Is this what transition looks like?

[SoccerHQ]

Must admit I'm surprised by the amount of stick Lambert is getting in the post match thread. Maybe the result of another underwhelming home result but I didn't realise a few of the regular posters were turning against him. Games are always crap in the winter I find. Anyway seeing as for some reason the Paul Lambert thread can't be located on this forum, I thought this was the next best place. My take which I posted on VT:

With WBA losing we are 10th in the league. I think that's the best we can really expect from Lambert currently.

 

This certainly looks like a no frills mid table season. We regularly pick up points against the bottom half teams so there's no issue of fighting relegation but equally there's already a 4 point gap to just 9th and Spurs and Newcastle could be 7 clear of us by half 7 so looks like we're going to be stuck in 10-11th all season which after the last 3 seasons may not be a bad thing.

 

The issue remains....when a few more of the high earners leave hopefully in the summer (I think that will be Bent and CNZ) and Benteke potentially leaves (bringing in 20m +) will Lambert be given the majority of that to really push us on and get us challenging the top 6 or will he have to feed on scraps still? We've seen before replacing good players who've left that might nt be a wise move.

 

The other issue I have aswell is does Lambert have enough nous himself to push us back competiting for top 6? I'd say he's doing a steady job for us. I wouldn't call it outstanding as outstanding would be overperforming with another 5-6 points on the board e.g. where Southampton are and where Newcastle will probably be if they win tonight.

Just to add....I can't believe Lambert has watched this first half of the season and doesn't realise we desperately need a number 10 and probably another pacey wide option to make us a bit more exciting to watch at home.

I expect some moves in janaury even if it's just Popov and say Zaha in on loan.

[Toronto Villa]

I cannot believe for one second a competitor like Lambert wants to float around in mid table for the rest of his career. But I also think he is astute enough to work within the parameters at the time and build towards more every season. The up curve in anything is a lot of hard work and resources and in almost all cases takes much longer to achieve and sustain. The down curve is easy, we know that, and so much harder to get off. When things go shit they go shit. The hardest bit is the middle, is turning the down curve into an up curve and we are starting to do that. We've been down and if this season ends up being boring at times then it's the price to be paid for improvement in the future.

[SoccerHQ]

As I've said above the big test will be when Benteke leaves which to me looks 99.9% likely in the summer.

Now plenty are now convinced he's only worth a fiver but class is permanent and it's not likely he's going to go between now and May without scoring a goal. If Andy Carroll can spend half his career injured and still move for just south of 20m to West Ham that's a good indicator we'll still get a good fee for him.

Now the board then have to give Lambert the majority of that and see what he can do as we've seen things decline very quickly previously when key players haven't been replaced.

The wages thing needs to be relaxed a little aswell.....I certainly don't want to go back to playing squad filler Heskey, Given or Beye 30 year olds 40k + a week, that was all wrong but again matchwinners cost more than 20k a week.

[Ian.]

The wages thing needs to be relaxed a little aswell.....I certainly don't want to go back to playing squad filler Heskey, Given or Beye 30 year olds 40k + a week, that was all wrong but again matchwinners cost more than 20k a week.

This is key. There is a few who say he has spent a lot of money (although I'd be argue he hasn't really as the team he inherited needed such massive changes), but the money has had to spend he has to work within this wage structure. He might find a bargain out there for a small fee, even on a free, but the wage demands are still there with certain, well actually most top players.

[supertom]

The problem is, if we carry on as we are, we won't finish mid-table. Luck will run out, teams will become even wiser in nullifying our limited threat. We've also seen in recent seasons how devastating an injury at the wrong time has been. We've pull through a few early injuries already this season, but if Vlaar gets laid out long term then our defense suddenly loses it's solidity. Clarky's done very well, but just him and Baker? That would be scary, because our fullbacks are pretty poor defensively. Lose our defensive resolve and picking up results becomes a lot harder too. We rode our luck in the last three games too.

He's got to find a system that works. He's got to get a bit of composure in there somehow and get us passing the ball better. At the moment we look like 11 individuals when we're on the ball. They all work hard, which gets us so far. But honestly some of the passing of late has been mind bogglingly bad. We're talking simple five yard passes going astray. The lack of decent movement is a worry too.

If we carry on like we are we won't finish tenth. My worry about Lambert is that he seems more pleased than he should about how we're playing. The players look like headless chickens. The positive aspect is that they work bloody hard for him and don't give in. But his clueless tactics will eventually come unstuck.

In january we need not only a number 10, we probably need two midfielders with a bit of technical ability, to come in.

[Dave Clark Five]

Must admit I'm surprised by the amount of stick Lambert is getting in the post match thread.

That is becoming a stock phrase now. Why are you surprised? The performance was pathetic again.  Hope that we can sell loads of season tickets next year but how many mugs are there?

[olaftab]

Why do people think we can transform from a team fighting relegation for 3 seasons to into a quality,   fluid passing,  winning every home game team overnight? We can't and neither can any other team. Despite all the money in the world it still took Chelsea and Mancity 4/5 years to start winning trophies. Without free money it will take longer much longer and may be not at all because as soon a semblance of a good team emerges so do vultures and lose 2/3 quality players and you are back to square one.

[supertom]

Why do people think we can transform from a team fighting relegation for 3 seasons to into a quality,   fluid passing,  winning every home game team overnight? We can't and neither can any other team. Despite all the money in the world it still took Chelsea and Mancity 4/5 years to start winning trophies. Without free money it will take longer much longer and may be not at all because as soon a semblance of a good team emerges so do vultures and lose 2/3 quality players and you are back to square one.

