markavfc40

It was all so easy to predict though wasn't it and many of us predicted what would happen when this mob took charge and have sadly been proved right. With Osbourne certain to remain as chancellor there will be no recovery. In fact for most things are likely to get worse.

Nice words from Gareth and shows how highly regarded Stan is and how under rated he was by some supporters. I'd imagine someone like Stan is great to play alongside and those that have played alongside would appreciate how crucial he is to the team. We have certainly found that out the hard way.

Whilst I agree his work rate can be very suspect I am surprised he hasn't had us done under the trade descriptions act. When he came and we sold the club to him he had Ash on one side and Downing on the other to supply him with the chances. Today we had Herd on one side and NZogbia on the other. Bent is wasted in our side. He has always been reliant on others to do the donkey work and create the chances and a midfield of Herd, Bannan, NZogbia, El Ahmadi are simply not going to do that. In fact aside from Ireland we have **** all in terms of good creative players at the club.

Depends if he sees out the remaining three years of his contract I guess.

He did OK again today. The players around him though are way too inexperienced and if that is the back four for much of the season we can expect a few more spankings. He does like the odd long ball by the looks of things and isn't very accurate with them.

Jut back from VP. I have probably been to every opening home game of the season in the last 25 years and that has to be one of the worst home season openers and starting elevens I have seen. I don't put any of the blame for that at Lamberts door it is squarely at Lerners. Quite simply a lack of investment has seen us having to field a team full of players who have come through the ranks but who just aren't good enough especially when you consider the senior players around them aren't top quality either. That is not their fault but it is a sad fact. Herd, Bannan, Delfouneso, Clark, Baker, Weimann, Lichaj should not be making up 50% of our side. Two years of selling of our best players, flogging off some decent solid squad players, and not replacing them with anything like the same quality has inevitably led us to where we now are. Relegation fodder. Without major investment and 4 or 5 quality signings by the end of the week then we are facing relegation. The reckless way Randy has gone about trying to balance the books over the last two years and the incompetence he and Faulkner have shown is a disgrace.

For the first 3-4 years he invested yes. Under O'Neill we had a net spent of approx 80 mill or 60 mill if you count the Milner money. That took us form 16th and going backwards to three sixth place finishes and challenging for Champions League qualification. During those three years of sixth place finishes we had the 8th, 6th and 6th highest wage bill. For whatever reason Randy/Faulkner were unable to bring income up to a level to sustain the 6th highest wage bill. Over the last two years the wreckless cost cutting combined with two very poor managerial appointments has seen us go back at an alarming rate and at the end of last season we pretty much found ourselves where Randy found us. Having just avoided relegation. He has now rectified one of his errors and employed a manager with the potential to do great things with us. We are about to find out if he is going to rectify another mistake and give the manager the backing he will need. If he doesn't we are looking at another season of struggle. The third on the spin and that is simply not good enough for this great club.

Johnson for 10 mill looks decent business (especially when you consider we sold Downing for twice that and paid the same for NZogbia ) as does Moses going to Chelsea for 9 mill. Players I'd have hoped we'd be in for although we couldn't compete with Chelsea for Moses it would be nice to think we are still a bigger draw than Sunderland. One things for sure we need 3 or 4 quality signings before this window closes.

In recent times its hard to argue with that. Going slightly further back when GTMK1 left the club I was gutted and same when Big Ron and Sir Brian left.

I was at the game and it was a very good spell off ball retention/passing for us during the first 25 - 30 mins. However during that time we created **** all which was pretty much the case over the whole 90 minutes. I am all for seeing us retain the ball but bottom line in football is all about scoring one more than the opposition. Getting back on topic we need signings. The squad is lacking both in terms of quantity and quality. Lambert I have no doubt will prove to be a very good manager for us but he will need decent backing. The last two seasons we have spent 90% of it in the bottom third of the table and had to endure two relegation battles. That for Aston Villa is simply not good enough. The club went someway to ensuring that would not happen again by appointing Lambert. Now he needs to be backed. As things stand today the squad will finish between 12th and 16th. With injuries to two or three key players we will be in deep shit. I am still hopeful we will make the signings necessary to see us finish comfortable in mid to upper table but with every passing day it seems less likely we will make the signings necessary to do that.

Take them into the top 6 three times on the spin? I can't see it. If he does it will be interesting to see if Sunderland could do what we couldn't - sustain finishing 6th with the 6th highest wage bill.

The funds McLeish was given? McLeish had a transfer budget of -21 mill. Under him we sold Ash, Downing and Luke Young for approx 38 mill, lost Freidel and Reo Coker for **** all and brought in Given, NZogbia and Hutton for approx 17 mill. Under McLeish both in terms of transfers and wages we made massive savings. For two years now we have sold players and either not replaced them or replaced them with far inferior players. That combined with two poor managerial choices has seen us spend 90% of the last two seasons in the bottom third of the league battling relegation. That simply is not good enough. Over the summer Randy/Faulkner have rectified one of the reasons we have found ourselves in the shit by appointing a very good manager who has the potential to be a great manager for us. Without decent backing though over the next couple of weeks and 3 or 4 quality signings then this squad will finish no better than 12th - 16th.

