As opposed to previously selling their best players for our washed up paddies?

Not selling 2 key players in one go though. And they managed to keep hold of Barry for another season when he was initially linked to clubs.

Seemed like the Darren Bent purchase was a signal of their intent. I guess it's a case of one step forward 2 steps back.

No, it is not a collapse at all. Selling two players is not a collapse. Aston Villa has been around since 1874, and just because we have sold two players, the club will not collapse! We are in talks with Shay Given, and will possibly get N'Zogbia as replacements and a few others hopefully. While it is not ideal to lose a player o Young's quality, Villa fans can understand his reason for leaving and are grateful for his services. Villa will be here long after Young retires from United with a few medals and Downing retires with feck all. No player is greater than a club.

all depends on who we bring in to replace them... right now im not too optimistic to be honest, but aston villa always finds a way and could be in for at least one surprising big name signing

We're in a really bad situation. Any Villa fan talking so optimistically has lost their head. We've sold our two most creative players, we've lost our first choice goalkeeper, and we still haven't bought anyone. Iff we were going to sell our two key players then at least bring in two players of real quality before letting them go. We have an awful defence but this will probably be left untouched because we now have to spend all summer finding quality in midfield. We have appointed a boss with poor credentials and have spent around £3 million getting him in here, even though the fans didn't want him.

Randy is no longer someone I respect and I would quite like him to sell up to someone with more money and ambition. He's clearly taking the club backwards and even a fan with the most rose-tinted Villa specs can see this. I can't support the club if it continues to make such reckless and thoughtless decisions.

We finished 6th three seasons running. Last season, for one season, we dropped out.

Spurs have finished 4th and then 5th - with Liverpool investing, that may be 6th or lower this coming season. If Modric gets his wish and one or two more casualties like Bale, you could have a season like Villa have just endured. perhaps finishing 8th or 11th like your previous two seasons.

As for Villa. we have the
usual expected transfer kitty
+ a sum of money for an incoming manager
+ money from Ashley Young's sale
+ money from Stewart Downing's sale.

He needs to get a move on to find very good replacements. We do have the likes of Clark, Bannan and Albrighton who are capable of the step up but we need a creative central midfielder and one on the left.

It's going to be a big summer for the Villa board and manager to let fans know what direction they're moving us in. Hopefully to replace Spurs once again.

Anyway., we're second in the league right now!!

Villa still have Albrighton, Bent, Agbonlahor(i'm sure he'll be better this year). Also Petrov. They will get Given in goal, probably N'zogbia, and Hitzelsberger(spelling?). Could also probably get Parker if chelsea stay away form him. They are linked with Vargas also. So its not all doom and gloom. The thing is, whether they get those players soon, rather than near teh end of the window, so they have some sort of preseason together.

There is NO loyalty in football. Downing is just doing to us what our saviour Darren Bent did to Sunderland last january. He's moving to a so called 'bigger club' or one that offers more money. The bottom line Downing is just another merc and robbing the scousers of 20 million is a great deal for us so sell him. We can get 2 players for that.

Say we bought N'Zogbia and Kranjcar off you guys then we'd be over the moon. Modric wants out, Bale will be next and even your captain isn't happy. You might aswell close up shop now because after your one season in The Champions League.........your back fighting for 5th/6th/7th every season.

HaHa, fresh this, coming from a Spuds fan! Harry never got relegated did he? And you never sold Berbatov did you? And you're not going to sell Modric are you? And you'll forever keep Bale won't you? People in glass houses 'n that.

In less than a season Milner, Ash young and Downing all waved bye bye. This is worse than us!

I'm not meaning to sound hypocritical. I understand that we've been in the same position and that's why you share my sympathy.

In fact there are quite a few similarities between what's happening to you and what happened to us when we sold Berb and Keane. Berb went to United just as Young has done and Keane followed suit going to Liverpool just as Downing has done. This coming after one not so great season out of the top 6 (where the 2 of us spent a few seasons in a row). Both our managers won the last Carling Cup and we both had/have Bent. Spooky eh? But, we then went and had our worst start to a PL season the next season. You have to be very careful that this doesn't happen to you by what you do in the transfer window.

The optimistic view: we'll have a good pre-season, get in the right players, hit the ground running at the start of the season, and blast Fulham off the field in the first match.

The pessimistic view: we'll get a goalkeeper from somewhere, not a lot else, pre-season hides a lack of conviction amongst the players, and Jol's lot will hit the net while we're wondering what we're at Fulham for.

Well, they said the same about ManYoo after Ronaldo and Tevez went didn't they? They're league champions and it's a bit rich coming from a Spuds fan about players wanting to leave for better things!

