Villa no longer interested in Cantwell*

[horsefly 4,318]

11 minutes ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

I’m not even sure what we’re even arguing about any more, fairly sure I could say the sky is blue right now and you’d try to argue that it’s green. 

Really very silly way to try and distract from your unwarranted claim. I can't remember anyone complaining our squad was "bloated" last season. Indeed! I think most people would expect there to be alternatives to call on in cases of injuries and suspensions. If you can't see the obvious logic of that then I'm at a loss to see how you think a team should prepare itself for those predictable possibilities.

Edited August 1, 2021 by horsefly

[Dean Coneys boots 1,407]

How about championship signings 2020:

Gianooulis, Sorenson, mumba, placheta, Dowell, skipp, quintilla, hugill, Gibson, soto

2019 premiership sognings 

famewo, heise, drmic, adshead, bushiri, Fitzpatrick, Bryam, and the loans none of which really worked. 

 

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

28 minutes ago, horsefly said:

Really very silly way to try and distract from your unwarranted claim. I can't remember anyone complaining our squad was "bloated" last season. Indeed! I think most people would expect there to be alternatives to call on in cases of injuries and suspensions. If you can't see the obvious logic of that then I'm at a loss to see how you think a team should prepare itself for those predictable possibilities.

Again as I already mentioned, we never got to see how bloated the squad was because we faced an unprecedented level of injuries from the start of the season. That’s why no one really ‘complained’ about it.

But no I clearly wasn’t ‘complaining’ about the fact it was bloated, the more options the better! I was just observing that I thought it was a good indicator that Webber probably expected to lose one of Cantwell and / or Buendia last summer. In fact I think you’d find a lot of posters who were talking about us signing our ‘Buendia replacement’ around the time we signed Dowell. 👍 

In our squad to play in the attacking midfield places last season we had Cantwell, Buendia, Steiperman, Hernandez, Placheta, Martin, Dowell, Vrancic, Rupp (he played his best games as a no. 10) and Idah (who has played wide as much as he has up front for us so far in his NCFC career). That’s 10 players into 3 spots. That’s quite a lot. I think most people would agree.

[cornish sam 966]

2 hours ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

This isn’t an argument anymore it’s just contradiction.

But yes it was- in the midfield absolutely. 

Oh no it isn't.

[wcorkcanary 4,347]

3 hours ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

At risk of sounding like a pantomime - Oh yes it wasssss.

Take away the long term lay offs of Idah, Hernandez, Rupp, Steipermann and Dowell, had those players stayed fit all season Farke would’ve had a hell of a job keeping everyone happy. And this forum would’ve been packed with even more bickering about the team selections 😆

So, take away what actually  happened, add back in the players that were injured and that makes the squad bloated,  rather than it was good planning to have adequate cover for injuries and still win the league.  Thats scraping the barrel for criticism, Hanko.....even for you. 

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

22 minutes ago, wcorkcanary said:

So, take away what actually  happened, add back in the players that were injured and that makes the squad bloated,  rather than it was good planning to have adequate cover for injuries and still win the league.  Thats scraping the barrel for criticism, Hanko.....even for you. 

Sigh... A swing and a miss.

My point was never to criticise the club - quite clearly actually - for having a bloated number of attacking midfielders, it was an observation that I felt we had signed players on the premise we thought we were going to lose Buendia or Cantwell. That’s it! I was perfectly pleased we kept Buendia and Cantwell alongside our new signings as it made us super strong. 

I didn’t realise this opinion was such a shocking take, in fact I felt like it was common knowledge around the time of last summer…

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

1 hour ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

But no I clearly wasn’t ‘complaining’ about the fact it was bloated, the more options the better! I was just observing that I thought it was a good indicator that Webber probably expected to lose one of Cantwell and / or Buendia last summer.

@wcorkcanary come on mate I’m far from that negative. Here are my words again, note the underlined sentence 👍

[wcorkcanary 4,347]

2 minutes ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

Sigh... A swing and a miss.

My point was never to criticise the club - quite clearly actually - for having a bloated number of attacking midfielders, it was an observation that I felt we had signed players on the premise we thought we were going to lose Buendia or Cantwell. That’s it! I was perfectly pleased we kept Buendia and Cantwell alongside our new signings as it made us super strong. 

