Aston Villa News 24/7Writer: J P Fear 
Date:Thursday November 16 2006
Time: 12:20PM
UK time is: 22:15:31
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Dib dib dib At Villa
Dib dib dib, dub dub dub at Aston Villa as the scouts are out in force.
Martin O'Neill is reportedly working his scouts hard across Europe as he looks for possibly January targets.
There are whispers that a massive signing is being lined up, but as I can get no more than that whisper, I guess we'll have to wait and see. I've not been approached yet, put it that way (WHAT? Where there is life there is hope, I keep saying I am a mean left-back-in-the-changing-room!).
Martin O'Neill told the official site: 'I've got Ian Storey-Moore and a couple more scouts all over England and Europe at the moment. Ian has the reports on my desk and he's really enthusiastic, as you'd expect. They're recommending players to me at this minute and I want to go to games they're playing in. They're ringing me to go and see these boys myself and I'm trying to get to see them to fit in with our games.'
And as ever, Martin has a worry or two.........! Great to see a manager who lives and breathes his job isn't it!? 'Part of me is worried because trying to concentrate on our own games is the most important issue. For instance, we play Sunday, and there's some really big games I'd like to see on the Saturday. But the danger is getting stuck over there and can't get back and the next thing you know you haven't attended your own game. So there's a problem. But there's a couple of things that may materialise which you get excited about one day, and then the next you get knocked a bit.'
'I definitely want to improve the squad because I won't get another opportunity until the summer.'
'I'd only generalise and it's pointless me saying I need a full-back, a centre-half, a midfielder, a wide left, a wide right and a centre forward. Then the boys would look round to me to say 'Isn't he happy with me?'.'
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Your Comments
Speculation in the transfer market will always unsettle players. Getting a good team spirit isn't accomplished by worrying about your place in the team. However, competition for places is what brings the best out in players who realise they have to give all or they're out. MON is paid hansomely to get that balance right and the players know full well new talent is coming in. When you think about it it must be disconcerting for some of the players when the likes of Barry (the better players) want new faces in, which will mean some of the current crop could be on their way out.
That's life at the top for a future world beating team! UTV
Gazvilla
i think goofy wonder ronaldo would look good in claret and blue.....
bobbyfett
Would also make Bouma look thin
murph
beckham is on his way - high profile player which will put the media eye on to villa attracting more lucrative sponsorship - plus we need a rightsided player.
JASON
Beckham although great from an higher profile and commercialism aspect is not what we want , although a good player he isnt hungry any more and is another player who if we got has had the best part of his career already , i want hungry players who want to win things , get international caps, etc etc
Couple of names for me Kevin Doyle at Reading hungry,scores goals, works hard and allegedly Ledley King who played against reading last week described him as one of his most difficult opponents this year
Darren Bent @ Charlton could he be unsettled at charlton's plight
Boa Morte at Fulham
David Nugent @ Preston
left back also seems to me a priority
wayne bridge if he has any aspirations at all to play football
and a cheeky attempt at Gabriel Heinze no longer 1st choice at manure it would appear
agentprovocateur
Bet it isn't Becks Jason! O'Neill was asked at the forum evening and he was doubting whether it would be the right sort of player as he is coming to the end of his career. That said, good marketing and profile wise. Think Beckham will be off to America though.
The Fear
It's SWP - i'm sure of it.
Big Chris
a number of chelsea bench warmers would make very good signings.
agentprovocateur
I would say get Wayne Bridge at left back, because A Cole is the first team left back at Chelsea and he did go on loan at Fulham last season.
My bet for the big signing is A Cassano (Ex-Roma) unsettled at R Mardrid.
Avflife
Diego Forlan, anyone?
Big Chris
Fear...are we talking massive in terms of the euro elite would be fighting for him or are we talking villa record signing or really tall (peter crouch is massive?)
tylervilla
i was thinking of cassano for villa up with sutton with keane behind petrov in the middle with mccan and barry left and lennon(but if we dont get him S.W.P and in defence 3 in defence melberg/ridgewell/laursen/cahill/bouma/hughes/bridge/delenly
Newman
tyls, whoever it is you can be sure we will let this web site know how they perform. Then when you get back from the golf course, you can read all the comments. AgentPVT... Seems reasonable but I dispute the need for a left back as a priority. Getting someone such as Wayne Bridge in would effectively make Jlloyd and Bouma outcasts. This in turn means getting any money for them impossible. Despite some peoples views they are more than capable Premier League left backs and will not play second fiddle to a third left back coming in. As for Beckham. This club needs bums on seats. This in turn will attract massive investment into the club in terms of sponsorship and kit supplier. We all know he is at the back end of his career but he is in a different ball park commercially to any other player on the planet. Plus he is still a fantastic player. I believe Beckham would be the short term springboard in launching Villa back on to the world stage. If he was paid half a million a month for 18 months this would mean generating £9 million. 5000 half season tickets and 10,000 season tickets would equate to about £7 million. Shirt sales and merchandise would go through the roof. Sponsors and kit suppliers would be falling over themselves to get to VP. This would provide a real platform for a five year plan to take Villa back up the European pecking order. UTV
voiceoftheholte
and if Beckham endorsed golf equipment tyls would be even happier
Hoss The Villain
I've heard rumours scouts are watching Bremen games - to watch both Miroslav Klose and Tim Borowski
Miss_Aston
how about Darren Bent he is likely to leave Charlton or Nigel Reo Coker and I hear Martins agent is telling him to leave newcastle maybe we can swap Baros for him.
