rubberman

Happy with that side on the whole. Would probably have given Gollini another go to get confidence back myself.

Good to be linked with newel players. He could be the finial part of the jigsaw.

I'm sure it's unlikely, but this is the exact type of signing we need to be making alongside the likes of Elphick and McCormack if we want to get up and stay up in the next couple of seasons. We can't do a third complete rebuild if we go up next season - we need to have a core that have potential to be good PL level players and develop as the club rises.

He looks mad fast and strong. I'm in.

Ah - winning football games. I remember when that was a thing. Good times.

From what I've read he's seems to be too old, slow and too fat. And too expensive.

I'd much rather a considered spend than just chucking money about. As you say, if we can rebuild how RDM wants with not much net spend then great. I suspect we will still see more spending before the end of the window and don't expect much more to come in - £3m for Sinclair and bit and bobs for a couple of others maybe? Will just have to wait and see...

Exactly this. Think we might see one or two of these this week - CB and CM. Not sure if we'll see the RB at all, but feel like another striker will arrive in the next couple of weeks.

Will be a bit of a bumpy ride. Some wins (yay!), plenty of draws and probably some embarrassing losses. Will make the playoffs, but lose in the semis.

Really excellent addition. Bring us the goals please Ross. I'd be very interested to know who we were after as a plan A - presumably someone from a PL club as per Tony's tweets. With the timing my assumption is that RDM knew we couldn't get plan A over the line in time for the start of the season so had this as a back up - he said previously he would move at the right time for transfers. With the Gana and Clark money it may be that this is a bonus and we'll still get another top flight striker as well?

Score 20, get us promoted and he can do a full on Gabby for all I care.

Would be pleased with RMac (as no-one is calling him). Another younger forward and a midfielder this week and I'll sleep a bit easier.

That would be fine...if we had a new striker. And they were all fit.

Will be happy with a draw at this stage.

Have been trying to remain patient, but we really need a striker in SOON as a bare minimum. And not Rickie Lambert. Getting worried about how the season is going to start now. Really expected to have seen more action by now and concerned that either RDM's not clear enough about what he needs or, more likely, we haven't got a proper team in place to drive the recruitment process.

Objectives should be SMART, aims and ambitions don't need to be . Objectives are for the employees to use to work towards the business aims in a unified way. I work for one of the fastest growing businesses in the UK. We have the aim, as a business, to make xxx the most popular sport in the world. It won't ever be, as xxx is not football, cricket, baseball etc, but that is still the ambition we have as a business. We aim for that with challenging plans for 3-5 year growth and annual budgets and objectives that are (just about) attainable. The point is to have everyone constantly striving to be the best. To come back to Villa, if the height of Tony's ambition is mid-table premier league that's as far as we'll get. Shoot for the moon etc. We almost certainly won't be one of the top 3 clubs in the world in 10 years, but let's see where we can get to. We've been the best (if not biggest) club in europe before, so let's keep that ambition. The objectives on the way are promotion this year, champions league in 5 etc - still challenging but (possibly) achievable.

On his way according to ESPN... Everton are on the verge of signing Aston Villa midfielder Idrissa Gueye with the player undergoing a medical, sources close to the club have told ESPN FC. Everton have triggered Gueye's £7.1 million release clause and the Senegal international has been given permission to travel to Merseyside for talks and a medical. http://www.espn.co.uk/football/soccer-transfers/story/2919435/everton-close-on-aston-villa-midfielder-idrissa-gueye-sources

Whoever leaves we need a new striker. We don't have enough quality up front.

Would much rather he stayed -at £7m it's a bargain for Everton at the going rate these days. But he was never going to be a long term Villa player - that was clear from the outset.

For now I'm holding onto the belief that RDM is working on getting in a few key players that will balance out the squad and that we're doing business below the radar. I'd prefer to have seen more action by now but will give it another few days before having a full on wobble. However much cash we have, I would far rather the purchases were considered and thought out to fit a style of play than last summers 'buy all the Jordans' scattergun approach.

Just back from 2 weeks hols without wifi. Long catch up, but not really any news it seems. Getting a bit twitchy now - would feel a lot more comfortable knowing we had a new striker in by now. At the bare minimum. I know we like to do business quietly, but we need something to happen over the next few days.

Even if he's turned over a new leaf, in shape etc - how many goals is he realistically going to get us 5, 6? It's never going to be more than that so there's no point in him being. The time to put the work in was last season. Too late now. If RDM keeps him on I will be very disappointed.

I think I'll have me some 9/1 action.

As long as it fits with the shape he wants to play, I've no problem RDM using the knowledge of those around him. He should be identifying the type of player and the role they will fill in the squad overall (all the was missing with Tim) but can't be expected to know every player. He no doubt has some targets, but is happy to take recommendations for positions he's less set on. Perhaps some of these are filling the back up / less urgent spaces and that the arrival of the Technical Director will see a couple of bigger signings pushed through.