So we are approaching February so we can start to judge Lambert’s signings.
Will be interesting to see what other people think.
Guzan – A no brainer of an idea. I found it stupid that we let him go and kept Given. A very solid keeper, makes good saves, comes for crosses and generally solid
Lowton – Looked a really good solid buy and a decent right back. Recently looked vulnerable and often positionally missing. Think we see a lot more from him but not an attacking full back.
Bennett – Not as bad as some have said. I do not think he is a left back though and could be converted into an attacking Left midfielder
Holman – Not really Lambert’s signing but have to judge. In spells has looked good but he seems lack the strength for this league
Vlaar – I wanted him, I wanted him as the captain but frankly since the injury he has looked shocking. Started well then got an injury that seemed to drag on and on, is he fit ?
KEA – Sorry but like Makoun looks totally unsuited to the pace and physicality of the Premier league and found wanting. Will coming back from the ANC help ?
Westwood – Ok he looks fine but not as good as some say he is. Brought for £1M we have a bit better than that but not what we needed in midfield
Benteke – A massive success. For me a better version of Carew but he really needs to improve the first touch and finishing. I honestly believe he will be here for only one year. His value already doubled and the one to save us.
Bowery – Why ??? does he have anything at all that can improve us, I don’t think so.
Guzan, shocking decision to nearly let him get away, but wonder if that suited the books for someone in the way we let him go and then got him back???
Lowton, you think he’s not an attacking FB, but looks dodgy defending?
Reserving judgement, myself.
Bennett, thrown in the deep end and it looks too soon for me. Fans are on his back and that’s too much for a young kid, imo. The criticism has been justified though, as he’s currently not good enough.
Holman, very average, but when firing, he adds energy, something that is sorely lacking in this side.
Vlaar, I’m really not sure what to think. I suspect you might be right in saying he’s not quite fit.
KEA, loved him when he first came, but yes, it all looks too much now. That’s what playing in a crap team does for you, I guess.
Westwood, could be one of our best buys, but as immediately above.
Benteke, brilliant buy, simple. I remember when we had Carlton Cole on loan and this kid at the same age, is a class apart.
Bowery, obviously one for the future, but why PL keeps giving him time, I don’t know.
Hay mate still awaiting a reply whats up lost your tong slated me off ealier on now won;t answer my question Oh Oh Oh dear what a bloody Lemming you put up as about as much fight as Villa are at the moment .Bring it on you Lambert Loving Lemming sorry Lemon just the right colour for people who can;t stand the truth.
Have to agree with this evaluation more than the article.
Both Bennett and Lowton have looked very weak physically in the last few weeks. Both are very attacking fullbacks, but neither seem too hot at defending. Major problem for us as we need to defend. Almost would be better to play Clark LB and Herd RB-much better in the air and at defending!
KEA isnt good enough, Westwood is one for the future, but at the moment he is our best midfielder-that’s how bad we are! Holman has a lot of energy but no skill whatsoever.
Guzan has done well for me, waited a long time for his chance.
Vlaar, same as you guys, Im not sure yet. Would also like to see him playing with another good centre back, to see how good he really is.
Benteke was a great buy. Him and Weimann could be the future of this club, if we can stay up and hang on to them
Bowery is one for the future, but why we keep throwing him on is beyond me. He should be out on loan in div 1 or 2 (then again you could say that for a few more of our ‘first-team’!!)
Ironically, the player that may get us out of this mess is Nzogbia. If he can play like he did at West Brom, then it will be like a new signing. He may be the spark we need.
West brom?
ya, against west brom, the other week, he was class.
Benteke was the only signing acceptable signing from lamberk, but he’ll be off in the summer when we go down.
Westwood is OK, his ball retention is better than the other useless turds in midfield but he still has a long way to go, fairly average I’d say.
Lowton- Never a PL player, weak, gets pushed off the ball and positionally all over the place.
El Ahmadi- Woeful, very little going forward and never a DM. Pointless player.
Bowery- Waste of time and space, never going to make it.
Vlaar- Injury prone and error prone, not impressed.
Bennett- Worst full back I’ve ever seen, defensively horrendous, gets beaten easily and shrugged off the ball way too easily. A league two player in Hines humiliated him, which says it all.
I feel sorry for a lot of the young signings, in the prem they should be playing some reserve games then coming in with experienced players for a few games to build confidence. The havnt had the grounding at this level to build on and are gunna have there confidence knocked big time. The experienced players have not stepped up plain and simple, agbonlahor I love but can’t score enough goals at this level, should be a winger, Ireland has not shown enough quality, vlaar has gone off the boil, kea is not strong enough, Holman looks like he has lost interest as he is not putting in the same effort, bent blows hot and cold but to be fair ain’t played enough, nzogbia has just started to prove, could be too little to late. No transfers means championship, the dressing room needs some new characters more than anything, dunne could make a big difference but won’t stay fit, it’s soooooooo frustrating, LOVE THE CLUB, HATE THE WAY IT’S TREATED!!!
spot on Jim. You cant just bring players from the lower leagues and put them straight into the first team in the premier league. Those players need bringing slowly-starting with reserve football or being loaned out!
