Mr Logic

It's Keegan through and through, ruthless in clearing out the deadwood and bringing in the better replacement. Some have forgotten his last reign here, or perhaps too young to know much about it.

He's no-ones mug, that's for sure.

I don't believe there's any way this deal would have gone through without the knowledge that there was someone lined up to come in. Everyone knows the squad was thin and players needed, so it would be madness to sell without a guarantee of bodies coming in.

Going to need to quote this every page I think.

@ 12m

I see what you're saying Indi, but I don't believe every footballer looks on such a narrow perspective. Things can change very fast. If Keegan told me that 'With your help we'll be back in Europe next season, and from there the sky is the limit.' I wouldn't take much more persuasion to sign.

Go check yourself into a clinic for the terminally depressed then before you transmit your doom and gloom to others please. Before I go - I have a lovely beachside property for sale, with its own sandy beach. Its yours if you want it - bring your own spade . . . or do you want me to dig the head-shaped hole for you? I remember Keegan on the steps of St James's defending the sale of Cole to angry supporters, Keegan was, of course, proved right. You think this is different, or perhaps more similar than you realise yet? Not that Milner holds a candle to Andy Cole in terms of end product, but Keegans role in this is not negligible. If we don't get a replacement, considerably better and more productive to the team then I'll join you in your terminal depression, but I'm giving it until January before i sink that low.

Go check yourself into a clinic for the terminally depressed then before you transmit your doom and gloom to others please.

You see - YOU don't rate Milner. I don't rate him too highly (but I also do not think he is ANYTHING LIKE as bad as many on here do). But . . . OTHERS (Martin O'Neil, Stuart Pearce, for example) DO rate him. So - your understandable 'mickey-taking' is not as profoundly correct or hilarious, as you would like it to be. Oh go on, top up your half-empty glass with a bit more drink.

Great read, hope it is brought to the attention of those who can halt the slide. If not at all clubs then at least in ours.

That's your opinion of us is it, below Spurs?

Spot on.

That's what it boils down to, is the poster a 'glass half-empty' or a 'glass half-full' kind of person.

I fear a scrappy 1-0 defeat at the Emirates will finish some of our members off. Could be a blessing in disguise then.

I guarantee you that if you stopped 10 Villa fans in the street and asked them what they thought about our transfer activity, 8 of them would say that MON needs to stop fucking about and start spending. Last year we hardly pushed the boat out. Our net spend was pretty small, certainly lower than most. This year we've spent a little more but the fact is we are still at the very least 4 players short of what we need to get by. The fact is it is very, very hard to sign players these days. If you're not in the CL, you're competing against a lot of other clubs. Having the money is no guarantee that you're going to get what you want. Much as people talk about crowds or tradition or potential or anything, for the majority of players there's not a whole lot between clubs like Villa, Newcastle, Everton, Spurs, even Portsmouth, Blackburn and West Ham. They're all competing for the same players. If you think Ashley isn't prepared to spend money, then why did you offer what you did for Modric? Why would he have spent so much on the club and sorting out the debts only to watch it stagnate? Having a lot of money behind you these days is not enough. You can't go out and buy success of the shelf. Everyone has money these days, things are an awful lot harder. Top post. Will go straight over some posters heads though unfortunately. Generally, I find the more sensible and accurate the post the more it tends to get ignored so people can keep on arguing about their opinions.

Well Geremi has more vision than Milner, that makes up for quite a lot else that might be missing.

We bid a record fee for Modric and had a bid in for Coloccini at roughly the same time, budget doesn't come into it. If a player who we want is available and willing to come then we'll do what we can to get them. It seems to me this is the case. What a lot of people seem to be forgetting, (conveniently?), is Keegans own adamant stance that only the right players are coming in. They're obviously thin on the ground at any time. Hmm, on reflection I wonder if Keegan was asked if he felt the club was doing everything in their power to get the player he considers is right - what his answer would be. Maybe therein lies the problem. Where Keegan would bend over backwards to meet the price and terms of his considered 'right' players, others are not meeting this evaluation.

..and 3 days to spend it in.

IF we were in for him, and he still takes advice from his dad. Seems like bad advice to me, unless Wrighty thinks we are in all the shit the press keep reporting, and even with the Thaksin situation he still thinks City is a better prospect than us. What I'm trying to say is if ex-professionals, who should know better, are buying into all the crap (that we think is crap) is printed, maybe it's not all crap? And why we keep missing out on targets, we're not attractive enough to certain players - seen as a risk. Have to buy more foreigners then, no worries.

What are the quotes in relation to, a response to what?

This thread deserves instant cult status. Everyone, with no idea of what has happened or when it happened, arriving at their own conclusions, turning those conclusions into facts and pronouncing judgements on said facts conjecture. Anyway, to continue in the same vein. Keegan clearly has been bigging him up to raise the fee. Buying club are being a tad stingy so club release info to get a bid war goiong. in the meantime new player is due to arrive 10am tomorrow (thursday) for medical which no-one has heard of but is better than Milner. Friday sees Arshavin arrive, and Sunday it's Berbatov. Fact!

Wonder if that means Arshavin is on his way, and yes I did read the article and noted the denials. All the quotes actually said was 'Don't know'.

In reply to SG, I was initially a bit downhearted about it, thought the club had missed a chance to make a statement. I guess I thought Keegan might be a bit burnt-out or jaded. Now I'm happy as a pig in the proverbial he is back, if anything he is better than before because he has another 10 years of experience behind him (both football and general life), an older and wiser head if you like. There is a reservation left, only one. He will be a bloody tough act to follow and the club will absolutely have to get that one right when the time comes. Personally I hope he signs contract extensions and is here for 10 years, then that problem will be a long way in the future.