Reports were circulating earlier this week that Martin O'Neill was going to be spending £30mn. and quite a few people got excited. I actually got quite disappointed.

Since Randy Lerner took control of the club and effectively brought Martin O'Neill and Richard FitzGerald in I've had a lot of time to think. The more I think about it the more I'm convinced it's more than £30mn., much much more.

You're thinking I've gone mad again and you'd be almost right, it's only that you can forget the 'again' part, but please look at my logic.

Martin O'Neill is a winner. He's not going to come to Aston Villa unless he was assured that he'll be in a position to make himself a winner again. It's also generally accepted he is one of the best managers in the Premiership and he wouldn't come here if he thought he only had £30mn.. He certainly wouldn't have gotten rid of all these players unless he knew he'd be able to replace them with better and better costs money.

I've also chatted with Richard FitzGerald a few times and he's also a winner. He's a winner who isn't going to leave a high paying job in an industry where he made a name for himself to come and 'oversee' a football club. He's here to take the club forward and he knows to do that you need to spend huge sums of cash and really speculate.

But why am I so convinced this is going to happen? Well, it's really quite simple and maybe I've spent too much time thinking about it but it comes down to expectation, what we already know about the people involved and how things really do appear to be very different. It also comes down to that it has to happen.

If it doesn't happen now it never will. This isn't the last chance we've got but it's going to be the best one. Manchester United have spent £50mn. already this summer and look like spending another £20mn this week. They can do it because they are winners and we now have winners at Aston Villa.

So, I've built this up and I know I've got no real proof to base it on but I believe it. I'll be disappointed, very in fact, if we only end up spending £30mn. this summer which is why I can't see it happening. I'm not going to be let down by Aston Villa again but I will be surprised by them.

To the press conference tonight at 6pm. I'm now leaving this machine and I'll come back after I've watched. We will probably only see Nigel Reo-Coker but I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a flair player from South America or a real star that nobody had ever thought would join us.

It's my hope anyway and while I hold this hope desperately close, is it really impossible that what I'm thinking might actually happen?

Comments (44)

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Martin O Neill_New villa said:

30million this tranfer window and then maybe another 10 or 20 the next

July 05, 2007

pinky said:

i'm with you damien. its gonna be big otherwise whats the point? they can keep the fans happy for only so long with all these extras. but we are a football club and there is only 1 thing to keep us really happy

July 05, 2007

Nick de Jong said:

where can i watch this press conference, i am very excited about this, do you have a link?

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

Even if it is only 30mill this season then that will be ok cause randy will fund if they club needs improving it wouldnt just be this one sum there will be more money to come into the club over the next season record sales on shirts record sales on tickets everythink at the club is breaking records allready and we have even kicked off yet and with randy comming from the usa this means we will get well known over there and we will be racking the money in like untied do

July 05, 2007

Nick de Jong said:

someone please let me know where i can watch the Villa Press Conference tonight please, is it on tele?

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

Nick de Jong u can watch it on sky sports if u have that if not go to google type in aston villa DNA and download it that is the desktop latest news everythink to do with villa is on there they will show u the press confernce on there enjoy mate i cant wait

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

Here is the link if u cant find it if we not allowed to send links on here then im sorry in advance http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.u...65,00.html

July 05, 2007

Nick de Jong said:

wicked thankyou, i am also very excited!

July 05, 2007

dions schlong said:

Nick de Jong said: it will be on skysports news!

July 05, 2007

villanut said:

thats only the tabloids that have saod £30m, Mr Merner is not going to disclose any information. Like doug used to say tell anyone what you got and players prices would double. Ive said all along i feel theres going to be a huge press conference, maybe not his one but we may see players like SW Phillips and Defoe unveilled soon.

July 05, 2007

jimmy said:

I dont want to buy success, I want us to build a team we can be proud of. Its obvious that we need to aim at a UEFA cup spot and consolidate it, then we enter faze 2 which is an assault on the champs league. You cant just throw money at it and expect to win. Im dissapointed over the sale of Davis & think it is a mistake but Im sure MON knows better (it is his job afterall). We need to bulk up the defence and sign a top striker, right winger and a keeper....but buy cheap I think Gordon, Alfonso Alves and SWP, along with Lahmn would do the job for us

July 05, 2007

S Jinks said:

We've let 12 players go & brought 5 in the maths just don't work. We need to spend s''t loads just to get the numbers back to where we started.

