Manager Paul Lambert

[The Fun Factory]

As ever the fixtures up to and after new year will show what sort of season Villa will have. It looks like another season of rebuilding and midtable, which I would take at present, though others may not,.

[VillaForever1970]

People still claiming we’re not improving or not?

[TrentVilla]

Yesterday wasn't great, no argument from me there. I wasn't particularly pleased with the collective performance or with several of the individual performances, the result was pretty much what I expected but the performance wasn't as good as I'd have hoped and some collective and individual criticism is justified.

However, this notion we've not improved from last season is in my view completely and utterly beyond reason or logic.

 

Last season

 

At this stage last season we had played West Ham, Everton, Newcastle, Swansea, Southampton, WBA, Spurs, Fulham which was a fairly kind start, certainly compared to this season. Yet we had 5pts and a -9 GD if my memory serves me correctly.

 

This season

 

After the same number of games and having faced Arsenal, Chelsea, L'pool, Newcastle, Norwich, Man City, Hull and Spurs which is tough going. Yet we have 10 pts and a -1 GD.

 

 

So that is progress, it can't really be argued otherwise. We've twice the points and improved our GD by 8.

 

Now granted the way we play might not have improved enough for you or improved at all and neither might the home form.

 

But the fact is, the results and the league table don't lie we have improved and we've done that despite facing far harder opposition this season than last. What is more we've done that having spent circa £11m net this summer which is less than Swansea spent on one player just to put that into context.

 

Is everything going swimmingly? No clearly not, our home form in particular is an area for concern and I totally understand those who are paying to watch it getting a little fed up.

 

But lets not pretend we've not improved because it simply doesn't stand up to the most basic of scrutiny.

 

Could it be better, sure it could. But all things considered, disappointing performance yesterday and poor home form aside I'm still pleased with our start to the season and still in support of Lambert.

[BOF]

Good post (as usual) Trent and just as an aside, our GD was -7.

[Mantis]

Very well said Trent. Even most of the games we are losing we aren't losing them like we lost them last season. Instead of being thumped 8-0 by Chelsea we narrowly lost 2-1 (and that was with some very dodgy refereeing). Likewise instead of losing 4-0 against Spurs we only lost 2-0.

[Zatman]

and of the teams we played last season we only picked up 3 points and a -14 goal difference from the 7 games (excluding hull)

[Mantis]

Maybe not a fair comparison, but this time last season we'd played 2 of the promoted clubs away and lost them both.

[Big_John_10]

We've clearly improved.

We're getting better results and our defence looks much better.

The annoying thing for me though is that we seem to have stopped trying to play football like we did the first few games of the season.

I'd hope to see that side continue to improve because while results have picked up I worry that we'll start to look a lot more like last season if we continue to play the way we have.

I think we deserved the 3 points against Norwich and City but I also think we were slightly fortunate. We gave up a lot of possession to Norwich and more often than not a better team will punish us with that amount of the ball. And against city we defended well and relied on a couple of individual moments which we know aren't always going to go for us in every game.

[Big_John_10]

What is more we've done that having spent circa £11m net this summer which is less than Swansea spent on one player just to put that into context.

And amazingly Lerner continues to get an easy ride as owner of this club.

[KjParton]

We've clearly improved.

We're getting better results and our defence looks much better.

The annoying thing for me though is that we seem to have stopped trying to play football like we did the first few games of the season.

I'd hope to see that side continue to improve because while results have picked up I worry that we'll start to look a lot more like last season if we continue to play the way we have.

I think we deserved the 3 points against Norwich and City but I also think we were slightly fortunate. We gave up a lot of possession to Norwich and more often than not a better team will punish us with that amount of the ball. And against city we defended well and relied on a couple of individual moments which we know aren't always going to go for us in every game.

I think the lack of a certain Belgian International is the reason for this (in bold) and thank god he's back now. 

[TRO]

In certain aspects we have improved in others we havn't.

 

The wins against Arsenal and Man city would have been beyond us last season and the points tally and league position is better than last season , so I accept all that.

 

When I look at some of our players that I was expecting to see better passing, improved ball control a better first touch a bit of heading ability that wasn't there last season, decision making that has gone up a level. I'm sorry guys, I know players lose form like Lowton & Westwood, but I was expecting to improvements like I can see with Delph.

 

I say it again, I can see improvement, but in some area's I was expecting I can't.

[Isa]

He played against Newcastle and the football was still awful.

[avfc1982]

What is more we've done that having spent circa £11m net this summer which is less than Swansea spent on one player just to put that into context.

And amazingly Lerner continues to get an easy ride as owner of this club.

Imagine if Ellis was still in charge of the club and we were forced to watch the tripe we're watching now. He'd be burned at the stake by now, but Lerner gets away scot free.

[TRO]

I do honestly think we, as a fanbase has become more tolerant.

[Isa]

What is more we've done that having spent circa £11m net this summer which is less than Swansea spent on one player just to put that into context.

And amazingly Lerner continues to get an easy ride as owner of this club.

Imagine if Ellis was still in charge of the club and we were forced to watch the tripe we're watching now. He'd be burned at the stake by now, but Lerner gets away scot free.

Probably helps that he is such a recluse that people forget he exists.

[StefanAVFC]

we have had the most difficult start of any team in league so far and doesnt get easier this weekend. The fact we have 10 points is actually quite amazing considering this is apparently the worst squad of players in clubs history

 

Well according to some, we have the worst squad of players we've ever had and the manager is underachieving, yet we're comfortably mid table with the toughest start of any team in the league. Down with everything!

[Risso]

We're 13th, playing what, is for the most part, horrible football to watch.  Of course I'll take results like Arsenal and Man City, but I'd prefer to see us playing decent football and beating the likes of Newcastle and Hull.  

[Jimzk5]

The best summing up of the spurs game was on two words from Martin swain from the express & star

"depressingly predictable"

I can't remember the last time we genuinely went into the game on the front foot looking to take the initiative from the start.

[avfc1982]

We're 13th, playing what, is for the most part, horrible football to watch.  Of course I'll take results like Arsenal and Man City, but I'd prefer to see us playing decent football and beating the likes of Newcastle and Hull.

The football is quite dreadful and is as bad as anything McLeish served up. Watching Villa under Lambert/Lerner is a horrible experience. We seem to be 'starstruck' anytime we play a team from the top half of the league and we sit back and soak up the pressure like a little club from the lower leagues drawn against the big boys from the PL. That's how far Lerner has dragged us down. The sooner he f#cks off the better.

[TrentVilla]

We've clearly improved.

We're getting better results and our defence looks much better.

The annoying thing for me though is that we seem to have stopped trying to play football like we did the first few games of the season.

I'd hope to see that side continue to improve because while results have picked up I worry that we'll start to look a lot more like last season if we continue to play the way we have.

I think we deserved the 3 points against Norwich and City but I also think we were slightly fortunate. We gave up a lot of possession to Norwich and more often than not a better team will punish us with that amount of the ball. And against city we defended well and relied on a couple of individual moments which we know aren't always going to go for us in every game.

 

I agree on every single point.

 

In relation to the point about trying to play football I think or at least I hope that will improve with the return of Benteke and the easier opposition that are ahead compared to what has gone previously.

This is perhaps my biggest concern at present the over reliance we place on Benteke not just for his goals but for dictating our entire play. He isn't the captain yet he appears to have more influence on those around him than any other player simply through his presence, when he came on yesterday the other players grew in confidence as soon as he stepped over the line.

 

That perhaps says more about what we lack than it does about the big man himself and like many things it is something that needs to be addressed in future windows. That said, when you are spending £11-12m net in a summer window it is a very difficult task.