I didn’t realise this opinion was such a shocking take, in fact I felt like it was common knowledge around the time of last summer…

Common opinion, not knowledge,  which turned out to be wrong as it happens. Fortunately  for us.

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

Just now, wcorkcanary said:

Common opinion, not knowledge,  which turned out to be wrong as it happens. Fortunately  for us.

But I still believe Webber bought Placheta and Dowell thinking we’d lose one of Buendia or Cantwell, just because that didn’t transpire doesn’t mean it wasn’t true at the time! I agree it did pan out rather nicely though 👍

[Jim Smith 2,345]

Seems to be a bit of momentum growing behind rumours that Grealish will reject Man City and sign a new Villa deal. Let’s hope so. 

[hogesar 9,766]

11 hours ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

How about championship signings 2020:

Gianooulis, Sorenson, mumba, placheta, Dowell, skipp, quintilla, hugill, Gibson, soto

2019 premiership sognings 

famewo, heise, drmic, adshead, bushiri, Fitzpatrick, Bryam, and the loans none of which really worked. 

 

That the loans etc didn't really work has nothing to do with your 'more ambition in the championship' claims. And you've literally picked one season to try and back up your point. How far back would you like to go?

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

31 minutes ago, Jim Smith said:

Seems to be a bit of momentum growing behind rumours that Grealish will reject Man City and sign a new Villa deal. Let’s hope so. 

Wow. That would be quite incredible for Villa to keep him alongside the signings they've already made, and very good news for us too!  

[lake district canary 4,551]

At Villa, he would always be compared to Grealish who as a local lad was hero worshipped by the Villa fans and he might find that a hard act to folllow.  I've always thought that Cantwell would eventually go to Liverpool and if he does well for us this season, I can see that happening. So career wise, he would be better staying with us.

For me, Villa is not a place to go to develop your career as they are perpetual under achievers, apart from the odd season where they do well. The amount they have spent over the years is absolutely incredible, yet they still struggle to get anywhere near the top of the table, often doing the opposite and going down the table and the latest round of money spending will imo be no different. Buendia might find his career stalls there too, without Farke to keep him focussed.

[hogesar 9,766]

1 hour ago, lake district canary said:

At Villa, he would always be compared to Grealish who as a local lad was hero worshipped by the Villa fans and he might find that a hard act to folllow.  I've always thought that Cantwell would eventually go to Liverpool and if he does well for us this season, I can see that happening. So career wise, he would be better staying with us.

For me, Villa is not a place to go to develop your career as they are perpetual under achievers, apart from the odd season where they do well. The amount they have spent over the years is absolutely incredible, yet they still struggle to get anywhere near the top of the table, often doing the opposite and going down the table and the latest round of money spending will imo be no different. Buendia might find his career stalls there too, without Farke to keep him focussed.

They just stayed up when we went down but last season they finished 11th and they've recruited well. It would be a step up for Todd just like it was for Emi.

[horsefly 4,318]

12 hours ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

In our squad to play in the attacking midfield places last season we had Cantwell, Buendia, Steiperman, Hernandez, Placheta, Martin, Dowell, Vrancic, Rupp (he played his best games as a no. 10) and Idah (who has played wide as much as he has up front for us so far in his NCFC career). That’s 10 players into 3 spots. That’s quite a lot. I think most people would agree.

Vrancic, Rupp and Idah are not characterised as attacking midfielders, nor is that their primary position. Rupp and Vrancic were primarily used as one of the two in the defensive midfield positions alongside Skipp, and Idah is primarily a striker. The fact that there were a few occasions when it became necessary to use them in attacking midfield roles is yet more evidence that the squad was not bloated. So that works out as effectively two players vying for each attacking midfield spot, hardly bloated in a team going for promotion, especially after being relegated in big part because the squad had very little quality in depth. 

[lake district canary 4,551]

35 minutes ago, hogesar said:

They just stayed up when we went down but last season they finished 11th and they've recruited well. It would be a step up for Todd just like it was for Emi.

If Villa do badly it wouldn't be a step up. 

