Aston Villa FC - CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE

Re:Aston Villa FC (shredder)

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:23:07 GMT

Lambert has already stated not to expect anything much out of the transfer window. Saying he still wants to bring in unknown youngsters for peanuts.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Soul_Edge)

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:07:14 GMT

Rumours going around that Lambert has his eye on Will Hughes (Derby CM) Massive potential
Luke Murphy who was Westwood's old CM partner before his move to Villa, both seem like they would be excellent signing along with some experience.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Jamie_Kinman)

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:01:37 GMT

Parker.
Outs: Barry Bannan, Shay Given, Barry Bannan, Darren Bent, Barry Bannan, Enda Stevens (on loan), Barry Bannan, Richard Dunne and most of all Barry Bannan.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Parker.)

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:20:33 GMT

I got carried away. But seriously, read it.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Parker.)

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:20:01 GMT

Yeah, Huddlestone wouldn't be a bad addition to our squad at all. He could be the tank of a man to compliment Westwood's Xavi-esque passing game. He would also bring something that we are severely lacking what with him being tall and strong. When we have Delph, Westwood, Sylla, Weimann, N'Zogbia and co trying to win headers and corners and what not, we look lightweight as hell. Good players in their own right, by all means, but just really, really small/weak. Who knows, he's not exactly the strongest but it could turn out to be Gary Gardner.

Now, just 'cos I'm bored and what not, I'm gonna evaluate the hell out of our squad and our first season under Lambo. First off, I'm not even gonna bother bigging up the likes of Benteke, Guzan, Lowton and Westwood too much, as their performances on the pitch kind of did all that for them. Benteke is a world beater, and at some point will be playing regular Champions League football (maybe for us, who knows haha). Guzan has been, for me, one of the best keepers in the league all season. He singehandedly kept us in some games we had no right to still be in. Truly deserved his place in the starting XI, and even in the 8-0 drubbing at Stamford Bridge he was my man of the match (which says a hell of a lot). Matty Lowton and Ashley Westwood will have at least one England cap over the next few seasons, both having the potential to be regualrs in the national squad for years to come.

Our attacking options are also pretty damn impressive. While Weimann and Gabby have been playing the part of supporting Benteke from the flanks, they have both still chipped in with a fair amount of goals, and if we're looking at them as strikers, our front four options of Benteke, Agbonlahor, Weimann and Bent are arguably the best outside of the top, top clubs.

Sylla has been impressive for me as well, especially considering he came straight into a tight-knit suqad, in the middle of our most difficult run, and still managed to establish himself as a very decent player, and a part of the squad. Good things in this lads future.

Jordan Bowery isn't going to recieve many accolades for his handful of appearances, but for someone who cost about as much as a packet of crisps to be plucked from obscurity (after scoring like 4 goals) he's looked a half decent player. Good on the ball, decent shot and a lot of pace. If he ends up being amazing Lambert deserves a freaking medal or something, and from what I've seen he has the potential.

Come to think about it, there are only a few players this season who have been disappointing. Bennett's had a few decent games as of late, but 98.6% of the time he has been laughable. Delph was a joke for a lot of the season, really tried my patience and at times I wanted him out of the club, Bradford being his lowest of low performances, but he's really turned it round this last nine or ten games. Now, I'm not gonna go on record saying I'm fully convinced he's turned the corner for good, but if he can play like he has in the last quarter of the season consistently for the next 10 years, he could end up going down as a legend. Big 'if', though. Vlaar, hmmmmmm, Ron Vlaar. One day he was a colossus, the next he was Liam Ridgewell (4-1 against Southampton comes to mind). I'm gonna put that down to getting used to the league, and I think after experiencing what the league is all about, with a full pre-season behind him he'll be a force in the centre of our defence next year. Clark, not good enough consistently. Some good games, some awful. Nathan Baker, as above, although I think Baker has more about him as a CB.

Useless: Barry Bannan. I fully expect to see him in the Championship next season, if not then Scotland. Should never even grace the bench at our club again, he's toss.

Ins: Central midfielder, experienced LB (Bennett is a decent enough understudy/cup LB), experienced CB (I don't class Herd as a CB, so the three of Vlaar, Clark and Baker isn't enough), a handful of kids with potential and (in a fashion) Gary Gardner.
Outs: Barry Bannan, Shay Given, Barry Bannan, Darren Bent, Barry Bannan, Enda Stevens (on loan), Barry Bannan, Richard Dunne and most of all Barry Bannan.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Stephen)

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:53:34 GMT

He's 26, he's just not good enough for us any more in a starting 11 and he said he doesn't wanna be on the bench again all season.

