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

[hilts_coolerking]

Westwood has demonstrably not been pants, Lowton started well but is suffering from the same confidence-deficiency as the rest of the team and looks lost, Benteke's obviously a real player. Joe Bennett, however, looks totally out of his depth at the minute, KEA started solidly but has gone completely off the boil, Vlaar's never really got started and I'm sorry, Jordan Bowery just looks like a League 2 striker.

I think Lambert has done enough in the past to show that he has genuine managerial qualities - I just think that we're totally the wrong fit, not least because our chairman is so utterly clueless.

To give you your due Monty, you weren't clamouring for Lambert in the first place.

[Concrete John]

That's your opinion and you're entitled to it.  I actually think he's bought well on the whole and our issue is mainly Clark and KEA, who admittedly is a Lambert signing

So we've bought well and we've got a good manager - it's a wonder why we're not flying up the table and through to the League Cup final.

Please excuse my sarcasm but the vast majority of our results and performances suggest the exact opposite of what you appear to believe.

As I see it there was an initial period of both manager and new players settling in, where results were poor, but with signs of what we were trying to do.  We then went on a good 6 game unbeaten run that culminated in those impressive away wins at Norwich and Anfield.  Was anyone complaining then?

That was only a month ago.  But what happened next was the tonking at Chelsea that has destroyed the team's confidence and started a snow ball effect.  This is where the experiences players are needed and ours have been injured/out of the side/just plain useless.  Whatever I may or may not think of our manager, he should have done something to arrest this, but hasn't been able to.     

So what we're lacking is experience on the pitch and confidence.  Not all his signings have been good and he's far from blameless for the terrible sequence of results we've endured.

[PaulWinch again]

We badly lack leadership and quality on all levels. However if you're talking about the first team, then a left back, centre half and defensive centre mid would sort us out straight away pretty much.

[Monty]

Westwood has demonstrably not been pants, Lowton started well but is suffering from the same confidence-deficiency as the rest of the team and looks lost, Benteke's obviously a real player. Joe Bennett, however, looks totally out of his depth at the minute, KEA started solidly but has gone completely off the boil, Vlaar's never really got started and I'm sorry, Jordan Bowery just looks like a League 2 striker.

I think Lambert has done enough in the past to show that he has genuine managerial qualities - I just think that we're totally the wrong fit, not least because our chairman is so utterly clueless.

To give you your due Monty, you weren't clamouring for Lambert in the first place.

I initially thought he was worse than he is. I thought he was just a long-ball Britisher merchant, which he isn't. I just now think he's the wrong man at the wrong time.

[saunders_heroes]

Westwood has demonstrably not been pants, Lowton started well but is suffering from the same confidence-deficiency as the rest of the team and looks lost, Benteke's obviously a real player. Joe Bennett, however, looks totally out of his depth at the minute, KEA started solidly but has gone completely off the boil, Vlaar's never really got started and I'm sorry, Jordan Bowery just looks like a League 2 striker.

I think Lambert has done enough in the past to show that he has genuine managerial qualities - I just think that we're totally the wrong fit, not least because our chairman is so utterly clueless.

He's done nothing at Villa to convince me that he's a good manager. He's wasted £20m+ on a bunch of no hopers, and Benteke. No more excuses for the man, he has to be sacked.

[MonsXI]

The clubs around us are at least trying to address their deficiencies, we are not doing anything of the sort.

I personally think we're trying to address it also.

We've been notoriously tight lipped about transfers since Randy came in, so the lack of 'links' does not concern me.  That's not to say how successful we will be, or how much is in the kitty, but I simply do not believe that they are 'not doing anything'.

Yep there is no way we're doing nothing but bloody hell lets get it moving cos were not going to Wembley now and we're dropping points every game. A couple of good signings would give the whole place a lift and hopefully spur some sort of revival from this awful situation we're now in.

[Concrete John]

Lambert's a complete unmitigated disaster for Aston Villa, yet there's still some out there that think he's doing okay.
It's mind boggling!

There is a middle ground you know.  And in that middle ground are people who aren't happy with what's going on, but understand the need to change things at the club, how injuries have affected us and have patience to ride this season out without thinking it means automatic relegation.     

[PaulWinch again]

A major problem is that he pinned a lot on that game last night, he'd said in several interviews that would be the springboard to our season. Well what now? what is his solution to get us out of this? There doesn't appear to be one at the moment and our team certainly doesn't have the bottle to lead itself.

[hilts_coolerking]

I initially thought he was worse than he is. I thought he was just a long-ball Britisher merchant, which he isn't. I just now think he's the wrong man at the wrong time.

I know you disagree but I think that's still a significant part of what he is.  It's been noticeable this season in games where things have gone wrong that we've very quickly resorted to kick and rush.

[olaftab]

He's a very lucky man at the moment. There's no other club in the country producing such appalling results that haven't pulled the trigger.

Well the likes of Norwich and Newcastle are below us in the form table. And both of them have been knocked out of cups by pretty rubbish teams.

So there's a couple.

Also below us Reading and Wigan + getting to the League Cup semi final wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

[Monty]

I initially thought he was worse than he is. I thought he was just a long-ball Britisher merchant, which he isn't. I just now think he's the wrong man at the wrong time.

I know you disagree but I think that's still a significant part of what he is.  It's been noticeable this season in games where things have gone wrong that we've very quickly resorted to kick and rush.

Well, I don't entirely disagree. He has that in his locker, and he likes the big target man up front, but he said after the game yesterday 'we don't have the players to play long balls', so he's no Pulis or Allardyce. What it does suggest, though, is the lack of a structured plan: what impressed me so much about Solskjaer was that he clearly pays attention to detail in passing-and-moving training, in the same way that Martinez and Rodgers do (taking their cue from the Barca style), whereas I'm not sure Lambert would be doing anything like that - it would probably be more vague and emotional, you know, 'get it down and play it lads', and obviously these young players, with no plan or structure, resort to the hoof to the big man almost instinctively.

Lambert's statement yesterday suggests, along with the substitutions, that he's got no control really over the style beyond emotional preferences. I'd actually rather an Allardycean approach, because at least then the plan is definite and organised.

[Concrete John]

I initially thought he was worse than he is. I thought he was just a long-ball Britisher merchant, which he isn't. I just now think he's the wrong man at the wrong time.

I know you disagree but I think that's still a significant part of what he is.  It's been noticeable this season in games where things have gone wrong that we've very quickly resorted to kick and rush.

I think that's a symptom of lack of confidence where the midfield isn;t showing for the ball, meaning the defenders have no option but to punt it long.

[paul_e]

Bought well? Ha!

Lets look at the current 'values' of the players:

Benteke would be the main profit as we'd get at least 15m after signing him for around 9m
Lowton would go for at least 3-4m after costing around 1m
Westwood would go for at least 5-6m after costing around 3m
The others we'd break even in my opinion.

12m profit after 6months isn't bad at all.

[themossman]

He bought well on a player by player basis but poorly in the sense that he failed to fill key positions and didn't identify the need for big personalities/leadership. So those two views are not mutually exclusive IMO.

[LeeB]

He bought well on a player by player basis but poorly in the sense that he failed to fill key positions and didn't identify the need for big personalities/leadership. So those two views are not mutually exclusive IMO.

I think that's fair, in hindsight.

I also think he was pinning a lot on El Ahmadi being a big player for us and replacing Stan, which clearly hasn't happened.