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

Just now, horsefly said:

Vrancic, Rupp and Idah are not characterised as attacking midfielders, nor is that their primary position. Rupp and Vrancic were primarily used as one of the two in the defensive midfield positions alongside Skipp, and Idah is primarily a striker. The fact that there were a few occasions when it became necessary to use them in attacking midfield roles is yet more evidence that the squad was not bloated. So that works out as effectively two players vying for each attacking midfield spot, hardly bloated in a team going for promotion, especially after being relegated in big part because the squad had very little quality in depth. 

We are getting terribly side tracked now - but I will answer in turn - 

• Vrancic - Farke tended to prefer playing Vrancic as a 10 last season - contrarily to many posters preferences (including my own actually as I always saw him as more of a DM / CM playing as one of the midfield two). That was not due to the injuries IMO. 

• Idah - Again I would say since coming into the team at NCFC, Idah has probably played as many games as a wide player as he has a striker, regardless of injuries. 

 • Rupp - I would agree that Rupp started the season as one of the midfield two alongside Skipp or McLean but Farke played him further forwards I want to say against Nottingham Forest when we had no Buendia available and generally I think he played his best games as a no.10 than he had been in the standard box-to-box role. I think around this time most posters saw him as our best no.10, before Dowell finally staked his claim. But I respect what you are saying in that Farke wouldn't have considered him an attacking midfielder prior to the season starting - so you can probably take him off my list from before. 

Just had a quick look at transfermarket.com and Man City's team, last season they only had 7 attacking midfielders who played across their front 3 behind the striker - KDB, Silva, Foden, Mahrez, Sterling, Torres, plus Gundogan who probably had his best games playing higher up the pitch. So that's 7 at Man City who featured and 9 for us (not counting Rupp)!

Again none of this was a problem at all as we pretty much spent the entire season with at least 2-3 attacking midfielders out injured which made Farke's decision much easier. 

But could you imagine if Hernandez (our best player post-lockdown at the end of 19/20), Dowell, Idah, Steipermann, Rupp, McLean never got injured / lost match sharpness! Farke would've had a hell of a selection headache to try keep them all happy. 

Again this is not a criticism!!! All my point originally made was to say I believe we had built our squad factoring in the loss of one of Buendia or Cantwell last summer. 

 

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

46 minutes ago, horsefly said:

Vrancic, Rupp and Idah are not characterised as attacking midfielders, nor is that their primary position. Rupp and Vrancic were primarily used as one of the two in the defensive midfield positions alongside Skipp, and Idah is primarily a striker. The fact that there were a few occasions when it became necessary to use them in attacking midfield roles is yet more evidence that the squad was not bloated. So that works out as effectively two players vying for each attacking midfield spot, hardly bloated in a team going for promotion, especially after being relegated in big part because the squad had very little quality in depth. 

Here is our very own Bethnal on the topic last season. Saying it as I have been... albeit much more eloquently. 😄 

 

 

[horsefly 4,318]

17 minutes ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

We are getting terribly side tracked now - but I will answer in turn - 

• Vrancic - Farke tended to prefer playing Vrancic as a 10 last season - contrarily to many posters preferences (including my own actually as I always saw him as more of a DM / CM playing as one of the midfield two). That was not due to the injuries IMO. 

• Idah - Again I would say since coming into the team at NCFC, Idah has probably played as many games as a wide player as he has a striker, regardless of injuries. 

 • Rupp - I would agree that Rupp started the season as one of the midfield two alongside Skipp or McLean but Farke played him further forwards I want to say against Nottingham Forest when we had no Buendia available and generally I think he played his best games as a no.10 than he had been in the standard box-to-box role. I think around this time most posters saw him as our best no.10, before Dowell finally staked his claim. But I respect what you are saying in that Farke wouldn't have considered him an attacking midfielder prior to the season starting - so you can probably take him off my list from before. 

Just had a quick look at transfermarket.com and Man City's team, last season they only had 7 attacking midfielders who played across their front 3 behind the striker - KDB, Silva, Foden, Mahrez, Sterling, Torres, plus Gundogan who probably had his best games playing higher up the pitch. So that's 7 at Man City who featured and 9 for us (not counting Rupp)!

Again none of this was a problem at all as we pretty much spent the entire season with at least 2-3 attacking midfielders out injured which made Farke's decision much easier. 

