Lambert's Vision for Villa

[dave.woodhall]

In his book John Gregory said that at certain times of the season all the players needed some days was a walk round Kingsbury Water Park and a massage.

[Monty]

In his book John Gregory said that at certain times of the season all the players needed some days was a walk round Kingsbury Water Park and a massage.

Certainly when you have 4 games in a week, you don't overtrain much.

However, there are two points on that: firstly, I love JG, but he managed at the top level ten years ago, and things have changed hugely in this country's football; secondly, the terrible inability to pass the ball has well pre-dated the Christmas congestion period.

[nigel]

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 .

Sounds very much like a load of bo***cks to me!

[dave.woodhall]

In his book John Gregory said that at certain times of the season all the players needed some days was a walk round Kingsbury Water Park and a massage.

Certainly when you have 4 games in a week, you don't overtrain much.

However, there are two points on that: firstly, I love JG, but he managed at the top level ten years ago, and things have changed hugely in this country's football; secondly, the terrible inability to pass the ball has well pre-dated the Christmas congestion period.

Whatever it was and however long ago, it still shows that lengthy and intensive training sessions aren't neccessarily important.

[Monty]

In his book John Gregory said that at certain times of the season all the players needed some days was a walk round Kingsbury Water Park and a massage.

Certainly when you have 4 games in a week, you don't overtrain much.

However, there are two points on that: firstly, I love JG, but he managed at the top level ten years ago, and things have changed hugely in this country's football; secondly, the terrible inability to pass the ball has well pre-dated the Christmas congestion period.

Whatever it was and however long ago, it still shows that lengthy and intensive training sessions aren't neccessarily important.

At certain times of the year, not all year. They could use intensive training in passing the ball, and could have done so a number of weeks before the tiring fixture list.

[supertom]

Houllier gave us double training sessions and suffered a horrible injury sequence.
We've had terrible luck with injuries this season, but at the same time it could be part of the training routine that is in part contributing to that.
Two managers taking over from O Neill have commented on the supposed lack of fitness in players and a lax training regiment, but looking back over O Neill's time with us at least, in four years he was reasonably fortunate with injuries. Certainly he never experienced what Houllier did, or Lambert has in his time here. It's seemed to be a collection of players all crocked or just coming back from injuries at the same time.

Maybe there was something in O Neills supposedly slack approach.

[Monty]

Houllier gave us double training sessions and suffered a horrible injury sequence.
We've had terrible luck with injuries this season, but at the same time it could be part of the training routine that is in part contributing to that.
Two managers taking over from O Neill have commented on the supposed lack of fitness in players and a lax training regiment, but looking back over O Neill's time with us at least, in four years he was reasonably fortunate with injuries. Certainly he never experienced what Houllier did, or Lambert has in his time here. It's seemed to be a collection of players all crocked or just coming back from injuries at the same time.

Maybe there was something in O Neills supposedly slack approach.

Maybe you're right. Pretty much every successful manager in and around the top level of European football these days, from Guardiola to Martinez and Rodgers to Rudi Garcia, has intensive pressing and passing training which they vary in intensity throughout the season (and which they've spoken openly about). But Martin O'Neill is right to not train at all really because he didn't get very many injuries.

[dave.woodhall]

In his book John Gregory said that at certain times of the season all the players needed some days was a walk round Kingsbury Water Park and a massage.

Certainly when you have 4 games in a week, you don't overtrain much.

However, there are two points on that: firstly, I love JG, but he managed at the top level ten years ago, and things have changed hugely in this country's football; secondly, the terrible inability to pass the ball has well pre-dated the Christmas congestion period.

Whatever it was and however long ago, it still shows that lengthy and intensive training sessions aren't neccessarily important.

At certain times of the year, not all year. They could use intensive training in passing the ball, and could have done so a number of weeks before the tiring fixture list.

And nobody apart from the apocryphal Man from Bodymoor knows whether or not they've done just that.

[Monty]

In his book John Gregory said that at certain times of the season all the players needed some days was a walk round Kingsbury Water Park and a massage.

Certainly when you have 4 games in a week, you don't overtrain much.

However, there are two points on that: firstly, I love JG, but he managed at the top level ten years ago, and things have changed hugely in this country's football; secondly, the terrible inability to pass the ball has well pre-dated the Christmas congestion period.

Whatever it was and however long ago, it still shows that lengthy and intensive training sessions aren't neccessarily important.

At certain times of the year, not all year. They could use intensive training in passing the ball, and could have done so a number of weeks before the tiring fixture list.

And nobody apart from the apocryphal Man from Bodymoor knows whether or not they've done just that.

