Complacency under Lambert?

[SoccerHQ]

Whenever the Paul Lambert reign ends (and with the new contract it won't be for a while yet) one of the defining marks of his reign to me will be our total failure to build on matches and moments of momentum during his reign.

I touched on this a few times last season but it's staggering to see who bad we are after we claim an unexpected result, infact it's embarassing. I will list the instances as it has to be seen to be believed.

12/13

Unexpected result- Liverpool 1 Aston Villa 3

Immediate 4 results afterwards- Chelsea 8 Villa 0
                                                    Villa 0 Spurs 4
                                                     Villa 0 Wigan 3
                                                      Swansea 2 Villa 2

13/14

Unexpected result- Arsenal 1 Villa 3

Immediate 3 results afterwards- Chelsea 2 Villa 1
                                                    Villa 0 Liverpool 1
                                                     Villa 1 Newcastle 2

Unexpected result-      Villa 3 Man. City 2

Immediate 4 results afterwards- Hull 0 Villa 0
                                                    Villa 0 Spurs 2
                                                    Villa 0 Everton 2
                                                    West Ham 0 Villa 0

Unexpected result-       Villa 1 Chelsea 0

Immediate 4 results afterwards- Villa 1 Stoke 4
                                                    Man. United 4 Villa 1
                                                    Villa 1 Fulham 2
                                                    Palace 1 Villa 0

Unexpectd result 14 -         Liverpool 0 Villa 1

Immediate 4 result-            Villa 0 Arsenal 3
                                           Chelsea 3 Villa 0
                                           Villa 0 Man City 1
                                           Everton 3 Villa 0

So for any budding Sports psychologists out there, why do we turn so badly in the aftermath of those shock wins as I'd like to know as that is one of the main reasons we're fighting relegation season in season out these days instead of mid table respectability at least.

Do we put so much into the unexpected win we feel it for the games after? Is there complacency and a lack of intensity in training as the players relax mentally knowing they've got 3 points earlier than expected?

I think we all knew points would be hard to come by in this run of games, even after winning at Anfield but I doubt anyone thought it would be an aggregate of 11-0 against us, surely we should be expecting better than that at least?

[PeterWithesShin]

On the flipside I doubt many had us down for more than 3 points from those 5, and I bet a fair few wouldn't have thought we'd get that many.

[SoccerHQ]

On the flipside I doubt many had us down for more than 3 points from those 5, and I bet a fair few wouldn't have thought we'd get that many.

Yeah probably from the five I thought maybe we'd get a draw today and v Arsenal and Man. City so at a push 3 points.

Just frustrating we did the hard work by getting 3 straight away and have come up trumps yet again with a dismal run of form.

I will say though in defence we were unlucky with this run of fixtures and the sickness bug v Arsenal, which at 100% would've been a game we could've got something out of.

In an ideal world it would've been nice to have Burnley or QPR at home straight after liverpool to continue momentum so I am cutting Lambert some stack although today was dreadful.

[Ads]

It's important we don't get beat by QPR to stop the run of defeats. We've not had an easy time of it with the fixtures, the footballing equivalent of the 38th parallel trying to negotiate that lot. It comes to something when even "skint" Everton spent four times as much as we did this summer on one player.

That's what it comes down to; quality. Quality breeds consistency. We have it in certain departments, but given the quality of squad, you cannot say when that day is going to be where we click.

We're not as good as the first four games suggested and we're not as bad as these past four games have shown either. The solution rests in investment.

[ciggiesnbeer]

It is frustrating. I don't know why it happens. I do think our training leaves much to be desired.

I do wonder if there is a link between Keane being MIA during the international breaks and us looking completely awful just afterwards.

That doesn't explain last season obviously, but something else to put into the autopsy.

[Goldie.7]

We normally draw the fifth after four dire results. If we do lose against qpr he will have to go..... but probably won't.

If we win it will just be papering over the cracks, the guy is a buffoon of the highest order. I can't wait for the day his reign is over and I certainly have no interest in going to watch his team play.

[Meanwood Villa]

Without wishing to repeat myself it's because he's a terrible manager who should be sacked. Now.

[saunders_heroes]

Sadly I think we're stuck with him till at least when Lerner finds a buyer.

[JUAN PABLO]

Should have gone after the Sheffield utd cup game.  He's awful

[Steve67]

We normally draw the fifth after four dire results. If we do lose against qpr he will have to go..... but probably won't.

If we win it will just be papering over the cracks, the guy is a buffoon of the highest order. I can't wait for the day his reign is over and I certainly have no interest in going to watch his team play.

This 100%.

[tomd2103]

It is frustrating. I don't know why it happens. I do think our training leaves much to be desired.

I do wonder if there is a link between Keane being MIA during the international breaks and us looking completely awful just afterwards.

That doesn't explain last season obviously, but something else to put into the autopsy.

I haven't looked at the stats, but I would like to see what our record after international breaks is like under Lambert.  From what I can remember, we haven't done well after them.

[Toronto Villa]

it's not so much the results that bother me. It's the manner in which they arrived. Our GD is -8 now. I'd take a bad a GD if in the process we had a proper a go at teams and scored a few along the way. Instead it's almost like we went into this stretch with the mindset of just getting through them with as little damage as possible. Pray we don't get completely battered. What a shit and negative way to think or approach games. A defeatist mentality.

[pbavfckuwait]

Toronto spot on, that is exactly what he has tryed to do in these last 5 games, damage limitation. We all knew these were a hard set of games to encounter one after the other and not many believe that we would get alot out of them, but it is the abject way we accept defeat that pisses me off.

[Phil from the upper holte]

I'm sure someone said last season that the good results were more by luck than good management. It certainly seems that way sometimes. Having said that I had a villa mug for my birthday and we haven't won since

[Jimbo]

True, many of the players aren't very good, but we should be getting more out of the group we've got.

The manager is poor, but what makes matters worse is a lack of pressure for him to succeed. His remit is to obey Randy Lerner, not rock the boat and keep the club in the Premier League. As long as he succeeds in those respects, he'll keep his job. He'll probably keep his job if we go down as Randy trusts him and won't want to get burned by yet another disastrous managerial appointment. He's coasting.

Most chairmen would have sacked Lambert months ago, but not Lerner. He hasn't the stomach for it, won't want to pay Lambert off and won't want to go through the drawn-out business of finding a replacement.

Not only that, but he still doesn't get football. He doesn't understand that pressure is a vital part of the machine of football management. And to add to it all, he doesn't appear to be anchored to any kind of reality, as his frequently bizarre statements and reclusive behaviour suggest. As well intentioned as he might be, he's been very foolish and there's little to suggest that will change soon.