 2 forwards this transfer window, we also have to assume that TS has done his homework on them. The last thing this team needs is us slating them. The squad looks so much better than last year. Yes we have a question over our forwards but I think they will come good, combine this with Adama, amavi, grealish, gill, Sinclair and Gueye we have a very attack minded team.

From what i've seen I can't get overly excited about Ayew and Gestede, I will give them time but we should of gone out big and got someone proven but yet again Lerner won't do it!

Can someone name this mythical proven goal scorer we should've signed? For me Rudy and Ayew are proven just not the premier league. People say Austin but who's to say he wouldn't suffer 2nd season syndrome? Are you proven after one year? As for Adebayor I think he's lost the plot so I think we've dodged a bullet there. It's been a very good window but like all fans we want more. Out of interest does the Llori agreed buy out fee go towards net spend??

Liverpool fans seem annoyed we've got this defender. And apparently he's rapid as fuck (Ronaldo-speed). Can't be too shabby. 

Only choice for a striker would be Berba - offer him the wages he wanted but make 50% of them performance related.

Shame the Gayle deal didn't happen would of flourished in our team.

Well that's it, pleased exept for no keeper TBH, the right striker was not avail for the money, hoping we can get ilori up to speed @RB and Lescott should be ideal fit for Richards, solid back4.............Goals will come when Traore Jack and Gil up and running...........Sinclair already firing, Ayew needs bit more time like Rudy, Kozak will score if gets a chance, that makes Gabby 5th choice 4me....

The future is bright, now lets get behind em, deafen them when we sing their names, lift them, encourage them to fight for our great club and make us PROUD..........UTV

Ayew scored tonight so clearly he does know where the goal actually is. Ilori people are saying can play anywhere at the back so if he pacy and defensively sound he could be a more than decent RB and give us pace from the back on both sides.

Ok just came home from work. Well that was a bloody anti climax eh. Still haven't replaced Tekkers and we go for RS rejects on loan. Ace. Fucking hate Lerner with passion.

Only 4 thing's have disappointed me in this transfer window.... N'Zogbia, Senderos, Richardson and Cole still here and getting paid.

Will we ever shift them??

avfc85 wrote:Shame the Gayle deal didn't happen would of flourished in our team.

I'm not all that fussed. I was hoping for a finished article striker to complement the raw ones with potential that we have. May as well stick with what we have and see how we go.

Plus, he look likes 70's action man's nan. It's kind of unnerving.

What does annoy me is that we leave it to the last minute to try and do it, then let a piss pot little club like Crystal Palace insult us in the media.

I shouldn't worry much about Crystal Palace Mazrim. Mr Pardew always starts very well, but generally after about 18 months everything starts to unravel. So about this time next year I doubt they'll be quite so gobby.

DaveAV1 wrote:I shouldn't worry much about Crystal Palace Mazrim. Mr Pardew always starts very well, but generally after about 18 months everything starts to unravel. So about this time next year I doubt they'll be quite so gobby.

Yes. This. Surprised about how they've managed to establish themselves as a mid-table team though, fair play to them.

I very strongly dislike Pardew though. Complete arse who thinks it's okay to headbutt opposition players. Here's a story from West Ham employee Steve Bacon that I saw over at sackpardew.com a while back:

West Ham employee, Steve Bacon

“I don’t like Alan Pardew. There, I’ve said it. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever known a more arrogant person in my life. We never got on from the first moment we met – and our relationship deteriorated from there. There was one occasion when I threatened to stick a fork in his hand. I was sort of joking, but there were definitely times when I felt like swinging at him. Or telling him to fork off, if you follow my drift.”



