Lambert brings in three new coaches

[eastie]

Paul Lambert makes three key additions.


Paul Lambert has appointed Scott Marshall as first team coach ahead of the Villa players' return for pre-season training next week.

With Michael Watts also joining the backroom staff as strength and conditioning coach, along with assistant Chris Lorkin, the Villa manager believes the enhancement to the team around him will be significant going into the new season.

"It takes time to build a team and you also need time to build the staff around you and these appointments will help everybody," said Lambert, who has also brought in five reinforcements to his young, emerging squad in the close season.

"Scott worked with me at Wycombe and he has really good mannerisms about himself, a very professional approach and he will enhance everything.

"Definitely he will be a big hand for myself, Ian [Culverhouse, assistant manager] and Gary [Karsa, head of football operations].

"Michael I knew from previously working with him as well and he's another top guy at his job and Chris will assist him really well.

"They'll be my staff and we'll all be striving for the same thing which is to continue to build the Club and make Aston Villa as good as it can possibly be."

During a 10-year spell at Arsenal, Marshall was part of the squad which won the Premier League and FA Cup double in 1998, in addition to the league title in 1991, and the FA Cup and League Cup in 1993.

In 1996 he was named Arsenal's young player of the year.

The Scottish defender made his senior debut in 1993 against Sheffield Wednesday, just nine days before the FA Cup final against the same team at Wembley.

He was unable to force his way past the likes of Tony Adams and Martin Keown into the Gunners' first team on a regular basis and joined Southampton in 1998.

He made the step into coaching at Wycombe Wanderers, having also played at Celtic and Sheffield United during a 13-year career.

Marshall joined Wycombe's Academy coaching staff under Gary Smith and it was at Adams Park that he met Lambert, who managed Wycombe from 2006 to 2008.

Having moved to former club Brentford to manage the U18 team in 2007, he joined Chelsea's Academy staff in 2008.

Spells with QPR and the Arsenal Soccer School in Oman followed before he was appointed Professional Development Coach at Norwich City in 2012, in charge of the club's Under-21 team.

Watts began his career as a strength and conditioning coach at Sheffield United, spending three years at Bramall Lane before moving to China.

After two years there he joined Norwich City in 2010 as the Head of Performance and Strength and Conditioning, managing the physical programme for the first team at Carrow Road.

Lorkin also joined Norwich City in 2010 as the lead Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Academy, spending two seasons working with their youth teams from U9 to U18 level, as well as assisting with the reserves and first team.

In 2012 he was appointed first team Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Canaries.

[damon loves JT]

So lambert has a back room staff of five people, all of whom came from Norwich.

They must be loving us

[Clampy]

So lambert has a back room staff of five people, all of whom came from Norwich.

They must be loving us

We're very unpopular with the yokels of Norwich still.

[eastie]

So lambert has a back room staff of five people, all of whom came from Norwich.

They must be loving us

Maybe we can get delia to come as head chef

[neo_Villan]

Being a former defender, I hope Marshall can help with our defensive troubles. Arsenal's defence has been much improved since Steve Bould became assistant manager so it can help.

[Yossarian]

So lambert has a back room staff of five people, all of whom came from Norwich.

They must be loving us

Maybe we can get delia to come as head chef

And Stephen Fry for the bons mots. Alan Hansen can do one though.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Oooh one used to be a defender...Fingers crossed!!

[eamonn]

Hansen, Norwich?

[Ads]

Culverhouse was a defender and with a lot more playing exprience, so it doesn't necesairly mean that we're going to tighten up. But it would be nice if we did!

[eastie]

@MatKendrick: Fitness coach Adrian Lamb, who was recruited by Alex McLeish, has left #avfc during backroom shake-up

[Concrete John]

With Michael Watts also joining the backroom staff as strength and conditioning coach

I think it was a symptom of the age of the side, but we did generally get knocked off the ball too easy last season for my liking, so I think this is a good step for us.

[Steve R]

I've never heard of that lot either

[supertom]

You'd hope this is going to help us shore up the defence a little. In theory this sounds a positive step. I trust Lambo knows what he's doing and I guess he probably felt he was a little short of helping hands for himself and Culverhouse. I'm really loving how pro-active we're being this summer. A new conditioning coach would suggest he wants us to get a bit fitter and you'd guess with a lot of our younger players, stronger too. Our full backs need a bit more beef certainly and our central midfield (Sylla excluded who's a big mo-fo.)

[Toronto Villa]

I've never heard of that lot either

it's the way we do all our signings now

[PeterWithesShin]

Welcome to B6 Scotty2Hotty, Watto and the Lorkmeister.