Paul Lambert sends plea to Aston Villa fans

Paul Lambert has written a special letter to supporters which urges them to turn Villa Park into a ground which will frighten opposition teams.

The claret and blues ended last season with the worst home record in the club's 138-year history as they took just 19 points from a possible 57 on their own patch.

Under former manager Alex McLeish the majority of matches were played out against a backdrop of apathy and resentment towards the ex-Birmingham boss.

And an e-mail sent to season ticket holders by Lambert has spoken of the need for fans to play their part and crank up the atmosphere from the first home game against Everton.

"There is no doubt that an integral part of what I want to do here is to get the crowd going and to make Villa Park a vibrant, intimidating and exciting environment," said Lambert.

"On my first day here I was taken around Villa Park and I was able to appreciate for the first time the sheer scale of the stadium. It is instantly impressive and, if we work hard and get the place going, I believe we can make this club as successful as we all want it to be.

"From my first few weeks here, I get the sense there is a really good feeling around the club and it is this kind of positive mood that we want to carry into the season and then throughout the campaign.

"As soon as you walk in the door you know you're at a big club. I am not daunted by it, I'm determined to embrace it and, as a club, this must be our attitude going forward. I'm looking forward with optimism and a strong sense of pride to the coming season."

Lambert admitted that the new players recruited by Villa so far have brought some balance to the squad.

He added: "We have some exciting, young players and we have some very accomplished and experienced players, too.

"They will need a hand throughout the course of the coming campaign and in the opening week of the summer transfer window we have welcomed three new players in Brett Holman, Karim El Ahmadi and Matt Lowton.

"With his experience, Karim will improve our squad and Brett should do the same, while Matt has the potential to be a really good player."