Here's what we could have won...

[CPL]

He was on loan at Bolton, so he wouldnt have been joining till start of the season if we did sign him anyway.

[Stu]

We were never going to get Rooney, obviously.

 

Why not? He was an Everton player looking to leave his boyhood team for a bigger challenge. He's motivated by money.

 

Clearly, we didn't offer him enough $$$

[Guest TheSummerOf69]

He's not a player we were seriously linked with, but Adel Taarabt seemed to be available until the QPR takeover and was exceptional against us on Monday.

 

On the other hand, Jay Bothroyd was our kind of player (a free transfer) and he looked very unimpressive. Then again so did Jermaine Beckford last season for Everton - but they still managed to get 2.5 million for him from Leicester. Wether that leaves them quids in or not after agent fees, I don't know.

 

 

In France:

Mevlut Erdinc has only played as a sub this season (but marked his 20m for PSG against Toulouse with a goal);

while his replacement Kevin Gameiro has 3 goals in 5 games.

Modibo Maiga has not scored in 3 games for Sochaux.

Nolan Roux has not scored in 5 games for Brest.

(Top scorers are: Alain Traore - 5 goals in 4 games for AJ Auxerre; and Frédéric Sammaritano - 4 goals in 3 games for AC Ajaccio).

 

Meanwhile in the Bundesliga:

Papiss Cisse has an impressive 4 goals in 5 games for SC Freiburg,

outscored only by Mario Gomez of Bayern who has 8.

Recently linked with us has been Eren Derdiyok of Bayer Leverkusen, who has so far only scored 1 this season.

 

[Guest guinness_fiend]

How about a thread to keep an eye on how all the miriad transfer targets that evaded Ashley's tight grasp are doing?

 

Daniel Sturridge has just been picked ahead of Torres, and scored a great backheel goal against the Mackems. I can't help but think if only we'd said to Liverpool you can have Carroll but only if we get Sturridge for 10m.

 

Then they'd have said to Chelsea you can only have Torres if we get Carroll by you selling Sturridge, which last season they'd probably been happy to do. Then we'd really have been sitting pretty on the deal even while Ashley still had a good wedge in his back pocket after forking out for a top class striking prospect AND the bore hole.

 

 

 

[Elliottman]

He's not a player we were seriously linked with, but Adel Taarabt seemed to be available until the QPR takeover and was exceptional against us on Monday.

 

On the other hand, Jay Bothroyd was our kind of player (a free transfer) and he looked very unimpressive. Then again so did Jermaine Beckford last season for Everton - but they still managed to get 2.5 million for him from Leicester. Wether that leaves them quids in or not after agent fees, I don't know.

 

 

In France:

Mevlut Erdinc has only played as a sub this season (but marked his 20m for PSG against Toulouse with a goal);

while his replacement Kevin Gameiro has 3 goals in 5 games.

Modibo Maiga has not scored in 3 games for Sochaux.

Nolan Roux has not scored in 5 games for Brest.

(Top scorers are: Alain Traore - 5 goals in 4 games for AJ Auxerre; and Frédéric Sammaritano - 4 goals in 3 games for AC Ajaccio).

 

Meanwhile in the Bundesliga:

Papiss Cisse has an impressive 4 goals in 5 games for SC Freiburg,

outscored only by Mario Gomez of Bayern who has 8.

Recently linked with us has been Eren Derdiyok of Bayer Leverkusen, who has so far only scored 1 this season.

 

 

Thought JB done alright actually. His finishing was woeful, but his size and strength gave Colo problems on a few occasions.

[Guest TheSummerOf69]

Thought JB done alright actually. His finishing was woeful, but his size and strength gave Colo problems on a few occasions.

 

Fair enough.

 

He had a better game than Shola (and I rate Shola a lot higher than most).

[Colocho]

How about a thread to keep an eye on how all the miriad transfer targets that evaded Ashley's tight grasp are doing?

 

Daniel Sturridge has just been picked ahead of Torres, and scored a great backheel goal against the Mackems. I can't help but think if only we'd said to Liverpool you can have Carroll but only if we get Sturridge for 10m.

 

Then they'd have said to Chelsea you can only have Torres if we get Carroll by you selling Sturridge, which last season they'd probably been happy to do. Then we'd really have been sitting pretty on the deal even while Ashley still had a good wedge in his back pocket after forking out for a top class striking prospect AND the bore hole.

 

We should have bid at least £15 million for Sturridge this summer. The club has made around £27 million profit from transfer fees in 2011, we should have been able to bid for a player of his potential and current abililty...

