Of Course Villa Have £30million AND MORE

I’m going to come out with my phrase of the week. What a load of pants!

The Daily Mirror have a report today – with no quotes or even ‘sources close to the club’ – saying that Villa owner Randy Lerner will back Martin O’Neill to the tune of £30million this January in order to push our Champions League ambitions.

Has any Villa fan ever seen, since the new regime arrived, any talk like this? Do we really think that Randy Lerner, Paul Faulkner or indeed the manager would talk the press saying they have £30million to spend? It just isn’t their style. Ok, non-ex director and legend of the Villa forums (official title!) General Charles Krulak did mention on the forums this summer that if the manager wanted a £30million player, he’d get backed but nevertheless, this is a report from nowhere with no substance telling us what most already know!

The plain facts are that Randy Lerner has the money, he has used the money when the manager has asked for a player and will use his deep pockets again to realise their ambitions.

Villa are now run by people who don’t crave being in the press every day, a Chairman who doesn’t want to be ‘Mr Aston Villa’, they are just doing a top job as discretely as anyone can possibly do whilst running such a high profile club and going about their business in a professional way.

Is £30million available? I’d say there was considerably more if the right players come up and the manager wants them. Are we aiming for the Champions League? Yes, the ambitions are there, the infrastructure is there – hence the re-building of Bodymoor Heath training ground which is now up there with any club in Europe – and the ground plus fan base is there. But no way are the club whispering to the papers about having that sort of money.

Still, with November fast approaching, I’m sure the transfer gossip will soon start to hot up. Can’t wait, I know it is sad, but I do love the rumours! Recently we’ve been linked with Reading’s Kevin Doyle, Dean Ashton although now he is out injured again, that looks less likely and also Wigan’s Emile Heskey despite him saying he will stay at Wigan to, at the very least, see out his contract which runs out in the summer. I might start a rumour myself, I think we’ll sign Newcastle’s Michael Owen in January. There, it is now in print, it must be true… (wish it was!).

In other news, and the wages depend on which report you read, Ashley Young is about to sign a new deal for between £45 000 and £56 000 a week. Young, fit, at a top club and on those wages…. I was always told jealousy is an awful trait, but I think I hate him! LOL