I know what we've been told and I don't doubt it for a minute but it's just wrong. It's wrong because deals are still getting completed and it's five days after the window closed.

Afonso Alves was only granted a work permit today and he's only played eight times for Brazil. Brad Guzan had played five times for the USA - is the threshold six, seven or eight appearances? I think not.

Sure Alves was playing in Europe prior to signing for Middlesbrough but just because someone is in Europe doesn't mean they should be given an automatic permit to work and live in England, should it?

Alves missed the first game at Newcastle on Sunday because his final working permit had not arrived from the British Embassy in Holland. Maybe we should have asked the British Embassy in America for the permit for Guzan instead of relying on the system in the UK.

Anyway, we're going back in for the keeper in the summer and no doubt we'll apply a little earlier for the permit and probably try in the US first. I'm quite looking forward to him after seeing this clip too.

It's all gone mad I tell you, mad. Right, that's it, I'm off to bed, but before you leave, click here and vote for us, you know it makes sense.

Comments (39)

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taglor said:

I have just voted Damian, does that mean I win a beer next time I'm at Villa park

February 05, 2008

Zidave said:

I've watched that video too and he looks outstanding. I also predict we'll go for him again in the summer. He is a much better buy than Carson. I know you English fans love having English players in the team and I am very well aware that I support an English team too. Even as an American, I feel a lot of pride in the team too when we have lots of home-grown talent and to have the players we had called up, it is phenomenal. However, nationalities aside. You look at skill, Carson is young and he will be a good keeper yes, but you have to really look beyond his English blood. Guzak is 2m roughly? Carson is 10m roughly? Is Carson really 5x better? Even 3x better? He's looked poor in a few games and aside from that he's looked average imo. I'd much rather have us give Guzak a go. If Howard, Freidal, Hannaman are anything to go by... 2m for Guzak is a steal. And of course going back to nationalities, as an American I would love nothing more then to see an American player in a Villa shirt!

February 05, 2008

nan was a fan said:

Guzan video Loving that run out and claim. Would like to see some of that next season. Video Highlights Guzan would no way have let in that free kick on Sunday!

February 05, 2008

Kieran McGrath said:

guzan cant catch, i hope he doesnt come

February 05, 2008

caleb said:

I don't know why MON wanted to sign him, because you know he'd never get a game. Stuart Taylor has filled in and done very well, but even if taylor saved 5 penalties in one game, you know Carson would be in the team next game. Amen.

February 05, 2008

theprimeminister said:

Vote on both awards as it's winning one and getting beat by a Heat magazine style website on the other!!!

February 06, 2008

Leroy said:

What does that say about Carson? He will be returning to Liverpool,and we would have wasted a year that Taylor could have been gaining experience. All this talk about waiting for the right 'fit', Benjani has scored at least 10 times this season, thats a great fit to me, and now Man City have him. I think what MON means is that they have to be a certain price as there was clearly no money to spend this transfer window apart from the initial fee we got from the Cahill sell, which turned out to be Routledge.

February 06, 2008

Blitz said:

Sorensen is off in th summer and so we obviously need a keeper. Are we really not going to sign Carson and get this American keeper instead? Does Carson believe he can become Liverpools number one or does MON not have confidence in signing him? Carson has made mistakes and granted when keepers make mistakes, goals are usually conceded. That said Carson will be the England keeper, well competing for the number one spot anyway, and will definitely improve. Id rather we make stronger efforts to keep Carson.

February 06, 2008 | url

Villain from Texas said:

Brad Guzan is good. I have seen him guy play many times now. People have said, "Oh but he plays in the MLS." Yet American keepers like Tim Howard and Marcus Hahnemann started in the MLS, while others like Brad Friedel spent the early part of their career there. Guzan can't catch? What do you base that on? A YouTube clip?

