Butterfingers

like Man City then Cut it out. That was a blatant smash and grab victory. Do you get more points for "non" smash & grab victories then?

I'm exactly the same. Reading comments from his former teams fans worried me. I wasn't impressed v Liverpool but obviously 1st game etc taken into account. Norwich onwards at Right back & he's gone from strength to strength. In that form, Lowton isn't going to get much of a look in.

Think it's becoming increasingly hard these days to find a place for a player like Bent. He's good at what he does & will most likely get into double figures for Fulham this season-Possibly outscoring both Gabby & Weiman. Thought the signs looked promising for 60 mins at Southampton last year for a Bent/Benteke partnership but wouldn't swap our front 3 now. Bent was clearly not going to accept another season like last & AV obviously couldn't afford such high wages to a player who wasn't playing. It was a no brainer that Bent was going & when he did, the void was filled by Kozac. Didn't help that there was clearly an issue of some sort between manager & player. Kozac is here now & he's the future-That is all that matters & he did make the goal against Man City because if not for his presence (whether he touched the ball or not) their defenders would have dealt with it.

Agree & to those who claim we didn't need Kozac as a replacement for Benteke, he actually came in as a replacement for Bent. Not sure about this at all. I think he was brought in as a back up for Benteke, as evidenced by recent events. I think Benteke's replacement has still to arrive. No reason for Lambert to bring in a replacement for Bent, as he did not fit the system any way, unless you mean he was brought in to make up the numbers. We're saying the same thing more or less. If Bent hadn't struck a deal with Fulham, Kozac wouldn't be here. When Benteke was suspended at Wigan, Bent was bought in. When Benteke has been injured, Kozac has been bought in. You need that cover & there will be times when the two play together as well. With regards Bentekes replacement, who knows? There's a long way to go yet & Benteke needs to remain consistant (remember the doom & gloom merchants amongst us frown upon people who are presumptuous) Also if Kozac reproduces his Europa league form & hits another 12-15 goals for us, there's a good chance that he will be Bentekes replacement. It's a case of seeing what happens on that one as it could go any one of several ways.

Agree & to those who claim we didn't need Kozac as a replacement for Benteke, he actually came in as a replacement for Bent.

Who would you have signed as cover then? Cover wasn't needed at the expense of a hole in the starting eleven. The fact is that you concentrate on building as good a team as possible before you start spending big amounts of squad players. Secondly, the only reason that we needed cover is because Lambert clearly can only play with a target man up front. Weimann, Gabby and Helenius could have occupied the main forward role in Benteke's absence but obviously that would've meant Lambert deploying tactics where hoofing it to the big man isn't an option. Oh dear

Wouldn't mind him getting a little 20 minute jog on Tuesday now Might help bring match sharpness back ready for Spurs on Sunday

Who would you have signed as cover then?

Their negativity is constant-Real doom & gloom merchants been stuck next to these cranks for 90 mins on match days can be really unpleasant.. We are a hard team to beat, have been in the top half of the table standard since the start of Febuary. What more do people want or expect given the squad inherited and the budget available? As I've posted before, we've had 5 top 4 finishes in the past 60 years and spells in the 2nd & indeed 3rd tiers. What is this benchmark Villa must aspire to? What must Lambert do in order for these "experts" who take a "critical interest" in how the club is progessing to accept that he's doing a good job?

I actually have one eye on the Europa League tbh I doubt we'll do it but with cup wins, it could go down another place. We are competing with mid table teams. I'd put ours against any of the others & results since Xmas suggest the same If anyone wants to continue the tedious "we're not safe yet" drivel, they may as well include everyone in that bracket from Southampton downwards. i'd hate to be stuck on a night out with these people, they'd have you wanting to slash your wrists by 9 o clock

