2016 Summer Transfer Speculation

The Utterer wrote:I think many of us, myself included are panicking a bit actually Last season our biggest embarrassments for me were Nzogbia, Gabby, Grealish & Richardson. Two of them have left and two of them appear to have sorted their acts out and could be very strong players in this division..Of course those two are Grealish & Gabby.

Then we have the missing trio of long term injured players who had little chance to make an impact last season so for me should not be tarred with the same brush..Namely Amavi, Kozack & Traore.

The other "misfits" are i guess Lescott, Richards & possibly Sanchez, all of whom for me can do a job as squad players at this level or will be useful against the "bruiser" teams, of which there are plenty in this division. Their experience will be valuable at some point i feel.

My main concern was the creative side to the team but with a re-focussed Grealish, fit again Traore, Green and Hepburn-Murphy breaking through and maybe one or two additions, we could do better than expected actually.

We will soon find out no doubt but i am actually excited to see us play for the 1st time in years right now!

I've given up on lescott and Richards.

Gabby could be lethal but I think he's washed up, I said earlier we have 3 new signings and the kids, you mentioned a rejuvenated Grealish, with amavi and Abama still to come so we can field a whole new team then from last year. Add to that some coaches that understand this game and are probably much better man managers then things look better then people are thinking. One other thing, the manager has to sort out these underachieving ego's, however, I think that players getting out of hand might have to visit Wyness's office now and that experience will be somewhat different to what nice but dim fox was.

I understand the angst regards Richards and Lescott but i do think Lescott can come in with a few goals and Richards is very strong which will be an asset in some games even if just coming off the bench.... I have no issue with them leaving however if that transpires.

The biggest difference for me with the Premier League and Championship is the Prem is a touch less physical against the physical teams and the speed of touch & decision making is far quicker. This will help players like Lescott and Richards ... in my opinion of course.

Where the Championship has changed is that there are now a variety of teams, some now less physical than in times past and a few more decent footballing sides than we will maybe expect. So we need a wide balance between speed, intelligence and physicality / fitness. The teams who get that balance more than the rest will ultimately get promotion in my view.

Wriggle wrote:I think a reality check is needed for some.

Current Championship ins and outs

So far we are negative 14.55m with the next two big spenders being 7.2m and 3.6m, so comments that we have to sell to buy are pretty wide of the mark.

We haven't yet lost any player of note that we'd like to keep, yes there has been paper talk but most of that is guesswork.

we have shipped out N'Zog and Richardson and hopefully some more of the deadwood will follow shortly, so are we really in that bad a position going into the first game? I'd be happy with this team starting against sheff weds:
                 Gollini
Hutton  Elphick   Okore/Baker   Amavi
                  Gana      
           Tshibola Gardner
      Grealish (free role)
                 Ayew

Is that a million miles away from being competitive in this league?

Both RDM and Xia have said they want more in and a forward is one of them, but should they just rush out an buy a player if he isn't the right one? What about if the right player is someone like Bamford and Chelsea have said we can have him but they want to get someone in first before they will do a deal?

I think some people still have the negativity hangover from the last owner and management, and understandable why, but they should shake that off and give this new group a chance at least as the ink has hardly dried on Lerners cheque!

Firstly the point about having to sell to buy was largely based upon the odds on Morrison being slashed after Gana was reported to be off, so wasn't entirely serious.

Your team there is pretty unrealistic cause it's pretty likely both Gana and possibly Ayew is off. Even if we manage to keep Ayew (and God I hope so), we still need a striker. RDM's preferred tactic according to those who have watched his teams have been 4-2-3-1. We simply don't have that main striker. It could be Bamford, so why we just don't sign him I don't know. If we're after another striker, we can't we just sign him? Newcastle signed quality championship replacements for their outgoings in Richie and Gayle straight after the paperwork was done.

IF we lose Ayew and we consider your tactic, we still are missing THREE key players to make that tactic work. If we will play 4-2-3-1 we're still missing 2, if not three. I have zero faith in Gardner and Tshibola to manage an entire season.

