[Albion] Are Villa this season's Fulham or Wolves?

[lizard]

I got Villa to be this season's Cardiff, with less class.

 

[chimneys]

I think it’s a really interesting situation. Dean Smith has zero Premier League experience (or Continental competition before someone throws GP out there as the same) but clearly Terry does.

The question is does Terry’s natural competitive side shine through and force them to go for the jugular and expose a potentially soft underbelly in games that will make them there for the taking or will he have learned from the stubbornness of Mourinho and close out tight games?

Personally I think they’ll struggle but not as much as Fulham so definitely a 17th competitor.

The Swedish league is far inferior to the Championship!

 

[AmexRuislip]

Hopefully Villa will go down as quick as John Terry's over inflated ego.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

This seasons Newcastle. They'll stay up

 

[Weststander]

Villa, Norwich, Stains and Leicester are all spending very significantly early on.

Impossible to know how that will pan out.

Villa have spent £70m already, compared to our total of £34m in summer 2017. Does their out of control Championship wage bill, allow them to increase their wage bill now by far more than we were able under PL FFP, as it’s a higher base figure?

 

[Pavilionaire]

Villa has spent a lot but much depends on their biggest signing Wesley. I like Grealish, the rest - meh.

 

[brianwade]

No Villa are cursed - spending 12million on a 21 yr old from Brentford - the phrase " i saw you coming" springs to mind .
No they are a Championship team who will struggle to stay the course - might just stay up . However otherwise down with the Newcastle .
Only one relgation space left to fill now

Oh i forgot that's Sheffield United .

Yippeee we're safe already

 

[Barham's tash]

The Swedish league is far inferior to the Championship!

Hmm yes but im fairly certain masterminding defeats of Galatasary and Arsenal takes considerably more nous than finishing 9th then 10th with a Brentford team that has splashed the cash in relative terms to Ostersunds.

 

[chimneys]

Hmm yes but im fairly certain masterminding defeats of Galatasary and Arsenal takes considerably more nous than finishing 9th then 10th with a Brentford team that has splashed the cash in relative terms to Ostersunds.

Mmmm!

http://www.apnews.com/13ec60cad9c9407e836e7d42ed05fc4d

Court case threatens to take gloss off Ostersund’s rise
By STEVE DOUGLAS
April 19, 2019

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, Ostersunds FK chairman Daniel Kindberg poses at the team's party after its 1-1 Europa League draw with Hertha Berlin in Berlin, Germany. Kindberg will go to court next week, April 22, 2019, accused of serious financial crimes allegedly involving funnelling taxpayers’ money into Ostersund soccer club (AP Photo/Ciaran Fahey, File)
OSTERSUND, Sweden (AP) — It was one of European soccer’s most heartwarming stories, an unconventional club from a sleepy city in central Sweden making an eight-year journey from the amateur ranks to beating Arsenal in the Europa League.

But was the remarkable rise of Ostersund built on illegal foundations?

In a case that has rocked Swedish sport in recent months, Daniel Kindberg, the larger-than-life former chairman of Ostersund who is regarded as the mastermind behind the team’s success, is heading to court for a trial in which he is accused of serious financial crimes.

The basic premise? Kindberg is alleged to have helped funnel 11.8 million kronor ($1.3 million) of taxpayers’ money into the club in an elaborate scheme that involved two other men and three companies — one being the municipality’s housing corporation for which Kindberg was chief executive.


Kindberg could go to jail for a maximum of six years, according to the Swedish Economic Crime Authority. Ostersund could lose its place in the top league in Sweden. A small soccer club’s great achievement, which was celebrated and enjoyed across the continent, might be tainted.

“As good as it was for the Ostersund brand with this fairy tale of the OFK team going into Europe,” Ostersund’s mayor, Bosse Svensson, told The Associated Press, “this is just as bad.”

Kindberg, who denies the charges, was arrested a year ago and has stood down from his role as Ostersund chairman.

