September Optimism Gauge

[8pints]

I'm up for this now, still wish these signings had been made before the season began but that's how this stupid window works.

Not the foggiest idea on any of our new players in fact I had never seen Vlaar, KEA or Lowton until a couple of weeks ago and I'm impressed by all 3 so I'm not concerned that I have (I'm guess the same for most of us) not seen any of this weeks signings play as Paul Lambert seems to be able to spot what he wants in a player.

Don't get to hung up on where they come from if they have "it" then this manager will bring it out of them. I think we all understand this season isn't going to be easy we are going to have some difficult times but I'm excited for the 1st time in ages about what the future for Villa holds.

Amazing - if McLeish had made these signings, people would want him hung, drawn and quartered. I am glad he has gone but equally I am surprised at the amount of faith people have in Paul Lambert.

If Mcleish had made these signings this place would have gone in to meltdown.

Mcleish wouldn't have made these signings.

[terrytini]

I have no concerns over the Table - we will be comfortable.

A lot of the more spectacular buys are smoke and mirrors - take Dempsey - doesn't even want to be there ! Nor Carrol, what must Adam be thinking ? Spurs are weaker than last year, as are Liverpool, Newcastle have stood still, etc etc - lots of Clubs have their issues.

I like our position and couldn't care less we have signde these - apparently available - 'marquee' players. Who cares ?

It isn't a game about individuals, it is about a Team, a manager, tactics, desire, and much more.

I like the comparison with Saunders day - look at Des Bremner for gods sake - nobody wanted him but he was absolutely key.

[MikeMcKenna]

I'm up for this now, still wish these signings had been made before the season began but that's how this stupid window works.

Not the foggiest idea on any of our new players in fact I had never seen Vlaar, KEA or Lowton until a couple of weeks ago and I'm impressed by all 3 so I'm not concerned that I have (I'm guess the same for most of us) not seen any of this weeks signings play as Paul Lambert seems to be able to spot what he wants in a player.

Don't get to hung up on where they come from if they have "it" then this manager will bring it out of them. I think we all understand this season isn't going to be easy we are going to have some difficult times but I'm excited for the 1st time in ages about what the future for Villa holds.

Amazing - if McLeish had made these signings, people would want him hung, drawn and quartered. I am glad he has gone but equally I am surprised at the amount of faith people have in Paul Lambert.

I'm not usually a rude person so I'll try not to be so now but don't use my words to make a **** point that has **** all to do with what I meant or wrote, ok.

This topic has nothing to do with Mcleish but answering you post he had no plan and no style of football that I could associate with the team club I love and also no foresight to sign players that might help improve the team so your point is meaningless.

Calm down son!

For someone who is "not usually a rude person" you are doing a good job at breaking the mould.

It's a public forum and if you decide to post comments/advice that someone doesnt agree with you can expect a response. When you said:

"Don't get to hung up on where they come from if they have "it" then this manager will bring it out of them."

I don't agree or at least don't see how you can make such a definitive statement. There is little evidence beyond one reasonable first season in the Premier League that Paul Lambert can spot players who have "it" whatever "it" is. If he has plucked talent from the lower reaches that go on to prove themselves great but for now they are unproven, unknowns.

McLeish rightly got slagged for his style of play, but it is also fair comment to make the point that he wouldn't have got away unscathed with these signings.

[Skruff]

My advice to all Villa Fans is....forget the league table.

just watch the game and support the lads to the full and enjoy watching the boys turn in to men.

If the quality on the pitch is right and the performances improve ( both individually and collectivelly)the results will come and the league table will take care of itself.

then that will be the time to glance up at the League table.

Well said.

I'm looking forward to this seasons. Going to be very exciting to see how the players develop, as you said individually and collectively. I'm fully prepared for a slow start with few points to see the raw gems turned into

flawless ruby, some might end up as a chipped topaz but hey ho.

