The Paul Lambert thread - poll reset after our capitulation to Hull

[Dave]

I'm pretty certain that plenty of teams in the Dutch league would be keen on KEA and anyone in Denmark would want to give us at least the million-odd that we paid for Helenius.

[Irish villain]

Lambert. I really wanted him as our manager and I am so reluctant to turn my back on him. I don't know what it was about that McLeish year but Norwich seemed to have something about them that I wanted at Villa Park.

That year Lambert, Martinez and Rodgers were the hot managerial prospects and I genuinely thought we had got the pick of them in Lambert. I felt his reputation as a player and familiarity with Dortmund gave him the edge over the other two.

[Mister E]

I'm pretty certain that plenty of teams in the Dutch league would be keen on KEA and anyone in Denmark would want to give us at least the million-odd that we paid for Helenius.

Well, I'd like to see what potential Helenius has before we offload him ...

[pauliewalnuts]

I think the fact that Lambert has reverted to type, by signing Holt and attempting to sign Hoolihan, shows his limited imagination.  Mid table is about as good as it's ever going to get under him.  If mid table floats Randy's boat, then we are in for another three years.  Like someone else said, I am bored of this hobby.  The football is crap, the players he has signed this season are very poor. How many of Lambert's signings would yield a profit, other than Benteke? That in itself shows how very, very poor this Villa side is.  He has had every opportunity to bring in some defensive backbone, some creativity, and failed to do so.

I hope to God the Villa hierarchy read this thread!!  No way would I offer him a new contract. Wait until at least the New Year.

I think most of his signings could be sold for more than we paid for them (different from registering a profit), simply because they're now "Premier League experienced".
We'd have to give them away to not break even on most.

Sylla
Luna
Kea
Bowery
Kozak
Bennett
Lowton
Tonev
Helenius

We'd lose money on that mob there.

No we wouldn't

Apart from anything else, if you're going to start berating him for buying a load of players we'd lose money on, why do you get to ignore the one player we'd probably make an enormous profit on, one which would cover the purchase price of all those players combined?

I wasn't talking about Benteke though was I. I specifically said we'd lose money on that group of players. Do you disagree? Do you think we'd get £20m for that lot or that it was value for money?

I don't think we'd lose money on them, as it happens, no, but my point wasnt so much about that as the fact that, in evaluating his signings, you devalue the argument by removing from the equation the players on which we would get a significant higher amount than that we paid.

Benteke, Vlaar, Westwood, Bacuna - why aren't they on that list? And why isn't Guzan on the list, given that he'd been allowed to leave till Lambert got him back?

The reason is because they don't suit the argument. Even if you decide to ignore the good purchases and work on that list above alone, even if we were to lose money, how much is it going to actually be? Take out Kozak - who we'd probably get our money back on, anyway, and did well until he was injured - and they all cost pennies.

How much money did we piss away allowing the likes of Cuellar, NRC, Heskey et al to run down their contracts?

[Concrete John]

The thing is our approach under Lambert thus far has been to buy young and see who develops.  In doing so, some will prove not to be good enough, but without that approach you don't get a diamond like Benteke.  So I think it's a false economy to isolate the bad buys as they are part of the process that gets you Benteke, Vlaar, etc.  It needs to be viewed in more of an overall way.   

[Dave]

I'm pretty certain that plenty of teams in the Dutch league would be keen on KEA and anyone in Denmark would want to give us at least the million-odd that we paid for Helenius.

Well, I'd like to see what potential Helenius has before we offload him ...

As would I.

I was just pointing out that if (for whatever reason) we decided he wasn't fitting in then we wouldn't have any trouble getting our money back.

[aj2k77]

£42 has been spent, the clubs words not mine and that doesn't include wages, signing on fees.

Benteke £7.5m
Kozak £7m
Vlaar £3.5m
Okore £4m
Bennett £2.75m
Westwood £2m
Lowton £2.25m
Kea £2.5m
Bacuna £2.5m
Bowery £0.5m
Helenius £1.5m
Tonev £2.5
Steer £0.5m
Luna £1.75m
Sylla £1m

What are they worth now?

Benteke £25m
Kozak £3m
Vlaar £6m
Okore £4m
Bennett £0.5m
Westwood £1m
Lowton £1m
Kea £0.5m
Bacuna £1.5m
Bowery £0
Helenius £0.5m
Tonev £0.5m
Steer £0.5m
Luna £0.5m
Sylla £0


So i'd say we'd make a tiny profit on them all looking at it, with the majority of it being Benteke,

[pauliewalnuts]

So, you really, honestly think Bennett, Sylla, Lowton and Westwood have actually lost value? To the point that combined, they're worth 2.5m? Including Sylla, who has zero value?

Some of those figures are absolutely nuts. KEA 2.5m to 0.5m?

Bacuna 2.5m to 1.5m?

How has Kozak - who has started 8 league games for us and scored 4 goals - managed to lose more than half his value?

Sorry, but I think some of those estimates are nuts.

[PaulWinch again]

How on earth would Kozak have lost more than half his value?

[Richard E]

How on earth would Kozak have lost more than half his value?

He hasn't scored for ages. Not even getting a sniff of the first team squad at the moment(!)

[Dave]

According to his brother (and then confirmed again by Lambert) Lowton cost under a million.

If you're just going to make up random figures then your point is going to be lost pretty quickly.

[dave.woodhall]

£42 has been spent, the clubs words not mine and that doesn't include wages, signing on fees.

Benteke £7.5m
Kozak £7m
Vlaar £3.5m
Okore £4m
Bennett £2.75m
Westwood £2m
Lowton £2.25m
Kea £2.5m
Bacuna £2.5m
Bowery £0.5m
Helenius £1.5m
Tonev £2.5
Steer £0.5m
Luna £1.75m
Sylla £1m

What are they worth now?

Benteke £25m
Kozak £3m
Vlaar £6m
Okore £4m
Bennett £0.5m
Westwood £1m
Lowton £1m
Kea £0.5m
Bacuna £1.5m
Bowery £0
Helenius £0.5m
Tonev £0.5m
Steer £0.5m
Luna £0.5m
Sylla £0


So i'd say we'd make a tiny profit on them all looking at it, with the majority of it being Benteke,

Even sunshine's grey in your world isn't it?

[Richard E]

How on earth would Kozak have lost more than half his value?

Whilst Okore, who has been injured for even longer and had hardly played for us before then, has apparently kept all of his.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

How on earth would Kozak have lost more than half his value?

He hasn't scored for ages. Not even getting a sniff of the first team squad at the moment(!)

That's probably the only justifiable reason.

[not3bad]

I'm pretty certain that plenty of teams in the Dutch league would be keen on KEA and anyone in Denmark would want to give us at least the million-odd that we paid for Helenius.

Well, I'd like to see what potential Helenius has before we offload him ...

I think Helenius will get his chance.