Aston Villa News 24/7Writer: Site Staff 
Date:Monday June 25 2007
Time: 7:21PM
UK time is: 10:39:19
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Villa fans should be confident
If the season started tomorrow and the transfer window closed tonight Aston Villa definitely break that top six - no doubts at all.
Arguably Man Ure are actually the only team in the whole of the Premiership that has a stronger squad than last season and the very few signings that have occurred in other teams are pretty much like for like, e.g.: Barton for Parker, Aliadiere for Viduka.
Possibly you could argue Spurzzz have further pulled ahead of us with the signing of Bale, but how can anyone be sure when he's never played at this level?
So why would I think that a team that limped to 11th is now a sure fire bet for that elusive top-six despite selling players and not strengthening in the slightest?
Our best right back in Delaney didn't even kick a ball last season. Our sole world class player played barely a quarter of the season, but the difference Laursen made was immense.
Our left back Bouma was truly horrendous for half the season. Then it clicked and he looked immense.
Petrov has been homesick and doing a lot travelling and this appears to have affected his form. Myself, I think that McCann affected his form as he changed his game accordingly or simply didn`t have the confidence in his midfield partner. McCann has left and Stan should now have settled into life at VP.
Gardener looked a very classy player when he finally got his chance but we only saw him for a handful of games. The reserve/youth teams record goalscorer spent the vast majority of the season out on the wing. Then he finally switched up front he looked more comfortable and started regularly scoring.
We didn't lose a game for the first few months of the season with Luke Moore in the squad. He then missed almost all the remainder with an injury.
Carew, Young and Maloney were only here for less than a half a season but we've all seen enough to be very excited about the prospect of a full season. The youngsters are another year wiser.
In short: An entire season with all these players will make a massive difference on our league position and nobody else has stolen a march on us in the transfer market either.
I'm with The General - DON'T PANIC MR AVFC48. We haven`t lost any ground on others and unlike all others our team will be a lot stronger (injury permitting) than all the others over the course of this season compared to last.
It's all irrelevant anyway because we will be signing half a dozen players, and I think one will be the proverbial 'bums on seats' type signing that will make the world sit up and take note.
By Beefy
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Your Comments
Some good points. Really cannot see Delaney making a difference and its a bit strong calling Laursen world class.
Dannygav
am confident but having bad visions
Christo
Get some beer down your neck and read vooddoo gurus thread on the forum. I am not sure wether to laugh or cry but bugger me if all that happened you would be confident. I actually agree with beefys article though and feel that a couple of sound investments could make a big difference. But to really challenge and move on, brave decisions need to be made.
voiceoftheholte
So what do we want ?
A few decent signings and a move up the table as long as no one gets injured, no one loses form ?
Or to live in the real world
I'm not panicking by any stretch Mr Beefy, O'Neill will deliver, maybe not as I want, but he'll deliver.
Why. Because if he doesn't he'll be sacked.
I do despair that so many Villa fans have their heads well stuck up their own arses though still preaching the sort of Doctrine we were so used to in the Ellis years, when they got it so totally wrong too.
avfc48
I think it would be a mistake to sign someone because they are a NAME - SWP springs to mind. Players should be signed to improve the side not please the fans. For example, if we signed a no name and he scored twenty goals that would be an improvement for the team - eg of this in the past Andy Gray - 30 goals. More recently Berbatov (even though he was expensive). My point - its more important for the team that MON signs the right kind of players and not the players with 'big' names. So lets not hold our breaths waiting for an impressive signing - unless they are right for the team.
myleftfoot
We have a good young team at the moment which is progressing beautifully,I think players like Gabby,Gardner will be our best players in 5 years time.As long as they get regular football they will continue to develop.I dont care about qualifying for Europe yet,we have the nucleus of a potentially great team.Money does not buy success.A few teams will find this out the hard way in a few years.
Pking
Its good to see faith but dont agree with the above sorry. We need better players to progress. Over the next few weeks we will see just how much ambition our billionaires have against the other billionaire owners. Although I dont want to see us getting ripped off its simple to see that there are multiple rich owners all after the same small group of good and available players. This means prices are going to go sky and the ones willing to pay the fees will get them. Over the next few weeks its time t stop talking bright future and make it happen by getting players who will make a difference in.
bigdiondubs
over the next few weeks we'll see which are the stupid Billionaires.
