UK time is: 16:01:28
Home Vital Football on Facebook Vital Football on Twitter Vital Football via RSS Feed
Need to Register? Forgotten details?

Choose your club

Other Sites

Network Navigation

Vital Partners

'If It's Football, It's Vital'
Aston Villa Football Club News


Check out the forum! There are 81 members viewing right now and 1025 visitors today.... Click here to join in!

Draw Was The Least We Deserved

Paul Lambert has said it was very harsh for us to go one nil behind against the Baggies today, but he was delighted with the crowd and the players over the 90 minutes.

Speaking to the Official Site after the 1-1 derby draw, Lambert was clearly pleased overall with our efforts:

'I think it was harsh going behind especially after the first half. The goalkeeper has made two world class saves and when you go behind, it puts you on the back foot. I thought the response was great and the crowd were unbelievable in the way they kept with it. I am proud of them. They have been absolutely brilliant for me, I have nothing but pride in them. That's the sign of something when you go a goal down and get a bit of a knock against you and you keep on. It's a great trait, as long as you never wilt. You might get beat but as long as you keep going!'

Speaking more specifically about the fans, Lambert added:

'This football club has been hurt for the past few years and we've come in to try and rectify it really quickly. I can sense the supporters want us to do well, they were relentless, they kept on going. I have nothing but admiration for everybody.'

As for the Benty substitution, Lambert cracked that it was a 'world class substitution' from him:

'Darren has nothing to prove to me. I know what he can do and the goalscoring record he has. But as I've said before, I need everybody, it's a hard league and we are going to have to use everybody. The goal was brilliant, it was a world class finish.'

Elsewhere in the media the obvious 'is there a problem' question has been raised, and although not covered on the OS yet, Lambert also told the wider press:

'No, there's no problem. He was fine at full time, I spoke to him in the dressing room as well. He was totally fine, no problem, none. Everybody is as important as anyone else.'

Albion Forum Thread.

Vital Villa on: facebook

Vital Villa on: twitter

Join Vital Villa

It's easy to REGISTER, simply click the link and enjoy getting involved!




Seconds Out! Vital Boxing is here!

Vital F1 Prediction League - Join now for Monaco



Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.

Writer: Mike Field Mail feedback, articles or suggestions

Date:Sunday September 30 2012

Time: 8:31PM

Your Comments

Radio WM had a downer on Lambert for dropping Bent, coming out with stupid comments like "if he had played from the start it was a cast iron fact......" and "lambert made mistake by picking Benteke over Bent".

Benteke could have scored a few and on his day he might have done, Bent could have scored another but missed. If you ask me its exiting that we can have a threat, be it Bent, Benteke, Gabby or Weiman on the Bench.

I also agree with rotation, and if you are giving 100% (cos Rooney you cant give 110%!) week in week out twice a week then you are going to get injured / knackered. Who's to say Bent would have scored if he had been on from the start, could have been injured after 5 minutes. "Cast iron fact" - idiots.

Well done Villa boys, not quite the 3:1 I predicted but effort and skill was shown.
RiF
Really happy with the way we battled back. Well done lads and well done PL for rotating the squad!!
Charizma
I'm pleased at the way we came back too, but I still feel we are too lightweight.....
Pride of Lions
Well said RiF, completely agree mate. I picked 3-1 too but just wasn't to be today, we will get there though because I totally believe in PL and his methods. UTV
AdzVilla11
Fair result. Bent from the bench is ideal. He is more of a solskjaer type finisher anyway. Benteke misses enough chances but he's creating them too so he'd have nothing to miss if he didn't. Not like a derby game and fairly dull to watch but things are definitely getting better.
Villan444
They have to wind it up to get the callers though RiF... they are actually fairly good at their jobs these pundits on the radio at getting callers bloods boiling enough to phone in! I must admit, I'd not have dropped Bent though, did you hear the one caller saying all Bent does is score tap ins? Did he not understand that is exactly the sort of poacher we have been desperate with for years!? Oh and the one who rang up and slagged off fans for not going to the game and then admitted he watched it on the tv himself! LOL
The Fear
Hopefully we can build Pride of Lions and then buy in Jan, buy next summer (when some big wages leave) but agree, as much as I enjoyed the game, we are light.
The Fear
The Fear -- A couple of responsed to comments you've made on here and another thread. Villa have started badly, true, but so have other teams. Liverpool had their worst start in over a century. Southampton started badly and Swansea started well but are fading. Everton are doing well but their manager has been building towards this for years. It will take as long as it takes for Lambert to get Villa back to the big time. And he will do just that. The club are unlikely to get relegated.This season will be about consolidation and team building.
VillaWillRiseAgain
As for Darren Bent, he is a quality poacher and has done a lot for the club. In terms of the long term big picture though he isn't the type of player the club should be looking at. The 'poacher' is dead in modern football. Barcelona and Spain are playing 5-5-0 or 4-6-0. In other words without a striker. OK, most teams haven't got the quality at those sides at their disposal and play with a striker/strikers or focal point. Those strikers are multi-functional though. Villa aren't good enough -- yet -- to be experimenting wth these new fangled systems and Bent (and his 'tap ins') will continue to be an asset and big player at Villa. However, in time he will probably be marginalized and it's unlikely he will be replaced by a similar type of striker. Why not? They barely exist anymore. Bent is one of the last of a dying breed. Lambert will probably move towards possession football and use multi-functional strikers. In the meantime though, DB9 is still a Villa player and deserves our gratitude and support.
VillaWillRiseAgain
Exactly my thoughts VillaWillRiseAgain, so not sure why I've been pulled up about it! :o) We are in transition, we do however have to look after the here and now as well. I'm not over bothered by the stats for other teams, just ours, it is the worst start and they do have to start converting. Of course it is going to take Lambert a long while to get us to what we want, again, no argument at all from me, it is exactly what I've said all summer/start of the season. However, again, we have to look at the here and now and discuss don't we? He'll get all the time he needs, even if we went down I'd have faith in him long term. Season is going to be a rollercoaster.
The Fear
OK, The Fear. Great minds etc....(-:!!!!
VillaWillRiseAgain
VWRA - I dont know which Euros you watched but I saw pretty much every game and what it told me was the huge value of players like Torres, Gomes, Balotelli. When they were effective their teams won - when they were shut down they lost. These players do not sit in the middle of a 5 or 6 man midfield ! Watch the games back. Bent is in the same mould, you may not think hes as good but hed get a game in either Germany or Italys teams in my opinion. Not in Spain because he's black.
malacaxeta
Sorry chum, don't agree. Imo, Bent is in the same mould as Miroslav Klose (whom I admire, btw). Bent and Klose are both talented and can be accomodated by passing sides. Watch Germany in WC2010 against England and Argentina to see how. Balotelli is unique, Torres is a shadow of the player he once was, and Gomez (not Gomes) was eventually replaced in the Germany first eleven by Klose. Have said on this thread and another that I'm a Bent fan but it is possible that poacher/fox-in-the-box type strikers are old-fashioned. In ten years we'll know for sure.
VillaWillRiseAgain
Here we go - dont agree with what ? That they are not midfielders.....?? "Balotelli is unique" in no way whatsoever. I can name five Brazilians still playing who just play like him - heres one - Luis Fabiano (has the temper to match). Here's another - Fred. And of course there's Adriano, his lifestyle makes Balotello look like Bobby Moore (ie a jewel thief :) I dont really care about arguing the toss over Torres and Gomez (Spanish not Portuguese, forgot) . But seriously - Klose is now their No. 1 striker for the upcoming qualifiers and WC14??? Gomey has been out since the summer, probably because of something he did or had did to himself in the Euros http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/soccer/09/28/mario-gomez-bayern-munich-return.ap/index.html
malacaxeta
Can't get involved in that debate its beyond my tactical nouse. However Fear I did hear that chap on wm complaining abouts fans not turning up whilst he sat at home. Twonker! I agree the presenters need to wind us up to generate calls but they run the risk of losing credibility, which he did imho.
RiF
 

