HalfTimePost

Just to top off a so far great day... FC Ingolstadt hope to announce Henke as their assistant manager... Source Theres also a quote a Villa fan on twitter has found where FC Ingolstadt have apparently said:

Thank ****. Well atleast he knows where the issues are. He isn't oblivious to the need for steel in midfield. Thats calmed me a bit.

He hasnt been scoring from that position. He scores when he is played up front with Benteke.

It says Ajax rejected us and he said it has 'ultimately worked out well' as he has now got a regular place in the Ajax team. He didn't reject us and if anything it sounds like he was up for the move until it was rejected and then he knuckled down and won himself his place.

Ha, yeah I obviously wasnt being serious. But I dont think Lerner is fit to run the place and nor is Faulkner.

Lerner needs to go. I kind of half wish theres a way we could impeach Lerner, appoint our own Head of the Board to run the place...but still have access to Lerner's money. This could happen...right? Lambert needs to stay, and he needs to be adequately backed. But he also needs to speed up in the transfer market and start rectifying some of the big mistakes he has made. Oh and perhaps show some passion when we are being battered.

If Moussa Sissoko is available we simply have to be in for him. He'd add some steel to our midfield, can defend and get forward.

Wouldnt surprise me if Rafa was chosen to be disliked. Cause then if he does well and Abramovich wants him gone, he can do so without backlash from the fans. Where as when Di Matteo was hired and did well he couldnt exactly not give him the job after winning the cup.

Well there goes the one nice link we've had since the window opened.

Of the 15 goals we conceded over Christmas we only conceded 3 with Westwood on the pitch. First 3 vs Chelsea, then he got took off Chelsea scored 5. 0-0 vs Spurs, he gets taken off 4-0...

Sky Sports News SambaFoot Gianluca Di Marzio (Sky Sports Italia Reporter)

SSN

A bloke called @Bodymoorheathsc tweeted earlier that we made a £9m bid (€11m) for Coutinho...then later on that it had been rejected just before the Sky Italia guys said it had been rejected. Could still be BS but the same account has said we have lodged a bid for Cavanda BODYMOOR HEATH SCOOP @BODYMOORHEATHSC The £9m bid for Coutinho was rejected.#avfc - 6 hours ago BODYMOOR HEATH SCOOP @BODYMOORHEATHSC Lambert has been told by Lerner that he will have significant funds to invest this month. Very concerned behind the scenes. #AVFC - 1 day ago BODYMOOR HEATH SCOOP @BODYMOORHEATHSC Paul has made an offer to Lazio for promising defender Luis Cavanda. #AVFC - 2 days ago BODYMOOR HEATH SCOOP @BODYMOORHEATHSC Aston Villa have submitted a £9m bid for Phillipe Coutinho. #AVFC - 2 days ago EDIT: DHV beat me to it

Gianluca Di Marzio

Still need a Centre back (or 2 if Vlaar is a while away) a DM, a CM and a winger/striker too -----------Guzan Lowton-Vlaar*-Kjaer-Cavanda ------------Kvist ---Westwood-Stephens ---------Coutinho ----Benteke-Weimann *Abdoulaye Ba or Toby Alderweireld if we aren't sure about Vlaar coming back ASAP. could stay up and has more experience than we currently have.

He's head of European scouting...how do we know the links to Coutinho aren't of his making? I would suggest every European signing we make from now on would have had his input somewhere along the line

He is the right man for the job. But Lerner and Henke need to influence his movements in the market. Young and hungry. Yes. More currently-developed and of a higher quality needed. Also more experience needed.

Get a grip, he doesn't deserve to go, he needs backing. That said he got it truly wrong yesterday. We only have 3 players in any kind of 'good' form: Guzan Weimann Benteke. Why was only one of these played in their correct position? (Benteke) and he only ever seems to work well when Weimann is partnering him, not being left stranded out on the right wing, whilst NZogbia - a player who has publicly stated he prefers playing on that right wing - tries to play through the middle. It's not like Ash Young, a player who is best on the wing trying to force being played through the middle. NZogbia knows he's best on the right yet Lambert stuck Weimann out there. Weimann has scored in every single one of our last 5 games in which we have scored. WHY WAS HE ON THE **** WING? Substitutions: Gabby off - WHY? We were having luck down the wings, we just needed threats down both sides. I have no doubt we chose the right starting 11 yesterday but the formation choice was ridiculous. Gabby should have been left on. If he really needed to bring Bent on then it should have been Weimann to come off who had been missing until then but Weimann wouldn't have been missing if he wasnt being played as a makeshift winger. Bennett - how, when we have Stevens and Lichaj on the bench is Bennett not subbed at half time? I dont rate any of our options at left back but it was clearly not working for Bennett and for him to be left on all game was ridiculous, he was at fault for 2 of the 3 corners we scored from and countless more. Weimann tried coming back at one point, gave Bennett the ball with loads of room and tried to coax him forwards, he had absolutely loads of time, Bennett refused and knocked the ball to Delph. He was a bag of nerves, he should of been subbed - for himself if not for the team. Lambert threw him to the wolves by leaving him on. Ireland - we were being over run in midfield, conceding goals and not keeping possession. Where the **** was he? He should have been on at half time for Bannan or just after half time. To not see him at all was pathetic. Burke - What!? If we are winning 4-0 by all means throw Burke and Carruthers on. But not when we are clearly struggling. Pathetic performance from Lambert last night, he just sat there looking completely lost, didnt shout, say anything to the players on the pitch. Just sat there looking bemused and his press conference afterwards was awful 'We always know it's coming with set pieces we never defend them well' Why is he saying stuff like this and not sorting it? The transfer window has been open for 9 days to buy somebody new if he cant coach his current players to defend them... also if he knows Bradford are good at set pieces (they are) and we are bad at them... WHY PLAY GIVEN AND NOT GUZAN??? The only player we have fit capable of dealing with a cross.

I think we'll end up being something similar to a Premier League Udinese.

I think a move to either a Prem team on loan or a permanent move away from Man City is on the cards considering they've cancelled his loan 5 months early. But having said that, according to WhoScored he has only made 8 appearances at Twente. And only 1 of those is a start in the Eredivisie (his other 2 starts in the Europa League) and the rest off of the bench. So it might just be a case of him not getting the playing time they thought he would. If he cant get a game at Twente I cant see a Prem team taking him just yet.

Wasnt it quiet when we signed Bent too? Then it all went a bit mental and it was something like the biggest spending January in ages?

I would only be counting the ones signed from Foreign teams Guzan Makoun Weimann KEA Holman Vlaar Benteke Carew Bradley

Not sure we can count Petrov, Cuellar (bought from Scotland), Ireland, Dunne, Stevens, Collins, Given and even Pires. 'Foreign' players may be but not exactly a way of showing our overseas scouting.

...Vlaar.