The case has both shocked and polarized the natives of this remote city — located 300 miles (480 kilometers) northwest of Stockholm and with a population of around 50,000 — that is better known for its winter sports than its soccer.

“Ostersund is split,” said Linda Hedenljung, the investigative journalist at The Ostersund Post whose 2014 interview with Kindberg, and subsequent research, unearthed the scandal. “One half say keep digging; the other half say stop interfering with our beloved football team.”

Hedenljung’s newspaper is calling the case the region’s biggest story in more than 100 years.

A cloud has settled over the club as Ostersund begins its fourth straight season in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top league. The club is not on trial, too — although three other officials at Ostersund have been investigated in the matter — but it has been stained by association.

That’s because Kindberg, a former army battalion commander, and his unique approach have come to embody Ostersund’s soccer team. Believing it needed to be different to grow and survive alongside the bigger and richer clubs in the south of Sweden, Kindberg developed a “Culture Academy” where players learn skills such as stand-up comedy, art, dancing and rapping, and perform them in front of the city’s inhabitants. The idea is to challenge the mental process and decision-making under pressure of players and the coaching staff.


Then there is a recruitment policy where Ostersund target players who have lost their way, been rejected, or failed to reach their potential.

The results have been stunning. From being in Sweden’s fourth division as recently as 2011, Ostersund was promoted to the third tier in 2011, the second tier in 2012 and the top tier in 2015. It won the Swedish Cup in 2017 to earn a place in the Europa League, where the team advanced to the knockout stage before losing over two legs to Arsenal despite winning the second game 2-1 at Emirates Stadium.

It was regarded as a fairy tale, engineered by Kindberg and his philosophy and carried out by Graham Potter, the English manager that Ostersund had from 2010-18.

But were there other factors at play?

“There’ve always been quite strong opinions that this is like a fake or a fraud because we have done things differently in terms of how we danced and did all the cultural acadamies,” said Martin Johansson, Ostersund’s chief executive, in an interview with the AP in the club’s boardroom. “I think football is quite a conservative place and there’s always going to be divided opinions when something new comes out in a conservative world.

“One group want (the Kindberg scandal) to overshadow everything, while the other group is quite comfortable in feeling it is not this that made the club do the things it did.”

Johansson is aware the threat of ejection from Allsvenskan hangs over the club if Kindberg is found guilty of his alleged crimes.

“Obviously we always need to have it in the back of our mind,” he said. “But from our point of view, the club is not in the court case as well. So I think we should feel proud of what we’ve done, not scared of it.”

And that is the dilemma the locals in Ostersund are wrestling with: Does this place an asterisk next to its soccer team’s ascent?

“It would be a pity,” said Elisabeth Richardsson, marketing manager for Visit Ostersund, “if the trial would overshadow all the performances that the team has made. I think it’s very important, which I don’t think everyone does, to make a difference between him and his trial, and the football club.”

But Kindberg — regarded as “Mr Ostersund” because of his notoriety here with soccer and the real-estate business — has come to represent the city, and his alleged actions have left a bitter taste for some.

According to Svensson, it will take years for the municipality to clear up the “damage” he says Kindberg has done to Ostersund. Svensson said the municipality has made losses of “around 200-220 million Swedish kronor ($21.6-23.8 million), which we find is connected to his management — or mismanagement — in general.”

The municipality is suing Kindberg for damages in a separate case.

Meanwhile, Ostersund as a soccer club is attempting to move on without its long-time leader and inspiration. There are new faces in the boardroom and a much-changed set of players on the field .

“We’ve signed eight or nine players, and one or two might ask a question, ‘Oh we’ve read this, what’s going in?’” Ostersund coach Ian Burchnall said. “But people still want to be here. It’s a good club.

“I just work with what I’ve got. If something happens, then you have to take a new route.”

The trial had been due to start on April 24, but has been postponed until October.