We don't all expect that. But it would be nice to see five yard passes reach their intended target. There's no excuse for the sheer amount of unforced errors we make, and how clueless the players seem in the final third. They have no idea what system/if any they're playing.
We'll never be Barca, but if we're not even getting the basics right, we've got problems. Sheer guts, effort, luck and determination will only get us so far.

Our passing has been consistently bad. There's no movement, it's all aimless, but players just gift the ball back to the opposition. We look like headless chickens most of the time. The sad part is, on the defensive we look quite well drilled (with the exception of questionable full back positioning).

KEA consistently goes missing too. That doesn't help us at all.

I don't expect fluidity yet, but I do expect at a professional level, even with players we've bought from L1/2, that the fundamentals are there. No one has a cool head in our side from the midfield up. No one appears to be assured in what they are doing. I don't think that's down to the players themselves, it's down to how the manager has sent them out.

I honestly think Marshall has done a lot for our defence it would seem. We need to get in someone to have a similar effect on our midfield and attack.

[aj2k77]

I genuinely could see a midfield and attacking coach making decent improvements to this side, where would that leave Lambert though? Is he much of a motivationalist or tactician? 

It wont happen anyway.

[supertom]

I genuinely could see a midfield and attacking coach making decent improvements to this side, where would that leave Lambert though? Is he much of a motivationalist or tactician? 

It wont happen anyway.

The players, mostly, seem to bust a gut for Lambert. We're not lacking in application or effort, but tactically we're well short.
Lets face it, a lot of managers are all about motivation and leave the technical and tactical aspects to others. But sheer force of will will only get us so far. On the ball, facing goal, our players look lost. The ball player looks up and there's no movement at all. There's no composure. We then rush everything. Players play passes blind in hope. Its a total mess.
 

[garyshawsknee]

I'm fully behind PL, but the one disappointing thing i've seen in him is how he has missed the fact that our midfielders are very similar, good hard workers, quite tidy on the ball, but unable to dominate a game or make something happen, and the fact that we spent good money on a guy who's not gonna be a number one starter ( no disrespect to Kovak he may come good) seems to be wasted when a £7m midfielder would have been far more beneficial for us right now.

[aj2k77]

I'm fully behind PL, but the one disappointing thing i've seen in him is how he has missed the fact that our midfielders are very similar, good hard workers, quite tidy on the ball, but unable to dominate a game or make something happen, and the fact that we spent good money on a guy who's not gonna be a number one starter ( no disrespect to Kovak he may come good) seems to be wasted when a £7m midfielder would have been far more beneficial for us right now.

Leroy Fer would have done a good job in our Midfield, add a bit of height aswell.

[Billy Walker]

I cannot believe for one second a competitor like Lambert wants to float around in mid table for the rest of his career. But I also think he is astute enough to work within the parameters at the time and build towards more every season. The up curve in anything is a lot of hard work and resources and in almost all cases takes much longer to achieve and sustain. The down curve is easy, we know that, and so much harder to get off. When things go shit they go shit. The hardest bit is the middle, is turning the down curve into an up curve and we are starting to do that. We've been down and if this season ends up being boring at times then it's the price to be paid for improvement in the future.

Spot on.   There will be plenty of boring, frustrating, mediocre performances between now and the end of the season and this will simply be down to where we are as a club at the moment.  Performances like yesterday's are steps on the journey back to being a well-run, successful and competitive club

[eastie]

I cannot believe for one second a competitor like Lambert wants to float around in mid table for the rest of his career. But I also think he is astute enough to work within the parameters at the time and build towards more every season. The up curve in anything is a lot of hard work and resources and in almost all cases takes much longer to achieve and sustain. The down curve is easy, we know that, and so much harder to get off. When things go shit they go shit. The hardest bit is the middle, is turning the down curve into an up curve and we are starting to do that. We've been down and if this season ends up being boring at times then it's the price to be paid for improvement in the future.

Spot on.   There will be plenty of boring, frustrating, mediocre performances between now and the end of the season and this will simply be down to where we are as a club at the moment.  Performances like yesterday's are steps on the journey back to being a well-run, successful and competitive club

Performances like we had at arsenal are steps on the journey back to being a competive and successful club - performances like yesterday are abysmal and need to be quickly wiped from the memory.

[Toronto Villa]

I cannot believe for one second a competitor like Lambert wants to float around in mid table for the rest of his career. But I also think he is astute enough to work within the parameters at the time and build towards more every season. The up curve in anything is a lot of hard work and resources and in almost all cases takes much longer to achieve and sustain. The down curve is easy, we know that, and so much harder to get off. When things go shit they go shit. The hardest bit is the middle, is turning the down curve into an up curve and we are starting to do that. We've been down and if this season ends up being boring at times then it's the price to be paid for improvement in the future.

Spot on.   There will be plenty of boring, frustrating, mediocre performances between now and the end of the season and this will simply be down to where we are as a club at the moment.  Performances like yesterday's are steps on the journey back to being a well-run, successful and competitive club

Performances like we had at arsenal are steps on the journey back to being a competive and successful club - performances like yesterday are abysmal and need to be quickly wiped from the memory.

Performances like we had at Arsenal will happen amongst more performances not to that level. As good as that display was we also caught Arsenal at a really vunerable time and took advantage. We deserve credit for the win, but let's be honest we had a few things go in our favour. If anyone thought that would then become the norm then that would be a completely unrealsitic and unfair expectation of a side that a few months prior just fought off going down. I wish it was that easy.