How would you feel....

[Dave Clark Five]

I mean Westwood, He drives me insane, Set piece wise he's the new Bannan, Overhit corners, Wasted free kicks but he's allowed to take them week in week out. Fulham away I think I nearly had a heart attack watching his shit deliveries

Has anyone found out what it is Westwood does yet?

He drives a big car, sitting on a booster seat.

[MarkM]

Has anybody witnessed a training session at BMH these days? You used to be able to go along, is that still the case?

Its bad enough watching the pre match warm up, some of the shooting practice is abysmal, most of them couldn't hit a barn door from 6 feet!

[pauliewalnuts]

Don't forget if you take out the last 10 or so games at the end of the season by and large the other 28 we were terrible, it wasn't some golden season where all the youngsters and bargains came good. We were shot, had an appalling goal difference and wiganed it at the end. This season is no surprise because he hasn't rectified the major flaws last season, namely left back, centreback, attacking and defensive mid.

There is a lot of truth in this.

Towards the end of the season, we improved a lot and put together a run, and secured safety days before the end of the season, but prior to that, we were terrible for almost the entire season. I think we look back at last season and remember the end bit, but not so much the 3/4 of the season before that.

[David_Nab]

It wasn't until Sylla came into midfield and Vlaar returned from injury  that we improved last season along with Benteke turning into a goal machine.

Now Vlaar injured again ,Benteke out of form/injured and Sylla not featuring and we are back to square one.

[Damo70]

Has anybody witnessed a training session at BMH these days? You used to be able to go along, is that still the case?

Yes, everybody is welcome. Ian Culverhouse brings out refreshments and asks everybody for feedback.

[paul_e]

If you do a custom league table from the 1st of december season (before the shitty run over christmas) we were 10th from the 24 games from there to the end of the season.  That's a lot more than 10 games of being decent even if there was a time after were  knocked for 6 by the Chelsea result which had a big bearing on next 4-5 games (until half time vs newcastle).

have a look

Goals was the big thing, we scored 11 in 14 until the end of November and then 36 in 24 after that.

[Damo70]

There were plenty of matches last season when we worked really hard to close the opposition down when we didn't have the ball.

There have been hardly any this season. Either Lambert can no longer do that, or the players don't want to listen to him, because it is really hardly the greatest of tactical innovations.

I thought we did it and did it well in the first two games at Arsenal and Chelsea. I can't recall us coming close to it since.

[Ross]

Worth reminding ourselves if this club statement from May 2012.  The fact that you could replace AM's name with PL's really shows what a categoric failure his appointment has been.

Aston Villa can confirm that Alex McLeish's contract has been terminated with immediate effect.

The club has been disappointed with this season's results, performances and the general message these have sent to our fans.

The board wishes to assure supporters that we are conscious in every sense that Villa expects and deserves more and we will strive to deliver this.

Villa chairman Randy Lerner said: "We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years.

"Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.

"The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club's potential and embraces our collective expectations."

[aj2k77]

If you do a custom league table from the 1st of december season (before the shitty run over christmas) we were 10th from the 24 games from there to the end of the season.  That's a lot more than 10 games of being decent even if there was a time after were  knocked for 6 by the Chelsea result which had a big bearing on next 4-5 games (until half time vs newcastle).

have a look

Goals was the big thing, we scored 11 in 14 until the end of November and then 36 in 24 after that.

I just did that, it's a good site. From December 1st before our 'bad' run we had this record to the end of the season

P24
W 7
D 7
L 10
Pts 28


However our record for the last 10 games was

P10
W5
D3
L2
Pts18

So I'd have to stand by the claim we only had a good last 10 games and the rest was shit because even between December and March our record was

P14
W 2
D4
L8
Pts 10

Last season was By and large turd with a Wigan run at the end and loads of records for badness thrown in amongst it and from it our great manager learnt almost nothing. I don't know if he is just stupid or ridiculously stubborn.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

I woke up, a new day, yet he's still here!!!

Time to leave Lambert. Most of us thought it was good to get you as our manager, but it's just not working.

Us playing well towards the end of last season is beginning to look more like it was more luck than judgment.

[Walmley_Villa]

I wouldn't shed a tear if he were gone but the potential replacement the monkeys at the top would choose scares me to death.

I was hoping PL would bring a culture inherited from Germany and rebuild from top to bottom. Now he maybe doing this but there is no way we would ever know - No Communication!

The scouting network is a mess judging by the quality we have brought in... I wonder if it is Lambert and his management team to blame or are his hands tied by budget? Would be great to know but I expect it is a bit of both.

[supertom]

We had a good run at the tail end of last season, largely from winning must wins against teams around us. The thing was, it wasn't be any tactical master stroke. There was no great subtlety with how we started winning games. We had a front 3 hit form at the same time (including Benteke being unplayable), finally had something of a balance midfield and we counter attacked at breakneck pace.
That will only get you so far. This season teams have that "plan" well and truly scuppered. Because we're unable to play that way as effectively as we did last season (and not forgetting this was tail end of the season. We found a second wind that a few clubs didn't really have, meaning our pace murdered teams at times).

Lambert is clueless. I've never seen him, with any sort of conviction, send a side out with a really well thought out gameplan. He just pulls the chord on the players and lets them burn out their energy, hoping for the best. We've won games through sheer hard work and grit, but that only gets you so far. O Neill was a tactical wizard compared to Lambert. Even McLeish had a gameplan, as wretched as it was to watch.

[Ads]

It will be a lot cheaper to give him funds to buy the midfielders we need.

He made a mistake in the summer of not increasing the quality here. He has in part been let down by some of the players who did well last season, but just haven't continued their form and worse than that, they have fallen away badly. Westwood and Sylla are examples and also Weimann who was critical to the system we were playing.

His comments to the media regarding experience etc, suggest he knows he has made a mistake and if there is any truth in the Hoolahoop and Defour stories then at least we are looking at the right sort of player to make an immediate impact.

[eastie]

It will be a lot cheaper to give him funds to buy the midfielders we need.

He made a mistake in the summer of not increasing the quality here. He has in part been let down by some of the players who did well last season, but just haven't continued their form and worse than that, they have fallen away badly. Westwood and Sylla are examples and also Weimann who was critical to the system we were playing.

His comments to the media regarding experience etc, suggest he knows he has made a mistake and if there is any truth in the Hoolahoop and Defour stories then at least we are looking at the right sort of player to make an immediate impact.

It's not so much his transfer dealings that concern me as his tactics, lack of idea, lack of plan b, lack of organisation and the generally awful football being played - he may well get a couple of decent players in but will he use them correctly - I have no confidence in him anymore .

[Ads]

I have seen us play well under him and be well organised before. Having more senior players than Vlaar would boost the squad and the apparent fragility of our youngsters.