February 06, 2008

Mac McCarthy173 said:

does anyone rememeber those heady days when we were top of the premier and Gregory wanted to strengthen but Mr Ellis said no? we ended the season nowhere. ( does this ring any bells as to this season?) Im sorry but MON has had 5 months to think of what players he wants and of course to court the right players like manure do all the time. I feel he has let us down we had injuries on Sunday then he comes out in the press and says the squad is not big enough?????????? well who can change that? and who has had the opportunity to do that but hasnt done? Ive been a Villa fan far too long to be blown away by the hype, i dont want promises i dont want hard luck stories i want Villa back where they belong at the top. The jury is still out on MON at moment.

February 06, 2008

Damian said:

Mac McCarthy173 that was the point of this post

February 06, 2008 | url

jinksy said:

He's got a good point though Damian a very good point. We've got a Billionaire & we've spent peanuts on Monkeys. Explain that?

February 06, 2008

Damian said:

hey jinksy we were sold hype when this takeover happened. krulak is still selling the hype and many still believe it - not everyone though but what can we do? we've got to wait until the end of the season and see what happens. i will say this; they'll be no 4th chance - i've found enough players to strengthen the team in positions where we need strengthening and i'm not paid millions to do it and anyone that says martin o'neill only wants players to play for the club - its not an excuse that hold up as the manager has a responsibility, if he can get the player at the club, to make him want to play for the club - you offer someone enough money and they'll want to come - thats what the game is about these days and from what i believe the reason why we didn't get defoe - he asked for x and we offered y and it was a big difference and anyone that wants to say martin o'neill wont pay over the odds - that is also a load of tripe - thats what the game is about and has been for years - it's not as if it's his money and if you believe what krulak says - all o'neill has to do is ask and he'll be supported o'neill has had 3 full transfer windows when he had time to bring in players - if he cant get it right next time he'll get some stick but - the over riding factor is where we finish. if we finish in top a top eight or in europe - how can we complain? we need players if we're to compete but next season will be the real test

February 06, 2008 | url

brett said:

is it just me who thinks that the whole system is completely wrong? just because he's from outside of the EU the government wont let him in? despite being in the highest tax bracket and despite the fact that half of eastern europes benefit claimers seem to be heading here without much fuss the prem clubs should start to revolt against this stupid system

February 06, 2008

theprimeminister said:

MON has proved he will pay over the odds when he wants the player. Very few other (if any) managers we're willing to shell out 8.5 million on NRC, 8 rising to 9.75 on Young and 6.5 rising to 8 on Petrov at the time.

February 06, 2008

Mac McCarthy173 said:

One more point. why was MON at the personally at the home office trying to sort the Visa for Guzan? surely he should have been scouring Europe at the time trying to strengthen the squad? and the CEO should have been sorting the Visa. Im sorry and dont get me wrong but MON is doing a fine job for Villa but i have my reservations as to exactly what day and age he is from? Football has moved on and he should get with it quickly to ensure we dont fluff this chance of Europe so we can attract players to the club. I am absolutely gutted as i can see as many times before we are going to blow this chance again. Please Please wake up and smell the coffee very quickly i dont care how devious we are to do this, many other clubs have learnt how to do it.

February 06, 2008

Damian said:

just a little point - but how do you know MON was at the home office? i'd want a quote of him saying 'i was there trying to sort it out' before i believed that - mostly because i dont think he would have been there

February 06, 2008 | url

Mac McCarthy173 said:

ok point taken, players we should have signed? Taylor from Newcastle, Carson from Liverpool !!, hoyte from Arsenal, and maybe a cheeky bid for Owen ?? those signings would have pleased me

February 06, 2008

AV4EVER said:

looks like Brad Guzan doesn't like to catch the ball on the evidence of the utube video, apart from the one where he comes and catches it from a cross or a corner. The one good thing i would say about him though, is when he does block and pushies out the shots, he pushies them out with distance, unlike our man Scott Carson. On another note, MON is in serious trouble if injuries carry on like they are and with a couple of players a booking or two away from a automatic match ban. I don't believe for one minute he couldn't find the quality he needed to bolster the squad, Tottenham did it & Ramos has only been in his job for 5 minutes, Tottenham should have beat Man Utd, something villa never look like doing.

