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

[SoccerHQ]

You really think the team needs 2-3 players? Half the team's heads have gone since the 8-0.

I think we need 2 or 3 players in the short term to improve the squad sufficiently to at least stay up.

That has got to be our first aim. Stay in the league.

So you think we have enough creativity in the team so we won't draw crucial games 1-1 or 0-0?

Another one I forgot to mention was Lowton. Excellent imo until the Chelsea game and he's looked out of it since. I would love the luxury of taking him out of the side from a breather but the only alternative is Lichaj ffs. You comfortable with Lowton having to play for the rest of the season Paulie?

[Leighton]

We need a bloody hypnotist to make them forget the last few weeks.

[Risso]

I'm bored of people saying 'he's shit, they're shit, we're down already' without being willing to accept there are any other factors and without conceding there are good points.

It's as if the world has ended.

At the moment, what our players need is support and guidance, you could see Bennett suffer against Bradford when the moans and groans started from the fans. He, amongst others need supporting rather than dismissing as being shit.

Some fans want Lambert out now and are (subconsciously or not) just coming out with that mantra regardless.

I like the way you use 'regardless' as if there aren't a multitude of reasons for wanting rid of our worst and most incompetent manager in living memory.

Incompetent is just your interpretation and takes no account of the circumstances he has had to deal with since his arrival. His record prior to joining us suggests he's a decent manager, so it's perfectly reasonable for a fair minded person to feel that he deserves to be given time.

It's my interpretation backed up by hard stats of the appalling job he's done since he's been here, after spending £20m+ on a squad that McLeish kept up.  Only one of the players he has bought has looked ready for the Premier League, and the more time he's given, the worse the mess he's getting us in to.  His record prior to joining us will be utterly irrelevant if he relegates us, as looks increasingly likely.  There are dozens of managers who have one or two good years before then disappearing down the proverbial shitter.  Lambert will be the next.  If we'd kept McLeish this season, and Lambert was having the results he's had this season, but at Norwich, who would be calling for him to be the new manager?  Absolutely nobody at all.  He's a laughing stock amongst fans of other teams, this will be the last big job he has, before slipping back into Phil Brown/Owen Coyle territory.

[paul_e]

You really think the team needs 2-3 players? Half the team's heads have gone since the 8-0.

I think we need 2 or 3 players in the short term to improve the squad sufficiently to at least stay up.

That has got to be our first aim. Stay in the league.

So you think we have enough creativity in the team so we won't draw crucial games 1-1 or 0-0?

Another one I forgot to mention was Lowton. Excellent imo until the Chelsea game and he's looked out of it since. I would love the luxury of taking him out of the side from a breather but the only alternative is Lichaj ffs. You comfortable with Lowton having to play for the rest of the season Paulie?

No club would buy the 6+ players you're advocating, 1 central midfielder is enough, a central defender depends a lot on when Dunne will be back, so a player that could cover one of the full back spots and centre back would be fine (preferably left sided as Lowton fills that role on the right) and then a creative player would be good but it depends how much you trust Nzogbia's recent improvement to continue.  So 2-3 sounds reasonable.

Expecting or even imagining any more is silly tbh.

[pauliewalnuts]

You really think the team needs 2-3 players? Half the team's heads have gone since the 8-0.

I think we need 2 or 3 players in the short term to improve the squad sufficiently to at least stay up.

That has got to be our first aim. Stay in the league.

So you think we have enough creativity in the team so we won't draw crucial games 1-1 or 0-0?

Another one I forgot to mention was Lowton. Excellent imo until the Chelsea game and he's looked out of it since. I would love the luxury of taking him out of the side from a breather but the only alternative is Lichaj ffs. You comfortable with Lowton having to play for the rest of the season Paulie?

I am comfortable with Lowton, yes.

We are not going to go out and buy 5 players now, it just isn't going to happen, so it isn't even worth discussing.

The problem we have currently is that the young players' confidence has taken a monumental pounding, and we're seeing the results. Not just Lowton, pretty much all of them.

I think there is talent and quality there that will be unlocked to a sufficient level by the addition of 2-3 players. Certainly enough to keep us up. In fact, I'd rather we only brought in 2 or 3 now and kept our powder dry till the summer for the rest.

Let's just do what we need to do (and can do) right now to improve the squad enough to stay up, and then look at it again in the summer.

I certainly wouldn't advocate spaffing far more money right now in the expensive and restrictive January market to try to make the difference between, say, 15th and 10th. It's not worth it. I'd rather stay up and then improve the squad long term in the summer, when it will be much easier, and much cheaper.

[SoccerHQ]

How many did we sign in the 10-11 transfer window, 5 or 6? I was certainly a lot more confident we'd stay up when Bent turned up. Who else came in that window, Pires, Bradley, Walker, Makoun?

I believe the 8 nil has totally changed the dynamics of this. Suddenly half our team looks shot at winning matches at this level.

O.k two players and most would go for a centre half and strong central midfielder. I still believe it would be touch and go whether we'd stay up as we'd certainly concede less but we'd just be drawing games 0-0 or 1-1 like we were even in our good run in November/December.

