Aston Villa v Southampton Post-Match Thread

[Jimbo]

Here we go again sack the manager sack the manager sack the manager. I'ts no coincidence that the previous managers couldn't get it right either, how many managers do you want to sack before the penny drops that the manager may not be the problem. It's like this, the owner decides wages are far to high so decides to sell all our better players after all we have a great academy and the kids are going to be brilliant, we fill the side with reserve players then expect the manager to produce a quality team. Many of those kids are still in the team because the manager can't buy a whole team in six months. Do you seriously believe that Lambert can't see the problems? Lerner needs to back him or get out pure and simple.

This is pretty much it in a nutshell. It's just that Lambert isn't dealing with the situation as well as we'd hoped.

[Kingthing]

Here we go again sack the manager sack the manager sack the manager. I'ts no coincidence that the previous managers couldn't get it right either, how many managers do you want to sack before the penny drops that the manager may not be the problem. It's like this, the owner decides wages are far to high so decides to sell all our better players after all we have a great academy and the kids are going to be brilliant, we fill the side with reserve players then expect the manager to produce a quality team. Many of those kids are still in the team because the manager can't buy a whole team in six months. Do you seriously believe that Lambert can't see the problems? Lerner needs to back him or get out pure and simple.

This is pretty much it in a nutshell. It's just that Lambert isn't dealing with the situation as well as we'd hoped.

I'm with these two.

[MonsXI]

Here we go again sack the manager sack the manager sack the manager. I'ts no coincidence that the previous managers couldn't get it right either, how many managers do you want to sack before the penny drops that the manager may not be the problem. It's like this, the owner decides wages are far to high so decides to sell all our better players after all we have a great academy and the kids are going to be brilliant, we fill the side with reserve players then expect the manager to produce a quality team. Many of those kids are still in the team because the manager can't buy a whole team in six months. Do you seriously believe that Lambert can't see the problems? Lerner needs to back him or get out pure and simple.

This is pretty much it in a nutshell. It's just that Lambert isn't dealing with the situation as well as we'd hoped.

I agree to an extent but surely if Lambert can't do it then is it impossible because he seems to have been able to work with little cash to get Norwich where they are.

[hilts_coolerking]

So am I.  If there was one thing I could change about the club right this second it would be to replace Lerner.

[eastie]

So am I.  If there was one thing I could change about the club right this second it would be to replace Lerner.

Lerner is the real problem but he isn't going to go right now , bringing in a new manager can save us.
Lambert should only stay if Lerner backs him financially , if not then he should sack him .
The only way lambert will keep us up is if he's given decent transfer  money and that's not happening.

[Lambert and Payne]

So am I.  If there was one thing I could change about the club right this second it would be to replace Lerner.

Lerner is the real problem but he isn't going to go right now , bringing in a new manager can save us.
Lambert should only stay if Lerner backs him financially , if not then he should sack him .
The only way lambert will keep us up is if he's given decent transfer  money and that's not happening.

I'm sorry, but no one could come in (realistic for where we are now) and keep us up without backing. Injuries to the experienced players haven't helped his cause. Nor the fact that Lerner gives him next to nothing to spend on wages

[mike]

I have never thought it made any sense sacking Lambert partly because, as others, have said, we can't just keep sacking managers we need some consistency and partly because its just a terrible time in the season. But now it feels like do nothing and we're doomed. Maybe we need to take a risk...

[john2710]

Thought the formation / players first half were all over the place.

Dreadful decision by our friend Mr Halsey, clear dive, if Swarez does that tomorrow he'd be run out of the country. There won't be too much fuss over this one as it's only Aston Villa. I've never forgiven Halsey for his eagerness to ensure Arsenal beat us a few years ago. 

Benteke will not score the goals needed to keep us up.

[Hoppo]

I'm with you Kingthing.. We need to calm down.

[brian green]

Just home from yet another bad, bad game.

It is not at all complicated.   Our players are not good enough and have not been good enough for two and a half seasons.

Last season we deluded ourselves into thinking that the players coming through our youth academy were very much better than they really are.   That self deception and the comfort blanket of blaming McLeish for bad performances on the pitch week after week blinded us to the truth.   We desperately wanted Clark and Baker and Lichaj and Bannan and Albrighton and Herd and Weimann to be premiership class and with the possible exception of Weimann they are not.

Add to that self deception the self deception that Bennett and Lowton and Woodward and Stephens and Bowery and Holman and KEA and Vlaar and Benteke are all potentially good premiership players and the scene is set for the massive implosion we have seen this season.

As far as Lambert is concerned we deluded ourselves into thinking that he could do for us what he did for Norwich but he has not shown any sign whatsoever of achieving that in the time he has been in charge.   Our situation and the situation he faced at Norwich are very different.   With them he had time in the lower echelon to bed in young, cheap players and jell them into a team unit.   He had time.   Here he has been expected to hit the ground running and has applied the same formula of buying cheap young players but both the ones he has bought and the ones we already had do not possess sufficient ability or confidence to hack it at the top level and it shows, week after week.