[Guest]

Maiga has been stopped from training with their first team due to his attitude since not getting his move. I think we'll get him in January.

[Disco]

Maiga has been stopped from training with their first team due to his attitude since not getting his move. I think we'll get him in January.

 

Sounds like a great guy.

[Guest TheSummerOf69]

Maiga has been stopped from training with their first team due to his attitude since not getting his move. I think we'll get him in January.

 

Sounds like a great guy.

 

Seems to be our method these days though - what with Ben Arfa having done a similiar "going on strike"; Charlton also reporting us for the way we chased Rob Elliot; and the elongated saga with Swansea over Neil Taylor.

[Wullie]

Speaking of Neil Taylor, has he been mentioned? He's impressed me, I can't say I've seen enough of his defending to judge but he puts a mean cross in.

[Guest]

Seems like the major issue him and his team mate Anin have is that they feel that they're not happy with the club rejecting big offers for them, yet them not getting a payrise to reflect the clubs valuation of them. Seems more understandable.

[jdckelly]

Seems like the major issue him and his team mate Anin have is that they feel that they're not happy with the club rejecting big offers for them, yet them not getting a payrise to reflect the clubs valuation of them. Seems more understandable.

still doesn't say much for his character

[TRon]

Maiga has been stopped from training with their first team due to his attitude since not getting his move. I think we'll get him in January.

 

I wouldn't be too confident. With him not playing or scoring goals we'll probably try to negotiate a reduced price, which will end with them telling us to fuck off again. Probably on the last day of the window.

[BottledDog]

Maiga has been stopped from training with their first team due to his attitude since not getting his move. I think we'll get him in January.

 

I wouldn't be too confident. With him not playing or scoring goals we'll probably try to negotiate a reduced price, which will end with them telling us to fuck off again. Probably on the last day of the window.

 

They'd have to be a bit mental telling us to fuck off if he's not playing or scoring goals tbf.

[ponsaelius]

Speaking of Neil Taylor, has he been mentioned? He's impressed me, I can't say I've seen enough of his defending to judge but he puts a mean cross in.

 

Yeah, same here. Looks a bit like a natural winger playing at fullback to me, very slight but comfortable on the ball and a canny crosser.

[TRon]

Speaking of Neil Taylor, has he been mentioned? He's impressed me, I can't say I've seen enough of his defending to judge but he puts a mean cross in.

 

Yeah, same here. Looks a bit like a natural winger playing at fullback to me, very slight but comfortable on the ball and a canny crosser.

 

It does look like we've got quite a decent scouting team these days. I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor doesn't go on to be worth quite a lot more than the £1m ceiling we put on him. I don't think it would have cost too much more to get him here and then a full back pairing of Santon and Taylor might not have looked too bad at all with relatively small outlay.

[Guest TheSummerOf69]

Speaking of Neil Taylor, has he been mentioned? He's impressed me, I can't say I've seen enough of his defending to judge but he puts a mean cross in.

 

He had a good game against England for Wales.

[Guest TheSummerOf69]

Well Zogs did nothing against us, did he?

 

Villa aren't playing to his strengths as much as Wigan did, but you have to question his attitude and maybe the only way to really get him going is to build everything around him. I'd still have liked him here as a Ben Arfa back-up (not least because Shola or Ba haven't set the world alight this year as second striker), but obviously our funds don't stretch to having expensive back-ups.

 

Chalk one to "not missing out" so far.

[Hughesy]

Heard a lot of Villa fans slating him no end after the match on Saturday.  Said he's been awful in all their matches so far this season.

[Lenny]

Yup, read a match report from a Villa perspective this morning and they were saying he looks out of form so far.

[Guest axel]

Zog seems like a player who is best when he is the big fish in the little pond. In Villa he's the opposite.

[AliGupter]

Zog seems like a player who is best when he is the big fish in the little pond. In Villa he's the opposite.

 

Aye, he's the shit fish in the shit pond.

[TRon]

He's always been self centred tbh. He has some fantastic qualities but he's not a team person. At Wigan he was given licence to roam but if he doesn't like the position he's assigned he'll barely put in 50%. McCleish seems like just the sort of old fashioned, unimaginative manager who would send bring put the worst in Zog, who does like a sulk now and then.

[cp40]

He's always been self centred tbh. He has some fantastic qualities but he's not a team person. At Wigan he was given licence to roam but if he doesn't like the position he's assigned he'll barely put in 50%. McCleish seems like just the sort of old fashioned, unimaginative manager who would send bring put the worst in Zog, who does like a sulk now and then.

 

 

what?