Confidence In The Manager

[Toronto Villa]

I have utmost confidence in the manager. However what I lack is what all football fans lack, and that is the natural patience to sit through the process. I want as much success now as I can get, and all of the instant gratification that comes with it. I want us to buy top players today not wait and develop the squad and change the culture of the club.

The reality is taking a pragmatic or even neutral perspective is challenging given our emotional investment, but it also allows you to take a step back and ask do we want consistency long term, or the volatitility of the past few decades? If we cast an envious eye over to other clubs that have either had sustained performance given comparable economic conditions then we need to be patient to see if Lambert is on the right path. That is what is hard.

My guess is Lambert doesn't like to lose. Doesn't like to take batterings, doesn't like to answer questions on why we don't do certain things well etc etc. I am sure he'd rather be answering questions on our latest 4-0 win rather that defeat. If we accept that then we need to accept that what we want as fans might take a little more time to achieve than 18 months, so that we are not having this converation again in 2 or 3 years with yet another manager.

[aj2k77]

We are consistent though. Consistently shit.

I'd be willing to bet this team would struggle to beat our team from 3 seasons ago, even 2 season ago.

Where is the improvement? He's spent above £40 million.

[LeeB]

We are consistent though. Consistently shit.

I'd be willing to bet this team would struggle to beat our team from 3 seasons ago, even 2 season ago.

Where is the improvement? He's spent above £40 million.

Rebuilding an entire squad. The team we lost to on Tuesday had two players worth more than that, coming into an already tidy squad.

[olaftab]

Wanting Lambert as our manager does not have to equate to never criticising him or wondering about the way he goes about things from time to time.

Exactly!

I remember writing a 12 page pissed-up rant to Graham Taylor after ( another) defeat to Wimbledon. I loved the man but he drove me effing mental at times.

I love my kids as well, but it don't stop me from dishing out absolute bollockings when it's deserved. 

Agreex2.

[Ads]

What is the point at the moment?

We exist as a club to make a very small minority of people involved in it incredibly rich. For the vast majority there is very little benefit.

Well, there was only 1400 of us at Norwich and I strongly believe we'd have sold the full allocation, but I was certain of our existence on Saturday being to put a huge smile on my face.

[Ger Regan]

We are consistent though. Consistently shit.

I'd be willing to bet this team would struggle to beat our team from 3 seasons ago, even 2 season ago.

Where is the improvement? He's spent above £40 million.

Absolute nonsense. By my reckoning we've only been what could be described as "shit" in two of the games this season, Newcastle and the game on tuesday (and even on tuesday who knows what might have happened if we got the penalty at 0-1). All other games have shown very promising signs, but perhaps not the results to match.

[Ads]

We are consistent though. Consistently shit.

I'd be willing to bet this team would struggle to beat our team from 3 seasons ago, even 2 season ago.

Where is the improvement? He's spent above £40 million.

Absolute nonsense. By my reckoning we've only been what could be described as "shit" in two of the games this season, Newcastle and the game on tuesday (and even on tuesday who knows what might have happened if we got the penalty at 0-1). All other games have shown very promising signs, but perhaps not the results to match.

Don't entertain him.

There seems to be some sort of competition on going as to who can make the most "everything is shit, I can't be arsed to go" style wetness.

As tedious as it is erroneous. 

[olaftab]

Yes on Lambert I wanted him in and I have supported everything he has done so fat up till last night. Last night he sent out a team with no intention of winning a cup tie. So I am sorry but that is not what I expect of manager of Aston Villa football club so he is out as far as I am concerned.

He's out? is that tongue in cheek or a massive overreaction? I wasn't happy with the other night, but I still think Lambert is taking us in the right direction. He does need to address our lack of midfield creativity and our home form though.

Paul I did explain in an earlier post I don't want him out as in sacked just to say I am not from now on going to have total faith in him. I just think Villa managers should compete 100% in every game we play and (this is important) I believe he didn't on Tuesday. 

[olaftab]

No I don't see it as "weaker team" played. Most who did not were still to prove themselves. Furthermore Chelsea were not a stronger team than us in that period.

Bosnich, Southgate,  Collymore, Thompson, Vassell and Merson were yet to prove themselves and the team that the year before had finished fourth (we were eighth) and won the Cup Winners Cup, then finished third that season (we were sixth)  weren't stronger than us ?

OK good info.
Well memory tends to forget painful events however it just backs up what I have been saying. We have done **** all since Brian.

[Ads]

If that's the game at Stamford Bridge where they beat us 4-1, that Blue Nosed oik Forsell bagged a couple if I recall?

We were top of the league at the time, took the lead and then got bummed.

[Mister E]

Wow, what amazes me is that people seem to have taken the Tuesday game almost in isolation of the rest of the season. As said elsewhere, the first three P'ship games were encouraging and deserved more points than we garnered.  Against Norwich we showed resilience and a winning attitude.
I was really concerned about our lackadaisical approach against the Barcodes.
In the light of injuries and fitness doubts to several players, Tuesday gave Lambert the chance to give much-needed experience to several players and we lost to a club that has made quantum leaps compared to us in the last 2-3 seasons.

I'm not happy with some aspects of this season but it is  still very much a work-in-progress project and it's time to gird our loins and experience the rollercoaster ride that we're on.

That does not imply that we should not criticise: but let's do so rationally.

[Clampy]

We are consistent though. Consistently shit.

I'd be willing to bet this team would struggle to beat our team from 3 seasons ago, even 2 season ago.

Where is the improvement? He's spent above £40 million.

Absolute nonsense. By my reckoning we've only been what could be described as "shit" in two of the games this season, Newcastle and the game on tuesday (and even on tuesday who knows what might have happened if we got the penalty at 0-1). All other games have shown very promising signs, but perhaps not the results to match.

Don't entertain him.

There seems to be some sort of competition on going as to who can make the most "everything is shit, I can't be arsed to go" style wetness.

There's also a separate competition going along the lines of 'If the club cor be bothered, neither can i' cries.

[dave.woodhall]

It's a chicken and egg situation with the club (or manager, if you prefer) and 20,000 empty seats pointing at each other and basically saying what Clamps said. Nobody except an ever-decreasing number of old school supporters are bothered about cups until there's a sniff of Wembley so I don't know why there's so much hysteria about Tuesday night.

[olaftab]

As you said and I am in that old school cat so reserve the right to get annoyed about cheap cup exits! It's equally annoying that we merely make up the numbers nowadays in the league but there we are.....

[Clampy]

As you said and I am in that old school cat so reserve the right to get annoyed about cheap cup exits! It's equally annoying that we merely make up the numbers nowadays in the league but there we are.....

What was so cheap about it? Please explain.