Confidence In The Manager

[Mister E]

we have been outplayed at home and yet matched the likes of Chelsea and arsenal away , this would suggest the problem is the way we set up to play at home

We must find a system of playing at villa park which puts pressure on the opposition and creates chances .

Correct.

Is Manchester City at home (with your key player injured) is the best time to try a new system though?  One the one hand, they're not great away from home so far, and last time they had a big champions league tie in the week Pelligrini rotated the squad heavily (and almost lost to Stoke as a result).  On the other hand, even a weak City side could show up and dominate possession, so maybe the 'away tactics' might work here.......

The big difference we could make is to adopt a much more pressing game - at least make the opposition work for their result!

[dave.woodhall]

Just because I'm not going don't mean I don't care ! See you at Hull if you can be arsed. 

Boasting (on more than one occasion) about touting your tickets and saying how glad you are not to be going to the match is hardly proof of undying loyalty.

[Gregorys Boy]

When Lambert was appointed I was very happy, as we knew that much of the squad needed rebuilding and that it had to be done on the cheap and when you see the job he did at Norwich on not very much money he seemed a perfect fit.

He is a lively character, but also considered, and is one of the brightest young managers in this country who should still have his best years ahead of him.

We always knew it would take him some time to get us back up to a good level, few would have expected us to have struggled like last year, but there are signs of progress and with one or two problems still to sort out. I do see us finishing about half way up the league this season, maybe with a good cup run (it'll have to be in the FA now), and then next season I think we can maybe aim for a top six finish and go from there.

As for him not addressing the defence.  I don't see it that way, he has made a number of new signings who are still adapting to the PL and we have young players who are still learning the game.  Part of the problem is that outside of the central forwards and goalkeeper Lambert doesn't yet know his best starting eleven, but hopefully that will come in time.

So yes I am mostly positive and believe that in the long term the manager can get us back to being a regular top six side and challenging for trophies.

[Chico Hamilton III]

it is  still very much a work-in-progress project

If we were playing Villa cliche bingo, I'd be shouting "House" after reading this sentence.

[Gregorys Boy]

it is  still very much a work-in-progress project

If we were playing Villa cliche bingo, I'd be shouting "House" after reading this sentence.

Ah yes but cliché's are cliché's for a reason.  Hope that didn't sound too cliché in its self!

[MarkM]

it is  still very much a work-in-progress project

If we were playing Villa cliche bingo, I'd be shouting "House" after reading this sentence.

Along with 'Transition'

[Mister E]

it is  still very much a work-in-progress project

If we were playing Villa cliche bingo, I'd be shouting "House" after reading this sentence.

Well, go collect your cuddly toy!
Are we not a work-in-progress project?!

[Chico Hamilton III]

it is  still very much a work-in-progress project

If we were playing Villa cliche bingo, I'd be shouting "House" after reading this sentence.

Well, go collect your cuddly toy!
Are we not a work-in-progress project?!

It just makes me laugh, this continous use of pseudo business terminology to describe a football team's current situation. "project" " work in progress". It's as if we're delivering a PowerPoint presentation to a group of middle-managers. 

[paul_e]

we have been outplayed at home and yet matched the likes of Chelsea and arsenal away , this would suggest the problem is the way we set up to play at home

We must find a system of playing at villa park which puts pressure on the opposition and creates chances .

Correct.

Is Manchester City at home (with your key player injured) is the best time to try a new system though?  One the one hand, they're not great away from home so far, and last time they had a big champions league tie in the week Pelligrini rotated the squad heavily (and almost lost to Stoke as a result).  On the other hand, even a weak City side could show up and dominate possession, so maybe the 'away tactics' might work here.......

The big difference we could make is to adopt a much more pressing game - at least make the opposition work for their result!

Work rate isn't the problem, it's efficiency that's missing.  We still don't press well as a unit, we often have 1 player running around closing the ball and lots of others not really contributing to the effort.  This gives us 2 issues:  If we win the ball the player is often isolated so we don't keep it and if we don't win the ball they can usually find a simple pass to keep possession and that single player pressing for us ends up chasing shadows.

To go back to Barcelona (I think that was on another thread actually) a 4 in defence, 5 in front and 1 free.

