Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: dave.woodhall on February 10, 2014, 12:52:14 AM
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http://thebirminghampress.com/2014/02/tell-me-why-5/
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The question sums things up perfectly ....... having played so well at Liverpool when we looked like a very good side do we then go out and defend at Everton knowing we cannot keep a clean sheet as the inevitable will happen and did .... why do we not go out with positive intent and attack teams at home especially teams like West Ham and Crystal Palace ... our record at home cannot get any worse so why do the same things over and over again and expect the result to be different ...... I for one would applaud an attacking performance at home even if we get beaten because we lose anyway by trying to be tactical geniuses.
The fact that Lambert cannot see this or any of his back room staff just leaves you wondering what on earth they do all week.
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I don't know how you 'pick yourself up and go again' on the all too regular weekends like this Dave. I took me over 24 hours before I could bring myself to come on here after yesterday.
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I don't know how you 'pick yourself up and go again' on the all too regular weekends like this Dave. I took me over 24 hours before I could bring myself to come on here after yesterday.
Demob fever.
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The question sums things up perfectly ....... having played so well at Liverpool when we looked like a very good side do we then go out and defend at Everton knowing we cannot keep a clean sheet as the inevitable will happen and did .... why do we not go out with positive intent and attack teams at home especially teams like West Ham and Crystal Palace ... our record at home cannot get any worse so why do the same things over and over again and expect the result to be different ...... I for one would applaud an attacking performance at home even if we get beaten because we lose anyway by trying to be tactical geniuses.
The fact that Lambert cannot see this or any of his back room staff just leaves you wondering what on earth they do all week.
Goes back to the fact that although PL has found a formation that somewhat works away from home, he is still yet to find one that works at Villa Park. The onus is on the home team to attack, so when we play away, there is usually space left for us to exploit on the counter attack. Having a fit and in form Gabby is important as his pace can make the most most of the space available. At home, it's a different story though as visiting teams tend to be more solid and leave less space. This means we have to play to Gabby, Benteke and Weimann's feet in the final third, something they are not particularly comfortable with. The lack of space also means there needs to be more movement from our attacking players and this again is something that is sadly lacking.
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...when you're old enough to repay but young enough to sell?
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The article demonstrates the lack of goodwill that Lambert has left. He has been the luckiest Villa manager that I can remember in terms of our attendances, despite regular poor displays, but continually sends fans home unhappy; this time well before the final whistle.
It won't last forever. When we start getting crowds below 30000, there will surely be questions asked in the house.
I would say that is your best article this season, Dave.
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I think that PL and co really don't know the answer, I think that they have struck lucky a few times in thier selections and instructions and also the opposition not responding quickly to our complete change in tactics [Liverpool] and also a good share of luck [Man City]
It's like he is a gambler that constantly twists in the hope of getting 21 when he would be better off sticking on 19, when he gets the gamble right we do well, when he busts [which is more often] we don't
He is tactically inept and god knows what they do in training [have you seen them practicing shots before the game? barn doors etc...]
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The question sums things up perfectly ....... having played so well at Liverpool when we looked like a very good side do we then go out and defend at Everton knowing we cannot keep a clean sheet as the inevitable will happen and did .... why do we not go out with positive intent and attack teams at home especially teams like West Ham and Crystal Palace ... our record at home cannot get any worse so why do the same things over and over again and expect the result to be different ...... I for one would applaud an attacking performance at home even if we get beaten because we lose anyway by trying to be tactical geniuses.
The fact that Lambert cannot see this or any of his back room staff just leaves you wondering what on earth they do all week.
Goes back to the fact that although PL has found a formation that somewhat works away from home, he is still yet to find one that works at Villa Park. The onus is on the home team to attack, so when we play away, there is usually space left for us to exploit on the counter attack. Having a fit and in form Gabby is important as his pace can make the most most of the space available. At home, it's a different story though as visiting teams tend to be more solid and leave less space. This means we have to play to Gabby, Benteke and Weimann's feet in the final third, something they are not particularly comfortable with. The lack of space also means there needs to be more movement from our attacking players and this again is something that is sadly lacking.
How many times do we have to be well beaten at home before the penny drops with him? The formation does not suit us at Villa Park - far too narrow in midfield and up front. No creativity between the lines and little movement for the player in posession. Feel very sorry for our full backs - every time they have the ball and look up there is never a claret and blue shirt giveing an option down the line. And when their defending, they're often two on one.
