January Transfer Thread: Speculation, Lies, Absolute Cr*p and Bosman Rumours

[saunders_heroes]

Turner wasnt ready for a like like this , McNeill was a disaster , I wanted lambert for the job but sometimes a manager fits a certain club - I remember mike walker doing great things at Norwich but the step up to Everton proved a disaster , I hope this doesn't end the same way.

Turner wasn't just "not ready", he was never good enough, ever. History tells us that.

[DerHammer]

I thought there might have been at least 1 in by now but maybe the player's he wants are not available. There's no point in signing just anybody. I know we need players, especially at the back but they need to be right as well. It'll be a case of wait and see i suppose.

Spot on clampy, who knows whats going on behind the scenes really? I just wish the board would keep us informed of their intentions but that would be showing their hand to the other clubs. It's annoying but we've got to wait to see I guess, f'all else we can do.

[Jockey Randall]

Di matteo is a significantly worse manager than Lambert in my opinion.

Lambert is the worst manager we've had in over 30 years, how on earth would RDM do any worse?

Lambert has been left with a lot of players from previous regimes who are no where near good enough. Giving him half a season to rectify that is harsh imo. I would think the same if he'd had 3 years at it, but calling him worse than some of crap managers we've experienced in recent times is way off the mark and sums up the instant success mentality that so many football fans have these days.

[eastie]

I don't think changing manager would negate our need for a strong and experienced defender and midfielder.

 Certainly agree with you , but why would it stop us signing those kind of players ?

It wouldn't.  What I was getting at is that, IMO, our problems are player based and not manager based.

But is it not the manager who buys the players and decides the tactics?  I'm not anti lambert but I do have serious doubts regarding him.

He's far from blameless, but how much were his hands tied in the summer?  You can blame him for KEA being poor, but not for the injuries to Dunne and Vlaar.

Vlaar looks a decent  player but his injury record is very poor , he does seem to pick up a lot of injuries .

[maidstonevillain]

Di matteo is a significantly worse manager than Lambert in my opinion.

Lambert is the worst manager we've had in over 30 years, how on earth would RDM do any worse?

Worse than Graham Turner? Or McNeill?

He certainly hasn't yet shown he is better.

[saunders_heroes]

Di matteo is a significantly worse manager than Lambert in my opinion.

Lambert is the worst manager we've had in over 30 years, how on earth would RDM do any worse?

Lambert has been left with a lot of players from previous regimes who are no where near good enough. Giving him half a season to rectify that is harsh imo. I would think the same if he'd had 3 years at it, but calling him worse than some of crap managers we've experienced in recent times is way off the mark and sums up the instant success mentality that so many football fans have these days.

He certainly inherited players who weren't good enough, but he actually went out and signed MORE players who aren't ready either. Absolute madness.

[Greg N'Ash]

Considering the diabolical defence this season and the mystery of both Dunne and Vlaar's ongoing injuries you'd have thought we'd have had a couple of defenders lined up by now. We're a third of the way through the month and still nothing doing in the transfer market. We go from game to game and disaster to disaster and still Lerner and Lambert sit on their hands and do nothing.
It's almost like they couldn't give a fuck if we go down.

Aye.  Its not like we can afford to throw the Southampton game seeing its a 6 pointer even at this stage of the season.  My guess is:

1. They've lost confidence in Lambert
2. They can't/won't attract the players lambert wants moneywise
3. They think we'll be ok with the presernt squad

1 seems unlikely, 2 is probably more near the mark, 3 doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[London Villan]

I don't want him sacked, I want him to sort out the basic problems.

Not closing people down quickly, like Baker for did for their second, or not challenging people in the box, Benteke for their third, or diving in and missing the ball and the player, Bennett countless times on Tuesday are the the things that can be worked on in training and drilled into players.

This is what he should be doing.

Or when you're two midfielders can't get space to move tell your centre half to bring the ball out.

[Mazrim]

I am coming round to the view that for one season of his managerial career Paul Lambert got lucky. Last season with Norwich in the Prem. The rest of his career is pretty average, and that is in the lower leagues. He has now been found out, and I think he realises it.

Sorry, that's simply inaccurate. He got Norwich promoted twice in consecutive seasons, which is an amazing feat.
If he fails at Villa it will probably be the first time he has disappointed in his entire career.

There may come a time where time needs to be called on him but not now, not before he's had a chance to get a team together.
A lot of what he has been lumped with here is not of his own doing and he's also had some bad luck with injuries.
Not that I'm exonerating him of all blame mind you. I'm as sick of the current situation as the next man but I'm not yet at the stage where I believe he can't turn it around. This window is crucial to that end.

And there's no way I can agree that he's our worst manager in 30 years whatever the stats say. McLeish was far worse in my opinion.

[eastie]

Ultimately it's randys money at stake and he must make whatever decision he sees best to keep this club in the premier league, it's all about staying up and if that means making tough decisions so be it .

Will he look at the current state of things and think " I'll give him another £20m to spend " or will he be thinking "I'm not sure this is the right man to be spending another £20m "

Maybe he is waiting to see how things go on Saturday but another heavy defeat could be the tipping point - Saturday is an absolutely huge game.

[Concrete John]

I don't think changing manager would negate our need for a strong and experienced defender and midfielder.

 Certainly agree with you , but why would it stop us signing those kind of players ?

It wouldn't.  What I was getting at is that, IMO, our problems are player based and not manager based.

But is it not the manager who buys the players and decides the tactics?  I'm not anti lambert but I do have serious doubts regarding him.

He's far from blameless, but how much were his hands tied in the summer?  You can blame him for KEA being poor, but not for the injuries to Dunne and Vlaar.

He knew Dunne was injured when he came in.It was a huge risk just assuming he would get better and then purchase another player with an horrendous history of injuries as the other senior option

I very much doubt he assumed anything, but rather took the advice of his medical staff.  But even then, was there enough money to buy and pay two new senior CBs?

[Mazrim]

Or he could just back him and trust in the decision he made in the summer.

[PaulWinch again]

Ultimately it's randys money at stake and he must make whatever decision he sees best to keep this club in the premier league, it's all about staying up and if that means making tough decisions so be it .

The decision on the manager doesn't need to be made. I think he can turn it around, provided he signs two experienced quality defenders and two experienced quality midfielders. Once that's done it will solve so many of our problems, lack of spine, quality and nous.

[maidstonevillain]

I am coming round to the view that for one season of his managerial career Paul Lambert got lucky. Last season with Norwich in the Prem. The rest of his career is pretty average, and that is in the lower leagues. He has now been found out, and I think he realises it.

Sorry, that's simply inaccurate. He got Norwich promoted twice in consecutive seasons, which is an amazing feat.
If he fails at Villa it will probably be the first time he has disappointed in his entire career.

Why is it an amazing feat. By Championship and Leageue 1 standards, they are not exactly a small club. You could also claim he got lucky with Holt.

[PaulWinch again]

Moussa Sissoko available for 3.5 million Euros. That is an absolute bargain and exactly what we need in midfield.