Funny thing about papers and oddsmakers…In a period of justifiable uncertainty, the names are flying fast and furious, and the odds are up and down as the bookies balance their risks. Clicks and bets, they’ll find a way to draw you in.

Our hopes were raised, and apparently dashed. Lesson? Have an opinion, but don’t get too wedded to it.

One good thing that’s happened is Darren Bent saying he’s happy at Aston Villa and wants to stay…Oh, wait. Was that Downing? Never mind. He’s said it, and even if it’s only because everyone is nice and he’s at the beginning of a long deal and is tired of changing clubs, it’s still good to hear.

Also good to hear is that the figure now being thrown around in regard to a certain Ashley Young is up to £20m from the previous £15m. While many think £15m for a player with one year to run to be good business, I’m off the opinion that if he’s scoring England’s only goal from open play, he should cost a little more. And there’s the MoTM bits he’s picking up. But it’s a buyer’s market, and teams can wait a year if they feel they’ve got other options.

Downing, on the other hand, can only go if we get very good money for him. A shame he came on late and didn’t get a chance to impress against the mighty Swiss, as he otherwise might’ve driven up his price.

But, if we’re losing Ash, I think we want Downing for another year. Replacing one winger is enough right now. We’ve other targets, like CBs, and FBs, and goalkeepers and playmakers that we know we need. Not going to help needing two wingers to keep Bent supplied.

But the kids!

Well, look, I like Albrighton. Works hard, puts in a very decent cross, and is always looking to beat his man. He does one half of his job quite well. It’s getting back and covering where he’s a liability.

I want to see him brought on regularly from the bench, playing in cup games and the like, but I don’t want to go into the next season with him as a starting winger set for 38 league games.

This why Downing needs to stay. Like any of the rest of the Villa faithful, I don’t like the apparent backtracking on his commitment to the club. But, he is only saying what we’re all saying, which is that being big would be nice.

And the reason why Ash can go, financial considerations aside, is that he rarely manages to raise his game like that for Villa. He’s a good player, and he can make things happen. But not often enough for Villa. And his England corners aren’t much better than what we get.

Okay, moving on to Ancelotti

The frenzy of speculation and comment has been…frenzied. With good reason. Villa were showing some ambition in trying to sign someone who really only wants Champions League football and has been there. So it seemed to me we wanted that too, and convincing Ancelotti implied we’d have to stump up to get there. Sort of nailing our colors to the mast.

We did make contact…It seems we were rebuffed. Beyond that, I have no idea where it stands. So let’s assume he’s out, and take it as a good sign that we tried. If there’s more to come, we’ll soon find out.

Next up: Moyes, Hughes, Coyle, Martinez…and Steve McClaren.

The supporters are making their opinions known about McClaren quite clearly. Surely Lerner knows that if he is considering signing him, it’s going to be a lot of pressure from Day One, and not a lot of patience and sympathy from the supporters. My concern? Whether he’ll get the players’ respect, bring in the players we need to push forward. He might never have the dressing room, despite whether he’s any good.

We’ve done the others to death, but it seems Hughes is now the favored second choice, followed by Moyes, and then the Martinez and Coyle outliers. None of them would be a disaster.

What about the other foreigners?

I don’t pretend to know if Lerner can be convinced to take on a manager without Premier League experience. He’s seen in the NFL that everyone’s boy genius can flop miserably on the big stage. And it makes sense that in a time of uncertainty you might want someone who isn’t facing a big learning curve.

Rijkaard, van Gaal, and others…Risks, yes, and possible rewards. They seem ruled out by the above, but, again, you never know.

I do know that I’d probably prefer Jol to McClaren, even if he doesn’t have the world’s greatest CV.

A word for Lerner

And while I don’t think it’s McClaren, I do have to say to Mr. Lerner: Be very very convinced if you are going to appoint him. Have a sit-down with GH. Think about Deschamps and whoever GH might recommend very hard, as I’m sure you’re doing. And don’t rule out the foreigners.

The atmosphere this summer and at Villa Park, at least initially, with a Rijkaard in versus a McClaren will be worlds apart. And even if he doesn’t have PL experience, Rijkaard ought to command more respect from the players.

Aston Villa’s next manager has to have a progressive footballing philosophy, an eye for players and not just big names, and the ability to get them to buy in and respect him. But you know this. And you also know he shouldn’t throw ridiculous wages and long contracts at average players. You saw the return on Bent.

Oh, and assuming Ashley is off, try and get at least £20m for him.

Question for the supporters: Who should replace Young? And do you really think the youngsters like Bannan, Delph, and Albrighton are ready to make the step up to full-time starters?

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