It speakes VOLUMES that we aren't actively signing players without moving on the bomb squad from last season. If we were dead serious and had money we would spend it. We clearly aren't. We haven't even spent a fraction of the parachute payments.

As for the table comparing us to other clubs in the championship. That's kinda the point. We are AVFC. We shouldn't compare our expenditure and signings to teams like fucking BHA, Brentford, Derby, Preston and what not.

4BetLite wrote:

The Utterer wrote:I think many of us, myself included are panicking a bit actually Last season our biggest embarrassments for me were Nzogbia, Gabby, Grealish & Richardson. Two of them have left and two of them appear to have sorted their acts out and could be very strong players in this division..Of course those two are Grealish & Gabby.

Then we have the missing trio of long term injured players who had little chance to make an impact last season so for me should not be tarred with the same brush..Namely Amavi, Kozack & Traore.

The other "misfits" are i guess Lescott, Richards & possibly Sanchez, all of whom for me can do a job as squad players at this level or will be useful against the "bruiser" teams, of which there are plenty in this division. Their experience will be valuable at some point i feel.

My main concern was the creative side to the team but with a re-focussed Grealish, fit again Traore, Green and Hepburn-Murphy breaking through and maybe one or two additions, we could do better than expected actually.

We will soon find out no doubt but i am actually excited to see us play for the 1st time in years right now!

I've given up on lescott and Richards.

Me too. I know Richards can be a useful player at RB, and he probably is a quality championship player. But right now to me he's like that girl who cheated on me, but I know is capable of amazing blowjobs. It's tempting, but the history by FAR out weighs anything she can do. Okey, worst analogy ever, but you get the point.

Lescott, Richards, Bacuna and Gabby can all fuck off. And then fuck off some more. I'd rather play several seasons in the championship than watch them wear the claret and blue again.

And those who think this is an overreaction and I would change my mind about them when we win 5 on the trot. You are so wrong. To quote Ari Gold "think of it like the Holocaust. NEVER AGAIN. That is what got us there in the first place."

thinlizzy wrote:I expected more of a revolution with the new takeover but its all gone a bit flat. We will lose Sinclair and ayew in next few weeks, we should have bought in at least one striker at this stagev

were in the championship

4BetLite wrote:

The Utterer wrote:I think many of us, myself included are panicking a bit actually Last season our biggest embarrassments for me were Nzogbia, Gabby, Grealish & Richardson. Two of them have left and two of them appear to have sorted their acts out and could be very strong players in this division..Of course those two are Grealish & Gabby.

Then we have the missing trio of long term injured players who had little chance to make an impact last season so for me should not be tarred with the same brush..Namely Amavi, Kozack & Traore.

The other "misfits" are i guess Lescott, Richards & possibly Sanchez, all of whom for me can do a job as squad players at this level or will be useful against the "bruiser" teams, of which there are plenty in this division. Their experience will be valuable at some point i feel.

My main concern was the creative side to the team but with a re-focussed Grealish, fit again Traore, Green and Hepburn-Murphy breaking through and maybe one or two additions, we could do better than expected actually.

We will soon find out no doubt but i am actually excited to see us play for the 1st time in years right now!

I've given up on lescott and Richards.

Gabby could be lethal but I think he's washed up, I said earlier we have 3 new signings and the kids, you mentioned a rejuvenated Grealish, with amavi and Abama still to come so we can field a whole new team then from last year. Add to that some coaches that understand this game and are probably much better man managers then things look better then people are thinking. One other thing, the manager has to sort out these underachieving ego's, however, I think that players getting out of hand might have to visit Wyness's office now and that experience will be somewhat different to what nice but dim fox was.

Personally I'd sooner see Richards stay than Gabby.

Gabby is a fat, lazy leech who has taken the club for a ride. His attitude is shit and he's too fucking stupid to change.

Richards though has the physical attributes to be of use next season, and his attitude issues aren't quite as toxic as Lescott and Gabby and Bacuna IMO. A strong captain would focus him I think

Joppe84 wrote:

Wriggle wrote:I think a reality check is needed for some.

