Manager Paul Lambert

[GENTLEMAN]

No I don't think Lerner would tell Lambert who to buy, I don't honestly believe he's that interested. But I do think he's told Paul to trim the wage bill of it's highest earners, probably all of them earning in excess of £30k, barring perhaps Gabby.

Nobody can dispute that we have been reducing the wage bill. But the reduction policy began in 2010. In that time, GH and AM have signed "experience" players for bigger fees and wages, albeit a smaller amount of players. I doubt Lerner would deny Lambert the same opportunity.    

Edited December 9, 2013 by GENTLEMAN

[Risso]

 

 

 

Deulofeu

Barry

Lukaku

 

They're all on loans on wages we can't afford

 

It's just a superior set up over the years there

 

 

£50,000 a week = £2.5m a year.  Multiplied by 3 = £7.5m, or one Kozak.

[DelboyVilla]

Simple fact is that their squad is a lot better than ours.

 

Pienaar

Mirallas

Baines

Distin

 

Solid base even before he stepped in. Would wipe the floor with our team.

 

 

Deulofeu

Barry

Lukaku

 

They're all on loans on wages we can't afford

 

It's just a superior set up over the years there

 

 

With apparently a decidedly smaller budget.

 

The one thing they have had though is a manager in place for 11 years.

 

It just goes to show that you don't need to be a billionaire to stand a chance of top 4 football, just a decently run club. Remembering that when your best players are sold you replace them with quality not complete and utter tosh.

[Kwan]

 

 

 

 

Deulofeu

Barry

Lukaku

 

They're all on loans on wages we can't afford

 

It's just a superior set up over the years there

 

 

£50,000 a week = £2.5m a year.  Multiplied by 3 = £7.5m, or one Kozak.

 

 

Hardly doubt that City are subsiding over half of Barry's wages.

 

But either way, it would go against the wage cap if he could bring those players in.

 

Simple fact is that their squad is a lot better than ours.

 

Pienaar

Mirallas

Baines

Distin

 

Solid base even before he stepped in. Would wipe the floor with our team.

 

 

Deulofeu

Barry

Lukaku

 

They're all on loans on wages we can't afford

 

It's just a superior set up over the years there

 

 

With apparently a decidedly smaller budget.

 

The one thing they have had though is a manager in place for 11 years.

 

It just goes to show that you don't need to be a billionaire to stand a chance of top 4 football, just a decently run club. Remembering that when your best players are sold you replace them with quality not complete and utter tosh.

 

 

I don't disagree.

 

Just kinds of shows what a shambolic mess we've been in here for a while.

[VillanousOne]

It would be nice if in January - Lambert was allowed to spend 25-30 mil on two maybe even three quality experienced players
 

two creative midfielders and another experienced central defender

I am not saying that would instantly resolve everything but it would certainly help.

 

obviously this is presuming we don't sell Tekkers till the summer which is uncertain.

At the moment Vlaar and Guzan do a good job of marshalling the defence, but we don't have that influence in midfield or up front. Gabby and KEA are not natural/intelligent leaders.

[GENTLEMAN]

Barry and Lukaku were signed after they had sold a major asset (Marounane Fellaini).

[Robbie09]

It would be nice if in January - Lambert was allowed to spend 25-30 mil on two maybe even three quality experienced players

 

two creative midfielders and another experienced central defender

I am not saying that would instantly resolve everything but it would certainly help.

 

obviously this is presuming we don't sell Tekkers till the summer which is uncertain.

At the moment Vlaar and Guzan do a good job of marshalling the defence, but we don't have that influence in midfield or up front. Gabby and KEA are not natural/intelligent leaders.

 

If he was to spend that amount of money I'd say it's nailed on Tekkers is on his way out.

[villianusa]

The comparison to McCleish are fair enough when you look at our style of play, but the nature of the way the managers set about building the teams are completely different. MCleish wasted a lot of money, Lambert doesn't have the money to waste.

 

We are such a boring team to watch, but we have managed to grind out some results that we may have not done under previous managers or even last season. No way around it, this is going to be a poor season to watch if like myself you look for much more of a passing game. I don't believe Lambert is looking to play that way because even though the players are cheap you can find players in the lower English divisions who know more about passing and movement than Villa are showing right now. I don't believe Lambert has the tactical know how to get much more out of the players he has bought.  He seems to be very limited and over the next few years he will be found out very much like his mentor.

 

We play better away from home because we can hit teams on the counter, we can't do that at home (teams more defensive) and that's why we struggle so much. No creativity, so we end up passing the ball around in the middle of the park until we lump it forward, lose it or both. We struggle against teams at the bottom of the league  because at the moment a point is good for them, so they are more defensive even if they are home or not. The has been shown recently against Sunderland and Fulham.

 

I feel sorry for Benteke, and he will be out of here as soon as he can. He's not getting the service or support like he did last year and the injury has set him back. Saying that his attitude doesn't seem to be the best right now.

 

Injuries are nobbling the squad right now and soon as we can get everyone fit the better,

[AndyM3000]

 

 

Villa fan Josh on 5Live's football phone-in

“Erm, this is probably going to sound like a bit of strange point because of the fact we’re not really that low down in the table and compared to last year we’re certainly doing much better.

