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

[Toronto Villa]

I can accept losing. It's the manner of the defeats that bothers me. That we are mind numbingly inept when we concede and that the opposition knows wihout any significant scouting how to hurt us. It's like the Empire placing the core to the Death Star outside with a big neon sign pointing down to it for the rebels to aim at. It's not even difficult. Just put a big clumsy fucker out there at corners and something good will happen for them. When you have deficiencies like that it makes it hard to build confidence amongst players who are lacking it and leadership generally to begin with

[hilts_coolerking]

In all the discussion on here, whenever the question has been asked re who we replace him with, the only single palatable answer is Roberto Di Matteo, a manager who has a correspoindingly shit record when it comes to organising a defence.

It is totally, totally underwhelming. Look past RDM and we're on to Roy Keane, Alan Curbishley, or some randomly put together dream teams of previous Villa players who apparently "love the Villa".

It's deluded nonsense.

I see your point but as things stand we're going to need to improve out of sight just to be competitive, let alone start winning the games that would keep us up.  Without reinforcement it's difficult to see that happening.

And if we do go down, and lose the two or three best players out of side, is Lambert really the best man to get us back up again?  Whoever is in charge is going to have to be a hell of a motivator because he's not going to have much quality at his disposal.  Is Lambert really that inspirational figure we'll need?  There's pretty much fuck all evidence of that this season.

My concern is that come the end of the season, if we do go down, will we look back and say did the club try everything it could to keep us up?

[LeeB]

It's all about opinions. Benteke aside, not one of one players you mention are PL standard. That's why we're spiralling toward the drop.

I thought you said "pile of shite" rather than "not PL standard"

I'd suggest Vlaar is, what with him being a Dutch international, and Westwood has looked very comfortable, wouldn't you agree? And Lowton, whilst unspectacular, has done ok.

It's your "everything is shit" line again. There are good points to be made about how shit we are, but they get drowned out in the hyperbolic nonsense you come out with.

Our problem is that this season, we have found ourselves playing too many up and coming young players *at the same time*. Just as 11 promising players thrown together does not mean you have a promising "team", the team struggling does not mean that all the players in it are shite.

I don't know if you've noticed but this is quite possibly, if not definitely the worst season the Villa have endured for for decades. I know you're desperately trying to find a positive somewhere amongst the doom. Perhaps it was because you fell for the "young and hungry" lie at the start of the season, but whatever it is its baffling.
As I said, it's my opinion that Benteke aside, not one of those players are fit for the PL, and I would go as far to say that they're a pile of shit. Even Blamongue Vlaar.
The manager isn't up to the job. He's in his wisdom thought it was a good idea to "strengthen" a squad who struggled last season with a bunch of lower league players and relatively cheap foreigners. It was absolute madness and boy are we suffering for it now.
Let's hope that a miracle happens and we stay up. But whatever happens he doesn't deserve to be manager of our great club.

I'm sorry, and I'm not digging you saunders_heroes, but that attempt at spelling blancmange is just piss funny.

[tomd2103]

I agree that some of Lambert's tactics and substitutions have been very questionable at times this season, but I think that some people forget that he is an inexperienced manager (particularly at this level) and is himself still learning his trade.     

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't know if you've noticed but this is quite possibly, if not definitely the worst season the Villa have endured for for decades. I know you're desperately trying to find a positive somewhere amongst the doom. Perhaps it was because you fell for the "young and hungry" lie at the start of the season, but whatever it is its baffling.

Jesus Christ. Here we go again. That patronising "dunno if you've seen or not, but we're shit". Of course I've fucking seen. I've had the same miserable weekends you have, I've had the same disbelief at some of the performances and results.

The manager isn't up to the job. He's in his wisdom thought it was a good idea to "strengthen" a squad who struggled last season with a bunch of lower league players and relatively cheap foreigners. It was absolute madness and boy are we suffering for it now.
Let's hope that a miracle happens and we stay up. But whatever happens he doesn't deserve to be manager of our great club.

I'm pretty sure I've read you (repeatedly) slagging off Lerner for the wage bill policy that has led us to this squad. so it's all Lambert's fault, but it is also all Lerner's fault? Make your mind up.

[saunders_heroes]

Just a question Paulie but where do you see this ending? Say we go down and Lambert isn't sacked you want him to give it a go in the championship? So next season we go with Lambert with the likes of Benteke, Wiemann and Westwood sold and you want him to try to get us up with  Hutton and Co? We'll be going the other way.

Yes, I would stick with him.

It's one of those emotive questions, based on the suggestion we should be looking for revenge on the bloke who put us down, but let me ask you this, if we did go down, what sort of names do you think we'd be looking at as manager to replace him?

