Lambert in or out? Poll reset with majority 'in', 7th May

[Rigadon]

Sounds like a manager trying to make excuses with the stuff about previous seasons struggles.  Really, this sounds eerily like McLeish last season with the massive club, not sorry I took the job, "Top sides" /  "Elite Clubs".

It's really quite depressing.   

[ozzjim]

I think one of the issue we have is that the experience still in the squad there are a few that are total shitbags. Hutton, Warnock, Ireland IMO, are not great examples and are not leaders. Bent isn't either, KEA has been really poor and Holman is bloody awful most of the time.

As such, Vlaar and Gabby are the best of the more experienced players. We need 2-3 more through the side to bring it up to par.

[pestria]

OK, possibly the least surprising post ever from me, but I've had enough.  I accept that he was the most obvious and preferred choice in the summer, but it isn't working and he's going to get us relegated.  Our worst start to a season, the worst goal difference in the league, two goals a game conceded, our record top flight defeat, and now three humiliating defeats in a row that have destroyed the lest remnants of any confidence the team once had.  Getting battered at home by a team like Wigan who had one point in their previous however many games was the last straw.  Yes, we all wanted him, but it just isn't working, and it was Lambert's choice to spend 20m on a team full of lower league kids, and players like Bennett, KEA, Bowery and Westwood just aren't good enough for a Premier League team, especially given how poor the rest of our team is.


I also realise that it wouldn't be the the best time to ditch him, but how can you retain somebody who is performing so poorly?  The football isn't even any improvement on last year, and the results are far, far worse.  So at present, I'd have him on a par with McNeill for paucity of performance.


As for who we'd get in, a short term fixer to try and keep us up.  Di Matteo maybe?  Or somebody like Roy Keane to give everybody a kick up the arse, as one thing Lambert clearly can't do is motivate anybody.


Right, where's me tin hat?

On the whole his signings were excellent.  He got a decent centre forward, right back, central midfielder and central defender for £20m - and within the wage structure.

His main failing has been his inability to integrate and get performances out of the experienced players - mainly Bent, but also Gabby and in a round about way Warnock.  Ireland is basket case for which he can't possibly be blamed.

Plus he's been unlucky with injuries - was it Napolean who preferred lucky generals?

His options as I see them are:-
(a) persuade the board to sanction the purchase of top quality players with proven experience - ie repeat of Bent purchase
(b) pay (presumably) high wages for loan/short term contract players - eg Lampard, Parker, Keane
(c) pull a rabbit out of the hat with a gem or two from abroad

If he can't get a combination of the above within the next month then he's fubar and he might as well resign now - at least ths would point out the failings of Lerner and Faulkener and might actually move the club forward .

AP

[eastie]

Would love to be a fly on the wall at these so called showdown talks between lambert and Lerner tomorrow.

[AVFCRob]

Sack Lambert and get Roy Keane in?

I am struggling to think of a more stupid idea.

How long would you then give it before you starting crucifying him? Or Barry Chuckle? Or Avram Grant? Or whoever we'd reduced ourselves to employing?

The problem is not the manager. It is the absentee chairman who quite clearly doesn't really care too much any more.

Paulie, I usually agree with your thoughts, but do you really believe that Lambert is not even slightly culpable for this mess. He picks the team, he chooses the formation, the tactics, he's the motivator.

I can scarcely comprehend what I am seeing at the moment and Lambert has to take serious responsibility for what is going on. The team seem to lack even the most basic fundamentals of a functioning unit. The ineptitude is absolutely staggering. Basic passes going astray, continual poor decision making. Lack of effort, fight, passion.

Attitude and ability completely lacking. Lambert is getting away with murder at the moment. Any Division Two side would have put up more of a show over the last three games.

Lambert needs to deconstruct everything he is doing right now and reconsider what makes a team function. Injuries and youth do not excuse the horrors of the last 3 games. No way.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Would love to be a fly on the wall at these so called showdown talks between lambert and Lerner tomorrow.

Quite

LAMBERT 'we need newsignings....mumble....mumble....braveheart....we go again......'

LERNER 'Huh huh huh, I need to stroke ma dicky now.'

[Rigadon]

Would love to be a fly on the wall at these so called showdown talks between lambert and Lerner tomorrow.

Quite

LAMBERT 'we need newsignings....mumble....mumble....braveheart....we go again......'

LERNER 'Huh huh huh, I need to stroke ma dicky now.'

These aren't showdown talks as in "you're fired", rather I'd imagine they are talks about a transfer budget.  I would rather hope that this budget is swelled as a result of Lerner being present today, but, you never know. 