"But I think the way that we finished last season and the way that we played despite a lot of defeats and a lot of goals conceded we did actually play good football.

"There was a bit of a platform, I think, most people felt that we would be able to build on top of and sort of expect either a repeat of that kind of style or even a better way of playing.

"I just think the way that we play football is so bad at the moment, it’s awful to watch. I didn’t go today but I did go to Southampton in midweek. We came away with a win. But it’s so kick and rush football. I know we were clinical in midweek and we put the only three chances we had away.

"We just don’t create anything any more, And even now, I know it’s very early on as a lot of people have said. I don’t think we’re at risk of going down whatsoever, but I don’t think we’re really going forward anywhere. It’s certainly not a call for Lambert to leave or anything like that.

"The atmosphere at home hasn’t been great this season, I think that’s got a little bit to do with the fact there’s nothing really to get excited about.

"We don’t create chances in the same way that we did last season, whether it’s because the players haven’t got that feeling of ‘we’ve got to work so hard’ every week as they did last year, because a lot of them were new in.

"Lambert just confuses me a lot, he disappoints me in the way he speaks about the team after the game. I know that it’s not likely that he’s going to come out and criticise everybody afterwards.

"But against Southampton we weren’t very good at all and he came out and said I thought we were brilliant. And  today his normal turn of phrase after any win lose or defeat for Villa is ‘We pick ourselves up and go again’ which is fine when it’s in his first season as a manager, but the team and his persona doesn’t really fill me and I’m sure plenty of other people with any excitement really.

It’s a bit disappointing to see because there was a bit of a platform last year that I thought we would push on from. We’re just not very interesting to watch.

"First of all I’d like to see Matt Lowton regain his place in the team, for the life of me I don’t know what’s happened. There’s rumours about lots of stuff but I don’t know what’s happened between him and Lambert. He’s probably one of our most creative players despite being a defender.

"Last season he took a massive step up into the Premier League and was a superb addition to the team. He played every single game but one, he creates a lot, he’s one of the only people that we’ve got that can put a really good cross in.

"It’s a good question! What is it I want? I’d just like to be able to pleased with the fact  that we’ve got a manager that’s building something. The whole thing with Lambert is that it’s a building process and he’s building his own thing. I don’t really see what it is that he’s building. I’m not unhappy with him, I just don’t really see what he’s building.

"I like his ideas, I like his philosophy of younger players and not spending loads on wages and building up from there. But I don’t actually think he can do it in the way he thinks he can. Because the players he brought in during the summer are just odd and I don’t think they fit in really well, that’s all.”

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-fan-holds-sway-6386716

 

 

This pretty much sums up what Iv been trying to say, sorry if it was already posted.

[omariqy]

Like said before that performance was just not on.  I am happy with where we are in the table and what PL is trying to do.  However, these performances have been a regular occurence.  It is all well and good saying performances don't matter and results do. If performances do not pick up then we will run out of luck and results will go the other way.  That is football.  When I say performances, I don't mean us playing possession football and being the next Barca.  I am talking about creating chances, playing decent football and actually getting a foot hold on a game.  We have not done that for a long while.

[villaglint]

 

 

 

 

Deulofeu

Barry

Lukaku

 

They're all on loans on wages we can't afford

 

It's just a superior set up over the years there

 

 

£50,000 a week = £2.5m a year.  Multiplied by 3 = £7.5m, or one Kozak.

 

 

Sure I read somewhere that it was costing them £8m in loan fees and wages to have Barry and Lukaku for the year.

[TRO]

The opinions on here are like a game of table tennis.

We win, the so called "positives" spend most of their time quoting the result and all the supporting material relating to a result. Like time as if it's a magic potion.

We lose, and the so called "negatives" recite the virtues of performances and how they lead to sustained results as opposed to adhoc results and all the supporting material like money as if it's some kind of guarantee.

I look at the job being done at Everton with Moyes/Martinez and my mind is doing overtime.

I have to say....if they can do it, I'm bloody sure we can.

What I seen at Craven Cottage, simply ain't good enough, despite the injustice from the ref, but just remember, when your work is neat and tidy as opposed to panicky and scruffy, who will naturally influence the ref in some of those iffy decisions.

We really ain't helping ourselves ,guys.

People keep bringing up Everton and Martinez but he walked into a far better situation there.

What do you mean, walked in to ?

This has been worked on ( with little money or self generated) for years by Moyes...they have just appointed someone who can carry it on.

"It " being the operative word...."good work"

 

He's walked into a situation where he hasn't had to change a back 5. Howard, Coleman, Jagielka (Leader), Distin and Baines. Now compare that to the back line we had, Hutton, Collins, Dunne and Warnock. That back 4 along with Given are on much more than what Evertons are on.

That is my very point....

if Martinez in the equation is confusing things fast track back to before Martinez, back to Moyes.

My arguement is centred around the recruitment and player development.

Everton are a similar model to ours.....big club, got no money.

I'm not pointing fingers at who is fault ...it could be more than one person.

Simply saying that I think a team like ours ,Everton are making a much better fist of humble resources.

