I'm too old to get that excited by the summer and I've had too many seasons where expectations haven't been met to get that concerned about what does and doesn't happen but I am getting a little annoyed about all the rumours.

According to someone on this site, Nigel Reo-Coker is having a medical at Spurs this afternoon in a swap deal for Jermain Defoe. If that happens not only does it blow two rumours out of the water but two of the targets that we all know Martin O'Neill has been after.

We've also had our expectations built up by the club and there is talk this morning that we're going to go spend £30,000,000 on signings. Liverpool are spending close to that on one player.

I appreciate they have Champions League football next season but I'm sorry, maybe with my age came an expectation that I was going to be surprised this summer. None of the names we've been linked to are really surprising me and it's not as if much has changed that much.

I expect to be surprised this summer, in fact I demand it, but I do feel the club have built this into something that it won't be.

Maybe we've let it get the better of ourselves also, but we maybe shouldn't forget, despite our new owner, that we are still just Aston Villa and maybe we are no longer that attractive a proposition for a players going somewhere.

If Doug Ellis had an extra £30,000,000 from TV money coming in he'd spend a fair chunk of that on new players, which is what sets my expectations much higher than all the rumours, because we don't have Doug Ellis anymore.

If the club had made a bid for Torres and the bid was accepted by the club the least we can do is talk tot he player. If he turns us down, he turns us down, but you've got to be in it to win it. Expectations are set by what you do, not by what doesn't happen.

I don't want to be linked with David Nugent, I want to be linked with the best players. Behaviour breeds behaviour as Damian has said on a few occasions; let's go behave like Aston Villa Football Club.

Comments (28)

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Damian said:

i've just published this for kev .. i just want to point out that defoe, nugent, even reo-coker are all rumours. everything pretty much apart from the nakamuru link is a rumour this summer .. although i tend to agree with kev to some extent, even if we bid for torres i dont think he'd come, it would be nice to be bidding. get a bit of european exposure for the club and show a few people we mean business

July 03, 2007

mitchyp said:

that aint true i have never heard of that rumour nigel wont want to go to tottenham hes said before that he wants to come to villa park

July 03, 2007

Pgough said:

I would be very surprised if Defoe went back to West Ham. Wasn't he the first to ask for a transfer when they were relegated?

July 03, 2007

Ted said:

Yeah, and if we had bid £27m for Torres it would show how much we were willing to spend and would immediately lead to £2-3m being added onto the price of all our targets. He would never come to Villa - he is one of Europe's top players and wants Champions League, unfortunately something that VIlla can't offer. Yet...

July 03, 2007

Gilpin's Bell End said:

Lads. Get realistic. If you're going to push on to try to compete regularly for European football (forget CL yet) you have to do it like Spurs and get there in stages. Managing a squad that can not only play in Europe, but compete in the Prem to get you back there again is more than just splashing cash on one star player. Out of all the other clubs, I reckon Villa could do it, but not for a year or two yet. Also, all this money washing around, not just on the top 5 but with Villa, Newcastle, Wham, Pompey and possibly Man City soon, you have to remember that only 7 will get Euro football which means three clubs will shell out a fortune and get nothing back, and if you're going to be spending £30m like MON is rumoured to be about to, and like Spurs have (I have to acknowledge my white and blue-ness), it's gotta be CL or you're going to start to run up some scary debts. It isn't just the transfer fee, it's the wages too. Torres will cost Liverpool £47m over the course of his contract! This season is going to be very interesting and, for some clubs with investment to spend, possibly incredibly bad news

July 03, 2007 | url

JES said:

I'm fairly sure Defoe won't be going anywhere - he will still get chances with Spurs and obviously still has the ability to stake his claim as Berba's best partner. If he were to leave he would be sacrificing something in return for first team football (namely being at an upwardly mobile team who have a great chance of CL football). Q. to Villa fans. West Ham, Man City, Liverpool, ManU, Chelski - all have new owners all of who say the same thing; "It's not just an investment and we'll spend money to take the club back to it's former glory." Each time one of the clubs was taken over, articles were written about out foreign ownership and the purchase motivated solely about the new TV deal and the new owner in it just to make money. Consequently they were all at pains to say they were different; there to make the club a success again. My question is, do you think Randy Lerner is the one who actually is just in it for the money and doesn't care about the club itself? Surely they can't all be telling the truth...

