AVFC Blog - Jimmy Bullard: Not good enough for Aston Villa

Not good enough for Aston Villa: Jimmy Bullard

Written by Damian

Sunday, 23 March 2008

In the papers this morning the rumour of Jimmy Bullard has re-emerged so I'm going to follow a format I'm quite liking; he's not good enough for Aston Villa.

I first saw the rumour on the gossip pages on the BBC website and we're the fourth one down, just after the rumour that Manchester City will table a bid of £32mn. for Berbatov and a couple about Spurs and Champions League football next season.

Why isn't Bullard good enough for Aston Villa though? First off, he's 30 this year and if he really was good enough for Champions League football, which surely has to be our target, he'd be playing it by now and not for Fulham.

Secondly, Bullard would just be an addition and he wouldn't really be adding anything that we don't already have. While Martin O'Neill can make good players very good, he should continue to do it with the likes of players he is currently doing it with and those that we might have for a few seasons rather than one or two.

Lastly, and not really why he's not good enough for Aston Villa, but the main reason why we shouldn't be signing him; we have to be after a better quality of player.

I know it's very easy to write this, but behaviour breeds behaviour. If all we're linked with is the likes of Jimmy Bullard, when we go after someone with real quality, he's not going to give us a second thought.

It's a cliché, but you've got to be in it to win it. Players and people in football have to see that we're willing to mix it up with the best players available. If Manchester City get Berbatov, that will open the door for other players. Even if they don't get him, if they're in for him, it's a sign of intent.

If we get Jimmy Bullard, we might as well sign Steven Davis back as cover and look at players that get relegated as the players to kick start our campaign next season.

Bullard is a good player if you want mid table football at your club. He's just not the type of player you want if you want to be competing for European football with a real chance of getting it, while at the same time, developing your players.

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I HATE BLUES said:

The reason why we are being linked with this calibre of player is weve got fcuk all to offer the better players.We cant even offer them a kings ransom in wages as MON is to tight.Our sales pitch reads, come play for us we wont pay you alot of money and we cant offer you european football but we have a 5 year plan and you'll be 32 by then and we wont need you .

March 23, 2008

bazza said:

and we dont have the money we all think we have. there isnt this great war chest - stop living in dream land!!!!

March 23, 2008

caleb said:

Could you name any players that fit into our wonderful team? I can't.

March 23, 2008

villafandan said:

he's too old, it's really that simple. when we played them at there's i thought he was the man of the match.... which makes it hard for me to argue he's not good enough when apparently he was better than the 11 who were already wearing claret & blue.

regardless, too old, don't want.

March 23, 2008

Mick70 said:

Good Lord, I'm waiting for AVFC to be linked with Titus Bramble next..

March 23, 2008

ROSSA said:

how can u say Bullard is not good enough? Wake up! Why do u think we lack so much creativity in our team? We just give the ball to young every attack and expect him to set up a goal everytime. Yeah maybe Bullard isnt the worldclass glamorous signing every on is expecting, but come on, we'r still Light years behind Everton and i bet He would Get a looK in there. I sUPposE the wesleY sneiJder rumours will start up Again This summer ha!!!! I just hope MON isnt AfTer Robinson cos that wouLd Be a joke

March 23, 2008

nan was a fan said:

I'd buy. I don't agree that we have a player like him already. He would have been ideal on Saturday. I agree we need some real quality in the summer, but you aren't going to sign 10 class players. You need some workhorses too. There's no better grafters available at present (if he is available).

March 23, 2008

Villa_Rules said:

Damian likeing the words not good this week lol i have to agree with you tho

I seen this rumour last week and wasnt to impressed when seen it but after thinkin about it i think bully could be a good player in a better like us perfect free kick taker good energy

March 23, 2008

Damian said:

caleb

Could you name any players that fit into our wonderful team? I can't.

are you talking about players we have right now, or players we could be going after?

if you're talking about players we have then there are a few, i'm not naming names, that we should keep .. we all know who they are

if you're talking about players we should be going after, pay me £200k a year and i'll go scout and dedicate my life to getting young, hungry players that will deliver ..

my point is, we are a professional club in the top league in the world. we shouldn't be going after jimmy bullard

March 23, 2008 | url

Dr Jebend said:

I completely disagree. Bullard is a good player, gives 100% every match (which is more than can be said for many of our players excluding Reo-Coker), and has that bit of quality and creativity we need. Do you really expect us to sign world class players at this stage?