I'm not saying he's done it. I'm saying it would be a bad idea. God knows they show very few signs of having done much training when they get the ball, I'd say the last thing they'd need is less practice.

[TYLER DURDEN]

I normally post more on another site and on that site one particular poster is holding on for dear life concerning his opinion on Lambert.

He has spent most of this season with the exception of the last few games (obviously) defending Lambert with the 'but we've more points at this stage than last season).

Since that points tally has closed to one he has now reverted to the wage v performance debate.

What he is stating is that we cannot expect any better from our players because (and this has been confirmed by a validated ITK) that the majority of our new players are earning no more than between 5k-15k per week. That may shock some of you and it may not but that is Championship wages and you can see how the poster's debate could be validated.

However, although Lambert's remit was to reduce the wage bill, my argument has always been with this particular poster did he need to be so abrupt in using the guillotine on the players that were already here before Lambert started his tenure with us and has Lambert's signings improved us in any position on the pitch while spending another reported 43m?

Could we have used Bent more rather than spending 4m-7m on Kozak and could we have used Hutton instead of the dross we have now at FB. Could we have got more out of Ireland which Hughes is now doing at Stoke and is Westwood really any better than Bannan?

Of course the issue has been wages but why buy Helenius if on a limited budget and why purchase Tonev when we had Albrighton. What was the point of purchasing Bowery who gives his all but is quite obviously very limited in ability when we had the Fonz and I could go on.

Very poor allocation of a limited budget and this has been Lambert's choice.

Benteke and Vlaar however have been cracking purchases but the other 14 players that Lambert has signed have been poor even just on a squad basis.

It pains me to say this but we now have the worst squad of players I have ever seen in my forty years as a Villa fan. Absolutely no quality or balance in midfield and we're much too static all over the pitch giving the player in possession few alternatives to pass to. That is down to the manager and his coaches who must in training place the player's feet in bags of cement to stop passes going astray. I have never seen such a lack of movement from any Villa team before and it infuriates me as even in my school days, alas too far away now, my P.E Teacher instructed us all to pass and move to create space and alternatives to pass to.

We did do this to great effect last season against Sunderland and I mistakenly thought it was the beginning of a new dawn for us. Alas that dawn has proven to be false and Lambert cannot continue to live on the memories of that game or his signing of Benteke.

If our poor form continues and Lambert is eventually sacked (please God) what do you think any new manager coming in will do with the present squad?

Personally i feel we'll have yet another bomb squad to get rid of apart from the two aforementioned players and that i fear is going to be Paul Lambert's legacy.     

[Steve67]

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 .

Sounds very much like a load of bo***cks to me!

I know for a fact that this is not bo***cks.  I managed a team with a  couple of former Wycombe players in it.  They tell me the same.  Lambert is an arrogant man.  I guess, in football, one has to believe in one's own ability, that's what I put his arrogance down to.  However, I think he's a dead man walking in terms of his job at Villa because the fans have turned or are starting to turn.  The football is dire.  He keeps telling us that this is because we don't have Vlaar or Benteke in the side!  Yeah, ok, they might help the current team but, I don't see it that way myself as I think its the midfield where the problems lie.  We simply have to buy someone with physicality in there.

Tyler Durden, great post BTW.

[Monty]

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 .

Sounds very much like a load of bo***cks to me!

I know for a fact that this is not bo***cks.  I managed a team with a  couple of former Wycombe players in it.  They tell me the same.  Lambert is an arrogant man.  I guess, in football, one has to believe in one's own ability, that's what I put his arrogance down to.  However, I think he's a dead man walking in terms of his job at Villa because the fans have turned or are starting to turn.  The football is dire.  He keeps telling us that this is because we don't have Vlaar or Benteke in the side!  Yeah, ok, they might help the current team but, I don't see it that way myself as I think its the midfield where the problems lie.  We simply have to buy someone with physicality in there.

Tyler Durden, great post BTW.

To be honest, I couldn't care less how arrogant he is - Mourinho, van Gaal and Ferguson are not exactly shrinking violets, but how big are their medal collections? A lot of the time managers actually need a solid bit of arrogance to get them through, and that's fine. I just care about whether or not he makes the right decisions, and I don't think Lambert's failings are the result of an under-reliance on physicality.

[eastie]

Tyler durden - very good post and an interesting one too.

[Steve67]

All about opinions I suppose.  I think we need more dominance, more experience in the side.  At the minute we kick the opposition a lot, we are top of the cautions league apparently, yet we don't retain possession. I think Lambert has an over-reliance on crap players.

[DrGonzo]

I am yet to hear anything from a "validated ITK".  Huge pinch of salt boyo.