Fazilla

When we signed this lad I read that he had been booed at every club he played for. When I saw the size of him I though he would be a bit of a carthorse and would need a long time to settle in. It is great to be proved wrong. Don't you wish your striker was Benteke!

I think that we could cope with injuries considering the following were not playing on Saturday: Vlaar, Ireland, El Ahmadi, Bent, N'zogbia, Agbonlahor, Albrighton, Delph, Bennett. By playing such a young team, PL has created some real competition within the squad. The senior players now know that if they don't do the business they will not get into the team. It is great to see after the favouritism shown by the likes of MON and AM.

I first saw him a couple of years ago when we beat Blackburn in the cup at VP. He got sent off that day for a crunching tackle, but I saw enough to make me think he had agreat future in the game. He played at left back and put over a dream of a cross for the Fonz to score. Just as with Gareth Barry when he first came into the team I think that playing on the left of three at the back is ideal for him at the moment. As his confidence grows I think his game will become more expansive. It is rare to see him give the ball away and he is a great defender.

It is interesting to note that when MON came to VP we had some fantastic crowds. It has been disappointing to hear the away fans singing empty seats but I am more excited about Villa under Lambert than I ever was with MON. I could see that Martin was leading the club towards financial ruin. When you see that the team we put out yeasterday included 6 from the academy, was the youngest in our prem history and cost only 13 million, you can see that the foundations being put into place are sustainable and rock solid. His transfers remind me of Sir Ron. Instead of Andy Gray read Christian Benteke, instead of Morty read Ashley Westwood. Both managers demanded a fantastic 110% work ethic. I reckon there are alot of fans who have not been to VP who are beginning to realise that in Lambert we could have the real deal. Wouldn't it be great if they could buy their half seaon tickets and really get the place rocking again.

A fantastic performance from the young lions. I have sensed for a number of weeks that we were on the up, but I feared that to-day we would get turned over. Its great to see so many of our home grown players in the team. It is a long time since I have felt so optimistic about the Villa. I just hope that some of our missing fans start to return because it is disappointing to see so many empty seats at VP this season.

This makes perfect sense, although knowing what lawyers are like we could be in for a long wait. Lawyers are like rhinos - they are short sighted and charge alot.

I would have loved to see Laudrup and Martin Laursen at Villa Park. My first choices were Martinez and OGS because I think that they would have got us playing good football. However, given the problems we have at VP, Lambert could be just right for us. Only time will tell, but it will need a very strong character to sort out the likes of Collins, Warnock, Dunne and Hutton. I think that Lambert probably has more steel about him than the other candidates and so I am very happy with our choice of manager.

Extracting Lambert & Co past few weeks has obviously been like pulling teeth. Fair play to Norwich though... We'd only want Villa to do the same surely? Not really. I think that if a manager wants to better himself a club should not stand in his way. The fact that Norwich have been so awkward is one of the reasons for us not wanting to pay compensation and the reason for the delay. Much as I don't like what he has said abourt Villa, Dave Whelan has played it quite craftily. He has allowed Martinez to talk to us and Liverpool. If he had refused, Martinez would probably have quit.

And we won't have to listen to motor mouth Whelan anymore telling us that we are not big enough for Martinez.

I see that Randy does not seem keen to pay any compensation for Lambert. I think that his last 3 compensation packages have left a sour taste and he has probably got his legal team on the ball this time.

To overcome your obvious disappointment try thinking of some of the names Randy could have gone for - Bruce, Mick or Megson.

I have been going to the Villa since 1966 and in all that time we have never lost a manager to a bigger club, apart from Graham Taylor being poached by England. If Lambert does well at Villa he will not need to go to a bigger club as he will be able to fufil his ambitions here. I certainly hope so Fazilla! I weren't saying that in a negative way towards Villa or Lambert. It just seems the way football works these days. When Ron came to Villa we were in the second division. If anybody had told me that within 8 years that we would be European Champions I would have laughed my socks off. I know that football has changed and that money rules, but with the right manager and sound investment I think Villa have the potential to compete with the big boys. It will take time, but I hope Lambert is the man to finally move us towards our place at the top table.

I have been going to the Villa since 1966 and in all that time we have never lost a manager to a bigger club, apart from Graham Taylor being poached by England. If Lambert does well at Villa he will not need to go to a bigger club as he will be able to fufil his ambitions here.

My expectations would be mid table safety. I would like to see him play attacking football. I would lose patience with him if he showed favouritism to players who deserved to be dropped and refused to make substitutions like a number of managers we have had in recent times.

Spot on. Of all the candidates I would have been happy with OGS, Martinez and Lambert in that order. However, the job at Villa is a tough one dealing with the bad apples in the camp. Perhaps RL thought that Lambert would be the best one to sort out the mess. You couldn't get more dour than Ron Saunders, but we all loved him because he got Villa playing great football and its what happens on the pitch that is important. If Lambert is dour but gets us playing anything like the way we played under Ron, the fans will soon stop moaning.

I think Paul Lambert has had a disagreement with his employers.

A friend of mine worked at Wolves when Hoddle was there. He was aloof and very unpopular among the staff. He would be a disaster for Villa. Now that BR and RM are out of the running it has got to be PL.

I hope your dad is right because I think that Martinez would be great for Villa. However, I have the feeling that your dad is pulling your plonker. Tbh I don't even believe him - but i'll pass on the information from his "source" nonetheless. If it was true I am sure motor mouth DW would have said something, but he isn't in this country at the moment.

I hope your dad is right because I think that Martinez would be great for Villa. However, I have the feeling that your dad is pulling your plonker.

I doubt if RL and PF have heard of Laudrup, unles he is on Jurgen's list.

Some one like Graeme Souness for example? Be way left field but nothing pleasant about it. Hopefully not someone like Graeme Souness. That wouldn't be a pleasant surprise now, would it? It would be very unpleasant as would Bruce, Mick or Megson.

I hope they know something that we don't. Lambert would be great.

Don't think it says anything about the money being made available. Think they are looking for something new and different to add to the table. At this moment in time we have no idea how much money will be avialable Why are we being linked with managers who have been recently sacked?

At first I was impressed witht the names we were being linked with such as OGS, Martinez and Lambert as they all fit into the vibrancy criteria. However, to be linked with the likes of Gareth Southgate is worrying. Yet again it shows how out of touch RL and PF. Southgate walked out on us because we did not match his ambition so that should put him out of the running for any future employment at VP. We seem to be running out of options and I can see KMac being appointed on a short term contract. Although not ideal, I would prefer this to some of the desperate names being banded about.

Ken McNaught?