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WOW - What A Spend That Was For Villa!

Wow what a spend that was

Well now we know, those of us who questioned the funding have well and truly been shown the colour of Randy's money and how.

Whether you think its enough, whether you feel its been well spent or whether you despair more hadn't been spent earlier is of secondary significance, the point remains nearly 50 million was spent.

Not that you'd know of course, it has strangely missed the headlines of all media outlets probably because of the remarkable change at Man City, probably because it seems good publicity and Aston villa don't mix

Anyway I digress.

End of season 06/07 Villa finished 6th, a remarkable achievement considering the small squad and lack of quality, due in no small amount to the lack of serious spending on serious quality allied to the exit of some decent if not spectacular second string players.

Come the window opening, the number of players required just to compete was for me beyond both the financial clout we had shown before and the managers, willingness/ability to spend.

Well we did, so there I'm surprised, amazed even, but delighted never the less.

Now of course a precedent has been set and of course it means that there has to be a desire, even a requirement that 6th not only has to be achieved it has to be beaten. By that I don't mean I'm expecting us to storm into the top 4 and gain EL qualification, but I do think that after finishing 6th and spending so much more than most every other club but Man City, including Chelsea, Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool if we don't someone somewhere has failed.

By avfc48

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Writer: avfc48

Date:Wednesday September 3 2008

Time: 5:03PM

Your Comments

Does this mean you are returning proper, good sir? I must admit I have missed our discussions.

It's not up to me to say anything or gloat, we leave that to Martin and Randy. All I will say is I'm glad the club and it's management has surpassed your expectations, and long my it continue. *Tips hat*

Carlosio

do you mean the 07/08 season? sorry to pedantic :)

UTV

I too have missed AV48's different opinions.... however, despite the seemingly positive post, you've done as you usually do and add your own conclusion to the end on what does or does not deem success at Aston Villa FC. As entitled to your own opinion as you are, I'd suggest failure in the prem is a much thinner line than it used to be given the investment other teams have made over recent years. I think we should be challenging for at least UEFA positions, but let's not set ourselves lines of success or failure until the end of the season. Finishing 4th with internal strife like at NUFC, or with 4 players like Young/Barry/Laursen leaving would be a failure, whereas finishing 7th, missing out on UEFA after everyone, inc MON has done their best would not be a failure to me.

johnnyuk

Good to see you back! I think Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal ended last season with a much broader and deeper talent pool than us, so the £50m is not expected to move us ahead of any of them. Spurs have spent big in the last 5 or 6 windows and were also starting from a much stronger position. Our spend in this window has just about replaced the players that we've lost and filled the gaps that have existed for a while. Don't get me wrong, I am very pleased with our recent transfer activities, but it was desperately needed just to give us the opportunity to stay in around 6th place.

GCR_villlan

What you have to do here is keep reality in check...YES it was a fantastic window, but it was what we needed. Last season was a major over acheivement, the side needed improving, especially with 1 or 2 leaving this summer, i feel MON did a fantastic job with the players he bought in...6th has to be the aim...4th would be a wet dream...8th wouldnt be a disaster. 8 new players will need time to bed, 4/5 of our current defense are new signings...lets be realistic guys, i dont wanna have expectancy go through the roof and then people being negative if we finish 7th....WE ARE GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION SLOWLY !!

Euro_Champs_82

Looking at the squad now, we have a team of experienced proven premiership players. We may not have any Brazilians ( or any foreigners atall really bar a couple of Europeans that are only a couple of hundred miles from home) but I too was starting to question MON's balls but he has done enough to compete against anyone, if not overwelming oppositions through flair and skill we should expect to win our fair share.

