Lambert's Vision for Villa

[eastie]

I dont know an awful lot about his time at Cleveland Browns except Randy was the owner and they were not succesful. On one of the other forums they get a few Americans posting regularly and they might be able to give their 'in the know' views on his tenure.

Might be interesting or it might not.

Found this interesting regarding his frequent sacking of coaches in charge of the browns.

 (via ClevelandBrowns.com): "You don't get to where you want to be by blowing this up every two or three years."

Maybe Randy Lerner needed that line posted in big block lettering just outside his office door, because the man seems incapable of controlling his compulsion to do exactly that.

And that is why Randy Lerner will not be missed. Lerner can't keep his nervous fingers from striking the detonation match. And every time he does, the fans have to suffer literally for years as a new regime comes in and tries to put the pieces back together.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1279288-cleveland-browns-new-owner-has-chance-to-avoid-bad-pattern-set-by-lerner

[rougegorge]

All this 'vision for the future' would be fine if we looked like we were progressing. I could believe at the end of last season, but at the moment we're going backwards.

This time last year we conceded 15 goals without reply in three matches.  So far this season we've conceded 25 in total, only 3 more than Man Utd.

Yes, we've got some problems to sort, but to suggest that we're going backwards when one of the major problems of last year has been largely resolved is overly negative.

If you think our performances have moved forward from the end of last season, then I'd say you're being overly positive.

Comparing our performances over Christmas this year to our performances over Christmas last year I'd say we're a million miles ahead.  I'm absolutely convinced the team at the moment, even in their current run of poor form, wouldn't ship 8 (eight) goals at Chelsea, nor would they get turned over at home by Wigan.

Is the team performing as well as it did towards the end of last season?  No, of course not, but given it's largely the same group of players, what's to say they won't turn things around again this season like they did last?

So it's ok for you to compare the team with a year ago but it's not ok for pwa to compare the team with 7 months ago?

I never said that.

I'm merely pointing out that the same group of players have shown they are capable of both good and bad runs of form and suggesting that because they're currently in a bad run of form means the club is 'going backwards' is nonsense.

That's the key bit for me.  Are we a decent side going through some poor form or are we a poor side who previously enjoyed some good form?  The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

 

Without wishing to sound too negative I tend to think it's the latter. Even our good run from the start of last February to the end of the season, whilst much improved,  only consisted of mid table form: won 6 drew 3 lost 5; goals 'for' 27 goals 'against '23'.

[Concrete John]

All this 'vision for the future' would be fine if we looked like we were progressing. I could believe at the end of last season, but at the moment we're going backwards.

This time last year we conceded 15 goals without reply in three matches.  So far this season we've conceded 25 in total, only 3 more than Man Utd.

Yes, we've got some problems to sort, but to suggest that we're going backwards when one of the major problems of last year has been largely resolved is overly negative.

If you think our performances have moved forward from the end of last season, then I'd say you're being overly positive.

Comparing our performances over Christmas this year to our performances over Christmas last year I'd say we're a million miles ahead.  I'm absolutely convinced the team at the moment, even in their current run of poor form, wouldn't ship 8 (eight) goals at Chelsea, nor would they get turned over at home by Wigan.

Is the team performing as well as it did towards the end of last season?  No, of course not, but given it's largely the same group of players, what's to say they won't turn things around again this season like they did last?

So it's ok for you to compare the team with a year ago but it's not ok for pwa to compare the team with 7 months ago?

I never said that.

I'm merely pointing out that the same group of players have shown they are capable of both good and bad runs of form and suggesting that because they're currently in a bad run of form means the club is 'going backwards' is nonsense.

That's the key bit for me.  Are we a decent side going through some poor form or are we a poor side who previously enjoyed some good form?  The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

 

Without wishing to sound too negative I tend to think it's the latter. Even our good run from the start of last February to the end of the season, whilst much improved,  only consisted of mid table form: won 6 drew 3 lost 5; goals 'for' 27 goals 'against '23'.

That's why I specifically used the word decent as opposed to good.  I think most fans would accept mid table this season.

[eastie]

21 points from the last 14 games is an impressive return of points - over a season that would give you 57 points and probably a top 8 finish .

[N'Zimidy]

Speaking to somebody who is down Bodymoor Heath pretty much every day I'm shocked but not surprised to hear that Lambert takes virtually no part in training. That the players come in for food at 10am, begin warm-up at 11:15am, do virtually no work then everybody is in their cars and shooting off by 1pm. I'm told that the fitness levels of the players this year is disgraceful compared to past years and I have no doubt the lack of training is why we can't string three passes together.

Apparently Lambert is a very dour man who never responds to anybody who talks to him and refuses advice from anyone including his coaching staff. Far nastier than Houllier and McLeish who at least had time for people involved with the club.

[Concrete John]

21 points from the last 14 games is an impressive return of points - over a season that would give you 57 points and probably a top 8 finish.

57 points would have put us 8th in last year's table.  A similar return from the remainder of this season would see us finish on 49, which would also have been 8th in 12/13 (there was a big gap between 7th and 8th).

To me, that that shows us we've been picking up more points whilst not playing well, meaning a stronger platform to shoot up the table IF we can turn it around.