Just seen the interviews with our two last players, and they both seemed over the moon to be here, judging by their facial expressions.

We might end up it lower half of the table but it's going to delightful to see 11 players playing with their hearts out again. Think we'll be looking at a good squad come this time next year and a self-sustained club.

I completely understand why people are being critical, but I can't help myself feeling optimistic.

[nobler]

I'm happy with our signings. Of course it would have been fantastic to get in some more experience, Demspey would have been great, but it wasn't to be. I've been so drained of any hope over the last 12 months that I can't be anything other than optimistic now. I like what Lambert is doing, the young players can grow together here and form something solid. We will take heavy beatings, but i'm genuinely prepared to deal with it.

The only thing that is niggling me is that we couldn't shift Hutton and Warnock. It would have been nice to just have the squad that Lambert wanted, everyone unified and focused and wanting to play for the club. Instead we still have these two looming around in the background. Other than that, i'm as optimistic as I can be with the current situation.

[maqroll]

I'm up for this now, still wish these signings had been made before the season began but that's how this stupid window works.

Not the foggiest idea on any of our new players in fact I had never seen Vlaar, KEA or Lowton until a couple of weeks ago and I'm impressed by all 3 so I'm not concerned that I have (I'm guess the same for most of us) not seen any of this weeks signings play as Paul Lambert seems to be able to spot what he wants in a player.

Don't get to hung up on where they come from if they have "it" then this manager will bring it out of them. I think we all understand this season isn't going to be easy we are going to have some difficult times but I'm excited for the 1st time in ages about what the future for Villa holds.

Amazing - if McLeish had made these signings, people would want him hung, drawn and quartered. I am glad he has gone but equally I am surprised at the amount of faith people have in Paul Lambert.

If Mcleish had made these signings this place would have gone in to meltdown.

Mcleish wouldn't have made these signings.

^^^ Exactly.

Why are people even dragging his name into this discussion?

He's gone, it's over, move on

[ozvillafan]

I've not been this positive since Houllier took the game to ManUre at home (only to lose it in the last 10 minutes).

I was hoping we would sign OGS or Martinez instead of Lambert. I was concerned that Lambert would be too "British" in his outlook and unable to overhaul the squad or instill a new style.

And I've never been happier to be so wrong.

We won't be winning the league. We wont be in Europe. But I can see that - at last! - we are building something that will be special

[TRO]

I remember seeing Andy Gray for £110,000 turn up at 19 and played like a whirl wind in his second game against Man U ....They did'nt know what had hit them.... we( the fans) had never heard of him.... but he just grew in stature.

Remember Gareth Barry making his debut and watching him grow.

it just fills you with pride and thats when the atmosphere in the crowd returns.... and when that happens, anything is possible.

[maqroll]

I've not been this positive since Houllier took the game to ManUre at home (only to lose it in the last 10 minutes).

I was hoping we would sign OGS or Martinez instead of Lambert. I was concerned that Lambert would be too "British" in his outlook and unable to overhaul the squad or instill a new style.

And I've never been happier to be so wrong.

We won't be winning the league. We wont be in Europe. But I can see that - at last! - we are building something that will be special

I think this is the "rebuilding" that actually ends up paying dividends...

[Texas_Mike]

I really like our forward line options now. Especially with a fit Gabby. In theory the midfield is adeqaute if they can play to their supposed ability. Feel OK about center of defence but hope they improve to become real mean (Baker is my hope here). The fullbacks scare me to death especially if the come up against quailty wingers. Happy with our goalkeeping options.

[P3te]

I'm up for this now, still wish these signings had been made before the season began but that's how this stupid window works.

Not the foggiest idea on any of our new players in fact I had never seen Vlaar, KEA or Lowton until a couple of weeks ago and I'm impressed by all 3 so I'm not concerned that I have (I'm guess the same for most of us) not seen any of this weeks signings play as Paul Lambert seems to be able to spot what he wants in a player.

