rodders0223

After reflecting on it, I actually think Cole could be a bit of a masterstroke signing. As I read on the Hammers forum, he was played out wide for the past two years, and it isn't his position and he had to do a lot of running, a lot of defensive and donkey work, and his legs aren't what they were. ....but playing in the middle, with the runners we have got around him, I think he could bring a lot to the team.I am thinking Merson, not Ginola. ...but yes, it was on Mansfield

He has been overweight for the best part of 2 years, it is nothing new and clearly nothing he has any interest in working on.

The level of opposition has no bearing on how well he can control or pass the ball. Yeah, there is no difference between some league two muppet pressing you and Matic, Yaya, Gerrard and Ramires. Well maybe not Gerrard.

Wasn't totally shite in a pre season friendly against a league 2 side. Get him signed him and get the captains armband on him. Jeez. Infact, why have we even allowed him to go into the season with one year left on his contract? Lambert out, Lerner out, Keane out, sack the board,bring back Ellis.

Benzema would be the first one I would be replacing. Very good striker but never world class, and rarely does it when it matters the most. What does that mean? He was pretty brilliant in the champions league semis against bayern this season. That matters a lot Just my opinion but those type of performances are few and far between. The bayern game an example for me, when Real or France are on top then yeah he is an asset, but for me when their backs are against the wall or it is a tight game he just doesn't seem to come up with the goods. He is not a one chance, one goal striker. I think he is a bit of a bottler. Would definitely improve a team like Arsenal though.

Wait until he builds the team in his vision and starts buying your standard big ***tards like Kenwynes Jones', Crouchies, Palacios', Jeromes and Kitsons at £5-10m a pop.

Benzema would be the first one I would be replacing. Very good striker but never world class, and rarely does it when it matters the most.

No, you are right. In the midst of relegation battles we should definitely be handed out new contracts, and pay rises, and who is to say he would want to commit amongst the uncertainty. But no, erveryone is an idiot, in hindsight. .

For that, you need a plan. Not the Lerner 5 year plan or a plan for a lot of money from rich owners. Those things are beyond Lambert's control. I mean a plan on how you can compete on a football field. It's not easy when you don't have a lot of quality players - but football is a team game and is not won by balance sheets. It doesn't have to overly elaborate: - Start with a modern football philosophy (e.g. movement, ball retention, short passes, keep the ball on the ground) - Work to a formation, with well defined roles - Find players that fit those roles - Drill this into your players and coaches at all levels. Will this bring immediate results? Of course not. But there should be improvement over the short term and medium term. So is Lambert doing this? I doubt it. I see nothing resembling any sort of plan in the football being played over the last 2 seasons. Is Lerner to blame for that? Nope. He's to blame for the quality of player available to us but not for the style of football being produced. The simple truth is that Lambert does NOT need better players to introduce this "plan". The day when we can afford/attract them may never come - new owner or not. He needs to work in the present so that, if that day comes, we are ready to step up instead of just getting started. Sadly, imo, this is beyond his capabilities. His football is archaic and quintessentially English. And it's failing. In fact, I'd level that at most of the managers we have had since I started supporting Villa 20 years ago despite brief flirtations with European football. We need a complete turn around in our football philosophy. Getting a manager outside of Britain (for only the 3rd time, ever) might be a good start. I agree, let's bring Dr Jo back. For that, you need a plan. Not the Lerner 5 year plan or a plan for a lot of money from rich owners. Those things are beyond Lambert's control. I mean a plan on how you can compete on a football field. It's not easy when you don't have a lot of quality players - but football is a team game and is not won by balance sheets. It doesn't have to overly elaborate: - Start with a modern football philosophy (e.g. movement, ball retention, short passes, keep the ball on the ground) - Work to a formation, with well defined roles - Find players that fit those roles - Drill this into your players and coaches at all levels. Will this bring immediate results? Of course not. But there should be improvement over the short term and medium term. So is Lambert doing this? I doubt it. I see nothing resembling any sort of plan in the football being played over the last 2 seasons. Is Lerner to blame for that? Nope. He's to blame for the quality of player available to us but not for the style of football being produced. The simple truth is that Lambert does NOT need better players to introduce this "plan". The day when we can afford/attract them may never come - new owner or not. He needs to work in the present so that, if that day comes, we are ready to step up instead of just getting started. Sadly, imo, this is beyond his capabilities. His football is archaic and quintessentially English. And it's failing. In fact, I'd level that at most of the managers we have had since I started supporting Villa 20 years ago despite brief flirtations with European football. We need a complete turn around in our football philosophy. Getting a manager outside of Britain (for only the 3rd time, ever) might be a good start. I agree, let's bring Dr Jo back.

