Aston Villa News 24/7That’s the Summer 2010 transfer window done then.
Out: Marlon Harewood and Andy Marshall were both released at the end of their contracts. Stephen O’Halloran went to Coventry on a free, while Nick Shorey joined West Brom for £1.5m and James Milner joined Man City for £26m.
In: Stephen Ireland joined from Man City for £8m.
KMac has confirmed that he would like an interview. Make whatever you will of the inclusion of a two minute video recap of his four game C.V. embedded into the official announcement.
This, then, is the “player palette” I’ll be using during the next few months:-
Depends how you view the Ireland/Milner swap I suppose, but aside from the cover Shorey provided at left back, we start this season more or less in the same shape we finished last season. On the pitch at least. Behind the scenes is whole other story.
It’s going to be a tough few months and we need most, if not all, of these players to give everything they’ve got to keep us hanging in there by the turn of the year. In a five week period between the last game in November and the first game in January, we’ll have to face Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Man City and Chelsea in addition to West Brom and Wigan.
If we’re in bad shape before that period, we’ll be in all sorts of trouble afterward, just as the Winter transfer window opens. But, as I keep saying, that’s essentially the team than were in the hunt for top four for 36 games last season, they’re not a poor side, it’s up to them to prove it.
EDIT: I can barely believe that I forgot to mention Freddie Bouma was also one of the players to leave at the end of last season. Although he didn’t play any part in the season, I had heard that he had finally signed a deal with PSV just before writing this and it slipped my mind.
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5 Comments to “Window Shuts – This Is Your Aston Villa Team For Next 4 Months”
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As this transfer window opened I was more hopeful than previous years when Villa seemed always reluctant to recruit. For the third year running Villa had sat in sixth place but this time we’d graced Wembley’s hallowed turf twice, proof if needed that O’Neill’s slow but sure evolution was beginning to realise its potential. Surely the summer of 2010 would be when Lerner would pave the wave for tangible progress to be made with two or three astute investments? Nothing truly exceptional by today’s standards, just a few judicious enhancements in the right departments, maybe Robbie Keane, Charles N’Zogbia and David Bently as examples of real ‘available’ who would add quality without being outlandish.
The reality as we all know was worst than I could ever imagine and in the wake of MON’s departure we’re left floundering, and no gaffer clearly means no transfers.
Being brutally honest, I look at our squad and within context of the managerial situation and the club’s results so far this campaign and it’s no better than mid table. Okay, so Milner excluded, the crux of our squad isn’t too disimilar to last years ‘almost there’ unit, but fundamentally O’Neill’s departure has left a big hole and the resulting state of flux has manifested itself into dramatic inconsistencies on the pitch.
For so long Villa have been very conservative in front of goal but that’s okay, we’ve been miserley in the extreme at the opposite end. So far, and I know you’ll argue we’ve had two clean sheets (West Ham & Everton), we look very unsure and that’s simply a luxury we can ill afford with our less than prolific ‘goals for’ record. With the exception of the Newcastle drubbing and the Rapid Vienna mauling the statshack data against Everton suggests that all is not well.
What we need now is for Randy to use the time created by the International break to recruit a manager who will have the ability to work adroitly with the current 25.
My fantasy is for Moyes, a manager who eschews the values seemingly appreciated by Randy. A manager who values youth and looks to develop players – as an example look at Rodwell, Hibbert and Vaughn. Then, he’s bought modestly but with reasonable success (most notably Arteta, Cahill and Jagielka). Finally, he’s integrous, disciplined and focused, qualities you could argue offered by O’Neill himself.
I know that many will ask why the Scot would swap Goodison for Villa Park but (and it’s a big but based solely on my own desperate need to argue for Moyes switch)…what if Randy uses the Milner warchest to (a) give Bill Kenwright as compensation for the services of DM and (b) to give Moyes whatever remains to spend in January with the promise of further funds in next summer’s window? What if Randy sells a vision of sustained development to Moyes? Could Moyes, hamstrung by Everton’s financial plight be sold the Villa as a real ‘work in progress’ with genuine scope? Could it be that Randy wasn’t reluctant to spend the Milner slush fund so much as wary of giving O’Neill that money?
Honestly I have no real clue but as a fan who wants the very best for our great club, I feel that with our hands tied for four months and with a squad literally on the brink, Randy should invest heaviliy in a gaffer who has the qualities to develop emmerging talent whilst having the steel and sensibilities to continue MON’s work.
extremely well put.
there’s masses of potential and not a little quality in that squad. the right man could pick that up and continue the last four years. moyes is one of those men, others may well do what many fans expect and even want, which is to chop out half the squad and start again.
as i was saying on twitter, we sometimes spend more than 10 million on a player who can be off again in 2 years, why not spend that kind of money to get the right manager if that’s what it takes?
Villa is doing just fin guys. Everyone is all up in arms over how bad you got beat by the Toon Army. It’s ok.Villa will pull through like they usually do. Newcastle is just a better team. Thats ok guys.
got old a week ago jacob.
doing fin? milner gone, barry gone, awful defence, steve sidwell, heskey!! awful team, worst villains team in history, god bless martin o neil, he’s ruined your club!!