Who do you think will be the first signing!?

[brontebilly]

My personal hope is that he tries to build us around the German model. Hard working teams, no little skill, but sides that play to the very end and are incredible versatile and efficient.

Well he certainly likes his team to be physically strong. Not sure where Barry Bannan will fit in to his plans.

Maybe somewhere like Wes Hoolahan fitted in for him at Norwich? Bannan is a similar type of player ability wise but not the same attitude. Maybe Bannan needs a loan stint down in some team of cloggers in the championship to realise what he is pissing away at Villa.

The transfer market is likely to be very slow until after the Euro so patience is required I reckon

[not3bad]

I genuinely don't care who his first signing is. I don't worry if they will be value for money. I just have this feeling of trust with Lambert.

I will be happy with whoever he signs and trust him that they will improve the team.

Not felt like this for a long time!

I pretty much agree with this.  Just happy to sit back and see how things unfold.

[Toronto Villa]

My personal hope is that he tries to build us around the German model. Hard working teams, no little skill, but sides that play to the very end and are incredible versatile and efficient.

Well he certainly likes his team to be physically strong. Not sure where Barry Bannan will fit in to his plans.

They need to be strong where they need to be, and skilfull where they need to be. We all watched our lot being bossed around in the middle last year. For Stephen Ireland to be the best he can be he needs to be protected. We can't offer that now. We need to be a lot more clinical and efficient in everything we do, and if certain players cannot do that then they need to find another club. The best teams don't always have the best individual players. They have a mix of players that allow each other to their jobs at a high level.

[Monty]

Strength in the midfield is a pretty big myth. Ireland had the second highest interception rate in the league last year, but our manager's obsession with boofy defending meant it was useless. Hard work and pace are more important than strength and size by a long way.

[Keeno]

My personal hope is that he tries to build us around the German model. Hard working teams, no little skill, but sides that play to the very end and are incredible versatile and efficient.

Well he certainly likes his team to be physically strong. Not sure where Barry Bannan will fit in to his plans.

They need to be strong where they need to be, and skilfull where they need to be. We all watched our lot being bossed around in the middle last year. For Stephen Ireland to be the best he can be he needs to be protected. We can't offer that now. We need to be a lot more clinical and efficient in everything we do, and if certain players cannot do that then they need to find another club. The best teams don't always have the best individual players. They have a mix of players that allow each other to their jobs at a high level.

See: Dortmund for the last two seasons. Blessed with a couple of star players and superb youngsters, but by no means the most individually talented team in the league. I hope PLs taken a few notes from his former side - they were no more than an upper mid-table/Europa League team until the last couple of seasons.

I wouldn't necessarily like to see us bring in some more 20m+ players a la Bent (not that we have the funds to), rather players that would fit in to the wider picture and although might not be star names, would be better for us in the long run. Snodgrass/Guthrie would be a start.

Also - been seeing various people on Twitter talking about the papers linking us with Adam Johnson?! What papers are these?! Would be a cracking signing if we could get him though (Which I doubt).

[Mazrim]

Strength in the midfield is a pretty big myth. Ireland had the second highest interception rate in the league last year, but our manager's obsession with boofy defending meant it was useless. Hard work and pace are more important than strength and size by a long way.

True but when you also add strength into the mix its even better. It does count, but not as much as positional awareness and technical ability..

[Monty]

Strength in the midfield is a pretty big myth. Ireland had the second highest interception rate in the league last year, but our manager's obsession with boofy defending meant it was useless. Hard work and pace are more important than strength and size by a long way.

True but when you also add strength into the mix its even better. It does count, but not as much as positional awareness and technical ability..

Strength only starts to count when someone is hugely stronger than other people. At minimal differences it's not that relevant. I'd say Bannan against Guthrie would be more likely to be decided on skill, spatial awareness and hardwork, despite Bannan's obvious strength disadvantage. The only midfielder in Europe who is both technically good enough and so strong as to make it count as well is Yaya Toure - and even then, it's his skill, not his strength, which make him so valuable.

[Hookeysmith]

Grant Holt seems to be favourite - but we have had bad experience with 'older' forwards.

However - as unconvinced as I was - i watched this ...

[ Invalid YouTube link ]

and now I'm not so underwhelmed.

Solid - hardworking - with an eye for goal and - won't cost the earth on transfer or wages. 

Not to bad to have in your bag I would've thought.

Apologies for the soundtrack

Yes thats all well and good - but can he defend like heskey could?

[Damo70]

You would think that a man who has managed in three different divisions in the last three years and has had to scout opposition players and potential signings in all of them would have a broad knowledge of the talent out there at all of those levels.

[Dave Clark Five]

I am hoping to see Peter Whittingham brought back to Villa Park. He has done well at Cardiff and I see he was voted FourFourTwo's Football League Player of the Year. Still only 27 so he has a few years left in him.

[andyaston]

My personal hope is that he tries to build us around the German model. Hard working teams, no little skill, but sides that play to the very end and are incredible versatile and efficient.

Well he certainly likes his team to be physically strong. Not sure where Barry Bannan will fit in to his plans.

They need to be strong where they need to be, and skilfull where they need to be. We all watched our lot being bossed around in the middle last year. For Stephen Ireland to be the best he can be he needs to be protected. We can't offer that now. We need to be a lot more clinical and efficient in everything we do, and if certain players cannot do that then they need to find another club. The best teams don't always have the best individual players. They have a mix of players that allow each other to their jobs at a high level.

Your right. For the last few season the stature of our team especially in the midfield has been small and we are quite easly bossed off the ball by most teams and its frightening. Its not coincidence that we were in relegation battles since Millner left. The first signing has to be a strong midfielder and forget all this rubbish about 2 wingers it just dosen't work, one is enough and another wide midfielder tucking in.

[Steve67]

I'd love to see a real statement of intent type signing.  Even if that signing was a bosman transfer. Lambert talked at the press conference about using the feel-good factor that's around the club at the moment.  I'd love to see it boosted even more with a good signing, unveiled at the open day next weekend. Douglas, Pobregynak perhaps.

[Monty]

Your right. For the last few season the stature of our team especially in the midfield has been small and we are quite easly bossed off the ball by most teams and its frightening. Its not coincidence that we were in relegation battles since Millner left. The first signing has to be a strong midfielder and forget all this rubbish about 2 wingers it just dosen't work, one is enough and another wide midfielder tucking in.

Or play three in midfield and then two wide players capable of creating? That way you also keep the ball better with the numbers in there, regardless of size.

[not3bad]

Your right. For the last few season the stature of our team especially in the midfield has been small and we are quite easly bossed off the ball by most teams and its frightening. Its not coincidence that we were in relegation battles since Millner left. The first signing has to be a strong midfielder and forget all this rubbish about 2 wingers it just dosen't work, one is enough and another wide midfielder tucking in.

Or play three in midfield and then two wide players capable of creating? That way you also keep the ball better with the numbers in there, regardless of size.

There's a fair chance Lambert will play both of these systems depending on the opposition.

[Mister E]

Your right. For the last few season the stature of our team especially in the midfield has been small and we are quite easly bossed off the ball by most teams and its frightening. Its not coincidence that we were in relegation battles since Millner left. The first signing has to be a strong midfielder and forget all this rubbish about 2 wingers it just dosen't work, one is enough and another wide midfielder tucking in.

Or play three in midfield and then two wide players capable of creating? That way you also keep the ball better with the numbers in there, regardless of size.

That's been my favoured starting approach for a while.
BB is too slight and does not have the turn of pace of a Modric or an Ireland to make his own space in midfield; I suspect this is why he's made an art out of the early passing.  And it may also be attitudinal.