If you look at our games, oppositon teams are actively targeting Bennett/Stevens at left back. Southampton and Bradford did it with success and I'm sure Pardew will play Obertan tommorrow on the right to have a go down that side. For me this window a left back has become a must, probably over a cb.

[pauliewalnuts]

Yes, but the 10-11 January window saw us pay (up to) £24m for one player, our record signing.

There's no point comparing the situation now to that because it has all changed. The money isn't there, we are working to an entirely different financial reality. It just isn't an option again.

[paul_e]

How many did we sign in the 10-11 transfer window, 5 or 6? I was certainly a lot more confident we'd stay up when Bent turned up. Who else came in that window, Pires, Bradley, Walker, Makoun?

I believe the 8 nil has totally changed the dynamics of this. Suddenly half our team looks shot at winning matches at this level.

O.k two players and most would go for a centre half and strong central midfielder. I still believe it would be touch and go whether we'd stay up as we'd certainly concede less but we'd just be drawing games 0-0 or 1-1 like we were even in our good run in November/December.

If you look at our games, oppositon teams are actively targeting Bennett/Stevens at left back. Southampton and Bradford did it with success and I'm sure Pardew will play Obertan tommorrow on the right to have a go down that side. For me this window a left back has become a must, probably over a cb.

4 pires was before the window.  It's also important to note that it was different circumstances as that was after a summer with no signings (other than Ireland as part of the Milner deal).  This year we had a big squad churn in the summer, repeating that this month was never on the cards.

I also think you're undervaluing the central midfielder we sorely need.  The current problems, as we've seen all season, is that we have no one controlling the midfield, if we get someone to do that we'll have the ball in midfield higher up the pitch, Bent, Benteke and Weimann will all score goals if we get them good service, that starts by getting the ball into the right areas at the feet of the midfielders.

I mentioned it all month but to repeat, Bannan and Delph in particular have been far too deep all season, practically playing on the toes of the defenders.  I think both can contribute a lot more 20-30yards up the pitch.  Bannan's biggest problem is that someone in the summer suggested to him that he can do the Pirlo 'quarterback' role and he's let it go to his head.

[ozzjim]

Bannan is ok further forward I agree


WE are 2 players from a side that will win 5-6 games IMO. A defender and a big hard midfielder.

It is very, very sad that we look like not getting either.

[Ads]

With a centre half of quality and a good defensive midfielder, we would be 5, maybe 8 points better off in 2013.

[Brend'Watkins]

With a centre half of quality and a good defensive midfielder, we would be 5, maybe 8 points better off in 2013.

And going to Wembley and still in the FA cup.

It's saddening that this hadn't been spotted before the end of August.

[VillaAlways]

With a centre half of quality and a good defensive midfielder, we would be 5, maybe 8 points better off in 2013.

And going to Wembley and still in the FA cup.

It's saddening that this hadn't been spotted before the end of August.

Or sorted by the beginning of January

[paul_e]

With a centre half of quality and a good defensive midfielder, we would be 5, maybe 8 points better off in 2013.

And going to Wembley and still in the FA cup.

It's saddening that this hadn't been spotted before the end of August.

I think he expected KEA to be the midfielder we needed and Dunne to be back much sooner.  By the time it was clear that both of those things were wrong it was long after the deadline.  Should have been rectified earlier in this window though.

[jonzy85]

I think the fact that he tried to sign Sissoko shows he knows exactly what our problems are and is trying to rectify it, but can't when we are operating on a budget to set ourselves up for the Championship next year.

[eastie]

I'm bored of people saying 'he's shit, they're shit, we're down already' without being willing to accept there are any other factors and without conceding there are good points.

It's as if the world has ended.

At the moment, what our players need is support and guidance, you could see Bennett suffer against Bradford when the moans and groans started from the fans. He, amongst others need supporting rather than dismissing as being shit.

Some fans want Lambert out now and are (subconsciously or not) just coming out with that mantra regardless.

I like the way you use 'regardless' as if there aren't a multitude of reasons for wanting rid of our worst and most incompetent manager in living memory.

Incompetent is just your interpretation and takes no account of the circumstances he has had to deal with since his arrival. His record prior to joining us suggests he's a decent manager, so it's perfectly reasonable for a fair minded person to feel that he deserves to be given time.

It's my interpretation backed up by hard stats of the appalling job he's done since he's been here, after spending £20m+ on a squad that McLeish kept up.  Only one of the players he has bought has looked ready for the Premier League, and the more time he's given, the worse the mess he's getting us in to.  His record prior to joining us will be utterly irrelevant if he relegates us, as looks increasingly likely.  There are dozens of managers who have one or two good years before then disappearing down the proverbial shitter.  Lambert will be the next.  If we'd kept McLeish this season, and Lambert was having the results he's had this season, but at Norwich, who would be calling for him to be the new manager?  Absolutely nobody at all.  He's a laughing stock amongst fans of other teams, this will be the last big job he has, before slipping back into Phil Brown/Owen Coyle territory.

Look risso, i agree that lambert has been poor and i agree he should have been sacked but sadly randy has decided to stick by him and in that case we simply must get behind him and hope he turns it around - he aint going anywhere so like it or not we need to unite behind him - theres no other choice in the current situation.