The last time Villa won a premier league game without Vlaar

[andyaston]

We haven't won a game since 15th December away to Liverpool without our experience and best centre half. Today, I was worried before the game even with West Ham having such a poor scoring record Baker and Clark are just a plain awful pairing at centre half. Paul Lambert is going to be offered a new contract and he didn't address the centre back problem with Okore out and Vlaar fragile.

Oh and Another thing we keep conceding the first two goals of the last several games close together:

Arsenal two goals in a minute.

Liverpool two goals in 7 minutes

West Brom 2 early goals in 5 minutes

Everton, two late goals in 9 minutes

Today v West Ham two early second half goals in 3 minutes

We are just shocking at the back, Lambert cannot set up a defence.

[saunders_heroes]

This is precisely why needed to sign a centreback in the January window. Vlaar is so important to our defence but he can't stay fit! It was total madness to ignore the problem yet Lambert and Lerner did nothing.
Disgraceful.

[PeterWithesShin]

We don't win many with him in the team either. Baker and Clark weren't responsible for the goals today. Bertrand and Delph were, two of our better players.
I actually think that considering how basic West Ham are, get it to the wing, cross it or win a corner so as they can cross it again, or fall over if an opposition player is in the same time zone, win a freekick and whack it into the box, I thought they both did okay today.

[supertom]

It's a problem not having Vlaar but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The fact is we're just a shower of shite full stop. 7 wins and 12 defeats in 25 games is dire. Can't defend, can't score, worst midfield in the top division.

[cdbearsfan]

I hate to be a miserablist and agree with Saunders Heroes but I said all January it is utter lunacy to not sign a centre-half, at least on loan, because you can guarantee that within five seconds of the transfer window closing Vlaar would get injured.

I always wanted a central defender more than the fabled "number ten" that everyone else was after.

Hopefully we'll get away with it as we did last year but I'd much rather we didn't keep gambling our top-flight position every January transfer window.

[eastie]

This is precisely why needed to sign a centreback in the January window. Vlaar is so important to our defence but he can't stay fit! It was total madness to ignore the problem yet Lambert and Lerner did nothing.
Disgraceful.

In fairness lerner made money available as we had a substantial bid for a player turned down , it's not the owners fault if the manager doesn't spend the money he had .

[saunders_heroes]

This is precisely why needed to sign a centreback in the January window. Vlaar is so important to our defence but he can't stay fit! It was total madness to ignore the problem yet Lambert and Lerner did nothing.
Disgraceful.

In fairness lerner made money available as we had a substantial bid for a player turned down , it's not the owners fault if the manager doesn't spend the money he had .

Oh please! You're not falling for that garbage are you?

[eastie]

This is precisely why needed to sign a centreback in the January window. Vlaar is so important to our defence but he can't stay fit! It was total madness to ignore the problem yet Lambert and Lerner did nothing.
Disgraceful.

In fairness lerner made money available as we had a substantial bid for a player turned down , it's not the owners fault if the manager doesn't spend the money he had .

Oh please! You're not falling for that garbage are you?

I'm no great fan of Lerner but I do believe lambert had money to spend last month and didn't spend it .

[pauliewalnuts]

This is precisely why needed to sign a centreback in the January window. Vlaar is so important to our defence but he can't stay fit! It was total madness to ignore the problem yet Lambert and Lerner did nothing.
Disgraceful.

In fairness lerner made money available as we had a substantial bid for a player turned down , it's not the owners fault if the manager doesn't spend the money he had .

Oh please! You're not falling for that garbage are you?

That whole "we bid loads for another player" thing sounds like the sort of thing you'd associate with Small Heath.

Small time.

[saunders_heroes]

This is precisely why needed to sign a centreback in the January window. Vlaar is so important to our defence but he can't stay fit! It was total madness to ignore the problem yet Lambert and Lerner did nothing.
Disgraceful.

