Charles N'zogbia update

[Richard E]

The theatre impressario has wandering hands I've heard, from a theatre employee. That's not libellous as well is it? 

Yes, it is.

[mattjpa]

If Lambert's starting premise was that he needed to change the culture of the club then it makes sense to isolate those players that would make the process more difficult. It is a very difficult thing to achieve amongst a group just by grafting in a few new players every now and then and hoping things will change for the better. The new guys are just sucked into the existing mentality and nothing really changes. In part this is what happened to McLeish.

If that was the thinking it was the right thing to do. Lambert can take a fair bit of stick for a few things, but he got that bit very right. By the end of his first season he'd got a group of players playing with an esprit de corps that I haven't seen at Villa in a long time. Things seem to have gone nipples up this time around, but it was still the right thing t do.

It is only natural that with things going badly those excluded should suddenly possess qualities they have not previously demonstrated, but in two years at the club how many games has NZogbia delivered true influence? So few they can probably still be recalled. He's had less impact than Bacuna has managed in less than half the time.

Ok, but the game has been littered with greats who dont fit that remit - Cantona, Gascoigne, Di Canio, Ibrahimovic, Keane, Yorke etc etc etc. Would they have been shipped out as well? Lambert and or the current remit seems to want toally strip the club of anyone outspoken or a little difficult to handle in favour of limited, hard working yes men. Almost all of our players with alot of natural talent have been shipped out - Bannan, Bent, Ireland. Now it looks like NZog as well

[Somniloquism]

I would say he has failed a drug test and that's the reason for lack of involvement.

According to Kendrick and others,  he and Lambert had a falling out during the last end-of-season awards dinner. Let's not forget that he was stripped of his shirt-number even before the injury.

Funny that as the injury was in June and no squad numbers were issued until August.

I thought he lost the number 10 shirt in the summer and started the season with the number 36 (which he's now lost). Can't help feeling there's more to this than is being let on

The first we heard he wasn't number 10 and had a high number was in August. That was when it was stated he might not be fit all season. Yes, the high number has now been lost and the manager might have decided to bomb him even before the injury, but the original post was just plain wrong that he had lost the number 10 before injury unless they have full on ITK.

[glasses]

Expect Martinez to buy him and he will have a cracking season

I still think Lambert did not want Marc Albrighton here neither , he has had to suck egg a bit because he looks better recently than most of his signings. 

It's Albrightons wages. The only reason he hasn't been playing. He is on one of the old regime on a relatively large contract. Lambert is squeezing him out of the club.

[Clampy]

Expect Martinez to buy him and he will have a cracking season

I still think Lambert did not want Marc Albrighton here neither , he has had to suck egg a bit because he looks better recently than most of his signings. 

It's Albrightons wages. The only reason he hasn't been playing. He is on one of the old regime on a relatively large contract. Lambert is squeezing him out of the club.

You can't say that really when he's started the last two games and been generally been involved since he came back from Wigan.

[glasses]

Expect Martinez to buy him and he will have a cracking season

I still think Lambert did not want Marc Albrighton here neither , he has had to suck egg a bit because he looks better recently than most of his signings. 

It's Albrightons wages. The only reason he hasn't been playing. He is on one of the old regime on a relatively large contract. Lambert is squeezing him out of the club.

You can't say that really when he's started the last two games and been generally been involved since he came back from Wigan.

Okay, we will see if he signs a new contract or moves to another club in a few months. Marc Albrighton, lifelong Villa fan. A 'young and hungry' homegrown player, albeit on a big contract, one that isn't going to be renewed

[Clampy]

Expect Martinez to buy him and he will have a cracking season

I still think Lambert did not want Marc Albrighton here neither , he has had to suck egg a bit because he looks better recently than most of his signings. 

It's Albrightons wages. The only reason he hasn't been playing. He is on one of the old regime on a relatively large contract. Lambert is squeezing him out of the club.

You can't say that really when he's started the last two games and been generally been involved since he came back from Wigan.

Okay, we will see if he signs a new contract or moves to another club in a few months. Marc Albrighton, lifelong Villa fan. A 'young and hungry' homegrown player, albeit on a big contract, one that isn't going to be renewed

You might be right about that. I'm just saying that he has been getting game time since he came back from loan and he's been a plus point . I'll be as disappointed as you if we let him go.

[supertom]

Expect Martinez to buy him and he will have a cracking season

I still think Lambert did not want Marc Albrighton here neither , he has had to suck egg a bit because he looks better recently than most of his signings. 

It's Albrightons wages. The only reason he hasn't been playing. He is on one of the old regime on a relatively large contract. Lambert is squeezing him out of the club.

You can't say that really when he's started the last two games and been generally been involved since he came back from Wigan.

I don't think Albrighton has had enough starts. When he first broke back in he impressed. In fact he's been one of our better players whenever he's played, even if it's been the best of a bad bunch. But he's had a lot of impressive sub-appearences, making a difference, only to be dropped for the next game. In part I think that's because Lambert is loath to play wingers. Its part of his tactical inflexibility.
Also, somehow or another, Weimann has become indispensable. He's actually suffered in part too, because Lambert has played him out of position almost every game. He's a square peg in a round hole and I think its really affected Weimann's confidence this season.

