Jores Okore

[eastie]

Not at all. We narrowly lost 2-1 and could (should) quite easily have drawn if a red card had been given to their second goal-scorer for the forearm smash on Benteke and/or Terry had been penalised for his blatant hand-ball.

I know how the game went, I saw it as well. I also saw us lose to Newcastle at home just like we did last season.
My point is that Lambert neglected to strengthen the defence adequately. Okore looks decent but just one new recruit just wasn't enough. Why on earth Lambert signed 2 strikers when the defence was the number 1 priority is anyone's guess.  Vlaar, Clark and Baker were an absolute horror show last season and I can't believe they're still getting games in a Villa shirt.

He signed a centre half and a left back - hardly neglecting the defence.

[saunders_heroes]

Not at all. We narrowly lost 2-1 and could (should) quite easily have drawn if a red card had been given to their second goal-scorer for the forearm smash on Benteke and/or Terry had been penalised for his blatant hand-ball.

My point is that Lambert neglected to strengthen the defence adequately. Okore looks decent but just one new recruit just wasn't enough.

He signed Luna as well and Bacuna who can play at right back.

I'm talking about centre backs.

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

I hope he can come back stronger like Laursen did. And Fabian Delph.

[eastie]

Not at all. We narrowly lost 2-1 and could (should) quite easily have drawn if a red card had been given to their second goal-scorer for the forearm smash on Benteke and/or Terry had been penalised for his blatant hand-ball.

My point is that Lambert neglected to strengthen the defence adequately. Okore looks decent but just one new recruit just wasn't enough.

He signed Luna as well and Bacuna who can play at right back.

I'm talking about centre backs.

He had okore , Vlaar, baker, and Clark plus Lowton and herd as cover - how many central defenders would you like?

It's not lamberts fault that okore is injured - you weren't coming out with all this stuff last week - in fact on the post Chelsea match thread you were waxing lyrical about how good we were .

[Matt Collins]

Oh for fucks sake! That's terrible news for him and for the team.

We may be no better off defensively than we were last year as a result. Probably a bit, with Clark likely to be in better form and Luna possibly an upgrade on Bennett

But certainly short of numbers.

Bollocks. Poor bloke.

[Clampy]

It's very easy in hindsight to complain about not having enough defenders when we've just lost one for 9 months.

[PGW]

Oh for fucks sake! That's terrible news for him and for the team.

We may be no better off defensively than we were last year as a result. Probably a bit, with Clark likely to be in better form and Luna possibly an upgrade on Bennett

But certainly short of numbers.

Bollocks. Poor bloke.

Luna - nah - he is good going forward - defensively no better than Bennett. Okore gonna be a massive loss.....i imagine Clarke will come in he seems to be ahead of Baker at this moment in time.
Is it our pitch to blame - with all these long term injuries we get what % of them happen on our pitch....i ain't got a clue but we seem to get more than other clubs!!

[saunders_heroes]

Not at all. We narrowly lost 2-1 and could (should) quite easily have drawn if a red card had been given to their second goal-scorer for the forearm smash on Benteke and/or Terry had been penalised for his blatant hand-ball.

My point is that Lambert neglected to strengthen the defence adequately. Okore looks decent but just one new recruit just wasn't enough.

He signed Luna as well and Bacuna who can play at right back.

I'm talking about centre backs.

He had okore , Vlaar, baker, and Clark plus Lowton and herd as cover - how many central defenders would you like?

It's not lamberts fault that okore is injured - you weren't coming out with all this stuff last week - in fact on the post Chelsea match thread you were waxing lyrical about how good we were .

A couple of decent centre backs would be nice. I shudder when I see Clark, Baker and even Vlaar's name on the team sheet. Yes we played well at Arsenal and Chelsea, but sadly the next 2 games saw the Villa of last season, and last season's Villa were downright awful. You must be very easily pleased if you are happy with our defence.

[LeeB]

Not at all. We narrowly lost 2-1 and could (should) quite easily have drawn if a red card had been given to their second goal-scorer for the forearm smash on Benteke and/or Terry had been penalised for his blatant hand-ball.

My point is that Lambert neglected to strengthen the defence adequately. Okore looks decent but just one new recruit just wasn't enough.

He signed Luna as well and Bacuna who can play at right back.

I'm talking about centre backs.

He had okore , Vlaar, baker, and Clark plus Lowton and herd as cover - how many central defenders would you like?

It's not lamberts fault that okore is injured - you weren't coming out with all this stuff last week - in fact on the post Chelsea match thread you were waxing lyrical about how good we were .

A couple of decent centre backs would be nice. I shudder when I see Clark, Baker and even Vlaar's name on the team sheet. Yes we played well at Arsenal and Chelsea, but sadly the next 2 games saw the Villa of last season, and last season's Villa were downright awful. You must be very easily pleased if you are happy with our defence.

If I'm honest, it's Clark who makes me shit bricks.

The other two are fine, but he's got to get Sylla back into midfield, he covered the back line superbly at the back end of the season.

[eastie]

I didnt say i was happy with our defence , i argued the point that we have looked better with okore in defence and had improved and made progress .

[Navin R Johnson]

Another poster summed it up for me two days ago when he wrote that Lambert is a rookie manager learning the job at the top level.   My sentiments exactly.   Lambert shows flashes of brilliance with things like his activity early in the transfer window but they have to be set against what appears to be total denial that we have a defence problem and that we have a shocking and unaddressed home record.   I cannot work out his substitution tactics and things like bringing on Tonev in the 87th minute against Newcastle are at best bizarre and at worst stupid.

This disaster which has befallen poor Jores leaves me convinced that the season ahead will be more of the same namely unexpected wins here and there (almost certainly away) and the embedded inability to put back to back victories together.

I am no more depressed than I have been for some years now but I had hoped for more and I should not have been so foolish.

[saunders_heroes]

I didnt say i was happy with our defence , i argued the point that we have looked better with okore in defence and had improved and made progress .

And I'm arguing that Clark and Baker are not PL class and shouldn't be anywhere near our first team. And Vlaar is very lucky to be still at our club.

[Clampy]

It's like people who are complaining that he went out and signed two strikers. If he'd just brought Helanius in and Benteke picks up a lengthy injury, then it would be 'he should have brought in someone else with more experience because Helanius is unproven'.

[LeeB]

I didnt say i was happy with our defence , i argued the point that we have looked better with okore in defence and had improved and made progress .

And I'm arguing that Clark and Baker are not PL class and shouldn't be anywhere near our first team. And Vlaar is very lucky to be still at our club.

Players aren't born 'Premiership players'. They can develop into them if you let them.

And Baker and Vlaar are better than you're giving them credit for, in my opinion.

[saunders_heroes]

It's like people who are complaining that he went out and signed two strikers. If he'd just brought Helanius in and Benteke picks up a lengthy injury, then it would be 'he should have brought in someone else with more experience because Helanius is unproven'.

But we have Agbonlahor, Weimann and Helainius already at the club, yet he thought it a good idea to sign yet another striker for £7m. I'd say the priority would have been a centre back or midfielder.