March 23, 2008

Damian said:

Dr Jebend

he doesn't have any more quality or creativity that we dont already have and YES i do expect us to be signing world class players 2 years after we get a new owner or at the very least be in for those players ..

bullard gives 100% you say - our team gives 100% every match - that is the one thing martin o'neill has them actually doing ..

like i've said above - you've got to be in it and you've got to be going after world class players. if you go after 1 you might not get him. if you go after 10 you might get 1 or 2 ..

football is just business - you've got to work for players like you have to work for deals - maybe martin o'neill cant do everything ..

March 23, 2008 | url

Dizzy Mugs said:

A statistic from Fulham vs. Aston Villa game this season.

Jimmy Bullard Pass Completion

91% of passes were completed in 65 attempts.

March 23, 2008

Dizzy Mugs said:

Oh wait i never finished that post..

^^ Continue from above.

That's why Martin O'Neill has apparently been tracking him, he was amazed at how good his passing was. And at 3 million you won't get many better squad players.

March 23, 2008

Anthony-Daventry said:

Jimmy Bullard would be in line with the existing transfer policy and is without doubt a more influential all round player than all the existing midfield players with the exception of barry.

This for sure is progress and those who do not see it as such are surely getting a little carried away - since when have the club promised signings of a higher quality and what action has been taken at the club to convince you otherwise?

The club have communicated a 5 year plan but all other clubs have a similar 5 year plan with bigger funds available - the is dissapointing for us all but we need to get real

March 23, 2008

AK28 said:

Id have Bullard anyday over Barry or NRC but if that is the type of calibre of player MON is looking at agin this summer then we can look forward to mid table crap for the next few years. Barry by the way is the most overated CM in England. Absolute crap in the centre. Move him back to the LB. Least then we'd have a FB that could actually pass the ball.

March 23, 2008

eoin1981 said:

The life of an aston villa supporter - commenting on links to Jimmy Bullard...
Our recent results have been very poor - and whats more worrying is that our performances have been even worse. Completely outplayed at home by both Sunderland and Boro - Andy Reid ran the game on saturday. Our midfield is absolutely shocking - one of the worst in the premiership and I think that Bullard would even be an improvement!!
Villa now remind me of Blackburn ten years ago. Eventually everyone found them out - stop shearer and sutton and you stop blackburn. For Villa - sit deep to combat the long ball, work on defending set pieces, mark Young and thats it!!!
I agree regarding Gareth Barry - he has been having a very very poor season.
Since christmas - this season has been nothing short of disasterous.

March 23, 2008

rh-villa959 said:

buy him. beggers cant be choosers.he works hard. and passes to his own team .hes look good in a poor team . and chips in with the odd goal .what have we got thats better. ps why did we let cahill go .can we buy him back when they go down. please .

March 23, 2008

Mobious said:

I know I will probably be shot down for this, but actually I think Bullard is the sort of player we need. It is about giving the club options. Remember how we all slagged of Harewood? Is is really the quality of player we want, well if I am honest I would say no, however I am a realist.
If you look at MONs teams he always have a midfielder driving the team forward however I think that Petrov isn't up to the job unfortunately and it looks like we will miss out on the interglactic cup as well.
What I am mostly peeved about is that MON has messed up in the transfer market twice now. He always likes to leave things to the last minute. Well heres a thought, get players in early to give them a chance to bed in. Personally I will be surprised if we see four players in, in summer and this time next year we will have the same problem.
I have spoken to a few people about MON and they were saying from his previous clubs that he treats the clubs money like his own and so is very tight with it. Yeah we don't want to get fleeced as a club, but to be honest I can't see us getting higher than 7th this season. We need depth of squad and quite frankly we should have bought Defoe. That is going to come back and slap us across the chops. Here is another one for you. Nugent. I know hes been awful this season but I tell you what when he gets his confidence back there isn't a better finisher in the box. We need a good finisher more than anything else. Oh and for the record Carson is good enough for us but I would still take on Robinson.
(Puts on flame retardent suit)
Seriously though I think the club is going in the right direction but look back at our history and look at the three year curse!

March 23, 2008

nan was a fan said:

eoin 1981

Since Christmas this season his been nothing short of disasterous?
I can recall one or two periods in recent Villa history that have been a little more worrying.
Perspective.

