I know some of you don’t like too many articles coming too close together, but I make no apologies for the fact that I’ve posted three in the last few hours.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve massively missed watching the Villa over the last couple of weeks and for me, things are warming up nicely for the Albion game, as we actually have a few things to talk about!
Anyway, I’ve just been reading through the news again and it appears Paul Lambert is suggesting that some of the guesses at undisclosed fees for some of the players we signed in the summer are way off the mark;
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/villas-bargain-buys-were-cheaper-6334789
I’m really not sure how to take this one, as it’s slightly bitter/sweet for me.
While of course, it’s always great when the manager buys decent players at cheap money (Bacuna especially, springs to mind here), it’s also a worry when some of us were already thinking that we were on a cheapskate budget.
My concerns regarding Randy Lerner having pretty much pulled the plug on any decent spending should be well known on here and indeed appear to be a bit more well founded after this.
But this time, I’m a little more prepared to give Lambert some credit, in that if the signings were quite a bit cheaper, he’s done quite well.
As for Lerner, well, my opinion of him is somewhat reinforced.
I feel that this may be a ‘veiled message’ to cheapskate, ignorant twat Randy. Well, we all know who to blame if the unthinkable happens! Hats off to Lambert as well….’minor miracle’ is the phrase that springs to mind!
Not only the youngest team in the PL…..but one of the cheapest. Those slamming Lambert should think again! Direct your anger at tightarse, ignorant twat Randolph.
Fuck off Lerner, the Villa is OURS,
What a prick Lerner is , a club of our stature with an owner with his wealth & he’s running us on a shoe string .
Randolph Lerner if u really can’t afford to put anymore money into this proud club then sell up and sling your hook ……..well done Paul Lambert by the way .
I actually don’t know what to think about this, I read the report aswell and on 1 hand im thinking, we have signed 4 players for roughly 3.8m but on the other hand I feel well, kinda screwed over.
Ive heard reports recently that players like Cabaye were lined up to play for the villa under Houllier, wow!!
I guess its a matter which will be decided at the end of the season with our final league position?
I really struggle to think that anything above mid table is achievable if this is the money available to lambert… my worry is after a couple sesons lambert will say hes taken us as far as possible, these players who work hard for him will be lost under a new manager who thinks experience is necessary and goes out and blows our small budget on 30 plus players… so we start again.
Lambert is a miracle worker, but a so called big club gambling on £1million players????????
so Lambert is doing good then, Lerner not so.
Testing
Hi folks i think im back online.
Hey Giddy welcome back mate!
I take it you’ve now got a phone that isn’t steam powered? 😉
And you’ve forgiven my faux pas?
I think they’ve just defrosted him badger 🙂
Fuck me have they just defrosted you Giddy 🙂
Yep your on Giddy well done .
I think it’s clear that Lambert is in the market for hungry players with talent looking to make a reputation for themselves in the Premiership.
He wants lads who are more interested in development and hard work in training over an agent making demands for big contracts.
I mentioned on another thread that Lambert has had a net spend of £40m, that’s up there with the top eight, and we have a debt of over £100m that is interest free.
How Lerner is tight or robbing us blind, I don’t see it. We could have someone come in and spray transfer money around like confetti and offer huge contracts to average players (as Lerner did on his arrival), but would that be better ?
Establishing a squad of good to excellent players over time seems to be the Lambert way. I don’t think that it’s Lambert having a dig at Lerner, but rather the managers that spend £30 & £50m on players that sit on the bench.
Bit bored on a Sunday morning so out of interest I had a look at the net spends of all the top teams and us since Lambert arrived.
I didn’t go back any further as it upsets me to see the waste under MON.
Arsenal – £33.5m (Ozil was £42,5m)
Aston Villa – £40m
Chelsea – £94m
Everton – +£11m
Liverpool – £67m
Man City – £76m
Man U – £78m
Tottenham – +£12m
Couple of Oohah’s favourite examples of teams that are far better and more ambitious than us…
Southampton – £48m
Swansea – £2m
So we’re the sixth highest net spenders under Lambert. Hold your in head in shame Lerner.
I’ll be accused of being a Lerner supporter, which I am not, although I think that he has done more for the club than he’s given credit for.
It’s easy to roll out the same old mantra of Lerner out, Lamberk out, we’re rubbish, get rid of everybody.
The facts seems to paint a different picture.
It’s so frustrating isn’t it with fans so divided about the board? I can understand both sides.
At the end of the day we are having to bring in high risk/cheap squad players to paper over the cracks for the MON years so we can release highly paid average players, but i honestly don’t think this type of spending on chancers will go on for much longer as we are European Champs in the Next Gen Series.
Players are coming through the system. We just now have to find a system to play them in.
Agreed Mark.
No point having a great Academy set-up and undoubtedly talented young players if they never get a sniff of first team action,
Vaze, the £100 million is not interest free.
Well, not if you count the £5 million a year in management fees.
So hardly doing us a favour in the way you make out.
As for the spend under Lambert, you have to consider where we were in the league compared to our turnover.
In that sense, I think 40 mill is nowhere near enough.
To push on again we needed INVESTMENT higher than the 6th or 7th our turnover justified, imo.
I doubt we’ll ever see eye to eye on this one, but that’s fair enough 🙂
I would like to see us spend more but I am more inclined to support the young and hungry players than above average established pros.
Having a tot in the German market and the Jewellery Quarter prior to the match if you’d like to discuss in person.
Lerner could do far more but he doesn’t deserve some of the flak he gets on here.
We should sign Oliver (he was young & hungry!).
Boom boom !!!
Are you on all week ? 😉
800k was a bargain for Bacuna! Wonder how much we actually paid for Kozak! I thought the plan was to drop the wage bill to a recent amount and then rebuild from there. We seem to have completed the first part of the plan, so hopefully there will be more money available to sign players (on less ridiculous wages).
Looking forward to the game tomorrow, hope we play like we did in the last 20 mins against Cardiff and not the first 70!!
*decent
Another slant on this, which makes for interesting reading;
http://www.myoldmansaid.com/aston-villa-transfer-fees-paul-lambert-confession/
Hence the £40 million spend might not even be correct.
“I love the smell of boiling paper in the morning” said Randy as the busied himself cooking the books.
These cheaper players than we thought could get us to 17 points tomorrow good luck to em lets hope we smash the Albion at their place THEY KNOW WHO WE ARE……UTV
True wev a fair chance tomorrow as it’s an away game I think it will be 2.1 to someone but not sure which way. Very close either way
Yes, those are fair comments JD.
COYL
I totally agree jd,well said mate.
Morning Giddy, just getting the grandkids ready for school then off to a funeral, speak soon. Up the Villa.
Morning bill,stick it up the baggies utv