AdamDouggie

Wow took two players off who will work hard and left Sanchez and benteke on, terrible decision

We're bad

Needs to be stronger, improve decision making, retain possession better and be more positive when on the ball for the first team. Has great potential but needs to start showing it, a loan move is definitely the best option for him now. He's clearly not ready for premiership football yet, had plenty of chances and no other prem club are coming in for him on loan. Needs to improve quickly though as he's not a baby anymore, look at sterling!

Because it's used as yet another excuse. If he wanted to play gabby and weimman as forwards then why sign kozak and helenius last summer instead of a wide player? If he wanted to play them as strikers why sign cleverly in the summer instead of a wide player? We've just signed gill and Sinclair for a similar amount we paid for Joe Bennett, so the money argument doesn't really fit. Goal scoring was an issue last season and its become a serious issue this year. Its great we've finally got them and hopefully it makes the difference we need. The thing that is always overlooked in these sort of arguments is whether or not the right players were available at those times. Managers needing to improve a team aren't likely to do nothing. It's all well and good to say, for example, that we've signed Gil and Sinclair for a similar cost to Bennett (which I find unlikely given the wages etc.), but have Gil or Sinclair been available for transfer and such a cost up until this point? If not, how can you strengthen without bringing in your #1, #2 or #7 targets? If you look at the players we've been strongly linked with in the past season or so, it seems clear that Lambert has prioritised an attacking midfielder - but hasn't been able to secure one. Perhaps (speculative) he saw this as a bigger issue than having to play Gabby and Weimann wide in a 4-3-3? If you're going to utilise them there, you need cover for either those guys as wide players or strikers. I seem to remember Helenius being signed and touted as playing in a role behind the striker? He was relatively cheap and potentially versatile - but it didn't work out. Kozak offers a different sort of striker to Benteke, Gabby or Weimann if an attacking midfielder came in. With all of Lambert's transfers I think there's been good reasoning behind them. Not all have worked, of course, but strengthening the squad initially was a good call. Signing Benteke was a good call. Prioritising the defence after this was a good call. Now we're lacking goals and he continues to look for more attacking players - I think we'd all agree it's a good call. No-one is perfect in a transfer window, but you can't look at getting Gil for £3m now and simply say "why not do this earlier?" when everyone knows football/transfers aren't that simple at all. This.,well put !!! Agree...well put!

You need more than a tap in merchant in the premiership these days. By the way his two goals tonight when he came off the bench were two of the biggest tap ins you will see. If only Benteke would find the correct positions in front of goal like Bent. I am not criticizing anyone, but to say the goals were just tap-ins, makes me wonder why Villa has only scored 11 goals in the league when it is so obvious that tap ins are so easy and effective. because the point is you dont get many tap-ins in the Premier League Can you prove that? A number of top players have made a career in the premiership feeding off tap ins! Bent being one of them.

Wouldn't it be worth having bent back in the squad now he's got a few goals and some confidence back? Personally he's a great sub to bring on for one of our defensive midfielders in the last 25-30 minutes if you need a goal. How many opportunities have we had where the ball flys past the 6 yard box and Benteke has pulled his run. Complete different players, and Benteke has bags more all round ability. But depth is vital and I agree form is only temporary but temporary is all we need right now. Too much pressure on benteke, a rest or some bench appearances might shake things up....competition is healthy! #BBB (BringBackBent)

The cleverly/loan rule joke definitely hasn't got boring yet....

Callum McManaman? Good signing or waste of money? Do we honestly not have the 4mil to compete?

Adam here has had 28 profile views. I reckon all 28 of them have been to take a closer look at the lovely lady on his avatar. I know mine was. Agree on Benteke, but for my money that is just endemic of a wider problem. We don't create enough regardless and he's had nowhere near the opportunities he should to bang an easy one away and to build his confidence as a result. He's not blameless, none of them are, but the buck stops right at the top. Haha! Yeah benteke has had to put up with very little service in the past but today he had his chances, along with a few others in the last few games. Today we had more shots than liverpool, and just as many good chances. There is too much responsibility on him to score the goals, he needs competition for his place and someone to help take the pressure off him. He's lost his composure in front of goal and only relieving the pressure will help him return to his best.

