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

[damon loves JT]

According to the Graun, Lambert has accepted that he has to sign players with Prem experience: click

This is an excellent piece and a refreshing, objective antidote to the 'keep the faith', 'We'll never go down' complacency that is too prevalent on here.

It is not complacency, it is belief in our team and our manager. Thank fuck some of us still have it.

I am with dan. We can all read a league table, for fuck's sake.

[LeeB]

According to the Graun, Lambert has accepted that he has to sign players with Prem experience: click

This is an excellent piece and a refreshing, objective antidote to the 'keep the faith', 'We'll never go down' complacency that is too prevalent on here.

It is not complacency, it is belief in our team and our manager. Thank fuck some of us still have it.

I am with dan. We can all read a league table, for fuck's sake.

I'm finding a surprising number of Villa fans feeling the same way. It's good to see.

[dicedlam]

According to the Graun, Lambert has accepted that he has to sign players with Prem experience: click

This is an excellent piece and a refreshing, objective antidote to the 'keep the faith', 'We'll never go down' complacency that is too prevalent on here.

It is not complacency, it is belief in our team and our manager. Thank fuck some of us still have it.

Amen to that Dan.

[LeeB]

We shall not be moved.

[SamTheMouse]

Looks to me like Randy has gone from one extreme to the other, swapping total financial profligacy for a shoestring approach, when the reality is that if you want mid-table security, you have to aim somewhere in between. He doesn't need to start writing 8 digit cheques, he just needs to be more flexible. And given his previous form with the Bent signing, I'd say he will react appropriately in January.

I maintain that the injuries are what's really killing us, and that we only need a couple of experienced battlers - one in midfield, one at the back - and we'd immediately start looking much more solid. We absolutely have to stay up, because this young team will definitely improve.

[andyh]

Looks to me like Randy has gone from one extreme to the other, swapping total financial profligacy for a shoestring approach, when the reality is that if you want mid-table security, you have to aim somewhere in between. He doesn't need to start writing 8 digit cheques, he just needs to be more flexible. And given his previous form with the Bent signing, I'd say he will react appropriately in January.

I maintain that the injuries are what's really killing us, and that we only need a couple of experienced battlers - one in midfield, one at the back - and we'd immediately start looking much more solid. We absolutely have to stay up, because this young team will definitely improve.

I tend to agree with this about Lerners extremes.
I think it adds to the argument that he really does not appear to be a very good business man.

[Ad@m]

Looks to me like Randy has gone from one extreme to the other, swapping total financial profligacy for a shoestring approach, when the reality is that if you want mid-table security, you have to aim somewhere in between. He doesn't need to start writing 8 digit cheques, he just needs to be more flexible. And given his previous form with the Bent signing, I'd say he will react appropriately in January.

I maintain that the injuries are what's really killing us, and that we only need a couple of experienced battlers - one in midfield, one at the back - and we'd immediately start looking much more solid. We absolutely have to stay up, because this young team will definitely improve.

I'd genuinely like to know what Paul Falkner's job description is.

There's a fairly consistent view on here that Randy runs the finances at the Villa and that over or under-spending is his fault.  I struggle with this.

In any other business the Chief Executive makes strategic decisions such as setting the direction of the business and allocating budgets accordingly.  In my mind that would include our transfer strategy.  The Chairman's role is to provide a bit of balance to a Chief Exec to stop him making silly decisions before it's too late.  Spurs are a classic example of this.  Daniel Levy runs the place but I don't think he has a particularly large ownership stake.  I'd say from the outside the Spurs model seems to be just about perfect when it comes to football financing.

The Villa is probably going to be different because it's Randy's personal wealth at stake whereas in other businesses the Chairman wouldn't own the company (and Spurs are a listed company too so the Chairman wouldn't own it 100% like Randy does the Villa).  But it does interest me to understand what Faulkner actually does.  If this is how things work then Randy's only direct responsibility is in appointing the right Chief Exec.  Strategy or budgetary concerns should be directed at Faulkner.

Comparisons to HDE don't work as he never appointed a Chief Exec so he really did make all the decisions.

Edit:  Just checked and Levy is described as Executive Chairman at Spurs but I don't think they have a Chief Exec and he doesn't own the club so to all intents and purposes he's working as a Chief Exec.

[mike]

I don't think we should sack him because it won't actually help at this point, but I do think his buying policy has been exposed and the mess we are in is down to nothing more or less than not having good enough players. It was a ridiculous time to embark on a highly speculative experiment when we were lucky to have stayed up. We needed solid, proven experienced players to steady the ship and allow the exciting raw talent to be brought in over time. If half your cheap lower league transfers don't work but the other half do you're still quids in, if you've got enough depth in the squad. If you buy a job lot and chuck them all in its a massive gamble. I do accept the injuries have exacerbated the problem, but that is a fact of football and Lambert should have factored that in. Now would be a ridiculous time to sack him and if we stay up I just hope he learns from this and it becomes an early aberration in a brilliant career. And I think it might be.

[SamTheMouse]

When a team is doing shit in January, there is only one scenario in which changing the manager usually works, and that's when the current manager has a good squad but isn't getting good performances out of them. Whereas we currently have a young, decidedly modest squad and a load of injuries to senior players. I don't think any new manager would be able to do any better.

[JUAN PABLO]

I don't think we should sack him because it won't actually help at this point, but I do think his buying policy has been exposed and the mess we are in is down to nothing more or less than not having good enough players. It was a ridiculous time to embark on a highly speculative experiment when we were lucky to have stayed up. We needed solid, proven experienced players to steady the ship and allow the exciting raw talent to be brought in over time. If half your cheap lower league transfers don't work but the other half do you're still quids in, if you've got enough depth in the squad. If you buy a job lot and chuck them all in its a massive gamble. I do accept the injuries have exacerbated the problem, but that is a fact of football and Lambert should have factored that in. Now would be a ridiculous time to sack him and if we stay up I just hope he learns from this and it becomes an early aberration in a brilliant career. And I think it might be.

How I feel Mike  , good post

[Shrek]

The best tweet ever.

@ghartless: FA cup this weekend. Ideal chance for #avfc to experiment with some of the senior players.

[PaulWinch again]

At least we've stopped the rot, we need to sign a spine to the side before the end of January. A lot of the kids are not good enough.

[eastie]

Couple of rare tweets from mysteryman this afternoon , make of It what you wish-

@AvfcMysteryman: Paul Lambert on thin ice and Randy is ready with the salt #AVFC

@AvfcMysteryman: Randy's eyes are looking towards Switzerland for the next #AVFC manager

[pauliewalnuts]

Couple of rare tweets from mysteryman this afternoon , make of It what you wish-

@AvfcMysteryman: Paul Lambert on thin ice and Randy is ready with the salt #AVFC

@AvfcMysteryman: Randy's eyes are looking towards Switzerland for the next #AVFC manager

That's not the bloke who posts on VT.

That's some teenager on his dad's laptop playing big shot.

[eastie]

Couple of rare tweets from mysteryman this afternoon , make of It what you wish-

@AvfcMysteryman: Paul Lambert on thin ice and Randy is ready with the salt #AVFC

@AvfcMysteryman: Randy's eyes are looking towards Switzerland for the next #AVFC manager

That's not the bloke who posts on VT.

That's some teenager on his dad's laptop playing big shot.

If you check out his previous tweets he has been fairly accurate and rarely tweets.