[eastie]

Would love to be a fly on the wall at these so called showdown talks between lambert and Lerner tomorrow.

Quite

LAMBERT 'we need newsignings....mumble....mumble....braveheart....we go again......'

LERNER 'Huh huh huh, I need to stroke ma dicky now.'

Funniest post I've seen in ages- good job we can still find humour in our current plight!

[Irish villain]

Would love to be a fly on the wall at these so called showdown talks between lambert and Lerner tomorrow.

Quite

LAMBERT 'we need newsignings....mumble....mumble....braveheart....we go again......'

LERNER 'Huh huh huh, I need to stroke ma dicky now.'

Funniest post I've seen in ages- good job we can still find humour in our current plight!

Me too, it made me laugh!

[Risso]

The club is shit from top to bottom, sadly. Sacking Lambert would be pointless for two reasons. Firstly, he's trying to do the right things. Secondly, as everything else is so crap, it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever at the moment.

What is it that he's trying to do that's so special that sticking with him makes sense?  He's given us our worst ever start to a season, our record defeat and a current run that means just about every other footy fan in the world is laughing at us.  If his football was particularly brilliant, then fair enough I'd say stick with him, but he's hardly Pep Guardiola.  He's still just being given time because he isn't McLeish, pure and simple.  This idiot is taking us down, make no mistake.  15 goals scored and 39 goals conceded in 20 games is breathtakingly poor.  He's doing far, far worse than McLeish, but because he isn't McLeish, he's being given an easy ride.

[hawkeye]

We can not just keep firing managers, the likely replacements would be even worse. Of course Lambert is responsible for the peformanes good and bad. His biggest mistake was believing this squad and particularly this midfield was good enough for the Prem. It was naive in the extreme.

Our best chance and i believe our only chance is to give the Guy January and funds to sort it out, we are a couple of players and the return of some injuries away from a team capable of survival.

i said after last season the job to get rid of the deadwoood and replace them was a massive task, he has had 1 window. and to see the likes of Warnock Dunne Nzogbia Ireland Hutton off the payroll and adequate replacements found is going to need a lot more time.

[pauliewalnuts]

Sack Lambert and get Roy Keane in?

I am struggling to think of a more stupid idea.

How long would you then give it before you starting crucifying him? Or Barry Chuckle? Or Avram Grant? Or whoever we'd reduced ourselves to employing?

The problem is not the manager. It is the absentee chairman who quite clearly doesn't really care too much any more.

Paulie, I usually agree with your thoughts, but do you really believe that Lambert is not even slightly culpable for this mess. He picks the team, he chooses the formation, the tactics, he's the motivator.

I can scarcely comprehend what I am seeing at the moment and Lambert has to take serious responsibility for what is going on. The team seem to lack even the most basic fundamentals of a functioning unit. The ineptitude is absolutely staggering. Basic passes going astray, continual poor decision making. Lack of effort, fight, passion.

Attitude and ability completely lacking. Lambert is getting away with murder at the moment. Any Division Two side would have put up more of a show over the last three games.

Lambert needs to deconstruct everything he is doing right now and reconsider what makes a team function. Injuries and youth do not excuse the horrors of the last 3 games. No way.

Of course he is guilty for some of it.

That still doesn't answer the question, though. Sack Lambert tonight, and then tomorrow, what do we do?

[pauliewalnuts]

The club is shit from top to bottom, sadly. Sacking Lambert would be pointless for two reasons. Firstly, he's trying to do the right things. Secondly, as everything else is so crap, it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever at the moment.

What is it that he's trying to do that's so special that sticking with him makes sense?  He's given us our worst ever start to a season, our record defeat and a current run that means just about every other footy fan in the world is laughing at us.  If his football was particularly brilliant, then fair enough I'd say stick with him, but he's hardly Pep Guardiola.  He's still just being given time because he isn't McLeish, pure and simple.  This idiot is taking us down, make no mistake.  15 goals scored and 39 goals conceded in 20 games is breathtakingly poor.  He's doing far, far worse than McLeish, but because he isn't McLeish, he's being given an easy ride.

So, once again, we sack him, and then what?

Two days before the window opens, what do we do?

It's all well and good moaning and screaming for the sack, but its not a guarantee things are going to get better.

[FrankyH]

Probably felt more depressed today, than any time under TSM .But would still rather have Lambert in charge and still think if we can survive this season , we will be okay.

[Big Dick Edwards]

Sacking Lambert will be pointless if the owner doesn't change his buying policy. What manager of substance would come here at the moment with no money available to bring in some quality additions to the squad? We have to stick with Lambert and not forget his outstanding managerial record of the previous three seasons. We also need our ever growing injury list to shrink.