If the stories are to be believed, not only do Notts Forest want Gary Gardner, but so do Burnley and Brighton.
Burnley are guaranteed promotion to the Premier league as of tonight and Brighton have every chance.
Hence both clubs might seem a better short-term prospect compared to the Villa.
But then, Gardner’s a Villa fan and has been with us through the academy hasn’t he?
So you would immediately think that he won’t be interested in any permanent move away.
Except he’s hardly played for us over the last five years and if you look at his Wiki, his appearance record is pretty poor, mainly because of injuries.
Indeed, his average number of appearances in a season is 17, although I’m not quite sure what that indicates, except that there’s a reasonable disconnect between him and the club now.
So it wouldn’t surprise anyone, if the old loyalty just isn’t there anymore.
And what must he think anyway, as a part outsider, who obviously still has the contacts to know exactly what’s been going on at the club.
Perhaps he might feel he’s better off away from it all?
All I know is that we’re now in a position where we need experienced Championship players.
And surely Gardner is the most experienced we have in the whole squad, who by all accounts has done a very decent job at Forest?
Fortunately, he’s contracted to us until 2018, which means we won’t have to sell him without a nice chunky fee.
And only a short-sighted owner, who wants to claw money back at any cost to the club would let him go.
Hmm.
As for the Watford game, I’ll keep it brief, as most has already been said.
I watched most of the game, where I thought we were poor against a poor Watford side early on.
But we did seem to get better as the game went on.
It was still no surprise though that we conceded 3 goals, all late on in the halves.
Will our defence look any better, even if they were all to stay, in the Championship? I seriously doubt it.
At least Lescott and Richards will be gone, so there’s hope, I suppose.
And I can’t finish without saying well done to Leicester.
I’ve seen a comment that suggests we shouldn’t really care about other clubs and to some extent, I agree.
But the Foxes winning the title means much more than it being about one club.
It’s one in the eye for Sky and the 4, 5 or 6 clubs that are usually involved.
It’s proof that while money usually wins out, it doesn’t always and teamwork and togetherness is just as important.
When you consider that the whole Leicester team cost around £40 million and Van Gaal has spent around £250 million “improving” Man Utd, so I spit in the eye of Sky even more.
And I laugh while I’m doing it.
There is a downside though, because Sky will just play it up as a fairytale type story and use it to their advantage, in hyping up the fact that even a previously relegation-threatened team can win big. Where in reality, money will indeed usually win out.
Still, this is such a big story that it’s world-wide news.
And more power to Leicester.
Every club is entitled to win big once and I’m truly glad for them.
Even if only because it’s a refreshing change from the Sky created status quo.
Comments
114 responses to “Will we let Gardner go?, thoughts on the Watford game and congrats Leicester”
I don’t know about the players not doing the walk of shame I’ve got a good feeling there’ll be a pitch invasion at the end to vent their anger at not only the SHITE the fans have had to put up with but towards a certain yank.
@Giddy
If they had any sense they’d invade at he beginning. It would get them to the pub a bit earlier and save them 90 minutes of pain 🙂
BTW I am joking 🙂
Like your thinking pat it’s a waste of good drinking time mate get it down yer 😀
I will watch the match it won’t be the game that I am interested in, its the protest if it comes off, more exciting . 2 – 0 Newcastle.
I’ll be watching this tasty blonde at the bar that’s my afternoon sorted.
I’ve got it on Fox sports, its absolutely terrible game, both sides are shite, Villa haven’t any idea of what to do.
Bill
Last week on talksport commentators said
Villa can’t pass tackle run shoot or score other than that they where OK
Today Charlie Nicolas
Villa can’t pass the ball very far,it usually goes astray like this all season
Diabolical game two bad teams.
Fairplay to the mackems they must want premier league survival more than their neighbours
Will we do a lap of honour if we get a point?.
I think we just buried half a nail in the barcodes coffin that’ll do.
i agree we were shite, but they tried and they gave their all. which they avent for most the season. can’t say iam not happy the toon army will be sobbing, bet they wished they shut up before the game lmao. roll on the END and my mate jimmy said the end my only friend the end
And news filters though that the money per team from TV rights is going to be nearer £200 million a year!!! Obscene.