February 06, 2008

Mac McCarthy173 said:

i actually agree with AV4EVER he dose talk some sense.

February 06, 2008

Peter said:

If we want to attract the right quality down to Villa Park, then i think you all will agree, we need o be able to offer them European football, and consistantly. Nobody is going to jump ship in the middle of a season,from a club that is competing, to one that is not.... That said, im bemused by a couple of things... 1} If the above is accepted, then why have not done plan B, by entering the Inter toto as back-up to any failure in qualifying via our league position? 2) The admission that martin made to not even of been bothered in making any bids for the quality he had identified, because it was "Pointless" Is the answer to point one, that he has not got adequate funding to go for the players needed, so theres no point entering? And on point two two... Why was it pointless making bids?....money? Another clue was found in an answer given by Krulak to a fan over on Villa talk, where he implied that Martin does not want star players, and is building a team on grafters... Sorry, but im beggining to think we have been suckered, and they are using Martin has a patsy, cos he has "complete control" regardig transfers... FINE! BUT DOES HE HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER ANY BUDGET?

February 06, 2008

Swissvillan said:

At AV4EVER and Mac McCarthy. The difference for me is that Martin Jol had already got Tottenham into Europe and looked like taking them into the Champion's League before Juande arrived. The same can hardly be said of MON's predecessor. Jol spent a lot of money building a decent squad over time wheras O'Neill's squad is still a work in progress. The likes of Berbatov only joined when Spurs were knocking on the CL door and as soon as they hit a sticky patch wanted out again. Agreed, we need to qualify for Europe this year to attract the quality players that will ultimately make a difference but I still think MoN needs more time.

February 06, 2008

mickey86 said:

brad guzan video. yea he looks good but he has playeda about 100 games, im sure u could make sorensen look class if you just showed his great saves, he has done a few at villa so put em alltogether and he will look brilliant.

February 06, 2008

mickey86 said:

and also id much prefer carson, look at that other goalkeeper we nearly bought, itanje at liverpool, he is crap, stick with carson, we will regret it if we dont.

February 06, 2008

Si said:

Don't worry guys, when MON gets his fourth transfer window opportunity I'm sure there will be the usual statements that we'll be signing quality players but, as the last three windows have taught us, chances are we'll do next to nothing. MON has made some good buys (Ashley and I hate to admit Marlon might get his act together as may Wayne) but he still doesn't appear aggresive enough and that's been proven three times now (where I might add that other squads have added numbers). I also don't buy his comment that there's no point bringing in players who can't compete for places, there is, simply to bolster the sqaud numbers for days like the fulham game where we ended up with no pace players on the pitch.

February 06, 2008

Mac McCarthy173 said:

let me get this right, MON needs alot more time? how much time did mourinhio have at Chelsea? he came in summer time bought several players and went on to win the premier league and fa cup? now im not having a go at MON but how come Chelski can over haul a team in the summer and make it a winning team and we have to wait yet again for the summer period where the targets MON is looking at at the moment might become super stars where their price will go up yet again and then we will have the answer of we ware not spending silly money on players that arent worth that kind of money? sorry everyone but i am claret and blue through and through and love Villa with a passion and i am only gutted and bewildered that we cant get to where we want to get to as quick as other clubs seem to do. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH !!!

February 06, 2008

Swissvillan said:

At Mac: Calm down, calm down [removed]void(0); wink. I know exactly where you're coming from, my point is that you can't compare the squads Mourinho inherited at Chelsea and the one Ramos inherited at Spurs with what MON picked up from O'Leachery. Years of underinvestment, no domestic trophies and no European action for years can't be put right overnight. If you look at some other teams in the prem (Everton, Newcastle hell even Liverpool) you could argue that spending big on quality players is no guarantee of success or stability. I know we all love the claret and blue and want success to return to Villa Park, sometimes it's hard to be patient but think of the dross we've put up with, what we have now and what the future promises!

February 06, 2008

Swissvillan said:

Oh yeah, and what about Man City? They overhauled their squad in the summer. Let's see where they are come the end of the season...

