Only 20% Wanted Bakke To Stay

We asked in our poll this week who you would rather see stay at Villa Park, Lee Hendrie or Eirik Bakke? This was following reports – before Bakke was returned early! – that O’Leary was struggling to get the board to agree a deal with Leeds to keep the midfielder.

Hendrie on the other hand has been linked to several premiership clubs including Tottenham Hotspurs and Portsmouth. The midfielder hasn’t asked to leave but has said if he doesn’t figure in the managers plans, he may have to. With Bakke returning to Leeds the door might now be open for Hendrie at Villa because our resources are stretched to their limits and O’Leary doesn’t have that many options.

Anyway, only 20% said they would prefer Bakke to stay, 74% that Hendrie should be the one remaining and 6% said they would like to see both players exit Villa Park!

Villa fans have now got to hope that Ellis doesn’t receive offers for Mark Delaney, Lee Hendrie, Ulises De La Cruz or Jlloyd Samuel because O’Leary has already been warned, whether he generates income from sales or not, there will be no players incoming during the January transfer window. Reports are also suggesting that all departments have been warned by chairman Doug Ellis that they will need to save up to 10% in a cost cutting exercise. Be interesting to see whether that will include 10% off the chairman’s wages and annual bonus?!

Our new poll asked, in light of Bakke being returned, whether O’Leary is being treated unfairly at Villa.