15th Aug 2012 | Football
Aston Villa Odds 2012-13
Paul Lambert is the new man at the helm and he inherits a team that narrowly avoided the drop last term.
Best Title Odds: 2500/1 (Coral)
Value Bet: 6/4 (Betfred) - To finish in the top 10.
It’s not so long ago that Villa were routinely heavily odds-on to claim a top half position. With one of the mostly highly regarded managers in the country taking charge, this price may look very generous very soon.
Summary:
The arrival of Paul Lambert in place of the hugely unpopular Alex McLeish is the big story. At Norwich he secured back-to-back promotions before guiding the Canaries to a top-12 finish in the top flight last season. The summer signings have so far been low key with Dutch international Ron Vlaar’s arrival perhaps the most significant at the heart of defence.
Verdict:
Lambert will indeed be a miracle-worker if he can instigate a major improvement at Villa Park. Having struggled for goals in 2011-12, there will now be concerns down the other end as well. Shay Given is struggling for confidence, Richard Dunne is injured and other first choice centre-half from last season James Collins has left. Relegation odds of 7/1 (WilliamHill) may appeal to the doubters.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 18:06 15th Aug, 2012 but subject to change
