The Richard Dunne deal will happen because if the rules can be bent slightly for Arsenal then they can be bent slightly for Aston Villa. I fully expect to see Dunne in claret and blue sometime today and it is a good signing. Now, if someone somewhere really cocked up, that is another thing, but I can't see it happening or I can't see it not getting fixed with a well placed telephone call.
The power of the telephone is an amazing thing. One telephone call and everything can change and you're thinking I'm mad, which I often worry about too, but I had a telephone call with someone last night which eventually got round to football which is where this post begins.
Basically, he's a Spurs fan and he joked a little about our transfer window and boasted quite a bit about their start. You can't argue with their start, so I didn't get into that, but our transfer window wasn't bad. Maybe not what expected, but still very good and I called him on it and I even said to him I was posting this today, based on our phone call, so here it is.
We now have cover for every position, either with experienced Premier League players or some very exciting and talented players that we are all itching to see more of and while we didn't maybe get the 'top class' or '£30mn player' we were led to hope was coming, if Martin O'Neill doesn't do it this season, when the team is very much his team, then we are well within our right to demand it next summer.
We won't need to demand it next summer though as better money will be available and as long as O'Neill can keep hold of the players he has he will only need to add one or two more and with the little bit of money he'll make with the players he replaces, he'll only need to spend £10mn more than he did this summer and we'll have some real quality.
But I'm wobbling, let's look at the team. I think it fair to assume that we are going to play four-five-one this season and if we do that, defensively we are more protected but we also have more quality. Young has cover with Beye, Cueller has cover with Collins, Davies and Dunne can battle it out while Shorey and Warnock can battle it out with Bouma when he is back.
In midfield we've got Albrighton and Milner on one side with Young and Downing, when fit, on the other and in the middle we can pick from Petrov, Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Gardner, and Delph. As long as O'Neill sticks with 4-5-1 you will always have a very solid three from that and fingers crossed, you'll always have someone that can run box to box, someone that likes to score goals and lots of determination.
Up front, we appear to have too many players almost and now that O'Neill has seen the real benefit to playing 4-5-1, we maybe have one or two that are surplus to requirements. O'Neill should be able to, all season long, pick from Carew, Gabby, Heskey and Delfouneso. Harewood should go out on loan only because I think him not playing is a waste and slightly unfair on the player.
Add to those players above the ones I've not even mentioned and you have to be confident that we have enough players in the squad to sustain a push this season; it's just about them all giving 100% and it working and Martin O'Neill using them instead of just having them sit on the bench every game or not even making the bench.
Overall, a satisfactory transfer window and as long as O'Neill sticks with 4-5-1 this season, I'm going to stick with my prediction of 4th in the league. Yes, you might say I'm buying the hope, but these are his players and his team now and if he can't do it with these players, then it might very well be a case of he'll never do it, so I'm putting my belief in Martin O'Neill and at the same time, hoping for a good cup run.
It is never easy and it usually always takes very good performances from most of the team all season for it to come good and you need stability. Manchester United just make it look easy, it still takes lots of work, lots of crosses and lots of passing and we are going to be better this season than we were last season.
It really is possible this season and now is the time to put your concerns and fears to one side, support the team and believe it can happen. The first rule is believing it can happen, really believing it will and can happen, not just hoping. If you can't get past that first rule right now, it's okay, just go away and think about it. Everyone is welcome at the church of Aston Villa.
Forget faith though. Faith is hope and hope raises too many grey areas, just believe.
I'm going to for the next few months as I fancy I'll enjoy the season more and there is nothing any of us can do to change it now so it's a case of me deciding what the next few months are going to be like for me (although expect some downs with the ups along the way). Time for you to decide now.