The Paul Lambert thread - poll reset after our capitulation to Hull

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I think there is strong evidence of a really good team spirit amongst the squad. They all look like they still want to play for Lambert, while they way they started lamping Leicester players after Westwood was injured shows they have a good bond themselves.

If the manager can do more to harness the God given talents a lot of those players have, then we will hopefully continue to see good results.

We are course at the moment to have 48 points, which would see us have finished 10th, 9th or 11th in the past three season- bang mid-table with a month to spare. I think we would all take that at the moment as a sign of some progress.

[WarszaVillan]

Given how little we spent in the summer I thought at the beginning of the season if Lambert could keep us up he'd be doing a good job. My problem was how badly we were playing this season, I could hardly stand watching it at times. There are signs this is now changing. Also, Randy has got a lot wrong regarding appointments of managers, but by sticking with them through the season he has been proved right. With each of the last 3 managers there have been clamours to sack them at some point in the season, arguing that if there was no change, we would go down. There wasn't and we didn't.

[Dave]

I'd like to stick to my original vote, give him til Christmas.

So two more games, including our annual capitulation against ManYoo.

A lot hangs on the West Brom game then!

[Billy Walker]

He's stood up to the plate and provided stability for us when we really needed it and for that alone I feel he needs a lot of  credit.    For years I've wanted a manager at Villa who will stick around and build something special, I hope Lambert proves to be that man.

[Villa in Denmark]

I'd be prepared to give him til the end of the season. We're bad, but we're not going down. He's been unlucky with injuries. If things are still as shite in May, then let him go.

Given the propensity for Lambert's teams over the last 2½ years to go on unbelievably bad runs of form, it's about 4 months too early to start with those predictions.  He's just as likely to oversee a return of 3-5 points from the next 8-10 games as continue the form of the last 5 games through to Christmas.

If he can continue to improve performances and our points haul over the next few  months, fair enough, but we've seen a period over the end of last season / start of this season a period where he took, what 14 points from 19 games. 

If we're sat on 38 points in the middle of April, then we can start to make those statements.

I swallow doesn't make a summer and 2 wins doesn't make a good manager.  I'll enjoy the points on the board, and be grateful that right now we can look up rather than down, but we've been here before and never capitalised on it, instead allowing ourselves to get dragged right into the shit.

[Tom_Mc9?]

With Benteke we're a good deal better than a few teams in the division. Without him, I worry. If he stays fit, I stand by what I said: we won't go down. Hopefully we go on a run like we did at the end Lambert's first season. Who knows? Stranger things have happened.

[Toronto Villa]

for me it still all hinges on our approach to games. I could have handled those defeats had we tried in each game to have a proper go at our opponents from the start and try and win. Try and keep the ball, try and press and create chances or force mistakes. If at the end of the day we get beaten by Chelsea or Man City but we tried hard to win very few people would complain. Thing is you could see from the very start of those games we came to limit damage and against that level of opposition it's a very limited strategy.

If Lambert has found that keeping the ball and only using counter attack as part of a game plan and not the only tactic then he might stand a chance of turning this around properly. We look so much better when we are trying to pass and move and not just whacking it aimlessly up the pitch time and again to Benteke. He's a tremendous talent and a player who is versatile in how he is able to play the game.

This might be yet another new dawn for Lambert. We will see, but I am sceptical having been burnt a few times before trying to believe. I do want him to succeed. Let's hope he really did learn something recently in Germany and he also gets a proper assistant manager in to help him push on.

[ozzjim]

Our form looks much more due to the ability of Benteke to keep the ball and bring the whole side into a more cohesive unit, than anything the manager is doing.

As such, I would still bit the bullet and let him go.

We are due a demoralising defeat in his standard sequences so the weekend will be fun.

If he remains, a reserve striker that is of similar style to Benteke is a must, and soon.

[gpbarr]

Given how little we spent in the summer I thought at the beginning of the season if Lambert could keep us up he'd be doing a good job. My problem was how badly we were playing this season, I could hardly stand watching it at times. There are signs this is now changing. Also, Randy has got a lot wrong regarding appointments of managers, but by sticking with them through the season he has been proved right. With each of the last 3 managers there have been clamours to sack them at some point in the season, arguing that if there was no change, we would go down. There wasn't and we didn't.

Well said sir!

[tom jennings III]

Agree with the above comments. This poll doesn't really give me any option I like, if we let him go I'd be concerned that we wouldn't be able to bring in anyone better under the current ownership. If there was an option for "he's doing worse than I would like/expect in the current circumstances but only just so we stick him until something changes at a higher level with the club" I'd tick that!

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Our form looks much more due to the ability of Benteke to keep the ball and bring the whole side into a more cohesive unit, than anything the manager is doing.

As such, I would still bit the bullet and let him go.

We are due a demoralising defeat in his standard sequences so the weekend will be fun.

If he remains, a reserve striker that is of similar style to Benteke is a must, and soon.

That doesn't seem fair to use a player that Lambert bought, who also happens to be our best player, as a stick for beating the manager with because we're a better side with him in it.

[ozzjim]

The point I was probably badly making is that essentially we have been turned into a 1 man team, and the manager hasn't a clue how to make us play without that man.

[Tom_Mc9?]

To be fair, he did bring Kozak in so that we had a replacement for him. I'd say his mistake is putting too much faith in Gabby and Weimann.

[Tom_Mc9?]

Alternative/back up for him, not replacement.

[caster troy]

The bottom line for me is 'do I want to pay money to watch Lambert's Villa?' and the answer to that is still a resounding no.