February 06, 2008

Kieran McGrath said:

well chelsea did so well because they spent near enough 200mil that summer, and like everyone else i am disappointed that we didnt sign a superstar or more players. but what martin oneill is doing, is working. we are 6th (at the moment) if we fall down the table and dont finish in europe, then we can get on his back and have a go. but whether we get into europe this season or not i'm expecting alot of players in the summer because we either want to challenge to win europe or definantly qualify the season after.

February 06, 2008

Kieran McGrath said:

As of January 2008 Guzan is training with Scottish Premier League Champions Celtic with a view to agreeing on a permanent contract. i found this on wikipedia, and if it is true and he signs for celtic i would be over the moon, he is not as good as people think, he has played over 100 games and the video clip on youtube shows about 15-20 saves, guarentee i could make carson, sorenson or even enckleman look better than him just by sticking a few of there saves together and play a song in the background, look on another video and see how many times he drops the ball,fair enough he has won goalkeeper of the year but that is in the MLS, the portugese, french and dutch leagues are better why dont we sign the goalkeepers of the year from them ones

February 06, 2008

AstroVilla said:

nice xenophobic rant on youtube, kieran.

February 06, 2008

salty said:

We bought Savo on the strength of a video!

February 06, 2008

Badger said:

God, some of the s**t on here is laughable. Comparing the quarter of a billion spent, when Chelsea are still s**t? I'm p**sing myself laughing. There are way too many noses in disguise on this site, IMO and it's about time you started banning them. The people who go to games are nowhere near as negative as what I read on here. And what happened to my earlier post that answered the french geezer? Good relations around the world etc, I don't think. If he's a windup, fair enough.

February 06, 2008

Damian said:

not sure what you mean about your earlier post badger .. but thanks for your positive words

February 06, 2008 | url

theprimeminister said:

Badger that post was on the carson story, and I won't be booing the team on Sat just because i'm annoyed at lack of signings. I'll still be getting behind the players we have and I still rate MON's tactics etc.

February 06, 2008

Villa_Rules said:

i thought we would have signed him to and just sent him out on loan to gain a work permit its worked for chelsea man united and others in the past so why didnt we do that You watch next season one of the big four will snap him up and it will be yet again another target miss used to it anyway now u have to be being a villa fan

February 07, 2008

Mac McCarthy173 said:

I was dragged down Villa park at the age of 8 yrs old, i didnt want to go not one bit. My dad made me go into the Holte end turnstiles on my own with strict instructions to stand at the front to the right of the goal about a couple of yards, he of course went for a few pints. The game was against Watford 2nd division we were in relegation trouble Docherty was manager, dad turned up about 15 Mins before kick off. We got beat BADLY! my lasting impression on that day was all those men wearing claret and blue scarves and being very upset. I WAS HOOKED. I then went to every single home and away game from then on even the away games we got relegated 3rd division. I have been a Villa fan since and always will be. The players i can remember are Willie Anderson, Chico Hamilton, Dave Rudge, Andy Lockhead, Pat McMahon, Brian Tyler to name a few. I was ven lucky enough to play for the youth team when i was 16-17 but it didnt work out. Oh how i love the Villa its where i feel at home its so much a part of me and has been all my life and always will be. I know i had a bit of a rant yesterday dont we all, but looking back on those days it makes me feel lucky and proud to see them now. I have seen Villa win European Cup, League Cup, 3rd division, 2nd division, Ist division, in fact the only one missing is the F.A.Cup, not many fans can say that about their team. Thanx Dad for dragging me down to Villa Park and making Villa such a big part of my life.

February 07, 2008

Arrlui said:

I did say he was good, but did anyone listen?

February 07, 2008

Mac McCarthy173 said:

O'Neill warns Villa fans: Get ready for a hot summer (were we told this before January)? its in the Birmingham mail.net Forgive me for not creaming my pants and getting all excited again only to be let down again, probabaly becasue all the players we were linked to in January will probably be snapped up by Manure. ARS or chelski, they have probably already lined the players up by speaking to them on the QT unlike us.

February 07, 2008

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