Swap Shop? A Ginga for a Minga?

In the absence of ANY credible transfer news and with our belaguered squad desperately ill-equipped for the forthcoming fixture pile-up, we're desperate to believe any old tosh at this stage.

Word is that Martin Jol has fallen out with the ginger once free-scoring full back John Arne Riise. Now despite the fact that the goal stream from the flame haired Norwegian has long since dried up, and we here at Villamad Towers always rated him more highly going forward than actually defending, he does at least have a lot of Premier League experience.

At a creaky 32 years of age, any Villa move for the Scandanavian carrot top could only be seen as panicky short-termism but we reckon we could do with a bit of panicky short-termism right now.

The deal might make more sense if we believe the part of the rumour that suggests that Riise's fellow Anfield reject, one Stephen Warnock could go in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

Unlikely as the deal sounds, anything that gets Warnock off the books can't be totally discounted.