sexbelowsound

They take an average of 15 seconds per throw. It's a disgrace it's allowed to happen.

That's disgusting, its like they are lining up a freekick from just outside the box.

Why do Stoke get an eternity to take their throw ins?

Bent coming on...............

Ireland also..............

Herd has got a really good leap on him.

Outplaying them and giving just as good as we get of the physical stuff. They just lucky that Concrete isn't on the pitch.

Chris Herd's tackle on Etherington then, Perfek.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

N'Zonzi, you tit.

Absolutely. He's a completely different type of striker.

There are a lot similarities between this Villa side and the current Dortmund team. With Lambert's background and the type of players he's brought in, I don't think this is coincidence, either. One aspect of this is Benteke's play - it can be likened to that of Lewandowski at times. He pulls back into the middle and distributes the ball quickly to other forwards or midfielders, but frequently he'll often be getting into the box and finishing chances too.

Was watching the the Dortmund game before the lads kicked off. Started off exactly the same as we did in the first 15 minutes but are now 2-1 down. Hope we can avoid that today

Do love the way Dortmund play though, would be fantastic to watch that sort of football from Villa.

Chris Herd having a good game.

Huth isn't going to be happy today until he has hurt someone.

Not to bring the argument about Bent into this thread but Bent couldn't play the way we are now, its clear to see.

Westwood looks quality, a real rock in the middle of the park.

Ryan Shawcross looks like he would struggle to find the answer to 2+2.

Stoke defends corners like its a rugby match

I like Lambert. But your point that it takes time to turn things around doesn't bear close scrutiny.

Brian Little

John Gregory

Ron Atkinson

All took over struggling sides - but turned things around fairly quickly.

I agree with that to some extent but it was also a completely different league then.

As did Houllier.

lichaj looks very uncomfortable when he is forward. he mormally passes sideways or backwards. i dont think stevens is quite up to it i dont mind him as a back up, a bit raw but tries hard. the less said about bennett the better, he is like a left back version of lee cattermole. nzogbia is worth a go i think.

I get the feeling that you don't rate Joe Bennett.

So in your opinion then both Rafa and Jol wouldn't have been able to build a team with all their experience and European connections. Very nice and I see you've excluded Clark. Why would that be then?

Where did I say my whole reason for signing Adam would be his delivery. I mentioned that those are some of his attributes that we are so clearly lacking. My point remains that both Adam and Diame were getable but Lambert chose not to pursue them and our debate has nothing to do with Benteke. Even if it was Lambert still didn't spend all of his available budget.

I've seen your point about Dempsey being mentioned before but there's one very large hole in it. What if Dempsey had said yes? Would Lambert then have said no. It would have undermined Lambert's tenure here right from the start. Lambert would have also signed Benteke irrespective of what happened to the Dempsey transfer.

I didn't leave Clark out deliberately, I just didn't notice that you mentioned him, but come on, seriously, Who could have seen that he would do as well as he has done.

How do you know Lambert chose not to pursue them?

KEA hasn't really been 'clever business' though has he?

I don't KEA has been too bad. He hasn't been great lately but I think he is still adapting his game to the pace of the Premier League. In the Eredivisie it was obviously much easier for him to control games than it is here but you don't control games in any league without talent and I think he'll become much more important for us as he grows with the squad and we improve.

You haven't answered my question but to answer yours we could have went for Jol when he was available and got rid of Mcleish sooner. No compensation payable either. We could also have gone for Clark. Rafa maybe?

You say we couldn't afford to pay 4m for one player yet we spent 7m on Benteke and placed a bid for Dempsey. Both Adam and Diame were affordable alright, we just didn't go for them and imagine how better our midfield would have been with those players in alongside Ireland or Westwood.

OK, so no. I don't think there was a better manager available to us who would do what Lambert is having to do such as bring down the wage bill and bring together a younger, hungrier squad. Rafa and Jol clearly wouldn't be able to do that.

And I'm well aware we spent 7 million on Benteke but your whole reason for signing Adam was for his delivery at set pieces. What use is that without Benteke? Also, we are talking wages again, He was signed from Liverpool and I can imagine 4 million plus whatever wages he was on is fairly equal to 7 million and what Benteke is on.

Say we used the funds for Benteke to purchase Adam, would you really be happier now with Charlie Adam in our team than Benteke?

Guess work of course but most of what we do as fans when talking about transfers is.

EDIT: Pretty sure the Dempsey thing was a no-goer and merely a way of getting Genk to pull their finger out.

Thought Charlie Adam was on loan?

Nah, they bought him.

I'd be interested to know what your grasp of the current situation is?

At the moment it is obviously difficult watching the team you love struggling but I'm prepared to give Lambert time because I like the way he is going about things. There is clearly a need to get down the massive wage bill and he is doing a good job bringing in players whilst complying with that. A young squad with two more senior players in Vlaar and El Ahmadi who were used to playing with a young team at Feyenoord was clever business for me and it hints at the direction we are taking. If these lads can grow together and gel well, with a couple of additions and a bit of luck this season I think we'll have a much more fruitful time the following season.

Just have to get through this year and support the team, as hard as it might be at times.

So you reckon that before Lambert was appointed there were no other managers out there who could have improved upon us being in and still around the drop zone?

Secondly, as I have constantly stated elsewhere, two of my picks were Diame and Adam. One of my other choices was Berbatov but I have always balanced that with his wages which would, admittently been high. Both Diame and Adam would still walk into our midfield now with Adam's delivery on corners and free kicks is something we are clearly lacking.

I asked you which managers you thought were available. You tell me.

And on Charlie Adam and Diame. Charlie Adam went to Stoke for 4 million. What makes you think we had that sort of money to spend on just one midfielder? Diame, maybe. Free transfer but again, wages.

One thing we do know though is that players coming in from Holland and Belgium won't command big wages, just as lower league players won't. Players who are already playing in the Premier League generally do.

Progress? Scraped a win against one of the worst teams in the league (Reading) with a quite diabolical performance, a backs to the wall performance against Arsenal then nick a point whilst defending for our lives against a team who have yet to win a game all season, and you call that progress?

Jesus, some people are easily pleased these days.

Unbeaten in three isn't progress? A resilience from a young squad isn't progress? Even when our captain is injured and our young defence stand firm, that isn't progress either I take it? They might be small but it is still progress and signs of improvement.