Gareth Barry

[BostonRebel]

will be a fucking legend in sky blue. ;)

Now that we have pissed off Villa and Liverpool, time to piss off manure and take ould Herman Munster off their hands as well...

[STEVIEG]

he must be getting some amount of dosh i'd say

[BostonRebel]

He must be of course. Sorry didn't see the other thread BTW...

However, they are doing a good job of selling the "project" at Eastlands. And they are currently selling it to quite a few more. Some will bite; some will not.

It'll be an interesting summer.

[STEVIEG]

Does the project include finishing a few points ahead of Stoke City?


I'm only messing good signing a bit of a coup to be honest he is quality

[wayne gayle]

he must be getting some amount of dosh I'd say

90k a week it said on RTE news just now. Man City continue their policy of paying over the odds wages/transfer fees for players either coming to the end of their career or other teams reserves (Wayne Bridge anyone?).

[STEVIEG]

Wayne Bridge had a classic quote i'd love to find it

Something along the lines of

"City are showing their ambition by going for world class players like Kaka, myself and Craig Bellamy"

[BostonRebel]

Does the project include finishing a few points ahead of Stoke City?




Jaysus we came close enough to finishing behind them...:o

He is a good signing though and just what we need. Stevie Ireland can't do it all himself. Plus he is a versatile player, which we will need also.

[BostonRebel]

90k a week it said on RTE news just now. Man City continue their policy of paying over the odds wages/transfer fees for players either coming to the end of their career or other teams reserves (Wayne Bridge anyone?).

Wayne Bridge would walk onto most teams in the Prem. Only Cashley Hole was keeping him as a reserve.

Mind you, Bridge has not justified his money so far. He'd better be better next year.

[Philby]

Should help to shore up Citeh's midfield and as an established top prem player help them with their continuity of performance..as it us you have no idea if they'll roll over & play dead or Ireland & Robinho will carve you up.

What was the fee btw?

[BostonRebel]

12 Mill as I understand it. If true, that's a bit of a bargain. I know that they will be paying top dollar in wages but it could have been 20 Mill plus top wages so all in all, it's a good deal for them.

[The Zurich Connection]

Thank fuck he is gone there... he would have been better off staying at Villa because that's his level. Step backwards for him.

[BostonRebel]

Yeah, I wonder what Senor Benitez must have seen in him that he wanted to blow whatever wad Liverpool had on him all right...

[The Zurich Connection]

Yeah, I wonder what Senor Benitez must have seen in him that he wanted to blow whatever wad Liverpool had on him all right...


Alonso's poor form the season up to that... we dodged the bullet there.
Alonso is twice the player. Very relieved with this development.

[BostonRebel]

Alonso's poor form the season up to that... we dodged the bullet there.
Alonso is twice the player. Very relieved with this development.

Alonso is indeed a class player. As important to Liverpool as Gerrard IMHO.

Barry is a good player however and we didn't break the bank for him and he is an improvement on what we have. He will allow Ireland to play also.

[Rebel Yell]

Wayne Bridge had a classic quote i'd love to find it

Something along the lines of

"City are showing their ambition by going for world class players like Kaka, myself and Craig Bellamy"

Hee Hee Hee...he should have included Darius Vassell in that list for added comedic effect.....

[handydocket]

12 Mill as I understand it. If true, that's a bit of a bargain. I know that they will be paying top dollar in wages but it could have been 20 Mill plus top wages so all in all, it's a good deal for them.

12 mill was prob a bit over the odds to be fair, Liverpool were lookin at 18 mill last year, however he now had only 1 year left to run on his contract.Barry would have been able to sign pre contract terms at xmas for next season leaving on a free. great move from o`neill to do it so early.
Only prob with o`neill is he`s such a tightwad he won`t even spend someone else`s money.
Randy Lerner has constantly makes funds available and o`Neill spends less than half of it.
fair play he spends wisely, just not at the upper end of the market or in quantity.
great bargain basement buys will never get him to the next level.

[Philby]

Only prob with o`neill is he`s such a tightwad he won`t even spend someone else`s money.
Randy Lerner has constantly makes funds available and o`Neill spends less than half of it.
fair play he spends wisely, just not at the upper end of the market or in quantity.
great bargain basement buys will never get him to the next level.

