Is this what transition looks like?

[Mister E]

I think Helenius could do a job as a withdrawn striker - but I've only seen a few glimpses of the fellow.
I commented elsewhere that I think some of our problems this season - apart from new players bedding in, existing players having a second-season struggle and other teams knowing better what to expect from us - is that we just do not move the ball quickly enough: too many touches and not enough movement - of ball or receiver.

[JUAN PABLO]

exactly  , their are so many names I would love to see at Villa , but Lambert will not be signing them , he will sign some one I will probably never heard of .

[Concrete John]

All this leads me to believe that Lambert knows we need that player and actively wants to recruit for that position but no one was available for a fee he was happy to pay during the summer.  If I'm right, whilst it is disappointing we didn't get the player we need, I'm happier with this approach than signing the wrong player or paying the wrong fee out of panic, very few panic buys work out well.

Whilst by and large I agree with what you're saying, why does the alternative to getting the player he really wants have to be signing the wrong player or panic buying?

I find it hard to believe he just has "target number 1" and no back up options for his transfer moves. In fact, I would imagine a few of the players we have bought over the last year or two will not have been his first choice - that's just the way it is, pretty much at every club.

If true, the Belhanda and Kiyotake links would suggest there was more tha one player in the frame.  It's very specialist and sought after position, so harder to sign than say a right back.

Ultimately, he was unable to bring one in and we're only speculating at the reasons why.  But if he had a finite list and those all didn't happen for one reason or another, I'd rather him hold back and wait.

[JUAN PABLO]

Helenius is too tall and not agile enough for the number 10 role in my view , kiyotake is the one most seem to fancy in the role .

Lambert seems to have a top heavy squad with a plethora of strikers none of whom provide natural width , having spent £43m on players so far he has still not addressed the lack of creativity and width problems that seem to hold us back.

you think he would have learned after Bradford

[paul_e]

All this leads me to believe that Lambert knows we need that player and actively wants to recruit for that position but no one was available for a fee he was happy to pay during the summer.  If I'm right, whilst it is disappointing we didn't get the player we need, I'm happier with this approach than signing the wrong player or paying the wrong fee out of panic, very few panic buys work out well.

Whilst by and large I agree with what you're saying, why does the alternative to getting the player he really wants have to be signing the wrong player or panic buying?

I find it hard to believe he just has "target number 1" and no back up options for his transfer moves. In fact, I would imagine a few of the players we have bought over the last year or two will not have been his first choice - that's just the way it is, pretty much at every club.

I never suggested there was 1 target he was willing to wait for, I said no one {he wanted} was available for a fee he was willing to pay.  We know of enquiries about at least 1, and almost certainly 2, what we don't know is if that's everyone we looked at or not.  Part of getting a full appraisal of a player is that you need to commit a lot of time to it, if all of the attacking midfielders he was sure of were unavailable for a sensible fee we'd have either pay over the odds for one of them or we'd have signed someone he hadn't scouted to a level he was happy with, which is what I meant by the 'wrong player'.  Signing a player you've not really scouted because you need to fill a gap is a panic buy, and generally they don't turn out all that well.

[fredm]

The little bits I have seen of Helenius puts me in mind of the way Teddy Sheringham played. A sort of withdrawn striker who brought others into play as opposed to a midfielder who played an advanced role.

[pauliewalnuts]

All this leads me to believe that Lambert knows we need that player and actively wants to recruit for that position but no one was available for a fee he was happy to pay during the summer.  If I'm right, whilst it is disappointing we didn't get the player we need, I'm happier with this approach than signing the wrong player or paying the wrong fee out of panic, very few panic buys work out well.

Whilst by and large I agree with what you're saying, why does the alternative to getting the player he really wants have to be signing the wrong player or panic buying?

I find it hard to believe he just has "target number 1" and no back up options for his transfer moves. In fact, I would imagine a few of the players we have bought over the last year or two will not have been his first choice - that's just the way it is, pretty much at every club.

I never suggested there was 1 target he was willing to wait for, I said no one {he wanted} was available for a fee he was willing to pay.  We know of enquiries about at least 1, and almost certainly 2, what we don't know is if that's everyone we looked at or not.  Part of getting a full appraisal of a player is that you need to commit a lot of time to it, if all of the attacking midfielders he was sure of were unavailable for a sensible fee we'd have either pay over the odds for one of them or we'd have signed someone he hadn't scouted to a level he was happy with, which is what I meant by the 'wrong player'.  Signing a player you've not really scouted because you need to fill a gap is a panic buy, and generally they don't turn out all that well.

Out of interest, who are the players we know he enquired about?

[pauliewalnuts]

The little bits I have seen of Helenius puts me in mind of the way Teddy Sheringham played. A sort of withdrawn striker who brought others into play as opposed to a midfielder who played an advanced role.

Although it's probably easier to look like Teddy Sheringham in the Danish league. Helenius looks to me like one signed for the future, it's a pretty big step up to make.

[edgysatsuma89]

My biggest issue with Lambert is the way he reverts to the 'Bradford' tactics. I just don't get it. It is not a defendable argument for me.

My next issue is Kozak, not the quality of the bloke (he's barely played to be fair), not the price of him, but just where does he fit in? Lambert is someone who doesn't really do wingers, and to me he looks like someone who needs wingers whipping balls in.

I'll counter that with I know fuck all and I hope Lambert is a visionary genius.

[pauliewalnuts]

It is far too early to judge Kozak, so I don't really get why people are calling him a poor signing.

I must admit, though, he looks far from mobile, so I wonder how he's going to fit in with our front line.

[eastie]

It is far too early to judge Kozak, so I don't really get why people are calling him a poor signing.

I must admit, though, he looks far from mobile, so I wonder how he's going to fit in with our front line.

To play  to his strengths would be a start - he is certainly no lone target man .
Probably more of a natural goalscorer than gabby or Weimann  - I would give him a few games alongside benteke and see how they go , using bacuna and tonev to provide width .

[supertom]

It is far too early to judge Kozak, so I don't really get why people are calling him a poor signing.

I must admit, though, he looks far from mobile, so I wonder how he's going to fit in with our front line.

I wouldn't say poor just yet, but he certainly was a baffling signing given how we were crying out for a midfielder and had already signed Helenius. I'm hoping Kozak settles quicker but what isn't helping him, or the whole side in general, is the lack of attacking width we're playing with. Width shouldn't be our only attacking avenue by any stretch of the imagination (as it pretty much was under O Neill) but we need to use as much of the pitch as possible. Closing off avenues is slightly backward thinking.

[supertom]

It is far too early to judge Kozak, so I don't really get why people are calling him a poor signing.

I must admit, though, he looks far from mobile, so I wonder how he's going to fit in with our front line.

To play  to his strengths would be a start - he is certainly no lone target man .
Probably more of a natural goalscorer than gabby or Weimann  - I would give him a few games alongside benteke and see how they go , using bacuna and tonev to provide width .

Yeah, I thought Lowton did okay when he came back in at the weekend, perhaps time for him to be back in the side now. I'd like to see Bacuna further forward. The advantage too is that if Lowton overlaps, Bacuna can naturally cover without a problem.

Tonev looked lively against Everton and actually we looked poorer when he came off. A more consistent delivery and he'll be a good addition I think.

[Concrete John]

My biggest issue with Lambert is the way he reverts to the 'Bradford' tactics.

Has that actually happened?  Other than Bradford itself, of course.

[Monty]

My biggest issue with Lambert is the way he reverts to the 'Bradford' tactics.

Has that actually happened?  Other than Bradford itself, of course.

Against Newcastle there was more than a whiff of the 'loads of strikers, that way' tactic.