dn1982

Guzan as a no 2 Richards only as a RB Lescott as cover Gabby if he lost all his bulk Bacuna if he changed his attitude. So I'd keep all under those circumstances which they won't want so it's goodbye to the lot of them. 

2 hours ago, limpid said:

The upper trinity will not be closed next season. The club are not selling season tickets there so that they can close it for games where there isn't enough demand.

A sensible move at the time and probably still is to be fair.  If all those fans who blamed Lerner for not going actually go now we can house them all up there. i can see it being open a gait bit now though. 

Our squad is bloated so I'm glad RDM has realised this but a lot are ones who weren't here last year basically the loanees and the 4/5 that we all want shot of. I think there's only about 12/13 we'd all want to keep. As for Trent saying the players could've chipped in to stop redundancies I'm sceptical but I'm glad they didn't as we had too many permanent staff anyway. If it was them chipping in to help with their redundancy money I'd be all for it and would imagine most players would. 

China is the biggest growing football market if the Dr can get us to being in the top 3 China we will be going a long way to being one of the biggest in the world. If we became China's number 1 team that's access to 1.5bn people never mind how many Chinese people are worldwide. We have a unique name in Villa and it'll be easy to publicise but first we need a team and listening to him he understands this. The next few years could be very exciting. 

9 minutes ago, briny_ear said:

Strictly speaking, that's more of a goal, an aim, or (more realistically) even a dream, rather than an actual plan...

Actually a plan can mean both a detailed proposal and the actual goal. I've assumed the latter. The plan is world domination how we plan to do it we'll find out in the coming months. He's actually set out the short term goals and that's targets not the football score variety. Overhaul the squad and get promoted are the immediate ones mentioned. 

1 hour ago, KSV said:

we haven't really learnt much from that press conference. Di Matteo said he was impressed with his plans. What are his plans? Stadium redevelopment?

 

 

World Domination surely that's good enough for you 

Riley has got the blame for Sherwood spitting his dummy out and not actually creating a balanced squad. As a few have mentioned I don't think the foreign imports were that bad but they do tend to take time to settle and having half a teams worth was stupid but that doesn't stop the fact Sherwood never replaced the GK and RB he deemed not good enough the year before. It was also his decision to replace Benteke with Gestede!! I don't think Riley should stay but not on his signings more that we need a complete fresh start. 

Did RDM have Sessegon at Albion? He's on a free might be more a shout 

1 hour ago, rodders0223 said:

Do you think there are any other clubs signing players with release clauses less than the transfer fee? Even in the event of relegation, I can guarantee they are not.

We, as a club, have been weak as piss for so **** long.

You can't guarantee anything unless you know every contract. People slagged the club over Delph yet he wouldn't have signed without a release clause so we made £8m! Gana's supposed release clause is £7.1m we signed him for an undisclosed fee which on sites put it at £6.75m. Don't get confused with £'s and €'s as loads of journalists did last year! Anyway we are rich now so who cares!!! 

Why is it baffling we have relegation release clauses? It's exactly the same as us putting in wage reduction clauses in. It benefits both parties. We don't know the exact fee we paid or the exact relegation clause but I doubt there's much difference in them. As for Spurs trying to sign Gana he isn't anywhere near Champions League level but does have potential so doubt they'll be in for him. They'd surely want to improve the team not just add squad players. 

If Jack leaves it'll be for more money than he's worth at the moment. I don't believe he will though. I think he'll stay and become a main player for us. 

20 hours ago, rodders0223 said:

A well balanced post would have included the weight gain, the laziness, the attitude, the spats with Keane, the spats with Wilkins, the lack of effort, the lack of development, the smoking, the drinking, the drugs () Not just looked back with rose tints on a decent spell the best part of a decade ago.

Gabbys decline coincided with ours. As the OP mentioned Gabby wanted to bulk up so he could take the knocks but Houllier told him otherwise yet he carried on anyway. This was the time Gabby needed a strong manager with a consistent message yet we chopped and changed and we find ourselves where we are today that's he's a pariah. Gabby stopped being a CF under Lambert and should've stayed as a wide player as he worked then and helped the fullback. As a CF he has been awful ever since bulking up! Even though he needs to get out of our club as much for his sake as anything else I'll remember him as another what might have been rather than the crap of late. I just hope the next great striking hope gets proper mentoring and doesn't fall into the same trap! 

2 hours ago, ccfcman said:

Why if he is so good, did he stump for ourselves? I don't ask that in too self deprecating a manner. Leaving wages aside, is it solely the allure of B6 with RDM? The man seems over qualified for PL let alone the Championship.

No complaints here though, I've even learned more about goalkeeping in that article alone than in my previous 31 years of life!

To be fair to RDM I'm impressed by all of his backroom staff!! Clarke a top no2 to Marchesi who seems to be a pioneer in fitness to this bloke. You never normally hear of goalkeeping coaches but that article is quite eye opening. I think Guzan is knackered as he wants the keeper to always attack the ball when all he does is flap at it. I've no idea how we've managed to get him but we may get a number 1 who can become an icon like Rimmer and Spink. 

