Christ_JM

Delph is shit. Lambert out

with that age / height / caps / club goals can I just call his price 1/35th of an andy carroll?

 

but I am a bit disappointed we arent buying English...

1. The equivalent English players are not in our price range at this technical level;
2. The equivalent English players are $$$ ie Carroll.

Some of you guys are unbeleivable.

I don't care if he doesn't have the technical ability/composure of ireland, we need some players with grit to impose ourselves on the sunderlunds/stokes/birminghams of this world.

I follow an italian team which is full of technical players but that team's supporters are complaining about the lack of grit in the so called technically gifted players.

You need both types in a team, and that doesn't mean that Holman should play in all games but he is better than many people here are whinging about.

I hope he stays and gets the opportunities that Ireland got.

There is a possibility that this summer could be the right time to sell him, his stock his high and he may not be as effective next season.

 

Lots of strikers down the years have come to the PL, had one great season, then never hit the heights after it. I know Benteke has a lot of ability, but you just never know if he'll be as good next season and his value could quickly drop if not.

 

I very much agree with this.

 

As much as I love him being at Villa, I actually think it could be in our best interests to sell him this summer, IF the right offer comes in. We would be very lucky if he gave us another season as good as this one. To perform better than he has done this season, in a team like ours, would be a big ask for anyone. I'm not convinced some of the leagues established stars would have done as well as Benteke has done this season, in a team battling relegation. He's basically a goal a game striker at the moment, expecting him to improve next year would require him having a Van Persie-esque season in a team with far less quality than Manchester United.

 

If we can get anything above £25m for him, then we should take it and re-invest the money.

Re-invest it in who?

It is rare to sign a player like Benteke.

He is already alongside names like Yorke, Bent, Gabby.

I would like to keep him and build a team around him.

If he wants to leave then we can talk about selling.

i'm sure he's not a bad player - just don't think he's a natural winger/wide man. 

Lambert doesn't seem to understand the difference between the roles of striker or winger, he just see's attackers and if he can play at least 4 of them he's happy as fox on a glacier mint, ok that reference is older than Bruce Forsyth's penis.

Holland 1974 board.

if its players still playing

 

Mellberg, Bouma and Barry

 

we would be probably top 10 with them 3 alone

Which makes you wonder why we didn't invest money in quality players at that time opposed to the likes of Hutton, Given, Ireland etc

agree he is an absolute beast. Not as technically good as Clark but if you are in a battle Baker is one of first people id look to

Both good players to have depending on the team we play.

Stoke are such a woeful team, it suited us to have Baker rather than Clark.

But for Arsenal games for eg where the ball is played around the box mostly on the ground, Clark would suit more I believe. Both decent talents.

Still haven't forgiven Dowd for not giving Vidic the red during the cup final

This. Most undeserving victory for United.

Was it Owen's only goal for Utd?

I was in Thailand watching it at a bar with 50 Man Utd "fans".

Upsetting.

He is the defensive midfielder that Aston Villa deserves... but not the one it needs right now... and so we'll play him, because he can take it.

Because he's not Bannan... he's a silent guardian... a watchful protector... a dark knight. 

Ghost. Out.

Indeed Newcastle went down with Shearer at the helm and he was replaced/left with their relegation.

 

I just don't see if a manager takes a team down how he can take the downwards momentum and switch it around to get the club going again to my knowledge it has never happened that a manager has gone down and come back up.

 

Latest from Mail 

wow this is dire if true

Chelsea 8-0

the most embarrassing game I have seen.

i feel sick thinking about it.

when was the last time we scored more than 2 goals in a game?

I've got no problem with Lerner, he brought in the manager most of the fans wanted and gave him £20m net to spend in the summer (5th highest in the Prem). When you look at some of the disastrous owners other clubs have ended up with I'll stick with Randy thanks, no doubt we do need some signings this window though.

This does not take into account very relevant things.

1. The state/quality of the squad at the begininning of the season compared to the others
   
2. The wages available to be offered to new players
   

I agree that CM is the priority. I'd be amazed if we didn't at least sign one strong central midfielder.

