Aston Villa News 24/7Writer: J P Fear 
Date:Monday April 2 2012
Time: 10:44AM
UK time is: 00:07:38
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Almost An Entire Villa Defense To Be Sold?
So, could be all change come the summer for our defence. Lets be honest, it HAS to be, and in so many ways, should have been last summer! It would have all changed if Gerrard Houllier had been fit enough to remain, I can understand that McLeish had to assess himself although obviously it has wasted yet another season for us fans. That is the problem with no stability managerial wise, everything is always in transition! I digress.
We reported the other day that Richard Dunne was wanted by Sunderland: ( Click Here )
Stephen Warnock was also linked to MON`s new Club, ( click here ) and is again today, this time in The Sun (link to Villa page not working when I just tried).
The paper suggest that O`Neill will bid £2.5m for the 30-year-old full back as he looks to repeat the same mistakes he made at Villa by accruing a highly paid dads army where you then can`t move on the players and they have little to no sell on fee. Our problem? Not anymore. Bad luck to the Mackems though!
Out of the three, James Collins is probably the one I`d most like to keep, not keen on his (or Dunne`s ... or Warnock`s .. conduct last season, or some times this season, however he is more blood and guts when on form) ... anyway, today he is linked in The Mirror to Swansea.
The excellent Brendan Rodgers who appears to want his side to play the sort of football most of us Villans would die for at Villa Park (????) is said to be considering a £5million move for the Welsh international. Controversial for Swansea fans as Collins used to play for their hated neighbours Cardiff!
Could we not simplify this and just bring Brendan Rodgers to Villa?
Oh and with reports that Carlos Cuellar ( Click Here ) will be off back to Spain this season, we could end up with a very different defence next season!
Would you look to keep all or any of these defenders or are they right to clear them out?
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Your Comments
Vital Villa on: The Fear
Keep Cuellar...that's it I'm afraid...
MASON_PARKER
Got a nasty feeling it'll be the kids and a couple of washed-up Bosmans next season.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED
Dek
Our defense has been bad but i think the midfield has to take some of the blame. Winning and keeping the ball has been desperate this season. Would like collins and cuellar to stay. I'd be hacked off if MON bought our defense for pennys and got them playing well. I bet sunderland get cuellar on a free
_aron_
A manager that trains a team to concede 20 goals from set pieces, but that fails to score any needs to be sacked immediately. But it will all be irrelevant. we are going down. None of us have any idea how Villa will look next season. A relegation will see the back of N'Zogbia, Gabi, Bent, Dunne, Collins, Warnock, Given, Ireland and Cuellar. 2 years from challenging for the title with international class players to relegation and a team of kids. M'ON started the rot. Lerner hasn't known had to stop it and McMuppet has proven to be, as feared, the worst managerial appointment in our history. All of you with your head in the sand with simplistic statements of 'we need to get behind the club' take your head out of the sand, we are in desperate trouble. We need experience and goals and we have neither. Bent, Petrov, Dunne, N'Zogbia are long term casualties. We cant defend set pieces and our next home game is Stoke. The very least we need for that is a keeper prepared to come off his line. Step forward Brad Guzan.
voiceoftheholte
lichaj, cuellar, clark, baker will be a vast improvement.
stennyvilla
Cuellar is off in the summer as is Guzan. Given will not hang around the lower divisions. Will everybody wake up. We are in desperate desperate trouble. Ooopss. Sorry. Attend the games, sing big Ecks claret and blue army and all will be well??????? Will somebody please do the right thing now and get rid of McMuppet immediately. He relegated Small Heath twice, destroyed Rangers and is now doing the same with our club. Please please somebody, anybody, wake up and smell the coffee. I have the feeling that the next 8 games will be the last any of us will see of the Premier League for many many years.
voiceoftheholte
How about a 5 million bid for Brendan Rodgers ?
crosswesleyanchapel
Agree 100%, voth! I can smell relegation, too. Randy Lerner should get hold of a copy of 'The Football Man' by Arthur Hopcraft. It's probably the best book ever written about football in this country. If it doesn't give him the insight into our national sport that he clearly needs nothing will.
VillaWillRiseAgain
cwandc. He is linked with Chelski and Spuds. So the reasons he would choose them over us are? And the £5m is coming from where? Will everybody remove heads from backsides and look at what is happening. Randy, we need a leader. You own the club. Despite your desire to take a back seat, there are times when a leader has to show leadership from the front, in front of all the troops (supporters). Now is that time. Randy, stand up and be counted. And do not stand up and show your disdain for supporters by confirming your faith in McMuppet, because that will be the leadership that consigns this club to the lower leagues for years.
voiceoftheholte
The kids will be good enough for the Championship. It's the following season we need to rebuild.
MiniCooper
I'd actively try to keep Carloss, a true pro and does a good job when played in his correct position. Collins can happily stay if we don't get a decent offer, the others I'd actively try to get rid of. The two CCs would be a decent CB pairing for us, with somepone brought in as real competition and a couple of fullbacks that can not only offer competition but also cover for CB and we would be set IMO, especially with Baker in the mix.
villan of the north
Does this mean you are stuck with Hutton?
