Stoke City v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[pauliewalnuts]

After reading the first couple of pages, I have to ask the question, are the posters being serious about sacking Paul Lambert?

I find that surprising myself. He appears to be a good young, up and coming manager who given time will turn this young bunch of players into a good out-fit. Whilst the football may not be brilliant, I still think you'll survive and it will be another good experience for the younger professionals within your squad.

I don't want him to be sacked, but I do want him to get his act together - quickly - because we have been abysmal for a decent period of time now.

[jcsutv]

We need to sack him and bring in a new man (no idea who) to flick the switch which will prevent injuries, turn our squad players into world beaters an instill confidence into the young players. Oh he has still got no money to spend and we have to start rebuilding the coaching staff and pay compensation to Mr Lambert too, so the playing squad will have to remain the same in the short term.
No. I will trust in Mr Lambert and listen to him defend his players week in week out, because he has to keep their confidence up.

[pauliewalnuts]

I must admit, it seems ages since we won, say, three matches in a row, but currently it just seems inconceivable.

[OzVilla]

Disappointing as this all is we need to show patience and stick with PL.

We are a massive work in progress and under the constraints that the Club operates under it really will be a gradual process, although it feels glacial if progress at all.

I just think that with so many young players we are bound to have these times. Yes we need investment in January but we also have good players not performing due to injury and loss of form that will come again, Benteke, Wiemann.

We're all pissed off but we've also got to be realistic.

[Liam_Baggies]

No offence intended here Liam but we are Aston villa and surviving is not really good enough for a club like us - in your case survival is seen as success but for us we aspire to much more than just survival.

Really don't understand the pop at myself or my club when all I've asked is a straight forward question.

I thought Lambert was in the process of building a young, energetic side who played football with a high intensity and I thought he'd be given the patience by the Villa fans to do this. With a young side, relatively new at this level, there was always going to be peaks and troughs.

[SamTheMouse]

It's tough to get the players you want for sensible money mid-season, and there are plenty of January flops, but this could all be turned around in the upcoming transfer window. I still think that we have the basis of a decent side. The trouble is, we're overloaded with players who are inconsistent and need a bit of established, experienced quality alongside them in order to be able to perform. They only look shite because they're all being made to play together, week in, week out. Take Tonev for example. He's just arrived in English football, he's struggling to adapt, and he needs to be used as a sub for a while in a side that's playing decent football under no pressure. Unfortunately, he doesn't have that luxury, because almost every other player in the squad is struggling just as much as him, so he plays in a crap team and consequently tries to do it all himself.

I genuinely believe all that's needed is two, perhaps three quality internationals, battle-hardened old-hands to steady the youngsters, dictate the style of play and get the rest of the team organised and properly positioned on the pitch. It would transform us, and it would be a sound investment as our younger players would start to realise their potential much more quickly. Without that added quality and experience, though....we're fucked.

[atomicjam]

Disappointing as this all is we need to show patience and stick with PL.

We are a massive work in progress and under the constraints that the Club operates under it really will be a gradual process, although it feels glacial if progress at all.

I just think that with so many young players we are bound to have these times. Yes we need investment in January but we also have good players not performing due to injury and loss of form that will come again, Benteke, Wiemann.

We're all pissed off but we've also got to be realistic.

I agree 100% with this.

[villan from luton]

How many of the players have improved this season? Vlaar most certainly, Delph has performed like the second half of last season, who else? Guzan has done ok as well, as he did last season. Lowton, Westwood, Weiman have been major disappointments for me, really thought they would continue to kick on. Benteke may have a new contract, but is not the same player and maybe injury is taking its toll as I dont go along with the cant be bothered comments as he knows he has to perform to get a world cup spot and also a lucturative move. I do not think Baker will ever be a premiership player, lots of heart but positioning is awful. Clark is a bit better IMHO. Gabby has done ok, nothing more and nothing less, you never know. Bennett, what is wrong with him? The signings in the summer, Kozak has done ok and more to come, Bacuna I would like to see in the middle, Luna is a liability in defence at the moment, Helenius who knows what has happened if Bowery gets on in front of him. A lot of average players. If we get rid of Lambert, who are we going to get in who is better with the same financial constraints? We are Aston Villa, but we have to accept that we are looking in the basement bargains and that is only going to get you so far in this day and age

[curiousorange]

But why do we have to wait three, five or even ten years before the work-in-progress becomes the finished article? Why does it need to be painful to achieve nice attractive football with a young squad? Is there a rule we have to watch shite football and flirt with relegation as some kind of dues-paying exercise?

[olaftab]

Just to make us even happier. There's a pattern of late emerging. Sidwell strung us up in the Fulham match. Crouch did today. In our next game we face Barry Bannan, and then we face Routledge next. The just to rub salt in even further, we face Bardsley and Gardner in the next game after that.

Marvelous.

Yes they will all score and we will lose all those games.

[Fergal]

Looking at what we pay for players and what we pay them I think our position in the league flatters us.

[Monty]

Looking at what we pay for players and what we pay them I think our position in the league flatters us.

Or, just possibly, does the manager credit?

[eastie]

No offence intended here Liam but we are Aston villa and surviving is not really good enough for a club like us - in your case survival is seen as success but for us we aspire to much more than just survival.

Really don't understand the pop at myself or my club when all I've asked is a straight forward question.

I thought Lambert was in the process of building a young, energetic side who played football with a high intensity and I thought he'd be given the patience by the Villa fans to do this. With a young side, relatively new at this level, there was always going to be peaks and troughs.

As I said no offence intended , but your comment that you thought we'd survive still made me think maybe thats ok at the Albion but  we are hoping for a bit more than that - sorry if it came across as being arrogant .

I noticed you didn't pop on here after our win at southampton a fortnight ago  by the way .

[pauliewalnuts]

But why do we have to wait three, five or even ten years before the work-in-progress becomes the finished article? Why does it need to be painful to achieve nice attractive football with a young squad? Is there a rule we have to watch shite football and flirt with relegation as some kind of dues-paying exercise?

Why do people assume that building something with young players just means waiting long enough and they become top players. It doesn't work like that. Some will, some won't.

The problem is that for us to progress, a mentally large number of them would have to become top players, and that's not going to happen.

It's all well and good Lambert going on about how the prices people say he played are inflated and this player cost 1m, not 2m, or that one cost 900k, the problem is, far too often, they actually look like players who didn't cost very much.

There's pretty much no escaping the fact that if you fill a squad with underwhelming players, you end up with an underwhelming team.

How many of our starters today would Stoke have coveted, for example?

[olaftab]

So how did the club lose its heart?   I believe it is the consequence of losing an owner for all his faults and they were many and well known, who loved the club and loved the game.   In Steve Stride we had an executive who also loved the game.   They have been replaced by Randy Lerner and Paul Faulkner for whom Aston Villa Football Club are no more than a business investment.   I am sure Randy likes "soccer" and takes an interest in our games, albeit from a distance but Faulkner will never be a football man while he has a hole in his arse.

If Lambert gets money in the January window he is a leopard who will not change his spots, he will buy cheap again but it is all hypothetical because he will not get any money and he will not sign anybody.

We all know how wonderful Mr Ellis and Mr Stride were.
Not sure what you are trying to say here? Is is the board or is it the manager who will not sign what you would call "quality"? However it doesn't matter because you have gussed the outcome.