Randy has got to be up for the ‘Worst Businessman on the Planet’ award. What a loser…And if the rumours are to be believed, his pulling the plug on all funding is the behaviour of a spiteful brat – if the rumours are true…(allegedly…ho hum…)…
Didn’t see the game as at a wedding – which was probably more exciting! From the team sheet looks like Black decided he just wasn’t going to lose – not a single shot on target all game.
Hats off to the supporters – love the humour in the protest; only villa fans could party at a wake!
What form did the protest take???
Pistols at Dawn might have been more dramatic, but this was Beachballs at 74th Minute, as a host of them came onto the pitch.
Villa fans are usually up with their football history, Rafa Benitez has a score to settle with a Beachball, so this managed to annoy both dugouts.
In two weeks the Chinese are reportedly going to takeover for Lerner. If you believe Moxley anyways.
What all 1,381,400,099 of them?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/aston-villa-verge-100m-sale-7921768
Andrew is referring to this article. Not sure whether I like the implications or not.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/aston-villa-verge-100m-sale-7921768
Andrew is referring to this article – not sure what to make of it.
Venture Capitalists. Right. They will want a return on investment. Point is, the club will have to be moderately successful to turn a profit. And balance the books. Only a small handful of clubs have sugar daddies but the rest have to be run as a business so this might not be such a bad thing. Venture Capitalists\Consortium – amounts to the same thing really…
if true it could open up some massive commercial avenues for the club in Asia.
All good points and probably high on Hollis list of considerations. I just worry about the patience of venture capitalists and I’m also concerned about the reference to the ‘Leicester City’ model which we all suspect is a ‘once off’. Wasn’t moneyball vaguely predicated on the Leicester model?
Still anything to see the back of Lerner – well almost anything!
Morning Hitch, I don’t think Leicester Will be a one off scenario, Might not win the league but stands a chance of being competitive to top clubs, ok history was made this season by them and to crown it, they have players that fight for the game and club. I think my prediction of a Chinese owner coming was right, remember me saying that the Chinese are interested in Birmingham and surrounding area, wing yip buying up houses in Nechells and donations to the City in monuments around the city centre, bet he would answer our questions about Buying Villa.
I’d say it was more a Leicester City fluke than a model, that’s taking nothing away from their superb achievement but with Man U, City, Chelsea in transition or off song. The Spuds leaving their run a bit late and Arsenal bottling it (as usual) it was just a case of right time, right place (imo).
But hey ho enjoy the moment and will they replicate it next season? Somehow I doubt it.
when ever this take over happens, if one does happen, really needs to happen sooner rather than ltrs. preparations are needed and the way we have been run from top to bottom over the years. theirs loads of sorting out.
gonna watch moftd reply hopefully they say sumat nice for the villa. while the performance was lacking in attacking threats. they grafted for the club. what a pity they only managed this, on the last home game. fans were amazing supporting the club and this was like sticking fingers up, to everyone outside the club, that has taken a swipe at us. aston villa THATS who VTID
Just glad Villa were half decent for once, we owe it to the other clubs still fighting relegation.
Just wish I knew what the f*** was really going on at VP regarding takeovers etc. but I suppose we’ll have to be patient.
Oh well only one more game to suffer 🙂
why pat57 got two dislikes for this comment baffles me. villa players gave all in a defensive battle, ok they offered little going forwards, but this was after a eleven games Losing streak.
plus takeover statement,we should be panicking over the time its taking,( bare in mind lerner, has been so called after selling for years not months or weeks.)
but pat57 says be patient. not cause this is good,but cos we cant do anything else but be patient, cross fingers things work out for the best.
how can you dislike this, we are all frustrated i guess
B’ham Mail says –
‘Rumours circulated that Villa’s potential new owners were actually at Villa Park to see the events unfold.
Discussions have been taking place all week with Steve Hollis and it’s thought they are actually at a more advanced stage than the chairman suggested in a statement on Friday.’
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-takeover-talks-entering-11301203#ICID=FB-Birm-avfc
Fingers, toes and everything else crossed that it might be true!
I’m putting up alink to an article here – if anyone dislikes it please be good enough to reply and say why!
