At home but where is the comfort?

[eastie]

we played some of the best stuff in ages at home and should have been well out of the picture before they scored. Two chances fell to our top forward who had he been fit and at his unsual sharpest would have been dispatched without issue, and irrespective of the incredible form of their keeper. Home form has been a concern for ages but in the PL if you don't take your chances home or away someone is going to punish you. It happened to be from a team that has started really well, built over many years to be consistent and solid with the added bonus of finally having a clinical striker. Had this display been as insipid a home display as some in recent memory I'd be quite concerned. But for the first time in what seems like ages we played as a home team should and should have won. We do that in the next few games, and play away like we know we can we'll be just fine.

We're a good team that now needs a win urgently to start believing that again. And I don't Benteke being so charitable again in the future.

On our day we can be a good team but we are very inconsistent - often from one half to another.
We need to string a couple of wins together and try to build a run similar to how we ended last season - to help with that sylla must be in the team at west ham.

[supertom]

Lamberts had 3 windows. In that time he certainly could have bought 2-3 more experienced players without necessarily breaking the bank. We've yet to really replace Stan Petrov's influence on the side. I love Stan too and he wasn't a world beater by any stretch of the imagination, but he was quite key to us in giving us a stability and calmness that could have been lacking way back when Gareth Barry left.

Likewise you look at how Dunne has started off at QPR. It would seem the legs haven't been quite as gone as we might have believed. He's been excellent for them thus far on the whole and has played every week. Honestly the reason why we were so desperately close to relegation under McLeish was in part losing Stan, Dunne and Bent all around a similar period. We went to complete shit (from mediocrity) from then on. Up until that point, Dunne had been having a vastly improved season on the Houllier one, and Petrov in a more advanced role was playing well. Bent had 9 goals in 22 games before getting injured to, and still ended up being our top scorer.

Retrospect is a wonderful thing of course. We need a bit of the influence, calmness and vision that a more experienced player can give you. That has to be sorted in Jan. It would help us no end.

[Toronto Villa]

It's a dangerous game to play but he is trying to bring these young players up together so they gather that experience albeit through difficult times. I agree though, we could do with one or two more older, more established heads in the side. Our spine is coming together, the bits either side of it need help.

Richard Dunne remains an unsolved mystery. He's playing well at a lower level but there has to be something more than a player that never played a game for last season and this season you'd never know that happened.

[eastie]

Dunne was outspoken in the press and highly critical of lambert for getting rid of all the experienced players , Ireland also had a run in with him by all accounts over tactics - could it be that dunne expressed his views to lambert and was given short shrift afterwards .

I'm not suggesting dunne wasn't injured but I recall bent saying he was fit and well last season at a time lambert had told press he was injured - lambert strikes me as someone who doesn't like people questioning his authority - a bit of a prickly character maybe .

Certainly he had run ins with the press when they questioned him at Norwich and the same happened with kendrick last season - he does not respond well to criticism.

Given and Hutton were also ostracised by him even though both still being paid on big wages .

[Chico Hamilton III]

Richard Dunne remains an unsolved mystery. He's playing well at a lower level

Did anyone see the sitter that fatso put over the Burnley bar from 2 yards at Turf Moor on Saturday? Very funny.

Almost as funny as that coke bottle bouncing off Joey Barton's head (any other player and I wouldn't have laughed...).

[supertom]

The Dunne thing is very strange indeed. Whether he might have been fit enough to play at some juncture last season remains to be seen. Maybe we'll hear the truth when Dunne gets round to releasing a book.

Having one or two older heads who can step in right now and deliver at this level would also help our younger players develop, possibly quicker. I just think that looking at the last game against Everton and the way Barry began dictating the pace of the game as soon as our legs started going in the second half, and the impact that Osman had. Sometimes you just can't go too far wrong with players who've been fairly consistent at this level for many years. We expend a lot of energy, often needlessly. A bit of composure, just something as simple as getting your head up and surveying your options, a bit of clever movement which comes from playing the game for years. That won them the game.

The fact it would seem Barry was offered to us is slightly galling too. You slap Barry in midfield with Delph and Sylla either side of him to provide the legs, and the midfield is already twice as good.

[Clampy]

Dunne was outspoken in the press and highly critical of lambert for getting rid of all the experienced players , Ireland also had a run in with him by all accounts over tactics - could it be that dunne expressed his views to lambert and was given short shrift afterwards .

I'm not suggesting dunne wasn't injured but I recall bent saying he was fit and well last season at a time lambert had told press he was injured - lambert strikes me as someone who doesn't like people questioning his authority - a bit of a prickly character maybe .

Certainly he had run ins with the press when they questioned him at Norwich and the same happened with kendrick last season - he does not respond well to criticism.