“Let me tell you a story. In fact, it’s called the ‘King story’ among those who were present and who believe it’s a perfect example of Pardew’s arrogance. We were staying at a hotel in the North East ahead of a game at Sunderland during Alan’s first season in charge and were about to have our Friday evening meal. The players were restricted to boiled chicken or pasta, or suchlike, whereas the rest of the West Ham party had the choice of the entire menu. I sat down with Pardew, kit manager Eddie Gillam, physiotherapist John Green and fitness coach Tony Strudwick, who now works for Manchester United and has done very well for himself. We ordered our meals and suddenly Pardew asked us all what we were having. I think Eddie said he’d gone for the chicken, while I’d chosen the steak. Pards then turned to Struds, who revealed whatever it was he’d asked for. ‘That sounds good,’ said Pards. ‘Tell you what; if yours is better than mine when it turns up, I’m having that.’ That was one of the things he’d always say: I’m having that. ‘See that bloke’s haircut? I’m having that.’ He said it all the time. Anyway, I wasn’t ‘having that’ at all. So I said, ‘Well, you’re certainly not having my dinner. You’ll get a fork in the back of your hand!’ Pardew sort of laughed, before turning back to Struds and saying, ‘Yeah, if yours is better than mine, I’m having that.’ Our meals eventually arrived and Pards looked at Tony and said, ‘Yeah, I was right, yours definitely looks much better than mine; I’m having that.’ And he went to swap the plates over. ‘You can’t do that!’ I said. ‘What do you mean?’ he asked. ‘You can’t just take somebody else’s dinner,’ I said in disbelief. And he replied, without any hint of a joke, ‘When you’re the King, you can do anything.’ Eddie, Tony, John and I just looked at each other and there was an uncomfortable silence for a moment. Struds was a nice guy but he could be a bit of a ‘yes man’ at times and so he just allowed Pardew to swap the plates. However, the rest of us were flabbergasted by it all and we ended up discussing what had happened in the bar. Alan kept a straight face when referring to himself as ‘the King’ and I just couldn’t believe the arrogance of the man.”

DomAVFC wrote:

DaveAV1 wrote:I shouldn't worry much about Crystal Palace Mazrim. Mr Pardew always starts very well, but generally after about 18 months everything starts to unravel. So about this time next year I doubt they'll be quite so gobby.

Yes. This. Surprised about how they've managed to establish themselves as a mid-table team though, fair play to them.

I very strongly dislike Pardew though. Complete arse who thinks it's okay to headbutt opposition players. Here's a story from West Ham employee Steve Bacon that I saw over at sackpardew.com a while back:

West Ham employee, Steve Bacon

“I don’t like Alan Pardew. There, I’ve said it. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever known a more arrogant person in my life. We never got on from the first moment we met – and our relationship deteriorated from there. There was one occasion when I threatened to stick a fork in his hand. I was sort of joking, but there were definitely times when I felt like swinging at him. Or telling him to fork off, if you follow my drift.”



“Let me tell you a story. In fact, it’s called the ‘King story’ among those who were present and who believe it’s a perfect example of Pardew’s arrogance. We were staying at a hotel in the North East ahead of a game at Sunderland during Alan’s first season in charge and were about to have our Friday evening meal. The players were restricted to boiled chicken or pasta, or suchlike, whereas the rest of the West Ham party had the choice of the entire menu. I sat down with Pardew, kit manager Eddie Gillam, physiotherapist John Green and fitness coach Tony Strudwick, who now works for Manchester United and has done very well for himself. We ordered our meals and suddenly Pardew asked us all what we were having. I think Eddie said he’d gone for the chicken, while I’d chosen the steak. Pards then turned to Struds, who revealed whatever it was he’d asked for. ‘That sounds good,’ said Pards. ‘Tell you what; if yours is better than mine when it turns up, I’m having that.’ That was one of the things he’d always say: I’m having that. ‘See that bloke’s haircut? I’m having that.’ He said it all the time. Anyway, I wasn’t ‘having that’ at all. So I said, ‘Well, you’re certainly not having my dinner. You’ll get a fork in the back of your hand!’ Pardew sort of laughed, before turning back to Struds and saying, ‘Yeah, if yours is better than mine, I’m having that.’ Our meals eventually arrived and Pards looked at Tony and said, ‘Yeah, I was right, yours definitely looks much better than mine; I’m having that.’ And he went to swap the plates over. ‘You can’t do that!’ I said. ‘What do you mean?’ he asked. ‘You can’t just take somebody else’s dinner,’ I said in disbelief. And he replied, without any hint of a joke, ‘When you’re the King, you can do anything.’ Eddie, Tony, John and I just looked at each other and there was an uncomfortable silence for a moment. Struds was a nice guy but he could be a bit of a ‘yes man’ at times and so he just allowed Pardew to swap the plates. However, the rest of us were flabbergasted by it all and we ended up discussing what had happened in the bar. Alan kept a straight face when referring to himself as ‘the King’ and I just couldn’t believe the arrogance of the man.”