I'm sorry but we need a clinical striker desperately! Benteke cannot finish anything within 10yds. He's had plenty of chances in the past few games. Should have another 3-4 goals to his name. Yeah people say you can't always rely on him but when your playing as the main striker every game it's kind of expected to be the goal getter. Needs competition for place!

It's vital to have a top striker to survive in the premier league, why sell benteke! Still young, lots to learn with positioning and runs, needs to learn to get inside the 6 yard box and not always pull back his runs and he'll add another 7-8 goals a season. Need to learn to add tap ins to his game and not just solo wonder goals.....although we do love them! That is also the responsibility of the manager and coaches though, they should be working on that with him daily, positional awareness and movement, you'd of thought bent would of give him a few tips, former master of it! Fingers crossed this Gil is fearless, and lambert lets him run free at defenders!

More red cards than goals! I'm seriously **** off now. Learn how to tackle, learn how to be a man and not **** fight every week and just play football. Pathetic! Need something serious this January else we could be foooked. That's our easy games out the way and come away with hardly any points. Get Lennon in, get Defoe in. Creativity and a goal getter, Benteke hasn't got that in his game yet, he drastically needs to!

Why? A threat going forward! Be a good signing for club like us

Aaron Lennon get him!

I don't understand everyone's hate of Vlaar. People easily forget how solid and instrumental he was in the past for us and clearly a fans favourite. Just because he is now interested in joining a better club to end his career on, enhancing his chance to win something and earn a much better wage I can't see what's wrong with that. If someone offered me a better job with more wages I wouldn't turn it down, and I've got a lot more working years ahead of me than Vlaar has footballing!

You might win your accumulator if we were allowed to field 12 players If they play Fellaini it's as good as 12 men! That fella gives the ball away more than Sanchez! If they both play in the middle of the park 45 minutes of the game will be those two passing back and forth!

From what I can see okore is calm on the ball, can pick out a great pass and has a footballing brain for a central defender.....be more ideal than any of the other back four in the CDM role.

Wow a lot of pessimistic fans on this thread ha! Doesn't look good for my accumulator which has a villa win in it. I think we could be surprised, no pressure, no expectation and hopefully a chance for a few players who deserve a go. Id play the following: Guzan Lowton Vlaar Clark Cissokho Okore Sanchez Delph Wiemann Agbonlohor Grealish Benteke

Sick of seeing lambert make his changes after we've lost the game, qpr were happy to sit back and soak up pressure at 1-0, sanchez was making too many mistakes, so why not bring on some creativity and flair, nzogbia, Cole. Instead wait for the second goal before making a change. He's so **** clueless! Can't keep blaming players he needs to go, Lerner needs to give him his wedge and **** him off!

I'd like to see this team get at least 45minutes! Maybe swap Vlaar for senderos if he still needs a rest. Got options of moving gabby and nzog around and bringing on kea, cole and weimann to mix up midfield and attacking options. Guzan Hutton Okore Vlaar Richardson Westwood Delph Grealish Agbonlohor N'zogbia Bent I have a funny feeling given might well get no1 shirt back at some point this season. He seems to install confidence in the back four with minimum effort!

Honestly feel this could be our farewell! 18th-20th!

Any highlights/videos of jacks goal? Be nice to see!

3 out of the 4 teams below is need 6 points really. And I don't see that being impossible, especially if you look at how Fulham and Sunderland are picking up points. This is the part of the seasons where the poor teams win games because they need to, we're just getting smashed left right and centre. I certainly wouldn't put money on us staying up. The other teams around us seem to want to stay in the league and have accepted that they are in a fighting battle to stay up. Lambert still won't accept it.

Why didn't he send baker off! Only way he's gonna be dropped! 4-1 against Swansea, that's embarrassing!

How come lambert, the players and no one at villa are panicking? Do they not realise that if we don't get 3 points against hull then we're down, and considering we've only managed 1 point in the last 6 games then I really can't see that happening. And personally if/when we get relegated I really can't see us bouncing back. The fans keep getting urged to stop being negative and support the team but there's nothing positive left to cling onto. I can't get my head around how we can play well for 10minutes after conceding, get an equaliser and then instantly turn negative and shit! It baffles me.