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

[Goldie.7]

Still out for me. The guys completely clueless plus i'm sick of putting on subtitles for post match interviews!

[curiousorange]

I've been trying to work out where Lambert's strengths actually lie. According to reports he doesn't actually coach, which leaves acquisitions, tactics and motivation. It would be laughed off the forum if I tried to claim the latter two, so I won't. Which leaves acquisitions. Fair plays, he's bought in some players that will probably be established top-flight players sooner on down the line, and some that just won't, but he's supposed to be a manager, not a scout.

So what exactly does Lambert bring to the party?

What's also concerning is that if there is a groundswell of support to give our manager the elbow, who comes in to take over the team while a new manager is installed? Culverhouse and Karsa will probably go too, and Kevin McDonald's gone. So it's back to Sid, who didn't have a fantastic time as an assistant boss, let alone a full blown temp. You sack Lambert, he has to go this weekend at the very latest otherwise January's transfer window will not be of any use to us.

[saunders_heroes]

I'm sorry, but Lambert is a small club manager in a similar style to Owen Coyle, who should have stayed where he was comfortable and left the big job to somebody else. 

Yep, just as you predicted in July Riss-bert

Quite, I understand Risso's annoyance, but that last post is somewhat at odds with how he took it when Lambert got the job.

Oh do wind it in, look at how excited everybody gets at the slightest whiff of a new player or manager.  Everybody was sure N'Zogbia was going to be a brilliant buy for us, and had their user names changed accordingly. 99% of people would drive him to where he wanted to go now. At least I do now realise that simply not being McLeish isn't a reason in itself for keeping somebody in a job.

But the difference between some of us and you is that your view is changing the manager is going to fix everything.

Look at McLeish's puchases compared to Lambert's on a similar spend. Obviously for yourself, every player Lambert has bought is shit. But for most others, they can see Westwood, Benteke and Lowton look like very good players who could improve massively with experienced players. And Guzan who was fobbed off by TSM looks a better bet then Given now. Bennett has some good play but looks poor more and more and the same with KEA.

But from Alex, we have been saddled with the aforementioned N'zog, an equally inexperienced Stevens, a potentially bad Holman and a rapidly aging Given one year into a five year contract. We also had an injury prone Jenas in the midfield experience role on loan. The only transfer decision he made that was an improvement was Keane and he was only for a month so you can't really

You make it sound like we've improved since McLeish left. We haven't, we got worse.

[Risso]

I'm sorry, but Lambert is a small club manager in a similar style to Owen Coyle, who should have stayed where he was comfortable and left the big job to somebody else. 

Yep, just as you predicted in July Riss-bert

Quite, I understand Risso's annoyance, but that last post is somewhat at odds with how he took it when Lambert got the job.

Oh do wind it in, look at how excited everybody gets at the slightest whiff of a new player or manager.  Everybody was sure N'Zogbia was going to be a brilliant buy for us, and had their user names changed accordingly. 99% of people would drive him to where he wanted to go now. At least I do now realise that simply not being McLeish isn't a reason in itself for keeping somebody in a job. 

Missing the point.

You're saying he should have stayed where he was. I'm pointing out that, whilst he's turned out to be disappointing so far, to suggest he shouldn't have made the move at all is utter bollocks, as you - like the rest of us - were pleased with the appointment.

Slate him all you like, but that "shouldn't have come here in the first place" line is revisionist nonsense.

As for your McLeish point, I don't think for a moment not being him is enough, but it's a start, which is what every man jack of us was saying on here at the end of last season.

I'm fairly certain your opinion on Lerner has changed quite dramatically over the last three years as well.

[claretandbeer]

Wigan finished 5pts above us last season and are below us now,so surely they must sack Martinez ?  Reading ,promoted as champions,must sack McDermott.As for Newcastle,6th last season and just one point in front of us,Pardew has no chance.The Hammers fans got big Sam the sack as they could only get into the play offs,pity the board didn't listen to them.And then there was that serial failure,Ferguson,greeted with banners telling him to go. How did he get on ?

