First off, yesterday was poor and there are no excuses for the way the team performed. In fact there are no excuses for the last three matches, so can I suggest that we leave the results where they belong; in the past.

Martin O'Neill knows his players were awful and Martin O'Neill knows that he needs to shoulder that responsibility and the club hopefully also know that maybe, they shouldn't start to build up hopes with talk of European football, world class signings and entertaining football.

We've also got different messages from the club. We've got General Krulak on one message board saying remember the "5 year plan" and Martin O'Neill telling us there isn't one.

We've got to remember, more importantly than anything, that this is only the second season we've had Martin O'Neill and a dollar billionaire owner. Maybe, there is a huge pot of cash for Martin O'Neill and maybe it's all going to get spent this summer.

Martin O'Neill has a solid reputation as a manager. I've written several times about him making average players good and good players very good; he did well at Leicester and Celtic and now he has an opportunity to do something special at Aston Villa.

Yes, we can all look back to January and the previous summer and bitch and moan about the lack of signings, but it was his first full summer and January is a notoriously difficult month to get the players in you want.

Last summer our expectations were also raised, which didn't help. This summer they can't do that because nobody will believe it again, so the only thing the club has left is to make the actual signings.

I spoke the other day about getting in ten new players in the summer and on the performances from some yesterday I actually want to increase that figure, but I'll settle for seeing some activity as soon as the season is over, mostly because Martin O'Neill can not leave it until August 31st.

It's our second season, we are sitting in 7th and we have a summer to come full of anticipation. Now, normally I'm the first one to jump on the back of a manager if he's not getting the results but this time, I see that in Martin O'Neill we have a manager that can quite literally get us into the top four and from that position anything is possible.

My only suggestion to him would be to not buy average players and make them good or good players to make them very good, but to buy very good players and make them excellent. Better still, buy an excellent player or two and see what happens.

My only worry is that he's involved in too many things and while we've got General Krulak telling us that it's all down to Martin and Randy, that maybe there needs to be someone else involved who the list gets given to. But we'll know for sure come September 1st 2008 if our manager is trying to do too much.

If come March 2010 we're still in 7th, I'll be the first to start questioning what is going on, until then, let's just sit back and rejoice in the fact that we're not stuck with David O'Leary.

It is horrible, not seeing it happen instantly, but we are on the right track and as long as we continue in this direction it will all come good in the end. Hopefully.

Comments (25)

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McVillain said:

I have to say that end of last season we would be chuffed with 7th plave. We have totally dropped the ball lately, missing points in games and against teams earlier in the season we would of gotten points against. Even the games we lost early on against some of the big teams, although losing we displayed a passion, a desire to win, games you walk away not happy about dropping points, but still with some optimism that you have played a good game and tried your all, that passion, desire and fire to win seems to have stopped? Why, now more than ever we need to push for that European spot!! I do respect MON for holding to his belief that he will not buy players for the sake of it, but if we are going to progess we need to be in Europe, not for the sake of playing in Europe, as that can wait a year or so more, but for the sake of attracting the TOP PLAYERS, we get them and then we perform. We seem to have the manager, the chairman and apparently when we get into Europe there will be no excuses for signing players, so come on boys lets make a late surge and continue progressing. Tired guys, so did not see the game as overseas, was it really as bad as it sounds?

March 23, 2008

taglor said:

Sorry Damian but rubbish post, I know your trying to be positive but I think it goes against the tide of feeling from avfc supporters at the moment. You know by next weekend we will have dropped further away and I think it's worse to finish mid table than anywhere, if it's top great and if it's bottom at least you have some excitement trying to beat the drop but this team smacks of rainy wednesday afternoons. It's pointless beating chelsea if you then let a team get their first away goal of the season when you are pushing for europe. As for players lacking confidence ffs they play a game with a ball, I'm a nurse and have people dying or seriously ill what if I lost my confidence, but I don't you be professional and push on. Little Wayne Routledge what excuse have you got to be nervous, you can't look as bad as coker,petrov,maloney etc

March 23, 2008

Damian said:

taglor its only rubbish if thats your opinion. my opinion is probably the same as most about recent form but i'm just willing to give it a little more time dont get me wrong, if we don't spend the money this summer and bring in the players my views will likely change then but i think we'll bring them in .. i think we'll spend and i think we'll do better randy lerner has gotten villa on the cheap and spent very little money so far - they cant say anything more because we've actually been lied to in the past already - there is only one thing left to do; spend money and challenge - i think it will happen - mostly because IT HAS TO HAPPEN i know your views though taglor and i respect that you've stuck by them and i know you've taken the abuse .. i was the same when i started abusing DO'L but this time, i think we have to give the manager time ..

