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19 Jan 2026 12:34:25
Afternoon all
A defeat that leaves a raw feeling. We were far from our best, but good enough to win that game. Everton offered little, but, fair play, they pounced when we gifted them an in. Our game is built around dominance in the centre of the park, breaking the lines, feeding Rogers etc etc - something made all the harder with Onana, Kamara, Barkley and now McGinn out. Which leads nicely into the main topic on everyones mind - transfers and squad depth.
Emery is right - we are not a top five contender (bear with, i'll explain my logic). We have been punching about our weight since UE arrived, eventually it will catch up with us. Some of our financial issues are of our own making - some poor transfer decisions for which everyone at VP must take the blame (not just Monchi), some ridiculouly high wages compared to our revenue. But a big part of our challenge relates to the daft financial governance of football. Governance that in no way allows for anyone outside of the 'big seven' to be truly competitive season after season. City, Arsenal, Utd, Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs, Newcastle, all have spent £100M to £150M plus over recent transfer windows (noted there are some outgoings in there too), sums of money that we cannot hope to compete with.
To consistently be in the top 7 in the Prem you need to spend daft money season after season - I mean regular additions of £50M - £70M players. If you do that, you finish higher up the table, qualify for the CL, generate more money, buy more players.and on and on. We can't do that (not with a NET spend of bugger all over the past 3 years) which is why, like Emery says, we are not a top 5 contender.
Right now Villa are crying out for those additions to the squad, to grow what we have, toi add depth to cover injury to key players.but we can't get them as rules (and a bit of our own past stupidity in the transfer market) stop us. But mainly rules stop us. Which is so so so frustrating.
I've no idea what, if anything, we can now do before the end of Jan. Letting Malen do without a replacement coming in was dopey (as many have said) but maybe we let him go because we don't have two pennies to rub together. And we need the money, or his wages off our books.
We'll have kids out in Turkey on Thursday - which is great if you do it out of choice not out of necessity.
1.) 19 Jan 2026 14:40:10
Spot on Syston couldn’t agree more. What I find so frustrating is that we are so close to doing something special and this biased system is preventing us forcing our way into the top tier, it makes me so angry
13 Jan 2026 07:43:43
Morning all
Let's try and keep our heads with all things transfer related. Before the weekend, there was little if any connection or interest in Villa and Gallagher. Now he's become the messiah and the player we MUST sign. Which is daft.
Football transfers are simply transactions. Athletico Madrid had a firm sale offer from Spurs with guaranteed cash, and a loan offer from us with possible cash at the end of the loan. It makes complete sense for Madrid to go with the Spurs offer.
Gallaghers Prem roots are in London, so it makes sense for him to favour Spurs over Villa - despite how lovely Birmingham is.
Don't get attached to players or transfer rumours. Football is a business, players come and players go. We get some of the players rumours connect us to, we miss out on some as well. And we do all of that within the PSR / financial rules that govern football. We may not like them, but they exist and we have to operate within them. Simple as that.
Refreshing the squad is important, to cover injuries and to (hopefully) kick on some more over the second half of the season. But that said, look at Summer 2025. Rashford and Ascensio loans ended, Ramsey sold, Bailey loaned out. They were replaced with Elliott (much said about that on this forum), Sancho (no G or A contributions yet), Guessand (slow burner, but had a good solid afcon so more to come) and a returning Buendia who has been a revelation. Despite what could be considered underwhelming business, we're still 3rd in the league, progressing strongly in Europe and into the next round of the FA Cup.
There are still 18 days to maybe add to the squad this window, although that may well mean players leaving as well (again, I don't want Malen to go, but football is business and these things happen).
Let's keep our chins up. Alysson and Madjo may well get some game time in the coming weeks and months. Very excited to see them grace VP.
12 Jan 2026 12:36:02
Afternoon all
Well then, three seasons on the bounce that we've managed to make it past the 3rd round of the FA Cup. How times are changing in a competition we've been wretched at over the years. I'll be glued to the draw later hoping for a home game. Good game Saturday, best team clearly won. Disgraceful performance from Palhinha and baffling how he didn't get a red over 90 mins. Who cares though, they're out, we're through.
Losing Kamara is a big blow, no news yet that I can see on his injury. With Onana and Barkley broken as well we're down to Tielemans and Bogarde as the two holding mids. McGinn can drop in there as well I suppose. Hopefully Kamara has more of a knock that he can shake off quickly.
With regards to rumours, lots and lots of noise around Abraham, Gallagher and Malen. Never know what to make of it. Be odd if we were keen / happy to let Malen go given his contribution and impact this season. Might be part of a grander plan?
On to Sunday.
1.) 12 Jan 2026 15:53:25
Ferran Torres linked again!?
08 Jan 2026 12:33:44
Afternoon all
Mixed feelings about last night. A sense of an opportunity missed given our form and Palace's form vs relief that we didn't get tonked by them again. We're clearly learning something and I think I air on the side of a good point well earned against a tough opponent (for us). Konsa's post match interview on the Villa website is pretty much to that effect.
