Philosopher

I ave no problem with Zog! I just don't think he is good enough! For me Grealish and Gil are better than him, so when factoring in his high wages it makes sense to move him on a fast as possible. Would need to replace him though, hopefully with an fine talent (not Townsend).

I thought that was only the league cup. Just looked it up. If we want European football we are gonna have to win the FA cup!

I thought that was only the league cup.

In this league you get no time so you have to be focus 100% and with Sanchez it looks to me like he has the odd lapse in concentration. He's still miles better then westwood in front of the back four as he can actually defend! He is steady passer when he is concentrating, now if he had Westwood's first touch he would be a top defensive midfielder! Unfortunately its more like Gabby's!

Westwood is one of those players that is always neat and tidy on the ball and has a good touch, but doesn't really do much to affect the game! Defensively he is too slow and too weak so get bypassed to easily, playing him protecting the back four is like using a paper condom! Going forward he plays too safe and predictable to really create. On the odd occasion when he has actually taken a game by the scruff of the neck he's looked brilliant! Think we should loan him out next season and bring in another strong defensive midfielder!

It seems like a tactical thing to me. Gil is probably used to a slower more patient style of football that they play in Spain, whereas Sherwood has changed the style to more direct, high tempo counter attacking football. we are also embroilled in a relegation battle and Gil is a player that lacks experience in english football. Its just common sense really. everything Sherwood has done very sensible given the situation we are in. Play a style of football that suits strengths of our squad - pacey counter attacking football. Be positive talk up the club the fan, the potential. Don't give the players an excuses or anywhere to hide as everyone needs to stand up and be counted. Gil and Grealish are definitely the future and I am confident Sherwood see's that potential.

Grealish looking very good!

Ashley Young has terrorised Hutton. Crossing been very dangerous too. Looks back to his best!

Bloody Hell! When did we become a good team?

Liking the team selection!

Cleverley is Rubbish, someone break his leg so he can't play again for us this season! How the hell can you play a guy without skill or vision at the head of the diamond?

I am hoping Lambert picks him to start, he deserves it. None of our other 'attacking' players have created anything all season, but witb Gabby coming back in I doubt he will start.

Seems to most people agree that he isn't worth 7.5 million. I don't see how he is the best part of 6 million better than Westwood. I reckon Westwood is technically better but Cleverley is more tenacious. To me both players are good squad players but not first choice. We need a central midfield playmaker in the mold of Cabaye, that kind of passing range and vision. Niether has it. So the remaining 4 or 5 million to make the deal permanent is better put to signing that class of player. The real problem is if Delph does leave on a free how will we replace him. Certainly not with Cleverley!

Westwood was good in open play, obviously his set piece were shite! Still though I don't like him as defensive midfielder, simply not strong enough in the tackle for my liking! Once Sanchez is up to speed he would be a better fit for these type of games! Westwood though for home games against average teams!

Agreed! Looks like he's working on his explosiveness! That's got to worry opponents! His run past two players and shot yesterday was the highlight of the game for me, still he needs those shot to be going in, if that starts happening then we will have a world class player on our hands!

I think both Baker and Clark are fine as back ups. Our problems lie elsewhere. At the other end of the pitch, where nothing happens. If nothing is still happening with Benteke and Kozak available, then we should worry. But I think having some kind of goal threat will make things happen in lots of different ways. Also I think Grealish will get more game time weaker teams (against the opponents we've had recently and in the next 3 games we need guys out wide that will defend well) and that could make a difference. Also if we play like we did yesterday against most teams in the league we won't lose! Baker did ok. Weimann shouldn't have let Willian breeze past his for the first, Baker lost Costa for the second, but that was classic centre forward play, peeling of the back of the cb then darting across him! The third was irrelevant! We cannot afford to concede after 9 minutes against Chelsea or Man City for that matter! Baker IS a decent CB and could be a good CB in 2 or 3 years time. Not sure about Clark though he gets beaten to easily!

Which in itself is disappointing, because Weimann is much more effective through the middle. I honestly feel if we had quality widemen Weimann wouldn't be in the team! To me Weimenn is the type of player that plays best feeding off a big man in a 4-4-2, he's not suited to the lone striker role (not strong enough or quick enough). If a team offered 8-10 mill for him I'd take it! He worked hard yesterday but continuously gave the ball away in the final third and got exposed for a lack of pace on a number of occasions most notably for the first goal, but also by Ivanovic of all people (who was given far too much space and was playing so many through balls from right back)!

