Not really conclusive proof that I'm wrong, is it? Unless 29 is the new 30.
Vin
Transfer Rumours The 2015 Summer Transfer Window Thread
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Not really conclusive proof that I'm wrong, is it? Unless 29 is the new 30.
Vin
Looks like we dodged a bullet there. After Villa paid £9m for him, he is quoted as saying. - 'the important thing is to come to England, improve and aim for a big club later.'http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/...e-chose-aston-villa-over-southampton-interest
Rather misleading headline...player chooses Villa over Southampton. He actually says that Villa wanted him whereas he was third choice for Saints who hadn't even made an offer. I understand this actually forms part of psychiatric tests before committing someone to an asylum: You have a chance of signing for Villa or Southampton, which would you choose? Think carefully.
Sheer arrogance!
He started 9 games in a row and for me he started OK and just got less and less effective. In his last five starts of that run, he had no goals, no assists, he had 4 shots on target out of 10, 5 key passes, 13 crosses of which none found a teammate, 4 dribbles completed whilst he lost the ball 14 times. This also coincided with with probably our worst struggles offensively, the five games being the two losses to WBA and Liverpool, the goalless home draw with West Ham and the two scraped victories against Palace and QPR. That works both ways, so he won't have been helped by the whole team struggling, but I also can't help feeling he may have contributed strongly to our attack being so blunt when he offered next to nothing.
Personally I think the probably is that people can't forget Newcastle away! Other than that game he really did so little other than show some nice feet after squaring someone up a few times, and if I was feeling particularly cruel I'd point out both of his goals against Newcastle had a strong degree of luck to them, with the first going straight through Krul and the second having a double deflection. If it wasn't for that game and his passion and the kind of 'Ron saving another player, pulling up a gem from the dirt' fairy tale, I fear he may have been remembered as one of the most ineffetive players we've had.
The main problem is that I do think he could have some use as a counter-attacking pace option, but it's not like we're short on that now with Mane, JRod, Long and Juanmi, and I think the biggest quality we need right now in players is those who can unlock a 10-men behind the ball team, and to me Elia has looked completely stumped by that. To be honest thinking about it I don't really see that Elia offers that much more than Isgrove.
If Ron wants him and both of them are happy for him to be very much a fringe player, then no real complaints for me, but if either of them harbour intentions of him playing fairly consistently then I do genuinely worry personally.
Did I say it was conclusive proof? I'm just saying that if we are buying 29 year olds, its not exactly far-fetched to imagine us buying a 30 year old. Its not like we've only signed 21 year olds.
Anyway, in other news, apparently Harry Reed's dad is pretty tall, and rather camp. My mum's hairdresser cuts his hair.
I think he was a bit of an exception to the rule. koeman knew him, maybe knew he could get him quite cheaply and he could come straight in and do a job.
That is a dreadful thing to say. I would be seriously pissed if I was a Villa fan...think it perhaps, but don't say it. At least all our signees come here and say what a big club we are.
So the people not wanting Elia as back up feel:
Mcqueen
Isgrove
Are better then him? In my opinion they both aren't.
Mcqueen
Isgrove
Are better then him? In my opinion they both aren't.
Bringing in any level of player who can be of use and who is cheap is always a good transfer strategy.
Normally though, Elia wouldn't be useful to us so I do tend to agree with you. This year is an exception though, because we need to expand the squad. A cheap Elia could well be better than our 4th choice young-midfielder-with-potential who we try to convince ourselves will become great but really won't.
I suppose we could always loan some players as well. We could even loan Elia again, I'm sure Werder would be happy to send him back to us if they can't sell him.
The thing with Elia wasn't that he was bad. He just wasn't good. Even the game he scored two goals, they were a bit lucky. But he's also fast, and can be tricky with the ball so the defense has to stay honest. He basically cancels out the opposing back and that's about all he does. But that still frees up other players. Not that different from ShLong, really.
No I'm not sure that he did. His youth coach suggested it. Koeman said (when we signed him) that a top four club would be too big a jump for him but 'he would be noticed' at Saints. Add to that the red bull Salzburg fans thought he had a big ego and were not too sorry to see him leave.
For me, he's done nothing wrong since the day he arrived other than turning up late for a game once and being fined. A four year contract suggests to me that he will be here for two more years at least.
I consider turning up late for a critical match against Liverpool a pretty big deal.
Still, you are right. I thought he was going to be a big problem for us, but he seems okay. He also works harder on defense (though could still use some improvement in this area) and passes a lot more and better than I thought he would.
I'm still not sold on him, because of the Liverpool thing and because of how he refused to play for Salzburg. But I'm coming around on him. Think we will get a good year from him in 2015-16, and then I have no doubt he will ask to go but I have some hope maybe he saw how Schneiderlin went about it and will do things the right way.
Still, you are right. I thought he was going to be a big problem for us, but he seems okay. He also works harder on defense (though could still use some improvement in this area) and passes a lot more and better than I thought he would.
I'm still not sold on him, because of the Liverpool thing and because of how he refused to play for Salzburg. But I'm coming around on him. Think we will get a good year from him in 2015-16, and then I have no doubt he will ask to go but I have some hope maybe he saw how Schneiderlin went about it and will do things the right way.
I'm sold on him ability-wise for sure. I think he will be electric this year.
*still pissed me off that he missed that sitter at Spurs. At Spurs, FFS*
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