Pking
yeah every man and their dog has a bilionaire owner now...but we have the smartest - and the smartest manager. cashback!
ric112
Biggest pile of pi5h ever - "If the season started tomorrow and the transfer window closed tonight Aston Villa definitely break that top six - no doubts at all" ! There is no logic nor evidence to back such nonsensical tripe. From 11TH to 6TH and nobody has even joined villa thus far. Think spurs, everton and portsmouth fans to name a few would be laughing at this.
LARSSON*7*CFC
The transfer window doesn't close tonight though.
Pking
obviously not much action on the Celtic site.
Pking
Larsson, check your facts before you come on here talking nonsense. We are not all blind optimists, but all this would take to push us up quite a number of places is turning a handful of our many many draws into victories....and having watched most of our games last season, this really wouldn't have been a big ask. So 6th place was entirely possible if we hadn't had that dismal run of something like 16 games in the middle of the season when we were shot with injuries and picked up very little in the way of points. Go back to your own site and bait the Rangers fans, as they are the only team you should really be really concerned with. Hope you are looking forward to another thrilling season in the SPL.
YatesyVillain
Good Old British BEEFY artical, optimism is all we once had now we have a belief we will be climbing the table, top six possible. LARSSON from Celtic by any chance, still bitter and twisted are we?
Do us all a favour and stay up the frozen north in the league of two teams.
col8
"O'Neill will deliver, maybe not as I want, but he'll deliver. Why. Because if he doesn't he'll be sacked." WHAT ARE YOU ON ABOUT? Talk about being negative just to state the obvious...you have a serious downer on MON and just won't admit it, AVFC48. Every time you post a reply you talk about Villa fans as if you're a closet Celtic supporter - I just can't understand your amibvalence towards your fellow followers and ebfore you start saying "calm down luvvies' - I am calm and slightly confused at your animosity - just let people have dreams even if they are big and bound to be found only in pipes...let them dream.
koolbill
*before
koolbill
Basically - if everybody plays to full potential and we get few injuries then yes - I agree. Problem is, we do have a few injury prone players, so in reality we need some back up. Don't worry about Larsson - he hasn't got much to smile about in life. His posts on Celtic are just as negative. Perhaps supporting such a small club in a Mickey Mouse League is getting to him.
CLVilla
Celtic buy Donati from Milan for £3.5 MILLION ! A player who milan paid £10 million for 3 seasons ago but they famously don't give youth a chance. Fought off Sampdoria & Parma for his signature the teams he was loaned to. Add in scott brown and that makes some quality signings geared for winning more leagues and playing europes best in CL. You guys manage to buy anyone yet ? No-one ! Suppose its not that attractive a move to villa eh. haha
LARSSON*7*CFC
go back and fret about Nakamura and his release clause.
Pking
If the season started tomorrow and the transfer window closed tonight i reckon villa would win the league - no doubt about it ! haaaaaahahaaa.
LARSSON*7*CFC
Transfer window doesn't close tonight so stop talking hypothetical nonsense you daydreamer. Nice to see you still find Villa Vital more interesting than the Celtic site - not much going on there really?! UTV - SOTCeltic.
Yuen_Biao
Agree with Beefy's observations. We're not that far away from top six material with the current squad of players, one or two key additions will really see us seriously enter the mix. There's still two months plus to go before the transfer window closes, and while in the ideal world new arrivals would make more sense to be onboard before the pre-season friendlies commence, that isn't a demand set in stone. Everything about the club is moving forwards and upwards. The new owner/directors haven't lead us up the garden path yet, while MON is arguably one of the best around. The club is for the first time in many years an attractive proposition for players to move to, so lets just sit tight, kick back, and enjoy the build up to the new campaign. Better days are on the horizon.
glensider
Celtic - always a few years behind us - didn't we buy a class player from Milan a few years ago? Oh yes, Laursen!! And if my reading glasses are working, many Celtic fans aren't happy with the signing. And Scott Who? Prefer to have Maloney in my team thanks!!
CLVilla
Rangers a team so great they beat the champions of Scotland repeatedly last season. Ugo - he over head kicks he scores!!!!!
tarzan
It's quite close below the top 4, but Spurs and Everton are ahead of us at the moment. We need to invest to catch up with them. This has been done to death.
tarzan
Never make top 6 next season ! Don't have the quality and not exactly a host of world class players knocking at the door of villa asking to join. spurs, everton and portsmouth are miles ahead.
