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

[LifelongToad]

It is true though. We had to totally rebuild a squad on 23 million plus less wages than before. He bought fairly well, just did not have the time to properly analyse just how incredibly bad our squad was already.

He bought well? Are you absolutely being serious?

Completely.

Guzan, Lowton, Westwood and Benteke were excellent signings for the fees

Vlaar needs time to get back up to speed following injury but prior looked like he was adjusting and the other night I thought lead the onslaught second half well.

His biggest mistake, or let down, unfortunately for him is KEA never adjusting to the physical side of the game here. Petrov struggled badly for 18 months when he arrived and I do think KEA can improve, he was loved dearly by the fans of Feyenoord so there is a player in there.

Bennett - we needed a left back that was solid and Bennett is easily his most unfit for the role signing. He is a cracking footballer IMO, and could easily play left midfield in a 4-4-2 and sling balls into the box.

Nail on my head.

[PeterWithe]

We all lauded the new BH training facility as being responsible for the lack of injuries during MONs reign, maybe it was down to doing little of 'good luck'?

[ozzjim]

At West Brom Delph is running the midfield and gets injured, and then can't track Brunt for the first goal, putting us under imense pressure

Dunne meant to be out 6 weeks, not played all season

Vlaar has a calf injured scheduled for 2-3 weeks and is out 3 months

Holman smacks the bar at 1-0 against Wigan. Goes in its a different game.

Every time there is a rub of the green moment, it goes against Lambert IMO.

[saunders_heroes]

Bad luck or made piss poor decisions?

Houllier's + Petrovs illness were bad luck though one predictible, what else was down to pure bad luck? 

Petrov for me was the most important player at the club. Not bothering to replace him has nothing to do with bad luck.

[Greg N'Ash]

We all lauded the new BH training facility as being responsible for the lack of injuries during MONs reign, maybe it was down to doing little of 'good luck'?

He was remarkably lucky with injuries, the last 3 years was more normal in fact bar Petrov. I always put it down to none of them training enough to get injured under MON,

[Mazrim]

We've had shitty luck this season. No doubt about it.
That isn't the same as blaming all our woes on bad luck though.

[Somniloquism]

I don't think of him as overly unlucky, he can't train his team to defend set pieces and he's been negligent with the best array of attackers in the bottom half of the league (damned with faint praise I know), we've enough talent to stay up but I can't see it happening and that's Lamberts fault.

I'm struggling to think of a club that's had as much bad luck as we have over the past three seasons.

If you continue to sell your best players and replace them with inferior ones, how does bad luck come into it?

Newcastle sold several of their best players and got in unknowns, and they all hit the floor running and put them 7th last season.

[SamTheMouse]

I find it incredible that people don't rate Lowton as a good signing. I can see him being our right-back for the next 7/8 seasons.

Me too. He puts me in mind of Mark Delaney. He's pretty unflappable and he gets his head down and works hard. I think he's been one of our better performers.

[hilts_coolerking]

I'm struggling to think of a club that's had as much bad luck as we have over the past three seasons.

I'm struggling to think of a club that's made as many terrible decisions as we have over the past three seasons.  That's much more significant.

[TonyD]

Rumours from some suggest an Anglo Indian concertium in to buy Villa.  JLR?

[Monty]

We all lauded the new BH training facility as being responsible for the lack of injuries during MONs reign, maybe it was down to doing little of 'good luck'?

He was remarkably lucky with injuries, the last 3 years was more normal in fact bar Petrov. I always put it down to none of them training enough to get injured under MON,

Agreed. Hard to get too injured while on the piss and jogging once a day.

[Mazrim]

TATA?

Rumours from where?

[PeterWithe]

Petrov was due replacing at the time he fell ill.

Yes, we've not had things go our way but we've not made sufficient attacking effort to even things up.

There are more obvious targets for our ire than lady luck.

[Somniloquism]

Bad luck or made piss poor decisions?

Houllier's + Petrovs illness were bad luck though one predictible, what else was down to pure bad luck? 

Petrov for me was the most important player at the club. Not bothering to replace him has nothing to do with bad luck.

He tried to replace him, unfortunately KEA hasn't yet come good yet, (if he will).

[Stu]

I don't want to criticise the team or the club, or the manager for that matter - and I don't moan that much (!) about the team even when they're crap; I'd rather just try and support them as best I can.

However, this last month has made me question Lambert's ability in all spheres as a manager. He hasn't bought well in the main, Benteke aside, can't organise the defence, the midfield doesn't exist, and we don't score enough goals to offset the 2 we let in every game.

He doesn't appear to be able to lift the players or motivate them; for a long time now the team loses it's concentration and confidence if a goal is scored against them, the team is like jekyll and hide when it comes to the two halves, and there's no consistency, aside from being very easy to beat.

There have been some encouraging results; obviously Manchester City and Liverpool away are highlights. Yet we also have had to face an 8-0 drubbing by Chelsea, 4-0 at home against Spurs, 3-0 at home against Wigan, and finally getting knocked out of the cups by lower division sides. If he can't motivate the players into playing for Wembley then I don't think he's up to the task as Villa manager.