An Aston Villa Player is the most welcome signing of deadline day…
Lets face it, transfer deadline day is over-hyped and should be before the season actually kicks off. If you’re a manager and waiting to do major business on the last day, is it really the best way to build a team? In terms of being a Aston Villa supporter, thank god in Paul Lambert, we have a manager who believes in forward-planning and bedding in a team during pre-season, rather than making rash buys.
Still, there’s no doubt that transfer deadline day creates a buzz of excitement, as a few wildcard signings are pulled out of the hat with just hours and minutes to go before the transfer window slams shut. So, what was the signing that made most supporters happy this time around?
Were Arsenal supporters elated by the signing of Mesut Ozil? Yes, but is he really worth …or is any player really worth, £42.5 million? Jose Mourinho once called him “the best number 10 in the world”, but he hardly makes Arsenal title contenders or even guaranteed top four material. What about £27.5 million Marouane Fellaini? United fans currently seem to be indifferent to the signing of the Everton midfielder, although he undoubtedly strengthens the United squad. Everton’s season loan of Romelu Lukaku seems a smart move, while Villa’s signing of Lobor Kozák astutely added depth to their forward line. But which one was the real stand out piece of business?
In short, none of the above. For the transfer that really captured the imaginations of supporters and brought unbridled joy to many (well, Villa supporters anyway!) can be seen in the picture below…
Stephen Ireland, perhaps the projected hardest member of Villa’s bomb squad to shift, considering his £55,000 to 60,000-a-week wages, loan move to Stoke was nothing short of epic. Since it’s the last year of Ireland’s Villa contract, it means no Villa supporter will ever see him wear a claret & blue shirt again.
[UPDATE: January 2014 – Stoke City sign Ireland on a free transfer and effectively buy out his contract at Villa]
While Villa fans celebrated Ireland’s departure, the midfielder said in an interview after signing for Stoke, he was looking for some payback.
“It’s been a difficult few months but now I’ve never been so determined to prove a point,” said Ireland. “There are quite a few people I want to stick two fingers up at.”
Considering the amount of Villa fans who have stuck two fingers up at his inept performances and lack of effort over the last few years, it would be impossible for him to get even in that department. It’s hard to view Ireland as a ‘victim’. As for the “determined to prove a point” bit, didn’t he say exactly the same thing when he left Manchester City for Villa?
Bottom line – Ireland is all mouth and no trousers, and they’d be pretty ropey looking trousers at that, if his taste in home decor, cars, music and shark tanks are taken into consideration.
Oh, and one more thing… the Villa supporters who voted him ‘Fan’s Player of the Year’ in 2012, they were being ironic! It was a joke. UTV
A Venglos View is a satirical (and sometimes surreal) look at Villa. Check out other Venglos Views here
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