March 23, 2008 | url

villa 82 said:

I was speaking to a few mates the other day who are Arsenal fans and they were slating Wengers policy on signing players, and how they get p**sed off that they dont sign established "world class" players. How funny that no matter what you have your never happy, Chelsea win but its not enough they want to be entertained, Arsenal entertain but they want to win everything, even a few years ago Manure fans were saying it was time to move Ferge upstairs etc etc

March 23, 2008

Top_6_Villa said:

Judging by the first few lines in your story Damo. uyo swa a ltitle durnk wehn yuo worte htis atrilce tends to be bias after that point.

March 23, 2008

Top_6_Villa said:

Ooops my Bad. when u use IE7 to magnify the screen it goes out of shape :$

March 23, 2008

villafandan said:

yup, i almost completely agree damian. realistic and objective.

March 23, 2008

Mick70 said:

This summer is the proof of the pudding. If we spend serious money - we're approaching year 3 of this Coronation Street-like plan - on players of quality, showing knowledge of the world market rather than picking up for silly money overrated British players (see Reo-Coker and Knight) we may stand a chance to move forward. No more excuses, no more cautiousness. Villa have the history, the set-up and the following to justify a faster development we are witnessing at present. No more bull, it's cheque book out for at least 5 top quality players (no not Ronaldinho or Messi, before some genius misunderstands, there are good players out there without buying from Barcelona or AC Milan so let go of that old chestnut). We have the youngsters, we have a couple of decent internationals, now we need a stronger backbone. Let's see if the money's really there, at last.

March 23, 2008

Anthony-Daventry said:

There appears to be a common theme surounding the clubs progress which is "when Villa eventually tap in to the millions of pounds buring a whole is MON's pocket".....etc After 2 years at the club and 4 transfer windown Mr Lerner has still got you fooled - firstly he can never be held accountable for communications about transfer activity as he simply doesnt communicate, never has the club placed a measurement on how to quantify the level of investment - we are simply lead to believe through the media that substantial funds are available. Substantial funds are not available, if so MON would have purchased players of a higher quality and not had to rely on loan deals due to a shorfall in capital investment. Lerner purchased the club with a contractual obligation to invest 20m in year 1 - remember that the end of year 1 was sumer 2007 and therefore only 20m in total was invested between 2005 and 2007. All other transfer activity has been netted out with 14m income via players leaving the club with the smallest squad in the premiership, with the contractual cancellation of Angel, Hendrie, Djemba the books are totally balanced - TOTALLY BALANCED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wake up - Aston Villa has been purchased by a business man who will want a return on his investment, the fact that MON has been on board with Mr Lerner from day 1 and has no contractual obligation to the club indicates that he is rewarded for managing in this way, basically the same as a stake holder (shares) - this is the hard truth and the reason why we feel so much dissapointment, we have been sold a dream by the media via the club which is shocking and the recently departed board member (only 12 months in the role) was clearly sold the same dummy as us all.

March 23, 2008

nan was a fan said:

Yes Damian. Get back in your boxes again 'agree squad'. Yesterday was your moment, now let's get back on track.

March 23, 2008

EddyG87 said:

I'd love for us to make signings as soon as the transfer window opens but I just can't see it happening. I don't think MON is going to change his transfer methods. Think we're all just going to have to be really patient (again).

March 23, 2008

taglor said:

I can also see it from that perspective Damian and maybe I am being a bit to eager for mass change, I guess I'm really gutted we have lost our chance now and I may be over reacting. Maybe your right and I just need to see how it all pans out this summer and then take it from there, I mean statistically we can still qualify dependant on results and apart from knowing who the top 4 are every year other results are less clear to predict. I am still behind them now and will cheer for the rest of the season and if the summer is wasted I can open my big gob again lol

March 23, 2008

olof the other reindeer said:

I was glad to see the following words attributed to MON - 'I have to rectify it'. He knows that we are underachieving of late, and he knows he has gambled with transfers (and lack of transfers) in the past 20 months, and on the balance of things he is doing better than can be expected - if Spurs weren't so bad this at the start of the season, and Man City hadn't hit the skids last month we would be yet again be in mid-table mediocrity.

March 23, 2008

Mick70 said:

I quite like rainy windy Wednesday afternoons..