And, let's not forget, go down and the players you mentioned who'd be offski, would still be offski no matter who the new manager was.

hmmm. So you want a guy in charge who's got no record of motivating or even getting organised the sorry collection of players still remaining and with no money to buy new ones. Isn't that where we are now?

I would stick with a guy who has proven pedigree of getting teams promoted.

I will ask you again - who would you look to replace him with, if we got relegated?

Anyone with a record of promotion to the PL and not taking Aston Villa down in the process. It's not a very exclusive club frankly.

Exactly. What's so impressive in taking one step backward then one step forward?

[Greg N'Ash]

Just a question Paulie but where do you see this ending? Say we go down and Lambert isn't sacked you want him to give it a go in the championship? So next season we go with Lambert with the likes of Benteke, Wiemann and Westwood sold and you want him to try to get us up with  Hutton and Co? We'll be going the other way.

Yes, I would stick with him.

It's one of those emotive questions, based on the suggestion we should be looking for revenge on the bloke who put us down, but let me ask you this, if we did go down, what sort of names do you think we'd be looking at as manager to replace him?

And, let's not forget, go down and the players you mentioned who'd be offski, would still be offski no matter who the new manager was.

hmmm. So you want a guy in charge who's got no record of motivating or even getting organised the sorry collection of players still remaining and with no money to buy new ones. Isn't that where we are now?

I would stick with a guy who has proven pedigree of getting teams promoted.

I will ask you again - who would you look to replace him with, if we got relegated?

Anyone with a record of promotion to the PL and not taking Aston Villa down in the process. It's not a very exclusive club frankly.

I can think of a Scottish manger that would fit that bill perfectly.

well yes. TSM's record would be much better than Lambchop's if its not already

[saunders_heroes]

It's all about opinions. Benteke aside, not one of one players you mention are PL standard. That's why we're spiralling toward the drop.

I thought you said "pile of shite" rather than "not PL standard"

I'd suggest Vlaar is, what with him being a Dutch international, and Westwood has looked very comfortable, wouldn't you agree? And Lowton, whilst unspectacular, has done ok.

It's your "everything is shit" line again. There are good points to be made about how shit we are, but they get drowned out in the hyperbolic nonsense you come out with.

Our problem is that this season, we have found ourselves playing too many up and coming young players *at the same time*. Just as 11 promising players thrown together does not mean you have a promising "team", the team struggling does not mean that all the players in it are shite.

I don't know if you've noticed but this is quite possibly, if not definitely the worst season the Villa have endured for for decades. I know you're desperately trying to find a positive somewhere amongst the doom. Perhaps it was because you fell for the "young and hungry" lie at the start of the season, but whatever it is its baffling.
As I said, it's my opinion that Benteke aside, not one of those players are fit for the PL, and I would go as far to say that they're a pile of shit. Even Blamongue Vlaar.
The manager isn't up to the job. He's in his wisdom thought it was a good idea to "strengthen" a squad who struggled last season with a bunch of lower league players and relatively cheap foreigners. It was absolute madness and boy are we suffering for it now.
Let's hope that a miracle happens and we stay up. But whatever happens he doesn't deserve to be manager of our great club.

I'm sorry, and I'm not digging you saunders_heroes, but that attempt at spelling blancmange is just piss funny.

I tried it 3 different ways and it still didnt look right. :-)

[PeterWithesShin]

I'm amazed anyone can think that Vlaar, Lowton, Guzan and Westwood are a pile of shit.

[LeeB]

It's all about opinions. Benteke aside, not one of one players you mention are PL standard. That's why we're spiralling toward the drop.

I thought you said "pile of shite" rather than "not PL standard"

I'd suggest Vlaar is, what with him being a Dutch international, and Westwood has looked very comfortable, wouldn't you agree? And Lowton, whilst unspectacular, has done ok.

It's your "everything is shit" line again. There are good points to be made about how shit we are, but they get drowned out in the hyperbolic nonsense you come out with.

Our problem is that this season, we have found ourselves playing too many up and coming young players *at the same time*. Just as 11 promising players thrown together does not mean you have a promising "team", the team struggling does not mean that all the players in it are shite.

I don't know if you've noticed but this is quite possibly, if not definitely the worst season the Villa have endured for for decades. I know you're desperately trying to find a positive somewhere amongst the doom. Perhaps it was because you fell for the "young and hungry" lie at the start of the season, but whatever it is its baffling.
As I said, it's my opinion that Benteke aside, not one of those players are fit for the PL, and I would go as far to say that they're a pile of shit. Even Blamongue Vlaar.
The manager isn't up to the job. He's in his wisdom thought it was a good idea to "strengthen" a squad who struggled last season with a bunch of lower league players and relatively cheap foreigners. It was absolute madness and boy are we suffering for it now.
Let's hope that a miracle happens and we stay up. But whatever happens he doesn't deserve to be manager of our great club.

