Thoughts.

I suffer but I'd still rather be a Ram, you've a way to go mate.

This league has caught Villa off guard and even with an experienced manager in Bruce, playoffs is the best scenario for you next season,

Hope I'm wrong and it's mid table though.

You will have a 17stone Ross McCormack next season

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Me??? Pessimistic???? Nope. I do have doubts about Bruce, partly I've yet to see him put out a team which convinces, and I'm not sure he can. If he succeeds, fine. But I think he has to prove it; don't think he'll have until Christmas.

Here's the optimism!!! I think we have most of a squad which can romp this division. In the last match against BHA we still weren't convincing, but we were playing just that bit better, even without Jedinak, and Hourihane and Lansbury (finally being played in their proper positions) started to look the part. Did BHA look better than us, or did their players look better? No. What they do have is a top manager who can get the best out of what they've got. Our problem isn't the players; it's getting the best out of them. Do that and we'll be fine.

Might be cheaper to get rid of McCormack than to carry on paying his food & beer bills!

If McCormack genuinely bucks up his ideas, puts in the miles and training between now and summer and comes back fit and ready to go, he could be worth keeping. He knows where the net is; he even found it a few times under Di Matteo, and was our main threat before Kodjia got up to speed. In spite of not being properly fit.

Can understand his problem. Changing clubs, new pressures, new house while his marriage breaks up and he ends up on his own can't be easy, particularly when he has a soft spot for booze. Hope he gets it sorted.

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I do agree with the Doctor we should have ample funds from the sale of surplus players including those on loan and McCormack, to fund any ins.

This needs to be spent wisely where needed and with the current squad we ought to be able to mount a big challenge.

However I still fear that there are many sides with as strong a squad as we may have and Bruce has to get them preforming otherwise we will still be there next year.

Time will tell

UTV

performing

A lot of those players that you're hoping to get rid of are on pretty sizeable salaries with a good deal of their contracts left; e.g.
Richards £50k a week x 2 years left is a £5.2M contract.
Veretout £28k x 3 years = £4.4M
Amavi £30k x 3 years = £4.7M

It's going to be very hard to move those types of players on. And you're about to find out, like we did, that it's a buyer's market out there- especially when the seller is strapped for cash.

Richards could be a problem. Veretout seems to be doing well in France, and Amavi has a good reputation and has survived his first year after recovering from a knee op with no further problems, so reckon those two will be attractive to somebody, at the right price, whatever that is.

If they were dedicated to us I would keep. However Veretout not interested IMO.

Hello Den

Well you may take Elphick?

Richards could do a good job if in right frame of mind.

Going to be interesting window to see who we can get rid of and who we get and what arry can wheel and deal on

UTV