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Grealish

Finney Is Back said:
The West Brom board handled it badly, but Levy handled it just as badly, waiting until deadline day to make a first bid.
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I think by ‘coming to the table’ so to speak which WBA had done, means they were open to selling him, even if it got down to deadline day. It seemed like negotiations were on going and hope at least on SB’s side and our side that a deal could be reached. That we didn’t want to pay silly money for a player we didn’t desperately need wasn’t our fault IMO and I think the same thing is happening here.

I’m sure we’d like to take the opportunity to add a young English player to our ranks but we were never desperate for him. I think WBA misunderstood that and thought it was Levy being Levy, trying to force down a deal because he’s a master negotiator, when in actual fact we offered probably about as much as we thought he was worth.

I’ll always look back on that saga and feel quite sorry for Berahino. Yes the onus is on him to not let the business of football get in the way of professional development but there is something to be said for giving young players the right environment to help them reach their potential, under a better standard of coaching, against a better quality of player, and frankly in a club with a culture and environment that could have kept him on a level. Not withstanding the idea that you can ask a player to give their all and I think most players will, but their all when they are fully motivated and willing to run through walls for the club they are at is different to their all when they are spinning their wheels. Once the ‘love’ is gone it must be hard to get that back.

I think he was the unfortunate casualty of Peace wanting to prove he was the big man against Levy, and Peace misreading how much we needed him, and misreading how motivated Berahino was to stay. The guy has been on a downward spiral ever since, and if he had made it into our club it could have been different for him, with our standards, with our support. Berahino has to take some responsibility, but I think most clubs are wise now to how important genuine motivation is. Like under Harry I’m sure our players ‘worked hard’ but under Poch, the level, the consistency, the understanding is such that the players are pushing each other on to levels they never thought possible. And that takes buy in, so once Walker’s head went it was best to get him out.

I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to Grealish. It probably won’t, it’s his boyhood club, but there is something to be said for a guy being denied the chance to play in the CL and not only step up one level, but 2 or 3. Will he be able to keep his motivation at the level required when such a sliding doors moment goes the wrong way?
 
BrainOfLevy said:
I think by ‘coming to the table’ so to speak which WBA had done, means they were open to selling him, even if it got down to deadline day. It seemed like negotiations were on going and hope at least on SB’s side and our side that a deal could be reached. That we didn’t want to pay silly money for a player we didn’t desperately need wasn’t our fault IMO and I think the same thing is happening here.

I’m sure we’d like to take the opportunity to add a young English player to our ranks but we were never desperate for him. I think WBA misunderstood that and thought it was Levy being Levy, trying to force down a deal because he’s a master negotiator, when in actual fact we offered probably about as much as we thought he was worth.

I’ll always look back on that saga and feel quite sorry for Berahino. Yes the onus is on him to not let the business of football get in the way of professional development but there is something to be said for giving young players the right environment to help them reach their potential, under a better standard of coaching, against a better quality of player, and frankly in a club with a culture and environment that could have kept him on a level. Not withstanding the idea that you can ask a player to give their all and I think most players will, but their all when they are fully motivated and willing to run through walls for the club they are at is different to their all when they are spinning their wheels. Once the ‘love’ is gone it must be hard to get that back.

I think he was the unfortunate casualty of Peace wanting to prove he was the big man against Levy, and Peace misreading how much we needed him, and misreading how motivated Berahino was to stay. The guy has been on a downward spiral ever since, and if he had made it into our club it could have been different for him, with our standards, with our support. Berahino has to take some responsibility, but I think most clubs are wise now to how important genuine motivation is. Like under Harry I’m sure our players ‘worked hard’ but under Poch, the level, the consistency, the understanding is such that the players are pushing each other on to levels they never thought possible. And that takes buy in, so once Walker’s head went it was best to get him out.

I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to Grealish. It probably won’t, it’s his boyhood club, but there is something to be said for a guy being denied the chance to play in the CL and not only step up one level, but 2 or 3. Will he be able to keep his motivation at the level required when such a sliding doors moment goes the wrong way?
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That's a very insightful post and I do hope for the sake of Jack (there, I did it!) that he doesn't get Berahino'd. Of course we should also remember that him wanting to leave etc. etc. is all just speculation. He may well have been told that, if Villa do not make PL next season he is free to go, but to give them one more season and he may be OK with that.

In any case, I hope he is the best English talent since Harry Kane and that we get him, but wouldn't be too bothered if we didn't.
 
alekaras said:
That's a very insightful post and I do hope for the sake of Jack (there, I did it!) that he doesn't get Berahino'd. Of course we should also remember that him wanting to leave etc. etc. is all just speculation. He may well have been told that, if Villa do not make PL next season he is free to go, but to give them one more season and he may be OK with that.

