afar

What's up with the forum today, just us two miserable bastards, we can't even get the likes of Dave to come play. I think everyone must be on a downer after the ITKs raised hopes only for reality to set in.

Anyway have we done predicted lineups yet? Here’s mine if anyone gives a flying fuck: Given Beye Cacapa Taylor Enrique Butt Guthrie Geremi Milner Smith Duff Formation may not be right but don’t think I’ll be far off with the players.

Yup. In fact although I'm pissed off the Jonas and Coloccini situations look like they'll be unresolved, Owen, Martins and Viduka will be missing and we'll be going into the game with a generally crap side, our season starts against Bolton. We were always going to lose at Old Trafford, so I'm not going to lose too much sleep over it. dave, genuine question here given our 'stances' during the summer; what do you think of the clubs "performance" with colo & guti? what i'm getting at is that i can't think of another club, perhaps granted there aren't that many of them as you don't tire of pointing out, who have transfers dragging on like we do in fact the villa transfer of shorey/young is a right slap in the face for the "transfers don't happen overnight crowd" - so what's going wrong with us then? I've said before I think the Jonas thing is a bit of a joke and that we should have seen some definitive action taken/answers given by now. However, I'm not going to beat up on the club about it because I just don't know the details. This is even more the case with Coloccini. There's a bit of a difference between signing players from different countries/leagues too btw. you just can't do it can you? take the step to say maybe somethings not perfect in mikes magical wonderland if neither of those two play sunday there's no other conclusion than they've made a total c*** of both deals if they do both play then what's with not confirming the deals? Complete bullshit of NE5 proportions. End of conversation. dave, i'm sorry man, will you talk to me again?! this is like actually being in coventry, rather than being sent there Don't worry MrM he does it to me all the time, hell be back, I'm sure he still loves ya Seriously though FWIW, I agree with you it'll be a complete bit of mis management if either fail to be available for the Manure game. And of course transfers don't happen overnight, absolutely no evidence of that whatsover, Keane, Cuellar, Young, dos Santos, Robinson and Shorey really strung out over months and months

Bouma is a better player than Shorey, but his right foot currently points in the wrong direction, hence the need for another LB. When Bouma comes back, we'll have two LBs instead of one at the club. The other obvious improvement is that we now have a right back. Mellberg did ok there defensively, but was awful coming forward. We've now got Luke Young to play there. If you can find me a single Villa fan who thinks Mellberg is a better option at right back than Luke Young, I'll eat my metaphorical hat. I actually may say something that Brummie doesn't bite my head off about here. But I think it must be really exciting being a Villa fan atm, they have a geniune chance IMO of winning some silverwear this season, I can see them winning the UEFA cup actually. I also think it'll be between them and Spuds for the best of the rest prize. I don't think they have the most talent of the teams outside the big 4 but they do have great team spirit, a solid looking squad and a very good manager. It looks like a pretty good package to me, going into this season. Villa still lack a top quality striker which is why i've marked them down to finish 7th this year. They are improving though. I can see your reasoning there but there seems to be a lot of faith in the Agbonhoweveryouspellit and Carew partnership down there. Everton seem to have gone backwards this pre season, while I'm not sure anyone has done enough to push on from the rest of the also rans. Spuds and Villa to me seem to be much better than the rest of the crap in there.

Bouma is a better player than Shorey, but his right foot currently points in the wrong direction, hence the need for another LB. When Bouma comes back, we'll have two LBs instead of one at the club. The other obvious improvement is that we now have a right back. Mellberg did ok there defensively, but was awful coming forward. We've now got Luke Young to play there. If you can find me a single Villa fan who thinks Mellberg is a better option at right back than Luke Young, I'll eat my metaphorical hat. I actually may say something that Brummie doesn't bite my head off about here. But I think it must be really exciting being a Villa fan atm, they have a geniune chance IMO of winning some silverwear this season, I can see them winning the UEFA cup actually. I also think it'll be between them and Spuds for the best of the rest prize. I don't think they have the most talent of the teams outside the big 4 but they do have great team spirit, a solid looking squad and a very good manager. It looks like a pretty good package to me, going into this season.

Cast iron certainty not to be a new signing, will be Lampard contract or something equally dull as that.

I filled in the season's predicted results and had us finishing 11th one place behind the mackems !!!

It's gonna be a little annoying tbh, if the only new signing that plays in the Manure game is Guthrie. The fact that he didn't turn up at the training session today leaves me in no doubt at if and it now seems a big if he has signed then he won't be ready for Sunday.