Current Championship ins and outs

So far we are negative 14.55m with the next two big spenders being 7.2m and 3.6m, so comments that we have to sell to buy are pretty wide of the mark.

We haven't yet lost any player of note that we'd like to keep, yes there has been paper talk but most of that is guesswork.

we have shipped out N'Zog and Richardson and hopefully some more of the deadwood will follow shortly, so are we really in that bad a position going into the first game? I'd be happy with this team starting against sheff weds:
                 Gollini
Hutton  Elphick   Okore/Baker   Amavi
                  Gana      
           Tshibola Gardner
      Grealish (free role)
                 Ayew

Is that a million miles away from being competitive in this league?

Both RDM and Xia have said they want more in and a forward is one of them, but should they just rush out an buy a player if he isn't the right one? What about if the right player is someone like Bamford and Chelsea have said we can have him but they want to get someone in first before they will do a deal?

I think some people still have the negativity hangover from the last owner and management, and understandable why, but they should shake that off and give this new group a chance at least as the ink has hardly dried on Lerners cheque!

Firstly the point about having to sell to buy was largely based upon the odds on Morrison being slashed after Gana was reported to be off, so wasn't entirely serious.

Your team there is pretty unrealistic cause it's pretty likely both Gana and possibly Ayew is off. Even if we manage to keep Ayew (and God I hope so), we still need a striker. RDM's preferred tactic according to those who have watched his teams have been 4-2-3-1. We simply don't have that main striker. It could be Bamford, so why we just don't sign him I don't know. If we're after another striker, we can't we just sign him? Newcastle signed quality championship replacements for their outgoings in Richie and Gayle straight after the paperwork was done.

IF we lose Ayew and we consider your tactic, we still are missing THREE key players to make that tactic work. If we will play 4-2-3-1 we're still missing 2, if not three. I have zero faith in Gardner and Tshibola to manage an entire season.

It speakes VOLUMES that we aren't actively signing players without moving on the bomb squad from last season. If we were dead serious and had money we would spend it. We clearly aren't. We haven't even spent a fraction of the parachute payments.

As for the table comparing us to other clubs in the championship. That's kinda the point. We are AVFC. We shouldn't compare our expenditure and signings to teams like fucking BHA, Brentford, Derby, Preston and what not.

Gana will be gone, so any mooted potential line-up shouldn't really include him. I'm more optimistic that we might actually hold on to Ayew, he is the important one to retain as I really think he'll be the leagues top star. As regards incoming players, I'm really not that sold on Bamford, he hasn't kicked on from that one championship season and could well be put in the bracket of "found out" players that have the one good season and never kick on. The most consistent and prolific scorer in the league is McCormack, but at 30yrs old and £12m+ I'd also say no thanks. Somebody like a Kodjia or a Nahki Wells would be a better bet in my opinion, again if the money isn't stupidly stratospheric. With regard to the mooted formation and where players might fit in, Gardner would obviously be the centre man of 3 in a 4-2-3-1.
With what we have an exciting line up could be (players that are fit and have played pre-season);

..........................Gollini..........................
Lyden.........Elphick............Baker.......Bennett
..............Tshibola..............Westwood..........
....Green............Grealish...........Ayew.........
......................Sinclair...........................

Sinclair and Ayew could obviously be switched, Grealish is also able to be switched across that 3. Theoretically a line-up that should do damage in the championship, with the likes of Traore, Gestede, Agbonlahor, Kozak, Gardner, Amavi, Hutton,
Clark, Hepburn-Murphy, Cissokho, Okore etc all waiting to play ( granted, I expect Cissokho to get a move away). What we could really do with is that top man to score the goals as the front 1.

Sounds like the Sinclair deal is pretty much done. 4 year deal to Celtic. He even removed AVFC from his twatter bio

I really don’t expect us to start the new season well, personally I think we are under prepared for the championship. I think that we will start to pick up in October onwards, so we have to be patient.

