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

[James]

Before we get too far off the original subject of this thread I must say that the fact that Dominoes Pizza did not even get to fly in Randy's plane let alone have an interview leaves me pretty cheesed off.

Can you have a pizza with the cheese off? 

[Toronto Villa]

to make best use of Ireland we need to get much faster around him. We are one of the most lead footed teams in the league and that's something Lambert will need to address. Either we are just slow, or the previous regime simply didn't have a clue on how to teach quick control, pass and move. Ireland isn't quick but his brain is and we need to get players that will compliment his intelligence as much as make up for his lack of pace.

[James]

to make best use of Ireland we need to get much faster around him. We are one of the most lead footed teams in the league and that's something Lambert will need to address. Either we are just slow, or the previous regime simply didn't have a clue on how to teach quick control, pass and move. Ireland isn't quick but his brain is and we need to get players that will compliment his intelligence as much as make up for his lack of pace.

TV, you answered your own question there with the words in bold. They just don't go together do they?

[tomd2103]

I thought Darren Bent was a proper centre forward, his record seems to suggest that! They can keep Holt, somebody has to eat all of Delia's burnt offerings. Can we give them Warnock as Lambert's compo?

At Norwich Lambert had Holt (goalscorer), Jackson (speed merchant) and Morison (target man), and he rotated them throughout the season.  For me, Bent and Gabby are similar but better players than Holt and Jackson, so that would leave the traditional style target man.  He's not exactly had the best of times at Wolves, but what about Kevin Doyle? 

Actually, both Holt and Morison are target men. It wasn't overly subtle.

You really aren't a fan of Lambert are you Monty?

I guess Monty is of a similar opinion to myself.  Norwich last year got wide fast and got a lot of balls into the box.  Morison, Holt and Wilbraham made up the majority of the attack, all of whom like crosses and are good playing with their back to goal.  It percentages football, that can be very effective with the right playing staff but it's unlikely to break us into the top 4.

For me Lambert is an acceptance that 5-8 and aiming for the europa league is our place in the world, we can't complain after the last couple of years but I see us hitting a similar glass ceiling to when MoN was in charge.

The problem is, once you're a big club teams are more comfortable defending deep and forcing you to break them down.  No one has done that to Norwich so, if he comes, we don't know what he'll do when teams come for a point (and are capable of holding out for it).  If he can figure that out then he'll be a great appointment, if not it'll be better than we've had but we won't be looking to extend the trophy room any time soon.

I guess like any inexperienced manager, there are always going to be doubts.  As for the point in bold, Spurs played that way last season and they managed to get in the top four!!  as for strikers who like crosses, I can recall Bent scoring quite a few goals for us off crosses since he arrived. 

I'll accept to an extent that tottenham played that way but Modric, bale, vdv and to an extent adebayor all offer a little spark of brilliance which was more often than not the difference between them winning and losing.  Bent will score from crosses, I agree and, as I said, I'm not disappointed and I think he'll do a good moyes-like job, I just don't think we'll do much more than that.

I guess the problem for me is Lambert is so obvious, after 2 1/2 weeks we're looking like getting the guy everyone expected the day we sacked the last guy.  After all the "we're looking at all the options and there's no rush" style talk I expected a few names to appear that we'd never have come up with, we got 1 and the expectation of more and then nothing happened for a week before the simple choice appears to have been taken, just seems a bit odd.

I accept Paul that Spurs have some quality players and if you have wide players that are the quality of Bale then you get the ball out to him as quickly as possible.  Everyone has got their own ideas of how we want the team to play and I'm certainly in no position to question other people's opinions. 

The one thing I would say is that who is to say Lambert's tactics etc. will not change when he is working with a better group of players?  Maybe he found an effective way of playing at Norwich with the players at his disposal, but will alter it when working with better quality players.  All speculation of course, but think it will be a good appointment (if it happens!!).

[Monty]

I think we have to wait and see. He's a clever guy, and seems very eager to learn about the game, which is encouraging. If, however, his signings seem MON-ish, and we start next season with a similar run of games as McLeish got and we're not threatening to dominate possession or pass out from the back, I will then start to worry.

[paul_e]

Once again, I think he's a decent choice, it's just an unexciting one that doesn't show much imagination or will to really make a fist of breaking away from the media opinion of the club; solid, ever present, upper mid-table side that are a risk or 2 away from being a real threat to the big boys.

When OGS leaked and we started hearing the talk about there being other options I expected a pattern where the other options were similarly brave, risky appointments with the chance of getting something a bit special.  If none of that had happened I'd have been really happy with Lambert but it's a bit like being shown a garage that could have a ferrari or a skoda in and then being given a merc, you're happy with the merc, and you'd have loved it before but you can't stop thinking about the ferrari you might've had.

[James]

True paul_e, but then the ferrari might have had chronic faults and the merc be smooth as silk all the way? We'll never know, we should do our best to enjoy the merc, after all, it could have been a skoda, right?

[paul_e]

Oh exactly, that's the point, not disappointed but can't help but think we could've done better.

[dave.woodhall]

True paul_e, but then the ferrari might have had chronic faults and the merc be smooth as silk all the way? We'll never know, we should do our best to enjoy the merc, after all, it could have been a skoda, right?

Nothing wrong with Skodas, unless you're living in the past or believe very bad and inaccurate stereotypes.

[paul_e]

agreed dave, I purposely picked something with a bad rep but that's still a lot better than the robin reliant we've just taken to the scrap.

[James]

True paul_e, but then the ferrari might have had chronic faults and the merc be smooth as silk all the way? We'll never know, we should do our best to enjoy the merc, after all, it could have been a skoda, right?

Nothing wrong with Skodas, unless you're living in the past or believe very bad and inaccurate stereotypes.

True, but you'd never have one in preference to a Merc! 

[dave.woodhall]

True paul_e, but then the ferrari might have had chronic faults and the merc be smooth as silk all the way? We'll never know, we should do our best to enjoy the merc, after all, it could have been a skoda, right?

Nothing wrong with Skodas, unless you're living in the past or believe very bad and inaccurate stereotypes.

True, but you'd never have one in preference to a Merc! 

I did. Mercs are nowhere near as good as they used to be, Skodas are Audis with a different badge.

[paul_e]

True paul_e, but then the ferrari might have had chronic faults and the merc be smooth as silk all the way? We'll never know, we should do our best to enjoy the merc, after all, it could have been a skoda, right?

Nothing wrong with Skodas, unless you're living in the past or believe very bad and inaccurate stereotypes.

True, but you'd never have one in preference to a Merc! 

I did. Mercs are nowhere near as good as they used to be, Skodas are Audis with a different badge.

I thought it was volkswagen they owned skoda?

EDIT - I'm also very very sorry for a stunning derailment of the thread which is clearly going to lead to a page or 2 of discussing cars.

[dave.woodhall]

I thought it was volkswagen they owned skoda?

They own Audi as well.

[charleeco7]

He's exactly the type of manager we need. He won't take any crap off some of our, shall we say, more challenging squad members. Can work on a limited budget and seems to have an eye for a player. He also changes his team and systems as he see's fit

He is much more suited to us that the over rated (IMO) Martinez.