nick76

yeah I was thinking the same for myself it's just becoming tiresome.

complete rubbish!

Except when he isn't, like against Fulham. Ineffective. Without Bannan on the bench, no fear of competition either. Yes I agree its very strange that he wasn't even on the bench. I can understand the reasoning against Stoke. I also think if Bannan had of scored that own goal and that woeful shot that Delph did yesterday he would have been made this scapegoat on this forum. If he had scored the goal and cleared one off the line and we had drawn, he would have been made the scapegoat. Sunderland winning against Newcastle. Back in the relegation zone we go. The non-Bannan experiment is a failure. well the Bannan experiment is also a failure because we've basically been in the same position all season

so when I use your stats you say those stats aren't everything "assists aren't everything" but when people argue that crosses aren't everything you fall back onto Stats are facts argument. Talk about double standards! Quite a few VT members have argued with you that despite your crossing stats Bannan has no influence in the game apart from negative influence yet you argue the stats say otherwise. I use your stats to prove a point and you argue those stats don't mean anything because its influence on the game not assists. Very bizarre.......

It's a shame it doesn't say how many goals were scored on the other guys chances in that list. I'm sure more than 1 goal

Bannan is the best crosser in the Premier League. That is a fact. You cannot get a more classic case of bias dictating perception than your statement Bannan is "a woeful crosser of the ball". Sell Bannan to another club, they will get the best crosser in the Premier League. That is why we won't sell him. he is a woeful crosser because as your link says out of 48 successful crosses there is only 1 assist FACT and you can't say a 2% goal rate on that is all our scorers fault are you? If the cross was that good or at least a lot were good then even our scorers would've created a better stat than 2% goal ratio. The fact that his crosses maybe in the right area of the pitch but not in the right area for the striker, not easy for the striker to score, easier for the defender to defend etc etc. What it shows is that while he crosses a lot the cross isn't effective enough for goals to be scored from it.

People might take you seriously if you try to offer a balanced opinion. Defending Bannan on the undefensible only undermines any valid points you may have raised over the last few months. I like to call a spade a spade and while Bannan was okay against Reading and QPR he was diabolical today and has been on the whole very poor all season. A better midfielder in his position would have seen us very comfortably mid-table. He is our weakest link. I may have missed some conversation or reason why Con is so attached to Bannan, so apologies of he is a friend or relation to Bannan. I have never understood why we play Bannan, he's just not at this level. On his best days days he scrapes through but on days like this he's a liability and at best ineffective. Once in a while a sweeping pass but aside from that the game just runs by him. Watching the game for the second time, Con's examples above are true but when you see them are nothing more than a few basic passes and if that's it then he should be at best on the bench. No way should he start against Stoke or again unless we have a injury crisis that requires another midfielder.

Love that some 16 yr old kid we've just signed from some Swedish league talks about playing for a bigger club but our current star striker says he's living a fantastic reality with Villa and will be here next season (if we stay up)....... You can't make these things up can you. Love Benteke!

Wow, Benteke best player you've seen at Villa park, that is very high praise. I think the guy has a lot of potential and is playing awesome at the moment although inconsistent which is getting better as the season goes on but there is no way I'd yet put in him that category at the moment. I could list a load of players I think that we were better or had the ability to be better and I'm only 36 years old so I'm guessing I'm only about 10 years older than you (WoodyTom).

I'm taking the positives and based on form I would replace us with Sunderland in your sentence. We have 10 points out of the last 18, they have 2. Who knows, glad we have points in the bag

Gabby takes "hovering" above the relegation zone to a new extreme

Absolutely this. He played really simple stuff today with nothing flash - probably due to instructions from Lambert and maybe a little because his confidence is bound to be shot. I think he tried 3 shots from about 30 yards where he would have been far better passing out wide, missed what was pretty much an open goal, and then criminally gave possession away with a few minutes left which led to some quite intense pressure from Reading at a crucial time. The fact that even despite all of this it was one of his better performances of the season simply highlights the fact just how bad he has been. 6/10 for me today. Cut out the hollywood passes and you have an incredibly average player, which is better than the liability that he can be, though he still isn't Premiership quality. Your comment sums him up. "An incredibly average player" and that's when he plays well! He really adds very little and was only on the park because Delph was suspended. The sooner we get shot of him the better IMO. have to agree, he's not the future of Villa

Just shows our strike force is good enough and our defence is shit

Just don't understand how anybody could think a midfield of Bannan, Zog and Westwood is a good midfield. Bannan is shite, Zog can be awesome but more often shite, so poor Westwood has to do it all

see, I would've thought that Everton more than any other club would be comparable both in terms of revenue and wages. I have no facts at hand to back this up I just would've assumed. Looking at their squad they would have high earners like us and now we have all those kids, surely their wages must be close to ours?

Everton are really really broke but they spent £8.5m on the kid from FC Twente, somehow that makes me feel even worse that we aren't doing anything. Our biggest transfer conversation on this thread currently are two waste of space players leaving the club on loan..............not asking for the world or even that kind of money just a DM and maybe a defender on loan.

how bizarre this comment is! Brought in knowing relegation, he was brought at the beginning of the season you realise and who would've thought we'd be this bad and yet we still aren't in the relegation zone. We are awful I agree but we didn't know that at the beginning of the season, so your last comment is a little bizarre

Have to say I'm still backing Lambert, call it stupid but I still feel he'll get it right

great post

Lambert is still the right man. These results are atrocious I agree but I still believe in him. We aren't the worst team in the league, the table proves that and I really believe we will get a lot better and that has to mean moving away from the relegation zone. The players he has brought are good but they are inexperienced. A few new players in Jan and we can move up the table. I understand the negativity on this thread but 3 games ago it was all different and in 3 games time it could be different again. Villa fans are very fickle but I'm going to keep my confidence in Lambert because I believe in the big picture he is creating. People will disagree with me but I don't care, people will pick holes in my argument with stats or something else but I think Lambert is the right man and I hope he continues and is allowed decent money in the upcoming transfer window....

I still support Lambert, need to spend some funds in January though

We struggled under Houllier, we struggled further under McLeish and now we are suffering.....common denominator....Lerner. I'm not saying Lerner needs to go, he just needs to invest in the squad

He shouldn't be sacked, he needs funds. Lerner is mostly to blame for lack of quality in the squad, Lambert only had a small budget to fill many many holes. Some experienced heads with this team will make a world of difference

Albrighton on for Westwood

Too many looking lost in this game, Holman especially and what is with Benteke always going offside