As we all know pre-season games are meaningless, winning or losing doesn’t really matter but the manner of playing does! To my eyes we have shown absolutely nothing in the pre-season games to justify any optimistism. The team shows no signs of actually playing as a team with any sort of intensity; we are not compact enough for me. The players as shown by their body language are still not happy, when Gestede scored against Nantes nobody showed any enthusiasm or enjoyment except for Tshibola. Elphick is looking good as he is showing some leadership qualities and is trying to get the players to respond but to me they are still just going through the motions.

We will come up against inferior teams to us this season but they will be organised, disciplined and play with passion therefore we have to match them if we expect our better quality to shine.

I would say to all of the players play with a smile on your face, you don’t know how lucky you all are!

achilles wrote:I really don’t expect us to start the new season well, personally I think we are under prepared for the championship. I think that we will start to pick up in October onwards, so we have to be patient.

As we all know pre-season games are meaningless, winning or losing doesn’t really matter but the manner of playing does! To my eyes we have shown absolutely nothing in the pre-season games to justify any optimistism. The team shows no signs of actually playing as a team with any sort of intensity; we are not compact enough for me. The players as shown by their body language are still not happy, when Gestede scored against Nantes nobody showed any enthusiasm or enjoyment except for Tshibola. Elphick is looking good as he is showing some leadership qualities and is trying to get the players to respond but to me they are still just going through the motions.

We will come up against inferior teams to us this season but they will be organised, disciplined and play with passion therefore we have to match them if we expect our better quality to shine.

I would say to all of the players play with a smile on your face, you don’t know how lucky you all are!

The worrying part of that is that players going through the motions under a new manager will not turn it around mid-season all of a sudden. If we start as badly as you predict, then we're in for a long season of torture.

Cha Ching wrote:

achilles wrote:I really don’t expect us to start the new season well, personally I think we are under prepared for the championship. I think that we will start to pick up in October onwards, so we have to be patient.

As we all know pre-season games are meaningless, winning or losing doesn’t really matter but the manner of playing does! To my eyes we have shown absolutely nothing in the pre-season games to justify any optimistism. The team shows no signs of actually playing as a team with any sort of intensity; we are not compact enough for me. The players as shown by their body language are still not happy, when Gestede scored against Nantes nobody showed any enthusiasm or enjoyment except for Tshibola. Elphick is looking good as he is showing some leadership qualities and is trying to get the players to respond but to me they are still just going through the motions.

We will come up against inferior teams to us this season but they will be organised, disciplined and play with passion therefore we have to match them if we expect our better quality to shine.

I would say to all of the players play with a smile on your face, you don’t know how lucky you all are!

The worrying part of that is that players going through the motions under a new manager will not turn it around mid-season all of a sudden. If we start as badly as you predict, then we're in for a long season of torture.

I do think that RDM will get it right (or certainly hope so) but it will take time to get HIS team on the pitch.

achilles wrote:

Cha Ching wrote:

achilles wrote:I really don’t expect us to start the new season well, personally I think we are under prepared for the championship. I think that we will start to pick up in October onwards, so we have to be patient.

As we all know pre-season games are meaningless, winning or losing doesn’t really matter but the manner of playing does! To my eyes we have shown absolutely nothing in the pre-season games to justify any optimistism. The team shows no signs of actually playing as a team with any sort of intensity; we are not compact enough for me. The players as shown by their body language are still not happy, when Gestede scored against Nantes nobody showed any enthusiasm or enjoyment except for Tshibola. Elphick is looking good as he is showing some leadership qualities and is trying to get the players to respond but to me they are still just going through the motions.

We will come up against inferior teams to us this season but they will be organised, disciplined and play with passion therefore we have to match them if we expect our better quality to shine.

I would say to all of the players play with a smile on your face, you don’t know how lucky you all are!

The worrying part of that is that players going through the motions under a new manager will not turn it around mid-season all of a sudden. If we start as badly as you predict, then we're in for a long season of torture.

I do think that RDM will get it right (or certainly hope so) but it will take time to get HIS team on the pitch.

I agree it will take time to get his team on the pitch.

Sorry if already posted, but Guzan gone.

Edit: apparently for nowt, to get rid of him quicker. Well played Doc, well played! Good riddance to the worst keeper in the PL.

