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.
Another top post, Brummie. It's a bit sad that the best poster on a Newcastle-board is a Villa-fan.