So Jhon Duran has got the move he, or more likely his agent, has longed for and signed for Al Nassr in the totally meaningless Saudi Arabian desert league.
There’s only one reason you’d want to go there and we all know what it is. Money. Boatloads of it.
I’ve seen talk of £300k a week as the basic wages. Get your head around that, just as I am as I type it. Let’s say he’s signed a 3 year deal. That would be just shy of £48 million tax free. While it’s easy to say that he’ll be a rich man wherever he goes or even if he stayed at the Villa, consider that he’ll only be 24 or so when that contract is done. Then the money is earned and he gets the choice of doing what he wants.
Seriously, would you turn that down? I’m not sure I could or would have, looking back at that age.
It is an odd one though. The Saudis are throwing money at all sports to try and improve their image, but when it comes to footy, they generally target superstars who are nearing the end of their career. Are they signing Duran because they believe they can keep him for many years or have they simply seen him as the big name throughout Europe over the last six months? If it’s the latter, we should be grateful just for that extra exposure he gave us, I suppose.
Whatever, while I quite liked Duran as a striker and much better finisher than Ollie, I have no qualms about him going.
To my mind he’s a petulant sort who will never be happy with his lot. I’m guessing that he caused Emery a world of grief with his moaning, which is why we’ve let him go. If Unai couldn’t control or mould him, I pity any other manager who has to try. On the other hand, he was seen handing out gifts to the mere low life staff in the tunnel after the Celtic game and that makes him much more my kind of guy.
While I think he’s made a mistake, where he risks his reputation (any decent striker can score lots in Saudi, surely?) I wish him well. Where he goes from here is a good question. I honestly believe that if he applies himself as much as he can, he’ll become another Harlaand and score loads wherever he ends up. But I’m inclined to think he’ll become complacent and just fade away.
The really big question is who are we looking to spend it on? I’m seeing loads of talk about attackers, but I don’t see it. Maybe one striker , but way more important are defensive players. We’re apparently interested in Rashford and I don’t see that either. Good grief, why would we? Yes, on song, he’s a great player. But he seems to have serious issues and I wouldn’t touch him with a bargepole. Then again, there’s been a few instances where I’ve thought Unai was wrong, but ultimately he’s doing a stunning job and you can’t argue with where we are.
Which is 8th in the Champion’s league table. I’m still struggling to get my head around that too. For a neutral, we’re brilliant to watch, but for a fan, we’re a nightmare. It’s a roller-coaster and while we play well at times, so we are awful at others, which leads to me being probably overly-critical. It’s just the frustration in not getting what we want and I guess that’s the difference between a fan and a more knowlegable manager who sees the bigger picture better.
And so onto the Dogheads tomorrow.
Again I’m laughing to myself, as it’s another where I don’t have a clue as to how it’s going to go.
Squad news first and Matty Cash will be out for around a month. If that doesn’t lead to us getting a Right Back in, I doubt anything will, I’ve said all along that I see this as by far the most important position that needs shoring up, but it hasn’t happened. I’m not convinced it will in this window either.
Tyronge Mings is apparently close to being available, but this game is too soon, which contradicts a report I saw saying we’ve underplayed his injury. Ross Barkley is still training on his own and is about a week away from rejoining the squad.
As for Wolves, striker Jorgen Strand Larsen is out and Joao Gomes is suspended after a red last weekend. Carlos Forbes is a big doubt and they have another three or four players unavailable.
Despite a good start under the new manager, Wolves have lost their last four games, with a GD of 1 for and 10 against, which would indicate that having a striker injured doesn’t make much difference.
This ought to be easy really, but it’s a game of jeopardy, where we’re a gift to any team on a terrible run.
I’m tempted to think we’ll tear the heads off those dogs and beat them soundly, say 3 or 4-1.
But I think we’ll look really tired again and will do well to get a win at all.
I’m going for a safe draw. 1-1.
And while I don’t think that is enough for a team aiming at CL qualification, I do think it’s about as much as we can expect if I’m trying not to aim too high. Hence I’d take it as better than nothing.
UTV!
Well, Spuds didn’t get a shot on target against Liverpool so I really fancy our chances. Rashford hat trick anyone?
Yeah! I’d go for that!!!
They will score. We don’t keep clean sheets…
Bit worried about this game, historically they owe us one.
Anyone old enough to remember when the spuds unveiled their new signings of Osvaldo Ardiles & Ricardo Villa?
