Lambert in or out? Poll reset with majority 'in', 7th May

[PeterWithesShin]

I take it you never saw Marco Boogers?

[SoccerHQ]

Vlaar looked dodgy at the start big time but I do think he was improving until he got that injury in November. He was very good when we went down to 10 v Norwich, played his part in the clean sheet at Sunderland, played well against Man. United despite the 3 goals and we were comfortably holding Arsenal until he went off.

He's no Laursen or Mellberg but he's comfortable on the ball at least. Think he's better with Baker than Clark aswell.

[SoccerHQ]

John Gregory tweeted the other day that he had spoken to PL at the LMA dinner and he had said it was his aim to finish top half at least

Agreed top 10 is realistic if we sign some defenders and keep Benteke.

I think the three promoted teams are garbage, inevitably the likes of Swansea and WBA will dip aswell and then you have standard bottom half teams like Stoke and Fulham.

Of course other teams will improve, Newcastle will surely be better, Sunderland are impossible to predict and I think Southampton could do very well next year but yeah top 10 isn't impossible at all.

[Toronto Villa]

Don't know about Newcastle. From some of the rumours it seems that there are cliques being created with the French connection, and there is some dressing room tension. Throw in that twat Pardew for another season and his smug punchable face and they could be in danger again.

[pauliewalnuts]

I reckon Newcastle will be shit again next year.

The fans all hate Pardew, too. That is one club where I don't expect the fans to be very optimistic.

[TheSandman]

I take it you never saw Marco Boogers?

Or Bert 'Bombscare Bertie' Konterman?

[PeterWithesShin]

Unless Andi or Benteke go then i'd expect us to be top 10 next season. We were only 5 points off it this season.

[TheSandman]

Bloo

I take it you never saw Marco Boogers?

Or Bert 'Bombscare Lambert' Konterman?

Bloody wordfilter - I said Bert ie.

[SoccerHQ]

I reckon Newcastle will be shit again next year.

The fans all hate Pardew, too. That is one club where I don't expect the fans to be very optimistic.

They still have good players though. Ben Arfa if he stays fit and Cabaye are both excellent. Cisse can score with the right service.

Last year they reminded me so much of us in the 10/11 season as they did have a lot of injuries particularly in the midfield.

Yeah it's fair to say Pardew won't last the season. Could be the bet for first manager to go.

[Toronto Villa]

He's got 6 years left on his contract so it might not be as easy to shift him. What the fuck were they thinking giving that tosser 8 years? You have to think it was late at night when they'd all been out on the lash. Pardew probably drew up the contract on a napkin at a strip club and the owner, too fucked to know any better signed it with a pen hanging out of his mouth.

[JUAN PABLO]

Hate to agree with Risso and SH but I think Vlaar is the worst Dutch footballer I have seen. Not even as good as the horrific Heitinga at Everton!

hes the only dutch international Ive never heard of

[JUAN PABLO]

....but he has scored two crackers

[TheSandman]

I think with Vlaar we all expected a much better player than we got due to his reputation. To be honest, maybe we were foolish to expect to get a top Dutch international to Villa Park, for what we paid for him (£3million?) and to expect some kind of McGrath-esque defensive colossus following his Euros performances. He's not a bad player, there's just a short fall between expectations and what we got. He's certainly at least twice as a good as Richard Fucking Dunne or James Sodding Collins. Like Percy I think we'll see a better player next season. 

[Toronto Villa]

And this thing about his nickname. I was to do with his recovery from injury as opposed to him being hard as nails which we got carried away with. He'll be fine with a good CB next to him and it is so melodramatic to say he's shit, because he isn't at all.

[saunders_heroes]

I think with Vlaar we all expected a much better player than we got due to his reputation. To be honest, maybe we were foolish to expect to get a top Dutch international to Villa Park, for what we paid for him (£3million?) and to expect some kind of McGrath-esque defensive colossus following his Euros performances. He's not a bad player, there's just a short fall between expectations and what we got. He's certainly at least twice as a good as Richard Fucking Dunne or James Sodding Collins. Like Percy I think we'll see a better player next season. 

Dunne and Collins on the whole were a decent partnership at Villa. How on earth anyone can claim the hapless Vlaar is "at least twice as good as that pair" after the season he's just given us is beyond me.