Given and Hutton were also ostracised by him even though both still being paid on big wages .

Maybe but at the end of the day Lambert's the boss and what he says goes.

[Toronto Villa]

I just think Barry was offered to everyone because he was told we wasn't going to get much of a look in under Pellegrini. Because he played for us and was our captain that will always get more play in the media than had Stoke turned him down. Not saying we still wouldn't have benefitted from his influence but I think the story is a little overblown.

[eastie]

Is there anything to back up these rumours of Barry being offered to us?
It seems odd as usually clubs enquire if a player is available - why would pellegrini offer him to a manager he doesn't know - and where did the rumour come from.

I saw Barry's interview where he expressed a desire to join everton because he didn't want to uproot his kids from their school in the north west but he never mentioned villa showing interest.

[supertom]

Dunne was outspoken in the press and highly critical of lambert for getting rid of all the experienced players , Ireland also had a run in with him by all accounts over tactics - could it be that dunne expressed his views to lambert and was given short shrift afterwards .

I'm not suggesting dunne wasn't injured but I recall bent saying he was fit and well last season at a time lambert had told press he was injured - lambert strikes me as someone who doesn't like people questioning his authority - a bit of a prickly character maybe .

Certainly he had run ins with the press when they questioned him at Norwich and the same happened with kendrick last season - he does not respond well to criticism.

Given and Hutton were also ostracised by him even though both still being paid on big wages .

Maybe but at the end of the day Lambert's the boss and what he says goes.

Indeed. The trouble is he's a stubborn sod (for better and worse) and it seems that he doesn't like to have players with a reputation. Much as we could do with a bit more nous and experience I don't think he'll ever go that route.

[eastie]

I just think Barry was offered to everyone because he was told we wasn't going to get much of a look in under Pellegrini. Because he played for us and was our captain that will always get more play in the media than had Stoke turned him down. Not saying we still wouldn't have benefitted from his influence but I think the story is a little overblown.

This maybe more likely , that city maybe sent a circular to all premier clubs of his availability is much more likely that offering him to villa .

From the interview I saw with him he made it clear everton was where he wanted to go for reasons stated earlier.

[ktvillan]

It does seem that Lambert doesn't like or want older experienced players or those with a big reputation.  It's a self-imposed limitation that is hampering the team.  We're crying out for a Scott Parker/Gareth Barry/ Kevin Nolan type in the middle of the park, experienced, competent, and, with Parker and Nolan at least, with leadership qualities.  As an interim, short term measure I don't think it would have broken the bank or upset his general philosophy.  These leader types are often big personalities and perhaps Lambert doesn't welcome that type.  It's odd when you think that the most successful manager of the last 25 years had the egos and temperaments of the likes of Keane, Ince, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy and Cantona to deal with, and without their ilk it's unlikely they'd have won as much.     

[Toronto Villa]

It does seem that Lambert doesn't like or want older experienced players or those with a big reputation.  It's a self-imposed limitation that is hampering the team.  We're crying out for a Scott Parker/Gareth Barry/ Kevin Nolan type in the middle of the park, experienced, competent, and, with Parker and Nolan at least, with leadership qualities.  As an interim, short term measure I don't think it would have broken the bank or upset his general philosophy.  These leader types are often big personalities and perhaps Lambert doesn't welcome that type.  It's odd when you think that the most successful manager of the last 25 years had the egos and temperaments of the likes of Keane, Ince, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy and Cantona to deal with, and without their ilk it's unlikely they'd have won as much.     

we had agreed a fee for Dempsey and Vlaar and KEA were both 27 when we bought them. I don't think that stat is entirely true. I think it's a fair statement for this summer though.

[eastie]

Just a question regarding the poll - would tactics and manager not be the same thing to blame as it is the manager who chooses the tactics?

[Clampy]

It does seem that Lambert doesn't like or want older experienced players or those with a big reputation.  It's a self-imposed limitation that is hampering the team.  We're crying out for a Scott Parker/Gareth Barry/ Kevin Nolan type in the middle of the park, experienced, competent, and, with Parker and Nolan at least, with leadership qualities.  As an interim, short term measure I don't think it would have broken the bank or upset his general philosophy.  These leader types are often big personalities and perhaps Lambert doesn't welcome that type.  It's odd when you think that the most successful manager of the last 25 years had the egos and temperaments of the likes of Keane, Ince, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy and Cantona to deal with, and without their ilk it's unlikely they'd have won as much.     

we had agreed a fee for Dempsey and Vlaar and KEA were both 27 when we bought them. I don't think that stat is entirely true. I think it's a fair statement for this summer though.

He also said that he enquired about getting an experienced centre half in January but it didn't happen. Also, I don't think too many people would have complained had he brought Lukaku in who's 2 years younger than Benteke.