How would you feel....

[Jimbo]

I think people are going to be sorely disappointed when we don't make any significant signings in January. It needs to happen, but I've seen nothing that suggests it will. Why would we bring experienced defenders in, and pay them the wages they'll demand, when both Vlaar and Okore will be back in the nick of time to save us?

Does anyone really think we'll be paying the wages of an accomplished and experienced midfielder who can actually pass a football, when everything we've seen up till now suggests we'll stay cheap and hopeful?

And when it comes to strikers, we have lots of them already, I've seen them all waiting to come off the bench when we're chasing a game.

Lerner will be thinking, our squad has been bolstered in the summer. We're much stronger now because we've got the numbers. But no matter how many weak planks you lay over a hole in the ground, they're still going to snap when the pressure's on. We desperately need quality, experience and leadership, but that costs money in wages, and that's not part of the current plan.

No, we'll be riding this storm in exactly the same manner as last season, so brace yourselves for that.

[brian green]

Spot on Drum.   However, the prospect of giving Lambert another season and a half before deciding whether he has any kind of working plan fills me with dread.   The prospect of another year and a half of the shit which we serve up and by and large have served up more often than not over the last four years including the time Lambert has been in charge is more than flesh and blood can stand.

[Villafirst]

The worrying thing is we relied on CB's goals last season to keep us up. But he's stopped scoring and the defence at the moment looks as bad as last year. I predict another relegation scrap.

[eastie]

I'm becoming disillusioned with the game as a whole and the only European league game I'd sit down to watch is Real v Barcelona - its rare i watch the sky games these days .

The game has changed so much than that I grew up following in the 70's and money and greed are a problem.

[Chris Smith]

Spot on Drum.   However, the prospect of giving Lambert another season and a half before deciding whether he has any kind of working plan fills me with dread.   The prospect of another year and a half of the shit which we serve up and by and large have served up more often than not over the last four years including the time Lambert has been in charge is more than flesh and blood can stand.

So what do we do? Go back to the shit that McLeish served up? Or that Houllier served up? If the last few years have taught as anything it is that constant change doesn't work. At some point you have to have a the courage to stick with a man and allow him to see a plan through, not bail out half way through.

[hilts_coolerking]

So what do we do? Go back to the shit that McLeish served up? Or that Houllier served up? If the last few years have taught as anything it is that constant change doesn't work. At some point you have to have a the courage to stick with a man and allow him to see a plan through, not bail out half way through.

Why then did we not stick with McLeish?  The counter to your argument is that if you believe you have appointed the wrong man then persisting with him is the worst thing you could do.

I'm sure that Lerner doesn't think they've appointed the wrong man in Lambert and I'm equally sure he won't sack him but change isn't always a bad thing.  The reason why we've had so much change since O'Neill quit is that there have been so many bad decisions that have needed rectifying quickly.

[saunders_heroes]

Spot on Drum.   However, the prospect of giving Lambert another season and a half before deciding whether he has any kind of working plan fills me with dread.   The prospect of another year and a half of the shit which we serve up and by and large have served up more often than not over the last four years including the time Lambert has been in charge is more than flesh and blood can stand.

So what do we do? Go back to the shit that McLeish served up? Or that Houllier served up? If the last few years have taught as anything it is that constant change doesn't work. At some point you have to have a the courage to stick with a man and allow him to see a plan through, not bail out half way through.

Whatever we do it'll continue to be shit until Lerner decides to invest again.

[TonyD]

Lose the next two games and he wil go. 

[villa `cross the mersey]

I'm becoming disillusioned with the game as a whole and the only European league game I'd sit down to watch is Real v Barcelona - its rare i watch the sky games these days .

The game has changed so much than that I grew up following in the 70's and money and greed are a problem.

I was thinking the very same the other day - along the lines that "more is less" - in this 24/7 life we now all lead you can possibly watch a live game somewhere from around the world each and every day.
In the simpler world of the 1970`s live games on TV were a treat - in the main it was some European Cup games or the FA Cup Final.
I got to thinking about the Suarez deal and tried to equate his wage against mine - to put into perspective - him buying a Range Rover Overfinch would be about £80k - or 40% of his weekly salary - that would be like me buying a luxury car for £246!!!!! - It`s fecking mad and one of the reasons I am now quickly going off the game as a whole - I no longer watch live games on TV and have even sold my season ticket seats on Viagogo for the last two, and next 3 games.
Watching the Villa has become a chore - the present aura around the club is one of utter resignation that we can no longer compete against the likes of Newcastle and Everton, let alone the top six sides - indeed we are struggling to even match some of the sides like Swansea for heavens sake. Lamberts style of play (not that there is one !) matches his "personality"- dour and unfathomable.
I am so disappointed that all of the early Lerner optimism has now faded and all we can now hope for is survival in the top flight. The sad thing is that I have been watching the Villa for 50 years and there have been worse times and worse teams howver there was always hope - that now seems to have faded  - could be my age but the fact that to compete in the Premier League you require a Multi Billionaire to fund it just shows how money and greed has taken over.   

