Cheers Divine_islet forposting the link to the highlights ;) Look lets be honest these are just freindly games they will have no bearing on our performances and points tally we end up with in the Premier League, its fitness workout and some players playing might not be here soon plus youngsters being played so all in all its been a good workout over in the US,

I though El Ahmadi has helped us keep the ball better at the back,our players now play good one two's at the back and spread the play better than we used too, as we always eneded up panicking on the ball at the back and giving it away or a foul,

Carruthers Clark Weimann Delfounseo Delph Bannan Johnson Gardner Baker Lichaj Lowton there is a great bunch of younger players there so with a bit of added experiance in due course its going to be a team for the future Lamberts building UTV! ;)

When you sit down on a Saturday night to watch MOTD, do you really think that the little snippet of the match you saw tells the whole story? Does watching the last half give you a true picture if the first half was better? Does reading the ramblings of a few tired individuals give you the full story?

I know there are many armchair supporters out there who can't be arsed to attend Villa Park, or even stay up a few hours to watch their team, and I'm sure they believe the answer to be yes, of course you can! We can judge the performance without even watching the match, we don't need to be there to know we're shit!

In reality, the answer to all the above is NO, If you didn't watch, how can your comments be taken seriously?

The first half possession, one and two touch passing, the calmness under pressure, the work rate, players making themselves available and finding space, you missed all of this, I didn't, I enjoyed the match, I saw a lot of promise, and a work rate that has been missing from Villa players for some time.

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change

When you sit down on a Saturday night to watch MOTD, do you really think that the little snippet of the match you saw tells the whole story? Does watching the last half give you a true picture if the first half was better? Does reading the ramblings of a few tired individuals give you the full story?

I know there are many armchair supporters out there who can't be arsed to attend Villa Park, or even stay up a few hours to watch their team, and I'm sure they believe the answer to be yes, of course you can! We can judge the performance without even watching the match, we don't need to be there to know we're shit!

In reality, the answer to all the above is NO, If you didn't watch, how can your comments be taken seriously?

The first half possession, one and two touch passing, the calmness under pressure, the work rate, players making themselves available and finding space, you missed all of this, I didn't, I enjoyed the match, I saw a lot of promise, and a work rate that has been missing from Villa players for some time.

That's just the way it is
Some things will never change

The only thing the last two have proved is Lambert has a bigger task on his hands than he thought.

I doubt it Col.
I think he probably knew what to expect and has been promised a few quid.
It` all about sussing the players and their attitudes,moving some on,getting some in and doing what he seems to be doing well ie:getting us to keep the ball and pass to eachother.
I`ve only been to the Burton pre season,but the one thing I got from it was how we wanted and tried to pass it to eachother,not hoof it or get rid asap.
The task is a challenge and his buys and sells and the way he gets us to play will determine how well he does.
His time here will definitely prove his worth as a manager or not ,as may be.

We signed off earlier this morning with a 5-4 victory over Portland Timbers taking a 100% record with us from the States...

Click here to read the article

It's only pre season...blah blah blah. It's just about fitnes...blah blah blah. The results are not important....blah blah blah. We all both hear and say this every year but answer me this, when was the last time we had such a positive pre season both results wise and performance/style wise?

Results don't matter? Rubbish! The simple fact is, altough the results won't direct efect eiter our final standings in the league or the cups, pre season is about much more than running after a ball, it's about team building/bonding, experimenting, creating a cohesive squad so that ALL players are involved so that they will feel both prepaired and included/appreciated when they are called upon to do a job and last but by no means least, it's about confidence building. If we enter the season with players that know, like and trust each other, coordinated and confident then we will peform as well as the players are capable of performing, giving their all for each other, the manager, the club but most of all the fans......can we expect or ask any more than that?

How is this to be achieved?
Step 1, the manage has to gain the players' trust.
Step 2, The manage has to clearly communicate to the players what he expects.
Step 3, the manage has to include ALL the players that he expects to use in his first team squad.
Step 4, the team have to practice the system/style that the manage wants to play.
Step 5, the team HAS to experience sucess whilst carrying out the manage's wishes.
Step 6, it has to be fun and how much more fun does it get than winning, no matter who the oponent? Winning is crucial, losing creates doubt and a lack of caring and responsibility from the players.

Has this pre season, and in particular the USA tour been a success so far? YOU BETCHA IT HAS! Well done Paul, the lads and everyone involved.