Confidence In The Manager

[pauliewalnuts]

...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?

Because Guzan is our best keeper and the league is our most important competition?

I genuinely don't get your argument re Steer.

Guzan played almost all the league cup matches but none of the league ones (pretty much) before Lambert arrived. He'd shown enough in the LC games to suggest he was a good prospect. He got his chance at the top job further down the line, and took it brilliantly.

[Clampy]

...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?

Did you complain when he played Steer in the last round?

[olaftab]

We played a 3rd division team and yes as you are asking I did may be not on here. I repeat again I do not like the changes managers make for the cup games.

[Clampy]

We played a 3rd division team and yes as you are asking I did may be not on here. I repeat again I do not like the changes managers make for the cup games.

I'd rather see a full team out if i'm honest, but I also realise when its not possible to.

[olaftab]

Because Guzan is our best keeper and the league is our most important competition?

I genuinely don't get your argument re Steer.

So the best keeper should have played in a cup tie against a top team. I don't see one game in a competition comprising of 38 is more important than a cup tie at this stage in the season.

[olaftab]

By the way I am not getting involved in this debate again as I said before but this time I will show some discipline ...that's it for me on this thread.

I will be fine after watching them win tomorrow!

[silhillvilla]

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.

Not boasting at all ! On more than one occasion ? I'm enjoying away games far more than home ones after 3 or 4 years of dire home form. Is that a crime .

[London Villan]

It's not a crime if you are going to them, the Arsenal game was probably the best away game/day I've ever been on. But if you are a home fan then it's very different. My brother is a season ticket holder and misses a few games through work... he hasn't seen us win at home for two years!!

Lambert is a strange one... some of his tactics are totally baffling 4-0-6 formations, not taking the League Cup seriously, almost total dismissal of premiership experience in the starting 11, failure to stop terrible runs of results (Dec 12 -  Jan13), home tactics...

I am far from convinced about him or confident in him. Do I want him sacked, no, do I want to see more improvement, yes...

[Louzie0]

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.

I found this, which suggests that the pattern Dante has identified has been going for at least 2000 years:

“We trained hard but every time we were beginning to form up in teams we would be reorganised.
I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising and a wonderful method it can be for creating an illusion of progress whilst producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation”

Attributed to Petronius Arbiter, the Roman Governor of Britain pre AD65.  Reminds me of working for a Local Authority, but I'm a bit biased about that!

[silhillvilla]

Good point on Lambert, I don't want him sacked either as id worry about who they rope in next ? The club really is in a strange position and unless we are taken over by a squillionaire then I'm not sure we can progress much at all.

[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.

Not boasting at all ! On more than one occasion ? I'm enjoying away games far more than home ones after 3 or 4 years of dire home form. Is that a crime .

Luckily I'm away for the Ci$y game so have viagog'd out seats,
£95 notes thanks very much and a stress free day.

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.

More than one and looks like boasting about it to me.

[silhillvilla]

Genuinely not boasting. The club actually encourage you to use Viagogo if you can't attend and right now cash flow means I can't just give them away which I've done in the past.

[rob_bridge]

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 have few objections to what people write on here, even if I disagree with them and they disagree with me passionatley.

The use of 'project' related to a football team/squad however is one iof them.

[Damo70]

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 have few objections to what people write on here, even if I disagree with them and they disagree with me passionatley.

The use of 'project' related to a football team/squad however is one iof them.

It is an unwritten rule now that any manager managing a club is undertaking a project. The should forget manager or head coach and just call them all project managers. See also people who appear in reality and talent shows who all go on a journey. They should all be called travellers.

[Olneythelonely]

I was furious Tuesday night, upset on Wednesday morning, optimistic again Wednesday night. I have faith in Lambert, it isn't blind faith mind (not that I'm suggesting anyone on here has that), he has made plenty of mistakes which I will point out. I complained about the team selection on Tuesday, but looking at it properly, there wasn't a much better team available.

I'll be there again tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. I'll wake up tomorrow dreading it and thinking the worse. Then I'll have a couple of pints, make my way to the ground and as soon as I see the stadium I'll fancy our chances. Every week, the same.

If we lose I'll start the grieving process all over again.