Have Your Say

Click here to register an account

Recent Articles

And Still More On Benteke, This Time Agent Denials (Friday May 24 2013)

Villa Hospitality Scoop The Main Awards - Again (Friday May 24 2013)

Last Season Was A Necessary Evil (Friday May 24 2013)

Eric Lichaj To Be Released? (Friday May 24 2013)

Lambert Answers Benteke. Another Undeserved Saga? (Friday May 24 2013)

The Villa Times - 23/05/2013 (Thursday May 23 2013)

The Vital Villa Player Of The Season Is... (Thursday May 23 2013)

Bumper Transfer News - SOME Inward! (Thursday May 23 2013)

New Contracts? Better Deals? It's Only Money!! (Thursday May 23 2013)

Petrov Delighted With Assistant Coach Role (Wednesday May 22 2013)

Archived Articles

List All Vital Villa Articles
Vital Villa Articles from 2005
Vital Villa Articles from 2006
Vital Villa Articles from 2007
Vital Villa Articles from 2008
Vital Villa Articles from 2009
Vital Villa Articles from 2010
Vital Villa Articles from 2011
Vital Villa Articles from 2012
Vital Villa Articles from 2013
Have your say
Click here to suggest an article
Click here to suggest a poll

Vital Members League (view all)

1. Pride of Lions 1043
2. The Fear 807
3. BodyButter 518
4. kefkat 428
5. CDX_EIRE 358
6. ClivetheVillan 331
7. DeanoVilla 252
8. Villan57 247
9. thefacehead 241
10. holtelower 240

League Results (view all)

Latest Results
Wigan 2 - 2 Aston Villa
Aston Villa 1 - 2 Chelsea
Norwich 1 - 2 Aston Villa
Aston Villa 6 - 1 Sunderland
Man Utd 3 - 0 Aston Villa
Aston Villa 1 - 1 Fulham

League Table (view table)

Team P W D L GD Pts
12. Fulham 38 11 10 17 -10 43
13. Stoke 38 9 15 14 -11 42
14. Southampton 38 9 14 15 -11 41
15. Aston Villa 38 10 11 17 -22 41
16. Newcastle 38 11 8 19 -23 41
17. Sunderland 38 9 12 17 -13 39
18. Wigan 38 9 9 20 -26 36

Breaking League News

In response to (The king is where he belongs now)
» Chelsea : 24/05/2013 15:43:00
And Still More On Benteke, This Time Agent Denials
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 15:08:00
Villa Hospitality Scoop The Main Awards - Again
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 15:00:00
Scout Report - Lawson D'Ath
» Reading : 24/05/2013 15:00:00
Last Season Was A Necessary Evil
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 14:00:00
Early bird catches the worm
» Spurs : 24/05/2013 13:50:00
Eric Lichaj To Be Released?
» Aston Villa : 24/05/2013 12:22:00

Current Site Poll (view all polls)

Click here to suggest a poll...
IF Benteke quotes are right what would you do?
Suggested By:  JP Fear
Sell him for £30m or over 66%
Keep him at all costs 24%
Cry 10%