How would you feel....

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I hope he gets a good few more seasons yet.

I don’t see the sense in chopping and changing now, to what effect? I expect he is hitting the targets discussed with Lerner et al at the start of the season 12th-8th and as uneventful as possible please, which is by and large what we have seen.

Its not about lowering expectations, its about looking at things in context of what has preceded and why that is a realistic target for the time being. It won’t be next seasons target or the target for 2024.

It will be interesting to see how the financial situation either changes or stays the same. Several large contracts are due to expire in the summer and we learnt from that Trust meeting that the books are now balanced. If you factor in that Lambert has already re-built the squad over two seasons, then ideally there should be more money to spend in transfers and on wages on a smaller number of players.

Its not great at the moment with the past five games showing iffy form performance wise, but we have still taken seven points from them and have another run of games where even if the poor form continues, the quality is absent to punish us for it.

I think patience is hard to come by, especially when it is so expensive to watch the game, but I don’t see the sense in sacking Lambert and I am convinced neither does Lerner.

[eastie]

Whoever came in we would be looking at possibly upper midtable due to finances but the football may be more entertaining - gates will drop if the football at villa park continues to be so drab - maybe lerner needs to remind him that we expect an improvement  in home form and that at the moment its unacceptable - I can't see lerner sacking him in all honesty although I would feel no sympathy for him if he did .

[Damo70]

I think a number of players needed to be brought in after the year under TSM. We have done that, albeit with varying degrees of success, but I honestly think now that two or three quality signings would make a huge difference. If I was a manager I would sooner take over now than when Lambert did. But the finance for those two or three players and their wages has to be there because as I said before there isn't a lot of room for wheeling and dealing except flogging Benteke and at the moment even that doesn't look like the jackpot we thought it might be.

[Clampy]

I don't think he's going anywhere unless there's a sudden dramatic change in results. As much as I admire his philosophy of bringing in young and hungry players, I think he needs to being in a bit of experience in January.

[supertom]

Some home games it almost doesn't even look like we're trying to win the game. That's one of the worst things about it. For a manager who's supposed to be all about attack and apparently a bit gung ho, Lambert has proved this season he can out-McLeish, Alex McLeish. Which lets face it, takes some chuffing doing.

[pauliewalnuts]

Whether we get shot of Lambert is neither here nor there while there is in place the overriding priority of balancing the books. 

There is a lot if truth in this.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because it's what Lambert wants to do, then it's worrying because it isn't going to get us very far under him.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because that's all the wage bill can stand then it doesn't matter who the manager is. Which is even more worrying.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Whether we get shot of Lambert is neither here nor there while there is in place the overriding priority of balancing the books. 

There is a lot if truth in this.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because it's what Lambert wants to do, then it's worrying because it isn't going to get us very far under him.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because that's all the wage bill can stand then it doesn't matter who the manager is. Which is even more worrying.

Everton seem to be managing ok.

[supertom]

Whether we get shot of Lambert is neither here nor there while there is in place the overriding priority of balancing the books. 

There is a lot if truth in this.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because it's what Lambert wants to do, then it's worrying because it isn't going to get us very far under him.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because that's all the wage bill can stand then it doesn't matter who the manager is. Which is even more worrying.

I don't think reasonable wages are entirely beyond us. 4 players got pay rises in the summer and Kozak came from a big club in Serie A for 7 million.

I'd also rather see us spend 15-20million on 3-4 players as opposed to spreading that over 7 players as we did in the summer. I'd trade 3 of Lamberts long shot punts for one half decent player.

[pauliewalnuts]

Whether we get shot of Lambert is neither here nor there while there is in place the overriding priority of balancing the books. 

There is a lot if truth in this.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because it's what Lambert wants to do, then it's worrying because it isn't going to get us very far under him.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because that's all the wage bill can stand then it doesn't matter who the manager is. Which is even more worrying.

Everton seem to be managing ok.

They didn't create an entire team of low wage players in one season, though.

We went about fixing our wage bill with an Osborne-like zeal, and as a result have a squad of much cheaper players.

Sadly they're also not much cop.

I don't like paying stupid money to players who don't deserve it, but this is what happens if you go from 50 or 60k a week players to 10k a week ones in one jump.

Everton, for example, are paying the loan fee and wages for Lukaku - whose wages we couldn't afford when he went to Albion.

[Clampy]

Whether we get shot of Lambert is neither here nor there while there is in place the overriding priority of balancing the books. 

There is a lot if truth in this.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because it's what Lambert wants to do, then it's worrying because it isn't going to get us very far under him.

If we're buying lower league mediocrity because that's all the wage bill can stand then it doesn't matter who the manager is. Which is even more worrying.

Everton seem to be managing ok.

Everton, for example, are paying the loan fee and wages for Lukaku - whose wages we couldn't afford when he went to Albion.

Whilst this is true, they only did this because they got £28m on transfer deadline day and Chelsea are not going to sell him and if they do, I can't see Everton being able to afford him.

[pauliewalnuts]

28m for Fellaini, who they spent 15m on, lest we forget.

[ozzjim]

They paid 5-6 million, plus his wages at around 70k a week for the season. It is a huge amount. Worth it - probably, but when we had Benteke already, who looked brilliant early doors, and simply need a couple of goals to get his confidence back, then you can see why we have not looked at it.

I will forgive the spreading of the cash we have paid out, and if Lambert is to be believed it is significantly less than the fees published, so far as he has been simply trying to build a new squad from top to bottom.

Now though, it is very simple that money has to be spent on say 2 positions in a window where we get quality. Not 7 and get mediocre.

[not3bad]

Still believe that Lambert is the right man for the job but I am alarmed by the ineptitude of some of the performances this year.  Yet another seaon of misery at home.  It wears you out.

[themossman]

This has probably been mentioned somewhere in the last 14 pages but I think if we hadn't had injuries to Okore and Benteke we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Yes I'm unhappy with the performances and the overall lack of clear progress, but if you break it down into actual managerial decisions I still think Lambert gets it right more than he gets it wrong.

[Brend'Watkins]

This has probably been mentioned somewhere in the last 14 pages but I think if we hadn't had injuries to Okore and Benteke we wouldn't be having this discussion.

A lot of truth in that and you can include Vlaar in there too.  But even so, injuries are not unique to our club.  Every club has its share throughout a season how they cope with their back up players in such instances is what separates us from them. We can do okay with Clark filling in for Okore with Vlaar alongside.  We are a shambles with Clark alongside Baker filling in for Vlaar. There is so much wrong with our defense at the moment it is difficult to know where to start to put it right.  January can't come quick enough.