Can you not see the actions? High paid parasites shipped out-Young, hungry players in their place No more Heskey/Harewood type strikers signed-Benteke & Kozac signed for similar amounts (when wages taken into account) After 3 years of anxiety & relegation battles, stability & progress instead (early days this season admittedly but signs are great) The club running on a more even keel in terms of wages paid to players A complete re-vamping of players like Fabian Delph & Brad Guzan-Both of whom have developed into top 6/8 players under the current regime Lets stick with this bloke & get behind him. I honestly feel theres a lot more to come. The majority buy into this but you have the hardcore few who still moan. Lambert works with these lads on an almost daily basis. He is more equipped to decide what is best for our club than people like us (who care deeply about it.admittedly) Only one man can make the decisions & we need to trust that man. We've proved in recent weeks that we would all pick different starting line ups/ formations etc.We will never all be right & never agree with PL all the time. His job is to manage the playing side of things-We need to support him & get behind the team. We're moving in the right direction whilst shopping at the lower end of the scale. How can anyone criticise while we are improving whilst doing this? I think this is a complete misunderstanding of what is involved in supporting a club, particularly if you've been doing it long-term. It's perfectly possible to support a team passionately whenever they take the field in Villa shirts, yet still be critical and questioning about performance and skill levels, managerial decisions, investment strategy etc. And, really, it would be a horrible world if that wasn't allowed, wouldn't it, and we all just had to keep our heads down and support the current manager on the basis that "he knows best"? I wonder how Sunderland fans and the doings of Madmano di Canio fit into that world view? At any time, the current chairman/board, manager and players are really just like stewards of the club they are involved with, and fans - particularly long term ones - will quite legitimately ask, "how well are they serving our club?" I think it's much too early to answer that question about Lambert and his current squad, although this season is certainly looking better than last. Randy Lerner has been around long enough to be assessed and the judgement has to be: "probably well-meaning, but mediocre outcomes so far". If it's OK with you, I'm going to continue to take a critical interest in how the club is progressing and not kowtow to the manager just because he's the manager. At the same time as cheering them on and following the emotional highs and lows of every match we play. Oh, and it's probably not great to use phrases like "the hardcore few who still moan". It's good to work on the basis that everyone on here has an individual opinion that needs to be respected in its own right, even if it is completely bonkers. It's not OK with me but I'm sure you will still do it anyway. If you've supported this club long term, you will know that success is far outweighed by failure. The Lerner era at present is not a million miles away from the Ellis era with DOL at the helm. Both managers under these regimes were forced to work with limited budgets. The hardcore few who thrive on moaning will never change, their glasses will always be half empty. Since Xmas, I can only think of Southampton (back in January) & Newcastle (January & recently) outside of the top 6 who have beaten us. What exactly is there that makes you think theres something to criticise? I'm genuinely interested. I'm not sure if you people have ever actually got yourselves involved in any form of sport but with the defeatist attitudes you portray on here, you would not have got very far. You would have lost before you started. When we have a manager like PDC then maybe that is the time to moan & criticise but there is no need for this at present as we are moving in the right direction. Presumptions are for the defeatist's amongst us who have lost before a ball has been kicked. Man City 2 weeks ago should have told you that we can compete. People need to start believing in the manager AND the team a bit more. Otherwise, point us to this benchmark that previous AVFC managers have set & to which Lambert should aspire.

Firstly, there was the question of whether it could be justified to keep a player like Bent on the bench, given his wages and also his own personal ambitions. Secondly, it is clear that there was conflict between PL & DB, maybe to the point that a working relationship could not be maintained or maybe because part of PL's remit was to get rid of Bent due to his high wages. We will never know. Finally, Kozac was signed for £4.5 million.

