Summer Transfer Thread: Speculation, Lies, Absolute Cr*p and Bosman Rumours

[tomd2103]

Ireland is a 20 minute a game player if you're lucky. He had his moments saturday (never in particularly dangerous areas) but for most of it he went missing. It was the same IMO in most of the games last season from our supposed player of the year. In the end he had one goal and I think a small handful of assists.
It'd be nice to have more consistent players than him and especially N'Zog. We'd work a lot better too. The trouble is we've lost Downing, Milner and Young who accounted for a lot of goals and assists for us. That's as yet been replaced.

Huddlestone is too slow. He's decent with the ball granted but he'll leave gaps in midfield. I also don't see him as an leader. We really lack a midfield general in the centre. We need someone vocal and someone who leads by example. The Hudd is not that. I'd rather get Nige on a free. It isn't misty eyed memories, it's the fact he's on a free and a player who'd add something to our team. There's no comparison to Herd either. Herds still inexperienced. He's also not (as yet) a leader. Nige has player over 200 top flight games. He's not just useful in the team but also in the squad generally.

Agree with you about Ireland Tom.  Even when he was playing well last season, he was rarely a threat to the oppposition and as you say, contributed little in the way of goals and assists.  Yes, his play is pleasing on the eye at times, but I can't help feeling that he is a luxury player and an expensive one at that.

I disagree about Huddlestone and think he could be a good signing.  I think with El Ahmadi next to him, any lack of mobility can counter balanced.  Yes he is injury prone and we got burnt with Jenas last season, but I think he would be a good addition.  Due to his injury record, maybe a loan period with a view to a permanent signing?
 

[JUAN PABLO]

A loan signing , gets injured and we carry on paying his wages on the treatment table. Lets hope we don't go down that same route again.

[nick harper]

My only concern about lambert is that i was really positive that his teams would have a go - my mate said that apart from a Vlaar shot from 30 yards we never troubled the keeper in the entire game

Hardly inspired, attacking football is it - even with the players he has

It is one game. He can't just wave a wand and make it happen. It will take time to get them playing the way he wants.

Not too long I hope.  We've seen what happens when our team is devoid of confidence.

I think that's one of Lambert's challenges - 1 win in 17 games shows exactly where they are now confidence wise.

[Chris Smith]

My only concern about lambert is that i was really positive that his teams would have a go - my mate said that apart from a Vlaar shot from 30 yards we never troubled the keeper in the entire game

Hardly inspired, attacking football is it - even with the players he has

It is one game. He can't just wave a wand and make it happen. It will take time to get them playing the way he wants.

Not too long I hope.  We've seen what happens when our team is devoid of confidence.

I think that's one of Lambert's challenges - 1 win in 17 games shows exactly where they are now confidence wise.

But how many of the team that started on Saturday were part of that run? I think confidence is an issue but for a different reason to you, Nick. I see at is being more to do with the players being largely unfamiliar with each other and the manager's methods.

[nick harper]

My only concern about lambert is that i was really positive that his teams would have a go - my mate said that apart from a Vlaar shot from 30 yards we never troubled the keeper in the entire game

Hardly inspired, attacking football is it - even with the players he has

It is one game. He can't just wave a wand and make it happen. It will take time to get them playing the way he wants.

Not too long I hope.  We've seen what happens when our team is devoid of confidence.

I think that's one of Lambert's challenges - 1 win in 17 games shows exactly where they are now confidence wise.

But how many of the team that started on Saturday were part of that run? I think confidence is an issue but for a different reason to you, Nick. I see at is being more to do with the players being largely unfamiliar with each other and the manager's methods.

Agree to an extent Chris, but other than the three new players, we have been playing with fear and little freedom of expression since last Christmas. Lambert has to get some belief back into the side, particularly our key creative players. Time will tell but they need to shake off the baggage of last season, which scarred us fans, so must have had an effect on the squad.

[PaulTheVillan]

Wonder how many Man Utd fans are flapping after their 1-0 away defeat?

[tomd2103]

A loan signing , gets injured and we carry on paying his wages on the treatment table. Lets hope we don't go down that same route again.

Agree, but you would hope that they learnt their lesson with Jenas last season and a different kind of loan arrangement could be agreed (ie in the event of a long term injury, the loan deal ends and the player returns to the parent club).

[Jim Shoes]

Wonder how many Man Utd fans are flapping after their 1-0 away defeat?

