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

[Irish villain]

For me the worst game of last season was actually the last against Norwich. We were finally safe. Nothing left to play for, no pressure.
You'd have thought, finally, McLeish would be a bit adventurous but literally, the only attack minded players we had on the pitch were Ireland and Gabby. We were just godawful. We still looked like we were playing in the vein hope of sneaking a lucky 1-0. By the time we conceded the first we just looked like we'd given up. It was an embarrassing way to end an embarrassing season. Ultimately it felt like a particularly backhanded parting shot by McLeish, just to rub in his hideous "style" of football.

Times are far, far better now.

I think it was the players tryinjg to get him sacked.

[not3bad]

For me the worst game of last season was actually the last against Norwich. We were finally safe. Nothing left to play for, no pressure.
You'd have thought, finally, McLeish would be a bit adventurous but literally, the only attack minded players we had on the pitch were Ireland and Gabby. We were just godawful. We still looked like we were playing in the vein hope of sneaking a lucky 1-0. By the time we conceded the first we just looked like we'd given up. It was an embarrassing way to end an embarrassing season. Ultimately it felt like a particularly backhanded parting shot by McLeish, just to rub in his hideous "style" of football.

Times are far, far better now.

I remember a tweet from Matt Kendrick at the time that went something like "Entire Villa team come back to defend a corner - they are successful, still only 2-0 down".

I remember that day quite fondly because you knew that that things really had past the point of no return.  And Mcleish was sacked the next day.

[Concrete John]

I don't think he actually knows how to play any other way and everyone knew he was a dead man walking anyway.

[Chico Hamilton III]

anyone that knows anything about the game could see what was Lambert was trying to do, it wasn't easy but there was a plan,
 football isn't just about stats, its about what you can see, what you can feel is happening, if you don't get it you never will, football is the beautiful game not a balance sheet, I know at times it was anything but beautiful, but it was trying to be,
bigger picture and all that, some can see it some cant, that's probably not going to change 

I can understand you being desperate to gloat, John e, but that's absolute bullshit.

If you reckon you could see any plan in our games against Bradford ( first leg especially) or if you could feel something happening when we were 8-0 down at Stamford Bridge or if you could sense the bigger picture when we went through that terrible run between the Chelsea and Millwall games then you're either bullshitting or some kind of football genius. 

I watched those games with people who know their football ( take a bow, Pat McMahon, who's word on Villa I'd take over yours any day) and between us we couldn't see what Lambert was trying to do. Half the time we couldn't even work out what formation he was trying to play. He's turned the oil tanker round at last and things are looking much brighter now.

I'm really glad you've been proved right - and credit to your optimism when others were getting very worried  - but I don't put it down to you having any more football nouse than anyone else on here.

[Concrete John]

If you judged based on those results between Chelsea away and Newcastle at home, then the only conclusion that could be drawn was he should go.  But to do so means you ignored, or more accurately dismissed, what came before like, the cup wins at Norwich and Man City, Anfield and home to Swansea.  Plus other games we played well in and didn't win, like Newcastle away.   

I agree it's not a matter of football nouse, but it is a matter of not overreacting to a set of results over a limited period of games.

[Ads]

My opinion has changed twice this season; firstly from a wait and see approach, to being completely disillusioned and then back again.

Post Wigan, I found a little bit of solace in Swansea away, a game where we could easily have been 5 or 6 down before Andi equalised and in the end we through it away at the death. But the results in January were, Swansea and Albion away apart, awful. I was giving the players dogs abuse down at the Den after the final whistle and I genuinely though we were down; everything was just compounding, with one humiliation after another.

What changed for me was the second 45 against Newcastle and it was then that I began to believe in the side and Lambert again. I wrote down on my sticky note at work where we would get points from; I predicted 41 in total and I expect to be wrong on that, with us picking up at least another 4.

I was very confident after Newcastle and think we have gone from an unsure and meandering side, to a bloody awful one, to the one we see now; full of defensive naivety, but absolutely lethal going forwards.