March 23, 2008

danny ellis said:

im sorry to say but this season as turned into the same old crappy season we always have, its not been exciting, its not been impressive and ultimatly it is a failure. we are no better now than when o'dreary was in charge. im afraid as much as we want to love him, big john carew is a bag of s**te, gabby as run his course, asley young is another tony daley(1 good game 10 bad games) reo coker is a lazy complacent twat, and the rest of the team are just short of mediocrity. i would give o'neill another 6 months. and before you question that just remember he is the man who has signed harewood, salifou, and routledge who hasnt even had a look in yet. sorry people but we must be 2 or 3 seasons off yet. and thats if were lucky

March 23, 2008

mickeyshadow said:

Im not sure why people on the whole don't rate Jimmy Bullard!? I think he's talented, enthusiastic & got a keen eye for spotting a goal scoring opportunity. Without his injury I think he would have developed more quickly, but he seems like a MON style player.. A replacement for Retrov? I think Bullard might suit playing alongside Barry & behind Carew & Harewood. He shoots sweetly with both feet.. Surely such a player could only improve our team, in an area that is started to become exposed as the season has progressed! Maybe not a starter at first.. but if £3m is the price then I'm sure he'd be excellent value!

March 23, 2008

mickeyshadow said:

Oh & keep believing because MON is an absolute genius & I don't think there'd be a better manager for the job!! (Barring maybe Mourinho!?) Seriously.. Lets have trust in our inspirational leader because he is improving Villa as a team, as well as Randy Lerner is improving Villa as a club! Let's not be impatient.. we are building something really special here I for you cannot wait until this technically gifted, pacey & incisive team blossoms & achieves it's full potential! UTV!

March 23, 2008

Rokin45 said:

Didnt he score the winner against us this season? or did i imagine that? yeh cause players that are not good enough for us surly would'nt single handedly beat us with a free kick would they?

oh wait THAT DID HAPPEN!

March 23, 2008

SuperSeanUK said:

A lot of people on this site go mad if we're linked with anybody less than someone who ought to be knocking at the door of the Man U starting XI.

I agree we need quality, I agree we need quality that is a bit better than Bullard, but for £3m then, as a squad player (which we all bitch and moan about us needing) then why the hell not? I'd be gutted if Bullard was the best player we bring in during the summer, but I'd be more than happy for him to come in as competition for places. He's a decent player, ran the game against us, hard worker and seems to have a good attitude. I know we've already got that throughout the squad, but we're still short on numbers and this guy can actually pass the ball, which a lot of our players can't.

Go for it, for £3m

March 24, 2008

jeremiaswodo said:

I'd be upset if he was the best player we signed in the summer, but I wouldn't mind if he were added into the squad. We could use him now.

March 24, 2008

Leroy said:

So at what point do we look at first team players? Our squad is so small and so run into the ground its a joke. I am disgusted with our recent performances, but its not the players fault. If MON put Salifou, Routledge and Delfounseca in this week at least it would give the impression that he is trying something different, our team is stale with practically zero competition for places. This season could have turned out a lot better had we signed four or five players, but we didnt, and now our boys are playing uninspired and unattractive football with tired legs. Every transfer target seems to be the most cost effective option, swap deals, loan deals, signing youth team players. We needed Defoe desperately, he was seen at Villa park, what went wrong? We were ahead of Pompey on the table at the time. It had to be the money, again. Its time to put up or shut up. If we dont have the money just tell us already, but dont keep promising window after window that signings are on the way if we dont have money to spend....

March 24, 2008

azrul said:

test comment from support.

March 24, 2008

azrul said:

Another test comment

March 24, 2008

azrul said:

Third test comment.

March 24, 2008

Damian said:

SuperSeanUK

It's not going mad because we're linked with the likes of Jimmy Bullars - it's that when you look at all the signings the manager has made, they're all of the quality of Jimmy Bullard - some people might be going mad because they know it's a likely signing.

Rokin45

I cant believe you've just written what you've written. because he scores a free kick against us you think he single handedly beat us and is worthy of all this speculation?

if he has scored 20 goals this season so far i'd be saying yes, lets go for him because we actually need somebody from the centre of midfield to score goals - but he hasn't and he wont

come on ..,.

