Who do you want as the next manager? New poll option.

[Rick_avfc]

I dont believe Martinez will come to us.  I tink after he turned us down last season, RL and PF will not bother going back to him especially has he spoke to liverpool as well.  Lambert (1st choice) or Gus Poyet for me.

[Monty]

Somebody on VillaTalk seems confident it is Lambert.

Yeah, the guy Richard is very sure, and by all means he's not one to bullshit or risk ridicule usually.

I hope to God he's wrong, because I believe Lambert represents nothing but yet more conservativism, pragmatism and a determination to keep the club firmly rooted in its 20th Century, water-treading comfort zone. I'm starting to worry though.

He is Junior O'Neill...

Worse, he's junior Hitzfeld.

[Rick_avfc]

Somebody on VillaTalk seems confident it is Lambert.

Yeah, the guy Richard is very sure, and by all means he's not one to bullshit or risk ridicule usually.

I hope to God he's wrong, because I believe Lambert represents nothing but yet more conservativism, pragmatism and a determination to keep the club firmly rooted in its 20th Century, water-treading comfort zone. I'm starting to worry though.

He is Junior O'Neill...

Worse, he's junior Hitzfeld.

Just out of curiosity, why are you so against Lambert?

[N'ZMAV]

Somebody on VillaTalk seems confident it is Lambert.

Yeah, the guy Richard is very sure, and by all means he's not one to bullshit or risk ridicule usually.

I hope to God he's wrong, because I believe Lambert represents nothing but yet more conservativism, pragmatism and a determination to keep the club firmly rooted in its 20th Century, water-treading comfort zone. I'm starting to worry though.

He is Junior O'Neill...

Worse, he's junior Hitzfeld.

Just out of curiosity, why are you so against Lambert?

yeah man, why?...

[not3bad]

I dont believe Martinez will come to us.  I tink after he turned us down last season, RL and PF will not bother going back to him especially has he spoke to liverpool as well.  Lambert (1st choice) or Gus Poyet for me.

I'm pretty sure Lambert is second choice after Martinez for RL and PF now.  Of course that could still mean it's Lambert, but Martinez will have to turn us down (again) first. 

[Monty]

Somebody on VillaTalk seems confident it is Lambert.

Yeah, the guy Richard is very sure, and by all means he's not one to bullshit or risk ridicule usually.

I hope to God he's wrong, because I believe Lambert represents nothing but yet more conservativism, pragmatism and a determination to keep the club firmly rooted in its 20th Century, water-treading comfort zone. I'm starting to worry though.

He is Junior O'Neill...

Worse, he's junior Hitzfeld.

Just out of curiosity, why are you so against Lambert?

Because there is nothing whatsoever in his make-up to suggest that he represents anything other than dyed-in-the-wool pragmatism. This is a big chance for the club to move into the 21st Century, maybe the last chance for a while to do something a little different and try to get ahead. Lambert would be nothing but a conservative, water-treading choice.

The statistics don't lie. Norwich played more long-balls per game than anyone else last season, and the eighth-fewest short passes. A huge amount of their goals from open play came from crosses, secondly from breakaways, and played fewer through-balls than Stoke and Wolves. Lambert's main influences, self-described, are MON and Hitzfeld - neither of whom are proponents of the aesthetic, both of whom always favoured physicality over skill, and counter-attacking to dominating games. Lambert's style of play has a glass ceiling which £200m couldn't break. His appointment would represent a huge chance missed - again - by the board.

[Rick_avfc]

Just out of curiosity, why are you so against Lambert?

Because there is nothing whatsoever in his make-up to suggest that he represents anything other than dyed-in-the-wool pragmatism. This is a big chance for the club to move into the 21st Century, maybe the last chance for a while to do something a little different and try to get ahead. Lambert would be nothing but a conservative, water-treading choice.

The statistics don't lie. Norwich played more long-balls per game than anyone else last season, and the eighth-fewest short passes. A huge amount of their goals from open play came from crosses, secondly from breakaways, and played fewer through-balls than Stoke and Wolves. Lambert's main influences, self-described, are MON and Hitzfeld - neither of whom are proponents of the aesthetic, both of whom always favoured physicality over skill, and counter-attacking to dominating games. Lambert's style of play has a glass ceiling which £200m couldn't break. His appointment would represent a huge chance missed - again - by the board.

Ok but saying that, just say he had to play that style with them due to the type of players he had?  What makes anyone think we are suddenly going to play nice attractive footy whoever the manager is?  Have we firstly got the playing staff?  I dont think we have to be honest.  It will take another season or so before we get the right players in to play the style of football that the fans demand.  At present, I would take winning over style of football but thats just me.

