The all new Ast-MON Villa
Wednesday, 16 July 08, 01:00 AM
I have found yet another reason to get rid of Mr Barry, not that we needed one, but looking at the squad now that Patrick Berger, Luke Moore, Olof Mellberg and Thomas Sorenson have gone the Gerrard loving midfielder is now the only player in the squad who had made his name before MON arrived at Villa Park.
As you can see from the list below if you take Gareth Barry out of the equation, with his 300 odd appearances, it leaves Gabriel Agbonlahor and Wilfred Bouma leading the race just in front of Martin Laursen.
I know full well that none of these players are exactly Martin O'Neill signings but with Martin Laursen and Freddy Bouma's injuries and Gabby only just breaking into the first team, they were certainly not Villa Park regulars until pulling on the Claret & Blue shirt for the current gaffer.
Moving down the list you see Martin O'Neill's favourite player, given the amount of faith he has put in him, Stilyan Petrov and his best signing Ashley Young, who is certainly in the MON mould being young and English.
It's the next man on the list in Craig gardner who is most similar to Gabby, as in being a Villa fan and a product of the academy system. He also played less than 10 games in a Villa shirt before the arrival of Martin O'Neill and again like Gabby, he has been a consistent feature in the first team over the last two years.
The other 5 players on the list who have notched up at least 20 appearances are again actual O'Neill signings and will almost certainly feature in the manager's plans for many years to come, alongside the youth team products who have recently made the leap to the full squad and new additions like Salifou, Routledge and Sidwell.
The decision on Barry most likely doesn't have anything to do with this but it is great to see in just two seasons our manager has built his own squad of talented and willing players, who may want to play European football, ultimately in the Champions League, but want to do it in an Aston Villa shirt under a great manager in Martin O'Neill.
The Player List (Apps)
Barry,(327)
Agbonlahor,(84)
Bouma,(83)
Laursen,(65)
Petrov,(58)
Young,(50)
Gardner,(44)
Carew,(43)
Reo-Coker,(36)
Maloney,(30)
Knight,(27)
Harewood,(23)
Osbourne,(19)
Taylor,(12)
Davies,(12)
Salifou,(4)
Routledge,(1)
Delfouneso,(0)
Williams,(0)
Allbrighton,(0)
Parish,(0)
Baker,(0)
Steiber,(0)
Sidwell,(0)
Guzan,(0)
Comments (25)
That list needs to get a bit bigger and quickly :)
Nice spot.
I hate to burst your bubble Damian but it is looking more and more like Barry will be wearing an Acorns kit next season; even if it is with the reserves.
Though Guzan still isn't technically a Villa player...
Just needs some defenders now, only two defenders started last nite!!!!!!!
Wow, seems like Laursen has played much more than that! Not a very experienced squad playing together as a team is it? Gabby being the most experienced in Claret and Blue! He's a right 'wooly back' at such a young age.
Damian, I get the feeling you really, really, really want to get rid of GB...You don't need to answer that, I know your position on that one!
DID ANYONE GO 2 THE GAME LAST NIGHT I DID AND I THINK WE NEED A DEFENDER OR 2 BEFORE SATURDAY GAME COZ WE WAS BAD AT THE BACK DOES ANYONE NO IF LAURSEN WILL BE OK FOR SATURDAY HE DID NOT PLAY LAST NIGHT
yeah we're desperate for defenders! ours won't cope unless some come in!
Was there last night, and have to say I am now very very worried. Hope we are not in the typical Villa 3 year cycle of Ok season, Good Season, Bad Season (manager sacked)..... Ok season, Good sea....
good to think that davies has hardly played yet, means we got way more to look forward too
Im gutted to be honest WAKE UP EVERYONE !!
Never mind finding reasons why its good that Barry is going !!
Hes was one of our best players, we still have a tiny squad, we have sold 4-5 players and got 1 in AGAIN..
We have Intertoto very soon and have just played 2 x dreadful friendlies.
Ive supported Oneil all along, but only a fool would say that everything is rosy at the moment..
BUY SOME *UCKING DEFENDERS FOR GODS SAKE !!!!! >:(
Also , where are the Playmakers , where are the skillful exciting players, apart from YOUNG..
GET YOUR FINGER OUT ONEIL >:(
So in four transefer windows we have added definitely 2 (Ash and big john) and possible 2 more (Reo-Coker(debatable) and Davies(potentially/probably)) players of the required standard. Its easy to see why MoN gets some criticism for transfer dealings.
I would say that Barry made his name just when MoN arrived!! 2 years from a 5million Pompey Target to a 18million champions league club target, and as a central midfielder. Again this highlights that MoN can work wonders with players - its just getting them signed that pi$$es me off. Huge game on saturday and Reo-Coker is now our first choice rb, and salifou is backup LB!! And we have NO backup keeper(yet) or central defenders. Ridiculous.
Well said Eoin 1981 - RIDICULOUS , thats the word !!
Top 6 finish yes , well done, but how lucky were we with injuries, and how many goals did we let in. 4-5 injuries and we are fighting relegation again.
Even if he gets 4-5 new players in, 4-5 injuries and we are fucked.
It should never have got to this stage with squad size in the first place.
I hope this transfer window proves me wrong but ive a horrible feeling it wont. We will probably get 4-5 players and its not enough.
Wow..Chrsi must have alot of time on his hands to conjure this up.. ;)
They all want to play for Villa untill a bigger club steps in for them.Everyone of those players would move on if the likes of Man u or Barca came in for them.Football isnt about honesty or loyalty theese days its about big egoed players wanting to earn all they can and thats it .
i say give barry another chance! ;D
i'm sorry. really sorry. :'(
Just because Villa have a competitive game earlier than virtually anyone else doesn't mean the transfer market is going to bend to MON's needs.
Obviously he's bid for Bentley, but what happens next depends on several other things. If Barry goes or stays, that has an impact on whether we get a make-weight RB in the deal. Barry would be gone, and one of those RBs would be in, except Liverpool needed to sell Alonso, and Juve dithered then backed out.
There's no reason for MON to think that a squad which finished 6th in the PL would be inadequate to face Odense. From what I can see of the market so far this summer, MON would be forced to panic buy in order to get a volume of players in before the Odense match. Then you'd be on his back for that.
er...sorry Chris! Not Damian at all are you? ;)
Eli
pop into the forum ..
I've suspected for some time that MON has found one or two playrs that he's inherited but would rather replace. As foor the fact that we may slip a place or two this year; I would happily take one step back to make three steps forward. If you see what I mean.
I cant see where the signings are going to come from we have two or three solid rumours we need at least easy 10 players
I said this before and il say it again martin should be banned from getting rid of players untill he has got more in
All the time we end up with more outs than in
Probably end up seeing guzan at right back maybe even right wing
Come on martin 10 must be the aim at least
can't believe taylors only made 12 apps. surely its time to give him more of a chance?!?!?
Rome wasn't built in a night, MON knows his onions and I'm using too many metaphors. UP THE VILLA!!! ;)
Gareth Barry has removed me as a friend on facebook. Surely this is the clearest sign yet that he must be going