The optimism from the appointment of Paul Lambert has continued unabated. Both Gabby Agbonlahor and Barry Bannan have made positive comments about the manager. Even Darren Bent, whose commitment to the club has been questioned at times, has made several positive statements as well, including one in support of Steven Ireland. The report in the Daily Mirror that Alan Hutton has been told to find a new club was greeted with almost universal praise by supporters.
Euro 2012 has gone about as well as could be expected in that no Villa player suffered a major injury. Shay Given was clearly not fully fit, but he still did manage to play and should be ready for when the players report back to Bodymoor Heath. It would’ve been nice for him and Dunne to have had a better performance, but the club will also appreciate that both are healthy and won’t have to deal with fatigue cause by a deep run in the tournament. Villa fans who support England have to be happy with how the team has done so far. The fact that Stewart Downing hasn’t sniffed the pitch is a source of satisfaction as well.
The recent kit launch was well received with over 3000 visitors at Villa Park. The away shirt does look like a goalkeeper’s shirt to me. When Villa are away and wearing them we will be #LambertsLimes instead of #LambertsLions for twitter purposes. Now I think of it, that would be a good color for England’s away kit; the Limeys in lime! Anybody who complained about the switch from Nike to Macron needs to look at Barcelona’s new shirt. Manchester United for that matter will look like they are wearing tablecloths.
The good vibes are still rolling. They will intensify as the manager brings in some exciting new signings. McLeish for all his faults did appear to have some interesting targets: Bas Dost, Douglas, and Massadio Haidara. There are likely others that were on his short list. Lambert would do well to consider the players the club has already scouted. The team’s needs are obvious, so I’m sure Lambert will address the same holes McLeish intended to. I selfishly hope there are some exciting new players on board for the U.S. tour.
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