[Somniloquism]

If Lambert's starting premise was that he needed to change the culture of the club then it makes sense to isolate those players that would make the process more difficult. It is a very difficult thing to achieve amongst a group just by grafting in a few new players every now and then and hoping things will change for the better. The new guys are just sucked into the existing mentality and nothing really changes. In part this is what happened to McLeish.

If that was the thinking it was the right thing to do. Lambert can take a fair bit of stick for a few things, but he got that bit very right. By the end of his first season he'd got a group of players playing with an esprit de corps that I haven't seen at Villa in a long time. Things seem to have gone nipples up this time around, but it was still the right thing t do.

It is only natural that with things going badly those excluded should suddenly possess qualities they have not previously demonstrated, but in two years at the club how many games has NZogbia delivered true influence? So few they can probably still be recalled. He's had less impact than Bacuna has managed in less than half the time.

Ok, but the game has been littered with greats who dont fit that remit - Cantona, Gascoigne, Di Canio, Ibrahimovic, Keane, Yorke etc etc etc. Would they have been shipped out as well? Lambert and or the current remit seems to want toally strip the club of anyone outspoken or a little difficult to handle in favour of limited, hard working yes men. Almost all of our players with alot of natural talent have been shipped out - Bannan, Bent, Ireland. Now it looks like NZog as well

Cantona was shipped out by Leeds when he was upsetting the dressing room dynamic cheaply and Ibrahimovich has left several clubs after manager bust-ups. Fergie bombed out several players in his early years otherwise we wouldn't have got McGrath. See it does happen at other clubs.

As for the players you have mentioned with natural talent. Both Bannan and Ireland both had lots of detractors and comments of "I hope they do not play in a shirt again" mentions whilst here. And both Bannan and Bent have since shown that they can't do it at teams below us (how many starts has Bannan had under Pulis?) Ireland is the only one to do anything and it is no surprise it is under the only manager to get the best out of him previously. Four other managers have not played him regularly since he signed for us so I do not think it is exclusively Lambert. (Houllier, Pardew on loan, McCleish and now Lambert).

[Somniloquism]

Expect Martinez to buy him and he will have a cracking season

I still think Lambert did not want Marc Albrighton here neither , he has had to suck egg a bit because he looks better recently than most of his signings. 

It's Albrightons wages. The only reason he hasn't been playing. He is on one of the old regime on a relatively large contract. Lambert is squeezing him out of the club.

You can't say that really when he's started the last two games and been generally been involved since he came back from Wigan.

Okay, we will see if he signs a new contract or moves to another club in a few months. Marc Albrighton, lifelong Villa fan. A 'young and hungry' homegrown player, albeit on a big contract, one that isn't going to be renewed

A 'young and hungry' homegrown player, albeit on a big contract, is having his contract renewed apparently as everyone is moaning about that. (Ok Young and Hungry might not be the words for Gabby anymore.) I would like to see Marc kept on his current performances though.

[glasses]

I would say that Albrightons contract is nowhere near Gabby's current contract, and even if Gabby takes a cut, will still be more than Albrighton.

I'd say Albrighton is on more than you would expect for a player of his age and experience though, which is why I feel Lambert has a problem with playing him, and only has done when he has few options. Just ask yourself why he was sent on loan to Wigan this season, when he was fit enough and comfortably good enough to play in the first team, as he has shown in the few games he's played recently.

[pbavfckuwait]

How can a manager be reluctant to play a player, that F...ing Aston Villa are paying his wages, I dont care if he is on two pounds a week or 50k, we as a club employ footballers to play football, or at least thats what I thought we did.

[Somniloquism]

Maybe because he hadn't really shown anything the previous season and had lots of niggling injuries. He had come back from the throat operation and loaning him for 28 days allowed him to get match fit and get game time which he wasn't going to get straight away for us, especially as we are not a winger setup club.

However, I do think he should have had more game time this season, especially in some of the matches over the last few months we needed more creativity. But do bear in mind that for a winger, 9 goals in 91 is poor. I haven't got his assists though which will be higher but is it high enough.(two in the last 3 home games from obvious memory).

[sirlordbaltimore]

And both Bannan and Bent have since shown that they can't do it at teams below us (how many starts has Bannan had under Pulis?)

As someone with Palace family, I can assure you they all loved Bannan. In fact when he was the best player on the pitch against us on Boxing Day they all said after the game 'that was Bannan on a 6 performance, you should've seen him last week'

I wouldn't read too much into Pulis not playing him because it's quite obvious Pulis doesn't like small technical players in his side. He sent Williams one of their other best prospects on loan to Ipswich for a similar reason (and much to their annoyance)

[Irish villain]

How can a manager be reluctant to play a player, that F...ing Aston Villa are paying his wages, I dont care if he is on two pounds a week or 50k, we as a club employ footballers to play football, or at least thats what I thought we did.

Bent, NZogbia, Hutton.. and that's not even counting all the others over the past two years. Ireland, Given...even Lowton at times this year.

How can we justify the miss-management of so many resources? Our league position certainly doesn't...