Lambert meeting supporters at Villa Park tonight

[OCD]

Don't know if anyone else saw it but Gary Neville did an interesting bit of analysis yesterday that elaborated on what Lambert said in the forum. He basically said that fewer teams play with wingers and that width is coming from the full backs. The number of goals scored from crosses has been falling every year for the past 5 years whilst the number of passes has increased. He said that the game is developing for a more technical one and that flair players are playing in the gaps between defenders rather than out wide. They have to be hard working and do their fair share of defensive work as well as their creative work and then he showed what Hazard did on Sunday.

We've adopted a style of play which is in line with the way the game is changing. We might have a tough couple of years whilst we get to grips with it but its for the long-term good and we will need to be patient.

[stubbsyandy]

Don't know if anyone else saw it but Gary Neville did an interesting bit of analysis yesterday that elaborated on what Lambert said in the forum. He basically said that fewer teams play with wingers and that width is coming from the full backs. The number of goals scored from crosses has been falling every year for the past 5 years whilst the number of passes has increased. He said that the game is developing for a more technical one and that flair players are playing in the gaps between defenders rather than out wide. They have to be hard working and do their fair share of defensive work as well as their creative work and then he showed what Hazard did on Sunday.

We've adopted a style of play which is in line with the way the game is changing. We might have a tough couple of years whilst we get to grips with it but its for the long-term good and we will need to be patient.

Good post!

[OCD]

Thanks!

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Don't know if anyone else saw it but Gary Neville did an interesting bit of analysis yesterday that elaborated on what Lambert said in the forum. He basically said that fewer teams play with wingers and that width is coming from the full backs. The number of goals scored from crosses has been falling every year for the past 5 years whilst the number of passes has increased. He said that the game is developing for a more technical one and that flair players are playing in the gaps between defenders rather than out wide. They have to be hard working and do their fair share of defensive work as well as their creative work and then he showed what Hazard did on Sunday.

We've adopted a style of play which is in line with the way the game is changing. We might have a tough couple of years whilst we get to grips with it but its for the long-term good and we will need to be patient.

Good post!

Not if you're a Sunderland fan.

[garyshawsknee]

You beat me to it Rudy. Wonder how long it will take Sunderland to be found out,especially at home?

[Dante Lavelli]

The thing with Sunderland is other teams will still fancy their chances when playing at the Stadium of Light so for a couple of years he’ll still get a few results and generally do well away.  His problem will come when teams come and “park the bus” like they started to do at Villa Park

...and in the meantime the wage bill will go through the roof.

[Chipsticks]

Don't know if anyone else saw it but Gary Neville did an interesting bit of analysis yesterday that elaborated on what Lambert said in the forum. He basically said that fewer teams play with wingers and that width is coming from the full backs. The number of goals scored from crosses has been falling every year for the past 5 years whilst the number of passes has increased. He said that the game is developing for a more technical one and that flair players are playing in the gaps between defenders rather than out wide. They have to be hard working and do their fair share of defensive work as well as their creative work and then he showed what Hazard did on Sunday.

We've adopted a style of play which is in line with the way the game is changing. We might have a tough couple of years whilst we get to grips with it but its for the long-term good and we will need to be patient.

This was really interesting to read, thanks for sharing. I'm now wondering whether we could use N'Zogbia in the false number 9 role?

[ktvillan]

Don't know if anyone else saw it but Gary Neville did an interesting bit of analysis yesterday that elaborated on what Lambert said in the forum. He basically said that fewer teams play with wingers and that width is coming from the full backs. The number of goals scored from crosses has been falling every year for the past 5 years whilst the number of passes has increased. He said that the game is developing for a more technical one and that flair players are playing in the gaps between defenders rather than out wide. They have to be hard working and do their fair share of defensive work as well as their creative work and then he showed what Hazard did on Sunday.

We've adopted a style of play which is in line with the way the game is changing. We might have a tough couple of years whilst we get to grips with it but its for the long-term good and we will need to be patient.

The danger with that for me is what happened to an extent with Houllier - trying to change too much too quickly with players who struggle to adapt to a new system.  If you are not careful you can find yourself in relegation trouble, or even worse, actually relegated, while the players find their feet.   On Saturday it looked as if a fair few players were struggling to adapt, especially in the final third.    Some new signings would help, but a lot will depend on how quickly our current squad can adapt.