 

[Barham's tash]

Mmmm!

http://www.apnews.com/13ec60cad9c9407e836e7d42ed05fc4d

Court case threatens to take gloss off Ostersund’s rise
By STEVE DOUGLAS
April 19, 2019

FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, Dec. 8, 2017, Ostersunds FK chairman Daniel Kindberg poses at the team's party after its 1-1 Europa League draw with Hertha Berlin in Berlin, Germany. Kindberg will go to court next week, April 22, 2019, accused of serious financial crimes allegedly involving funnelling taxpayers’ money into Ostersund soccer club (AP Photo/Ciaran Fahey, File)
OSTERSUND, Sweden (AP) — It was one of European soccer’s most heartwarming stories, an unconventional club from a sleepy city in central Sweden making an eight-year journey from the amateur ranks to beating Arsenal in the Europa League.

But was the remarkable rise of Ostersund built on illegal foundations?

In a case that has rocked Swedish sport in recent months, Daniel Kindberg, the larger-than-life former chairman of Ostersund who is regarded as the mastermind behind the team’s success, is heading to court for a trial in which he is accused of serious financial crimes.

The basic premise? Kindberg is alleged to have helped funnel 11.8 million kronor ($1.3 million) of taxpayers’ money into the club in an elaborate scheme that involved two other men and three companies — one being the municipality’s housing corporation for which Kindberg was chief executive.


Kindberg could go to jail for a maximum of six years, according to the Swedish Economic Crime Authority. Ostersund could lose its place in the top league in Sweden. A small soccer club’s great achievement, which was celebrated and enjoyed across the continent, might be tainted.

“As good as it was for the Ostersund brand with this fairy tale of the OFK team going into Europe,” Ostersund’s mayor, Bosse Svensson, told The Associated Press, “this is just as bad.”

Kindberg, who denies the charges, was arrested a year ago and has stood down from his role as Ostersund chairman.

The case has both shocked and polarized the natives of this remote city — located 300 miles (480 kilometers) northwest of Stockholm and with a population of around 50,000 — that is better known for its winter sports than its soccer.

“Ostersund is split,” said Linda Hedenljung, the investigative journalist at The Ostersund Post whose 2014 interview with Kindberg, and subsequent research, unearthed the scandal. “One half say keep digging; the other half say stop interfering with our beloved football team.”

Hedenljung’s newspaper is calling the case the region’s biggest story in more than 100 years.

A cloud has settled over the club as Ostersund begins its fourth straight season in Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top league. The club is not on trial, too — although three other officials at Ostersund have been investigated in the matter — but it has been stained by association.

That’s because Kindberg, a former army battalion commander, and his unique approach have come to embody Ostersund’s soccer team. Believing it needed to be different to grow and survive alongside the bigger and richer clubs in the south of Sweden, Kindberg developed a “Culture Academy” where players learn skills such as stand-up comedy, art, dancing and rapping, and perform them in front of the city’s inhabitants. The idea is to challenge the mental process and decision-making under pressure of players and the coaching staff.


Then there is a recruitment policy where Ostersund target players who have lost their way, been rejected, or failed to reach their potential.

The results have been stunning. From being in Sweden’s fourth division as recently as 2011, Ostersund was promoted to the third tier in 2011, the second tier in 2012 and the top tier in 2015. It won the Swedish Cup in 2017 to earn a place in the Europa League, where the team advanced to the knockout stage before losing over two legs to Arsenal despite winning the second game 2-1 at Emirates Stadium.

It was regarded as a fairy tale, engineered by Kindberg and his philosophy and carried out by Graham Potter, the English manager that Ostersund had from 2010-18.

But were there other factors at play?

“There’ve always been quite strong opinions that this is like a fake or a fraud because we have done things differently in terms of how we danced and did all the cultural acadamies,” said Martin Johansson, Ostersund’s chief executive, in an interview with the AP in the club’s boardroom. “I think football is quite a conservative place and there’s always going to be divided opinions when something new comes out in a conservative world.

“One group want (the Kindberg scandal) to overshadow everything, while the other group is quite comfortable in feeling it is not this that made the club do the things it did.”