The free man is our out ball but he should be ensuring there are no simple passes to the central defenders and keeper, if they want those players on the ball they should have to step out of position.

The 5 across the middle should have 1 stepping out to close the ball and 4 holding their position and maintaining a line (we're really bad at this), but the 1 stepping out shouldn't be a single player doing all the work and they should be rushing out (unless they can intercept a sloppy pass), it should all be controlled to not let a player have loads of time unopposed without 'selling yourself'.  We should also be identifying a player who we think is more likely to give the ball away and the pressing should serve to channelling the play that way.

The back 4 then operates in a similar way but in a narrowed area, 4 in line with the box and the 'stepping out' includes going wide, with the objective being to channel the ball back into the midfield.

our defence is actually largely doing this (although the shape is a little off) The midfield isn't right and hasn't been all along and that's where our defensive frailty stems from, but it's systemic rather than due to bad players.

[LeeB]

We've viagogo'd our seats for Saturday and taken the £70 as we have better things to do this weekend so there's a good chance we will win now.
Getting sick of going down B6 after the last few years and the first 3 home games and defeats.
Something has to change quite frankly.

What, do you want a medal?

[pauliewalnuts]

we have been outplayed at home and yet matched the likes of Chelsea and arsenal away , this would suggest the problem is the way we set up to play at home

We must find a system of playing at villa park which puts pressure on the opposition and creates chances .

This is exactly it.

I am as happy to moan about the home performances as the next man, but I don't see how anyone can not appreciate the fact that some of our away performances are excellent.

Credit where credit is due, if people are going to complain.

[Dr Butler]

it is  still very much a work-in-progress project

If we were playing Villa cliche bingo, I'd be shouting "House" after reading this sentence.

Well, go collect your cuddly toy!
Are we not a work-in-progress project?!

It just makes me laugh, this continous use of pseudo business terminology to describe a football team's current situation. "project" " work in progress". It's as if we're delivering a PowerPoint presentation to a group of middle-managers. 

I agree with Chico as in the use of the terminology, but surely every football club is a "work in progress"......thats why they buy and sell players, change managers, invest in the stadium and academies.....

[Dante Lavelli]

it is  still very much a work-in-progress project

If we were playing Villa cliche bingo, I'd be shouting "House" after reading this sentence.

Well, go collect your cuddly toy!
Are we not a work-in-progress project?!

It just makes me laugh, this continous use of pseudo business terminology to describe a football team's current situation. "project" " work in progress". It's as if we're delivering a PowerPoint presentation to a group of middle-managers. 

I agree with Chico as in the use of the terminology, but surely every football club is a "work in progress"......thats why they buy and sell players, change managers, invest in the stadium and academies.....

I suppose that's true but there's another business management model - no idea what it is called (or typically applied) - that suggests organisations go through "storming, forming, norming" phases/cycles (something like that).  Ferguson recently talked about this when he said that every 4 years he would deliberately break up his team (storming) and rebuild it (forming).  The theory being that if things were too normal for too long people will eventually get bored/complacent.

I'd suggest that Villa are either coming out of the storming phase (selling the marquee players) and entering the forming bit whereupon players get used to formations and Lambert's plans.  The next stage is where things settle down and the fruits of the plan (or otherwise) materialise.

Apologies for more business mumbo jumbo and if I have got the terminology wrong.

[olaftab]

...there was still no valid reason to start with a rookie keeper.

I'd bet good money that Guzan wouldn't be the great keeper that he is now if he's not been given the experience of a couple of dozen cup matches in the O'Neill years to get used to playing proper matches.

OK so why don't we play Steer in a League match now and then as it appears that those are the more proper matches in some people's eyes?

[olaftab]

Surely the fact the crowd was so low doesnt necessarily reflect that the fans see it at the least important game , but that maybe the fans feel the club are not taking it too seriously and many would decide not to pay their hard earned cash to see a mostly 2nd choice team?

The club can hardly be surprised  if cup gates drop further if the team chosen Is not the strongest available.

As dc5 says there is a feeling among many that we will get trounced tomorrow at home and until things change on the pitch at villa park then it will not get better.

Agree with all this expect we will not get trounced tomorrow!