Dr_Pangloss

Need to create more.

We're actually playing football. El Ahamdi looks a player don't he.

Ireland should have done much better with that space.

Merson is nothing but a babbling brook of bullshit.

There's no real quality on the bench for us, if we're in the shit, i.e. a goal down with 20 minutes to go, there's no one on that bench that can come on and change the game, that's a real worry for me because he aren't gonna just show up and 'see West Ham off'. It's going to be a very tough and competitive game.

Bannan can add a spark, Weimann can score a goal. I'm not concerned by the bench. The first team could do with a little strengthening, but the bench worries me less.

Hmm well I hope if we are in the shit late on then it'll be Bannan crossing for Weimann to score.

I like Weimann, I don't like Bannan that much. I don't think they can be banked on as game changers at all though.

All that said, it is early days and Lambert does have a big job in changing this team. There's problems all over the gaff and as you say, the bench isn't the biggest problem we have.

I think the defence is our major problem.

God I love Stevie Ireland. He will be out most important player this season.

Big season for him, he has done **** all in a Villa shirt thus far. I personally think he's far too inconsistent and really a luxury player. I hope he proves me wrong though.

There's no real quality on the bench for us, if we're in the shit, i.e. a goal down with 20 minutes to go, there's no one on that bench that can come on and change the game, that's a real worry for me because he aren't gonna just show up and 'see West Ham off'. It's going to be a very tough and competitive game.

i find it worrying that PL thinks Delph is a DM...

his tackling isn't even that good let alone his distribution to start off attacks...

he is a winger all day long and not a great one at that...

Herd should be in there

Delph is definitely not a winger. He's a central midfielder. I do agree that he's not a DM though. I see Delph as a box-to-box CM.

What makes you think he would score more than Gabby? He has only done that once in his premier league career (2010-2011 season).

Like Dempsey a lot, but theres nothing like 'refusing to play and breach of contract etc' to put you off a player.

1 good season last year and now his billy bollocks.

I read some stat that in the last 3 years, Dempsey was only behind Rooney and RVP in goals scored. He has been a consistent goal getting for quite a few seasons now. He knows he is in the prime of his career and wants to move up. He makes less that 60k a week at fulham and probably thinks he deserves more, which I'd agree with based on his abilities.

It's hard to square that sort of argument with football fans though. Dempsey earns more money in one week than the average annual wage in this country. Poor him, we really share in his pain.

I personally think he's a complete word removed.

He banged in one goal in twenty last season, what's the going rate for one of those?

Free transfer might be decent business OR equivalently swapping him with Hutton, anything else would be bad bad bad.

Too old and too similar to what is already at the club wouldn't want him here.

As said above proved at Spuds him and Bent don't play together

Spot on lads.

I feel bad for Dempsey, poor bastard is on what £30-40k a week?

Yep, could well be yet another South American hype-job that will look out of his depth in a proper league.

Throughout his career he has essentially been a 1 in 3 man, and he's not exactly a creative player outside of that. Is he really worth £10+ million?

Whether it would be a good signing or not depends on the price. For instance, I wouldn't class anything above £8 million as being good business for a player like Fletcher.

That could work, although I don't have a huge amount of faith in the capabilities of N'Zogbia or the consistency of Ireland. I hope to God Lambert can get the 'best' out of them...

He's a goalscorer but too similar to Bent, we need a different type of striker.

Exactly, we need a compliment for bent. Either a good target man or a creative type that can play off of him.

Defoe is too similar in the sense that he wants to play off the last man, be the main number 9 and is very, very selfish in front of goal.

A Defoe and Bent partnership didn't seem to work very well at Spurs a few seasons ago...

I think it's highly likely that Ramírez will flop in this league, especially at a team like Southampton. I wouldn't get too jealous.

Why is it?

Ok 'highly' is maybe a bit too far. I just think there's always a big risk attached to players like Ramírez.

He hasn't had a huge amount of caps for Uruguay, he has only had two seasons in Italian football. Also, the Italian league isn't exactly strong any more. So he's hardly a top, proven player.

There's no guarantee that he'll do well, Southampton know that they've taken a big gamble given the money spent on him. It's certainly not a signing that I'm looking at and thinking 'I wish' that was us.

I think it's highly likely that Ramírez will flop in this league, especially at a team like Southampton. I wouldn't get too jealous.

The squad has a lot of unknowns about it.

How will the likes of Bannan, Albrighton, Weimann and Clark do under a progressive manager?

How good are the new signings? Lambert really needs his new signings to produce. The fact he places a big emphasis on character makes me think they should do.

Will the likes of Ireland, N'Zogbia and Bent work in the tactics we want to employ?

Therefore I understand why some people are worried about the squad. However I like the thought of hungry players with something to prove as opposed to the average squad of large earners teams like QPR are putting together. I expect Lambert to have his team fired up. I think we will become a bit of an Everton in time. If that means top 8 finishes for the next few years, then I am fine with that.

Yes, well they are 'known, unknowns'.

I think it's sink or swim for many of them, Lambert will give them a chance this season, a proper chance, but if they blow it they'll be out.

I still think we're two or three signings short, hopefully that will be addressed before the window shuts.

This season is really a transition, I don't expect much.

Spurs have no forwards apart from him, so even if they did sign like two, would they still be willing to get rid?

Personally I think at the right price he could be decent. But I do find him to be a limited player, plus 30 this year so has no re-sale value. I think we need something different, i.e. someone that can actually play with Bent. Him and Bent would be too similar.

Thought I'd throw this out there for a bit of fun, my top 10 P4P list:

Andre Ward

Floyd Mayweather

Manny Pacquiao

Sergio Martinez

Nonito Donaire

Juan Manuel Marquez

Wlad Klitschko

Carl Froch

Tim Bradley

Chad Dawson

What's yours?

lol well if he does go pro, given his inexperience he'll have to fight bums for a few years, if they step him up too fast he'll get his career ended before it started.

Also, I'm really excited for the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr vs Sergio Martinez fight this time next month. Going to be really interesting and I hope to see Martinez knock Junior the F out.

Yeah he has some talent, staying at amateur is perhaps smart given he apparently has only been boxing for 3 years, it'll give him chance to learn and improve without the serious danger of getting knocked out. He's defence is poor so he really needs to improve that.

He has the height and weapons to do well at h/w, by the time he goes pro the Klitschko's will have retired so who knows what the h/w will look like in the future.