He's got fat and lost his pace, at the moment it looks like he's at the beginning of trying to reinvent himself as a target man, so right now he's pretty much useless! Personally I think bombing him out was as much to do with the Lerner and Faulkner policy of slashing the wage budget and building a "young 'n' hungry" squad (cheap), as much as football reasons! Lambert clearly saw the massive ability Benteke brought to the team and knew that we simply didn't and couldn't afford the quality of midfielders necessary to accommodate Bent in the team. His 80,000 grand a week wages were totally unjustifiable given he was relegated to a Bench warmer. Plus I am pretty sure they thought they could also recoup some money for him! Given the financial circumstances and Bent's drop down the picking order getting rid of him was the best option. Unfortunately those wages meant any team interested simply weren't able/prepared to pay them plus a transfer fee! Keeping Bent here and in and around the team this season is a no brainer as any loan would see us subsidise the majority of his wages, Bent would never agree to a transfer that will at best see him have his wages halved (might as well stick to his 4m a year contract,) and we had our two best strikers injured! I was always against us signing Bent. I remember when MON was in charge loads of people on here were saying we should've signed Bent, but we got Heskey. I was saying that in a MON team Bent simply won't contribute enough to the teams play, and we would be carrying him for most of the games, literally all he does is finish! Under Houilier Bent would've been a fantastic player for us as we were building a team designed to control the ball and pick teams apart and his movement and goalscoring ability would have given us a real threat in the final third, unfortunately Houilier was broken! That bring us to Mcleish who went back to the counter attacking mentally of MON only with a far more defensive outlook minus the quality we had out wide (doomed to failure on so many levels). I honestly believe much of our problems came from the fact Lerner and the man he hired to guide him and the club (Faulkner) didn't really understand how football works! Really how could Faulkner recommend Mcleish when he was SHA boss and relegated them, How could he recommend Houilier when he was forced to quit management due to health problems, Faulkner should've made sure these guys (as potential managers) never got to the interview stage! The new guy Tom Fox clearly understands the football BUSINESS hence the increased investment, as for the football side we have yet to find out! As for Darren Bent he is the symptom of one massive mistake in judgement by Lerner, hiring Faulkner! Lerner should've hired a guy with proper football knowledge not that likeable numpty! If he had hired someone decent with a proven track record we wouldn't have ended up with the mistakes of signing average players on high wages under MON, hiring Houilier or hiring McLeish! We only got Lambert because the fans made it pretty clear he was the popular choice and after McLeish they needed to do something that would keep us fans happy! I am glad we got Lerner as the 4 seasons under MON were good times and his commitment and investment in Villa has been very significant. But it has to be said his decision making has left a lot to be desired!

One thing that makes me wonder is why Lambo keeps bringing on a fat Darren Bent!

Can't really fault any of the players, we've been outclassed plain and simple. Chelsea are easily the best team in the league right now. On this evidence we never stood a chance!

I believe lambert deserves a new deal, I am satisfied with what he has dobe given the constraints he's had to work under. As for selling the club I think lerner has realised that the club needs to be seen as having assets on the pitch, with a squad capable of making an impact in the top half of the table in order improve its attractiveness to investors.

