thunderball

Strikes me as a big time charlie, just not a Lambert player, work rate no where near good enough, too much arrogance -giIves the impression he's already the finished article. Must be on silly money too. I would bet my house he would not play for Lambert.

Twitter suggesting Everton trying to hijack Okore deal.

With the club holding all the cards £40m seems very reasonable. This is the problem with struggling every season, this will happen time after time. Time for our management to take a leaf out of Levy's book on transfer dealings and grow a pair or we will never kick-on. At £20k/pw he can train with the kids for a year, even as the forgotten man he'll be worth at least £15m with two years left on his contract. This business with Benteke and Weimann [agents] makes me sick.

Thomas Vermaelen for £5m and Lukaku on loan with an option to buy at £20 would be a good start. Defour would be nice too but we cuold never afford him now (and why would he come to us?).

File under 'David Bentley'. The boys a waste of space, lacks integrity but who can blame him - our contract gave him more money than most of us on here put together will earn in a life time with the guarantee of nothing in return. You will always get them. He's a loser and certainly not a Lambert player. I would bet my house that Lambert will ensure his sort don't darken the corridors of Boimoor any season at enter he cost.

If the club wants him to stay they will pay what they need to, and could pay more than Tottenham, Dortmund, and Arsenal would be prepared to pay for a 22 year old with one good season behind him. I think we would match Liverpool too, that means how big a name will tempt him. The boy's a nailed on star of the future but few would pay more than £70K p.w. for a 22 year old. He's worth that to us, because we will get £25-30m next summer and we need a season of stability. If his agent has an ounce of sense, he will see his client get a healthy pay rise, and guaranteed first team football at a respected club before the World Cup. If he has a decent PL season plus a good world cup, he could be worth £40m next summer and at 23/24 years old take his pick of big clubs and £150K a week. Villa are in control as we hold his registration, theres no way he is going to jeopardise a world cup place if he strikes? It suits everyone for him to stay for one more season.

Ha! What a short memory you have, but I'll forgive the rose tinted euphoria! A LOT of work is needed starting July 1st. We haven't kept a clean sheet in I don't know how long, even in our most recent games you just knew fatal mistakes would be made in the midfield and defence. We have a very fragile core to this team. I think with 3 to 4 decent signings - at least 3 senior players, we will be ok, but for me Bennett needs a rest, Vlaar needs an experienced partner and we need a solid senior CM, even if he only plays half the games. I am looking forward to the summer.

I've had to eat my words of late because Delph has really improved (and he had to). Looking much more comfortable nowadays and has a 'good' all round game except goals, but still needs to improve his discipline. His position will be under threat next season if we choose an experienced head in the middle, as I think Westwood and Sylla do what they do better.

Agreed. Could be very embarrassing.......

If Wigan go tomorrow he will play Bowery in for Benteke, straight Swap, if they beat the Arse he will play the Zog and Bent may make an appearance if things get desperate.

I can't believe he was at such a lowly level in France, and I'm surprised Wenger hadn't snapped him up as he's his sort of signing. Could be nearly as good a signing as Benteke, coming on leaps and bounds, and I reckon he has goals in him too. I think he will be the big thing next season, to me he looks the real deal.

Sorensen wasn't that bad? Wigan: Maloney would be a decent signing now he's grown up. McManaman seems a decent player, especially of late. McCarthy - yes. QPR: Taarabt has his moments but is definitely not a Lambert player, and a bit of a luxury. Ignoring his fee and mental salary, before Samba arrived at QPR I would have said yes, but not any more. Park could add energy and experience, and Remy has natural talent but I think we don't need him. Robert Green anyone? Reading: no one Sunderland: O'Shea and Fletcher would definitely improve us But really none of the above will be bought by Lambert. I think we will see Lescott arrive, I think we may also see Huddlestone and maybe Luke Murphy but the rest will be left field. Would live Milner back, but reckon Sylla is going to fill his boots next season.