Anyway, overall I'm pretty happy with this window. There is a big question mark or frustration rather over Lerner's apparent no desire to put any real additional money in which to me says he definitely hasn't had a change of heart and "in it to win it". But all things considered, I think over the course of the window we've added some excitement into the team and that in itself is a big step forward from the Lambert regime.

Also bear in mind when it comes to "clear-cut obvious targets we should've gone for" none of us are involved in any of the transfer conversations and it is certainly not going to be as simple as some seem to think.

'The Daily Telegraph claim Adebayor had also consulted his pastor at the end of July when a move to Aston Villa looked to be on the cards.

The 31-year-old completed a medical and posed in a Villa shirt but said he wanted a sign from god before making the switch to Villa Park official.

After that fell through, he then came close to joining West Ham this week after Spurs agreed to cancel the final year of his £100,000-a-week contract.'

Sign a contract/sign from god. Easy to mix up.

FoxyAV wrote:'The Daily Telegraph claim Adebayor had also consulted his pastor at the end of July when a move to Aston Villa looked to be on the cards.

The 31-year-old completed a medical and posed in a Villa shirt but said he wanted a sign from god before making the switch to Villa Park official.

After that fell through, he then came close to joining West Ham this week after Spurs agreed to cancel the final year of his £100,000-a-week contract.'

Sign a contract/sign from god. Easy to mix up.

Not a single second of sleep shall be lost tonight having avoided this clusterfuck.

Agree on Pardew. Cnut of epic proportions. And I hope the next time he tries to nut a player he gets dumped on his arse. Bet he wouldn't have pulled that shit on Duncan Ferguson!!

As for Lerner, he has failed once again to match the ambition of the club. Fox and Sherwood obviously have real ambitions for themselves which involves improving the lot of Aston Villa but they are being let down by our faithful "custodian." Do us all a favour Lerner and fuck off, failing that have your family declare you mentally incompetent so they can remove your influence from any aspect of our lives.

Villa_Dan wrote:Agree on Pardew. Cnut of epic proportions. And I hope the next time he tries to nut a player he gets dumped on his arse. Bet he wouldn't have pulled that shit on Duncan Ferguson!!

As for Lerner, he has failed once again to match the ambition of the club. Fox and Sherwood obviously have real ambitions for themselves which involves improving the lot of Aston Villa but they are being let down by our faithful "custodian." Do us all a favour Lerner and fuck off, failing that have your family declare you mentally incompetent so they can remove your influence from any aspect of our lives.

Yes to both points. People may not like Sherwood, but at least he isn't Pardew!

Can you imagine if Pearson had pulled what he did last season on someone like Dunc? It would've ended up with the game called off while they looked for his teeth!

I thought the idea was to make the club self sufficient and not reliant on a sugar daddy pumping in billions of pounds so we can compete with the other clubs kept afloat by billionaires? Lerner's trying to sell the club, he's apparently not willing to let it go to any old idiot. So if no one wants to buy the club should a) Lerner get it to the point where it's self sufficient and he has nothing to do with it until it is sold, b) Lerner decides he doesn't care about the club's future at all and sells to someone unsuitable or c) Lerner just fucks off as requested and the whole shooting match crumbles around us? I'm going for c). Lerner out!

I'm not sure what the net spend was but I'm guessing not huge. So Lerner likely limited the spend to money made of sold players plus or minus a few million.

Not the most ambitious of moves but then, considering he's selling, it's also not the worst case scenario!

What HAS impressed me in the way this off season has been conducted. Typically we've done things mostly on the quiet - unlike a certain red scouse bastard club who do all their negotiating through the media - and we've done some clever deals.

How the lines of communication work between Sherwwod and Fox is anyone's guess but it's fairly obvious that whatever they're doing, they're doing well.

I also suspect that there's a lot of input coming from a great many sources from scouts through to our new assistant manager; I've got little doubt that his influence so far has been massive!

No, we've not got the striker we appear to so desperately want but, like Germany in the last World Cup, maybe the manager feels we've got enough fire power coming from midfield to more than cover the loss we'll feel from not having Benteke in the side.

As such, I give this window a solid 10/10 and can honestly say that I feel it's been the best window ever for this club. There's no way anyone could have predicted this.

I'm happy with our business, we have more or less got rid of an entire squad of who have been total garbage for three years !

Most of what we have signed are unproven yes, but hopefully, and the signs are promising, we will now improve & climb the league!