Do you do anything other than moan?

To re-build a whole team? Yeah thats shit load. Whilst reducing the wage bill? I think he has done a fantastic job in that regard.

I'd say Villa did We spent a LOT of money on him, he scored goals and did his job keeping us up. We then, in our infinite wisdom sold BOTH our wingers (for a combined 38m) that were supplying him and replaced them with one N'Zogbia, not so much a winger as an attacking wide player for approx 10m Thus his goals dried up and people started expecting him to be a completely different type of player than the one we'd signed and that'd got him to the stage of being an 18m striker in the first place Utterly ridiculous set of events You mean a striker who cost us £18m and 65k a week, who has clearly lost the yard of pace and the sharpness that made him what he was shouldn't be expected to change his game?

So because Bent cost £24m he should have played, right.

No, it is clearly Lambert's fault. He should have continued playing Bent, when it was clear he couldn't score goals for us, he should have continued to hold Benteke back and keep him on the bench when it was clear he was the future and everything we were lacking a forward. Lambert should have continued playing Bent and watched us get relegated. What a joke of a statement.

40million wages? I thought it was nearer the 60mil ish mark now. Doesn't the club still owe RL money? I remember seeing someone say I think it was last year or the year before that RL was meant to take back 20mil that the club owed him, but he never because of the shit our finances were in.....Did he ever take back that 20mil and does the club owe him anymore? Why should the club owe him anything? If he wanted to spunk his money on the wall hiring and firing garbage like Mcleish, signing players like Ireland with no manager in place, 28 year old striker for £18m and no sell on value, handing out 5 year deals to 35 year olds then that is his bad, not ours. The guy is a clown, and the sooner he ****s off the better.

9 in 16 when he joined us in January, His goals were a big factor in us staying up, I agree. He was a good signing, just a horrible, horrible piece of business.

The old he kept us up myth so he paid the transfer fee back instantly myth. As excuses go, it It is up there with Liverpool's 'we sold Torres for £50m so the £35m spunked on Carroll doesn't count'

You don't think paying out north of £30m in fees and wages for Bent was a waste of money? Is that you Martin?

He needs to start the season on form, if he doesn't when Kozak and then Benteke come back he will not get another look in. He really is playing for his future, I hope he can prove me wrong.

...and Chaloboah(sp) is on 25k, and Bertrand is on £35k. ...and we wonder why you bright youngsters tail off after they hit a certain point, hunger.

Not really. He was the best player for Charlton when they got relegated and helped turn us around when we were really struggling. You can afford for the striker to be a luxury player precisely because he is a striker. Maybe he has just lost it then? We can't afford any player to be a luxury player. We're not good enough. To premmature to say. He had a poor season at a Fulham side in complete turmoil right from the start and I don't blame him for the way the season before that panned out under Lambert. Anymore excuses you want to make for him?

According to that 2nd site had 8 points and were 13 off safety end of Jan.

Trent was quoting over 2 years and to be honest we were dangling over the edge and were only safe near the end. Even more to the point, we looked dead and buried in January 2013. No matter what props you give to Lambert for saving us, I don't think it can be said we were always 'relatively safe'. How any team can look dead and buried in January I will never know. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_Derby_County_F.C._season To be fair. http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/premier-league/2007-2008/custom-table

He doesn't have to admit anything to you. ...and is that what our players need, the manager coming out and saying he isn't up to the job. I used to hear rumours about VillaTalk and the inane moaning that went on here. They weren't wrong.