Someone posted at the weekend that the definition of stupidity is repeating the same action and expecting a different outcome. That is how waching us at home has been for the last 18 months.
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The article demonstrates the lack of goodwill that Lambert has left. He has been the luckiest Villa manager that I can remember in terms of our attendances, despite regular poor displays, but continually sends fans home unhappy; this time well before the final whistle.
It won't last forever. When we start getting crowds below 30000, there will surely be questions asked in the house.
I would say that is your best article this season, Dave.
I agree about Lambert being the luckiest Villa manager, DCF.
But that luck is purely down to the fact he isn't Alex McLeish.
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The Fulham away game summed up Lambert's tactical nous for me. We had 3 defenders playing out of position, so rather than play an extra midfielder to give them a little protection, he plays three up front leaving the midfield and already fragile defence exposed. It was horrible to watch. Starting Holt against Everton was another. Being out-thought by three lower league managers is also a worry.
Like Dave says, he can get us playing good attacking football when he wants to. We just don't see it enough.
As for formations at home, as much as I like Weimann, I think it might be time to use him away from home where it works rather than trying to shoehorn him into every game.
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You can, when you put your mind to it, send out an attack-minded team that plays football. You’ve proved you can do it, and when you do the crowd tend to respond. So why don’t you do it more often?
Nail on the Head.
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The Fulham away game summed up Lambert's tactical nous for me. We had 3 defenders playing out of position, so rather than play an extra midfielder to give them a little protection, he plays three up front leaving the midfield and already fragile defence exposed. It was horrible to watch. Starting Holt against Everton was another. Being out-thought by three lower league managers is also a worry.
Like Dave says, he can get us playing good attacking football when he wants to. We just don't see it enough.
As for formations at home, as much as I like Weimann, I think it might be time to use him away from home where it works rather than trying to shoehorn him into every game.
For me the fact that we can play good attacking football but very rarely do so is down to lamberts lack of tactical nous and not motivating the players well enough - we so often start games lethargically and he must carry the can for not getting the best out of his players on a regular basis.
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Another good read Dave.
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Groundhog Day at Villa Park.
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Spot on, Dave.
PL may well send the team out to attack at Cardiff tomorrow and we may well win, but this won't excuse the months of absolutely dire home performances
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I think the answer to the question is that he depends entirely on the opposition allowing us to play that way. Liverpool vacated the centre of the pitch at Anfield and we took advantage - West Ham and Palace set men behind the ball and we were clueless.
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At Villa Park we push up a little more and all the opposition do is target our channels and our dozy full backs which, usually results in them eventually getting behind us and scoring. Palace and West Ham (first 50 mins) did this to a tea.
If that doesn't work and we sit deeper, as we usually do against better teams they wait for us to make a mistake which we can relied upon to serve up i.e Baker a loose pass, Clark losing the ball or one of our midfielders getting robbed in front of our backline resulting in a goal. We are a gift of a team to play against at Villa Park. This really needs to stop before things get beyond a joke!!
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The serious lack of movement affects us as well, we are like statues at home and the amount of time we give away possesion from a throw in is unacceptable, having said that I don't think the football played by Mcleish was any better?
Anyone?
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The serious lack of movement affects us as well, we are like statues at home and the amount of time we give away possesion from a throw in is unacceptable, having said that I don't think the football played by Mcleish was any better?
Anyone?
Little to choose between the pair of them - at least with houllier there was some emphasis on the pass and move game but the last 3 seasons at home have been very poor.
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The serious lack of movement affects us as well, we are like statues at home and the amount of time we give away possesion from a throw in is unacceptable, having said that I don't think the football played by Mcleish was any better?
Anyone?
It wasn't better, but I think the reason Lambert gets off and McLeish doesn't is that, while McLeish saw that type of play as the goal, Lambert wants to play better stuff but is just failing to do so. In a way, I think the crowd feels a bit sorry for him.
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I question the question, Dave.
I think Lambert did send out a side with attacking intent on Saturday, and - with the proviso that both Vlaar and Okore were unavailable - we fielded probably our best team.
We were attack-minded: hence the amount of space that Downing and particularly Jarvis got in the first half, behind the fullbacks who were pressing upfield. And in the second half, we could and should have scored 3-4 goals thanks mainly to Albrighton.