[keefa3011]

And as you point out they've been doing it for years. Their squad was not assembled in a couple of transfer windows, or seasons even.

 

You know what they did give Moyes? Time.

 

They nearly went down a couple of times near the start, but now look at them.

Edited December 9, 2013 by keefa3011

[Keyblade]

@ people still criticizing his post-match interviews. Who the **** cares? "Omg he said we pick ourselves up!11". Really?

[The_Steve]

@ people still criticizing his post-match interviews. Who the **** cares? "Omg he said we pick ourselves up!11". Really?

FM syndrome.

 

"Because the players he brought in during the summer are just odd and I don’t think they fit in really well, that’s all.”

 

Kozak makes perfect sense as a foil to Benteke in case he ever got injured. At least Lambert is starting to realise they don't play well together. It's about building a squad and competition for places. Bennett was a real problem last season so he brought in Luna. Baker is not good enough but injury has meant he's back in the side. Players don't always establish themselves overnight especially when they are coming from a different league abroad.

 

Bacuna is versatile and gives us a great set piece option. Tonev is slowly improving. It's far too early to write off any summer signing. Utterly nonsensical.

 

"I don’t really see what it is that he’s building. I’m not unhappy with him, I just don’t really see what he’s building."

 

Which is contradicted by his next point:

 

"I like his ideas, I like his philosophy of younger players and not spending loads on wages and building up from there."

 

I thought we were defensively excellent against Southampton until Vlaar went off injured, it was a classic counter attacking performance. Is it any wonder we play it long when the midfield can barely hold the ball up? Key players from last season are playing without form. We are defensively a much better team than last season. Before Fulham, we were on a five game unbeaten run and picking up some clean sheets along the way. We've rescued seven points from losing positions this season. It's a young team full of resolve and sometimes ability.

 

The atmosphere was equally terrible under previous managers but I guess it's all Lambert's fault and his 'dire' form of football.

[StanBalaban]

Simple fact is that their squad is a lot better than ours.

 

Pienaar

Mirallas

Baines

Distin

Coleman

 

Solid base even before he stepped in. Would wipe the floor with our team.

 

 

Deulofeu

Barry

Lukaku

 

They're all on loans on wages we can't afford

 

It's just a superior set up over the years there

Also it's worth remembering that the vast majority of that Everton team have played together for years.

 

Howard, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman, Coleman, Heitinga, Pienaar, Jelavic, Naismith and even Barkley have been at the clubs for a while.

 

Out team has been cobbled together over the last year and a half - Bacuna, Lowton, Bennett, Luna, Benteke, Kozak, Sylla, KEA, Westwood, Tonev, Helenius, Bowery, Okore, Vlaar have been here how long?

 

The comparison with Everton at the beginning on Moyes reign is far more apt than the comparison with Everton now.  Like Swansea when they changed their managers, there has been continuity and evolution on the style of play and the playing staff at Everton.  We've had upheavals and turmoil and it's going to take all of last season and a good chunk of this before we can say we've got our ducks in a row.

If we had more money, we could do it sooner but we don't.  We had a shit day at the office yesterday, we'll have a few more, and we'll also have some far better ones too. In Premier League terms, our players are young and inexperienced - they'll give inconsistencies throughout the year.

 

Don't forget in Moyes' first season and a half they narrowly avoided relegation twice before challenging for Europe. 17th, 4th, 11th, 6th, 5th, 5th, 8th, 7th, 7th, 6th.

 

Now we look a long way off that 4th spot in the second season, but the subsequent stability after that 11th place came after a good deal of inconsistency.  

[Isa]

@ people still criticizing his post-match interviews. Who the **** cares? "Omg he said we pick ourselves up!11". Really?

People seemed to care when DOL came out with his 'honest bunch of lads' line every week though...

[StanBalaban]

 

@ people still criticizing his post-match interviews. Who the **** cares? "Omg he said we pick ourselves up!11". Really?

People seemed to care when DOL came out with his 'honest bunch of lads' line every week though...

 

The same people though Isa 

[LondonLax]

Deulofeu

Barry

Lukaku

They're all on loans on wages we can't afford

It's just a superior set up over the years there

£50,000 a week = £2.5m a year. Multiplied by 3 = £7.5m, or one Kozak.

You have forgotten to add the loan fees. Chelsea charged Everton £2m for a loan of Lukaku.

Furthermore, we get to keep our young striker asset for multiple seasons and realise any resale value on Kozák in the future.

[StanBalaban]

 

 

Deulofeu

Barry

Lukaku

They're all on loans on wages we can't afford

It's just a superior set up over the years there

£50,000 a week = £2.5m a year. Multiplied by 3 = £7.5m, or one Kozak.

You have forgotten to add the loan fees. Chelsea charged Everton £2m for a loan of Lukaku.

Furthermore, we get to keep our young striker asset for multiple seasons and realise any resale value on Kozák in the future.

 

People on here say we shouldn't be developing other teams players all the time (obviously not in the case of GazBaz here).

 

Should Barry, Lukaku and Deulofeu not be at Everton next season then it's going to leave a pretty sizeable gap in their team.