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

[Concrete John]

Milner - replaced by Ireland, many thought we got the better of the deal at the time.
Young - replaced by Nzogbia, many people thought we'd got an upgrade.

Who are these people, and why do their carers let them post on the internet?

Check back on the post on here around the time, plenty of people thought Ireland would give us more cutting edge and provide more assists and Nzogbia would be a much bigger goal threat than Young, whilst still providing assists, etc.

Django - my point exactly, it's hard to point fingers and blame people when, for whatever reason, every major signing we made between Downing and Benteke has turned out to be a huge waste of money.

For what it's worth I thought N'Zogbia for £10m was a great deal in the context of losing Downing for £20m.

It was on paper.  As was Milner for Ireland + £18m or whatever it was.  However, on the pitch these players really haven't done what we would expect of them.

As for Lambert, I think his hands were tied in the summer over wages more than transfer fee.  Nobody wanted Hutton or Warnock anywhere near the side, but we stillhad to pay them.  As we have with Dunne and Makoun and Ireland and the list goes on.

His biggest fault is not getting the defence right.  It's just the basics really, so it baffles me why we can't tighten up.  It's eroding the good work he is doing in trying to get us to play a better style of possession and attacking football. 

I'm in the 'back him' camp as we've changed manager's too often and his policy over youth is the way forward for us to try and get back to the top 6.  However, it may not be the way to fight our way out of the present predicament.   

[Risso]

@JamesNursey: #AVFC as a club had so much upheaval since O'Neill quit, told no desire to sack Lambert

Lambert's caused more upheaval than anybody else!

Lerner must be the stupidest billionaire on the planet.  He deserved to lose millions, the thick fucker.

[Walmley_Villa]

I think they mean there is no money to sack Lambert...

[saunders_heroes]

Milner - replaced by Ireland, many thought we got the better of the deal at the time.
Young - replaced by Nzogbia, many people thought we'd got an upgrade.

Who are these people, and why do their carers let them post on the internet?

Check back on the post on here around the time, plenty of people thought Ireland would give us more cutting edge and provide more assists and Nzogbia would be a much bigger goal threat than Young, whilst still providing assists, etc.

Django - my point exactly, it's hard to point fingers and blame people when, for whatever reason, every major signing we made between Downing and Benteke has turned out to be a huge waste of money.

And plenty thought they were a downgrade as well.
Last summer's signings were the biggest catastrophe though. How anyone in their right mind would think packing the team out with lower league players was the way forward is beyond me. It was absolute madness, and let's not forget that many fans fell for the "young and hungry" bullshit.

[bertlambshank]

@JamesNursey: #AVFC as a club had so much upheaval since O'Neill quit, told no desire to sack Lambert

Lambert's caused more upheaval than anybody else!

Lerner must be the stupidest billionaire on the planet.  He deserved to lose millions, the thick fucker.

If Nursey is right and that's a big if we are fucked.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Can someone tell me how much money we lose if we spent, say, 2 seasons in the 2nd division. I mean the old second division?

[pestria]

Sometimes a single game stands out as a turning point in many manager's careers.  Ironically, it was an away win at Bradford when many first thought SGT was getting his squad right and we would be on our way to getting promoted.

Unfortunately downward turning points or nadirs in other managers careers at Villa are fresher inth memory.  Games when decent managers with good reputations simply seemed to loose the plot and with it the respect of fans who were hitherto prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt.

In recent times we remember Houlier against Sunderland when we ended up playing with the defenders up front, and the forwards at the back.  TSM against Bolton.  And now we can add Lambert vs. Bradford to the list.

Once managers don't know their best XI or even their best formation then the writing is on the wall.  When they don't know that football teams need a midfield or wingers and wide midfielders not only provide service to the forwards, but also protect your full backs, then the end is surely nigh.

Why do managers who have played more high standard football, seen more games than any of us, and have worked with best coaches across Europe end up in such a state of muddled thinking where they don't seem to know their arse from their elbow?

[eamonn]

It's still not clear whether Lambert actually wants to sign more experienced players who demand higher wages. I imagine that during initial talks with Lerner it was put to him that the wage bill was still too high and Lambert said he didn't have a problem with that having gotten the best out of moderately paid players over the past few years. Hence buying so many young, lower-league players in the summer.

We went for Dempsey which suggests there was a bit more leeway for at least one more high-earner. I just don't think it's certain that Lerner is blocking Lambert's requests for new signings on £40k+ a week. Lambert's unwavering philosophy in youth and hunger accounts for a large part of it I feel. Which we now know is not enough to keep us competitive.

[VillaAlways]

It's not enough to keep us competetive with league 2 opposition let alone Premiership

[David_Nab]

Andy Gray in talking sense shocker

Andy Gray has blasted Paul Lambert’s tactics and insists Aston Villa can’t hide behind excuses of youth and inexperience.
Villa crashed out of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night in a 4-3 aggregate defeat by League Two Bradford in the semi-final.
And Gray, who won the League Cup with the Midlands giants in 1977, was furious at what he saw from his former club.
He said: “It was a huge disappointment for every Villa fan. I was surprised at Villa’s selection, they should have mirrored Bradford’s formation.
“They made a mistake by not playing Andreas Weimann, a guy who has scored seven goals in his last nine games. That surprised me from Paul [Lambert]. He obviously had his reasons, but I didn’t get that. He should have stuck Weimann up front alongside Christian Benteke. He’s full of confidence as he showed when he came on.
“That was a mistake I wouldn’t have made, I don’t think. But Lambert picks the team and decided not to go with it. I would have done, you’ve got to believe you’ve got better players than a League Two side, so what’s wrong with pairing them right across the pitch and saying , ‘we’ll mirror you because we’ve got better players than you’.
The last half hour especially really, really, really disappointed me. I don’t know what Paul [Lambert] was trying to do

“The last half hour especially really, really, really disappointed me. I don’t know what Paul was trying to do. There was an unbelievable lack of width. Every time they got the ball it was just whacked up into the box and there were four of five players within seven or eight yards square around the edge of the box.