Oxfordspur
What was Mr. Lerner thinking when he appointed McLeish. An absolutely nonsensical act of soccer terrorism. In less than a year, Villa have taken the exact same path as Birmingham City. It is a shame when history repeats itself. It is desperate when that history is Aston Villa's future to behold.
Honestly Mr. Lerner, what a way to go to take care of your investments.
johnproche
'History repeats itself. The first time as tragedy. The second time as farce.' That's us. A farce.
chocolate teapot
Thank the stars every fifa or football manager game i play i sell the lot ha... they are terrible... this is one of the main reasons i liked houllier and shear proof he would have been a great manager for the club if he had of stayed...
CDX_EIRE
Collins will be a loss. Dunne is past it regardless that God praised him for his recent displays for ROI. Warnock and Hutton are not fit to wear the Villa shirt. MON got 150% out of Warnock, as he does with most of his players. McLeish regularly gets below 50% out of all his players. We are fu**ed. A new defence will cost big and the kids need some experience back there with them.
Villan444
Collins cant go to Swansea, his regular 'hoofs' will not fit into their 'proper' footballing style of play. Get rid of all three and take hutton as a freebie if you like, im happy to drive them anywhere. Get Carlos signed NOW! Clark should be pushing for a regular starting place at cb and Lichaj looks very promising. Oh and please find a bloody decent left back, im fed up of jokers like Shorey and Warnock! Dont half miss the days of little Alan Wright!
Lion Heart
Most years there is a team that has not been in the bottom three all season, who suddenly find themselves there with a game or two to go. They reach the relegation zone out of form and are unable to escape the drop. Birmingham City were that team last season. McLeish is not stupid, he must see that a repeat is on the cards. However he lack's the skills to do anything about it, and the lack of squad depth is about to hurt us badly. The decision to pay off Habib Beye, just to get him out of Villa Park and save next to nothing, is looking an awful one. Whilst we have been screaming for the kids to be given a chance all season, now we have to and it's sink or swim. The taste of premiership football will do them good, it will give them something to aim for next season. I still think relegation is not the end of the world. I hope we can do a Newcastle and come back stronger with hungry young players. But I do think we are going down.
2big4seatswannastand
i think will get a good idea come 09.50pm monday night where wer'e heading !!!
marshyboy87
Would be great news if they all go, our defence is awful. I am so dispondant about our situation that I cant even see the funny side of your article that states you dont want to change the manager every season as it ends up transitional and then later saying we want McLeish out! haha I wish we had got Martinez now but we couldnt even attract him so no chjance of Rodgers right now. He wont get Chelsea or Spurs job though, it just wont happen!
Chelt Villan
I fail to see how the constant doom and gloom is meant to help anyone. Sack McLeish or VOTH's McMuppet? Have you lot not learned anything? Look at Wolves for a lesson in reality. The reason McLeish was appointed was because no one else wanted the job given the cut backs and need to win. Just wish some on hear would see the truth of the situation and just support the team.
Gordonsleftboot
I do agree that getting rid of the manager would ruin our season even more, but I really can see us heading for the drop. If we don't get any points over the next 3 games (extremely likely) then we will be right up against it, we will have even less confidence and we are not used to fighting.
I am extremely worried, as are plenty of other villa fans, because it really could be the end of our Premier League existance for 1 year at least.
calavfc
Buy one Heskey and get one Mcleish free? ;)
thorpyuk
^ The difference there GLB is that the Wolves players were playing for McCarthy, just not getting the results. No one is playing for Mc****. We won't get relegated though, luckily there's too many poor teams in the league this year - but I still think we should sack him before the end of the season if only out of spite.
SchoolBoyError
i remember so many slagging Houlier off as well just the same. and yes he has to be sacked at the end of the season or when we are safe.
i wish GH hadnt got sick at least we were passing the ball and all the crap players would have been sold
andy3221
glb - I have supported the team all year. Unfortunately the simple facts are that McMuppet will never be accepted at the Villa. And the harsh reality that you mention that only McMuppet wanted the job is so far off the mark as to be untrue. Benitez, Hughes and Ancelotti were put off by the financial restrictions that were about to be enforced and were not prepared to work under them. Martinez showed his decency as a man to be loyal to a club who had been loyal to him. He was never interviewed. Mclaren would never have been accepted. The football world isn't just those managers. Why wasn't Poyet approached? What about Zola? What about a foreign manager? Martin Jol was available. So was Chris Houghton. Anybody but bloody McMuppet. There is no point in spreading lies that it was McMuppet or nothing. Why look for Wolves as a harsh reality? Why not look to Sunderland? Or Spuds a couple of seasons ago? The likely scenario is that Small Heath are going to get promoted with a manager who was available to us, whilst we will be relegated by the manager we paid to take off them, who took them down. That my friend is the real truth of the situation.
voiceoftheholte
VOTH I know it is getting a bit ****ty pants time however i don't think we will be relegated and we ain't been yet so can you wait until we are gabby won't leave he bleeds claret & blue I don't think as many will go as you reckon would either.