But could you imagine if Hernandez (our best player post-lockdown at the end of 19/20), Dowell, Idah, Steipermann, Rupp, McLean never got injured / lost match sharpness! Farke would've had a hell of a selection headache to try keep them all happy. 

Again this is not a criticism!!! All my point originally made was to say I believe we had built our squad factoring in the loss of one of Buendia or Cantwell last summer. 

 

Vrancic was not a first choice no. 10.

Idah was not a first choice wide player.

Players frequently come off the bench and play out of position in all teams.

Keeping non-starting players "happy" is an essential part of the job. If there were no non-starting players to keep happy it would indicate a dreadful shortfall in numbers.

 

[horsefly 4,318]

23 minutes ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

Here is our very own Bethnal on the topic last season. Saying it as I have been... albeit much more eloquently. 😄 

 

 

Why on earth do you think this provides evidence the squad was "bloated"? Being "well stocked" in every area should  be the aim of squad development in every season. It's called assembling a squad to get you through a season in which injuries and suspensions are virtually inevitable. Further, on what grounds do you make the assumption that McDowell and Plachetta were brought in to cover Buendia's loss? The subsequent refusal of Norwich to sell Buendia at that stage suggests quite the opposite, and supports the view they were brought in as quality additions to provide the strength in depth missing in the previous season.

[cambridgeshire canary 6,833]

2 hours ago, lake district canary said:

At Villa, he would always be compared to Grealish who as a local lad was hero worshipped by the Villa fans and he might find that a hard act to folllow.  I've always thought that Cantwell would eventually go to Liverpool and if he does well for us this season, I can see that happening. So career wise, he would be better staying with us.

For me, Villa is not a place to go to develop your career as they are perpetual under achievers, apart from the odd season where they do well. The amount they have spent over the years is absolutely incredible, yet they still struggle to get anywhere near the top of the table, often doing the opposite and going down the table and the latest round of money spending will imo be no different. Buendia might find his career stalls there too, without Farke to keep him focussed.

Better not tell the Villa fans this, they seem convinved they are finishing in the top five this season..

 

I don't mind Villa, but my word is their fanbase arrogant and deluded. Yes they have a big stadum and from a historical perspective they have been somewhat of a 'large club' per say. But of course it has been well over a decade since they last did anything of note yet they are very similar to Ipswich fans in which they all seem to have convinced each other that they are a regular household name club that every foreign player spends their childhood knowing all about and wanting to play for and that every season they are going to win a trophy and 'prove everyone wrong'

Edited August 2, 2021 by cambridgeshire canary

[Midlands Yellow 4,107]

3 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

Better not tell the Villa fans this, they seem convinved they are finishing in the top five this season..

 

I don't mind Villa, but my word is their fanbase arrogant and deluded. Yes they have a big stadum and from a historical perspective they have been somewhat of a 'large club' per say. But of course it has been well over a decade since they last did anything of note yet they are very similar to Ipswich fans in which they all seem to have convinced each other that they are a regular household name club that every foreign player spends their childhood knowing all about and wanting to play for and that every season they are going to win a trophy and 'prove everyone wrong'

If Norwich ever assembled a squad like they have now we as fans would be very excited too. Only time will tell but you’d expect them to be pushing for a Europa league spot at least. 

 

 

 

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

27 minutes ago, horsefly said:

Why on earth do you think this provides evidence the squad was "bloated"? Being "well stocked" in every area should  be the aim of squad development in every season. It's called assembling a squad to get you through a season in which injuries and suspensions are virtually inevitable. Further, on what grounds do you make the assumption that McDowell and Plachetta were brought in to cover Buendia's loss? The subsequent refusal of Norwich to sell Buendia at that stage suggests quite the opposite, and supports the view they were brought in as quality additions to provide the strength in depth missing in the previous season.

McDowell, another attacking midfielder to the list!   

No, Bethnal said that 'even without Buendia we probably wouldn't sign a replacement as we are already very well stocked with attacking midfielders' - and that's without Buendia.

So if we are very well stocked with attacking midfielders, without Buendia, then how would you describe our midfield options including him? Are we really getting into semantics now about my use of the word 'bloated'? Is that what the discussion has become? If you really want me to take back the word bloated then I will because I can't be bothered to keep going over it. I'm sorry I used the word 'bloated'.