Johansson is aware the threat of ejection from Allsvenskan hangs over the club if Kindberg is found guilty of his alleged crimes.

“Obviously we always need to have it in the back of our mind,” he said. “But from our point of view, the club is not in the court case as well. So I think we should feel proud of what we’ve done, not scared of it.”

And that is the dilemma the locals in Ostersund are wrestling with: Does this place an asterisk next to its soccer team’s ascent?

“It would be a pity,” said Elisabeth Richardsson, marketing manager for Visit Ostersund, “if the trial would overshadow all the performances that the team has made. I think it’s very important, which I don’t think everyone does, to make a difference between him and his trial, and the football club.”

But Kindberg — regarded as “Mr Ostersund” because of his notoriety here with soccer and the real-estate business — has come to represent the city, and his alleged actions have left a bitter taste for some.

According to Svensson, it will take years for the municipality to clear up the “damage” he says Kindberg has done to Ostersund. Svensson said the municipality has made losses of “around 200-220 million Swedish kronor ($21.6-23.8 million), which we find is connected to his management — or mismanagement — in general.”

The municipality is suing Kindberg for damages in a separate case.

Meanwhile, Ostersund as a soccer club is attempting to move on without its long-time leader and inspiration. There are new faces in the boardroom and a much-changed set of players on the field .

“We’ve signed eight or nine players, and one or two might ask a question, ‘Oh we’ve read this, what’s going in?’” Ostersund coach Ian Burchnall said. “But people still want to be here. It’s a good club.

“I just work with what I’ve got. If something happens, then you have to take a new route.”

The trial had been due to start on April 24, but has been postponed until October.

Ok so their owner was into alleged financial irregularities. Why should that overshadow the on pitch achievements?

And what does his have to do with Potter? Nothing.

Move along.

 

[chimneys]

Ok so their owner was into alleged financial irregularities. Why should that overshadow the on pitch achievements?

And what does his have to do with Potter? Nothing.

Move along.

For the record I'm reasonably happy with Potter's appointment as a punt I'm happy to back Tony on. Was just pointing out that there might be more to Ostersund's rise than would initially appear to be the case, and therefore its not really fair to compare achievements in the Swedish League and our Championship, which is what you were doing. Neither manager has PL experience and therefore both are unproven at this level. Agree?

 

[WhingForPresident]

About to complete their eighth and ninth signings of the summer to take their spending beyond £100 million today. Douglas Luiz from Man City () for £15 million and their fourth centre back of this window in Bjorn Engels from Reims. They're also supposedly still in the market for Kalvin Phillips from Leeds, who could cost them £30 million.

Fully expect to see Dean Smith sacked by October.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Ah now hang on a minute, I didn't say they would go down, seemingly there's quite a lot of competition for those places.
More that they'll noticeably struggle this season having believed their hype from last.

I agree ...the old second season syndrome will kick in ..no signings as yet although rumoured to be interested in Diego Costa

 

[Barham's tash]

For the record I'm reasonably happy with Potter's appointment as a punt I'm happy to back Tony on. Was just pointing out that there might be more to Ostersund's rise than would initially appear to be the case, and therefore its not really fair to compare achievements in the Swedish League and our Championship, which is what you were doing. Neither manager has PL experience and therefore both are unproven at this level. Agree?

No I was suggesting the stress and rigour of over performing in the Europa League equates to better experience than the just mid table championship which I hope gives us a better chance than Villa of staying up.

Clearly Sweden is of a lower all round standard but the consistent rise through the leagues has been excellently marshalled by GP who appears to have maintained his progress at Swansea under difficult circumstances and I hope does so here.

I don’t think we can read too much into the article re finances as it’s not like they overspent dramatically by all accounts just that there’s a chance some of the funds were appropriated from questionable sources.

 

[Barham's tash]

Fully expect to see Dean Smith sacked by October.

And replaced by John Terry.

Then look forward to the sky wankfest over the first Lampard v Terry match up.