8 hours ago, HanoiVillan said:

It's why these threads are so tedious every window. 

Bring Barry back!

Bring Milner back!

Bring Young back!

Bring Benteke back!

Bring Delph back!

People on here desperately need to learn how to let go of the past and face reality, but instead we'll clog up 20 or 30 pages of thread with 'speculation' that even the simplest application of common sense would reveal was a waste of time. 

You've named 5 players but realistically the only one we'd have a hope of getting is Barry. Who I think would come here as he still has strong links in the area and at 35 getting a 2/3 year deal turning into a coaching role would probably suit him. Benteke is mentioned as it looks like he's off and we can all dream but it's a non starter. As far as I've seen the others haven't been mentioned this time as most realise we are a Championship club and haven't a cat in hells chance of getting them. Saying that though Downing dropped down last year to help Boro get up! 

27 minutes ago, useless said:

It doesn't mean that everyone will start with clean slates. Just that no matter what we say on here, Di Matteo and his coaches will have their own ideas.

Just checking you do realise it's a speculation thread? Goal keeper for most is one of the position we need filling as after watching Guzan for the last 2 seasons he's got a lot worse. RDM will have his own ideas and I'm sure after reading about the new goal keeping coach he'll have his and I reckon it'll match that of majority on here. RDM took over a relegated side in WBA so hopefully he'll know sometimes it's better to get rid of a few if they've been tarnished by the previous season and not give the a chance. 

1 hour ago, Michael118 said:

I don't recall anybody calling for him to be sold as a priority before Sherwood was appointed.

Sherwood dropped him for the same reason he never played Gil or Kozak. Because he never fancied him as a player.

There was plenty and even more so as last season went on. Last summer we tried to get Begovik in Jan we tried for Kalinic successive managers have seen his failings. Last season he cost us a lot of points amongst others the Leicester away game which for a lot of fans defined both our seasons! 

25 minutes ago, Michael118 said:

 

Confidence can turn around pretty quickly with the right manager in charge. If that was Allardyce I'd have money on Guzan returning to his best by mid season along with many of our other players. I really don't see RDM having the same kind of influence on our current underperforming players which is why the managerial appointment was so crucial.

 

 

 

Guzan has been on a decline for 2 years. Sherwood dropped him and should've replaced him last summer not doing so was a major factor for me in our demise. His decision making and distribution is awful the only thing that's been affected by his confidence is he used to be able to pull off good saves now they seem to go through him a lot. We need a new GK as a priority.  

I'm glad we have this bloke in and I hope he doesn't take any crap. I thought It was a shame Duverne left when he did as he should've gave the players individual fitness regimes for the summer. The days of turning up with a beer belly have long gone so it'll be interesting what players take their personal fitness seriously. On this it's good to see Gardner training through out the summer. This is his biggest year for us let's just hope he can stay fit as I said this last summer then he gets crocked by an awful tackle in a friendly. 

46 minutes ago, YLN said:

In terms of offloading Gestede, if we had not signed him, and were linked with signing him, we would very quickly write off his last season as having a crap time in a crap team and look to all the goals he scored in the championship the previous season. And even last season he picked up a few goals. He'd be one of the first ones I'd keep.

As a back up striker, who can work his way into the first team 

Or you could judge him on his record of only really scoring well in one season and not assuming his YouTube clip was brilliant. I've seen enough of hit his year to realise he has zero movement and for him to have any chance to work we'd have to buy wingers to feed him and even then there's no guarantees as he's only scored well the season before we bought him. I'd gladly keep him as back up but I don't want him to be number 1 but if we got a decent offer I'd sell him. I've no idea what style RDM will want to play but I want movement from our strikers something we've lacked for a few years. 

The only reason we knew Gabby and Co were in Dubai was because the media were after them as we were rock bottom and it made a decent story. I guarantee over the years plenty of our players have been there but it's not news when you're mid table. I've no idea of Gayles personality but I think on ability he'd be a good signing. Most of us would have Gareth Barry back in an instant and he's allegedly got an injunction in place due to his off field antics! It's the attitude they have at the training ground that counts. 

10 hours ago, hippo said:

No I heard little on the radio say it. 

It's no secret that Hollis and the old board looked at Pearson and at the time he was ideal for us but with the takeover RDM and Moyes came into the reckoning with Xia choosing RDM this isn't a slight on Little and I don't think he cares either way as long as it's the right appointment. I hope he can be kept on in some form even an ambassadorial role. He loves the club and that's priceless. 

If Xia makes us China's number 1 team that alone would catapult us into one of the best supported clubs in the world. Being the best team trophy wise and being one of the best supported are a bit different but either way we will need sustained long term success to achieve it. I'll take being in the best 2 in the Championship this season then aim for world domination next season!! 

Bamford would be a start as we need a couple of new strikers him and McCormack would scire plenty in that league and have done before. 

41 minutes ago, thabucks said:

http://www.insidefutbol.com/2016/06/04/liverpool-face-aston-villa-and-crystal-palace-opposition-for-ajax-talent/289045/

Hmmmm ?! 

A close relationship with Jorge Mendes!!! Now that would be brilliant.