Who Would You Keep Next Season.

Assuming we stay up (and it is a big if) who would you keep.

Lambert - no.
Guzan - yes
Bacuna - no
Bertrand - yes (if we can)
Vlaar - yes
Baker - no
Westwood - no
El Ahamadi - no
Delph - yes
Gabby - no
Holt - no
Benteke - yes
Albrighton - yes
Lowton - no
Bennett - no
Zog - yes (squad player)
Kozak - yes (squad player)
Helenius - no idea who he is
Luna - that will be a no.

It isn't a ringing endorsement of the current regime is it.

Add in Bowery, Clark, Bent and Hutton to your much extended bomb squad and you have a large list of players to offload. It's not going to happen though because we would need a bit of stability and a totally new squad would struggle more than the current lot especially with a managerial change also.

I would try and rejuvenate Bent.

I get the feeling after the way he's been for Fulham that would probably be easier than finding someone to buy him.

Billy McBingo wrote:I get the feeling after the way he's been for Fulham that would probably be easier than finding someone to buy him.

Would do for early season until Benteke and Kozak are back fit. Where the feck is Helenius ?

Clark is worth persisting with for another season I feel. Being thrown into a struggling villa side wasn't the ideal start to his career. I think he could still develop.

Who we keep will depend on our ambitions, don't forget we will have to pay their wages if we bomb them out so it will be another few years of clearing the wage bill...

The answer come down to how much the new owner wants to spend and, of course, how much restriction FFP puts on it if we're aiming for Europe in the next few years.

Assuming he'd like to keep the best players, use the ok ones as part of the squad and then buy what's required I'd go for:

Guzan
Vlaar
Bertrand
Delph
Benteke

Squad:
Westwood
El Ahmadi
Gabby
N'Zogbia
Albrighton

So that's at least 8 new players required for match day.

As Kippax says in his OP, it doesn't reflect well on the current regime at all, for the time and money they've used.

We need to see quite how much the new owner will invest in players before deciding who to keep- the stand and out ones at the moment Guzan, Vlaar, Delph, benteke but bearing in ,ind we need a British contingent of so many in the squad there will be others.

There needs to be a big clear out of the squad with a lot just not good enough .

If money was no option and we were buying a shed load of new players I'd keep:

Guzan.
Bertrand.
Vlaar.
Okore.
Delph.
Benteke.
Kuzak

That's if the relegation gods look elsewhere for victims, otherwise.....

I really think Westwood could be a good player with some better players around him. Get another dynamic midfielder to take some responsibility of Delph and I think Westwood's range of passing would be a real asset.

For me.

Keep...Guzan, CB, Vlaar, Okores, Bacuna, Bertrand, Delph.

Probably keep and develop....Bennett, Baker, Sylla, Tonev, Weimann, Albrighton, Kozak, Helenius

Get rid....Clark, N'Zog, Gabby, Kea, Westwood, Lowton, GG, Holt, Luna.

I think Bennett etc with better coaching, could be much better players than they are showing atm

Ned the Platypus wrote:I really think Westwood could be a good player with some better players around him. Get another dynamic midfielder to take some responsibility of Delph and I think Westwood's range of passing would be a real asset.

Me too. If Westwood had a better player than KEA in front of him and a more solid defence behind him he'd be able to concentrate on being that Deep Lying playmaker. Remember his assist for Gabby at Carrow Road last year? That was a truly top class pass.

Benteke only when money's no object. Are you telling me we can't buy better players than the current stinking pile of horse shit we currently have in every position. OK Delph for the bench and cup games.

Surprised how many are saying get rid of Westwood. I like him, he's tidy and a decent player. Problem is he isnt a big hulking defensive midfielder and he isnt a gung-ho goalscoring mid either so he gets lost when people plan out their ideal teams. Definitely a keeper though.

Keep - XI
Guzan
Vlaar
Okore - Or squad player depending on how he develops
Delph
Benteke

Keep - XI (No takeover / Low investment takeover) -  Squad (big investment T.O)
Westwood
Bertrand
Lowton - think we'll see a better Lowton next few weeks.

Keep - Squad Players
Weimann - Not awful, played out of position atm. Energetic striker at end of game
Albrighton - Energetic, enthusiastic. Decent impact sub
Clark - Mediocre, look to move on next year if no improvement
Gardner - blind faith more than anything else.

Get Rid
Steer
Bacuna
Baker
Luna
Bennett
Sylla
Karim ElAhmadi
Helenius
NZogbia
Gabby
Helenius
Bowery
Hutton
Bent
Given (Coach?)