Liverpool have been in top-4 form throughout 2013 but it would still be presumptous if their fans started claiming they are a top 4 club when there is a realistic chance they won't even finish in the top 4 this season. My point about McLeish was just a general one about criticism of a manager and your assertion that basically only people with some sort of experience in professional football have the right to criticise the manager's decisions. I am just curious to know if you make that point every time any one of us regular fans makes a criticism of the manager, whoever that may be? The Liverpool scenario is slightly different. The way you are going with this, it would be "presumptuous" to claim/assume anything. The bottom line is we are going to be mid-table this season & we both know it. To argue otherwise on here is pointless. What frustrates me about fans is that even someone like AM was able to go into that dressing room & command respect of his players, run the football club through management skills. If you or I went into that dressing room, it would be anarchy My point is that there is no right or wrong way to play football-5-3-2 against Man City bought us an unbelievable high. 4-3-3 against Hull looked more entertaining on paper but ended 0-0 I enjoy discussing decisions after games & often moan about the way subs were/were not used. A big criticism I had last season was that it seemed like every game we had to make 3 changes. PL felt it was needed, I didn't I accept his decision as he knows his players better than I do. So yes, I can make that point as there is a difference between criticising & disagreeing.

Can you not see the actions? High paid parasites shipped out-Young, hungry players in their place No more Heskey/Harewood type strikers signed-Benteke & Kozac signed for similar amounts (when wages taken into account) After 3 years of anxiety & relegation battles, stability & progress instead (early days this season admittedly but signs are great) The club running on a more even keel in terms of wages paid to players A complete re-vamping of players like Fabian Delph & Brad Guzan-Both of whom have developed into top 6/8 players under the current regime Lets stick with this bloke & get behind him. I honestly feel theres a lot more to come. The majority buy into this but you have the hardcore few who still moan. Lambert works with these lads on an almost daily basis. He is more equipped to decide what is best for our club than people like us (who care deeply about it.admittedly) Only one man can make the decisions & we need to trust that man. We've proved in recent weeks that we would all pick different starting line ups/ formations etc.We will never all be right & never agree with PL all the time. His job is to manage the playing side of things-We need to support him & get behind the team. We're moving in the right direction whilst shopping at the lower end of the scale. How can anyone criticise while we are improving whilst doing this? A bit of a presumptuous post. For all we know this will be another season of 'anxiety and a relegation battle'. Our progress will be determined this season. It hasn't been proven yet. Also your argument about the manager being best played to decided etc can be used for any manager in the world. Not presumptuous at all. My post has been based on the football played since the turn of the year. My argument about the manager being best placed can apply to any manager in the world. It cannot however apply to anyone who plays "football manager" throughout the world. Paul Lambert has forgotten more about professional football in the last week than many of us will ever know in a lifetime. The point of my argument was that whoever is in charge, be it SAF or Barry Fry, we need to trust & back him. Winning the 1974 Birmingham Subeutteo tournament does not qualify you to claim you know better. We are no worse than any in our "mid-table" pack & better than most. In addition, we are still improving whilst some are stagnating & going backwards. In addition, as much as you & your ilk moan about the standard of the football we play, we still play better than most in that group. It is presumptuous because you effectively assume we will finish safely mid-table this season when there is a realistic chance that we could be embroiled in another relegation battle that you have basically claimed we have seen the back off. For what it's worth, I don't think we will be but I'll wait to see how this season pans out before I start making bold statements about our progress. Secondly, fans will always believe they know better at times and thus criticise the manager when they feel he has made the wrong decision in a certain matter. I don't seem to remember you and your ilk (to coin your phrase) reminding us that Alex McLeish knew best and we have no legitimate footballing experience to question his tactics during his tenure. firstly, I supported AM as well. He applied for the Villa job on 3 occasions & was totally committed to it once he got the chance, despite the ridiculous protests that effectively saw his position as untenable. David Moyes had 2 similar seasons with Everton before they showed a glimmer of the side that they have become today. I believe with projects such as the Villa job, a minimum of 3 seasons should be afforded before decisions are made. I assume we are mid table given the weaker sides below us and the experience that last season gave to the players. We have been playing way above relegation standard since Boxing Day last year In your argument, anyone from Southampton downwards could be relegation fodder. By the same argument, I would say that a Europa League place is up for grabs for 1 team. As we have not played like relegation candidates throughout 2013, I fail to see how I would be presumptuous.