Bargain Basement????

Villa spent £45.9m NET in the season just gone.

Who are his bargain basement buys?

Milner £12m
Cuellar £7.8m
Sidwell £5m
Davies £8m
Reo-Coker £7.5m
Petrov £6.5m
Young £9.65m (...a well judged buy in hindsight. Looked a bloated fee at the time. Worth much more now)

[Rebelblue]

will be a fucking legend in sky blue. ;)

Now that we have pissed off Villa and Liverpool, time to piss off manure and take ould Herman Munster off their hands as well...

Happy with that signing, good start to the summer for us. ;)

Ruining football I tell ya. No other team paid inflated wages til we came along.

That you D?

[handydocket]

Bargain Basement????

Villa spent £45.9m NET in the season just gone.

Who are his bargain basement buys?

Milner £12m
Cuellar £7.8m
Sidwell £5m
Davies £8m
Reo-Coker £7.5m
Petrov £6.5m
Young £9.65m (...a well judged buy in hindsight. Looked a bloated fee at the time. Worth much more now)


i`m thinking the likes of shorey and luke young, brad guzan etc. but either wayonly 1 of those is over 10 mill and 5/7 are under 8 mill you do realise you get pretty much nothing for under 8 mill in todays market

[tazmaneire]

I think Barry is one of the most over rated players on the planet.I just don't get it.

[handydocket]

what i would expect o`neill to do is sign some good players at the 10-20 mill range if he wants to break the top 4. Lerner is willing to bankroll that.

[MonTheHoops]

Bargain Basement????

Villa spent £45.9m NET in the season just gone.

Who are his bargain basement buys?

Milner £12m
Cuellar £7.8m
Sidwell £5m
Davies £8m
Reo-Coker £7.5m
Petrov £6.5m
Young £9.65m (...a well judged buy in hindsight. Looked a bloated fee at the time. Worth much more now)


Petrov is hardly expensive as things go in the Premiership is he?

[Lapsy Pa]

Bargain Basement????

Villa spent £45.9m NET in the season just gone.

Who are his bargain basement buys?

Milner £12m
Cuellar £7.8m
Sidwell £5m
Davies £8m
Reo-Coker £7.5m
Petrov £6.5m
Young £9.65m (...a well judged buy in hindsight. Looked a bloated fee at the time. Worth much more now)

I'd say 46 mil on seven experienced setablished plyers was good business.

Milner - 12m was good business, he' still young and has loads to offer the attack.

Cuellar - can play either in the centre or the right of the defence

Sidwell - 5 mil is fuck all for a player of his calibre

Davies - is a very good player and i'd have him over muippets like woodgate and king any day

Reo Coker - has done as well as MON would have expected but still a good player to have in your squad

Petrov - just got their player of the year!

Young - Good value for under 10 mil compared to someone like d bent.

In comparison to other managers O' Neill has spent his money very wisely. Covering all positions and lowering the age profile of the squad.

[handydocket]

that`s it monthehoops 5-8 mill is paid out for good championship players nowadays

[handydocket]

lapsy pa they are all good buys but they ain`t gonna get you to 4th place.
you need more world class quality for that

[Philby]

i`m thinking the likes of shorey and luke young, brad guzan etc. but either wayonly 1 of those is over 10 mill and 5/7 are under 8 mill you do realise you get pretty much nothing for under 8 mill in todays market

Young has done ok (when often played out of position) but none of those three have set the world on fire.

If you get pretty much nothing for under £8m then what's your justification for O'Neill spending the bulk of his considerable transfer kitty on player around that price?

Trying to portray O'Neill transfer dealings at Villa as being bargain basement scraping is laughable.

Compare his expenditure to that of Moyes at Everton, who finished above Villa as they didn't completely sh1t the course for the last 3 months of the season!

[Philby]

Milner - 12m was good business, he' still young and has loads to offer the attack.

Sidwell - 5 mil is fuck all for a player of his calibre


I'll have to agree differ on the two above.

Milner's all-round game has barely progressed since he was 18 and is simply not a £12m player.

Sidwell too has stagnated badly in recent years.

