Villa senior boys this season

[witton lane warrior]

we are shit ......................end of story

[eamonn]

Who takes the flak for the senior players woefully under-performing? The judgement of McLeish in buying Hutton and N'Zogbia? Lambert's failure to accommodate Bent or get the best out of Ireland? Lerner for signing the cheques?

It seemed we'd got some sort of handle on the wagebill but this lot, along with the terminally injured Dunne and surplus to requirements Given have surely been the reason for us not being able to bring in proven players this season (well, that and Lambert's apparent preference to play young and hungry lads regardless).

A perfect storm where all our "name" signings over the past couple of years have utterly failed to perform consistently (Benteke excepted though I or 91% of you hadn't heard of him 7 months ago) has been a huge reason for our shiteness. This group of feckers could likely be the last bunch of experienced, highly paid players we have at Villa for a long time if L&L hang around.

[tomd2103]

Just reading this thread, I was thinking that you could put an XI together of experienced players who for one reason or another have offered very little for us this season:

                  Given

Hutton  Vlaar  Dunne  Warnock
   
          Makoun    El Ahmadi

                   Ireland

Holman         Bent      Gabby

All internationals and goodness knows how much they have cost the club in wages between them. 

[Mister E]

Just reading this thread, I was thinking that you could put an XI together of experienced players who for one reason or another have offered very little for us this season:

                  Given

Hutton  Vlaar  Dunne  Warnock
   
          Makoun    El Ahmadi

                   Ireland

Holman         Bent      Gabby

Yep.
Not forgetting Albrighton, Bannan and Clark on the bench.
Charitably, I have often thought that Lambert has been let down not by the players he's bought but by those he inherited. Had some of those above performed as they have done in the past at other clubs, the likes of Westwood, Bennett, Lowton, Baker and Weimann might have been more effective.

We're witnessing the perfect storm: senior experienced players taking the wages and less-experienced kids having the stuffing knocked out of them.

[nigel]

It depends on how you define 'Senior player'
Gabby, Bent, Vlaar, Given, CN'Z & Ireland. Yes.

I think it's a touch harsh to include the likes of Clark, Baker, Bannan in the list, though.
Kids they're not, I agree, but neither would I say that they can be termed as senior players either.

Did Vlaar have injury problems at Feynoord?
To my knowledge he didn't, so for him to be labelled 'Injury Prone' by some it a touch unfair, too.

[Ads]

The likes of Ireland make you sick. We could have three players in to do a job right up the spine of the side for his £65,000 per week, while he cannot even be bothered to use his talents to do the job of one man.

A bloody wastrel.

[PaulWinch again]

It depends on how you define 'Senior player'
Gabby, Bent, Vlaar, Given, CN'Z & Ireland. Yes.

I think it's a touch harsh to include the likes of Clark, Baker, Bannan in the list, though.
Kids they're not, I agree, but neither would I say that they can be termed as senior players either.

Did Vlaar have injury problems at Feynoord?
To my knowledge he didn't, so for him to be labelled 'Injury Prone' by some it a touch unfair, too.

Vlaar has an horrendous injury record.

[Ads]

What types of injury though? I thought it was bad knee trouble, yet it seems to be his calf. How do you have a chronic calf problem anyway?

[Chris Smith]

I'm not sure that Gabby belongs in this category. We're a better side with him in it and his lack of goals is, at least partly, explained by being asked to play a wide roll to accommodate Benteke.

[aj2k77]

Did Vlaar have injury problems at Feynoord?
To my knowledge he didn't, so for him to be labelled 'Injury Prone' by some it a touch unfair, too.

He's 28 and only played 159 games in 9 years.

[JUAN PABLO]

I don't see the point of Gabby personally .   One good game in 10 , does not score , no football brain .     Why squeeze him in the team just to play him , I suppose shows how poor we really are now.

[aj2k77]

I suppose with Gabbys record of playing out wide Lambert thought he'd suit as an wider player in a forward 3. He doesn't though, he's crap and so is the tactic. With 4 pure attacking players we still manage to score less than a goal a game and concede almost 2, the balance hasn't been right all season.

[JUAN PABLO]

Watching him last night , he worked hard at times but I was just thinking championship player at best .

[N'ZMAV]

There are other wide attackers in the premier league that get a fair few goals. Gabby - if classed as a wide player still has a fucking shit record. He needs to go.

[PaulWinch again]

The 'Gabby out of position' thing is just ridiculous. He's still playing in an attacking role, his goal return would be bad for a centre half.