Good to see Torres back on the bench as well. Mings nearly ready as well I think.
Still 23 days of Jan left to do some business - hopeful that something is possible. History tells us to ignore rumours as whatever Villa do will come as a complete surprise to everyone.
Another FA Cup run would be nice - so on to Saturday
31 Dec 2025 07:36:49
Morning.
Firstly, healthy dose of humility. Well done Arsenal, the better team won over 90 mins. We were in it first half, losing Onana meant we seemed to lose hold of midfield in the second half and they were too good for us. What a squad they have, still favourites for the title i'd say.
Secondly, what a run and what a first half of the season. Awful first five games, then winning 12 of the next 14. Great effort from all of the players and some tactical master classes from Emery in many of those 12 wins. When you look at our 39 points with zero NET summer spend, compared to the NET summer spends of Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Utd, Spurs, Newcastle, Chelsea.even bloody Everton and Sunderland, it is even more remarkable. Well done lads - the challenge now is to keep that up.
The defeat will sting, but we need to dust ourselves down and go again against Forest on Saturday. The start of another 19 game 'half season'. We'll have Cash and Kamara back from suspension, not sure how Torres or Mings are progressing. I imagine Onana will be out. As SC said, we need reinforcements in January. IF we manage to resolve the Elliott situation, in theory we have £35M in our pocket to spend (the alleged fee for HE). Last January we pulled off some loan signing stunners.can we do that again?
Wrap up warm for Saturdays game - weather looks Baltic.
Merry 2026 to you all
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30 Nov 2025 16:35:00
Fair comments. Today's performance was a grind. Local derbies can often play out like that. We did look flat and huffed and puffed without much end product. That said, we won, and there have been numerous games in recent seasons (Utd 0-0 at home last year, also the 1-1 vs ten man Ipswich) where we didn't take three points from this sort of game. Today we did. If you can't win pretty, win ugly.
I think we played some decent stuff on Thursday. Our issue is plain to see, we're missing a striker who can finish off chances within 18 yards of goal. We have that striker in Watkins but it isn't working out at the moment.hence why the Jan window is important to us.what loan magic can we come up with. Thursday went flat when we took Youri, Malen and Rogers off as they were ripping YB apart at will.
The gold standard this season, in my opinion, was Bournemouth at home. I'd love to see us play like that every match. But when we don't, I just want us to win.
23 Aug 2025 18:47:37
A very frustrated banter page this evening. I'd say it's as much the players as it is the manager. Yes he selects the team and the tactics, but the team still kick it around the pitch for 90 mins.they can up the pace themselves, overlap runs, turn from pedestrian to energised and direct.
There are two standouts for me at the moment.
1. Rashford and Ascensio were far more valuable and impactful to this team than I realised. Their goals and assists aside they clearly lifted the performances of the team. They helped raise the bar. Dragged better performances out of players.
2. As many have said, we are two narrow. We seem to have far too many 10s and no width. Qualifying for the champs league was in a large way down to the contributions of Bailey and Diaby.wide pacey players. With plenty of goals and assists.
I can see what we're trying to do in breaking the lines through the middle, but have an 11 that can do both that and offer width.
The sun will still rise tomorrow and the hens will still lay. This result will sting and next week vs Palace will be (has to be) better.
No moaning about PSR because nobody can change that. Use some guile, get some players in, and come out fighting vs Palace.
15 Aug 2025 15:21:34
Good question SC.
I'd expect the defense and two holding mids to be pretty much locked down.
Bizot
Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne
Tamara, Tielemans
Then it depends on fitness. If we assume MR is fit i think he'll go.
Rogers, McGinn, Malen
Watkins
Can't see Rogers and Buendia both starting as they both want to be through the middle as 10's so we'll have no width. Also can't see Bailey starting IF rumours of his departure to Roma are true.
Leaves a decent bench of Mings, Bogarde, Maatsen, Onana, Garcia (if fit), Bartley (if fit), SIJ, Buendia and Guessard. Plus a keeper (who is 4th choice? ) . Might have space on the bench for a few young uns as well.
28 May 2025 07:31:46
Assuming this mornings news is correct (Wiki page says he's signed) then the young Dutch lad is a prime example of Dazs 'buy young' comment. He has a whiff of Duran about him. And, were he to become a first team regular in the seasons ahead, would return a tidy profit given he cost nowt. It is very clinical but that will be Villas thinking.
25 May 2025 18:08:14
A tough day. Similar emotions to the Cup semi against Palace. Hard to stand back with perspective when you feel really cheesed off.
The reality is, in the time Emery has led Villa we are much improved and competitive across multiple competitions. We've got into the top 7 three seasons running, qualified for Europe three seasons running and got to Cup semi finals.
What we are lacking is the ability to 9 times out of 10 win the games that matter (like today) .
Be interesting to see the ins and outs over the Summer. The future is still bright.