[supertom]

Spot on Drum.   However, the prospect of giving Lambert another season and a half before deciding whether he has any kind of working plan fills me with dread.   The prospect of another year and a half of the shit which we serve up and by and large have served up more often than not over the last four years including the time Lambert has been in charge is more than flesh and blood can stand.

So what do we do? Go back to the shit that McLeish served up? Or that Houllier served up? If the last few years have taught as anything it is that constant change doesn't work. At some point you have to have a the courage to stick with a man and allow him to see a plan through, not bail out half way through.

I'd stick with Mourinho...
But honestly, come the end of the season if we've finished around the 40 point mark again, and played bog standard football throughout, then I think no matter how much I want stability, it wouldn't be feasible.

As for stability, not being funny but it's an endangered species in top level football. If we change managers every year, so be it. It's a results business. Though I suspect Lambert will get a lot more leighway than McLeish did because Randy's not gonna want to pay off another manager on his way out. My worry is, that if we are being dragged down and decisive action is needed, Randolph won't pull the trigger. I don't think it'll come to that thankfully because there's 3 teams adrift lacking the quality to catch up, even to dross like us and the shite around us.

[richard moore]

Depressing isn't it. Brian and Chris are both right and so here we are, stuck in some sort of nightmare Catch 22. Shit manager, shit team, who would come in instead, what more chance would they have with Lerner's current stance and on and on and on we go in the knowledge that changing managers every season gets you nowhere. Somewhere between 15th and 10th in perpetuity...

[eastie]

I wanted lambert to get the job and was pleased he did - I expected to see much better football and entertainment having seen his Norwich team play and I must admit I have been extremely disappointed at the quality of football this season on the whole - towards the end of last season we had a decent style of play , were scoring goals and picking up results - with the £20m plus spent in the summer I was looking forward to this season , but the last few games have been simply dreadful to watch .

I do not think Lerner will change manager no matter what happens on the coming games and  I'm far from sure that lambert will sign quality experienced players in January either .
There are several poor sides in this league and that may well be our saving grace this season but I fear it's going to be a long hard winter again.

[supertom]

Spot on Drum.   However, the prospect of giving Lambert another season and a half before deciding whether he has any kind of working plan fills me with dread.   The prospect of another year and a half of the shit which we serve up and by and large have served up more often than not over the last four years including the time Lambert has been in charge is more than flesh and blood can stand.

So what do we do? Go back to the shit that McLeish served up? Or that Houllier served up? If the last few years have taught as anything it is that constant change doesn't work. At some point you have to have a the courage to stick with a man and allow him to see a plan through, not bail out half way through.

Whatever we do it'll continue to be shit until Lerner decides to invest again.

True. We're not expecting to be Man City by any means, but we should be competing financially with clubs like Southampton, even Everton too. Everton work on a budget, with the flexibility to spend good money when they have to. We've taken budget to the extreme. I don't see the point spending 15 or so million on 7 players. I'd rather spend 20 million on 3-4 decent ones.

[Steve67]

Other than Gabby, Benteke, when he can be bothered, I look at the current squad and wonder how many of these players would get in to any of the sides that Little, Atkinson, Taylor, Gregory or O'Neill had.  In truth, this current Villa side is very, very poor.  One or two have potential, granted, but we are where we are because the players we have, in the main, are lower Premier League or even upper Championship players.  We are desperate for some experience.  It's not as if Lambert has not had money to spend either.  Whilst I applaud Lambert for sticking to his guns and trying to go with youth, I really DO think that it will cost us at some point and we may end up in a relegation scrap that we don't win. I am not saying that we sack him, I just want him to change his tact and go for some experience.

[supertom]

I wanted lambert to get the job and was pleased he did - I expected to see much better football and entertainment having seen his Norwich team play and I must admit I have been extremely disappointed at the quality of football this season on the whole - towards the end of last season we had a decent style of play , were scoring goals and picking up results - with the £20m plus spent in the summer I was looking forward to this season , but the last few games have been simply dreadful to watch .

I do not think Lerner will change manager no matter what happens on the coming games and  I'm far from sure that lambert will sign quality experienced players in January either .
There are several poor sides in this league and that may well be our saving grace this season but I fear it's going to be a long hard winter again.

We can't go through every season hoping there's 3 piss poor sides either. If you flirt with relegation long enough it'll probably get you eventually. Like Wigan. Take Benteke out the equation and Wigan went down with a better squad of players than we have right now, and that's not to say they were very good either.