[daithi81]

lapsy pa they are all good buys but they ain`t gonna get you to 4th place.
you need more world class quality for that

No one can break into that top four. Not even with Arab Oilboys. That's why the PL has become such a bore.

[MonTheHoops]

Compare his expenditure to that of Moyes at Everton, who finished above Villa as they didn't completely sh1t the course for the last 3 months of the season!

Moyes? Moyes has wasted a hell of a lot of money at Everton. Look I know you dislike O'Neill for whatever reason but don't let it completely cloud your judgement. Moyes just blew Everton's record transfer purchase apart the last few seasons. And speaking of shitting the course the last few months of the season.....

[Philby]

Moyes? Moyes has wasted a hell of a lot of money at Everton. Look I know you dislike O'Neill for whatever reason but don't let it completely cloud your judgement. Moyes just blew Everton's record transfer purchase apart the last few seasons. And speaking of shitting the course the last few months of the season.....

I know you adore O'Neill but don't let it completely cloud your judgement.

Moyes net spend for the last 4 seasons is £44.1m (If you factor in the season before that it drops to £17.1m over 5 seasons due to the Rooney transfer).

So O'Neill spent £5.8m net last season than Moyes has for the past 4 combined.

Even allowing for that Everton still managed to finish ahead of O'Neill's faltering Villa side.

That seems pretty clear-cut to me.

Just how much does O'Neill need to secure the coveted 5th place spot (not to mind the 4th place one)?

[MonTheHoops]

That's great. Thing is, O'Neill isn't at Villa with 4 seasons. Have you got net spend details for the two of them over the last 2 seasons? It might make more interesting reading. I don't REALLY see what spend has to do with it to be honest, he's been asked to transform the club.

I don't love O'Neill, I just happen to think he's a fantastic manager. He took a shocking Wycombe side and got them promoted. He took a shocking Leicester side and got them into the EPL and into Europe. He took a shocking Celtic side who lost the league by 21 points and brought them to a UEFA Cup final and he took Villa from the brink of relegation into Europe. But you're probably right, he's a simpleton.

[Philby]

That's great. Thing is, O'Neill isn't at Villa with 4 seasons. Have you got net spend details for the two of them over the last 2 seasons? It might make more interesting reading

It does indeed.

Net Spend (in million)

Everton
08/09 - 4.5
07/08 - 10.5
06/07 - 4

Total - £19m

Villa
08/09 - 45.9
07/08 - (1.25)
06/07 - 21.6

Total - £66.25m

And your point is?

I don't REALLY see what spend has to do with it to be honest

This whole debate was sparked by handydocket saying that O'Neill shopped in the bargain basement at Villa.

That myth needed to be addressed & has been.

he's been asked to transform the club.

???

He'll get judged largely by transfer spend and league position like any other manager.

Away with this "transform the club" guff.

But you're probably right, he's a simpleton.

Cheers.

[BostonRebel]

Happy with that signing, good start to the summer for us. ;)

Ruining football I tell ya. No other team paid inflated wages til we came along.

That you Donal?

Aw Jaysus you found me...;)

How's tricks there T.??

[Haalands Dodgy Leg]

good signing for city imo.

But what a cunt barry is imo.Didn't he come out all last season saying how he wanted champions league football,going to liverpool now would be my only opportunity to achive this and now he fucks off the club and fans who adore him and the club his supposedly adores for money and nothing else.City arent even in europe next season ffs.Sign of the modern footballer imo.City will finish one place higher at most next season than villa did this season imo but does that bother him?

[Swoosh]

Barry is a good signing for Man City and wouldnt be typical of an over priced foreigner fancy dan who is uninterested when it gets cold and wet.

If De Jong lives up to his price tag then Man City will be very solid in midfield but MON will have a job to bring in a suitable replacement to Aston Villa.

Barry showed his interest lay in lining his pocket. While it may not be the romantic view of 'loving' the club I dont think anyone can really blame him

[MonTheHoops]

Cheers.

I don't agree with the bargain basement myself. However, I don't think he's overspent compared to where he's finished, especially when you look at what those around him have spent; Liverpool, Spurs, Man City etc. None of those teams have lived up to what they've spent on the first team squad.

