PandaMac

Paul Lambert's career highlight as a player was winning the Champions League with Dortmund. Clearly the hiring of his former coach there as our new head scout shows that his affiliation with them still runs deep.

So bearing that in mind, let's consider the Dortmund of today - having paid the price for expensive signings, even having to sell their stadium, a hungry young manager came in with the task of signing similar minded players. Some of those he signed two years ago are now household names or playing elsewhere after high profile transfers.

Nuri Sahin was deemed too slow for the BL but Klopp turned him into a formidable playmaker. Hummels was signed from Bayyern who deemed him not good enough and partnered him at centre half with Subotic. Kagawa, now at Utd, was signed from the Japanese second division. Großkreutz from the German second.

Is Lambert trying to replicate their approach? You'd be foolish to thnk it hasn't crossed his mind.

This article tells the whole story of Dortmund's resurgence. It could almost be a parallel to our own. We hope!

Fantastic article and a model you would hope we could follow.

I think the crowd with take to this recruitment campaign in a way they havn't with the prima donna's

I think you will see a synergy between the crowd and these youngs lads that hasn't been seen in years.

I might be wrong, but I sense something different is happening.

Did you go to the everton game?

You think those that were annoyed and frustrated won't be know because we've signed 3 lower league players and a kid from Belgium?

I think you're in for a surprise at the final whistle against Swansea if we've lost.

I think people were angry at the fact that we were 3 - 0 down at half time and TBH fan's of most team's would do the same. As far as I remember there were no boo's at full time even though we only really showed up in the last 20 minute's.

This for me show's the fan's will take to Lambert and the player's he's signed.

I'm very optimistic for September and the rest of the season. Unlike some other's, I'm happy with what we've done in the transfer market and I feel that our first 11 when fully fit is good enough to get us around 10th. Maybe we could have a bit more depth but I think 10 - 12 team's in the prem could say the same thing and people seem to forget this because of how unlucky we were with injuries the last 2 season's.

Also don't understand this big deal of prem experience, I'd rather have what seem's to be good leader's in Vlaar and KEA and young player's with big potential like Lowton and Bennett ( Both of whom I really rate ).

Great buy and I'm sure he'll come good and get a fair amount of goals. Will also partner bent well.

I know where you're coming from and a lot of what modern football is now also annoys me but that feeling I get when we've just won a game and I'm walking out of villa park cannot be replaced by anything. After all at the end of the day I support Aston villa, not the individuals that make up the team.

Just seen on ssn "sky sources" linking us with about 3 or 4 strikers. If these sources are correct you'd have to be confident of getting one in.

which ones?

Obviously beneteke and I saw gouffran linked aswell. There was one more but I can't remember who it was.

Just seen on ssn "sky sources" linking us with about 3 or 4 strikers. If these sources are correct you'd have to be confident of getting one in.

Can I just ask which player's we've lost this summer without replacing that has got everyone so worried? If McLeish can keep this team in the premier league I'm very confident Lambert can as well. Yes it would be great to get a few more signing's but we will stay up either way IMO.

Let's remember the window hasn't shut yet as well.

All we need is a LB and a winger, with quality and experience. Sure a DM and a striker/link up ACM would be nice but it's not needed to stay up this season. 2 player's and I'd be happy.

It's match day people. Get your head in the game. Else we'll be defeated before we kick off.

Indeed.

Can't we wait until the window close's to start slating the way the club is going about it's transfer business. We might go out and sign 5 player's next week, truth is non of us know.

Agreed. Not sure about top 10 but definitely top 12. I think people have let McLeish get to them. We may not be great but we aren't as bad as he made us look.

McLeish may have had a negative effect, but you also need to remember that this is largely the same squad that has nearly got relegated for two years on the trot.

Good players will get results to some extent under any manager - this lot have failed to for two seasons now and (at the moment at least) we're still counting...

Yes but those last two season's we were being managed by clueless idiot's, so with a much better manager there is no reason why we shouldn't finish 10th - 12th.

Under Houllier we also had Young and Downing and therefore a better squad, but the team this year is better than last year imo and I'm confident that we will sign more player's still.

Such a shame for one of the brighter prospect's at the club. It's bad enough to get one of these injuries but two is bloody awful, especially at a young age.

I know opinion is split on here but I thought he was going to be one of the best player's at this club in the next few season's, well he still might be but it will be very difficult now.

I've narrowed it down to two candidates...

We are definitely of the same generation

If we're going that direction though I would suggest either:

Bring's back so many good memory's of the first sonic game. Shame it's gone downhill.

Well everyone has a right to be nervous. We have just lost against a newly promoted side and most likely will lose against Everton for our first game at home.

That said, it was 1-0 not 5-0. While we were not the better team we were not shite either. We played some good football and our new style is absolutley the right way to be playing.

I will give it till the end of the transfer window before I start really getting scared.

Why is it likely? I think that will be quite a closely contested game. We'll draw IMO.

Well because Everton are a top ten side. We have been fighting to stay up. The days of us being on a par with the likes of Everton are long gone I am afraid. Lets hope by the end of the season we will have strengthened enough to be back to pushing for top ten, but right now, well , its unrealistic to think beyond a loss against Everton I think. Sadly.

Yeah us beating Everton is about as ludicrous as a newly promoted side beating a team that's been ever present in he premier league.

We weren't shite today and I see no reason why we cant beat Everton next week.

Think we got sold a Lemon, when we bought Noggy.

I just dont understand why he is incapable of doing This In a Villa shirt

bugger me we have bought enough lemons in recent times to feed a lemonade factory.

That video makes me even more baffled as to how N'Zogbia hasn't actually done anything for us in the entire time we've had him. It's almost as if he's lost all of his talent :|

Almost as if he got a big money move and stopped caring.

Don't understand why people want a striker, I mean yes it would be nice but there are 3 position's that we need to strengthen first.

Think a LB and Winger is what we need most but we also need that DM who will just sit by himself in front of the back four and allow the other midfielder's to get forward. KEA ad Delph just aren't those kind of player's.

Making a change. At least PL is trying to do something about it.

Now that we've played 45 minutes, it's set in stone that we need a LB and a Winger. Top priority for me.

Nothing phase's concrete Ron.

Nothing phase's concrete Ron.

Surprised Baker got the start at LB. Thought Lichaj would have gotten the nod, Baker playing well though.

Vlaar is a beast!

CONCRETE RON!

I know it's only been 9 minute's but the passing and movement already look pretty good.

Been banging on about Jermain Defoe for years, ideally we would have signed him 2-3 years ago. Even now though he'd very much improve the squad we have, people talking about Bent, Gabby, Weimann and Delfouneso being a decent prem strikeforce to have are kidding themselves. If Bent gets injured not one of those strikers is capable of getting into double figures even if they played the whole season.

Gabby has already proven he can get double figures and I'd have faith that weimann would if he played the whole season.