The thing is, when commenting and questioning things, who are people comparing us with? Everton? Man City? Arsenal? Swansea? Cardiff? Crystal Palace? Barcelona? Given the financial issues over the past few seasons, people need to accept who our competitors are and how we are comparing against those teams. For those who claim that we are AVFC & shouldn't have to accept that, I agree but would point out that the blame for this lies with the man who claimed to have a "five year plan" but is now happy to run the club in a way that is the least harmful financially to him.

Can you not see the actions? High paid parasites shipped out-Young, hungry players in their place No more Heskey/Harewood type strikers signed-Benteke & Kozac signed for similar amounts (when wages taken into account) After 3 years of anxiety & relegation battles, stability & progress instead (early days this season admittedly but signs are great) The club running on a more even keel in terms of wages paid to players A complete re-vamping of players like Fabian Delph & Brad Guzan-Both of whom have developed into top 6/8 players under the current regime Lets stick with this bloke & get behind him. I honestly feel theres a lot more to come. The majority buy into this but you have the hardcore few who still moan. Lambert works with these lads on an almost daily basis. He is more equipped to decide what is best for our club than people like us (who care deeply about it.admittedly) Only one man can make the decisions & we need to trust that man. We've proved in recent weeks that we would all pick different starting line ups/ formations etc.We will never all be right & never agree with PL all the time. His job is to manage the playing side of things-We need to support him & get behind the team. We're moving in the right direction whilst shopping at the lower end of the scale. How can anyone criticise while we are improving whilst doing this? A bit of a presumptuous post. For all we know this will be another season of 'anxiety and a relegation battle'. Our progress will be determined this season. It hasn't been proven yet. Also your argument about the manager being best played to decided etc can be used for any manager in the world. Not presumptuous at all. My post has been based on the football played since the turn of the year. My argument about the manager being best placed can apply to any manager in the world. It cannot however apply to anyone who plays "football manager" throughout the world. Paul Lambert has forgotten more about professional football in the last week than many of us will ever know in a lifetime. The point of my argument was that whoever is in charge, be it SAF or Barry Fry, we need to trust & back him. Winning the 1974 Birmingham Subeutteo tournament does not qualify you to claim you know better. We are no worse than any in our "mid-table" pack & better than most. In addition, we are still improving whilst some are stagnating & going backwards. In addition, as much as you & your ilk moan about the standard of the football we play, we still play better than most in that group.

Can you not see the actions? High paid parasites shipped out-Young, hungry players in their place No more Heskey/Harewood type strikers signed-Benteke & Kozac signed for similar amounts (when wages taken into account) After 3 years of anxiety & relegation battles, stability & progress instead (early days this season admittedly but signs are great) The club running on a more even keel in terms of wages paid to players A complete re-vamping of players like Fabian Delph & Brad Guzan-Both of whom have developed into top 6/8 players under the current regime Lets stick with this bloke & get behind him. I honestly feel theres a lot more to come. The majority buy into this but you have the hardcore few who still moan. Lambert works with these lads on an almost daily basis. He is more equipped to decide what is best for our club than people like us (who care deeply about it.admittedly) Only one man can make the decisions & we need to trust that man. We've proved in recent weeks that we would all pick different starting line ups/ formations etc.We will never all be right & never agree with PL all the time. His job is to manage the playing side of things-We need to support him & get behind the team. We're moving in the right direction whilst shopping at the lower end of the scale. How can anyone criticise while we are improving whilst doing this?

Hasn't had much cause to say this yet this season though has he?

Looking at the names in the 2 groups, I know which one I'd be inclined to follow. There's some true Villa men in the Lions & Legends corner, none more so than Sid. Maybe some money was not accountable for? Bearing in mind the FPA are supposed to be a charity organisation.