The overall sentiment of Mikes opening post is pretty much spot on. Lambert for me has the potential to be a great manager for us but he isn't going to do that without decent backing. Regardless of yesterdays result only a fool would suggest that the squad currently will not do any better than finishing around 12th - 16th. That simply isn't good enough for this great club especially when you throw into the mix that we have also spent around 90% of the past two seasons in the bottom third of the table and had two relegation battles. Randy/Faulkner put one part of our problems right by finally appointing a very good manager. The other major reason we have found ourselves going backwards rapidly over the last two seasons has been due to selling our players and either not replacing them or replacing them with inferior quality. To put that right will take decent investment and we are yet to see that. It is possible to see a major change in fortunes for a club over a season. We have done it quite recently in 1996 when we went from being almost relegated in 1995 to finishing 4th, winning the league cup and getting to the semi final of the FA Cup. There are other examples at this club and others. Normally though along with a change in manager it takes a good level of investment in players and we are yet to see anything like that.

Only a fool would suggest that the squad is currently no better than being capable of finishing around 12th - 16th in the table. I don't believe Lambert is a fool so he will know this. What we have done over the last 2 seasons is simply not good enough for this great club. Lambert didn't some here to be serving up another season of battling relegation and spending most of it in the bottom third of the table. For the above reasons I am expecting major activity in terms of incoming players over the next couple of weeks.

Not long back from the game. Ireland was playing much too deep today. Not sure if that is where he was told to play or that was simply the only way he was going to get the ball as quite simply the ball hardly ever reached over attacking third. He did OK but he needs to be in a more advanced position than he continually found himself in today if he is to do any damage in terms of creating chances. He tried to thread a few passes into Bent but as he was too deep they were telegraphed and relatively easy pickings usually for James Collins who was superb for West Ham.

Given who else was on the bill he was easily the biggest star involved ( alongside The Who )especially when you consider this was going out to a worldwide audience. Therefore I guess they pretty much allowed him to sing whatever he wanted.

**** Cameron. What a wooden prick he looks and as for Boris a **** embarrassment.

Just hasn't got going has it. I thought when George Michael came on with Freedom it would take off from there but its gone backwards.

They will I think when the proper concert starts after these formalities.

I knew he'd been ill for a while. Part of a select band of commentators that are instantly recognisable as soon as they speak and made watching the sport they commentate on more enjoyable. Sid came out with some cracking lines over the years and watching darts won't be the same without him. RIP Sid.

Pal it is not me that has got the figure wrong. I have linked what the BBC stated when he signed - £6million. This is also stated in numerous online papers at the time. Now you are saying that Houllier said 5 mill euros, although haven't backed that up, so I find it a little strange that all these media outlets have it wrong. Regardless of 5 mill euros ( which at the time given the shite exchange rate was about £4.7mill ) or the £6mill fee as was very widely reported, as things stand today he has made just over a handful of appearances most of which he was poor in, has been paid fully paid by the club for 12 months and partially for another 7 and has now either gone awol and taking a 7 month holiday or is having trouble getting a work permit as despite signing 19 months ago still can't grasp very basic English. Like I said as things stand today he has been a complete waste of space and up there as one of our biggest.

I like him. He is approaching his prime years, has PL experience, knows where the back of the net is, an intelligent player who reads the game well and will create chances as well as score them and bring others into the game. Two good feet and good in the air. He also has another attribute that Lambert demands from his players - an excellent work rate. Would be a good partner for Bent and around 10 - 13 mill seems about right money.

I can't understand why anyone thinks its 6Million, considering it was 5million Euros, plus he's been on loan for a season, we've had bigger wastes than this in my opinion. Where you getting 5 mill euros from? according to the BBC ( link below ) when he signed it was for £6mill. I am sure when he was on loan for 7 months we were also paying a fair chunk of his wages. He has certainly been a big waste of money but I am hoping we can get a mill back maybe. From the BBC Houllier press conference for Darren Bent signing stated it was 5million Euros. So not as a bigger waste as your making out, or have you forgotten Balaban? What about Habib Beye who was on 45k. I'm not sure what Houllier said 19 months ago ( thankfully I have wiped much of what that spineless prick said from my memory ) but I do know that as I have shown it was widely reported the fee was 6 million pound. Look you can debate who has been the biggest waste of money over the years. All I am saying is as things stand he has been ONE of the biggest wastes of money/space we have had. That could all change of course if he comes back and contributes. If he doesn't come back though then I don't see us getting too much for him and it seems some believe we may just terminate his contract and get **** all.

I can't understand why anyone thinks its 6Million, considering it was 5million Euros, plus he's been on loan for a season, we've had bigger wastes than this in my opinion. Where you getting 5 mill euros from? according to the BBC ( link below ) when he signed it was for £6mill. I am sure when he was on loan for 7 months we were also paying a fair chunk of his wages. He has certainly been a big waste of money but I am hoping we can get a mill back maybe. From the BBC

That story about him being on holiday till December can't be true can it? if it is that has got to put him up there as the biggest waste of space we have ever signed. 6 mill fee and 30k + a week wages less what ever Olympiacos paid him for 7 months. I just can't believe that story is right. If it is lets hope someone is willing to pay a mill or so for him so we **** him off whilst getting a little back for him.