[Jimbo]

Just as it was premature to call for his head in January, it's a little premature to be talking about him as the next Fergie now. The last time I looked, we were still not mathematically safe with two games remaining. Having said that, he's done very well in beating some dreadful teams at the bottom end of the table recently. We'll have a much better idea if what Lambert is trying to do is working by next January.

[Toronto Villa]

My opinion has changed twice this season; firstly from a wait and see approach, to being completely disillusioned and then back again.

Post Wigan, I found a little bit of solace in Swansea away, a game where we could easily have been 5 or 6 down before Andi equalised and in the end we through it away at the death. But the results in January were, Swansea and Albion away apart, awful. I was giving the players dogs abuse down at the Den after the final whistle and I genuinely though we were down; everything was just compounding, with one humiliation after another.

What changed for me was the second 45 against Newcastle and it was then that I began to believe in the side and Lambert again. I wrote down on my sticky note at work where we would get points from; I predicted 41 in total and I expect to be wrong on that, with us picking up at least another 4.

I was very confident after Newcastle and think we have gone from an unsure and meandering side, to a bloody awful one, to the one we see now; full of defensive naivety, but absolutely lethal going forwards.

I think a lot of people will share this opinion Ads and the range of emotions that you have experienced.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I was giving the players dogs abuse down at the Den after the final whistle and I genuinely though we were down

Probably my low point of the season. Lambert was within a whisker of "losing the fans" that night. That and the 2 hours it took me after the final whistle to make the 2 mile journey back home.

[Toronto Villa]

I was giving the players dogs abuse down at the Den after the final whistle and I genuinely though we were down

Probably my low point of the season. Lambert was within a whisker of "losing the fans" that night. That and the 2 hours it took me after the final whistle to make the 2 mile journey back home.

see, as disappointed as I have been, and can only speak for myself I don't think he ever came close to losing the majority of the fans. All of us have been angry at various times, but most when they calmed down didn't want him actually fired. We wanted improvement and I'm delighted that cooler heads allowed that to happen and we didn't go all Sunderland or Reading on the manager and dismantle the project.

[eastie]

My opinion has changed twice this season; firstly from a wait and see approach, to being completely disillusioned and then back again.

Post Wigan, I found a little bit of solace in Swansea away, a game where we could easily have been 5 or 6 down before Andi equalised and in the end we through it away at the death. But the results in January were, Swansea and Albion away apart, awful. I was giving the players dogs abuse down at the Den after the final whistle and I genuinely though we were down; everything was just compounding, with one humiliation after another.

What changed for me was the second 45 against Newcastle and it was then that I began to believe in the side and Lambert again. I wrote down on my sticky note at work where we would get points from; I predicted 41 in total and I expect to be wrong on that, with us picking up at least another 4.

I was very confident after Newcastle and think we have gone from an unsure and meandering side, to a bloody awful one, to the one we see now; full of defensive naivety, but absolutely lethal going forwards.

I think a lot of people will share this opinion Ads and the range of emotions that you have experienced.

Yes , I agree with that , its been a rollercoaster of a season but the future is looking brighter - i expect a much better season next year.

[Steve R]

I read yesterday or the day before that RL is flying in next week to "hand Paul Lambert a summer transfer kitty". I'm not sure I like the word kitty. In reports like this I always like to see the word 'warchest' used.

It will be a kitty because it goes against Lambert's principles to have a transfer cat. My guess is that it won't be a very experienced kitty either.

[not3bad]

Lambert's here for the long haul by the sounds of it:

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~3174139,00.html?

[Chris Harte]

What did the poll say at the end of January? Can anyone remember?

[eastie]

What did the poll say at the end of January? Can anyone remember?

After the millwall game it just slipped over 50% out for a day or so I think it was 51 to 49 out and since then lambert has steadily turned things around - that was the only time the majority was in favour of out and lasted less than 2 days i believe.

On page 191 it was 200 in and 200 out in votes and villan 1975 voted out which was the 1st time lambert lost the majority vote .