I've Started....So I'll Finish...

[N'ZMAV]

Sell the wasters and reinvest what we get for them, especially as they're on big wages we can strengthen enough to finish top half.

[Matt C]

Diame's form has tailed since he was being hyped up in January anyway.

I know he was injured for a while but regarding his form, i'll take your word for it.

Probably not seen much of the ball as it spends most of the game sailing over his head.

[rob_bridge]

I know it is pleasurable to speculate - and fun to be a fantasy manager - but to be honest - I don't have a clue what Lambert and Lerner will do.  Was anyone on here raving on about a big unknown Belgian this summer?  Was Sylla welcomed as a good signing?  Or Lowton?

And what sort of nonsense is suggesting Villa will become a miserly Everton?  Did you fail your maths exam?  Lerner has spent and spent and spent since he came to Villa.  Only under TSM did he hold back - and thank god he did.  In case you have forgot - he gave Lambert nearly £30million to spend this season - and Lambert spent it well.  I just don't get this miserly Lerner stuff - it is utter bollocks yet it still gets trotted out.

If there is one thing this season has taught me it is that we have a manager who can spot a player - and I personally trust him to make the right choices - though that could mean losing most of our 'experienced' players this summer - I won't be crying.

Lambert has shown a shrewd eye so far and I feel most of his signings will only get better - and those that don't will be moved on.

We can expect a busy summer in terms of ins and outs - and may not recognise our squad by the end - but that for me is a good thing - new blood - eager for success and determined to work hard to achieve it is better than complacent super stars anyday.

Roll on Phase 2 and UTV.

Best post on this thread ........

Here Here

[Hoppo]

Completely agree Sonlyme.

[eamonn]

The thing about our squad is that a few players could (or should) leave, and it won't make any difference to the team: Bent, Ireland, Dunne, Given, Hutton. All of these are on big wages as well. So without altering the current starting 11/subs, Lambert could change and hopefully improve the squad quite a lot.

Jumping four or five places next Sunday would help cover the pay-offs necessary to bin some of the unwantables. If they're not in our plans get rid asap. I don't want them leaving a smell round the place all summer.

[tomd2103]

@myf - You are kidding right?  I'll be happy for a nice gentle mid table stroll thanks very much.  Baby steps I believe should be our new mantra, not Be Prepared.

@Can Bent Be Bettered - The "cast offs" might be the supplements to the team we require in terms of experience.  It's no coincidence that when Vlaar came back into the team we looked more solid (not rock solid though) and when Gabby came back in we looked, dare I say, more cultured going forward.  Experience does count for something.

I agree that youth should be the way forward, and the guys will take huge confidence from the fact that they've kept us in the league.  I'd like to think that we don't want to follow the Wigan route of doing the same things every year and expecting different results.  Look where that got them this year. 

Realistically, anyone talking about big name Charlies and cup wins for next season, is having a laugh.  We're not at that stage yet...we're at the stage where we need to build slowly.  With that in mind we NEED to supplement what we have with a few more solid Premier League players in my opinion.

Bollocks to experience. When we got hammered 7-1 by Chelsea under MON, the team was this:

01 Friedel
02 L Young
05 Dunneyellow card
25 Warnock
29 Collins
04 Sidwell
07 A Young
08 Milner
19 Petrovyellow card (Downing 63)
10 Carew (Delfouneso 63)
11 Agbonlahor (Beye 71)

How's that for experience?

Maybe we looked better when Gabby and Vlaar came in because they're better players than those who they took the place of.

That game was in March though and the majority of those players were exhausted at that point thanks to MON not really believing in squad rotation.

[claretandbeer]

I know it is pleasurable to speculate - and fun to be a fantasy manager - but to be honest - I don't have a clue what Lambert and Lerner will do.  Was anyone on here raving on about a big unknown Belgian this summer?  Was Sylla welcomed as a good signing?  Or Lowton?