Not much pace at all but he can ping 40-50 yard Hollywood balls out of nothing. He'd be perfect as a deep lying playmaker.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Jamie_Kinman)

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:30:55 GMT

I'd definitely be happy with Huddlestone. He's still pretty young aint he? Well not old by any stretch of the imagination. Think he could play a very useful role for us and has gotten some experience at a good level over the last year.

In fact, I'd really like him at the club, alongside Westwood and then an attacking midfielder.

It's officially that time, isn't it, where I get all excited over the prospect of players that wont come to us :(

Re:Aston Villa FC (Stephen)

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:15:07 GMT

What do you guys think of Huddlestone? I imagine he'll be available this summer.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Jamie_Kinman)

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:54:52 GMT

Also, the fuck happened to Holman?

Re:Aston Villa FC (Jamie_Kinman)

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:43:20 GMT

I think all in all, it's been a very uplifting and positive finish to the season. It would've been nice to get a point from Chelsea which we deserved and go out on a win against Wigan but hey ho, we avoided relegation.

Now to get 1/2 key players in and a couple of better squad players. Has anyone heard any rumours or anything yet?

Re:Aston Villa FC (BlameDave)

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:07:27 GMT

I think since the end of the transfer window, we've looked like a top 10 side.

Of course Cisse looked like a truly class player at the end of last season, and didn't live up to it this season so I'm not going to go too crazy just yet.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Jamie_Kinman)

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:59:51 GMT

If he bags more goals next year, as in he beats this years tally, combined with his age, I don't see any reason why he shouldn't have an absolute FAT price tag on him. I just hope over the Summer we can spend a bit of money and really enhance this team to finish in a position next year where all our key players WANT to stay on because of a positive future.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Parker.)

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:09:43 GMT

If he shows next season that he's a consistant 20 goal a season striker (19 in the league this year but he's only played 34, in the other 4 games I'm sure he'd have nicked a goal or two) then £30million plus is the minimum he'd go for. Any striker his age with that kind of ability would have to worth at least that amount in todays market.

Thinking back, in his first few games, while he was settling in, he missed quite a few really easy chances, just imagine if he'd buried them. He'd be on like 22/23 for the season in the league alone.

Re:Aston Villa FC (BlameDave)

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:36:51 GMT

If we keep him, and he has another good season, then I reckon we'd be looking at £35-40M.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Parker.)

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:00:27 GMT

Yep, if he said in a press conference I am staying put, and then Dortmund come in and he leaves, I really wouldn't have any problems in waving him off and wishing him the best. To be honest, if he decides to leave for any other team, I'll be devastated, but I want nothing but good things for the lad. Without him we'd have made QPR look like League winners, and we WOULD have been relegated. No if's and but's. If you remember we signed him on deadline day, so if we missed out on him we wouldn't have had time to bring in anyone else.

Re:Aston Villa FC (BlameDave)

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:07:07 GMT

Aye, plus you can't really blame him for leaving if a team like that come calling. Unlike Downing who left for a team that wasn't even in Europe.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Jamie_Kinman)

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:54:58 GMT

I thought I read some where that he said he would stay for another season at least if we stayed up, or am I making this up?
Suppose that didn't stop Downing when Liverpool came calling.

Re:Aston Villa FC (shredder)

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:18:43 GMT

He isn't going anywhere this summer. Not gonna happen.

Re:Aston Villa FC (BlameDave)

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:34:10 GMT

So there are rumours about Borussia Dortmund going for Tekkers, which if true, he is always going to want to go. And lets face it, that would be better than him going to another PL team.

With £25-30M, I reckon we could get someone top notch in.

Re:Aston Villa FC (Parker.)

Thu, 16 May 2013 00:33:09 GMT

The funny thing is, he actually HAS been alright this last few weeks. Although, alright would probably be the optimum word, he did give away that needlessly soft penalty against Norwich, which if Gabby hadn't been unstoppable woud have made it go down to the last game on Sunday.BUt yeah, aside from that he has been okay.

I think as a sub/cups left back he'd be one of the better options in the league, but as a starter he just isn't consistently good enough.

I miss Freddy Bouma.