Daweii

Confident words.. We'll see you next season, don't think it'll end how you want though.

You also have to realise they aren't needed until the players come off holiday/euro duty.. Lambert is the priority as he can do a lot over the next few weeks Culverhouse and Karsa can't unless Karsa is what I think he is and he typically does the transfers, but maybe Karsa has already done his job giving Lambert a list of players that have now been given to Faulkner to buy.

I think from what I've heard Norwich weren't all that professional in the Lambert deal so Lerner doesn't want to give them a penny if he can help it.

Chris Hughton is joining Norwich and will be bringing his backroom staff with him leaving Culverhouse and Karsa without jobs so unless they join another manager which is unlikely they will come to Villa. I think we are waiting for them to get released so we don't have to pay Norwich for their services.

Not good news at all. :|Let me quote JPM here "You cannot be serious man"Are you trying to say that you disagree with me that that's bad news or do you think there will indeed be an overhaul? I do disagree because shipping out our entire back four like many want is suicide. It's hard enough buying in 4 new defenders that are used to the Premier League and getting them to gel let alone doing that with possible foreign talent that have never played in this league. We saw how much Makoun struggled now imagine if Makoun was a centre back.. We need to take it slow. Lambert needs to ship out who he thinks is a lost cause and try and get some of the players who aren't working right now working again.. He can't go in and sell half our squad that's an unrealistic ask.

Top 10 and a promising spell in the transfer market. I'm not looking for cup wins though they would be a nice bonus Gah double post, didn't mean to do that..

Top 10 and a promising spell in the transfer market. I'm not looking for cup wins though they would be a nice bonus

Most are still on holiday and after the season they just had I don't blame them for trying to forget they have a job to come back to, when they come back from pre-season I think we'll get a few more opinions on the man from a few of the players.

The flyer may have been designed when we were still contractually obligated to put the Nike swoosh everywhere. I know it looks out of place now, but if it was designed before May 31st it would have had to have had it.

Wonder what that's all about? Normally termination of employment with immediate effect is for Gross Misconduct. I'd take that as meaning he isn't in for the Villa assistant manager role and that either has done something very wrong or hasn't lived up to club expectations. Normally in a case like this he would just resign if he Lambert approached him and he wanted the Villa post, he wouldn't be fired.

I'd say yes to Holt if it was guaranteed he was going to score another 15 goals in the league this coming season. He'd be a good replacement for Heskey and the idea that he could once again score 15 goals maybe more in a better team is nice to have.. I still think we should focus on Bent and Weimann as our strike partnership though.

Nothing has been said yet.. I recall something earlier saying Lambert would prefer his backroom team to stay together, so I'd assume he'd do his best to get them here. I'd also assume that with Norwich getting a new manager Ian and Gary would be out of a job anyway as the next manager will want his own staff more than likely.. I am 95% confident that his backroom staff are with him.

Ah I see, not all that clued up on such matters. I apologise for being ignorant I just assumed that something like that would bring in quite a bit of money.

Don't forget HUTTON!!!!! If he does that - hes pretty much going to have to blow his whole budget on a new defence - or play the kids. I d be tempted to keep at least Dunne I think Lambert is going to have to evaluate who he thinks the biggest weak links are. He can't get rid of all of them as much as we want him to as if we started first game next season with an entirely new back four possibly consisting of European players that have never played in the Premier League, we could get massacred. I think Lambert should ship out Dunne and Warnock this summer and try to get Collins and Hutton pulling in the right direction. To me it's not a case of not being able to afford 4 new defenders + a midfielder + a striker as we could with sensible buying, it's more for me that if we start with a completely unproven back four we could get destroyed.

QIA aren't fictional. I had to snigger at that fictional tag, it's one of the dumbest things I've ever read on here. Just for clarity, I don't think QIA are buying Randy out and never did. I do, however, believe the possibility that they may buy a stake. Who knows, we may be playing our home games at the Qatar Foundation Stadium. The DE stand may become the al-Thani stand! I'm actually ok with that.. A few years ago I'd have probably been against it but Villa Park would still be Villa Park to me even if it was named the QIA Arena or something. If renaming it meant we had an extra £30 million a year to spend on top of the £20 million Lerner normally gives then I'm ok with it.. It could even mean that some years Lerner doesn't give anything towards transfers which will suit him and yet the club doesn't suffer..

I thought that at first but I doubt it. I think Lerner will stay and spend instead. Maybe, but Richard's change has been very drastic recently. Even if Lerner was going to spend a lot I'm still not entirely sure Richard would trust him, yet he seems certain we're going to enjoy "what's coming". Yeah I feel the same as the change was drastic and fast as if someone he knows that is practically never wrong has told him that an ultra rich arab is buying Villa.

1. I think the statement was kept brief because much of the time the extra lines are used to say how professional the other team had been, Norwich weren't professional from what I've heard so we said nothing. 2. Press conference is on Wednesday after the long bank holiday weekend.. 3. Lambo, Lambo!, LAMBO!!!

After reading their comments I hope Norwich **** off back to the Championship where they belong. They think they are our rivals? Our rivals are the likes of Liverpool like it's always been.

The same Lambert who's Colchester side smashed you 7-1 before leaving them a few days later to join you? The same Lambert that took that side that got hammered to a League 1 title that same season? Yeah I am sure Lambert was nothing before you took a risk with him.. Give it up seriously. I get you are bitter, you think we don't understand that? Villa fans know more than most what it is like to have a top man poached from them as we have gone through it practically every Summer for 3 seasons, we get your feelings just be happy for Lambert..

Now I just hope Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa are coming with him.. Either way Welcome Paul!!

And you're quibbling over paying it? Wow, what a big club you are. And when you do eventally have him and a top 6 club suddenly needs a manager, enjoy looking over your shoulder. Try and comprehend this.. Lerner is refusing to pay the compensation because McNally breached a clause in Lambert's contract by refusing to let him talk to us initally.. That typically means the contract no longer counts and we shouldn't have to pay a thing..

Head of Football Operations sounds to me like he assumes a more Director of Football type role. I have heard Ian Culverhouse is the brains of the whole outfit, he does tactics and team selection.. One could assume Gary Karsa does transfers and liaises with the board. From what I've heard Paul Lambert sticks to his strengths which is man management and morale, he is effectively useless without the other two.

Who? His Assistant Manager Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa their Head of Football Operations.

I think they are.. I believe that is why movement on hiring him was delayed as we were negotiating getting them.

I do think that he can't be faulted for his lack of movement overseas.. This is pretty much the first club he's been at that can facilitate the transfer of players from around Europe, sure he could have looked at them while at Colchester or Norwich but would they have come? Probably not. He may cast his net out further once he's at a club that can lure the players in..