July 05, 2007

VijayD said:

Damian mate i pray youre right about the spending, but i would be very surprised if we spend more than 30 million, expect only nrc tonight, south american superstar, dream on!

July 05, 2007

Damian said:

at Jimmy i dont want to buy success in the sense that chelsea did but look what united are doing. they're buying to sustain it .. when you get there and these days you have to spend to get there, then it is easier ... but we need to spend big if we are to replace all these players. believe and it will happen

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

I must say its nice to see fans are really up for this and really excited everyone must be sitting at home thinkin comon hurry up 6 o clock just like i am lol this is a great time for fans and club iv never been itichin to see a press confrence b4 like i am this one one more hour to go plssssssss HURRY 6 o clock

July 05, 2007

avfcmitch said:

just been down villa park to see if nrc is there but he is at bodymoor so if anyone is goin down villa park 4 get it he is at bodymoor

July 05, 2007

avfcmitch said:

55 mins left come on hurry up

July 05, 2007

avfcmitch said:

come on time is going so slow

July 05, 2007

kernowvilla said:

its only nrc tonight,imagine how upset he would be at his own press conference with others "stars" stealing the limelight!

July 05, 2007

andy_avfc5759 said:

At last, someone has dared to say what I've been thinking. Damian, I'm sure we won't be disappointed. I am Soooo lookng forward to this season!

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

Even if its only reo coker its still exciting for the fans and club its not as if this will be the only press confrence we will see this season pleanty more to come.

July 05, 2007

Scobby said:

Is there DEFINITELY a press conferance at 6pm then? I can't see anything about it on the official site?

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

scooby yes there is it will be on sky sports news they have said it on there today a lot its deffo happening awww i bet the hammers are blowing bubbles in anger haha

July 05, 2007

Dizzy Mugs said:

I thought we had £30mn when O'Nell first came, we only spent 7 of that so we've got £23mn. plus the £30mn. from TV rights. so £53mn. And probably a bit of emergency money too.

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

It will more than lightly be at about 6.10 -6.15 as most press confrences are allways a bit later than the original time they say first

July 05, 2007

Scobby said:

Talk about getting it from the horses mouth! Thanks Martin O'Neill_New villa! Come on then!!

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

lol i just wish they would hurry up i been itching to see this for hours now this is torture lol

July 05, 2007

Love_Don said:

Yeah same, no news so far, i am watching sky sports news like a hawk!

July 05, 2007

Love_Don said:

arnt they just unvieling re-coker, would be nice if there was some surprise news as well!

July 05, 2007

villain of the north said:

Can't see there being anyone else unveiled or the press would have gotten wind of it.

July 05, 2007

dions schlong said:

can you watch it live on AV DNA?

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

Damnnnn dont u just hate press confrences never ever ever ever ever on time lol

July 05, 2007

avfcmitch said:

all this just for one player remember when villa signed marti o'neill as manager he was about 2 hours late lol

July 05, 2007

villa_madd said:

swp to come for 10mil same for defoe and jussi aswell!!!!!!!

July 05, 2007

satch said:

Pull the other one! Only factor to consider is Man City, Sven and the dictator with there plan to buy 10 new players eek. So who has the more money... only time will tell.

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

lol and the wait continues grrrrr :- cmon cmon

July 05, 2007

pe said:

The official website is reporting that Reo-Coker has signed.

July 05, 2007

Martin O Neill_New villa said:

Might aswell watch eastenders lol

July 05, 2007

Love_Don said:

I have a feeling this is going to be MASSIVE, not just Reo Coker, we shall see, taking its time though

July 05, 2007

xandeh said:

Ha, don't go that far, just browsing youtube and found this! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ-qOyyhxpk

July 05, 2007

Alex said:

Damion I think you are right but for a slightly different reason. They will not disclose how much money they have and are keeping things secret as this will affect their negotiation position. If the other teams know how much money we have it makes negotiation harder. I know we are not in the chelsea league but just look at the inflated prices they have had to pay. I think on Martin, Randy & the general actually know what our budget is and I am confident they will not let us down. AJ

July 05, 2007

flowershopboy said:

F**K dis i took off work 2 hours early to watch a report on Tevez repeated about 10 times!

July 05, 2007

matt6villa said:

We've gotta spend at least £40m now. Wesley Sneijder as our next target?

July 05, 2007

Astonmilan said:

Sneidjer is off to Fiorentina by the look of things.

July 06, 2007

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