Oh yes they are but for different reasons, one of them who I works with is gutted and blames Everton for beating them lol

I get your point though, as long as Lambert finds a way sooner rather than later to win games all will be well.

[supertom]

Wonder how many Man Utd fans are flapping after their 1-0 away defeat?

They have Robin Van Persie, Ash Young and Berbatov on their bench. Then there's Hernandez who can't even make the bench. We have Wiemann on our bench.
Apples and oranges.

And I bet a lot of Utd fans are flapping. They can't hack it when they lose and City win.  
Glazers out!!!

[pauliewalnuts]

My only concern about lambert is that i was really positive that his teams would have a go - my mate said that apart from a Vlaar shot from 30 yards we never troubled the keeper in the entire game

Hardly inspired, attacking football is it - even with the players he has

It is one game. He can't just wave a wand and make it happen. It will take time to get them playing the way he wants.

Not too long I hope.  We've seen what happens when our team is devoid of confidence.

Depends what you define as too long.

I think people talking of a top 8 finish are well wide of the mark, it could take him several games to start to get the team playing in the way he wants them to. It could take several months.

Whilst we need to hope Lerner opens his wallet, we also have to get behind Lambert. What's the alternative? Replace him with someone else?

He's a proven, decent manager, he deserves the time.

[Risso]

My only concern about lambert is that i was really positive that his teams would have a go - my mate said that apart from a Vlaar shot from 30 yards we never troubled the keeper in the entire game

Hardly inspired, attacking football is it - even with the players he has

It is one game. He can't just wave a wand and make it happen. It will take time to get them playing the way he wants.

Not too long I hope.  We've seen what happens when our team is devoid of confidence.

I think that's one of Lambert's challenges - 1 win in 17 games shows exactly where they are now confidence wise.

But how many of the team that started on Saturday were part of that run? I think confidence is an issue but for a different reason to you, Nick. I see at is being more to do with the players being largely unfamiliar with each other and the manager's methods.

There's a feel good factor about the place that won't take long to dissipate if we get into a bad run though.  Everybody can see that Lambert is a huge improvement on McLeish, but we need to see some decent performances and results sooner rather than later.  Lambert isn't an inexperienced manager, and he's done well on scant resources before, so I reckon he'll get us going soon.  Lerner giving him proper backing would help though.

[Le Lapin]

Going to take time for Lambert to impose his philosophy and tactics and get it ingrained into the club and players.
Randy has spent a fortune paying off three managers. The latter two were mistakes for the club (although who knows what Houllier could have done if his ticker had behaved itself), we need to give Lambert time. I think it's going to be shite for a while before it gets better. We have to remember the club has not been in a settled since Martin O'Neill's Martin O'Neill walked out on us, and this has effected the players.
Still, it wouldn't be any harm if we were bringing a few more players to make this transition happen a bit more quickly.
N'Zog and Ireland are the key to us making this change, if they are interested and motivated they will be  the ones help us through the next few months.

[stubbsyandy]

I am confident PL will improve the side and it will be several games possibly before we see the team play anything like he wants them to.
My concern is that our early fixtures are relatively easier than those to follow, and we should be looking to pick up points now before Man U, Chelsea etc play us.
It is vital we give this manager time, and support even if we find ourselves at the wrong end of the table

[Risso]

I'm just a bit tired of everybody we ever sign taking time to settle.  Players, managers, whatever happened to the likes of John Gregory and Dion Dublin coming in and having a blinder from the off?  Other teams seam to manage it, yet at Villa if they haven't had a full pre-season and at least 6 months we seem to put up with poor performances.

Not that I'm saying that this applies to Lambert of course, we might spank Everton at the weekend.

[Hookeysmith]

It is one game. He can't just wave a wand and make it happen. It will take time to get them playing the way he wants.

I am sorry but is that not what pre season is all about? He was with the players from the start and his signings were in early also.
I am not having a go at PL i am really pleased that we have him (although i would have had anyone after TSM as he was that bad)

We were fed the lines of attacking football - the first game saw no evidence of that, neat and tidy yes but attacking no - as others have said pre season played every game with 2 strikers - season starts and revert to the shite we watched last year albeit with a bit more passing about

Laudrop had even less time with his lot and lost a key player but still Swansea attacked

I cannot stand another season of gutless, blunt football