[LeeB]

Don't know if anyone else saw it but Gary Neville did an interesting bit of analysis yesterday that elaborated on what Lambert said in the forum. He basically said that fewer teams play with wingers and that width is coming from the full backs. The number of goals scored from crosses has been falling every year for the past 5 years whilst the number of passes has increased. He said that the game is developing for a more technical one and that flair players are playing in the gaps between defenders rather than out wide. They have to be hard working and do their fair share of defensive work as well as their creative work and then he showed what Hazard did on Sunday.

We've adopted a style of play which is in line with the way the game is changing. We might have a tough couple of years whilst we get to grips with it but its for the long-term good and we will need to be patient.

The danger with that for me is what happened to an extent with Houllier - trying to change too much too quickly with players who struggle to adapt to a new system.  If you are not careful you can find yourself in relegation trouble, or even worse, actually relegated, while the players find their feet.   On Saturday it looked as if a fair few players were struggling to adapt, especially in the final third.    Some new signings would help, but a lot will depend on how quickly our current squad can adapt.

It's got to happen though.

The last time there was a huge tactical shift in the game was the sixties. We carried on with the 'W' formation whilst more forward thinking clubs were going 4-4-2/4-3-3.

We ended up in Division 3.

[OCD]

I think Houllier's methods were starting to become beneficial in the second half of the season but I've got more confidence in Lambert's coaching staff than the team Houllier had. I thought the defence looked good and we were passing it around better so that's a good foundation for a month/6 weeks of training. I imagine we will be working on the final third during the week and the playing style should be a lot more conducive to getting better results from home games this season.

[London Villan]

As Neville was saying it's the fullbacks that are key, I wonder if any of our footballers could play that role. Bannan? Nzogbia? Ireland??

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

I think it is unfair to say it will take time to adapt to this new style of playing. Anyone who saw the games during the American tour could see the difference in the way we played in the matter of weeks. For 30 minutes against West Ham we bossed the game and retained the ball superbly. Admittedly we didn't create many chances, but we have to be patient and we have to give Lambert and his coaches time to continue the transition from TSM's garbage to playing patient attacking football. Lambert is no fool, he's got rid of one player (Collins) who doesn't suit the way he wants us to play and he's also made Warnock and Hutton know in no uncertain terms they're not part of his plans and they were our three biggest liabilities last season.
I've never been more convinced that given time Lambert will get it right, let's just be patient and give him time. I can also see him getting the best out of Ireland and N'Zogbia with time...

[pauliewalnuts]

I think it is unfair to say it will take time to adapt to this new style of playing. Anyone who saw the games during the American tour could see the difference in the way we played in the matter of weeks. For 30 minutes against West Ham we bossed the game and retained the ball superbly. Admittedly we didn't create many chances, but we have to be patient and we have to give Lambert and his coaches time to continue the transition from TSM's garbage to playing patient attacking football. Lambert is no fool, he's got rid of one player (Collins) who doesn't suit the way he wants us to play and he's also made Warnock and Hutton know in no uncertain terms they're not part of his plans and they were our three biggest liabilities last season.
I've never been more convinced that given time Lambert will get it right, let's just be patient and give him time. I can also see him getting the best out of Ireland and N'Zogbia with time...

I agree, although I'd add that the evidence of the preseason tour isn't really worth much, as we were playing the second strings of poor sides in a shit league.

Premier League football is entirely different.

re the point OCD made above, I would much, much rather put up with some shit results and a poor season this year if it moved us along the way to playing in such a progressive way, I'd much prefer it to finishing three or four places higher by resorting to primitive football just to satisfy the short term need for results.

[wozwebs]

Saw that with Neville and thought how good a pundit he is compared to the dinosaurs of Gray and Keys. Makes you wonder if it was the bigwigs at sky who 'released' the footage of them to get rid cheaply. Certainly better now even though I despised Neville when he was on the pitch.  Fair play to him

[OCD]

Saw that with Neville and thought how good a pundit he is compared to the dinosaurs of Gray and Keys. Makes you wonder if it was the bigwigs at sky who 'released' the footage of them to get rid cheaply. Certainly better now even though I despised Neville when he was on the pitch.  Fair play to him

Before last season I really didn't like him and I still wouldn't go as far as saying that I like him but I like his analysis on MNF. He did a good bit of analysis before he took the England coaching job where he highlight England's weaknesses which was really interesting too. It was along the same lines - that we have always lined up with a flat 4-4-2 whereas continental sides have used formations where players were playing in the gaps. He showed how you end up having very little possession of the ball, the players spend most of the game chasing the ball, the same (or a similar) team is used for the other games and the players are knackered by the time the group stages arrive. Hodgson gave Neville his coaching job a few days later yet still repeated the same old mistakes which was strange.