LARSSON*7*CFC
Which team from England has "a host of world class players knocking at the door asking to join"? I would even say Hargreaves is world class. That midfieder Rangers are going to sign, looks better than any of the second raters you've signed so far.
tarzan
Can we not build an Adrians Firewall to keep the Scots out?
Dannygav
Never actually answer your points these Scots - just hurl abuse. Who is Adrian? Do we know him? Perhaps Hadrian could have a go!!!!LOL..... I suggest a poll - how old is Larsson? My money is on 11.
CLVilla
This celtic team would take 4 off villa as the squads stand. No offence but your defenders are poor and don't rate your attack any better than milan's. Good luck though eh.
LARSSON*7*CFC
CL Villa, I am writing without thinking again. I have a £ e/w on Larsson being 9/10.
Larsson can you recommend any more players from Celtic? Must hurt being a feeder club to Villa.
Dannygav
No probs Danny - So the 6th best defense in the Prem, with our best player missing for most of the season and you don't want any of them. Do you actually watch any EPL football, or just talk rubbish about stuff you don't know? Don't let on about your age yet though - not everybody has entered the sweep at the moment.
CLVilla
If Fear was here he'd zap the Tim's from posting.
tarzan
your best player is laursen ?!! teehee
LARSSON*7*CFC
Last year we conceded 41 goals, which was the 6th best in the Premiership. The fact we couldn't score and kill of teams was the problem for the Villa last season. So instead of making unfounded statements why not try to get your facts at least close to the truth before you try slgging of our Club.
Hoss The Villain
I would like to get in the abuse that larsson is throwing around but I wiill not give the nailbomber the satisfaction. The only reason he can get on a computer is because of the dole money he collects from English taxpayers. Get back to your illegal can of Tennents Extra you child. Someone guessed earlier that you were 11 years old. A bit of an optimistic guess I would say, I would have said 9. Go and bait the fans of Glasgows biggest club, Rangers. Loyalist Villa.
voiceoftheholte
LARSSON*7*CFC is that scotish for bitter soft cock?
myleftfoot
Aha. and i am the child. Face the facts bum villains that your team is nothing. It is a sad day to even be getting excited about making 6th in your league but more so when it ain't even realistic. Spurs,evrton and even portsmouth are 10 times the squads you have. Laursen is a cripple reject, Barry ain't good enough for england, carew is past his best and even his best wasn't near world class, young is a perfect example of the crazily inflated english market for unproven inexperienced mediocre players and petrov when firing will be your best player but even he seems****hed with playing for a cr@p club. Good luck persuading good players to join. p.s. loving the tennents cheers.
LARSSON*7*CFC
Still here? Fed up with getting slated by the big club in Glasgow? Loyalist Villa.
voiceoftheholte
Larsson - You've bought a player whose value is one third-ish of his best ever, does that mean his skill is now two thirds less than it was....sounds to me like a right Djibril Cisse kind of signing...look forward to playing you when your Glaswegian teams have the bottle to break away and come to our League - then look forward to kicking yuor butt...your squad is well poor by the way. P.S. I'm having a tenner on your split personalities adding upto 15 years of age altogether! LOL. Bring it on! Also, was in Edinburgh the other weekend and had a haggis-samosa, bloody marvellous, well tasty, the best foreign import fused with socttish skill you'll ever get to taste!!! hahahhahahahahahahaha.
koolbill
Thanks for Maloney and Petrov! Good luck in the qualifiers...hope Ugo notches in the derby again....goodbye
tarzan
LARSSON, I must admit, I do like this bit of genius - "It is a sad day to even be getting excited about making 6th in your league" You seem to forget that our league is a just a tad more competitive than yours. If, as Koolbill states, you lot ever had the guts to come and have a blast at our league then I think you might be getting a bit excited over avoiding relegation. Wasn't Strachan the one who finally relegated Coventry, cracking piece of management that.
PBAVFC
Has the fen trotter gone now? Back to the thread. If nothing has happened by the end of next week, we can start to get a bit worried.
tarzan
Think CL is a bit tougher than making 11th in EPL stupido. :)
LARSSON*7*CFC
And coventry ain't exactly celtic. Thats like comparing villa to mufc. Miles apart. Crazy analogy. Same analogy that started this thread. Nonsense article.
