How would you feel....

[aj2k77]

Out for the obvious reasons.

Has anyone come up with a reason yet for keeping him other than who else is there and theres no money anyway?

I asked that question on Page 2, so far nobody.

Sure I will take a shot.

Tactically modern and flexible. Lambert has changed our formation many many times and will continue to do so. Remember how we played versus Westham opening game last season? Then all the different formations we have used. That is a strength to my mind. Lambert is always tinkering, the nicest compliment anyone has given us this season was Gus Poyet who noted, he found it hard to prepare for us because you never how how we will play.

Good in the transfer market. Lambert does not buy over valued Premier League offcasts. He goes younger lower league or overseas lower leagues. Thats smart and much more likely to get you players you can develop.

Finally Lambert has taken some nice high profile scalps so far and we have every reason to expect more. Yeah we just got beaten by Manchester United again. Oh well, shit happens they spend a lot more money than us and are always likely to win. But I take great delight in beating Arsenal and Man City this season. I hope for more to come.

I'd have thought Lamberts ''tactics'' are one of the last reasons anyone would vote for him to stay and as for being good in the transfer market, take Benteke out of the equation and how many good buys has he made?

Scalps my arse aswell, that's making us sound like Cheltenham making a cup giant killing, have we sunk that low that a few wins against the sky 6 are something to put on the Managers CV?

[kippaxvilla2]

Alex McLeish in answer to Lee's question.

[richtheholtender]

Not really bothered. The results are generally the same as the previous couple of managers and are probably the same as what any potential new manager would do. We cant compete anymore, so does it matter if we finish 6th or 16th or if Lambert is the manager or not.

[hilts_coolerking]

Okore and Benteke. Maybe some of the others as well. Who knows. I reckon Bowery will surprise us all. Now stop stalking me or i'll tell Legion.

Hallelujah.  That didn't need to be so difficult now did it?  (NB.  Don't panic, this last question is rhetorical.)

I agree with you about Benteke.  Haven't seen nearly enough of Okore to say, although the first impression was good.  The rest - bar Helenius, who I haven't seen at all - don't look so far to be in the future world beater class.  At the moment I'd settle for a handful of them being in the decent Premier League class.

[WarszaVillan]

I'd feel like a Baggie, and I don't like that feeling

[Villafirst]

You can't do it on the cheap in the PL; you might get away with it for a season or two, but eventually you get found out. I don't Lambert or Lerner are the right men to take us forward.

[sirlordbaltimore]

Tactically modern and flexible. Lambert has changed our formation many many times and will continue to do so. Remember how we played versus Westham opening game last season? Then all the different formations we have used. That is a strength to my mind. Lambert is always tinkering, the nicest compliment anyone has given us this season was Gus Poyet who noted, he found it hard to prepare for us because you never how how we will play.

I'm pretty sure that wasn't a compliment from Poyet. He was simply as confused by what Lambert's up to as the next man, including our own players by the looks of it.

That said he did manage to bring his bang out of form side along for an easy point and could've easily taken all 3 of course. Maybe he'll send Lambert a Christmas card for that.

[phantom limb]

Give him the January window to get a centre half and a creative midfielder in. I'm not happy, but the squad isn't good enough and I can't see the point of sacking him. Sadly, avoiding relegation is our target again so if we finish where we are now it wouldn't be too bad.

[German James]

Has anyone come up with a reason yet for keeping him other than who else is there and theres no money anyway?

You say that as if they weren't valid reasons for not sacking him: unfortunately they are!

As far as I'm concerned, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt until the summer: sacking him now would be cause too much upheaval and the above reasons for not doing so come into play. We are also 11th in the league, so what's the panic?

They aren't valid reasons because they aren't true. Are you seriously trying to tell me Paul Lambert,poached from Norwich with his 1 season of top flight experience is in all likelihood the best manager in the entire world that we can attract, financial constraints taken into account and that he has spent his £43m very well and got us playing as good football as we can expect from that outlay?

Pull the other one.

No, I'm certainly not saying that he's spent all the money wisely, or that the football currently on display is acceptable, but yes, I am seriously suggesting that I don't think anyone of a better PROVEN standard would come. Villa has more class than the rest of the league put together as far as I'm concerned, but we're not a fashionable club. What's the incentive? At least Lambert seems happy and enthusiastic to be here and keen to at least attempt the job in hand! A new manager would have to be prepared to work under the same constraints and that narrows the field of possible candidates still further.

Top, top managers need top, top money and probably complete control and Lerner's not going to fall for that again. O'Neill was certainly no better than Lambert, when it came to tactics: he just had more money to piss up the wall invest. The only alternative would seem to be one of a band of interchangeable dullard jobworths, and I don't want us to join the eternal carousel of trouble-shooters, has-beens and never-weres which seems to be the chosen mode of transport for Allardyce, Pulis, Bruce, Hughes and Co.

[Damo70]

I thought most of us accepted that the next step would probably be away from a relegation battle into a mid table position. Which is where we are. I'm not going to spit my dummy out because we have lost to United, especially as Vlaar and Delph were out.

[eastie]

I thought most of us accepted that the next step would probably be away from a relegation battle into a mid table position. Which is where we are. I'm not going to spit my dummy out because we have lost to United, especially as Vlaar and Delph were out.

All this midtable is what we are talk worries me - 3 weeks ago the Albion were above us and 9th , now they are just above the drop zone - it's very tight down there and every team in the bottom half could easily drop into the relegation zone in the next 3 weeks - lets not think we are well clear of trouble.

[supertom]

We've seen how easy it is to slip into a terrible run. We're not mid-table yet. It's not May. The way we're playing at the moment, in every game, is more likely to see us losing games than winning or drawing. That means struggling at the bottom. Lambert takes a hell of a long time to identify and address problems, which is a worry. We're playing a dangerous game indeed.

We need more proven quality in january. Not a couple of players, but 3-4.

[eastie]

We've seen how easy it is to slip into a terrible run. We're not mid-table yet. It's not May. The way we're playing at the moment, in every game, is more likely to see us losing games than winning or drawing. That means struggling at the bottom. Lambert takes a hell of a long time to identify and address problems, which is a worry. We're playing a dangerous game indeed.

We need more proven quality in january. Not a couple of players, but 3-4.

Exactly - we are 2 points clear of the bottom 6 at this moment in time - hardly comfortable .

[CAitken]

I'd feel disappointed,confused and tired of starting all over again. Our club is crying out for stability, we should have been relegated under McCleish when we had no wins in the last 10 games and finished on 38 points. We could have gone down last season but pulled ourselves together with the fans support playing a massive part and won 17 points in the last 10 games. This season we are half way in the league, the football isn't as exciting as the latter part of last season but at the moment we don't look like going down. I worry that the team, being so young, are fragile mentally and they won't react well if the crowd turns on them. Thankfully the crowd are with them and Lambert in the majority and a couple of wins changes perceptions. I look at games against the top 8 and hope we can get something from them and celebrate like mad when we do, I certainly don't expect to beat them at this stage. I'm pro Lambert and hope we invest again in the January window for the midfielder we need to continue the progression.

[Legion]

6 points clear of relegation zone.