Who Do We Want From Villa?

[White Noise]

Having spent £24 Million on Darren Bent when Randy lerner had wanted to save money and cut the wage bill, Villa must now be looking to offload players in some numbers.

Who would you want from their squad that you think would fit into our squad and we could afford -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/squad_profiles/default.stm

[Fletchino]

Darren bent!!

[SuffolkWhite]

Any of these for various reasons
Luke Young, Stephen Warnock,Stephen Ireland,Gabriel Agbonlahor,Marc Albrighton,Nigel Reo-Coker.

Carew could be the main player to have at the mo but only on loan.

[WhiteJC]

Carew could be the main player to have at the mo but only on loan.

he'd never pass a medical 

[MrFFC]

Heskey lol

[mrska]

Stephen Ireland.. He's a fantastic player.. abit of a fruit loop..  but worth a punt..

[SmithyFFC]

Stephen Ireland.. He's a fantastic player.. abit of a fruit loop..  but worth a punt..

100% agree, would be a terrific signing  :045:

[Matt]

Albrighton, Clark and Bannan have all impressed on me this season, and they're young as well.

[duffbeer]

I would take Eric Lichaj at RB over Pantsil.  Sad, but Pants just looks horrible this season, brings absolutely nothing.

Stephen Ireland is indeed a fantastic player, but so is Joey Barton and I wouldnt take either of them.   :020:

Standards please.

[Burt]

Stephen Ireland.. He's a fantastic player.. abit of a fruit loop..  but worth a punt..

100% agree, would be a terrific signing  :045:

Bit too inconsistent for my liking. Used to really rate him, but thinj he has gone off the boil.

[HatterDon]

Young Bannan impressed me the most. He's another of those small, pesky Scots midfielders in the Strachan/Bremner mode. He has a good eye and a terrific pass on him. And, since he's Scottish, you know he's not crap.  :hook:

[BalDrick]

A bloody striker who'll score goals.

[SmithyFFC]

A bloody striker who'll score goals.

Not Heskey then

[LRCN]

heskey on loan, albrighton and maybe ireland.

[LRCN]

and delfonso and the rest of their youth team.

[os5889]

As ill as I feel saying this Ireland was quite good under Hughes. Imagine playing ahead of Hughes and under Hughes!  :55:

I wouldn't want any of their other players and don't think Villa would look to sell them or they would want to come here.

I think the chairman has realised he made a mistake closing the wallet to O Neill and has just though oh poo if I dont invest we could go down with the pretense of better to spend £35m now than lose £50m next year

[White Noise]

Revealed: How Darren Bent will fit into Gerard Houllier's tactical masterplan at Villa


By James Nursey



Published 08:35 20/01/11

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Gerard Houllier's decision to spend a possible £24million on Darren Bent has surprised everyone, but it does actually make complete sense.

While he is an expensive addition, Bent's goal-scoring record should in the short-term end Villa's woes near the foot of the Premier League and safeguard their valuable top-flight status.

In the long-term, Bent's arrival for an initial £18m will enable Houllier to play 4-3-3, which I am told is his masterplan.

Houllier, previously technical director at the French Football Federation, believes the formation, as used by Barcelona, is the future.

Several sides at last year's World Cup, including eventual winners Spain, played 4-3-3 with a lone, mobile frontman.

Bent is well-versed in the role after excelling upfront on his own for both Sunderland and Charlton.

So, it would seem Villa will definitely be keeping star wingers Stewart Downing and Ashley Young this month and asking them to bomb forward either side of Bent.

Houllier also wants Blackpool's talented Charlie Adam to deliver the killer passes from central midfield.

Significantly, Adam, 25, already plays in a 4-3-3 formation and is familiar with the position, so could slot straight in.

New £5million signing Jean Makoun has been bought from Lyon to anchor the midfield.

The narrowness of the midfield three is designed to allow quick full-backs to attack into the space.

That's why Villa got impressive right-back Kyle Walker, who scored on his debut, on loan from Spurs and chased attacking left-back Wayne Bridge.

Gabriel Agbonlahor, who recently penned a new deal, could fill in on either flank if necessary and can deputise for Bent's up front.

The line-up is a tantalising prospect - one that should finally help Houllier shed his cautious image and give Villa fans the free-scoring football they crave.

And it will enable them to utilise some of their best assets properly, such as Downing and Young.

I don't think Young has performed to his potential this season as he has flitted between two positions, either playing wide or behind a striker. Maybe this new role will bring the best out of him.

Should Young leave in the summer - as appears increasingly likely as there will be just 12 months left on his contract by then - Villa have a ready-made replacement in the talented Marc Albrighton.

So, having been tipped off about Villa's new formation, I think the decision of Randy Lerner to spank so much money on Bent seems essential rather than a panic buy.

Bent has been on Villa's radar for two years - since Martin O'Neill first considered signing the star as MirrorFootball reported.

Adam is now the vital next piece in the jigsaw, because his clever passes are key to releasing the likes of Bent, Downing and Young.

I was at The Hawthorns last Saturday to see West Brom beat Blackpool 3-2.

Adam's vision and passing were extremely impressive.

He wasn't the quickest or fittest player on the pitch, but he hit two fabulous long-range passes with either foot to release wingers from near the halfway line.

Adam would certainly make a fine signing, judging by what I saw.

Given his £10,000-a-week salary at Bloomfield Road and the fact just 18 months remain on his contract, I reckon a cheque of around £6m should persuade Ian Holloway to sell, despite his protestations to the contrary.

That may be easier said than done, but a player of Adam's ilk will be essential to getting the best out of Bent.

In the meantime, it will be interesting to see when Houllier deploys the system against Manchester City this weekend.

The other aspect of the formation is that against a top side it can easily turn into a 4-5-1 shape, as it is flexible, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Houllier use it this weekend.

Villa fans may also be interested to know the club have watched new Southampton wonderkid Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 17, several times.

Villa are resigned to the talented youngster going to one of the big Premier League clubs, such as Arsenal or Manchester United.

But it is clear Lerner's ambitions remain intact after the events of this week - and Houllier will be sticking around.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/james-nursey/Revealed-Revealed-How-Darren-Bent-will-fit-into-Gerard-Houllier-s-Aston-Villa-tactical-masterplan-James-Nursey-column-article676961.html#ixzz1BZGhzNZa
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