@joppe & @dazzle you both made realise that the team I put up wouldn't work, but the only reason being there are only 10 players

Add Gestede on as the big man with Grealish and Ayew behind him...

And why can't we include Gana? Because the gossip column in the papers say so? Ffs if we believe everything they say then there have been 10,000 transfers already this season! I guess all out decent players are off then, even the promising youth like Green who has played a couple of pre season games and now Spurs want him

Think we have got to come to terms with the possibility that the players we most want rid of(we all know who they are) no other club will want anything to do with them, not unless they are very desperate anyway, after all we have spent the last 12 months or so doing nothing but slag them off, tell them how shit they are, and that they don't deserve to wear our fabled shirt, and all of this has been seen and heard quite a lot on tv, ie at live games, and interviews with fans, so tell me after hearing what we have had to say about them, and probably witnessing their performances for themselves, what manager/chairman is going to be in any sort of hurry to write a cheque for any of our unwanted lot? So what to do? Fuck em all off on free transfers? Perhaps if RDM/The Doc want rid, it would certainly free up money with their wages gone, and the rotten core would be removed. Myself i would get rid of Gabby, Bacuna, and Lescott for nothing if need be, but keep Richards as RB, sharing the position with Hutton. I know myself i have been crying out for our young lions to be given a chance in the first team, not just little 5 min sub appearances at the end of games with fuck all to play for, but starts, the chance to actually prove themselves in the first team, because it's all very well having an excellent academy of players if they arent able to push on, so i say this season give them that chance, they will be hungrier than any of the bunch of fucktards from last seasons first team debacle, Gardners had a cracking loan spell at Forest, Grealish looks injury free and seems to have bucked his ideas up, and the lads Green and Murphy have looked really decent pre-season, add the 3 new signings, and a further 2(if poss) My preference would be to go for Kodjia, and Bamford on loan, surely that would be one of the most potent strikeforces in the league. Well I can hope, over to you Dr X and RDM, do the bizzo. UTV LADS
Ps "FUCK OFF SMALL HEATH THE CITY IS OURS"

Wriggle wrote:
Add Gestede on as the big man with Grealish and Ayew behind him...

And why can't we include Gana? Because the gossip column in the papers say so? Ffs if we believe everything they say then there have been 10,000 transfers already this season!

Firstly, no. We will never get promoted with Gestede as our main striker and you can quote me on that into eternity.

Secondly, because Gana going has been widely reported in national media. Everton ITK's are commenting on it. Steve Walsh that are their DoF (was scout at Leicester) wanted to sign Gana at Leicester, but we won that battle. Now he wants him again. Even Xia has commented on the matter. It's not a matter of normal transfer speculation, but you know this.

Good comments.

And I'm PMSL at @wriggle for making a ten-man squad. Well played.

I see the doom and gloom has started before a ball has been kicked. god help you Dr T, I promise you though were not all like it

Villa_Dan wrote:

4BetLite wrote:

The Utterer wrote:I think many of us, myself included are panicking a bit actually Last season our biggest embarrassments for me were Nzogbia, Gabby, Grealish & Richardson. Two of them have left and two of them appear to have sorted their acts out and could be very strong players in this division..Of course those two are Grealish & Gabby.

Then we have the missing trio of long term injured players who had little chance to make an impact last season so for me should not be tarred with the same brush..Namely Amavi, Kozack & Traore.

The other "misfits" are i guess Lescott, Richards & possibly Sanchez, all of whom for me can do a job as squad players at this level or will be useful against the "bruiser" teams, of which there are plenty in this division. Their experience will be valuable at some point i feel.

My main concern was the creative side to the team but with a re-focussed Grealish, fit again Traore, Green and Hepburn-Murphy breaking through and maybe one or two additions, we could do better than expected actually.

We will soon find out no doubt but i am actually excited to see us play for the 1st time in years right now!

I've given up on lescott and Richards.