Im not sure about dunne though, he was out of shape before the injury. Him and Vlaar together will get turned over inside out by any quick strikers.
The only thing with dunne is he is a great leader and in a back 3 with vlaar and Clarke could give some presents on the pitch but do see your point, Barton is a prick but is the kind of tough basterd we need, Lerner can see we need players but won’t stump up the cash, mr Lerner there is no way you can make huge profits from a footy team, it’s about passion and striving for success, he must want to sell the club
Qpr firmed up with two immobile but firm centre backs, so there might be hope for us. Then again they haven’t got bannan and Delph as first choice centre mids.
With Benteke alone PL will recoup the 20 mio which we has invested last summer. Westwood a bargain with high potential, Lowton looks a decent player. Guzan a solid keeper which will stay with us for a long time (even if we go down). Vlaar is a Dutch international, who had a great start and we will see in coming weeks if he is quality. Bennett´s problems with defending is obviously but he has his attacking abilities. El-Ahmadi didn´t deliver, Bowery one for the future and with a small fee no bisg risk.
Altogether PL could have done much worse with his dealings.
The problem aren´t the new players, the problem are the ones he had found at his disposal.
Personally I think it’s a bit hard to judge the players yet: IMO it’s Lambert’s coaching and tactics which are atrocious. I don’t know what he does in training all week, but it’s been obvious since September that the team just can’t defend, and I don’t think that’s solely down to the players.
The fact we have become a national joke because of our defending of set pieces says it all really. Lambert and co. have absolutely no idea how to sort this out,
What i have seen of bopwery he looks good can hold the ball up, i think he will become a top player wither in the Prem or in the Championship
Problem with lamberts transfer policy is it doesn’t take into account two things.
The premier league is no place to try and blood a load of players with little experience at once. Man U brought through quite a few young players one season as im sure your all aware, however they had senior players of utter class to ease them in, and those youngsters were amazing.
Secondly and definitely joint with that point I’d say he didn’t take into account our senior players, are a bunch of money grabbing, bottling lay abouts who lack professionalism and any desire to achieve anything in their careers, other than seeing how man lamborginis they can buy.
These players generally have got off the hook, especially under Mcleish the hate magnet. They have proven under 3 managers some of them, that they don’t deserve to play for Aston villa.
Lets sign up Weimann, try and keep benteke and sack the squad. A few of them maybe Guzan can stay, but the remainder I couldn’t care less if they left for free. I just hope that some of them are decent enough, and have a shred enough of professionalism that they are anywhere near as miserable as the fans are.
Sadly I’m just envisaging Ireland sat back in a pink lamborgini, smoking a cigar laughing all the way to the bank.
Westwood is average but average beats the rest of the midfield which is pathetic.
Benteke is the only top level signing, but we all know he’ll be off when we go down.
The rest are woeful, in particular bennett who is probably the worst player in the entire PL, and that mug lamberk paid 4m for him. Joke.
belcs Mate Benteke only turns it on when it suits himself and think we all know the answer to that after his remarks when he joined the Villa.Players like that we do not need.So i for one won;t miss him but Lambert as got to get rid of this notion that you can take players from the lower leagues and they will automaticaly turn into E P L players.There is a reason why these players are at these lower league clubs it;s because as kids they were not deemed by E P L scouts to ever make the grade at the highest level.Same with Vlaar & Almardi only played for lower league clubs abroad.
But then along comes Lambert with the notion that they are good enough they clearly are not and this is why our great club as found itself in the mess it;s in.
Spot on terry couldn’t agree more mate. Benteke epitomized today’s footballer to a tee a complete mercenary who will dig his heels in to get what he wants. He is no where good enough for a sky 4 team at the moment and to be honest he hasn’t looked that great for us a lot if times. He also needs to learn the offside rule the amount of times he gets caught offside is unbelievable. If we could get 15m for him now I’d take it like a shot and let him fester away in arsenal reserves
Ha Oohah you still think Chris Hughton is the best thing since sliced bread?
Bowery looked decent from what I’ve seen of him. We never paid 4million for Bennett, and he gets way too much stick. I agree with most of the rest of what ianrobo says. I do think Westwood is class though.
Bowery has a good touch and looks confident on the ball, i can see him becoming a very good player, westwood would be good with a decent DM next to him.
not a chance with both. Bowery could only score 1 in 8 at the lowest levels, come on …
as for Westwood, no chance a dM too small and Millwall like others have bullied him out of it.
time for realism on just how average we are.
What I have seen of Bowery the best you could call him was tidy, chest it down play it back play it safe. The only thing he’ll ever do is make up the numbers.
Bennett is fucking shite, a legend in his own head. Dwells on the ball to long (cause he thinks he’s better than he actually is) and constantly gets his self into trouble. He needs to do the basics well before he starts show boating.
ME thinks he’s a midfielder more than he is a defender, and a good one..
Lowton’s crap no better than Hutton (Who was never given a chance as AMC signed him)
Bennett is shite, over confident little twat.
KEA no comment his performances speak for themselves.
Westwood he’s ok I suppose.
Vlaar good signing.
Bowrey (see Above)
Benteke brilliant signing but a mercenary fucker, be gone come August.
Homan (don’t really apply) But a headless chicken, no final ball.