All good stuff HTT but we also need to think of the here and now and invest further in the first team. There hasn't been enough investment yet in the starting 11, this pre-season, if Colocinni is the last one trhough the door, then yet another season of mediocrity awaits and that could hurt the club financially more than signing another 10mill player would. As long as the club do not neglect that while focussing it's efforts on the youth, then the ownership will get my backing. We are though, we've signed 4 players to date with the chance of some more coming in too. There is no rule in football saying you have to spend X figure on each player or have to bring in X number. Remember even if we signed 10 players at 10m each there is no guarantee things would change just because we add more bodies and spend more. As Ashley and KK keep saying its about the right players and of course opportunity. No point spending for the sake of it and I'm sure we're working as hard as any to go into the season on the best terms possible. I never suggested we should spend for spending's sake. But we have two gaping, and I mean gaping holes in our squad, they have been there all close season TBH, but the pre-season games probably emphasised the scale of the problem. A creative midfielder and a big strong lad to play up front who can stay out of the physio room and is of premiership standard. We can get by without a back up LB or RB, and although not perfect the DM situation will suffice but if we go into this season without rectifying that, then I will be mighty disappointed with the recruitment team. This could cost 10mill per player, even more but it could also be 3 or 4 million per player, I don't really care which as long as it's done.

All good stuff HTT but we also need to think of the here and now and invest further in the first team. There hasn't been enough investment yet in the starting 11, this pre-season, if Colocinni is the last one trhough the door, then yet another season of mediocrity awaits and that could hurt the club financially more than signing another 10mill player would. As long as the club do not neglect that while focussing it's efforts on the youth, then the ownership will get my backing.

You didnt really expect anything to happen did you? Well irony can be pretty ironic sometimes. Did I really need to add a rollyeyes smiley thing ?

Strange, thought these alleged ITK's claimed the deals would be paraded tomorrow. Either way, I'll believe it when I see it. Well it started out with an announcement today and a parading tomorrow, now it seems to have gravitated to the whol shebang tomorrow. Watch that move, to before the Manure game, then before the end of the window. Then evetually to "well I never actually said it was 100 certain, something stoped the deals going through at the last minute".

Hehe, you always bite though.

Well I have been very critical of Ashley more from a sense of wanting to see some action point of view. But I have to say, reading some of this stuff really lifts my spirits as far as our ownership is concerned. I liked the fact that he admits to not doing his due dilligence, and delighited to hear that he wouldn't change a thing. He does sound like he really cares, from the things he says about being in with the fans but also in a way the lack of due dilligence, if he were only here to turn a quick buck, then throwing yourself in like he said he did is no way to go on. If we pull off a couple more quality signings, on top of the Colocinni deal, then I'll be ready to sign up for with the Ashleyites, how do I go about doing that Dave ?

So it's what almost 10pm, there in little old blighty, Tuesday is almost over and still no sign of this alleged announcement. Hmm that's a shocker.

So contrary to what people say Nicko is most certainly a Blackburn fan, otherwise this wouldn't be "troubling" or "becoming at nightmare". That's about all you can take from the crap he spouts though.

Well there you go. Doesn't me he'll be our player though before Sunday. But hopefully it'll force Ince's hand to sell.

Warnock has to be a possibility after the latest news surely What latest news ? Have I missed something ? Last I heard was Ince telling the world no one else was leaving, should I have hit f5 again ?

There is a possibility that this so called "MAJOR" signing is a rumour the club have been happy to intimate in order to generate interestr and shift the remaining season tickets and corporate boxes. Call me cynical but it's got to be a possibility. TBH, Colocinni apart I doubt anyone else will be signed in time for Sunday. As for the end of the month, I'll be pleasantly surprised if we sign more than one more decent first teamers and hugely doubt we'll bring in any player that will shock the footballing world.

A bit like the bible I guess this is way more plausible than the bible tbf LOL What gets me is how come it's always these tenious links. Why doesn't the father who went to the meeting, post what was said ? Or even the son ? It's always, my mates, mate, father, daughter, barber, houseboy, whatever.

Smith poster boy for that squad picture He's also down as a midfielder !

Oh man. Can't believe Alan Shearer would say something like that, he's so unconfrontational on MoTD. Bit more of that attitude Alan, may stop the viewers from nodding off during your post match analysis.

ITK = I Talk Krap

The piece I have bolded is a clear indication that this is probably bollocks, he's covering his back so when it doesn't happen he'll point to this to say he said it might not.

That's just sooooo unlike them. Top post BTW.