VisitingVillan

It doesn''t really matter how many points Blackpool got or how many seasons in the last 20 it would have been enough to keep them up. The fact is he didn''t keep them up and regardless of their wage bill and given the start they had he really should have done. It was obvious as the season drew to a close that they needed to shut up shop more and be a little less cavalier but Holloway couldn''t change which says quit a bit about the man and manager. You seem obsessed with the wages issue irrespective of the other factors. Yes Blackpool had a smaller wage bill than Birmingham. Fact. Yet you are ignoring the fact that Birmingham lost half their squad and he had no money to replace them. You are ignoring the fact their owner got locked up or the fact they were put under an embargo. You are also ignoring the fact that Holloway had a number of years to build a settled squad while Hughton had a few months. Sure Blackpool beat Birmingham in the playoffs, believe me I enjoyed that a lot but Birmingham were knackered. Playing in the Championship and the Europa league then going to the Playoffs is a lot to ask of any squad. Holloway has been around a long time and achieved very little. Hughton has been around, what? Two and a half seasons? In that time he has taken Newcastle up, would probably have kept them up and almost taken Birmingham up in very difficult circumstances. I''m a Villa fan, I should dislike Hughton but I can''t help but respect the job he did last season. I really can''t understand why anyone would want a gobshite like Holloway over Hughton a man who has a very professional air about him.

Oh and Holloway is just one huge ego and mouth on legs who has done well at Blackpool and failed everywhere else. The guy is a gobshite and not a patch on Hughton.

Er hang on a minute Wiz but weren''t you having a pop at Villa fans because a couple have a few doubts about Lambert and here you are casting doubts about Hughton after even less time.... I don''t quite know why you are having doubts about Hughton, he did a remarkable job at Birmingham last season in the circumstances. Considering the shit going on at that club behind the scenes, the fact he had no money to spend and he had to replace half his squad and yet still took them to the playoffs and did well in Europe says it all. Hughton is a good manager you should be pleased.

Curtis Davies is a very decent player, far too good for the Championship and I can certainly see him moving this summer. If he follows CH to Norwich you will have a good player. I think it is highly unlikely that he would return to Villa for a 2nd spell though.

Thanks step, I think. A few little digs in there but I will take those on the chin. We''ve been in the Premier League for 20 years, I think we will be in there for a while longer than another season fella. It was only the horrible football and management of McLeish that put us down there last season, we won''t be down there again this season. I''m trying to avoid getting drawn into the whole Lambert/compensation thing because it will likely only end up in bickering or people thinking I''m here to cause grief. I''m not. There are a few points you''ve raised though that I will respond to if I can, the first that our actions are distasteful. We made an official approach and while in football you can never be sure of what is happening behind the scenes there is nothing to suggest we did anything wrong in terms of our approach. From what I''ve seen of McNally he wouldn''t be shy in shouting about an illegal approach if he believed one had been made. That aside I agree with you we would be getting a bargain at £1m but people aren''t in the habit of giving that sort of money away. (well our chairman has been in the habit but that is another story) There is clearly a difference of opinion on if compensation is due, as you say it will be settled one way or another at tribunal until then none of us know the facts of what has gone on and each side is always going to be inclined to believe their own. You say we should pay up to avoid a suspended sentence but once again you are assuming we''ve made an illegal approach but as I previously said there is no suggestion that has happened. The issue is all seemingly about Lambert''s contract and his exit not the manner of our approach. The circumstances in relation to your recruitment of Lambert from Colchester were slightly different. You haven''t reported us in the same way Colchester reported you for instance. In relation to the trump card(s) you mention, I assume you mean Lambert''s backroom staff. There does appear to be a bit of a stalemate there we will have to see how that works out but I can''t imagine you want them on the payroll or that Hughton wants them in his camp. On all matters it is a case of wait and see I guess but this notion of an illegal approach seems a little wide of the mark to me.

[quote user="Loopzilla"] It will interesting to see how he develops as a City supporter, one half of me hopes he fails, the other half loves him for the job he done here and wishes him well. It''s probably too soon yet to be completely objective about it.[/quote] I understand your dilemma I had similar when James Milner left for Man City. Lambert did a remarkable job for you and that should be remembered, perhaps it will be more in time when the anger of the manner of his exit fades. I think it will help that in his place you''ve appointed another good manager who we''ve seen a fair bit of over the last 12 months.

There is lots of talk of clauses and breach of contract but the reality is none of (City or Villa) really have a clue, I''m sure it will be resolved one way or another soon. The main problem with McLeish was that quite simply he was a terrible terrible manager who played the most negative, gutless football I''ve ever had the misfortune to watch. We won 4 home games last season and spent most the season playing with 6 defenders in the starting line up hoping to keep the score down. The media were so caught up with the fact he came from Birmingham not to realise that while that was an issue it wasn''t the main one. The main one is that is was doing a horrible job, this is a man who managed to finish 3rd with Rangers!!! You are right we did look like a relegation side at Carrow Road but we were like that all season, I was there and he would have taken us down next season. In fact he would have taken us down this season had it not been for the fact there were some terrible sides in the league this season. You are right it was a bizarre appointment and it was panic by a chairman who didn''t really know what he was looking for.

[quote user="Loopzilla"]I don''t really see that happening with Villa because the expectations just might be too high to begin with, and if there is not instant success then it will be hard to build any momentum there. [/quote] Believe me there isn''t a great deal of expectation at the club after the last two years. The days of dreaming about breaking into the top 4 are long since over, we are just wanting to get back in the top half for the moment. Personally I think that is something Lambert will be able to achieve as we aren''t as bad as McLeish managed to make us look.

Thanks for the welcome. I''m not here to wind anyone up, I will give my views on things though and just hope that people take them as they are intended, as just being my views and nothing more. What am I hoping for next season? To be honest nothing really other than to actually enjoy it and enjoy football again. The last two seasons under Houllier and McLeish have been the most joyless I can recall in 30 years supporting the club. Forget all the stuff about the fact we disliked McLeish because he came from Birmingham, that really is only half or a quarter of the story. So next season I''m just looking forward to a season under a manager we can respect, who tries to win games and can win games and who doesn''t make me hate football. If Lambert can get us up into the region of 8th - 11th next season in his first season most Villa fans I know will be more than happy considering the last two seasons. Despite what the media would have you believe, we don''t normally turn quickly on managers. Lambert has almost universal backing from our fans and I think most will be firmly behind him for a good 2 or 3 years to allow him time to build his own team. As for how the whole thing has been handled, I agree its a bit of a mess but my view on it probably differs from most on here so I won''t pass any further comment.

Evening all, As the username suggests I''m a Villa fan visiting on your turf and here to talk about all things football and yes that includes Lambert and Hughton. I certainly understand why many Norwich fans are bitter, angry call it what you will towards both Villa and Lambert. In all honesty I would feel the same as I have done when we''ve lost some of our better players and as no doubt Colchester fans felt when you boys pinched Lambert. That is football. There were so many Villa related threads I wasn''t quite sure which one to post in :D Anyway as I say, despite the ill feeling towards my club I''m here to talk football not to bicker. I spend a fair amount of time in your part of the world and love it so happy to talk about both our clubs. I''ve always liked Norwich, even more since you recruited Hughton from Birmingham because he is a good manager and a nice bloke. Hated seeing him on the other side of the city.