Comments for My season preview: Forget about new players and look to Martin at http://www.avfcblog.com , comment 1 to 16 out of 16 comments http://www.avfcblog.com Thu, 07 Aug 2008 18:12:47 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4492 I agree with your prediction of 6th. However, at the risk of over generalising, most players like to think that what they achieve out on the pitch is largely down to them, whatever the manager says. Only after a period time do the actually begin to "get" what the manager is trying to do. Like you say, this depends on a complex range of things, buying in new players is a part of it, the working relationship another, new training facilities etc! What i sense is that MON is trying to build a team - bringing in new younger players that can be moulded, and at the same time relying on good solid professionals i.e. Barry. - Legend64 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:31:39 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4480 Damian, i just want the best for Villa, i hope you are right, but i dont think that MON on his own can get us challenging at the top, he needs players, top class players, SWP, NRC, Defoe, Davies, Carson, Sneijder, Babel, Forlan, etc etc, then we can challenge for top 4-6 and maybe even further cos of the MON factor! - VijayD Mon, 25 Jun 2007 21:56:14 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4456 Good article Damian. Spot on about where we realistically should hope to finish. The only thing that concerns me is that we don't seem to be buying anyone right now. Perhaps I'm being inpatient, but what happened to the Matty Taylor deal or all the rumours about the Albion players??? Its seems as though every mid table team in the Premiership is after the same small pool of players, just today I read that West Ham have made a bid for Wright-Philips. If we are to achieve the top 6 then we need to increase the depth of our squad, and although we have some cracking young players like Gabby, Moore, Gardner, Cahill and Young, we need to invest in players who are already established as first class international performers. We have to have some depth. The O'Neil factor alone just won't be enough. Up the Villa! - YokohamaVila Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:44:27 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4455 Nice article. Top 6 is achievable. No bonus points for your Bolton predictions though - any team/manager who thinks Samuel and McCann are good buys is bound to struggle. - Nick Higginson Mon, 25 Jun 2007 16:22:14 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4454 Think you make some great points, and I have been saying since Allardyce's departure that Bolton will struggle, I think the same can be said of Wigan, who have done great things under Jewell, but cant see them being the same side without him. Tipping them both to go down !!!! As for the Villa think it will be 6th or 7th this term, think we are getting rid of the right players but this will still be very much a building season. We are starting to get a great infrastructure, and judging by the quality of the marketing material and the great attention to detail that is being made with every move at Villa Park presently this puts us in a strong position, if the on field decisions are made in the same way. Very optimistic, we're in safe hands. - Building year Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:43:02 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4453 Jonnyvillain, thats basically what I was getting at. With MON and the board we have right now, this is what sets us apart from the other teams that want to throw all their money away on average players. These are the players that without all this TV money that has come through, wouldn't be worth half the amounts currently being talked about. On another subject, if reports are correct that West Ham want 12mill for Reo Coker, what the hell happened to the fee for Henry?? 16 million, I know he is 29, but bloody hell thats a pretty good deal for Barcelona if you ask me!!! We are miles away from attracting that sort of player, but some of the prices for average players is just down right saft!! - DJ Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:57:45 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4452 at PGough maybe i am not taking into consideration possible injuries or slip-ups, but that is probably because just as any team can have injuries ... so can we i see 6th. i see the leap to top 4 as at least one more season - Damian Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:55:59 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4451 Damian You are being too pragmatic. Lets just remember that every year a couple of top teams make a mess of their campaign through injuries, bad tactics, dressing room quarrels, etc.. If Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool or the like slip up in such a way then your 6th place prediction will become 4th , providing MON has us in a position to take advantage. I know there are a couple of “ifs” in there but that is the league campaign I expect to see. - PGough Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:52:32 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4450 DJ i can understand your concerns about other teams having money but what the villa board are doing is making us a global brand. they are not just throwing money at it. in years to come the club will be able to stand on it's own two feet. it will not need Randy's or anyone eleses money. The club will be generating enough cash flow to buy top players. I would rather see our club being built over a period of years like Manu of the early 90's was, not just have money thrown at like Blackburn did, yes Blackburn won the title but then they got relegated. - jonnyvillian Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:31:37 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4449 at VijayD i agree with you. while i'm never going to publish my fantasy managers league table i will tell you that one of the factors used was length of time in job and number of players brought in at each opportunity the quality of your manager then determines how successful you will be ... but using your argument; how many top players are going to want to go play for billy davies? the reputation a manager has, which is developed over a number of seasons is a contributing factor in why a big name player will come ... and they will come to villa addition: i guess what i'm saying is that martin o'neill will get the best he can. if o'neill is after defoe for example and then sir alex comes in, where do you think defoe will go? yes it is important but o'neill is more important ... un my humble opinion ;) - Damian Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:05:27 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4448 Damian mate, i was calling out for MON to become manager of our beloved club in March 2006 in private email exchanges with members of the blog, I think that MON factor is very important but you will have to agree that if MON was manager of Derby he would not be expected to finish top 6 unless he was handed significant funds. We need to sign top players who will make a real difference to them team and who will be able to compete with the top guns. MON cannot do it all alone. He can motivate them, he is a master tactician, he is the best for me, but he needs a big helping hand, a hand full of money from Mr Lerner. - VijayD Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:55:13 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4447 I would like to think a UEFA place is not out of our reach. However, I thought this would be guaranteed when Mr Lerner came aboard, offering a few quid to help better the team and putting the feel good factor back into the club. But now several clubs have also been taken over, or about to, which means financially we are no better off because everyone is in the same boat. However, in MON we have a true Villa legend in the making. He aint there yet by a long way, but lets see how the next few years pan out, with some top signings and the Villa brand going from strength to strength, I see a top 6 place for us all the way!! The futures bright, the futures claret and blue - DJ Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:42:07 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4446 Lets hope your right Damian, i would be very very please with 6th as if 6th place in the league and Most would be please :( suppose that shows how uncompetitive the league has become, hopefully with the middle teams starting to get better we, they will start to beat the top 4 more often therefore opening the league up - Bearvill Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:37:45 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4445 Completely right about the manager, cash adds a small amount to it for bringing in better quality but it seems every quality player out there is being chased by at least 5 clubs. MON is a decent manager with a good record and a lot of popularity with players and agents. He played a lrage part is Young, Maloney and Carew signing and Barry staying on and becoming captain. He is the pilot of this Aston Villa plane and hopefully we'll be landing in terminals 5-7 next season (for those who didn't understand, 5th-7th in the League). - Dizzy Mugs Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:36:19 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4444 totally agree. i think 6th or 7th is the best we can hope for next season, however i do think arsenal are on the slide. in two years i can see challenging spurs for 4th spot. - jonnyvillian Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:32:47 +0100 http://www.avfcblog.com/content/view/1760/70/#comment-4443 Great article and a nice read. - Cubos Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:20:01 +0100