At least we have points on the board. You have to think that out of Wigan, Newcastle, Sunderland and Norwich one of them will draw one and lose one of their last two?

Evidently really struggling at this late stage in the season, seems burnt out to me. For me we need a senior left back for next season and let the youngsters come on in their own time, Bennett is not even close to being in a PL starting 11 just yet. For what it's worth, we also need a senior centre back to partner Vlaar. Baker and Clarke have great promise and we need to hang on to them like we didn't with Cahill, but if we stopped the goals conceded we could avoid this end of the table scrap every season. Then we just need to a DM and we won't be far away from a competitive team.

The boy has talent, but our cause is too pressing at the moment - we don't have the time to allow him to mature. Westwood is getting there far quicker and his game is 'safer' than Bannan, who for me just tries too hard with the over ambitious killer/hollywood passes that more often than not, just don't make it. Couple this with his diminutive frame, and he just doesn't offer enough physicality or presence in the middle of the park - as a smaller man, at least Benayoun is more consistent and can dribble, and obviously Modric is just a better version of Benayoun. He's an indulgence we can't afford at present, he just doesn't offer quite enough.

Love this guy, looks a real find and whilst a little nervous, looks comfortable an a proper athlete to boot. The icing on the cake would be if he grew his mohican a bit as he is looking more and more like Tony Daley.

Yeah, I think you're too negative. We're not that bad. We had a freakishly bad spell around and after christmas that hurt us a lot, but now I think we're pretty decent. But each to their own. Just wanted you to read the bit in bold and then click the link and scroll down. And well, Delph is a lot better now. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/8197493.stm Ha! Got me there - make that five years ago? (doesn't time fly!) ;-) Yes I am negative, and yes may be too much so, but I just don't know if we are going to get the chance to see our kids mature - I fear we are the least equipped for a desperate relegation scrap.

Whilst Benteke has clearly been very impressive this season, I can't help but think people are underestimating Darren Bent a fair bit. Did Bent's goals not keep us up last season? If we hadn't signed Benteke would we not have played a system that suited Bent a lot more allowing him to score at least a fair percentage of the goals Benteke has this season? Or shortcomings are an inexperienced defence and a lightweight and inadequate midfield - our forward line is actually one of the best in the prem. The thing is Bent doesn't score the goals (out of nothing) that Benteke does, Bent has been injured (or has sulked) for what seems like half the season. Even if Bent was an ever present, I just don't feel we create anywhere near enough for our forwards? I would love for Bent to stay, and for us to find a way to accommodate him and Benteke but I think we would need two new midfielders of a calibre that we don't currently have.

The boys a monster, he has everything in his locker and will be the best striker in the prem with a few seasons under his belt. If he can perform this well in a poor Villa side, his future looks very bright indeed - this fella will be better than Drogba by the time he is 25.

Reaction: it's not often I post but feel I have to - I can't believe how poor we are or how generous the comments here are to our team, I admire your half-full view. Yes we are improving but let's face it, we couldn't fail to. Its a sad indictment when Delph is praised so highly, even the "improved" Delph of today would not have got anywhere near our team 4 years ago - a player who just hasnt kicked on and delivered for the club, to me he may just be a decent Championship player at best, his praise just shows how poor our predicament is. We have a hand full of bright spots in a squad which only offers potential. The jury is still out on Lambert for me, and I think we are deluded to think that we are anything other than lucky to have Benteke this season, as without we would be possibly rock bottom and relegated already. Unless we win against Sunderland or Norwich I feel we will go down, we are well short of what it needs in this division. [waits for flak]

come on.....

Throwing two points away today at home could cost us dearly. **** useless delph. Its between us and Sunderland now

Arse 1-1

Could have been so different today - a completely different complection with Norwich winning at Arsenal, Southampton drawing and us drawing (or may yet lose). Sunderland and Stoke will win tomorrow.....

The script must have Bent down for a late goal surely?