Really beginning to hate these phantom dislikers!
just hope this article is close to the truth. because we do have wonderful fans that showed in buckets yesterday. fans that supported the team, that let them down all season, if the new owners were present at VP, they should be impressed, think wot support the team would get. if we had a team worthy of them.
phantom dislikers are probably the riffraff that support the team in blue and have big noses
Credit to the fans yesterday for their support it was amazing to watch, what relegation. I was watching the game with my father in his house, a Leeds fan he couldn’t get over the support.
I hope the article is true, get rid of Lerner and hopefully a new start.
I have not forgotten we are still in the ST selling season, and any rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Nevertheless a group of Chinese Venture-capitalists are credible buyers. There is a mountain of cash in China looking for any investment outside the PRC for purely local reasons as a means of evading capital controls.
For people who do not know much about football ‘the Leicester model’, right now, sounds more believable than it did a year ago when the top of the Premiership seemed to be a closed shop. Finding another missing king to be dug up within a few miles of B6 is more tricky, but at least we have a future king who might help with the publicity.
With enough money behind Villa and competent leadership the club must rise to the top of the contenders for the Premiership – because of its geographical position and size. Maybe not next season because the current awful squad needs purging, but the following year.
Couple of other points OLL
Football in China is fast increasing in popularity and there is therefore a natural link between Chinese investment in the premiership (OK – potentially as far as Villa go) so let’s say in a major English football club and the development of the game locally. There is also massive revenue potential by ‘exposing’ Villa to the Chinese public as being Chinese owned.
The Chinese are no mugs and buying Villa now has massive upside with the right incentive and leadership. Key for me (if this sale happens) will be the appointment of a CEO with real football experience, the right people on the Board (accepting that it’s likely the Chairman will be appointed from within the investors) and, of course, the right manager. We’ve seen what’s happened with the Venky’s at Blackburn – we don’t want a repeat of that.
We should get a list together of the worst club owners, Gillette & Hick, Ron Noades, Ellis ?, defo Lerner, the Venky’s, that mentalist at Leeds…
Lerner’s
Number 1
Took a club with no debt good stadium facility’s, loaded it with debt no glory is Leeds champion league semi finals,Portsmouth facup win even knob across road won a cup
The Glazers would top my list, they essentially bought Manure with its own money. Bernie Madoff went to jail for the same trick.
Just hope something is really happening and it’s not just a media game of Chinese whispers.
(Apologies for the pun)
You will know it is true when a Feng Shui master turns up are moves the main entrance to Witton Lane.
Went to the chinese quarter for a meal last weekend.
Sorry i didn’t hear anything.
Hoping you might find news hidden in yr fortune cookie?????
good luck to the under21’s against arsenal tonight :)) whos micky quinn was he a footballer lmao seems like hes upset and alittle bitter, awwww bless him.
chicken chow mein :))
Micky Quinn has a pop at the villa with every opportunity on the radio.
If we have got under his skin – FANTASTIC.
Micky Quinn was the fattest centre forward I have ever seen live.
Gabby is catching him up.
Mickey Quinn was fat but he knew where the goal was, if we had a striker like him we may ‘ve stayed up!
http://www.standard.co.uk/business/race-to-buy-aston-villa-heats-up-as-ice-hockey-boss-david-freeman-enters-fray-a3244416.html
The plot thickens!
Is the implication in this article that Lerner will now sell to anyone with the right amount of cash
i don’t Pucking believe it
H60 You can probably hazard a guess what David Freeman and Randy have in common, and that has been Randy’s problem since he first announced a sale. He is not so interested in selling to people of other origins. Still I see Mr Freeman made his fortune handling toxic waste, that will come in handy when he reaches for the p45s.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/05/10/fulham-could-lose-ross-mccormack-for-12-million-if-aston-villa-o/
Hope this is true. If we’re going for a striker who scored 23 goals in the Championship last season we’d actually be doing the first rational thing we’ve done in years!
http://www.myoldmansaid.com/aston-villa-chinese-takeover-interest/
First apologies for pasting the above article from the MOMS web site but it’s a good informative article and well worth a read; puts a lot more detail onto my earlier post about the natural link between Chinese investment in English football and their own footballing ambitions. Let’s hope that Hollis has enough clout to prevent Lerner cocking up the sale – again?
anybody have any links for the under21 game tonight