Season so far

[ChicagoLion]

And yet are on the same points. We will probably score more goals than the first half of the season.

Why not compare our spending with Southampton or Swansea?

[Steve67]

This season has, again, been very meh! We neither compete or are that worried about going down. We just exist. Good start, horrible next period, and now, we just bumble along, pretending that Lambert has the ability to pull this around. New way of playing? Hmmm, not quite working yet, but let's see what the transfer window brings eh?

[SoccerHQ]

I was happy enough with our start but inevitably we followed a good run of form with a horrible winless streak which has been one of Lambert's defining features during his reign here.

I think quite a few of the performances have been better than last season but it's translated to roughly the same amount of points and even fewer goals which is just very depressing.

We're just plodding along nowadays. I'd like to think we could get to 50 points and maybe 10th place as a decent step foward but that target seems as unachievable as top 4 was back in the MON days.

[SoccerHQ]

We are on the same points as Everton.

Maybe but Stoke and Newcastle are 4-5 points ahead of us.

We really should be competing and with a bit of luck finishing above at least one of them. I don't see Newcastle having a better squad than us and Stoke under Hughes have I believe actually spent less than us.

[pauliewalnuts]

We are on the same points as Everton.

Maybe but Stoke and Newcastle are 4-5 points ahead of us.

We really should be competing and with a bit of luck finishing above at least one of them. I don't see Newcastle having a better squad than us and Stoke under Hughes have I believe actually spent less than us.

I do.

Newcastle have a significantly better squad than us. They underperformed under Pardew.

[SoccerHQ]

They've had people like Dummett, Steven Taylor, Williamson, Colback, Gouffran as regular starters this season. I don't see those as better than what we have.

Yeah they have Cisse, Coloccini, Sissoko and that Spanish Kid who are decent most weeks but again I don't think they're much better than Vlaar, Benteke, Delph and potentially Okore are for us on a regular basis.

Whereas to me Everton have a much better squad than either and they've massively underachieved so far this season. Both Everton's fullbacks are comfortably better than what either team has imo.

[SoccerHQ]

31 Alnwick
22 Janmaat
27 Taylor
02 Coloccini Booked
36 Dummett Booked
24 Tioté Booked (Cissé - 75' )
14 Colback Booked
11 Gouffran (Armstrong - 59' )
07 Sissoko
28 Ameobi (Cabella - 89' )
17 Pérez

They put that out v Sunderland, one of their most important games of the season.

I don't see that side as much better than what we put out on the rare occasions when most of our squad is fit.

[Dave]

Whereas to me Everton have a much better squad than either and they've massively underachieved so far this season. Both Everton's fullbacks are comfortably better than what either team has imo.

Centre-back is Everton's problem.

I reckon we have four centre-backs on our books who would probably start for Everton alongside Jagielka before you got to any of their other ones.

[SoccerHQ]

Problem is age has caught up with Distin as he's been one of my favourite non-Villa players down the years, very underrated defender. John Stones looks a decent young player but been regularly injured.

In hindsight it would've been better to sign him rather than Dunne in summer 2009 as he'd have given us a bit more longevity.

[Dave]

Problem is age has caught up with Distin as he's been one of my favourite non-Villa players down the years, very underrated defender.

I remember when he went to Portsmouth on a free transfer having been linked with us and the consensus on here was that he was past thirty, slowing down and not worth signing.

That was seven years and 250 matches ago.

[SoccerHQ]

Problem is age has caught up with Distin as he's been one of my favourite non-Villa players down the years, very underrated defender.

I remember when he went to Portsmouth on a free transfer having been linked with us and the consensus on here was that he was past thirty, slowing down and not worth signing.

That was seven years and 250 matches ago.

Yeah, think he went to Everton for 3m in the end while we signed Dunney for a little bit more who gave us admittedly one brilliant season before many bust ups with coaching staff and players thereafter.

[dave.woodhall]

Everton have a tradition of ancient central defenders. Davie Weir was there until he was about seventy.

[Dave]

Everton have a tradition of ancient central defenders. Davie Weir was there until he was about seventy.

Yup, I think he then played another decade after that at Rangers.

[Damo70]

Did Weir partner Gough at any point? Surely the closest to a hundred partnership. Got to be in the seventies like Mullery and Moore at Fulham.

[dave.woodhall]

Did Weir partner Gough at any point? Surely the closest to a hundred partnership. Got to be in the seventies like Mullery and Moore at Fulham.

He was at Everton with Alan Stubbs, who was a year younger, until 2007.