By Rob Bishop

Paul Lambert is being tipped to guide Villa up the table this season - and the man making the prediction should know what he is talking about.

Former manager John Gregory didn't finished below eighth during his four years in charge at Villa Park between 1998 and 2002.

After watching the recent 2-0 friendly victory at Peterborough, Gregory is convinced Lambert's Lions can scale similar heights during the coming months.

"Villa are in good hands with Paul Lambert," he said.

"There were a lot of youngsters in the team at Peterborough but it was 10 times better than Villa performances of the past couple of seasons.

"Everyone seemed to know exactly what his job was and they all passed the ball well. There was some really good one and two-touch football.

"I thought Villa looked very much like Norwich City did last season.

"I saw a lot of Norwich and they did really well with fairly average players which Paul brought out of the Championship. That was commendable.

"He has a better squad at Villa and he has also made some astute signings so I think they will be fine.

"The new boys are not superstars but they are good professionals who will do the business.

"It's an exciting time. A few weeks ago I would have been happy for Villa to finish in the top half but after what I saw at Peterborough I reckon the top eight is not beyond the realms of possibility."

But Gregory also has a warning for the Villa squad - their new boss will not tolerate shirkers.

"Paul knows what he wants from his players and he usually gets it," he said.

"If not, the player concerned usually leaves the club very quickly.

"There's an air of ruthlessness about him and the lads will certainly know who the boss is."

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