July 03, 2007

JES said:

I'm fairly sure Defoe won't be going anywhere - he will still get chances with Spurs and obviously still has the ability to stake his claim as Berba's best partner. If he were to leave he would be sacrificing something in return for first team football (namely being at an upwardly mobile team who have a great chance of CL football). Q. to Villa fans. West Ham, Man City, Liverpool, ManU, Chelski - all have new owners all of who say the same thing; "It's not just an investment and we'll spend money to take the club back to it's former glory." Each time one of the clubs was taken over, articles were written about out foreign ownership and the purchase motivated solely about the new TV deal and the new owner in it just to make money. Consequently they were all at pains to say they were different; there to make the club a success again. My question is, do you think Randy Lerner is the one who actually is just in it for the money and doesn't care about the club itself? Surely they can't all be telling the truth...

July 03, 2007

steve m said:

The expectations are bred simply by our club being quiet. And that is the way they should be. AVFC are keeping quiet as they want to go about their business in a proffesional manner and not to have every target upped in priced by 50%. The press feel they have to say something which is where the rumours are bourne from. The rumour about the press conference came from nowhere other than the press and a few loud mouths on web forums pretending to know someone who knows something. This is a new owner and a great manager - give them chance and please please please AVFCBLOG discourage this kind of article, at least dont print it!

July 03, 2007

REO-CHOKER said:

"maybe shouldn't forget, despite our new owner, that we are still just Aston Villa and maybe we are no longer that attractive a proposition for a players going somewhere" HAHAHA proudly claret and blue

July 03, 2007

unlucky said:

oh right so you believe "somebody on this site". what a load of s**t mate. sort out the F**kin sources before writing such s**t

July 03, 2007 | url

PaddyHotspur said:

come on Defoe won't go to Villa..! He'll be getting at least 20 game next season and has a realistic chance of winning something at Spurs! As fro Reo Choker.. your welcome to him. There is not one good team out there that wants him and frankly if i supported Villa after his attitude last season i'd not want to go anywhere near him....! I like Villa and i think MON is a genius, but no point spending on players that are over hyped and have a stinking attitude.! Now Ashley Young.. there is a player i would have liked at White Heat Lane!

July 03, 2007

WHU no 32 said:

As a WHU FC supporter to Villa supporters don't you all think its ridiculous how many players we are both supposed to be signing ? With regards to Reo Coker I know his preferred destination is Villa I think his family live locally, I know Defoe would prefer anywhere to West Ham so don't read too much into this article imho, good luck in the transfer market guys

July 03, 2007

paulyid said:

I wouldn't stress it mate, the last thing Spurs need is another central midfielder, so Reo-Coker won't be coming to Spurs, and Defoe definitely won't go back to the Hammers either. I reckon Defoe will stay until at least January and see how things are going, and Reo-Coker might well still end up at Villa.

July 03, 2007

VijayD said:

Kevin i just hope youre wrong mate, but i agree i think we've been led up the garden path yet again......

July 03, 2007

johnpaul200 said:

if villa have 30mil to spend on transfers and you say you would like to spend 27mil on torres which obviously would be nice if he came but its not going to happen, villa are a side that need a few players to strenghten not just one so we cant just go blow all out transfer money on one player

July 03, 2007

anthony said:

people need to get there expectations right. we are not going to get the best yet. we need to build and slowly move forward. the best want european football. as for the NRC deal, just because we have money doesn't mean we should give in to west ham if we dont believe he is worth 8 million. A, he handed a transfer request in, B they want to sell him, c, he only has a few years left on his contract and d, they bought him for £500,000, so how they can demand £8million i will never know ! so everyone just chill !! this is mon we are talking about, he knows we need a bigger squad than last year so have FAITH

July 03, 2007

Satch said:

I just pre ordered the new shirt despite not seeing... I'm sure the price has gone up, £48 guess that's having a Nike kit manufacturer for you. All these rumours, well when I see it I'll believe it.

