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

[VillaAlways]

We played well on occasion last year, the games against Arsenal and Chelsea for example.

We played well on occasion last year, the games against Arsenal and Chelsea for example.

Blackburn (h) Norwich (h) Bolton (a) QPR (h) second half

[tomd2103]

I disagree there Mark.  There has been a change in play noticably in that our team try far harder to "play" football through the middle.  That may not be a blessing with out midfield as it stands.  But the pass back to Given/Collins to the lump it to the oppositions backline has reduced.   The ricks and mistakes still happen, but by young lads that are really wanting to play for us.  You can see it as they come off. They are gutted.  Last year you felt a bit like some were just coming off "oh well".  The results have not improved.  But the effort has.  In fairness to TSM.... that result at Chelski was a bit of alright.

Maybe at the start of the season, but in recent games the long punt from Guzan to Benteke has been our primary tactic. 

[David_Nab]

The long ball to Benteke has increased in recent games hardly suprising has the midfield is so weak.

 

[Ads]

Its what I would employ, given how poor the midfield is.

[N'ZMAV]

3-5-1 etc etc

That's why we keep losing then!

[PaulWinch again]

The long ball to Benteke has increased in recent games hardly suprising has the midfield is so weak.

 

Yep and it's coincided with him struggling.

[jonzy85]

I can't believe some of the stuff in this thread.

So Paul Lambert has a secret plan to be shit - get relegated - sacked - paid off - and then blame Lerner?   Has H&V moved office?  Is the rent cheaper on Fantasy Island?

Lambert haters please understand this.  No one who works at the top of any field got there because they love money.  They got there because they love what they do and as a result put in the hard hours when money isn't even a consideration.  By that passion and hard work they find success - and money then follows.

To suggest that Lambert will be happy because he'll get paid off and 'never have to work again' is to completely misunderstand what motivates real talent. 

A poll on whether or not to sack the manager seems myopic to me but in the broad scope of the season I suppose it is fair enough - but to revive it on the back of some tonkings after the first poll didn't fit the agenda is pathetic.

Shortly after we beat Liverpool at Anfield and made the semis of the League Cup everyone was upbeat - now, after a string of bad results and some dodgy performances we are doomed.

Villa are playing kids - and they can be good kids - but they are learning the hard way.  Inconsistency was always going to be part of this season.

We were mugged at Bradford and it was unexpected and it hurt- but ffs - it's half-time in the League Cup and half-time in the Premier League.  Lambert and the players will be moving heaven and earth behind closed doors to put things right.  Villa will improve - of that I am sure - whether they will improve enough I cannot say.

But I look at the facts of the case and I know both owner and manager and squad all want the best for our club.  And I'm sorry - shit we have been yes - but we are not only shit -  when we have played well - we've been great.  And that is something I never saw even once last season under TSM.

We are not dead yet - nor ever will be.

Wow, some common sense. That might not go down too well here.

[pauliewalnuts]

I agree, we've played well in parts, and that suggests green shoots of what we want to do in the future.

However, as others have said, we also managed the odd decent performance under McLeish (Arsenal at home, Chelsea away).

What Lambert has to do is prove that the decent stuff we have seen this season wasn't just fluke, and that it was tangible evidence of what we are trying to do starting to show through.

[PaulWinch again]

I agree, we've played well in parts, and that suggests green shoots of what we want to do in the future.

However, as others have said, we also managed the odd decent performance under McLeish (Arsenal at home, Chelsea away).

What Lambert has to do is prove that the decent stuff we have seen this season wasn't just fluke, and that it was tangible evidence of what we are trying to do starting to show through.

We have played well in patches, but unfortunately those patches date back over a month now. We've been pretty dreadful since the beginning of December. That is a long period of dross, and there doesn't seem to be a coherant plan to address it at the moment. We look by far the poorest team in the league currently, and there are no real signs of that improving.

[Risso]

We've played well in very small patches, but just as last year these have proved to be the exceptions rather than building blocks for anything concrete.  And as I keep saying, lots of teams try to play nice football, like Wigan for example, who are perennial relegation battlers (under their manager who Sonlyme wanted instead of Lambert in the summer I might add).  Trying to play some nice football with largely rubbish footballers doesn't get you very far unfortunately.

[Concrete John]

We've played well in very small patches, but just as last year these have proved to be the exceptions rather than building blocks for anything concrete.  And as I keep saying, lots of teams try to play nice football, like Wigan for example, who are perennial relegation battlers (under their manager who Sonlyme wanted instead of Lambert in the summer I might add).  Trying to play some nice football with largely rubbish footballers doesn't get you very far unfortunately.

It's too early to say whether they are isolated patches or the beginnings of something, but our problem right now is not the playing style, but rather the defending.  We can't do much going forward when we're picking the ball out of the back of our own net every 10 minutes and that also breeds the lack of confidence we've seen that is limiting the better players playing the sort of football I think/hope they can.

Lambert needs to sort us out the basics at the back before he can be properly judged on what he's trying to evolve us into playing wise.

[PaulWinch again]

Well our defence is also causing it's own problems by hoofing the ball forward. If we could retain possesion it was ease a lot of pressure on the defence.

[David_Nab]

ChelsTransferGossip ‏@ChelsTransfer
The response from Roberto Di Matteo's camp with regards to the Aston Villa enquiry has been encouraging (Daily Express) #CFC #AVFC
Expand   Reply  Retweeted  Favorite  More
6m ChelsTransferGossip ‏@ChelsTransfer
Aston Villa have approached Di Matteo's representatives to enquire if he would be interested to takeover as manager #CFC #AVFC (Express)

[pauliewalnuts]

ChelsTransferGossip ‏@ChelsTransfer
The response from Roberto Di Matteo's camp with regards to the Aston Villa enquiry has been encouraging (Daily Express) #CFC #AVFC
Expand   Reply  Retweeted  Favorite  More
6m ChelsTransferGossip ‏@ChelsTransfer
Aston Villa have approached Di Matteo's representatives to enquire if he would be interested to takeover as manager #CFC #AVFC (Express)

Wow.

When @ChelsTransfer speaks, the world sits up and listens.

[TheSandman]

I don't know, lets wait for the confirmation from AVFCMysteryMan.