And what sort of nonsense is suggesting Villa will become a miserly Everton?  Did you fail your maths exam?  Lerner has spent and spent and spent since he came to Villa.  Only under TSM did he hold back - and thank god he did.  In case you have forgot - he gave Lambert nearly £30million to spend this season - and Lambert spent it well.  I just don't get this miserly Lerner stuff - it is utter bollocks yet it still gets trotted out.

If there is one thing this season has taught me it is that we have a manager who can spot a player - and I personally trust him to make the right choices - though that could mean losing most of our 'experienced' players this summer - I won't be crying.

Lambert has shown a shrewd eye so far and I feel most of his signings will only get better - and those that don't will be moved on.

We can expect a busy summer in terms of ins and outs - and may not recognise our squad by the end - but that for me is a good thing - new blood - eager for success and determined to work hard to achieve it is better than complacent super stars anyday.

Roll on Phase 2 and UTV.

Spot on.

[martin o`who??]

I know it is pleasurable to speculate - and fun to be a fantasy manager - but to be honest - I don't have a clue what Lambert and Lerner will do.  Was anyone on here raving on about a big unknown Belgian this summer?  Was Sylla welcomed as a good signing?  Or Lowton?

And what sort of nonsense is suggesting Villa will become a miserly Everton?  Did you fail your maths exam?  Lerner has spent and spent and spent since he came to Villa.  Only under TSM did he hold back - and thank god he did.  In case you have forgot - he gave Lambert nearly £30million to spend this season - and Lambert spent it well.  I just don't get this miserly Lerner stuff - it is utter bollocks yet it still gets trotted out.

If there is one thing this season has taught me it is that we have a manager who can spot a player - and I personally trust him to make the right choices - though that could mean losing most of our 'experienced' players this summer - I won't be crying.

Lambert has shown a shrewd eye so far and I feel most of his signings will only get better - and those that don't will be moved on.

We can expect a busy summer in terms of ins and outs - and may not recognise our squad by the end - but that for me is a good thing - new blood - eager for success and determined to work hard to achieve it is better than complacent super stars anyday.

Roll on Phase 2 and UTV.

Spot on.

Spot on indeed.

[JUAN PABLO]

A cup win and/or Europa qualification

europa qualification would be bad news .

[Dante Lavelli]

Roll on Phase 2 and UTV.

This come back to the opening posters question.  What is phase 2?
The Swiss Ramble has done his usual excellent/long analysis of Dortmund since their implosion of the mid noughties, but it is difficult to identify what their stage 2 was, other than to continue buying 20-23 year olds and develop them.  They also appear to have a strategy of having the replacements already in the squad.

Sahin > Kagawa > Reus

Therefore should we be signing Bridcut or the young Derby lad (Hughes) as a potential replacement for Westwood (when he replaces Carrick)?

[Irish villain]

A cup win and/or Europa qualification

europa qualification would be bad news .

It raises the prestige of the club, gives us another chance to win a trophy and those European nights always live long in the memory (Bilbao, Athletico, Ajax...).

[dekko]

It raises the prestige of the club, gives us another chance to win a trophy and those European nights always live long in the memory (Bilbao, Athletico, Ajax...).

Agreed, Id love to see us in Europe, but look at how all those extra european games screwed Newcastle over this season.  European qualification is a fantastic thing if you have a big enough squad to cope.  At the moment, we dont.

[Irish villain]

It raises the prestige of the club, gives us another chance to win a trophy and those European nights always live long in the memory (Bilbao, Athletico, Ajax...).

Agreed, Id love to see us in Europe, but look at how all those extra european games screwed Newcastle over this season.  European qualification is a fantastic thing if you have a big enough squad to cope.  At the moment, we dont.

The format of the competition is ridiculous these days, I agree. But we'd be sure to have a few 'gimme' type games where we could blood the likes of Carruthers, Bowery maybe even Siegriest? I think Europa League is a step we'd have to take before ever breaking back into contention for Champions League places.