The latest in the long line of players rising from obscurity to stardom is Barry Bannan. Following the likes of Young, Downing, Milner, Barry, etc. is the little Scotsman that has proven to be a massive talent.
Of course, this massive talent, whilst good for Villa, has put him on Fergie's wish list (if speculation and rumours are to be believed). Whilst this is good for Bannan's confidence, it is not particularly good for the Villa supporters.
It is accepted that players improve and players move on, but Villa have become synonymous with selling their best players in recent seasons, and no matter what they admit, the managers of the other clubs will see Villa as a club that will ALWAYS sell if they push hard enough (Dalglish, for example).
Daniel Levy had the right approach in the close-season with the Modric situation, and he has proven that he meant what he said. At last - an owner that is willing to tell his employees what to do, and not the other way around!
Unfortunately for Villa, we have an owner that seems very keen to take the money for transfer fees. The summer was evidence of that, and despite his previous spending spree with MON, his till now seems to have closed.
The concern is, obviously, that Fergie will come in with an offer for Bannan in January. Bannan may have already been tempted by the prospect (and Ashley Young), which will leave it to the owner and the manager. McLeish will probably be persuaded by his old mentor, which will leave Lerner to make the decision alone. It is not really a situation that Villa fans will want him to be in, given his recent conduct.
After the managerial turmoil, Villa need to keep hold of their best players. Bannan is definitely one of the best players in terms of supply for strikers, so it is imperative that Villa keep him no matter what they are offered for him.
To sell him in January, following the summer Villa fans had, it will be a worrying sign that every player has a price tag on them. Solidarity is required on all fronts if the decent start of the season is to continue. Villa fans do not want a repeat of last season or the summer, so, with all due respect, Fergie should be told now to clear off.
It is to be hoped that Bannan shows more allegiance than Judas Downing.