Based on the vast majority of academy players that come through the ranks, and fail, I just don't agree with this. Quite shocking how many supposedly talented youth players we've had who just have not developed once they hit the first team: Gabby, weimann to an extent, you could argue Barry as he came at such a young age, vassell? Who else really? We produce a lot of potential yet the clubs ability to maximise that is nothing short of abysmal in all honesty. You're talking out of your arse! The fact is most young prospects that break through in any premiership team end up not being good enough. Everton for example have a lot more Dan Goslings than Wayne Rooney's. West Ham had a good crop with Lampard, J Cole, Defoe, Carrick and Ferdinand (all came through when West Ham were fighting relegation or when they were relegated, in the Case of Defoe and Carrick), but since then can you really say Tomkins, Noble or Stanislas are better than any players we have brought through? Not to mention all of the names I mentioned in the first instance moved on before 23! Villa have developed 3 players that have turned out for England in the last ten years and only Southampton and West Ham and Arsenal (including Walcott not Chamberlin) have developed more! In the case of Southampton Walcott left at 15 so Arsenal have to take some credit for his development! Chambers, Chamberlin and Shaw all left before their 20th birthdays. Lallana is the only player Saints actually developed and brought through past the age of 19! The fact is the best players get snapped up by the biggest teams before they fully develop, the ones that don't get snapped up usually just aren't good enough to begin with! Although a few like Lallana, Lambert, Barry and Cahill (although in Cahill's case CD's mature later, due to the level of discipline and tactical awareness the position require and how costly a mistake is in central defense, a longer apprenticeship is required ) slip through the net! In regards to Grealish Villa is CURRENTLY the best place for him to develop! Because he won't start for Chelsea, Man U, Man City, Arsenal or even Liverpool thanks to the wealth of attacking talent in their squads. I would say Grealish would be best served playing for Villa for another 3 seasons AT LEAST. For me Rooney left Everton too soon, it went to his head and he is just a good player instead of the potentially world class talent he was. Walcott was 23 before he was a regular at Arsenal, and Chamberlin is still just a squad player. Shaw wasn't deemed fit enough to be a Man U player this summer. What determines whether a player becomes a quality player, is talent, strength of character, determination, dedication and regular first team football (which usually needs a manager to show faith in them which if they have all three of the aforementioned they should get). It seems as though Grealish has the qualities required to make it and Keane and Lambert seem to believe in him so everything he needs to succeed is here at Villa!

Ideal (if Sanchez sucessfully adapts and Okore returns to his best). Guzan Hutton Okore Vlaar Cissohko Sanchez Cleverly Delph Gabby Grealish Benteke If we were playing a team likely to sit back i'd swap Gabby for Weimann (offers better movement and better and more intricate link up play) and Sanchez for Westwood. If we were playing a big powerful side I might throw Senderos in for Okore so long as the opposing strikers didn't have genuine pace. I feel Grealish already has the best football brain out of any of our attacking players. Came on against Hull, drew fools, slowed the game down, and got opponents booked. That was excellent reading of the situation and has the dribbling ability to carry the ball into dangerous areas, the only question mark for me is can he regularly find an end product! However I would reserve Grealish for home matches against teams that will sit back, we shouldn't rush him! I would be very confident playing Okore in defense now as he would be surround by experience, and I think its important to have someone quick in the centre of defense these days. All in all this looks like the most balanced line up, playing to our main strengths which are pace, energy and now (with the additions of Senderos, Cissokho, Sanchez and the return of Hutton) power! This may even solve our problem is a lack of creativity! Cleverly has very good movement and link up play and in that respect reminds me of Lampard (clearly doesn't have the finishing or shooting ability Lampard has though) so should help knit the midfield with the attacking nicely especially when we consider Benteke's hold up play. Grealish's dribbling and smarts combined with Delph's dribbling and said link up play should create opening as long as we can play the quick enough. This teams weakness is a lack quality passing (Delph and Cleverly are competent rather than quality passers), thus moving the ball quickly and making the most of our pace and movement would be our best method of attacking teams! For the next match and against any of last seasons top four i'd play the following line up (When Benteke is fit and Okore is fit and firing swap out Weimann and Senderos). Guzan Hutton Senderos Vlaar Cissokho Sanchez Westwood Delph Cleverly Weimann Gabby The workrate and energy of that midfield and attack would see us close down very well higher up the pitch. With strong disciplined defenders plus Sanchez protecting them would see us very difficult to play through. Then we would have two pacey fullbacks that can run with the ball, and Delph whose strength is run out of his own half with the ball at his feet, great for initiating counters! Westwood would be looking for the balls in behind for Gabby and Weimann, with Cleverly's good movement off the ball providing a great shorter option. We would also have two players (in Cleverly and Weimann) who are very good at linking the play when in good form. We could be even bigger giant killers then we were last season!

Bent is just so out of it at the moment! Looks slow, overweight and is missing chances he would normally bury! I think his time has passed!

I think he could be a fine signing if we could restore his confidence, but at 25 we cannot talk about potential improvements! At his best though he is similar to Millner, energy, covers a lot of ground, likes to attack and team player, good crosser. Can't help thinking we can find better for the money though, and can't help thinking we need a top class passer in the middle more! Having said that a confident Cleverly alongside Delph and Sanchez, with Benteke up top and our new look defense, with Grealish coming through could be quite exciting!