As for the one's that maybe on their way it's media rumour time again and they have to find something to make up the space. Warnock and Dunne can go for me Keep Collins if we must and keep Cuellar and for God's sake don't give Peskey a contract extension either
kefkat
Agreed gordonsleftboot. Gettin rid of Eck now may give the players more reason to try even less. Wolves are a good example and lucky for us they have no fight left. I understand why so many are unhappy obviously, but the lack of decent free managers out there is concerning
_aron_
What a shame we (MON) sold Cahill. Imagine Gary Cahill and Ciaran Clarke as our two centre backs. :(
Adam Deuce
kefkat - McMuppet couldn't manage a team full internationals to perform for the club and had the ability to starve one of Englands best goal scorers of a decent supply of chances. He has trained the team to concede 20 goals from set pieces but fail to score 1. Chelsea had a full back score more goals from a set piece in 35 minutes than our entire squad have scored all season. The only goal we have scored from a corner was against Arsenal in the cup. It was a nice short routine that created confusion in the box. We havent done that routine again since!!!!!!! I am glad Gabi bleeds claret and blue, but it would be nice if he scored occasionally. Cuellar is out of contract. Warnock is a good full back who had a poor couple of months at the turn of the year. Don't judge an England quality full back on the back of a few bad games. You praise Gabi who cant score and yet slate a bloke who had defended admirably for all but half a dozen games. There is never the wrong time to do the right thing. McMuppet out now . . . if not sooner!!
voiceoftheholte
What are the benefits of keeping Feck?? There is no stability, no momentum, no settled side or formation (other than 9-0-1.) no-one is playing for him and he's proven to everyone that he isnt capable. There are no pluses, new manager syndrome would get us the points that we need. Wolves is totally different. Their new manager is a bloody coach FFS. Big step up to management. Said for a long time that if we stay up, it's because there's 3 worse teams than us not because we deserve it.
Villan444
VOTH you say "The likely scenario is that Small Heath are going to get promoted".
You may be right, but the fact is that Small Heath are one of 6 teams chasing the 3 remaining play-off places, along with the one that misses out of the current top three. Even assuming they are guaranteed a play-off place (which of course they are not)- it will still then be a 1 in 4 lottery of who wins the last promotion place. We are where we are, and it is not good - but we are miles more likely to be inthe Premier League next season than Small Heath - courtesy of Wolves, Wigan and QPR, rather than any positive atributes of our own season - and I think, we will win a couple of games.
stennyvilla
I wouldnt be so sure that there are 3 teams worse than us at the moment there is 1 and thats wolves. The others wigan and bolton are on good runs and QPR are inconsistant but bloody hell they are picking up unexpected wins ie Liverpool and Arsenal. Blackburn have also turned things around and there form is much better than ours. If we dont beat stoke we are in big trouble because I dont think the players have the belief in beating big teams like Liverpool or Man utd. Hope im wrong but it feels the same as the season when we had the last awful scottish manager Billy Mcneill. UTV
avfcfazza
Only one person we need to get rid of at the moment and that's Eck. Don't get rid or sign anymore players until the new man is in and he can make his decisions. I don't agree with the comment that if McLeish went the players would have even more reason not to play, I think they'd lift and play better under a caretaker many WITH the fans behind them (which they would be if Eck went). Get rid now and start looking for his replacement so as soon as the season ends we can give it to someone else. Rodgers won't go to Spurs, I think he will stay for at least another year. I'd give him a call though to see his thoughts but I'd also call Poyet, McDermott and even Martinez (he only rejected us because he's loyal and owed it to Wigan). I think we'd have a good shot at any of these young, hungry, up and coming managers that play football the right way. Their wages would probably be less than Eck's also and they work under a budget and have ALL the fans behind them. You know it makes sense Rodney
AdzVilla11
Anybody saying we are safe are kidding themselves, we are 5 points off relagation and out of our 8 games left I see us getting 4 points (all draws in case you didn't guess). im a naturally very laid back person but I seriously worry for us and I don't think its unrelistic to do so, under GH last year I was never worried about relagation because I could see the plan and the football we played was quite good, under McDraw relagation is very possible if even very likely, its hard to say if we should sack McClueless now or at the end of the season but 1 thing is for sure and that is that HE HAS TO BE SACKED we can't give him any more time to ruin this club and frankly for me anybody but McDope will do!
KerryVillian
There's enough will we be relegated or will we survive on other threads so I'll stick to the header. Get rid of Hutton, Dunne, Warnock and possibly Collinsyes, but who do we replace them with? If Carlos is allowed to leave we have Lichaj, Clark, Baker Stevens. We need some experience at the back to support these kids but they cost money. Will Lerner cough up or we gonna have kids in the squad on their parents pocket money (saves Lerner giving them a contract!)
Lerner by name, and in football, Lerner by nature..... but he hasn't learnt anything yet!
Pride of Lions
Lads be far more worried about the remainder of this season, we could easily be playing Championship football next season. looks like we need 38 points, where are we going to get the 5 points needed with the Manager we have and the squad of available players? COTVABU
irish villa
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