How is 'overstocked'? An already very well stocked attacking midfield, plus Buendia, could definitely be elevated to 'overstocked', right?

Let's go back to the original discussion -

1) Your original argument was that NCFC fought tooth and nail to keep Buendia and Cantwell last summer. 

2) I said there was no evidence of this, as there were no formal bids, or certainly nothing which met our valuation, with the suggestion being that a bid which met our valuation would've landed either player. I absolutely stand by this, in fact you will see similar comments from Webber at the start of the window talking about our players being available if the right bids came in.

3) I then suggested that we bought our Buendia replacements before selling him in Dowell and Placheta, which is why we ended up with a 'bloated' squad for the end of the season, as further evidence that we were fully prepared to sell Buendia - or Cantwell (again, at no point did I make this out as a criticism or compliant about the club). I've now shown that Bethnal also saw the transfer business exactly the same and that we probably wouldn't have signed anyone else in the AM spots had we lost Buendia.

4) You picked at me for about 6 responses about my use of the word 'bloated' and distracted from the entire point of the conversation! 

So, going back to the original point at hand, does any of the above suggest that we fought tooth and nail to keep Buendia last summer?

Farke absolutely done well to keep Buendia and Cantwell focused when they threw their paddies, but we most definitely did not turn away any serious bids which came in for both of them - because either there were no bids or they were nowhere near our valuations. 

Edited August 2, 2021 by Hank shoots Skyler

[horsefly 4,318]

1 minute ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

McDowell, another attacking midfielder to the list!   

Gosh! That litlle typo proves everything I've said is wrong (FFS!)

2 minutes ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

No, Bethnal said that 'even without Buendia we probably wouldn't sign a replacement as we are already very well stocked with attacking midfielders' - and that's without Buendia.

Seriously! Because Bethnal said it, it must 100% true? bloody hell! I've always enjoyed his posts but I never realised he possessed divine powers of omniscience. Or was he like the rest of us, speculating without any evidence of what the real mindset of Webber and Farke was. Nothing wrong with speculation, only with taking speculation as some kind of proof (which it can never be).

 

8 minutes ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

So if we are very well stocked with attacking midfielders, without Buendia, then how would you describe our midfield options including him?

Very well stocked with players who all bring something different to the pitch (pretty much an ideal situation in my view, as seems to be suggested by our final position).

 

10 minutes ago, Hank shoots Skyler said:

1) Your original argument was that NCFC fought tooth and nail to keep Buendia and Cantwell last summer. 

2) I said there was no evidence of this, as there were no formal bids, or certainly nothing which met our valuation, with the suggestion being that a bid which met our valuation would've landed either player.

The idea that there were no bids for Buendia (and indeed for Cantwell) is frankly laughable. I'm not sure how you can claim to know "there were no formal bids" unless you have been told this personally by Webber, and I suspect you don't want to claim that. So what evidence we do have all points to the opposite. Buendia's performances that season were lauded universally by the pundits, and their praise borne out by his stats. The idea that no PL club attempted to "steal" him from us defies everything we know about how PL clubs seek to exploit newly relegated clubs by taking their best talent for bargain fees (see Liverpool's bid for Lewis). Your equivication, "...or certainly  nothing which met our valuation"  not only contradicts your claim to know there were no formal bids, but is also an admittance that the club did indeed fight to retain Buendia at the club. The chief way in which a club fights to retain a player is precisely to tell the interested party that their offer does not come near your clubs valuation. Thankfully our self-funding model meant we did not have to let our best talent leave for a relative pittance, and that we could indeed fight to keep them at the club (compare what Liverpool payed for Andrew Robertson)

You also need to explain why Buendia (and Cantwell) threw a strop at the start of the season when he was not allowed to leave. According to your account he was throwing a strop about not being allowed to leave to join a club who had not wanted him. Are you seriously suggesting that Buendia's agent was not tapped up by several clubs after relegation?

Clearly we both hold passionately to our very different perceptions about what happened re Buendia, however this is getting very tiresome now so I'll leave it for others to make their own minds up about the verisimilitude of our different accounts, and wish you a good day and an enjoyable season.

