Aston Villa v Sheffield United Post-Match Thread

[caster troy]

At least I stuck a tenner on us to lose. So very predictable.

People are saying he has done what Lerner wanted but I really can't imagine Randy thinks this year's home record is acceptable.

If they can sack McLeish they can certainly sack Lambert and I think it's just a matter of time now. If he doesn't go this week it'll be in June when season ticket renewals are down 50%. We'd probably be better off with no manager at all right now, we don't play like a team with pre-determined tactics so I doubt we'd even notice. Just get the fans to vote for the team on the club website instead.

[ronshirt]

The real problem is our once revered owner Mr Lerner.

I don't know how much of the family fortune he forked out to get 100% of the shares. Nor can I work out how much money he has since invested in the club. But I do believe that if he cashed in his chips tomorrow
he would realise a fairly handsome profit. I also believe that our absentee landlord would be reluctant to let go of the Villa because his investment would increase exponentially if any of the following occured:

1 - Clubs to be allowed to stream games directly to fee-paying customers.

2 - An agreed number of games to be played in stadiums outside England.

3 - Relegation to be abolished.

4 - Clubs to be francihsed.

Of course none of this will happen unless the required majority of owners vote for it.

As far as 'the project' is concerned I think that it might be entirely possible that our owner's instructions to his various employees might consist of the following:

1 - 17th place or above is fine.

2 - Target unconsidered trifles but be prepared to sell on if any of the alpha clubs come sniffing around.

3 - Buy anybody you want unless the price exceeds £7,00,000.

4 - If you really want a particular player offer him anything up to £20,000 a week.

5 - Don't bother me with the actual results unless they are affecting club shop sales/ pie and beer sales/ season ticket sales.

Mr Lerner bought himself a milch-cow.


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[rob_bridge]

I am too shell shocked. I'll post thoughts later

[DB]

If Lerner is happy just for us to survive on as little as much as possible and Lambert is doing exactly what is asked, then how long can he believe this is good for the club? I hope he is looking for investment or to sell, 'cos as it stands we will only go one way sooner or later.

[pauliewalnuts]

I don't know how much of the family fortune he forked out to get 100% of the shares. Nor can I work out how much money he has since invested in the club. But I do believe that if he cashed in his chips tomorrow he would realise a fairly handsome profit.

You couldn't be further from the truth on that one.

And, I have to say, some of the stuff you go on to say is amongst the most obvious nonsense I've read on here in ages.

[VillaAlways]

Yes.

I wish it was run like one.

Absoloutely. We have an owner whose soul aim has been to downgrade fans expectations. It's the only thing he's been successful at doing

[LeeB]

I suppose Lee it is because we lack the bottle to act like a big club.   We never throw our weight about, we do not assert ourselves we allow ourselves to be put down, we never bite back.   It's all too gentlemanly and good mannered.   Look at the way MON treated us.   Can you imagine any other "big club" behaving like we did?   Lerner comes across as a shy and introspective man so it is no surprise that we come across as an introspective club.

Brian, that's exactly what I'm getting at, but it goes back long beyond Lerner.

I suppose spending 20 years under the stewardship of egotist using us a vehicle for his own vanity didn't help, but the one time I can think that we really threw our weight around was to sign Bent.

Once in fucking thirty years.

[The Left Side]

Shambolic summed it up for me, another season another exit to a lower league team.

[eastie]

I suppose Lee it is because we lack the bottle to act like a big club.   We never throw our weight about, we do not assert ourselves we allow ourselves to be put down, we never bite back.   It's all too gentlemanly and good mannered.   Look at the way MON treated us.   Can you imagine any other "big club" behaving like we did?   Lerner comes across as a shy and introspective man so it is no surprise that we come across as an introspective club.

I think this may be right , didn't he say he wouldn't approach a manager under contract when mon walked out - most chairmen would identify their target and then try and get him under contract or not - football can be a ruthless business.

[Brian Taylor]

Shambolic summed it up for me, another season another exit to a lower league team.

Sham-bollix!!

[myf]

Half way up the league or 6 points off relegation.

i agree with john e in terms of mid table security making him safe for the mo but there's a good chance we'll be bottom 5 by end of Jan with our fixtures. i just can't see how Lambert can turn things around and the relationship with the fans has turned to Shit. the whole club seems to be happy to exist with a culture of defeat and low expectations

[caster troy]

Why attack Lerner? Even with our lack of big money signings we've still spent more than Sheff Utd only to be outplayed by them at home.

The manager's job first and foremost is to organise and motivate the players. Is there any evidence of Lambert doing this?

[Damo70]

When that straw-chomping yokel Ian Holloway called us a "half-arsed club that used to be famous" he wasn't a million miles away from the truth. And that's an incredibly difficult and sad thing to admit.

That's no way to talk about our next manager.

Now that's made me laugh. Even if we offered him a company tractor, he'd never come here.

Maybe a combine harvester would swing it

All Ian Holloway seems to do is buy any player in his price range with no cohesive plan and throw them all together and hope for the best. 'The Hollowayway' failed at Blackpool and Palace when it came to the Premier League. It is also currently failing at Villa.

[Fin Feds Dad]

We can bang on about Lerner all we like - but whatever budget there has been for players is inconsequential in regard to today's performance.

Outplayed, outfought by a team that cost a fraction and is on a fraction of the wages that our 'superstars' are on.

That comes down to coaching and tactics . As stated before, Dean Smith down the road changed his tactics during the game to beat Sheff Utd - our bloke has not got a clue.

The standard is absolutely appalling.

[danlanza]

No doubt that we are a big club. It is just a shame that those in charge are seemingly happy for us to be very mediocre, at best.
As long as we are in the premier league everything is fine as far as they are concerned, from what i can see at the moment.
I would love for there to be some "Grand Plan" but at the moment i am struggling to see it, i am just trying to see through very dense fog at the moment, hoping beyond hope that the fog clears and all is well.
At the moment i think the fog is just going to get thicker and thicker.
I hope i am so wrong.