Gabby could be lethal but I think he's washed up, I said earlier we have 3 new signings and the kids, you mentioned a rejuvenated Grealish, with amavi and Abama still to come so we can field a whole new team then from last year. Add to that some coaches that understand this game and are probably much better man managers then things look better then people are thinking. One other thing, the manager has to sort out these underachieving ego's, however, I think that players getting out of hand might have to visit Wyness's office now and that experience will be somewhat different to what nice but dim fox was.

Personally I'd sooner see Richards stay than Gabby.

Gabby is a fat, lazy leech who has taken the club for a ride. His attitude is shit and he's too fucking stupid to change.

Richards though has the  physical attributes to be of use next season, and his attitude issues aren't quite as toxic as Lescott and Gabby and Bacuna IMO. A strong captain would focus him I think

Agree somewhat but he needs a lot of fitness work.

I forgot about bacuna ( not hard ), the only person I hate more then this prick is Nico Rosberg.

Villa_Dan wrote:

4BetLite wrote:

The Utterer wrote:I think many of us, myself included are panicking a bit actually Last season our biggest embarrassments for me were Nzogbia, Gabby, Grealish & Richardson. Two of them have left and two of them appear to have sorted their acts out and could be very strong players in this division..Of course those two are Grealish & Gabby.

Then we have the missing trio of long term injured players who had little chance to make an impact last season so for me should not be tarred with the same brush..Namely Amavi, Kozack & Traore.

The other "misfits" are i guess Lescott, Richards & possibly Sanchez, all of whom for me can do a job as squad players at this level or will be useful against the "bruiser" teams, of which there are plenty in this division. Their experience will be valuable at some point i feel.

My main concern was the creative side to the team but with a re-focussed Grealish, fit again Traore, Green and Hepburn-Murphy breaking through and maybe one or two additions, we could do better than expected actually.

We will soon find out no doubt but i am actually excited to see us play for the 1st time in years right now!

I've given up on lescott and Richards.

Gabby could be lethal but I think he's washed up, I said earlier we have 3 new signings and the kids, you mentioned a rejuvenated Grealish, with amavi and Abama still to come so we can field a whole new team then from last year. Add to that some coaches that understand this game and are probably much better man managers then things look better then people are thinking. One other thing, the manager has to sort out these underachieving ego's, however, I think that players getting out of hand might have to visit Wyness's office now and that experience will be somewhat different to what nice but dim fox was.

Personally I'd sooner see Richards stay than Gabby.

Gabby is a fat, lazy leech who has taken the club for a ride. His attitude is shit and he's too fucking stupid to change.

Richards though has the  physical attributes to be of use next season, and his attitude issues aren't quite as toxic as Lescott and Gabby and Bacuna IMO. A strong captain would focus him I think

good shout matey, I think Richards could be usefull also, then fock him off when we get back to prem

Yep...Make those bastards that put us in this shit league sweat in the sun for us then flog 'em off when we're back in the bright lights of the Premier League.

We'll find out what kind of a season it'll be after game one, I'm sure.

Here's a question I posed to @De Kuip via PM.... If you were told right now that the score against Sheffield was 2-0 to someone, how many of you would bet everything you own that it was Villa winning?

Starting to ship a few out, excellent - I reckon 3 new signings in the next 2 weeks.

I still surge from agreeing with posts that say what we have is plenty good enough to thinking "shit" we are going to get seen off with what we have. I still do think we're thin on the ground but also that we are no way finished signing new blood. Need to keep Ayew. I would love Traore to tear everyone a new one this season - if the coaching staff can get him to understand that whilst a dead straight line towards goal directly through through defenders may look more efficient, it tends to break both him and them occasionally. A little bit more guile in his play and lookout, we could have an absolute beast supplying the boys in the middle. Worried or confident, one thing I am now is excited, I can feel the adrenaline starting to pump just writing this and the first game at VP I hope is well attended and a madhouse. Wonder if the Rotherham fans will chant "We are Rotterdam, we are Rotterdam"

Guzan's gone. Time for a new avatar and I don't want to curse any current Villa players, so I'll just go with my favorite Villan of all time.

Traore - if we ever see him again - could indeed be an absolute beast in this league and tear defenses to ribbons. But we'll be lucky to get three games in a row out of him before he breaks down like Britney Spears 2006.