[Philby]

If De Jong lives up to his price tag then Man City will be very solid in midfield but MON will have a job to bring in a suitable replacement to Aston Villa.


It wouldn't surprise me if Milner is moved infield as he lacks the pace & inventiveness to be top quality out wide but has the engine, passing range and competitiveness to do a good job in the centre of the park.

I can see Barry would snub Liverpool if having a guaranteed start all season in central midfield is important to him in a WC year but Citeh (MASSIVE club as they are)?

Career suicide.

[Philby]

I don't agree with the bargain basement myself. However, I don't think he's overspent compared to where he's finished, especially when you look at what those around him have spent; Liverpool, Spurs, Man City etc. None of those teams have lived up to what they've spent on the first team squad.

Have you seen the league table recently?

[marco 2005]

what an ambitious player

[STEVIEG]

Have you seen the league table recently?

Liverpool have spent an absolute fortune and have won the same as Villa in the last 3 years


I know who i'd fancy more for next years title though


I like MON but he made a big mistake in signing Heskey (thought it wasn't that expensive if i remember correctly, could be wrong)

If it is true that Rafa was also in for him i'd be amazed, his reputation is way too high for a player who is not that good

[The Zurich Connection]

Liverpool have spent an absolute fortune and have won the same as Villa in the last 3 years


I know who i'd fancy more for next years title though


I like MON but he made a big mistake in signing Heskey (thought it wasn't that expensive if i remember correctly, could be wrong)

If it is true that Rafa was also in for him i'd be amazed, his reputation is way too high for a player who is not that good

Not when you consider what they have had to sell. They're net spending is mild in comparision to the most indebted clubs in the world.

[STEVIEG]

Not when you consider what they have had to sell. They're net spending is mild in comparision to the most indebted clubs in the world.

It is not

And there is a big fat thread open discussing this at length

he has had to sell crud because he bought so much of it

[BostonRebel]

I can see Barry would snub Liverpool if having a guaranteed start all season in central midfield is important to him in a WC year but Citeh (MASSIVE club as they are)?

Career suicide.

The ride is only just beginning. Time will tell if Barry is a moneygrabber or can actually see the big (or massive even) picture. Villa have shot their load now.

There will be room at the top table within 2 years.

[zimmerman]

tevez on the way

[juanpablo]

Good luck to GB i never warmed to him anyway. Plenty of time for Lerner to provide & MON to spend on some more Cuellers, Heskeys & Sidwells, with a dash of Shorey on the side.

[handydocket]

Heskey was the best example, villa already had carew as a big front man, yet when o`neill had the bones of 20 mill available to him he went and bought heskey.
i wondered who he`d spend the other 15 mill on but no-one else came in.
ps. villa badly need to buy a quality keeper, not that they are easy to come by, maybe joe hart would be a good call.
guzan isn`t good enough to even be sub keeper, friedel was way below par this season contrary to popular opinion. friedel would be great to keep in order to bring someone like joe hart along and provide solid cover also.
pps Laursen seriously needs replacing, villa have got good partnership centre halves but no leader

[MonTheHoops]

Have you seen the league table recently?

Dear God. Of all the teams that have underachieved in the EPL with the money they've spent it's Liverpool.

[McCann]

Dear God. Of all the teams that have underachieved in the EPL with the money they've spent it's Liverpool.

No no god no thats Spurs surely

[steve sanders]

No no god no thats Spurs surely

what about newcastle?

man city should do well next season. looks like lucas neill is heading there aswell. they'll probably sign one or two other big names aswell.

i'm not saying they'll win the title but they will have the players to finish top 6.

[daithi81]

what about newcastle?

World Champions.

[Rebelblue]

Aw Jaysus you found me...;)

How's tricks there T.??

Hunted ya down! Hope all are well there with you. The nippers must be well in charge of you at this stage. No news here, trying to keep the head above water and survive the "RECESSION" - durty word eh?

Naw, everything is good. If we manage to pull of some of the expected signings I'll be heading back to live with some of the lads. Not on the lair much nowadays, not got the time to be fair.

Tevez rumour growing, can't get excited about it considering his agents history. Will enjoy it if he comes, but can't see it. Still, should be a mighty summer.