Christo
thats why i said beckham as a money machine he is in a world of his own...it will elevate villa back to world status therefour attracting higher profile players.didnt real madrid overtake manure to the no1 richest club in the world shortly after he signed?
JASON
BECKs isn't coming guys - he's off to America next year. The German boys Miroslav Klose and Tim Borowski would be ace but I'm sure the damage O'Leary did to Hitzlesperger would undermine that one I'm afraid. Darren Bent - yes please, or Defoe. Some of the young Dutch midfielders would be good.....
koolbill
It's good to be able to talk about new players like in the old days. Milosevic was okay but just couldn't hack the physical style of the P'ship...great goal in the final of Coco Cola cup.....would love us to buy someone who can dribble like Atko, T Daley, Milo....bit of excitement.
koolbill
my christmas list, Beckham, Borowski and lucas neill.
chris the villan
Hitzlsperger!!! o'dickhead why? My favorite brummie speaking German bring him back.
chris the villan
I too miss the Hammer
Christo
now now Voice of the holte I dont think we need to be fighting amongst ourselves do we? Ive been a loyal fan for years so I think one season where I dont buy a season ticket (but still atend games) is worth throwing toys out of the pram for. Save it for the noses (tylergolf).
tylervilla
Good to see you have a sense of humour tyls. However it was you who said that you now prefer golf on matchday, and that it was cheaper. UTV
voiceoftheholte
thats not what I said..i said i got into it as i boycotted ellis..i will be back (a bit like arnie) so lets stop this arguing as its not even to do with the discussions.
tylervilla
Tyls. Will it encourage you to buy a season ticket again, if the Villa came out to the 'Birdie Song'? Or maybe something by the Eagles? I think I might know you. I was standing by a guy during the Spuds game, he was eating a sandwich and I heard him say, "I can't believe it's not putter".
voiceoftheholte
exciting times ahead then...great job touring europe watching great football matches....
ernshaw
very good. I think the birdie song what have suite D'OL. Yes that was me with the sandwich, I think you must have been the guy with the prawn sandwich. You sound like you know a bit about golf lets hook up for nine holes and then go to the middlesborough game (tylergolf).
tylervilla
Borowski, cool. If we're gonna have a striker I say we wait possibly until WHAM get relegated and grab Dean Ashton off them. Good solid target guy. Defoe could also teach Gabby and Moore a thing and elevate tem further.
koolbill
Any other takers for Ashton? Could be really cheeky and go for Parker at Newcastle as his England prospects are going nowhere in that team. Grab Milner at the same time?
koolbill
Ashton would be good, but I don't think he'd leave West Ham, even if they got relegated. Would like to see us go for SWP and Bridge from Chelsea and Borowski would be a good signing. So would Saviola and I think he'd link up well with JPA
Geordie_Villa
Ashton would be good but unless the bubble blowers get relegated not going to happen, newcastle might be rich pickings as they are going down at present , long may roeder stay in charge.
You only have to look at our club as an example when the manager or club are going nowhere players become very unhappy
look how many would have gone if o'dreary had stayed.
parker would be great , milner would walk all the way from newcastle, darren bent, boa morte, kevin doyle , sidwell all at clubs in the bottom reaches and realistic targets
agentprovocateur
I like Savi but don't know if we're continental enough for him -could he adapt to a no frills team like us? SWP, Bridge - yes please. I am sure we need a bigge forward to complement our little road runners though. I would have had Beattie a few years ago but I believe he's lost a little something at Everton.
koolbill
Agent - I salute you. However no to Boa Morte and Sidwell (at least till Sids proven himself). Kevin Doyle from Bolton - yep - very good player who could probably do with a move to get noticed by McClaren. Bent is top drawer but would he come? What about Geremi - he's actually a midfielder.
koolbill
Here's where our scouting staff well and truly earn their pay. Pity Ian Storey-Moore cant come up with a left sided wide man with a goalscoring ratio similar to what he achieved at The City Ground.
glensider
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