[pauliewalnuts]

I'm sorry, but Lambert is a small club manager in a similar style to Owen Coyle, who should have stayed where he was comfortable and left the big job to somebody else. 

Yep, just as you predicted in July Riss-bert

Quite, I understand Risso's annoyance, but that last post is somewhat at odds with how he took it when Lambert got the job.

Oh do wind it in, look at how excited everybody gets at the slightest whiff of a new player or manager.  Everybody was sure N'Zogbia was going to be a brilliant buy for us, and had their user names changed accordingly. 99% of people would drive him to where he wanted to go now. At least I do now realise that simply not being McLeish isn't a reason in itself for keeping somebody in a job. 

Missing the point.

You're saying he should have stayed where he was. I'm pointing out that, whilst he's turned out to be disappointing so far, to suggest he shouldn't have made the move at all is utter bollocks, as you - like the rest of us - were pleased with the appointment.

Slate him all you like, but that "shouldn't have come here in the first place" line is revisionist nonsense.

As for your McLeish point, I don't think for a moment not being him is enough, but it's a start, which is what every man jack of us was saying on here at the end of last season.

I'm fairly certain your opinion on Lerner has changed quite dramatically over the last three years as well.

Yes, it has, I am aware that opinions change, but its one thing to say Lambert is doing badly (and, honestly, we've all noticed) but another one to start acting like it was doomed from the start.

I just don't get you on this subject. You make valid points on a lot of the issues here but they then get lost in your incredibly angry reaction to it all, which paints absolutely everything as shit.

Lambert signed most oif the shit players ... Vlaars not much cop anyway s how can we miss him ... there has been zero promise from this team all season (which is palpable nonsense as we are moaning about a semi final we reached by scoring four goals at both Man City and Norwich) ... and then the whole "sack the manager, anyone will do, maybe we don't even need a manager" thing

Everyone can see how shit things are, the difference is most people can see that spunking more money sacking another manager right now would just make things worse.

Do you not realise that, for example, we are nine days into a crucial window in which we absolutely must strengthen? In which we have limited funds?

How - beyond pointless hyperbolic anger along the lines of "well, it could hardly make things worse" - would sacking the manager and starting to look for a whole new management team on January 10th help that?

You can't answer that question, firstly because you don't want to, and secondly because you know there isn't an answer which will achieve anything other than satisfy your lust for blood

There isn't an easy, flick the switch answer to this mess, unfortunately, no matter how fucked off we get about it.

[curiousorange]

Wigan finished 5pts above us last season and are below us now,so surely they must sack Martinez ?  Reading ,promoted as champions,must sack McDermott.As for Newcastle,6th last season and just one point in front of us,Pardew has no chance.The Hammers fans got big Sam the sack as they could only get into the play offs,pity the board didn't listen to them.And then there was that serial failure,Ferguson,greeted with banners telling him to go. How did he get on ?

I see your point and I think the large majority of fans are against those kind of knee-jerk reactions. But a great deal of those same patient fans are turning towards the idea of a change because we're quite definitely sliding in terms of form and confidence. How far we are down that slope time will tell, but for what it's worth I don't think we've reached the nadir this season yet.

[bertlambshank]

Wigan finished 5pts above us last season and are below us now,so surely they must sack Martinez ?  Reading ,promoted as champions,must sack McDermott.As for Newcastle,6th last season and just one point in front of us,Pardew has no chance.The Hammers fans got big Sam the sack as they could only get into the play offs,pity the board didn't listen to them.And then there was that serial failure,Ferguson,greeted with banners telling him to go. How did he get on ?

How many of those clubs have let in the goals we have?

[claretandbeer]

The league is not decided on how many goals you let in,otherwise TSM would be a great manager.If we can improve in central midfield and the centre of the defence,we will be okay.
We don't have to sign world class players just improvements.