March 24, 2008 | url

Damian said:

rh-villa959

but we're not beggars are we? we have a dollar billionaire owner with loads of money available, or so we're led to believe

March 24, 2008 | url

Oscars Arse said:

I will always reserve judgement on a player until his second season at the club. So I will not comment on NRC. I remember Denis Mortimer and Ken McNaught not having good first seasons when they were signed but look what happened after that. Eyebrows were also raised when Peter Withe was signed. As for Mr Bullard, well 3M is peanuts these days in this crazy game so I think it's worth a go as long as his injuries are OK.

As disappointed as we all obviously feel we still gotta get behind the team for what remains of the season.

March 24, 2008

Jimmy Villain said:

do me a f* favour, Jimmy Bullard, anyone that thinks that we are a top 6 side and also think that Jimmy Bullard would be good for us is a clown. The problem with our team at the moment is we have too many Jimmy Bullard's, mid level average players that may give their all but they are not top 6 players. Lets go through the team that starts week in week out, Craig Gardener classic 100% effort 20% skill, NRC, a younger Gavin Mcann can't pass a ball to save his life (at least we got goals from Mcann) - John Carew, a poor mans Peter Crouch, 9 goals with 3/4 of the season gone - Marlon Harewood, can't fault his effort but again this guy would not make the bench in any of the top 6 sides - Maloney a poor mans Joe Cole, I could go on but to be honest with you it's so frustrating to see Man City linked with Berbatov and Villa linked with Jimmy f* Bullard.

Any Villa fan that is happy with players like that should be happy finishing mid table, because the thing we need most is quality, yes quality, that's a 10 mil 50-60k a week 20 goals a season striker and someone in midfield with the balls to go forward and can get us another 15 goals, oh and did I mention a right back? If MON continues to bring in players of the calibre he has thrown in so far I fear another David O'Leary situation, I don't believe the fans are going to accept another mid table finish, he'll be off at the end of next season unless he makes some big changes. People are sick of hearing about how small his squad is (another DOL classic) why we sold Cahill, Davis and Hughes when he had no replacements is retarded, god knows i'd rather see Cahill or Hughes at right back rather than Gardner.

March 24, 2008

sam_villa 1 said:

i actually think he is a good player. the only problem is his age. at least he doesn't give the ball away everytime he tries to pass it. REO-COKER!!.

March 24, 2008

dan123 said:

yeah i got to agree with most of the comments i actually think Bullard is a good player and would be a really good squad player, at the least he's a good character to have in the dressing room look on youtube he's bloody hilarious.

March 24, 2008

kieranvilla said:

What is it with you saying players are not good enough for villa who do you think villa are man utd?Get real we have not competed seriously for a trophy in nearly a decade,If jimmy bullard was from spain or brazil,had a fancy name and played exactly the same way you wouldn`t be saying that.As for reo coker it`s only his first season i will reserve judgement.I would like to see him drop reo coker and play petrov behind the front two with barry holding though.

March 24, 2008

kieranvilla said:

Oh yeah and please don`t start a conspiracy theory about funds it`s sad and pathetic.

March 24, 2008

rh-villa959 said:

damian we spend like beggers.thats why we dont get the big players. billonaire owner or not .when we do petrov ect they cant get there act together

March 24, 2008

eoin1981 said:

The reason I say that since January our season has been a disaster is that we have completely missed the boat regarding europe and nobody told MoN about the January transfer window. Reaching europe has massive side effects - not least extra money and attracting better players. People seem to take it for granted that if we sign a few players that we will pass other teams out in the race for europe and to break into the top 4...well all the other teams have the same ambitions as us. Our club, amongst our current peers, seems to be the one that shows the least ambition with regard to transfers yet continues to issue false promises.
We keep talking about a new RM and a RB - in my opinion we should strengthen 11 positions. Frankly I see little progress on the field over the past 2 years.
Also, all the criticism of Gabby and Carew annoys me. Unfortunately, strikers depend on the team to create chances for them and to provide them with decent ball - on saturday - i think gabby got two passes into his feet!! Strikers form tends to be that of the overall teams. No striker would look good playing in a team that plays like we currently do.

Carson, Knight, Routhledge, Salifou, Maloney, Reo-Coker and Gardner - how many decent premiership team match day squads would they make? None.

March 24, 2008

jfourplusone said:

Bullard is a reasonable player, hard working, honest, the wrong side of 30 (next season) and still recovering from a lengthy absence/career threatening injury. Is this the sort of player to lift us to the next level? - C'mon show some ambition guys.

March 24, 2008