[Summers]

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers is expected to be confirmed as the new Liverpool boss in the next 48 hours.
The clubs are understood to be discussing compensation for the 39-year-old, with Swansea likely to receive a compensation payment of between £4m and £5m.
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez had been in contention after meeting with owner John W Henry in Miami last week.
But attention has since switched back to Rodgers.
More to follow.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/18235961

-

The first job is soon to be filled, then.

[Sexual Ealing]

Somebody on VillaTalk seems confident it is Lambert.

Yeah, the guy Richard is very sure, and by all means he's not one to bullshit or risk ridicule usually.

I hope to God he's wrong, because I believe Lambert represents nothing but yet more conservativism, pragmatism and a determination to keep the club firmly rooted in its 20th Century, water-treading comfort zone. I'm starting to worry though.

He is Junior O'Neill...

Worse, he's junior Hitzfeld.

Just out of curiosity, why are you so against Lambert?

Because there is nothing whatsoever in his make-up to suggest that he represents anything other than dyed-in-the-wool pragmatism. This is a big chance for the club to move into the 21st Century, maybe the last chance for a while to do something a little different and try to get ahead. Lambert would be nothing but a conservative, water-treading choice.

The statistics don't lie. Norwich played more long-balls per game than anyone else last season, and the eighth-fewest short passes. A huge amount of their goals from open play came from crosses, secondly from breakaways, and played fewer through-balls than Stoke and Wolves. Lambert's main influences, self-described, are MON and Hitzfeld - neither of whom are proponents of the aesthetic, both of whom always favoured physicality over skill, and counter-attacking to dominating games. Lambert's style of play has a glass ceiling which £200m couldn't break. His appointment would represent a huge chance missed - again - by the board.

Have you checked the stats for Norwich's year in the Championship?

I haven't but they may prove more representative - I'd say Norwich's status in the second tier would be broadly equal to ours in the PL. Maybe the football's better when they're not massive underdogs?

[Monty]

Ok but saying that, just say he had to play that style with them due to the type of players he had?  What makes anyone think we are suddenly going to play nice attractive footy whoever the manager is?  Have we firstly got the playing staff?  I dont think we have to be honest.  It will take another season or so before we get the right players in to play the style of football that the fans demand.  At present, I would take winning over style of football but thats just me.

If that's the approach then why bother appointing someone young? I'm sure we could get Hittzfeld himself, or someone like that, if we were to offer. In appointing Lambert, the message is that, in the short and long-term, we don't aim to entertain and we don't aim, as a club, to do anything different. We simply aim to exist, almost in spite of ourselves. I really, really hope I'm wrong if he is appointed, but there's nothing to suggest I am. The arguments about his resources relating to style of play don't particularly hold much water, especially after the McLeish fiasco.

[Tuscans]

Somebody on VillaTalk seems confident it is Lambert.

Yeah, the guy Richard is very sure, and by all means he's not one to bullshit or risk ridicule usually.

I hope to God he's wrong, because I believe Lambert represents nothing but yet more conservativism, pragmatism and a determination to keep the club firmly rooted in its 20th Century, water-treading comfort zone. I'm starting to worry though.

He is Junior O'Neill...

Worse, he's junior Hitzfeld.

Just out of curiosity, why are you so against Lambert?

Because there is nothing whatsoever in his make-up to suggest that he represents anything other than dyed-in-the-wool pragmatism. This is a big chance for the club to move into the 21st Century, maybe the last chance for a while to do something a little different and try to get ahead. Lambert would be nothing but a conservative, water-treading choice.

The statistics don't lie. Norwich played more long-balls per game than anyone else last season, and the eighth-fewest short passes. A huge amount of their goals from open play came from crosses, secondly from breakaways, and played fewer through-balls than Stoke and Wolves. Lambert's main influences, self-described, are MON and Hitzfeld - neither of whom are proponents of the aesthetic, both of whom always favoured physicality over skill, and counter-attacking to dominating games. Lambert's style of play has a glass ceiling which £200m couldn't break. His appointment would represent a huge chance missed - again - by the board.

Completely agree. MON with a Scottish accent with 1 tactic.

[N'ZMAV]

Rodgers will struggle at Liverpool. Their fans will demand the title, it is too big a leap for someone so inexperienced at this level. He needed a inbetween club, like Villa first in order to be able to gain the experience he will need. I do however, wish hm all the best.

[not3bad]

What makes anyone think we are suddenly going to play nice attractive footy whoever the manager is?  Have we firstly got the playing staff?  I dont think we have to be honest.

Stephen Ireland, Charles N'Zogbia, Barry Bannan, Marc Albrighton, Jean Makoun and all the kids couldn't play 'nice stuff' given the right manager?

[OCD]

They will like his brand of football but if the reports are true about Van Gaal being DoF, how long before they have a rough time and people start calling for Van Gaal to be made manager. Seems inevitable.

[andyh]

my biggest concern about Martinez is why his teams don't start playing until March.