Will Paul Lambert get it right at Aston Villa?

Paul Lambert has enjoyed a mixed start start as Villa boss, but will he get it right at Villa Park?

Yesterday Aston Villa drew 1-1 with Midlands rivals West Brom at Villa Park.

As a neutral it seemed that both teams deserved a share of the spoils.  I just don’t know what to make of the home side at the moment though.

Dire

Last season really was dire under Alex McLeish. I would have hated having to watch the drivel that the team produced in the last campaign. Quite frankly I don’t know how the Scot kept his job till the end of the season.

Granted he wasn’t given much backing from owner Randy Lerner, but he should never have been appointed in the first place. He was just completely the wrong man for the job, having managed Villa’s bitter rivals Birmingham the season before his appointment.

Brighter

When I found out that Paul Lambert had been appointed as Villa boss I thought it was a great decision by the Villa board. I’ve been a fan of the Scot’s managerial skills for a while.

I think most Villa fans were happy with his appointment. He had done an incredible job at Norwich City and is one of the brightest young British managers in the game. His appointment surely means a brighter future for the Villans.

Resources

Villa is no doubt a bigger club than Norwich, despite what their league position showed last season. Lambert has slightly more resources at his disposal at Villa Park than at Carrow Road.

Lambert needed resources to strengthen his very small squad. Last season Villa had one of the smallest squads in the top flight, after consecutive windows of selling their star players. Lambert was left with a squad made up of mostly youngsters and has-beens.

The Scot has brought in youngsters such as Matthew Lowton, Joe Bennett and Christian Benteke, as well as more experienced players such as Brett Holman and Ron Vlaar. The team have looked decent in spells so far this season and look like they are starting to gel as a unit.

Striker

Villa’s new Belgian striker Christian Benteke was selected ahead of England international Darren Bent for yesterday’s clash. Bent was left out because he hasn’t been in the best of form this season.

He came off the bench to score the equaliser and could probably have added to his goal tally. Bent really did look like a player with a point to prove. Bent is by far the most threatening striker Villa has in their squad.

Darren Bent is a natural born goal scorer, but his finishing can be wayward and he contributes very little to the build-up play. However, he is the best striking option currently available to Villa boss Paul Lambert.

I felt sorry for young Benteke yesterday. The Belgium international started the game, but just couldn’t do anything right and was rightly substituted. However, at 21 years old he is still young and is highly-rated. I’m sure he will do well in a Villa shirt in the future.

Paul Lambert is a shrewd operator in the transfer market and he wouldn’t have spent a reported fee of £7million on the striker if he didn’t think he would be an asset to the team. I think the youngster just needs time to settle into a new country and club.

Time

Talking about needing time Paul Lambert needs time to build a team and a squad at Villa Park. I think he has made a decent start in the Midlands. From what I have seen of Villa this season they are playing a far more attractive brand of football than under Alex McLeish.

It seems that Villa owner Randy Lerner is prepared to back Lambert in the transfer market and it seems that he will give the Scot the time to turn Villa’s fortunes around. It’s a tough job for Lambert, but from his previous body of work all signs are good for the Villans and their boss.

Will Paul Lambert get it right at Aston Villa?