In fairness lerner made money available as we had a substantial bid for a player turned down , it's not the owners fault if the manager doesn't spend the money he had .

Oh please! You're not falling for that garbage are you?

That whole "we bid loads for another player" thing sounds like the sort of thing you'd associate with Small Heath.

Small time.

I was just about to post the exact same thing.

[Richard E]

We haven't won a game since 15th December away to Liverpool without our experience and best centre half. Today, I was worried before the game even with West Ham having such a poor scoring record Baker and Clark are just a plain awful pairing at centre half. Paul Lambert is going to be offered a new contract and he didn't address the centre back problem with Okore out and Vlaar fragile.

Oh and Another thing we keep conceding the first two goals of the last several games close together:

Arsenal two goals in a minute.

Liverpool two goals in 7 minutes

West Brom 2 early goals in 5 minutes

Everton, two late goals in 9 minutes

Today v West Ham two early second half goals in 3 minutes

We are just shocking at the back, Lambert cannot set up a defence.

And let's not forget that was 15th December 2012 not 2013!!!

[pooligan]

I honestly think Lambert is so clueless that he honestly thinks he did'nt need another centre half. I heard him say on Thursday that Vlarr was almost certain to be out but we have Baker and Clark and it gives another lad a chance

[Witton Warrior]

This is precisely why needed to sign a centreback in the January window. Vlaar is so important to our defence but he can't stay fit! It was total madness to ignore the problem yet Lambert and Lerner did nothing.
Disgraceful.

In fairness lerner made money available as we had a substantial bid for a player turned down , it's not the owners fault if the manager doesn't spend the money he had .

Oh please! You're not falling for that garbage are you?

That whole "we bid loads for another player" thing sounds like the sort of thing you'd associate with Small Heath.

Small time.

Spot on - name names!

[Clampy]

This is precisely why needed to sign a centreback in the January window. Vlaar is so important to our defence but he can't stay fit! It was total madness to ignore the problem yet Lambert and Lerner did nothing.
Disgraceful.

In fairness lerner made money available as we had a substantial bid for a player turned down , it's not the owners fault if the manager doesn't spend the money he had .

Oh please! You're not falling for that garbage are you?

Was'nt it yourself who said that clubs sneak info to reporters just the other day?

[Irish villain]

I hate saying it but I have come around to the idea that, when you weigh us up over the past three years, we probably deserve to go down at some stage.Our fans don't, they have been so patient and supportive.

But the owners, the management(s) and the players have been absolutely shocking. They have all had a hand in our demise. None of them has done their job in a competent fashion.  The board have made horrific appointments (and before that were negligent with the cheque book when MON was manager), have stopped investing at a time when we actually need to speculate to accumulate (austerity won't get you to premier league security) and have produced a litany of statements since MON that comical ali would be proud of ('dynamic football', 'villa expects better' are there more?).

The managers over the past three years (including Houllier)have not been good enough. On Houlier's first day as manager, taking over a top six club with ambitions of Champions League and a proud history, he set a negative tone by saying we belonged '7th-12th'. He then didn't even get started for a few weeks, alienated the dressing room and just set a negative vibe when we needed a steadied ship to help us achieve a respectable position. That negativity, and our flirtation with relegation that year, was really damaging for the club and its morale.

McLeish, need I say anything? Again, not his fault he was appointed. Just asking for trouble. And now Lambert, more goodwill probably than any Villa manager in a long time. A lengthy honeymoon and given the benefit of the doubt several times by a patient Holte End. And, coming into his second season, his back-up to an injury prone Vlaar is a pair that, together, look like a League 1 partnership and a style of football that is, at best, better by adegree than that served up by McLeish.

We are making a habit of bobbling around at the bottom and nobody at the club seems to care. Where are our standards? What is unacceptable for a club like Aston Villa? Unless something changes, we will end up being relegated. Keeping our good players depends on showing ambition as does attracting new, quality players. Omnishambles.