“It was just hit and hope football and I couldn’t catch my breath at what I was seeing. “
Gray also dismisses the argument that Villa’s lack of experience was a decisive factor in the two-legged tie.
“Don’t let anyone got on again about age,” he added. “There was nothing in the ages of these teams to separate them.
“The Villa side - you talk about them not being experienced - but look at Given, Vlaar, Clark, who has played more 50 Premier League games, Bannan, a Scottish international, N’Zogbia, hundreds of Premier League games, Ireland, hundreds of Premier League games, Agbonlahor, hundreds of Premier League games, Benteke, an international footballer.
“Don’t give me that this is an inexperienced and young side, and that’s cost them. It wasn’t.”


Read more at http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/130123/exclusive-andy-gray-insists-there-are-no-excuses-aston-villas-capital-on-1899#DZFrwcH0HudZ4TaL.99

[LeeB]

This is one of those EU polls, where we have to keep voting until we get the answer the question setter wants,  right ?

While concerned about Lambert's subs and tactics in the second half of the last 2 games, I still don't see who better would take the job *under the current constraints* - it's been that way since MON left...

Secondly, if we were going to do it, we should have done it at the beginning of the transfer window, not at the end. Unless we have already tapped up a replacement and the players he wants, it's too late.

Finally, to those who point out Lambert spent £25m in the summer - that would have been an acceptable budget if we'd needed two or three players. Except we needed six or seven. And God knows what wage restrictions are also in place, cutting down the options.

We are doomed this season now whatever we do. Let's avoid another hefty compensation sum and let Lambert do what we already know he can - build a team to get into *and compete in* the Premier League.

100% right imo.

Couldn't be more right.

[PaulWinch again]

@JamesNursey: #AVFC as a club had so much upheaval since O'Neill quit, told no desire to sack Lambert

Lambert's caused more upheaval than anybody else!

Lerner must be the stupidest billionaire on the planet.  He deserved to lose millions, the thick fucker.

Fine if they have no desire to sack him, then they have to back him financially. It is complete suicide if we don't address the gaping holes in our team within the next week.

[Greg N'Ash]

If we go down there's no way Lambert should still be in charge. Madness that people are suggesting someone who'd have a record worse than Turner/Mcneill should still be in charge in the championship. He's not the first villa manager to have shit players and no money either.

[paul_e]

Andy Gray in talking sense shocker

Andy Gray has blasted Paul Lambert’s tactics and insists Aston Villa can’t hide behind excuses of youth and inexperience.
Villa crashed out of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday night in a 4-3 aggregate defeat by League Two Bradford in the semi-final.
And Gray, who won the League Cup with the Midlands giants in 1977, was furious at what he saw from his former club.
He said: “It was a huge disappointment for every Villa fan. I was surprised at Villa’s selection, they should have mirrored Bradford’s formation.
“They made a mistake by not playing Andreas Weimann, a guy who has scored seven goals in his last nine games. That surprised me from Paul [Lambert]. He obviously had his reasons, but I didn’t get that. He should have stuck Weimann up front alongside Christian Benteke. He’s full of confidence as he showed when he came on.
“That was a mistake I wouldn’t have made, I don’t think. But Lambert picks the team and decided not to go with it. I would have done, you’ve got to believe you’ve got better players than a League Two side, so what’s wrong with pairing them right across the pitch and saying , ‘we’ll mirror you because we’ve got better players than you’.
The last half hour especially really, really, really disappointed me. I don’t know what Paul [Lambert] was trying to do

“The last half hour especially really, really, really disappointed me. I don’t know what Paul was trying to do. There was an unbelievable lack of width. Every time they got the ball it was just whacked up into the box and there were four of five players within seven or eight yards square around the edge of the box.

“It was just hit and hope football and I couldn’t catch my breath at what I was seeing. “
Gray also dismisses the argument that Villa’s lack of experience was a decisive factor in the two-legged tie.
“Don’t let anyone got on again about age,” he added. “There was nothing in the ages of these teams to separate them.
“The Villa side - you talk about them not being experienced - but look at Given, Vlaar, Clark, who has played more 50 Premier League games, Bannan, a Scottish international, N’Zogbia, hundreds of Premier League games, Ireland, hundreds of Premier League games, Agbonlahor, hundreds of Premier League games, Benteke, an international footballer.
“Don’t give me that this is an inexperienced and young side, and that’s cost them. It wasn’t.”


Read more at http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/130123/exclusive-andy-gray-insists-there-are-no-excuses-aston-villas-capital-on-1899#DZFrwcH0HudZ4TaL.99

He's spot on with the assessment of the 2nd half.  First half we were fine and set the foundation to get 3-4 more in the 2nd half and get through comfortably but a couple of mistakes got them a goal and then the leadership and tactics from Lambert were pathetic.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'm assuming Weimann didn't start because of the illness that caused him to miss the Albion game.