Don't get to hung up on where they come from if they have "it" then this manager will bring it out of them. I think we all understand this season isn't going to be easy we are going to have some difficult times but I'm excited for the 1st time in ages about what the future for Villa holds.

Amazing - if McLeish had made these signings, people would want him hung, drawn and quartered. I am glad he has gone but equally I am surprised at the amount of faith people have in Paul Lambert.

If Mcleish had made these signings this place would have gone in to meltdown.

alex mcleish doesnt have a proven track record of buying surprise packages from lower leagues, lambert has done it very well. that's the difference

there's plenty to be excited about from the players who've come in. we've brought in a dutch international feyenoord captain in vlaar, feyenoord's best player of last season in el ahmedi, a striker from a very exciting young belgian international team in benteke, middlesbrough's ex player of the year in bennett, a young leader from crewe in westwood and a very highly rated attacking full back in lowton

then there's holman who could be okay, a squad strengthener more than anything but potential there to be a kuyt-light style workhorse who'll score a few goals and be a nuisance, and bowrey who's a really unknown quantity that nobody's expecting anything of

part of the excitement comes from the unknown there, and the fact that we'll have so little premiership experience is a concern to some, but that's not really the issue. the problem will be integrating everyone into an already very disrupted squad. we've had more managers in the last few years than anyone else with o'neill, macdonald, houllier, mcallister, mcleish and now lambert all managing the side, and players brought in by each of them for different styles and systems still there

lambert obviously has a gameplan in mind. he's not gone out and randomly signed all these players. they'll each have been bought for a particular reason, so simply saying "he's from a lower league club so he's shite" is a bit nonsensical

for years we've looked on jealously as other clubs have picked up gems, and complained that we didn't appear to have any kind of scouting system in place. now we have a manager who knows the lower leagues, and has successfully signed from them in the past. he's gone for young, hungry players highly rated by their previous clubs, and added a few older pros as well. maybe not ones with premiership experience, but they're internationals. we've signed 8 players this summer, 4 of them are full internationals, and 3 of them are underage internationals

i find it a bit strange that we had people on here complaining that we werent after the likes of charlie adam and scott sinclair, 3 years ago charlie adam was on loan at blackpool from rangers, and scott sinclar was doing nothing at chelsea. christ, swansea signed him for half a million in 2010. there were people on here complaining about not signing players this window we wouldve complained about signing 3 years ago

we're now in the position where WE'RE the club bringing those players into the league. the benefits are two fold with that. firstly if even 50% of them are successful, we become a very, very good option for the most promising lower league players. secondly, there's a massive sell-on for those players should they become very successful. yeah we don't want them leaving, but if you can buy someone for 2m and sell them for 8m a few years later, you're in a good place. eventually, you'll get to the point where they'll be staying at the club instead of going elsewhere

look, the team isn't going to settle immediately. they're going to need 10 games or so to really get to know each other, but once there's a long term focus at the club in terms of playing style, and everyone signed is signed for that system, then we'll ultimately end up a lot better off than signing "established premiership players" for three times their value, massive wages and no sell-on price

ultimately, if someone said at the start of the summer that we'd bring in a moroccan international, a dutch international, a belgian international and an australian international, and some very highly rated young players from the lower leagues, would we have had much of a problem with it?

[SeanO]

I'm up for this now, still wish these signings had been made before the season began but that's how this stupid window works.

Not the foggiest idea on any of our new players in fact I had never seen Vlaar, KEA or Lowton until a couple of weeks ago and I'm impressed by all 3 so I'm not concerned that I have (I'm guess the same for most of us) not seen any of this weeks signings play as Paul Lambert seems to be able to spot what he wants in a player.

Don't get to hung up on where they come from if they have "it" then this manager will bring it out of them. I think we all understand this season isn't going to be easy we are going to have some difficult times but I'm excited for the 1st time in ages about what the future for Villa holds.