July 03, 2007

Aaron T said:

Defoe won't go back to West Ham. Him and the West Ham fans aren't exactly best of friends these days. Have a look through the archives at his celebrations after scoring against them. He doesn't look like a player who wants to go back.

July 03, 2007

Pgough said:

Satch The secrecy of the launch of the new shirt is to do with counterfeiting in the Far East. The club will loose out on revenue if the counterfeiters get their hands on the design before the launch. This is especially true of Nike shirts.

July 03, 2007

Ghosthunter said:

What will be will be. Maybe the only money we're gonna get to spend is the new TV money but this to me doesn't mean substantial funds. Substantial is relative to the competition and I guess most teams will be investing most if not all of the TV money, indeed, to stay in the premiership they are going to have to. I don't think the club would try and hoodwink us in this way. I like the idea of a press conference unveiling the new kit and a bunch of new players and this could be what is going on. What I am pleased about is that the club are remaining tight lipped on transfers which, if you want to ensure you get good value, is a good tactic. If we had splashed out 'over the odds' money for a player (such as Bent!!) we would have been held to ransom on every other player we try to sign. OK I know we spent big bucks on Ashley in Jan. but people are now starting to believe that it could have been a good bit of business (still got a long way to go though). Anyway, I'm not worried, I will praise or criticise the clubs transfer activities as and when they happen or when the window closes, whichever is the sooner. In the meantime I will remain excited and anxious and desperate to hear some news but above all I will have faith that it will all be good come kick off.

July 03, 2007

Ironman said:

FYI Not only did Defoe put in a transfer request minutes after we were relegated but subsequently when he wasn't allowed to leave immediately, he behaved like a petulent kid, got himself sent off etc etc. Defoe is despised in the same vein as Paul Ince and will not even show his face in the area to visit his old mates at West Ham for fear of what will happen. The chances of him ever playing for the Irons again are zero...he lost forever the right to wear the shirt.

July 03, 2007

Jig said:

There was me thinking that AVFC BLOG was a positive site. We Villa fans, with our scepticism, our cynicism have had our attitudes warped, we are the end result of years of Doug Ellis. The times are a changing, snap out of it, we are on our way.

July 03, 2007

Damian said:

Jig I for one agree we're on our way .. but where should our expectations be? Paper talk today is saying £30mn.; and we're getting an extra £30mn. from TV money ... most will spend or try to anyway, the £30mn. if they want to achieve UEFA football or in some cases, survival. What Kev, I think is saying, is we've built up the expectations, with a little help from the club, but lets not be too disappointed if we dont get all the star signings we had hoped for. For example; how is everyone going to fell if we do sing Reo-Coker; for me it isn't going to anything else other than relief. That's how we felt two seasons ago ...

July 03, 2007

Mr Moon said:

Defoe won't come to West Ham again. He won't even eat in the local restaurants for fear of being attacked.

July 03, 2007

Dai said:

Calm down all. Martin has it covered, he who dares, WINS and we will win. 80% of summer deals are done in the last 4 weeks of the window, so get off you soap boxes and be patient. He will buy the players he wants and those who will be best for the football club and not the players that we want OK! Thats why he is the manager and we all do normal jobs!!

July 03, 2007

Holte1970 said:

Just posted on the website http://www.teamtalk.com/footba...67,00.html NRC to sign a 4 year deal and ACFC & WHU have reached a compromise on the fee. No quotes but sounds credible.

July 03, 2007

Andy said:

Defoe lost the right to wear a West Ham Shirt? What, you mean he can speak the English Language, doesn't drag his nails on the ground, and doesn't vote NF? Good lad. And he's staying with the mighty THFC.

July 03, 2007

Jig said:

Damien Im just thankful to have the feeling of expectation for the first time since we won the european cup. I don't think that MON is the messiah, not yet anyway, but with all the managers that are out there this bloke given time, and more than a few seasons, will deliver. Our expectations should be high coupled with patience.

July 03, 2007

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