[Monty]

I really would love it if he could inform us what that plan involves. Previously, he has been known for causing remarkably quick renaissances of clubs, particularly getting Norwich back to the Premier League in two successive promotions, and I know that we're a bigger club fallen on our own brand off hard times but Norwich were a big club compared to everyone around them and fallen on incredibly hard times, so I don't buy that counter-argument.

Also, I'd like to know why this project appears to have nothing to do with keeping the ball - Swansea, Southampton and Cardiff can all do it, why can't we? It's a bit saddening, because I'm fed up of seeing 1970s football down at the Villa (but without the success of the 70s).

Given that he's not going to be fired any time soon (presumably because Lerner felt that he was too trigger-happy at the Browns and has swung to the opposite extreme with us), we have no choice but to support him and hope that he gets it right, and I believe his intentions are more ambitious and - how to put this - aesthetically salubrious than those of his predecessor, but he better start looking with a bit less Britishness and a bit more culture at the clubs playing better football than us and start copying their training methods fast no matter how effeminate or nerdy they seem, because otherwise he's never going to get either the style he wants nor the success that that style brings.

Paul. I like you, still. But I'm begging you for this, because if you won't do it then nobody will.

[aj2k77]

Speaking to somebody who is down Bodymoor Heath pretty much every day I'm shocked but not surprised to hear that Lambert takes virtually no part in training. That the players come in for food at 10am, begin warm-up at 11:15am, do virtually no work then everybody is in their cars and shooting off by 1pm. I'm told that the fitness levels of the players this year is disgraceful compared to past years and I have no doubt the lack of training is why we can't string three passes together.

Apparently Lambert is a very dour man who never responds to anybody who talks to him and refuses advice from anyone including his coaching staff. Far nastier than Houllier and McLeish who at least had time for people involved with the club.

Doesn't sound believable because that doesn't sound like a football club it sounds like a millionaires breakfast club.

[eastie]

Speaking to somebody who is down Bodymoor Heath pretty much every day I'm shocked but not surprised to hear that Lambert takes virtually no part in training. That the players come in for food at 10am, begin warm-up at 11:15am, do virtually no work then everybody is in their cars and shooting off by 1pm. I'm told that the fitness levels of the players this year is disgraceful compared to past years and I have no doubt the lack of training is why we can't string three passes together.

Apparently Lambert is a very dour man who never responds to anybody who talks to him and refuses advice from anyone including his coaching staff. Far nastier than Houllier and McLeish who at least had time for people involved with the club.

Doesn't sound believable because that doesn't sound like a football club it sounds like a millionaires breakfast club.

Sounds very much like the way mon behaved by  all accounts .

[Clampy]

Speaking to somebody who is down Bodymoor Heath pretty much every day I'm shocked but not surprised to hear that Lambert takes virtually no part in training. That the players come in for food at 10am, begin warm-up at 11:15am, do virtually no work then everybody is in their cars and shooting off by 1pm. I'm told that the fitness levels of the players this year is disgraceful compared to past years and I have no doubt the lack of training is why we can't string three passes together.

Apparently Lambert is a very dour man who never responds to anybody who talks to him and refuses advice from anyone including his coaching staff. Far nastier than Houllier and McLeish who at least had time for people involved with the club.

You hear all sorts of rumours like this (I heard one earlier) and it's normally involves someone who knows someone who works at the training ground. All this 'd they do virtually no work' is a bit strange when there's pictures of the players training up on the OS every week.

[eastie]

Speaking to somebody who is down Bodymoor Heath pretty much every day I'm shocked but not surprised to hear that Lambert takes virtually no part in training. That the players come in for food at 10am, begin warm-up at 11:15am, do virtually no work then everybody is in their cars and shooting off by 1pm. I'm told that the fitness levels of the players this year is disgraceful compared to past years and I have no doubt the lack of training is why we can't string three passes together.

Apparently Lambert is a very dour man who never responds to anybody who talks to him and refuses advice from anyone including his coaching staff. Far nastier than Houllier and McLeish who at least had time for people involved with the club.

You hear all sorts of rumours like this (I heard one earlier) and it's normally involves someone who knows someone who works at the training ground. All this 'd they do virtually no work' is a bit strange when there's pictures of the players training up on the OS every week.

Photographer is booked from 11 to 11-30

[Concrete John]

I always think the training regime must vary around match days, as in it's probably more intense the further from a game you are, so as not to overwork them just before or just after a game.  So you can see how someone might turn up at the wrong time and think they're doing nothing. 

[rob_bridge]

I always think the training regime must vary arounf match days, as in it's probably more intense the further from a game you are, so as not to overwork them just before or just after a game.  So you can see how someone might turn up at the wrong time and think they're doing nothing.

Well I would have though in the last 3 weeks the training would have been fairly light touch due to the numbers of games.

Fitness doesn't seem to be a problem and certainly wasn;t an issue at the back end of the season when we finished strong as weren't fatigued as per MON era.

Problem seems to be lack of leadership on field, confused tactics and low confidences displayed with some poor technique.

[Clampy]

I'd guess that a lot of managers don't take an active part in training and tend to look on anyway.

[Monty]

They don't look like they practice passing, though. A player gets on the ball and looks like he has to reinvent the wheel every time. There's no plan, no strategy, no players you know are going to be there around you that you can rely on - it's just chaos and improvisation, and when you don't have creative players then the improv isn't going to be very good.