[Ross]

Wigan finished 5pts above us last season and are below us now,so surely they must sack Martinez ?  Reading ,promoted as champions,must sack McDermott.As for Newcastle,6th last season and just one point in front of us,Pardew has no chance.The Hammers fans got big Sam the sack as they could only get into the play offs,pity the board didn't listen to them.And then there was that serial failure,Ferguson,greeted with banners telling him to go. How did he get on ?

Oh Jesus. Someone's rolled out the 'sack Fergie' thing.  It had to come. What I you've got more of a Billy McNeill than a Sir Alex? Still stick with him?  All those managers you mention have credit in the bank because they have achieved relative success with that club, and I don't think Big Sam has been sacked by West Ham yet.

Lambert has had more good will and support of any manager I can think, including some villa favourites.  He's hardly been unfairly treated.  Just how bad does it ave to get before he goes?  I desperately want him to succeed I just think its already too far gone.

[curiousorange]

Lambert had a lot of early credit without having to do anything by virtue of the fact he wasn't McLeish. Added to that, he was a lot of fans' first choice (notwithstanding the brief flare-up of Solksjaer love) so we thought we were being listened to again. And finally, he's been forgiven the dodgy form and the threadbare squad because we thought for all the bumps were were going to take, at least we were going to recieve them playing the right way. However, that hasn't really shown itself.

I'm going to stop now, because if I don't I'll convince myself to join the 'sack' camp.

[bertlambshank]

I think he will walk if we lose Saturday.He looks like a beaten man.

[Greg N'Ash]

Wigan finished 5pts above us last season and are below us now,so surely they must sack Martinez ?  Reading ,promoted as champions,must sack McDermott.As for Newcastle,6th last season and just one point in front of us,Pardew has no chance.The Hammers fans got big Sam the sack as they could only get into the play offs,pity the board didn't listen to them.And then there was that serial failure,Ferguson,greeted with banners telling him to go. How did he get on ?

Oh Jesus. Someone's rolled out the 'sack Fergie' thing.  It had to come. What I you've got more of a Billy McNeill than a Sir Alex? Still stick with him?  All those managers you mention have credit in the bank because they have achieved relative success with that club, and I don't think Big Sam has been sacked by West Ham yet.

Lambert has had more good will and support of any manager I can think, including some villa favourites.  He's hardly been unfairly treated.  Just how bad does it ave to get before he goes?  I desperately want him to succeed I just think its already too far gone.

Aye, the trouble with the Sir Redface comparisons is he near enough bought two sides before he started winning trophies. If Lambert had his budget i'd be confident on him turning things round with the transfer window. hell, with MON's budget i would, but the end of the day he's got neither the budget or the existing players they had the luxury of. He needs to wise up, play to survive or he's a goner

[claretandbeer]

No,Sam hasn't been sacked by West Ham but the fans wanted him out as at Newcastle.You can't keep sacking managers and expect to be successful.Except Chelsea and Real Madrid ,where money and more money is thrown at the problem,not applicable to a normal club.
Lambert's record is outstanding,his signings are far better than TSMs,give him time.We're in the same position as we ended last season.Disappointing,yes.But considering how we fell away after Stan's departure and the players that were at VP. Senior players like Dunne and Given in decline.Others like Hutton and Warnock ridiculed by the fans. Collins fighting with the staff.Another 2 games last year,we would have been relegated.Changes need to be made.

[Somniloquism]

You make it sound like we've improved since McLeish left. We haven't, we got worse.

Yes we have got worse, especially in this spell although tonights result is no worse then Doncaster in 95 where we had a strong side out and barely created anything.

But I'm also aware that this season is a culmination of 4 years of cost cutting and quality replacement by the owner. The last time we had such drastic cuts was after 82.

My point was this is the only season we have seen players come in who could, given time, actually improve on what we have currently got. The only other player to come in to do that since MON flounced off was Bent but with Charles and Marc not quite being the suppliers we need for him to thrive, that doesn't help us at the moment. I personally think Lambert should be given another two windows to see if the fully purchased squad of his pans out but whether Lerner moves the goal posts again or he will have that time is another matter.