So its transfer deadline day and it’s a hectic time, on the phone all day looking for new last ditch signings, bargain and loans isn’t it? Well no. Not at Villa anyway. The current managerial vacancy means no dealings this window other than the part exchange for Milner and Ireland. I’m trying to stay positive after a good win against Everton but it doesn’t help seeing the Blues making signings left, right and centre, most notably Aleksandr Hleb who Villa have been linked with on numerous occasions even prior to his Arsenal spell. So nothing to report and nothing to expect on the transfer front as the manager’s situation still overshadows any hopes of a team building exercise over the international break.
One positive note is at least there are no new boys, bigger boys or bullies coming in so squad harmony should be relatively high after the weekend. Just Ashley Young in action for England on Friday which should see Gabby Agbonlahor get a lengthy rest to recover from injuries. Warnock misses out once more due to the so called revolution of the England side with Kieran Gibbs getting the nod as Cole’s understudy.Young will face club captain Stiliyan Petrov if selected and the midfield workhorse is wary of a lashback from the Three Lions despite a depleted squad.
“We know how strong England are. They had a disappointing World Cup, but now they are going to show the fans that is all behind them, they will try to win the game because of that feeling.”
So, back to the usual business of discussing the next manager at the club. Interestingly this Monday saw Everton boss, David Moyes’ odds slashed quite drastically making him favourite with many bookies which will encourage many Villains. The Scotsman has scooped Manager of the Year awards along with his rave reviews at the club since arriving in 2002 and has impressed in all departments including his ability to pull in some big names for low prices (See Arteta, Pienaar, Cahill, Baines and the rest). The slightly scarily intense 47 year old certainly fits the boards criteria with his extensive Premier League experience despite still being somewhat of a whippersnapper in managerial circles.
USA coach Bob Bradley has now committed his future to the American dream so is out of the running although caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald is still in with a chance. The club statement from Paul Faulkner seemed to effectively rule KMac out but the current man in charge finally made his interest in the job known to chairman Randy Lerner and is still sitting pretty as one of the favourites for the job after an impressive victory against Everton. It is now thought by many that the two Scotsman who met in battle on Sunday are now to duel over the post at Villa Park despite the fact that Moyes ruled himself out just a few weeks back.
Still lurking in the bushes waiting to pounce on the opportunity is dirty dog Sven Goran-Eriksson along with the likes of Alan Curbishley and Phil Brown but there’s no doubt that most Villa fans would see Moyes as a major coup. Let me know what you think about the rumours and the lack of activity at the club and I’ll be sure to write about the new signings that won’t happen later on!
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