Amazing - if McLeish had made these signings, people would want him hung, drawn and quartered. I am glad he has gone but equally I am surprised at the amount of faith people have in Paul Lambert.

I'm not usually a rude person so I'll try not to be so now but don't use my words to make a **** point that has **** all to do with what I meant or wrote, ok.

This topic has nothing to do with Mcleish but answering you post he had no plan and no style of football that I could associate with the team club I love and also no foresight to sign players that might help improve the team so your point is meaningless.

Calm down son!

For someone who is "not usually a rude person" you are doing a good job at breaking the mould.

It's a public forum and if you decide to post comments/advice that someone doesnt agree with you can expect a response. When you said:

"Don't get to hung up on where they come from if they have "it" then this manager will bring it out of them."

I don't agree or at least don't see how you can make such a definitive statement. There is little evidence beyond one reasonable first season in the Premier League that Paul Lambert can spot players who have "it" whatever "it" is. If he has plucked talent from the lower reaches that go on to prove themselves great but for now they are unproven, unknowns.

McLeish rightly got slagged for his style of play, but it is also fair comment to make the point that he wouldn't have got away unscathed with these signings.

I don't mind you not agreeing with me, that's not the point of my annoyance with your post at all.

I was pissed that you quoted my post to make another point about a manger who has gone when nothing I wrote was to do with that. I see you have now answered using my words to suit your point, I felt that you were trying the "big I am" even though you wont say it hence my intended rude response.

I happen to like and trust Lambert, I have brought into his idea and yes these signing are unproven but we could talk all day about players that have come to Villa already proven but who have let themselves, managers and fans down.

For example, N'Zogbia, Hutton, Heskey and the list would be huge but I don't care about them it's their loss. I want to see players like Platt who GT took a gamble on. GT saw "it" and through hard work and having better players around him went on to be one of the best English players of his generation.

I have no idea if any of these new players can be the next Platt but I'm excited that they might be.

[AVFCforever1991]

feeling very confident about this september.. Thing lambert will get these buys going!! UTV

[TezzRexx]

I think we'll be okay this season and really push on next.

When we have a fully fit squad, it's not actually too bad. And I've been impressed with what I've seen of PL's pre deadline day purchases, so I trust his eye for a player.

I'm also glad that PL has spotted the lack of (current) talent in The Fonz and has decided to ship him out for experience.

[LondonLax]

Am still not sure if this squad will work. We need a couple of the new boys to really step up. There is still the danger that we will slide through the trapdoor come May.

[CI]

Happy with the direction we're going in with Lambert even if it will probably mean 2 steps back to take 1 forward.

To think some people wanted him to sign the likes of Joey Barton !!

Thank God we are not going down that route.

[briny_ear]

Looks like we are in for a spell of extreme euphoria in favour of Lambert as strong the negative feeling against McLeish last season.

Get ready to read posts whenever we lose a match explaining how good a thing that is because we are "going in the right direction".

Also many fatuous comparisons with MON.

[VillanousOne]

I like all the signings so far but not sure the new ones will address the lack of width and cutting edge seen so far, I mean why didn't we sign a winger? I'm sure Benteke will add much needed presence up front, and Bennett will get fwd but will that be enough? We need Zog and Ireland to really stand up and. That is a big gamble

[Richard]

There was a bad odour about the club, something rotten that needed cutting out, not same old same old and trying to feed the rotten bits. A clean break and start a fresh.

Looks like he has gone a long way to do that.

Better manager than the last two and he has his own players, not someone else's like the last two.

I don't expect us to finish top ten so my optimism is pretty high

[Brumstopdogs]

Fairly positive about the future although more for next season than this.

Lambert has got rid of (or plans to) quite a few of our worst players like Collins, Warnock, Hutton and the ineffective Delf.

He's purchased 2 cracking players from Feyenord and added some talented youngsters and a forward who should give us some presence up front.

Trust in Lambert - he'll get it right!