March 23, 2008

brett said:

im convinced we will finish 9th, but i agree that its still progress and we are miles better off than the awful football we played under oleary id like to see gabby be brought back down and harewood actually given a proper chance, plus some more youth team players amking the breakthrough and anthony daventry - dont be too harsh on randy, at least he hasnt merged his debt with the clubs, like every other yank owner, remember doug? you cant honestly say that we arent better off

March 23, 2008

nan was a fan said:

Taglor, have you been drinking?

March 23, 2008

taglor said:

Had a drink last night mate so feel a bit cloudy, and to be fair rain is my favourite weather and I get Wednesdays off work lol

March 23, 2008

nan was a fan said:

Taglor, I keep saying it, you're needed in the Forum.

March 23, 2008

jeremiaswodo said:

My position is the same as it's always been: the team is clearly better than it was two years ago. I think it's more a question of whether we'll keep progressing, and we won't find out until next year. I think it's ridiculous that we were fighting relegation last year, and this year we were fighting for a Champions League spot, yet people are still acting like we should be looking for a new manager. Again, I agree with Damian. See what happens this summer.

March 24, 2008

pedropete said:

sorry to be a moaner, but I think MON has gotta take some of the blame here. At the end of last season we knew we never had a rightback, then we started this season still without a right back, we have gone through january still without a right back and people are now saying that gardner is playing crap ! well he ain't playing well that's for sure, but to be fair to him he ain't a right back, so for me MON should take the blame for this, and considering we are supposed to have all this money if you look at the calibre of his signings i.e. petrov, knight, harewood, routledge and ( confidence shot ) carson I'm still waiting to see some quality come in, although carew for idle arse baros was a great swap. I don't know what it is with carson but he never looks like he is enjoying playing, he looks like billy no-mates to me.

March 24, 2008

kohoutek said:

Well said, Damian. Couldn't see the match, couldn't believe the scoreline, knew the moaning that would follow. Of course I'm disappointed. But it comes down to the players, and I think there's a genuine lack of belief in them. Of course, one can lay everything a the manager's feet ultimately. But in each match where Villa have faced an inferior opponent since Christmas, they've played down to them. And that's simply the players' own lack of self-belief. If I were MON, I'd simply tell the lads: Look, I've given everyone a long run, my full backing. We'll be spending in the summer. You're playing for your place in Villa's future and the EPL. So, if you want to have a future here, you need to find a way to beat Fulham, Sunderland, etc. You have to play harder, seize the initiative, dictate the game. If you can't manage that against lesser foes, however well motivated they are, you won't be here. Oh, and I'd tell Carson that it nice was getting to know him, but he's not worth 10 million dollars, let alone pounds.

March 24, 2008

azrul said:

testing comments from support.

March 25, 2008

azrul said:

Testing from support.

March 25, 2008

Holte1970 said:

As already been said we would all like AV to be in the top four and for it to happen immediately. MON has again managed to bring out the best of a set of average Premier players however to push on he must spend. I have to still believe that RL will dip into his pocket and we will land some quality players. I go back to when MON first joined AV. Ellis was in charge. Now, it is a common held belief/fact that MON joined on the understanding that Ellis was out of the door and RL was in. Also I have to believe that MON joined because that there would be substantial transfer funds available. With MON having the authority and responsibility as to when and where these funds will be spent. If substantial funds are not spent this Summer we could well be looking at a new manager. Why? 1. MON is a winner and there is no way he would have joined AV unless substantial funds were promised. 2. I can understand why quality money has not been spent to date and positive arguments that I agree with have been made on this site. 3. I have been able to see the development of the Team over the last 2 seasons however MON must know that even with all his powers of motivation he cannot move any higher up the league with this quality of football. 3. No funds spent means to me that RL has made broken promises to MON. 4. Therefore MON will be off. 5. If MON stays and and no funds spent it means to me that we have all been conned by both RL & MON. 6. The AV Season Ticket holders and next season's attendances will talk with their feet.

March 25, 2008

Damian said:

Anthony-Daventry may very well be spot on but it really may be a case of Martin O'Neill wanting to get the right players in. I can see both sides, one more than the other though. I'd also go so far as to say that if Mr Lerner wanted to sell Villa today he'd probably profit; mostly because I'd even go so far to say that the club has done more than break even, when you factor in increased TV money and gate revenue. All this talk is nice and General Krulak saying over and over again that 'actions speak louder than words' and that 'money is available' are just words. He's doing pretty much everything he does for PR reasons and is nothing more than a glorified puppet. It really does come down to this summer for some.

March 25, 2008 | url

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