LARSSON*7*CFC
LARSSON, stopping worrying about us. Why is that Celtic don't win the CL every year (or even compete)? You don't have any tough domestic games so you can save your best players (sic) for the CL matches. Bottom line is, you get automatic entry every year and yet get nowhere near winning it. Now that's failure!!! No competition and you're still sh*ite.
Stevew
Larsson, go and deep fry your head
Dannygav
Ok,please don`t waste said breath on Celtic fans,i`ll say again/said before that they live in a very strange deluded footballing world - it`s called the easy life,we are in the process of replacing average players with good one`s and not many clubs get to do that so let`s watch and wait,i think we`ll be well chuffed in 2 weeks.
ASPINALL
The Rugby team I play for has won the County Championship for the last four years - I hereby decree that we are therefore the best Rugby team in the Country!!!!!!!......And for Celtic read Millwall. Any crap team can have a lucky run now and again - FA Cup final - doesn't mean they are a good team. If we got a bye to the CL every year we would have the odd good run - and lets face it without the gift of the cash it offers Celtic would be out of business by now.
CLVilla
LARSSON*7*CFC = one eyebrow, webbed feet and ginger curly hair!
tarzan
Tarzan - I thought you were speaking about Scholes for a second!!!!
koolbill
Playing the likes of milan is a tad harder than the likes of reading , watford and the ilk. Only an idiot would compare the CL to the fa cup. Good luck beating reading next season. hahah
LARSSON*7*CFC
Celtic vs Milan is equivalent to Millwall vs Man Utd. It doesn't make Millwall a great team just because they are playing against a great team. Only an idiot would think so. They made it once, but what are the chances of them doing it again? Nil. Obviously you are not capable of comparative analysis, so this is wasted on you I know.
CLVilla
Larsson, Good luck against Gretna
Dannygav
Larsson the fen trotter is back, like a bad penny!
tarzan
Exactly CLVilla,they get to play big teams across Europe every year via Champ.League so think they are equal and hammer cr@p teams all season so think they are great,ask Stan.Petrov the difference in quality and he`ll tell you - different planet
ASPINALL
Celtic are unbeaten at home in in 23 european games (17 of which are CL games). Like said only an idiot would compare a pish fa cup to the Best of europe in CL. You clowns can't even beat reading let alone barcelona. haha
LARSSON*7*CFC
"the rugby team i play for....."...yawn. Utter nonsense. You are a stupido.
LARSSON*7*CFC
Same analogy Larsson, cups can be deceiving. You play in a crap league and think coz you win it you are great, but in reality you are not. You are a make weight in the CL, and yes you have had a good run, but that is why we like football, because sometimes poorer teams do better than expected. You are not even one of the top ten supported teams in Europe, so to make out you are huge is ridiculous.
CLVilla
If you think that villa would have the same unbeaten run in europe as celtic then you are either clearly insane or totally ignorant of facts. Villa already have the helping hand of the tv money handed to them by big 4 but still can't beat teams the calibre of reading to get any where near top 8. Celtic however would ,with current squad, certainly finish in top 6. Evidence being we beat europes best at home and this includes barcelona, mufc, porto, bayern munich, liverpool and the list goes on. Now, the fact that our team does this on a consistent basis and don't do it as one off flukes shows that we would squat teams like watford ,reading and fulham easily getting 3 points. Where as villa struggle to win thee games hence 11th. We also get 60,000 for home games (with plans for a 15,000 extension) villa get half this. We have 1233 registered supporters clubs worldwide, i doubt anyone in oz or states have even heard of villa. So keep trying clvilla cause you know that we do all this whilst handicapped with poor tv revenue, with the money you get we would be garaunteeing better than 11TH easily. thank you and good night.
LARSSON*7*CFC
And again you look stupid. I haven't mentioned Villa, and I am not going to. I am just saying Celtic aren't as big as YOU think they are. End of story, and I am right. You should know by now I am always able to back up my statements with facts, and this case is no different. Marseille are bigger than Celtic. Fact.
CLVilla
I think that a lot of supporters are confident. In many cases it would seem that we might be just a little too over-confident.
glensider
Last seasons fantastic start lulled us all into a false sense of our current status in the Premiership, hopefully MON will bolster the squad with some QUALITY.
col8
Well bugger me, who woulda thought our very own beefy could talk such sense!!
jonah
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