I'm sorry, and I'm not digging you saunders_heroes, but that attempt at spelling blancmange is just piss funny.

I tried it 3 different ways and it still didnt look right. :-)

Google it you nutter! Use the tools man!

[silhillvilla]

How do you turn a blind eye to Lamberts naive, god awful tactics

[saunders_heroes]

I don't know if you've noticed but this is quite possibly, if not definitely the worst season the Villa have endured for for decades. I know you're desperately trying to find a positive somewhere amongst the doom. Perhaps it was because you fell for the "young and hungry" lie at the start of the season, but whatever it is its baffling.

Jesus Christ. Here we go again. That patronising "dunno if you've seen or not, but we're shit". Of course I've fucking seen. I've had the same miserable weekends you have, I've had the same disbelief at some of the performances and results.

The manager isn't up to the job. He's in his wisdom thought it was a good idea to "strengthen" a squad who struggled last season with a bunch of lower league players and relatively cheap foreigners. It was absolute madness and boy are we suffering for it now.
Let's hope that a miracle happens and we stay up. But whatever happens he doesn't deserve to be manager of our great club.

I'm pretty sure I've read you (repeatedly) slagging off Lerner for the wage bill policy that has led us to this squad. so it's all Lambert's fault, but it is also all Lerner's fault? Make your mind up.

First of all, patronising? You're up there with the best when it comes to that.
Secondly, as I've said on here many times, Lerner is the number 1 problem at Villa. That doesn't mean Lambert should get away with the diabolical job he's doing. Christ, even McLeish produced better than this.

[pauliewalnuts]

In all the discussion on here, whenever the question has been asked re who we replace him with, the only single palatable answer is Roberto Di Matteo, a manager who has a correspoindingly shit record when it comes to organising a defence.

It is totally, totally underwhelming. Look past RDM and we're on to Roy Keane, Alan Curbishley, or some randomly put together dream teams of previous Villa players who apparently "love the Villa".

It's deluded nonsense.

I see your point but as things stand we're going to need to improve out of sight just to be competitive, let alone start winning the games that would keep us up.  Without reinforcement it's difficult to see that happening.

And if we do go down, and lose the two or three best players out of side, is Lambert really the best man to get us back up again?  Whoever is in charge is going to have to be a hell of a motivator because he's not going to have much quality at his disposal.  Is Lambert really that inspirational figure we'll need?  There's pretty much fuck all evidence of that this season.

My concern is that come the end of the season, if we do go down, will we look back and say did the club try everything it could to keep us up?

re your last point, I totally agree, the club won't have done enough to keep us up. They've accepted it. They've surrendered. The transfer market activity shows that.

I also agree we need to improve substantially to stay up, we need to win four or five games, and currently it looks like that'd take us four years, not four months.

But once again, we sack the manager, we have to replace him, and who with? Is there anyone out there more likely to bring about that level of improvement?

My argument is that, at certain points this season - even this week - we have played a half here and there of very good football, of the type that, if we managed to string a couple together, would get us some decent results.

I would rather back the manager with £££ now and trust him to manage that than sack him, burn yet more money on compensation, and hope for the best with the new bloke.

[TheTimVilla]

Just a question Paulie but where do you see this ending? Say we go down and Lambert isn't sacked you want him to give it a go in the championship? So next season we go with Lambert with the likes of Benteke, Wiemann and Westwood sold and you want him to try to get us up with  Hutton and Co? We'll be going the other way.

Yes, I would stick with him.

It's one of those emotive questions, based on the suggestion we should be looking for revenge on the bloke who put us down, but let me ask you this, if we did go down, what sort of names do you think we'd be looking at as manager to replace him?

And, let's not forget, go down and the players you mentioned who'd be offski, would still be offski no matter who the new manager was.

hmmm. So you want a guy in charge who's got no record of motivating or even getting organised the sorry collection of players still remaining and with no money to buy new ones. Isn't that where we are now?

I would stick with a guy who has proven pedigree of getting teams promoted.

I will ask you again - who would you look to replace him with, if we got relegated?

Anyone with a record of promotion to the PL and not taking Aston Villa down in the process. It's not a very exclusive club frankly.

So, go on then, who?

You're the chairman. We get relegated. You need a manager who can get us back up, with a squad someone else put together, and not much money to spend

Who do you approach?

There's literally loads Paulie. Just look at the clubs who've got promoted to the PL in the last 10 years for starters. That's the point - you seem to think Lambert has this ace record and it isn't.

Name somebody who would be good enough and would want to join a club that possibly won't give them any money?

[PeterWithesShin]

Thank McGrath s_h pointed out that this season is dreadful. I was convinced it was a stonkingly good one until I read his post. *winky*