Signed for £4.5 million. Already thrown in & got the winner & 3 points for us at Norwich, contributed against Man City. I'd say stick with him-What else are you going to get for under £5mil? Balls were not "hoofed" up to him BTW. Guzan may have gone long at times but with the exception of Clark, our defenders played it out. Given the problems Clark had last season & the criticism he got for not dealing with situations, I'd say he could be forgiven for his safety first attitude at this point in time.

I think this latest lot of "stats" should tell everyone all they need to know. Its either a "short pass" or a "long ball", not a "short ball" or a "long pass". The long ball emerged if my memory serves me right from none other than GT when he was at Watford, after he did a survey on how goals had been scored. Other managers went on to argue that it was "the early ball" as opposed to the "long ball" & lets face facts-Who wouldn't want to see an early ball if it caught the opposing defence off guard? These days we have saddos perched in the stands counting every kind of pass throughout a game. You will probably see an inch perfect 40 yard crossfield pass listed in the stats as a "long ball" The fact that both Spurs & Man U are listed down as playing more so called long balls than us sums up the worth of these ridiculous figures. & surely if you are near the bottom of the so-called "short pass" table then it stands to reason that you will be near the top of the dreaded "long pass" table. My own stats tell me that I've really enjoyed 4 of our games so far & have not enjoyed the other 2 so much. I think we're in for a season of this but for the first time in 3 years, I don't think we will be under pressure. This in itself will be a culture shock-Imagine loosing a game & not worrying about the league table all week until we play again? What a luxuary.

He was exactly the same at the end of the Norwich game last week as well. He is one of our key players. The first midfielder on the team sheet. Amazing how far he's come on from less than 2 years ago when he was being played as a bit part full back after coming back from injuries. The frightening thing is, I don't think he's peaked yet.

I've got mixed feelings-Both formations have worked well for us. I said earlier, I wouldn't like to drop one out of Gabby & Weiman as I love the threat that a 3 pronged attack brings. By the same token, the 3 centre backs looked so solid on Saturday. Both have many pluses & minuses. They only really threatened down their left, Milner was very quiet on the other side. If anything, this is the only disadvantage with 3 in midfield & maybe it suited Newcastle the other week.

Do you really think he can though, given our wage structure? Spurs spent well this summer with the Bale money but I bet none of those players signed for £20K a week.

I'm not quite sure how you could criticise either the manager or the players for the 1st half performance? We were playing one of the best teams in the world, they have the pick of players throughout the world and have an unlimited budget. The previous week, they had scored 4 against Man U & 5 against Wigan. We defended solidly & robustly & whilst we conceded possession, they were restricted to half chances & corners. We nearly got them in at half time at 0-0. The use of selective statistics on this site is growing. Sorry to single you out as an example, rest assured you are by no means alone. So Man C are one of the "best teams in the world", are they? You choose two recent results to demonstrate this (one against a rather weak Championship side). What you don't mention is that in their last two away games in the premier league they drew with Stoke and lost to Cardiff. So maybe not totally dominant in the world? As soon as we actually started to press them in the 2nd half, it turned out their world-dominating defence was quite flaky. I think what people complaining about the first half were saying was: don't just give in here, at least try to make a match of it. In the 2nd half that is what happened and, hey presto! we beat one of the best teams in the world. I would say, on that account, the criticism of the first half performance was well-justified and I suspect that it reflects what Lambert said to his players at half time. Single me out all you like-It makes not one bit of difference to me. If you don't like the "selective statistics" that I used, try these: 1st & 2nd respectively in the toughest league in the world over the past 2 seasons. As for your "just don't give in here" comment, this is not only stupid but is an insult to the lads who bust a gut for 90 minutes for us yesterday. We beat Man City & you're still finding something to complain about. What did you do when we won the European Cup? Complain that Withe didn't strike the ball cleanly for the winner? Complain that Bayern had twice as much possession than we did? There's just no pleasing some people & you're one of those people. You will always find something to moan about "just don't give in here" ffs