In any case, I hope he is the best English talent since Harry Kane and that we get him, but wouldn't be too bothered if we didn't.
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True, for all we know he may be absolutely fine with staying. I just think, given we are 2 or 3 levels above where he’s at right now, it’s one of those where the opportunity might not come around again unless he takes it now. If it was say, Huddersfield (no disrespect to them) coming in, he might be more inclined to wait, work hard and get a better move. But we’re probably the best move he can hope to get at least in the next 5 years. No other club would consider signing a player from the Championship for that much money and giving him a fairy prominent role. If he stays he faces slogging it down there again, running down his contract or getting a move to a mid table team in a couple of years to then try and get up to CL level a couple years after. Won’t be easy, because all the while new players will be coming through that could take his spot.

It’s like when Madrid came in for Bale, even though it was a year earlier than we wanted to sell him, you just can’t take that move away from him. He would never be the same. It’s once in a lifetime. Modric to Chelsea wasn’t once in a lifetime, as it so proved. Toby to United...not really once in a lifetime, and he knows he can go in a year anyway. This is potentially Jack’s best ever move, and it will be a shame if he doesn’t get it.
 
BrainOfLevy said:
I think by ‘coming to the table’ so to speak which WBA had done, means they were open to selling him, even if it got down to deadline day. It seemed like negotiations were on going and hope at least on SB’s side and our side that a deal could be reached. That we didn’t want to pay silly money for a player we didn’t desperately need wasn’t our fault IMO and I think the same thing is happening here.

I’m sure we’d like to take the opportunity to add a young English player to our ranks but we were never desperate for him. I think WBA misunderstood that and thought it was Levy being Levy, trying to force down a deal because he’s a master negotiator, when in actual fact we offered probably about as much as we thought he was worth.

I’ll always look back on that saga and feel quite sorry for Berahino. Yes the onus is on him to not let the business of football get in the way of professional development but there is something to be said for giving young players the right environment to help them reach their potential, under a better standard of coaching, against a better quality of player, and frankly in a club with a culture and environment that could have kept him on a level. Not withstanding the idea that you can ask a player to give their all and I think most players will, but their all when they are fully motivated and willing to run through walls for the club they are at is different to their all when they are spinning their wheels. Once the ‘love’ is gone it must be hard to get that back.

I think he was the unfortunate casualty of Peace wanting to prove he was the big man against Levy, and Peace misreading how much we needed him, and misreading how motivated Berahino was to stay. The guy has been on a downward spiral ever since, and if he had made it into our club it could have been different for him, with our standards, with our support. Berahino has to take some responsibility, but I think most clubs are wise now to how important genuine motivation is. Like under Harry I’m sure our players ‘worked hard’ but under Poch, the level, the consistency, the understanding is such that the players are pushing each other on to levels they never thought possible. And that takes buy in, so once Walker’s head went it was best to get him out.

I hope the same thing doesn’t happen to Grealish. It probably won’t, it’s his boyhood club, but there is something to be said for a guy being denied the chance to play in the CL and not only step up one level, but 2 or 3. Will he be able to keep his motivation at the level required when such a sliding doors moment goes the wrong way?
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Good post.

However as I understand it all Villa have said is that Grealish is not for sale THIS window, they're calculation being perhaps that the FFP deadline is not until next March therefore he can stay and help the club establish a challenge for promotion meantime.

Risky of course because it weakens their position even further especially if Levy decides not to go back in for him
 
Mikey10 said:
Not according to Sky Sports, nor Villa themselves - all saying it’s a completely dead deal.
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Obviously I know nothing about this deal, but I do know that Sky Sports are repeatedly so far behind transfers it’s unreal for a media outlet that make out they’re so well connected....
 
harr1984 said:
Obviously I know nothing about this deal, but I do know that Sky Sports are repeatedly so far behind transfers it’s unreal for a media outlet that make out they’re so well connected....
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I think Sky have to say anything for filler, and transfers are prime because nobody knows if it's true, and anyone negotiating isn't going to take them to task. Wouldn't surprise me if the editor says, "lets run with it's off, then three hours later, it's back on, unless we hear anything concrete in the meantime".
 
So if AVBs ITK (anyone good at scrabble?) is on point will this be our only signing?

Seems like a good lad, who if he keeps his head down and listens to Poch - improves his shooting, and passing - then could feature in the first team. I'm sure we tried to get Modric etc ...if you could take Sissoko, Grealish, and a couple of others and effectively swap them for a Bale, Modric, Pulsic I'm sure we would have. It's what we need to do to take us to the next level, but easier said than done.
 
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LemonadeMoney said:
I think Sky have to say anything for filler, and transfers are prime because nobody knows if it's true, and anyone negotiating isn't going to take them to task. Wouldn't surprise me if the editor says, "lets run with it's off, then three hours later, it's back on, unless we hear anything concrete in the meantime".
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24 hour rolling news is a bloody curse.

Its not even as if they make up new flimflam, they just keep repeating the same crap
 
I hope Grealish doesn’t do a Berahino on the back of this!
I think Jack has a good chance of doing well at Spurs, if given a break!
 
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