E-mail from Paul Lambert.

[Dave Clark Five]

On behalf of the team and my staff, this is a genuine note of appreciation for your ongoing support of the Club and for the strong contribution you have made to the vibrant, passionate atmosphere that has typified our games here at  Villa Park and at away games up and down the country.

From the outset, we knew that establishing a tight, robust relationship between the fans and what has essentially become a new group of players in the Villa shirt would be crucial in our efforts to build the Club again. The support of the fans has been a key element in the team’s growth and emergence and that mutual bond has been very evident again this season.

Collectively, we all want to see a team that is exciting, a team that wants to try to attack and a team that steps out in every game to try to win. We have started off playing really well, the team is doing well at the moment and this is very pleasing.

Inevitably, we experienced growing pains last season but over the second half of the campaign there was a big coming together and a massive effort to secure the results which gave us that platform to continue to build and develop. We’re a different team from that now. Everyone can sense this and see it, too, and some of our results so far have provided a real measure of just how far we have travelled in not much more than a year.

The level of performance has been particularly satisfying. Even the most dyed-in-the-wool optimist might have struggled to see too many points coming from the run of games we were dealt at the start of the season, including Arsenal away, Chelsea away, Liverpool and Manchester City. These teams will aspire to be right up there when the Barclays Premier League comes to a conclusion in May.

That we competed all the way with each of them is testament to the work ethic, the sense of team and the quality within the group in addition to the powerful collective desire which underpins their effort on a daily basis. The players enjoy coming to work, they work hard, they enjoy representing this Club and they have taken upon their young shoulders a massive responsibility based on expectations which inevitably exist given the heritage and history we are proud to have here.

Your backing of the team has helped enormously. It will continue to take time for the group to realise its true potential but the foundations are strong now, the players' increased resilience will help them to deal with setbacks and to overcome them and the further strengthening of the squad that took place in the summer augurs well for its continued development. We won’t always experience days like we did against Manchester City, for the squad is still predominantly young, still learning and that level of consistency will be difficult to maintain.

But that’s our challenge over the coming weeks and months – to continue to strive to move forward as a Club and to build on what we have, an ethos and a philosophy which sees the players and the fans at the very centre of what we want to achieve together.

Paul

[UK Redsox]

Bugger, I thought that it was a personal email from Paul to me

[Darlo Dave]

Ah, ain't that nice? We love you too Paul.

[amfy]

I am just gutted that he doesn't appear to have noticed all my efforts for the safe standing campaign! He just doesn't care!

[Top Cat]

He hasn't sent me one 

[Lizz]

He hasn't sent me one 

He sent me one.

[eamonn]

Can you imagine him saying/mumbling this?!
I guess he's more comfortable writing (or someone on his behalf is). Still, nice touch.

[Simba]

Blimey. That's confident with only a few games under his (our) belt.

But nice of him phone me. You didn't get one?

[Legion]

Can you imagine him saying/mumbling this?!
I guess he's more comfortable writing (or someone on his behalf is). Still, nice touch.

Yes. Marketing department.

[Top Cat]

I don't think I'm on his mailing list as I didn't get the last one he sent to season ticket holders either. The club have got the right email address as I checked when I was missed off before.

[Simba]

He sent one to all aftabs wives too.

[dave.woodhall]

Can you imagine him saying/mumbling this?!
I guess he's more comfortable writing (or someone on his behalf is). Still, nice touch.

Yes. Marketing department.

As I have said on many occasions, Villa's head of marketing is the manager. He's also the head of ticket sales, customer relations and the commercial department.

[Legion]

Never heard you say that before, but I see your point.

[peter w]

Can you imagine him saying/mumbling this?!
I guess he's more comfortable writing (or someone on his behalf is). Still, nice touch.

Yes. Marketing department.

As I have said on many occasions, Villa's head of marketing is the manager. He's also the head of ticket sales, customer relations and the commercial department.

He's the Queen?

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

He hasn't sent me one 

He sent me two.
I'll let you have a glimpse of one - I'm putting the other one on ebay!


Are you a member of the bomb squad?
;-)