Italics are players I would expect to stay in the short term and look to move on over next 18 months if improvement is low. Particularly if Lambert stays

Ian wrote:Benteke only when money's no object. Are you telling me we can't buy better players than the current stinking pile of horse shit we currently have in every position. OK Delph for the bench and cup games.

This is true. But a lot of good teams have players i don't rate very highly (relative to the teams success).

Look at Liverpool. Joe Allen, Joe Flanagan, Martin Skrtel, Martin Kelly, Simon Mignolet, Victor Moses, Lucas Leiva. Probably Title winners. Would many of them get in Man City, Chelsea's squads?

Fergie's United teams. Thomasz Kuszczak, Jonny Evans, Luke Chadwick, Darron Gibson, Kieran Richardson and loads more all title winners.

I would try and remove remaining high earners and add players to the team who are of a dcent quality. One of KEA, Westwood and Delph should be sold. We need to add 2 big defensive midfielders I feel Nzonzi is exactly what is missing from our team with a back up in the event he is injured.

I would sell

Wiemann
Sylla
Lowton or Bacuna
Nzog
Bent
Luna
KEA
Baker (on loan)

We have the foundations of a squad that with some quality would do very well.

I also feel the hype surrounding Delph is not always justified and Westwood is a more effective and important player for the team.

Delph runs into blind alleys and sometimes gives the ball away, moves out of position.

I would not like Holt with us next season but at times i feel he gets stick because he is one of Lamberts men, probably the same as Hutton did under Big Eck.

Holt is a clever off ball player and wins balls, throw ins free kicks and his off ball movement frustrates and opens up defences. He is no Messi but i feel players with on ball skills like Messi and Ronaldo take up too much attention and fans who dont understand football expect every player to play like this.

Like i said before i get jumped on holt is effective in a team that uses hoof ball counters, its why we looked so ineffectual up front during yesterdays game. That and the fact Wiemann has got his contract and is about to go the way of Bannan

I would try and remove remaining high earners and add players to the team who are of a dcent quality.  One of KEA, Westwood and Delph should be sold.  We need to add 2 big defensive midfielders I feel Nzonzi is exactly what is missing from our team with a back up in the event he is injured.  

I would sell

Wiemann
Sylla
Lowton or Bacuna
Nzog
Bent
Luna
KEA
Baker (on loan)

We have the foundations of a squad that with some quality would do very well.

I also feel the hype surrounding Delph is not always justified and Westwood is a more effective and important player for the team.

Delph runs into blind alleys and sometimes gives the ball away, moves out of position.

I would not like Holt with us next season but at times i feel he gets stick because he is one of Lamberts men, probably the same as Hutton did under Big Eck.  

Holt is a clever off ball player and wins balls, throw ins free kicks and his off ball movement frustrates and opens up defences.  He is no Messi but i feel players with on ball skills like Messi and Ronaldo take up too much attention and fans who dont understand football expect every player to play like this.

Like i said before i get jumped on holt is effective in a team that uses hoof ball counters, its why we looked so ineffectual up front during yesterdays game. In an ideal world we would not play such awful tactics and Holt would be no where near a Villa shirt

I'm another who doesn't think a massive clear out is a good idea - 8 players at most this Summer, then go from there, to that end my 8 to go would be:

Bennett
Clark
Wiemann
Sylla
Bent
N'Zogbia
Hutton
Bowery

Lambert - no.
Guzan - yes
Bacuna - Yes (cover)
Bertrand - yes (if we can)
Vlaar - yes
Baker - yes (cover)
Westwood - yes
El Ahamadi - yes (cover)
Delph - yes
Gabby - yes (cover)
Holt - no
Benteke - yes
Albrighton - yes
Lowton - yes
Bennett - no
Zog - no
Kozak - yes (cover)
Helenius - yes (cover)
Luna - no.

Wait a bit - we'll have proper money to spend. Why keep the horse shit we've got? What for?

HalfTimePost wrote:Surprised how many are saying get rid of Westwood.

You had me on side until I saw that you'd get rid of Bacuna. He looks decent already. A bit more game time in England, with a better team, and I think he'll be a top player. I said that Villa should have sold Benteke at the end of last season when he was worth a bit. He doesn't want to be there and it shows - that is why I wouldn't have him anywhere near the pitch.

Westwood actually, next to Yaya.

Hi, newbie here :)

For me, IF we get taken over, and there is money to spend (and Lambert or new manager has time to spend it, and spend wisely)..

Get rid..
El Ahmadi
Luna
Sylla
Bowery
Tonev
Holt

The rest I would keep. Majority as squad fillers / rotation but I think, with experience around them, they can improve

I would only keep Westwood, Okore and Benteke. The rest I will be keen to see go.