Villan444

i think spurs have awesome attaking midfielders but no good defensive midfielders. also their strike force is not a jot on keane and berbatov

ric112

glad you're back '48'. you're a good bunch of lads

DO'L

Thanks for the nice greetings all, brilliant, just remember them when I rattle your cage next. An interesting spectrum of opinions,and that is all I expressed, mine. I agree with all of you too, there will be contributing factors that determine the end result, but football is about winning, winning is about targets, targets need to be set. In the 2007/2008 season,(oops) the one fact often used to justify O'Neill's policies, was, we finished 6th. It remains the height of his achievement on far less expenditure, so surely his target after such a spend has to be far higher and it has to be not achievable but achieved. Whilst I appreciate all your views on each of the clubs mentioned, excepting the top 4, only one finished above us, only one spent more, they finished 3 spots below us. So the squad have to achieve, there is no hiding place. We have a talented squad says O'Neill, one able to cope with what we have to come. It not only needs to cope it needs, as he does, to justify the faith put in him by such a wonderful owner. Finishing below 6th without a very good run in the Cups and without a qualification in Europe is no justification.

avfc48

it was a very good and wise spend, but don't get ahead of ourselves, the team is getting there, another summer of spending like we just had, we could be very real top 4 contenders... (bar any Arab takeover of Hull City)

krisvilla

Facts not quite correct. Finished 6th (15 pts away from 4th and Champions League) in 2007/8 not 2006/7. The net spend on tranfers this window is nearer to £40mill but I suppose the £50 mill has a nice journalistic "ring" about it. The net annual spend under O'Neill is a shade less than £20mill but rhis no doubt will increase again in Jan '09. Otherwise, Iagree it has done much to dispel many fan's concerns (including mine). I now hope that similar sums continue to be invested but in the future, the quality standard od signings will be a "tadge" higher.

villacross

Welcome back. I haven't posted much at all lately. But I've missed the AVFC48 controversies.

Beovilla

Welcome back mate.

young_jonah

villacross, avfc48 already corrected himself ^ Yes a very successful transfer window indeed, we have filled the gaps that desperately needed filling. I won't deny my concern that we're still being linked to the likes of Emile fall-over Heskey and Joey Asbo Barton. That would be making 3 steps forward and taking 2 back in terms of challenging the 'top 4'. I SINCERELY hope MON wouldn't do this, and ruin all the good work he's done. Let's hope it's papertalk.

Villan-in-Cyprus

What's the deal with Heskey? I think the guy is a match winner (when fit), certainly Englnad look far better when he's in the team, that's a fact.

tarzan

That is testiment to how poor our England squad actually is. When Rooney wears an England shirt he turns into Peter Kay in the John Smiths 'no-nonsense' advert when he runs up and blasts it into nowhere. Owen, who usually gets called up regardless of how many times he kicks the ball directly at the keeper. Don't even get me started on Peter Crouch. Interestingly it's usually the same people who rate Crouch that rate Heskey??!? Let's face it, he couldn't stay on his feet if his life depended on it, that's why he plays for Wigan. And before that, Blues.

Villan-in-Cyprus

People do clearly rate Heskey though - it's in the news today that apparrently Commolli from Spurs was trying to sign him as an emergency replacement for Berbatov on deadline day. I think he's a pretty limited footballer though personally. Welcome back AVFC48 - someone mentioned you may have been unwell recently, and I sincerely hope that's not the case. Enjoy the season chaps!!

YatesyVillain

Thanks again all. I was pleased to read today in one of the forums the General Hinting that the spend won't be the last either and as we all appreciate now the groundwork has finally been done, its the icing on the cake and the cherries on top of the icing that is required.

avfc48

Villacross - Interesting fact if Villa hadn't given away goals in the final 5mins of all matches last season we would of been 10pts better off (heard this on Talksport not sure if true)! So if our defence tightens up then we may not be so far away from the top 4.

Mutley73

AVFC48: You're back and I look forward to more debates in the name of Villa Success with you this season. I'm glad you think MoN spent well and have the strength of character to say it. Take care.

koolbill

Must admit that things look a lot brighter than they ever did on the drive back from Lincoln City. There were a few hundred worried Villans making the trek home to Brum that night.

glensider

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