It was our poor tactics, poor approach and poor individual play that prevented us breaching the visitors' predictably obdurate defence. First touches that went astray, passes not struck well, lack of movement, poor individual decision-making ...
... and, of course, the customary ricketts at the back for the conceded goals.
I hate to admit it, because I have an irrational dislike of him, but Allardyce got it spot on. Lambert didn't and hasn't for most of the season.
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There's nothing irrational about disliking Sam Allardyce.
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There's nothing irrational about disliking Sam Allardyce.
Err, true.
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Does any one believe that he knows the answer?
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Excellent final paragraph in that article.
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I don't know how you 'pick yourself up and go again' on the all too regular weekends like this Dave. I took me over 24 hours before I could bring myself to come on here after yesterday.
It took me until this tea time. Getting sick of this shit.
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There's nothing irrational about disliking Sam Allardyce.
Err, true.
His fake internet alter ego is better.
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I don't know how you 'pick yourself up and go again' on the all too regular weekends like this Dave. I took me over 24 hours before I could bring myself to come on here after yesterday.
It took me until this tea time. Getting sick of this shit.
Try scones or beans on toast
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It's slightly worrying that in most of the games against teams of our sort of level, from the 8th down, Lambert has been completely shown up in a battle of tactical wits by Pardew, Allardyce, Pulis, Hughes, the fella at Fulham. Games we'd ordinarily have expected to win, or at the very least get a point.
Granted we may claim to having outsmarted Pelligrini and the fella at Southampton, but those wins were incredibly fortunate. Having 30% possession and 3 shots on target and winning 3-2 is the exception and not the rule. Lambert got it right against Arsenal, Liverpool and West Brom IMO. Whether that was as much luck or judgement, who knows, but he gets it horribly wrong far, far too often, and the way we've played for 90% of this season has been dreadful. Horrific ball retention and dire organisation, and to have a midfield as poor as we do is unforgivable after 3 windows to do something about it. Delph's been carrying the midfield almost single handed. He's trying his best but he needs help.
Under Lambert we seem to have one effective way of playing, where we look reasonably good. The trouble is it's reliant on the opposition allowing us to play in that way. They're not allowing us to do that as much this season and he's struggled really badly in trying to come up with another way of having us play effectively. I don't think he has the nous and I don't think he ever will. He needs help or he'll get canned eventually. His coaching team aren't doing enough because we look about as uncoached as you can look.
I (foolishly) tried teaching my Mrs how to play pool the other day. The results were not dissimilar to watching Villa play. Headache inducing, painful to watch and almost insulting to the sport at its fluid best. I'm not a bad player, not a very good coach, so it's an uphill battle trying to teach someone. Ronnie O' Sullivan would be a better coach, but there'd only be so much he could do as the Mrs, bless her, doesn't have much of a natural aptitude for bar sports. Much like any decent football manager, or coach would probably struggle to do much more than make us average. The trouble is, Lambert isn't a decent manager. He's probably punching above his weight at this level, leading a bunch of players, many of whom are playing above their level. It's never going to be pretty with this set up. This lies significantly on the shoulders of three people (Lerner, Faulkner and Lambert), and somethings got to change. At the very least one of these elements needs changing, at best three. If we got another manager in the summer with Houlliers nous at the helm we won't be brilliant by any means, but we might find things at least begin to evolve, and have a degree more comfort, next season.
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http://thebirminghampress.com/2014/02/tell-me-why-5/
Duly Tw*ttered and on FB page.
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When Lambert arrived he promised the massed ranks at Villa Park that he would play attacking, (exciting)? football. What we have seen has mostly been dross. He has no tactical nous at all, didnt strengthen the dire defence in January, and is getting by on a wing and a prayer. I have no confidence in his ability to win a home match at all. He starts attacking, ie wba and west ham when we are 2 -0 down. Why not attack from the start? Hes clueless and needs to go. Hopefully, Lerner and Faulkner will go with him.
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You can, when you put your mind to it, send out an attack-minded team that plays football. You’ve proved you can do it, and when you do the crowd tend to respond. So why don’t you do it more often?
Is it because he is a bit fick?
Seriously though it really gets to the nub of the argument doesn't it, exemplified by the contrast between the approach at Liverpool and the one at Everton.