Lambert meeting supporters at Villa Park tonight

[hawkeye]

The problem is that i would still expect the direct football teams to over run us and the footballing teams to out pass us.
A lot of our recent problems have been about strategy, our bigger problem now is quality.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Top posts. I am so relieved we have a manager who is changing our style to a more modern one. Not only is it more entertaining its also going to become the only way to survive.

We played some great stuff in the USA, assuming we strengthen some more I think we will be smiling by December.

[Steve R]

Without seeming to change much Lambert has actually changed a lot already. Saturday's back four was completely different to the one we had last year and looked fairly solid.

Whilst we did concede from a set piece, corners were no longer a heart-in-mouth experience.

It hasn't all been about passing the ball.

[supertom]

Yeah the defence looked good. I mean we switched off once and got punished. That was just not playing to the whistle. A few players just stopped expecting an offside.
Also having so much of the ball we restricted West Ham to very little aside from the goal. Their best chance aside came when we started chasing the game near the end and committing more people forward.
Signs are good. We still just lack a bit of prem experience in our side, and 1-2 more reliable attacking players.

[Chipsticks]

I'm actually starting to think that we might be okay with the current squad once Gabby, Dunne, and Marc return - should we not sign anyone else.

[OCD]

I think we need a first choice left back given the importance that's being placed on the full-backs and any other additions would be welcomed but not as essential as others make out. At least for this season.

[ktvillan]

I'm not saying we shouldn't be going down the route Lambert is taking us, I support it, just as I supported the way Houllier wanted to play.   But we almost came a cropper under Houllier because some players either weren't up to it or weren't into it.   He may have been wiser playing to their strengths/wishes in the short term until he was in a position to get shot of them and bring in better for the longer term strategy.  Evolution rather than revolution if you like.  If the new system is heavily reliant on fullbacks providing width, I'd argue he needs to make some signings in this window to make it work, especially as we don't have a left back.   

Keeping the ball in your own half is all very well but as Tony Mowbray's West Brazil found out a few seasons ago, it wins you nothing unless you add some penetration.

[villa `cross the mersey]

I might be a bit old fashioned - for me the time to play neat attractive football is when you are 3-0 up. Its all about results - yes I want to see open expansive football, but firstly I want to watch my team win games - the rest is the icing on the cake.

[tomd2103]

I think we need a first choice left back given the importance that's being placed on the full-backs and any other additions would be welcomed but not as essential as others make out. At least for this season.

Agree about the LB OCD.  Hopefully we can get a LB sorted soon and give the back four of Lowton, Vlaar, Clark and the new player a chance to develop as a unit.  With a good LB in place, I can see that backline becoming a reliable one over the next few seasons.

That leaves the midfield and the forwards to take care of.  I am of the opinion that changes are needed in those two areas, but once Gabby comes back I agree that they are not essential for the time being.   

[Monty]

I might be a bit old fashioned - for me the time to play neat attractive football is when you are 3-0 up. Its all about results - yes I want to see open expansive football, but firstly I want to watch my team win games - the rest is the icing on the cake.

I think that, generally speaking, the best way to get 3-0 up is to play neat football, rather than techniqueless thudding.

I'm not saying we shouldn't be going down the route Lambert is taking us, I support it, just as I supported the way Houllier wanted to play.   But we almost came a cropper under Houllier because some players either weren't up to it or weren't into it.   He may have been wiser playing to their strengths/wishes in the short term until he was in a position to get shot of them and bring in better for the longer term strategy.  Evolution rather than revolution if you like.  If the new system is heavily reliant on fullbacks providing width, I'd argue he needs to make some signings in this window to make it work, especially as we don't have a left back.   

Keeping the ball in your own half is all very well but as Tony Mowbray's West Brazil found out a few seasons ago, it wins you nothing unless you add some penetration.

I disagree. Unless you're planning on replacing pretty much every member of the squad, you need to impose the passing football training and ethos on everyone. Besides, I think it does suit the players at our club - I think we're going to see a very different Delph and Bannan this season.

Agree with you about the fullbacks though. That has to be a priority.

[ktvillan]

You may be right Montbert but there are a fair few players who may not find it so easy to fit into the new ethos.  Will it suit suit Gabby with his poor movement? Where does Albrighton fit in when his main use seems to be as a winger getting crosses in the box.   Hutton and Warnock already appear to have been ostracised without proven replacements, and who knows if Dunne will be able, let alone willing, to adapt.   As an example of what I'm saying, if we don't have the full backs in place to provide the necessary width for the new system, why not continue with wingers until we get them? 

[Boz]

I'm not saying we shouldn't be going down the route Lambert is taking us, I support it, just as I supported the way Houllier wanted to play.   But we almost came a cropper under Houllier because some players either weren't up to it or weren't into it.   He may have been wiser playing to their strengths/wishes in the short term until he was in a position to get shot of them and bring in better for the longer term strategy.  Evolution rather than revolution if you like.  If the new system is heavily reliant on fullbacks providing width, I'd argue he needs to make some signings in this window to make it work, especially as we don't have a left back.   

Keeping the ball in your own half is all very well but as Tony Mowbray's West Brazil found out a few seasons ago, it wins you nothing unless you add some penetration.

Spot on, we never really created anything in the final third and build up was too slow and nor incisive enough.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Montbert -" I think that, generally speaking, the best way to get 3-0 up is to play neat football, rather than techniqueless thudding."

In an ideal world I would agree with that - but we ain`t .

A few home wins playing any kind of football would placate most of VP - as stated, style and substance is a bonus.

[Chris Smith]

Montbert -" I think that, generally speaking, the best way to get 3-0 up is to play neat football, rather than techniqueless thudding."

In an ideal world I would agree with that - but we ain`t .

A few home wins playing any kind of football would placate most of VP - as stated, style and substance is a bonus.

Why would playing "any kind of football" be more likely to produce wins? Our problem is we're trying to bed in half a new team and the rest of them were part of a squad that struggled badly last season. It's going to take time and pandering to a few impatient fans who expect instant results shouldn't come into the equation.

[pauliewalnuts]

Swapping style to get a few wins under our belt is short term. Lambert is obviously looking to the long term, and it is going to take a while to change the way we're set up.

I saw the West Ham game, and listening to / reading the comments of puindits following that, a great number of them commented on how we kept the ball so much, played short passes, triangles of passing.

The problem is we didn't have the final ball, but that is a massive, massive change from last season, and it is a change I'd like him to work on.  Surely the last thing we need now is short termism just to keep a few people happy?

We've got a manager who knows what he wants to do, and we all like what he is trying to get us to do - why not give him a chance to do it?

It will take time, yes, but we've played 90 minutes of competitive football. Preseason friendlies mean sod all.

I can't believe so many people have got their arses in their hands after one match (a match against the worst type of opposition to face for us at this time, too), it's like they can't wait to roll out the "he's as bad as the last bloke" line. I get the impression some would be happy for us to play that offensive bollocks Allardyce has West Ham playing, "throwing it in the mixer", lumping it long and high, just to get a win.