We smashed 1-4.
Yep, certainly do RSS.
Big ‘ticker tape’ welcome; we truly ruined their party.
If I remember correctly it was shown on the TV.
I remember all the fuss at the time surrounding the Spuds and their World Cup winning Argentinians then enter Sir Ron and his boys, who totally take them to the f**king cleaners!
Happy days Hitch.
Ah yes, the ticker tape reminded me.
Yes, we ruined it for them, but that was the start of the foreign takeover wasn’t it?
Very sucessful signings in the end and god, Ardiles was a great player.
He was Badger and who can forget that Ricky Villa goal in the 81 cup final?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT7IvpxhA3Q
Indeed. It was one of those that made the cup so great.
Team news for Sunday – Watkins, Mings, Torres, Barkley and Cash all out; Disasi cup-tied so a makeshift defence.
Wonder how Emery will set up the team given there are suggestions that Spuds may be getting players back? I think he’ll go full strength from the off.
On that basis Martinez, Konsa, Kamara, Onana, McGinn are nailed on but it does leave options. Like Digne or Maatson, Bogarde or Garcia at right back with Kamara at left CB or Garcia RB, Bogarde CB and Onana paired with Kamara as the defensive pivot?
Most intriguing will be the front three – Rogers and two others – but which two?
Anyone hear which three players have been added to our CL squad?
Just found the answer to CL question – added to the squad are Rashford, Asensio and Disasi.
Not really a surprise given we’ve added the three loan signings, but it also suggests Emery is majorly concerned about the fitness of Torres and Mings.
Malen must be gutted?
Hitch, you could have expanded on that 2.44 pm post slightly and produced your own article!
(Hint, hint)
Hint taken Badger 🙂
It’s absolutely hilarious how the media just cannot accept the fact that Villa have given a player at United a chance to get his career back on track and that if he does find some form, then Villa will likely buy him and keep him and Rashford would rather then play his trade at Villa because, simply put, Villa are better!!! Hahahahaaa. The mirror today, now moaning that loans shouldn’t be permitted in the most of the rashford move. It really is setting the lad up for a spectacular recovery and then two fingers up to United. They really should have all gone quiet.
With that skimpy Villa defence, I hope Rashford & Co have their shooting boots on, because I think we may have to score 5 to win it.
Two more simple points: when your attack is so much stronger than your defence, where do you want to be in possession while trying to run down the clock? And – with no VAR plus a linesman potentially as crap as the one at Old Trafford – how safe is our normal high line? Here is hoping our tactical geniuses have that nailed down.
Remember th 4-1 spuds game and the goals were on the news can’t get any footage of it now tho would be great cos Brian Little scored luv to see that again
Big one today we should have too much for spuds comme onn the Mighty Villaaa
Anyone want to take a shot at the starting line up ?
Martinez
Garcia Konsa Kamara Digne
Tielemans Onana
Malen Rogers Ramsey
Rashford
I don’t know if anyone has already mentioned it, but Carlos injured already and out for at least a month. We’d have been buggered if he’d stayed (unless he slipped on a kebab).
Little8, re your comments about a previous 4-1 and your namesake getting a goal. Like you I could find lots but no highlights. Just M of the D and they seem to have lost their copy. However in Boxing Day 1997 we beat Spurs 4-1 and we had co-incidently a debutant CF who scored. Anyone remember?
4-1 Boxing Day was 2 for an out of sorts Collymore, including a lovely free kick and 2 for Mark Draper. Remember it well. 2 months later, Little resigned and Gregory arrived. Good old days.
So Rashford doesn’t start and it looks like Malen is replacing Ollie. An intriguing line up.
Any reason why we have only named 7 on the bench compared to 9 for Spurs
Martinez, Garcia, Konsa, Kamara, Digne, Tielemans, McGinn, Bailey, Ramsey, Malen, Rogers.
I’m sure Rashford will get on, probably for about half an hour.
Get in!
1-0 already, Ramsey. Haha.
We do this so often now don’t sit back
Good run and a lovely ball from Rogers too.
Without looking gerry I remember big UGO scoring in that game was it him?
Yessssss 1.0 Ramsay
Emery was certainly chuffed!!!!
Great save from Martinez.
Malen is looking useful and Garcia seems to have got into our fast paced footy.
It’s a joy to watch when it’s going right.
Jesus, looks like Konsa has a groin strain.
And we now have zero centre half’s left
Will we ever get a break with injured defenders?