Yes, well you might be spellbound come feb 1.

we have such a shit squad

This is a fascinating thread,

in my eyes Bannan and Gabby changed us completely against Southampton.

Love or hate him, we need a Bannan/ Ireland type on the park at all times.

Someone that can at any point change the game. (N'Zogbia avoids eye contact).

We need to use the middle of the pitch on the ground as well, when ever we do we look both solid, passing with conviction so seem to build momentum, but then go back to the wings. You don't win big boy fights with dead arms, we need to smack them.

Bent's play is a direct reflection of the supply he is given as he thrives in decisive passing that we had when we had men in the shirts. Passing the ball so his back to goal is to go offroading in a Lotus. That's not Bents fault, it the passer.

Surely the managers job is to create a playing style that fits the team's individuals, it then evolves over years into what the manager builds it into.

This is not the time to blood youth, this is time to just stay up and try again next season.

Sorry Mr. Lambert, this current problem all rests on your shoulders...

Right now, this group is not good enough for the Premier, they will be one day.

As long as he doesn't ruin them first.

N'zogbia is poo

If he's certain to sell, it would have been wise for him to bolster the team enough to make Premiership survival a sure thing. A Championship Aston Villa side will fetch considerably less than a Premier League Aston Villa.

In the USA "champions" sounds better than "premiers"

Can we have a tricky winger who can dribble, pass, score and cross?

nzogbia is shit at all of those things

good but no Knight/Davies or COllins and Dunne

Not as great as Baker and Clark

QPR have just signed M'Vila haven't they? Can't see them being in the market for another defensive midfielder. And with the wages they're racking up they aren't gonna be keen to offer a big contract either. If they go down forking out a further 200k per week (Remy, M'Vila and Sissoko would come close to that) they risk catastrophe if they go down. Whilst they're trying to buy their way out of trouble, I'm sure someone there is looking at damage limitation also.

Villa is doing neither

Not really... Remy has been shite this season.....

M'vila is a petulant brat who believes his own hype too much and thinks he is amazing.... Good players on their day yes BUT they have to adjust to a new league at a time where their team needs them to be firing now..... M'vila was crap for France at the Euro's... Arsenal could have had him before but his attitude stinks!!!

Also need I remind everyone that Makoun came from France in the Jan window and it didn't work out... this is a player with more games at a very high level under his belt that Remy and M'vila put together.....

not picking on you but both m'vila and remy would be a massive step up on all of our players.

massive.

It's not like he took the Bayern Munich job. He's left Aston Villa 5 months after taking the job so he can manage a 2nd division German side. I can't help but interpret this negatively.

Pity. If he stayed at villa he would be in with a shot of managing a 2nd division English side next season.

There is no question.... we need players in.

but to be fair 200 million spent and this is where we are.....they all ought to be shot.

how much have we recouped from players sold?

the other income ie season tickets, prize money, tv deals, sponsorship should offset running costs.

he has not invested that much

several. Including:

• dwight yorke sale
  
• 2000 fa cup final
  
• 2007 league cup final
  

mainly for me it is this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992%E2%80%9393_FA_Premier_League

1992-1993 premier league season

man utd were shit for years and we came second.

we could have pushed on but didn't, look at the difference now. it's laughable

then teams with money won the league and we could not compete because:

1. ellis chose not to spend
   
2. randy spent unwisely
   
3. both sold our great and good players often without a direct replacement
   

Coutinho is such a class player. If we get him it would certainly be a coup.

I still think we need two new defenders this window. Toby Alderweireld would be a great addition.

So would Thiago Silva

I follow lazio, maligned under 23 player up until this year. (sounds familiar)

Performs quite well in big games and makes fewer and fewer mistakes the more games he plays.

Super quick, assisted equaliser in italian cup game recently.

probably unneccesary for villa tbh.

unlikely that lazio would consider selling. lazio are undefeated in since nov, finished top of europe league group, are 2nd in the league behind juventus only... why would they sell one of their only good youth prospects?