[hogesar 9,766]

2 hours ago, lake district canary said:

If Villa do badly it wouldn't be a step up. 

If Man City do really badly it wouldn't be a step up for Grealish; but players are working on probability based upon the clubs recruitment etc; Villas recruitment suggests they'll be pushing top 8; a step up from our aims this coming season

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

40 minutes ago, horsefly said:

Gosh! That litlle typo proves everything I've said is wrong (FFS!)

Seriously! Because Bethnal said it, it must 100% true? bloody hell! I've always enjoyed his posts but I never realised he possessed divine powers of omniscience. Or was he like the rest of us, speculating without any evidence of what the real mindset of Webber and Farke was. Nothing wrong with speculation, only with taking speculation as some kind of proof (which it can never be).

 

Very well stocked with players who all bring something different to the pitch (pretty much an ideal situation in my view, as seems to be suggested by our final position).

 

The idea that there were no bids for Buendia (and indeed for Cantwell) is frankly laughable. I'm not sure how you can claim to know "there were no formal bids" unless you have been told this personally by Webber, and I suspect you don't want to claim that. So what evidence we do have all points to the opposite. Buendia's performances that season were lauded universally by the pundits, and their praise borne out by his stats. The idea that no PL club attempted to "steal" him from us defies everything we know about how PL clubs seek to exploit newly relegated clubs by taking their best talent for bargain fees (see Liverpool's bid for Lewis). Your equivication, "...or certainly  nothing which met our valuation"  not only contradicts your claim to know there were no formal bids, but is also an admittance that the club did indeed fight to retain Buendia at the club. The chief way in which a club fights to retain a player is precisely to tell the interested party that their offer does not come near your clubs valuation. Thankfully our self-funding model meant we did not have to let our best talent leave for a relative pittance, and that we could indeed fight to keep them at the club (compare what Liverpool payed for Andrew Robertson)

You also need to explain why Buendia (and Cantwell) threw a strop at the start of the season when he was not allowed to leave. According to your account he was throwing a strop about not being allowed to leave to join a club who had not wanted him. Are you seriously suggesting that Buendia's agent was not tapped up by several clubs after relegation?

Clearly we both hold passionately to our very different perceptions about what happened re Buendia, however this is getting very tiresome now so I'll leave it for others to make their own minds up about the verisimilitude of our different accounts, and wish you a good day and an enjoyable season.

Come on horsefly you know I was joking about your typo, relax… go and eat that McDonald’s you are clearly craving. 😆

I don’t disagree with a lot of what you say there, but I also think you’re conflating some of my points a little bit.

For the record  and I’m glad our midfield ended up as well stocked / bloated as it was, it’s never a bad thing to have too many options - particularly when you face the most unprecedented injury crisis I have known! So I agree with you on that completely. I’m just saying it points towards evidence that we would’ve let either player (Emi/Todd) go and were in fact anticipating it. Which I stand by.

We also bought Gibson before we sold Godfrey and ended up not buying anyone else after the sale. So I would say we approached the centre back position in the same way too. 

And again I agree on your comments around the interest in Emi/Todd. But I never said there was definitely no bids for Buendia or Cantwell, I said there were either no bids, or nothing that met our valuation for those players. Either player would’ve been sold had a strong bid came in, in my opinion, therefore I wouldn’t agree we ‘fought tooth and nail’ to keep them.

I think the whole paddy they threw was a result of the transfer rumour interest, not a club making a serious offer close to our valuation which we rejected.

But yes I also agree we’ve done this to death now (and some more). So yes let’s leave it there until next time. 👍

[lake district canary 4,551]

1 hour ago, hogesar said:

3 hours ago, lake district canary said:

If Villa do badly it wouldn't be a step up. 

If Man City do really badly it wouldn't be a step up for Grealish; but players are working on probability based upon the clubs recruitment etc; Villas recruitment suggests they'll be pushing top 8; a step up from our aims this coming season

It could still go badly for them though.  Good players don't always make good teams and altough I agree they have good players and big ideas, it doesn't always translate to success on the pitch.  Probablity?  The only probability I see is that it will be that Villa will have a heck of a job to fulfil their expectations. I expect that at the first sign they are struggling, their fans will get on their backs and the pressure will get to the players, as has happened so many times before at that club.