8pints

We had a brief link to The Osasuna forward Balde, but apart from that I can't think of any other strikers.

Paul Lambert seems to be bringing in good footballers who all seem to have great work ethics (Which is why I think Holman will have a good chance with Lambert) So, in these very early days, he is looking great.

We're going to look like a box of highlighters when we play away from home. True At least they'll be able to see each other. It might help in other ways, like being able to pass the ball to a team mate rather than an opponent. My thoughts exactly, well done to Macron

Makoun (sort of) sounds like Macron, does that may mean he will (Sort of) stay? Does Guzan count as a new signing? Has he resigned yet? I don't think he has yet, has he?

Good stuff Mancini_ He helped them to promotion didn't he? Is that right? What's the Hungarian league like? Fast or slow, physical etc?

I think we're bound to have a busy two weeks because Lambert said he wants to work hard to get his squad together as quick as possible, and then have enough time to gel it together in pre-season.

I like the look of him, young, comfortable on the ball and versatile. I think he'll be a great addition to the squad at the very least. From his interview on AVTV he seems to have confidence in his own ability, which is of course a good thing. Seems to be an attack minded player. Looking forward to seeing him play And of course he has the maverick quality of experience in the Hungarian league

Do you think we won't be able to shift Hutton then KSV? Do you think no one will want him because of his poor displays? And anyone that would want him wouldn't be able to meet his wage demands? So he'll just ride out his contract? Because I worry about that.

Foxy1, I was waiting for someone to make a joke like that about my name, you're a wiley1

Avengers Assemble

I like to wear the away tops each season, looking forward to this season's lime green :/

Chris Herd is already a very accomplished footballer and a versatile player. I worry for him slightly in that there can be a tendency for managers who have a player like him, to use them as an impact super sub. After sixty minutes if there was a problem in the midfield or defence you could slot Herd in there off the bench and he'd do well. So, because of that, players like him (Milner is another one) can become frustrated by their first team regularity and/or end up playing in their weakest position and not really showcasing their full potential. In my opinion, Herds' best position is defensive midfield. He has a great engine and can clear up and intercept well whilst possessing the intelligence, ball control and pass accuracy to begin a move. He does love to dive in and sometimes that can result in him giving silly fouls away, for this reason I wouldn't play him too far back in fear of conceding free-kicks and penalties.

You've got me now because I can't find it to link it to you, but I saw an interview where Makoun spoke about his respect and how he always wanted to work with Houllier. By saying he liked him personally I didn't mean they were friends just that Makoun spoke about his great admiration for Houllier before he signed for Villa

Guzan is a great keeper. Played in arguably our best performance last season, the 3-1 win at Stamford Bridge. Even though I think Given is the better keeper, Guzan runs him closer than many second choices run their first choice keepers. Great shot stopper, has an eye to start a move with a quick kick or throw out (In this area I believe he's better than Given) and seems to have the right temprement to stay calm during penalties. He does need to be more vocal, command his box more and be stronger when crosses are coming in from open play, free kicks or corners; in those areas I think Shay Given, along with his greater experience surpassess Guzan but it's nice to have more confidence when the second choice is called upon, than most of teams seem to have.

Thanks very much

I was surprised the Feyenoord fan who started the thread saying El Ahmadi is quick, I was under the impression he was slow, not snail pace slow but not one of the quickest by any stretch of the imagination so that's a good thing to know. He does look a good player, clever and strong with fantastic work rate. Seems to have a trick or two as well as being solid defensively, a well-rounded midfielder.

Jean II Makoun has became a victim of an incomplete squad. Houllier came in with an idea but wasn't able to complete his vision and then Mcleish, a person with the opposite footballing philosophy (Regardless of what you or I think of his ability to execute it) to Houllier was brought in, leavng Makoun understandably unsure of his future. Basically, what I'm trying to say is I don't think we've seen enough of Makoun to make a rounded judgement of him. We only saw a player trying to settle in to a team in turmoil and then shipped out by the next manager. He did impress me in a lot of respects though, from what I saw, he seemed an intelligent 'pass-and-move' type player, with a great touch in a team where no one apart from Petrov, was on the same wave length as him. We don't know if Makoun was a stop-gap for Houllier or a piece of a new look Villa side because we never got the chance to really see what Houllier had in mind. I suppose the question in this pre-season will be is Karim El Ahmadi a partner or replacement to Makoun? The fact El Ahmadi has been brought, to me, shows Lambert has the kind of midfield in mind that Makoun would fit in to. Also, will Makoun even want to play for us? I agree with what a few people have said in that Makouns' decision to join us was heavily based on the chance to work with Houllier. I don't mean in the sense that Houllier was the manager who brought him, obviously that was the case but that Houllier was someone Makoun liked personally. I'd like to see Makoun in the Villa squad next season because he seems like an intelligent footballer that can add to a team but if he does leave I get the feeling we will never quite know what we are missing and hopefully won't care and will be focusing on how well El Ahmadi, Gardner, Herd, Daniel Johnson, Bannan, Grealish or another Midfield Dynamo (Insert name of new midfielder we haven't bought yet here) are playing.

I think, like a few have said before me 23-25K season tickets sold by the time the season starts will be a good number. A lot of people I've spoken to seem to be thinking along the lines of buying a ticket on a match by match basis for the beginning of the season and seeing how we're getting on, until making a decision on whether to buy a half-season ticket when they come out. Lets hope we get a few thousand of them!