Lambert is drinking in the last chance saloon but so are Lerner and Faulkner.   They have no choice but to tough it out.   Lambert will seek to shore up his position with the owner by assuring him that he can do the business with the squad of poor players he has (ignore their age, they are adult professional footballers on good wages relative to their abilities).   That will be music to Lerner's ears and Faulkner is only a Lerner yes-man so we will go into February with only the deckchairs on the Titanic rearranged.

That game and the Wigan game are the games which sealed our fate.

I shall continue to follow Villa wherever they are playing but it will be only from the habit of a lifetime not with any expectation WHATSOEVER of enjoyment or satisfaction.   They have become a Ship of Fools.

[onje_villa]

I have to say, somewhat against the run of play, that I've changed my mind on this team.

They ARE good enough. This team put in a proper formation, well-drilled and well-marshaled ought to be well clear of relegation.

A big part of me still believes in the Lambert revolution but the buck has to stop with him.

Funnily enough, I thought the likes of Baker and Stevens were good today and show that there's nothing wrong with most of the young players but you can't have them running around, seemingly with no shape whatsoever and expect to not get turned over.

Should he stay or should he go, such a tough call - I want to give him more time, we said we would but the shape and organisation in that team is a shambles at the moment.

[eastie]

So am I.  If there was one thing I could change about the club right this second it would be to replace Lerner.

Lerner is the real problem but he isn't going to go right now , bringing in a new manager can save us.
Lambert should only stay if Lerner backs him financially , if not then he should sack him .
The only way lambert will keep us up is if he's given decent transfer  money and that's not happening.

I'm sorry, but no one could come in (realistic for where we are now) and keep us up without backing. Injuries to the experienced players haven't helped his cause. Nor the fact that Lerner gives him next to nothing to spend on wages

As said before just because he is not backing lambert doesn't mean he would not back a new manager , if be has lost faith in lambert he is hardly likely to be giving him money.

[danlanza]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/12040/8389682/Time-for-flexibility-
This says a lot to me.

[onje_villa]

going down on all evidence thus far this season. Southampton had the three best players on the pitch - Schneiderlin, Lambert and Shaw. The rest of their players verged between average and hopeless but it was still enough to beat us.

Think Lambert has lost it too, four forwards on at the end. Bowery left wing. Wouldnt be surprised if he resigned in the next day or so.

Clark did ok, Delph actually was decent. The rest were hopeless including Guzan whose efforts with the ball at his feet were pitiful. Enda Stevens shouldnt play again in the EPL, that much is clear after today.

Funny, I thought Stevens played pretty well for the most part. I've been surprised by people's reactions to him.

[pauliewalnuts]

Here we go again sack the manager sack the manager sack the manager. I'ts no coincidence that the previous managers couldn't get it right either, how many managers do you want to sack before the penny drops that the manager may not be the problem. It's like this, the owner decides wages are far to high so decides to sell all our better players after all we have a great academy and the kids are going to be brilliant, we fill the side with reserve players then expect the manager to produce a quality team. Many of those kids are still in the team because the manager can't buy a whole team in six months. Do you seriously believe that Lambert can't see the problems? Lerner needs to back him or get out pure and simple.

This is pretty much it in a nutshell. It's just that Lambert isn't dealing with the situation as well as we'd hoped.

I'm with these two.

Me too.

Lerner and the Boy Wonder have quite clearly thought "hang on a mo, we've got a major wage bill problem, and everyone says we've got a great academy, so let's use those academy products, maybe buy other clubs' up and coming players, and hey presto, ace young team, AND on low wages".

It's a policy too idiotic for words.

Meanwhile, here we are with a team of kids getting crucified week in, week out, and everyone with half a brain can spot that with the addition of three players in particular areas, experienced players with a bit of nous, the side would improve massively.

If Lerner isn't prepared to fund that kind of improvement, then frankly, we are fucked.

It's really that simple

Nathan Baker - raw but very promising CB
Matt Lowton - very promising RB
Ashley Westwood - extremely promising CM
Barry Bannan - has shown what he can do
Benteke - super promising, but very raw
End Stevens - young LB just starting out in the English game
Ciaran Clark - one of the most promising kids we've had for ages
Joe Bennet - U21 international defender

In other words, lots of promising young players, but currently they're being asked - more or less - to play together at the same time, and they're getting absolutely crucified week in, week out, we're plummeting down the league, and we've also got the added bonus of their confidence getting permanently fucked.

It is an unbelievably fuckwitted policy from above, because not only will it get us relegated, we're damaging the very same young talent we acquired.