The thing is when Spurs sold Carrick for £16.75m they used £11m of those funds to purchase berbatov. They sold Berbatov and Keane in the same summer for a combined £55m, and used those monies on Modric £16.5m, Pavlyuchenko £15m, Gomes £9m (no sniggering). Pav has underwhelmed but has done a fair job, Gomes has been awful, and Modric brilliant and will most likely be sold for £40m+ allowing Spurs to buy 1 or 2 more top players. Question is will Villa/Randy follow this risky but potentially fruitful selling and reinvesting model, or will they stick to tried and tested known quantities like Bent and Nzogbia. Nzogbia is a good player but is unlikely to be sold for £10m-£15m profit 2 or 3 years down the line.

The thing is when Spurs sold Carrick for £16.75m they used £11m of those funds to purchase berbatov. They sold Berbatov and Keane in the same summer for a combined £55m, and used those monies on Modric £16.5m, Pavlyuchenko £15m, Gomes £9m (no sniggering). Pav has underwhelmed but has done a fair job, Gomes has been awful, and Modric brilliant and will most likely be sold for £40m+ allowing Spurs to buy 1 or 2 more top players. Question is will Villa/Randy follow this risky but potentially fruitful selling and reinvesting model, or will they stick to tried and tested known quantities like Bent and Nzogbia. Nzogbia is a good player but is unlikely to be sold for £10m-£15m profit 2 or 3 years down the line

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It's a good and fair point. I actually think N'Zogbia would be an excellent signing, but as you say he is someone who will pretty much do what we know. Modric was a bit of an unknown quantity who had the natural ability to be a superstar but could have ended a flop. As it turns out it turned out to be great business and he has gone on to be Spurs' most valuable player. I would like Villa to go for young, naturally gifted players who may htake a while to adjust but could turn out to be like Modric. However, I'm not sure where they are. We should have got Defour as he was young and in a similar mould and his value could have soared, but now I think he's on his way to Germany. Witsel was the same, but again I think we've missed out. Veloso was another young, technically gifted player who I feel we could have got had we shown a bit more get up and go. Unfortunately, Villa don't seem to get these young players when they're available, and we do seem to stick to buying players who are well-known and who can adjust quickly to the Premier League (just look at big transfers in the past like Bent, Downing, Young, Milner). I would be prepared to wait patiently for a player from overseas to adjust if I thought he was worth waiting for. Tottenham hav this mentality and I think we should start having it too. It hasn't done Tottenham any harm that's for sure.

"HaHa, fresh this, coming from a Spuds fan! Harry never got relegated did he? And you never sold Berbatov did you? And you're not going to sell Modric are you? And you'll forever keep Bale won't you? People in glass houses 'n that"





Well first off the Berbatov issue was years ago and even then we desperately tried to keep hold of him but he refused to play. Villa are completely different because your just letting your players go without a fuss hence why you lack ambition. Modric might want to go but the noise coming out from the club is he's not going anywhere....... If we manage to keep him then people might say we have unhappy player but i don't really give a **** and i'm sure the club don't either..... he's proffesional enough to do a job and he was very happy at spurs until this chelsea issue surfaced so it would show spurs have huge ambition if we were to keep hold of him. My point is were a different club these days and have better players where as i feel your team ( Villa) are going backwards. You have gone from a top 6 team to what you are now......... If you actually see positive in that then fair enough

With the Europa league commitments likely to take their toll on tottenhams paperthin squad,I fully expect them to slip back outside the top 6 this season.The misnomer that spurs are this ultraattacking side falls down when you find out they scored less goals than a
third of the premier league last season including a relegated club.The media darlings from north London will lose modric,VDV was found out 2nd half of the season and Bale will be seen for what he really is,an average left back with a chimps face
Look forward to keeping 2 clean sheets against them in the coming season

@ Paulpwersleftfoot ( Mancity fan)....... Keeping 2 cleansheets against us? Your actually our whipping club because most seasons we do the double over you Check the prem facts...... we are far superior to you in recent results and were your bogey club.... shame!!!

Were is correct

Paulpowersleftfoot (U1037)

Let them go without a fuss...who wouldnt let Downing go for 20m???

Let them go without a fuss...who wouldnt let Downing go for 20m???
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Dead right. They've been showing the "wonder goal" he scored against L'pool at the end of last season. He should have scored from there; that's what he's paid for. What nobody's mentioned is the wonder cross from Albrighton which sailed just over the defence and landed at his feet. And Albrighton's still at Villa...Great!