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

[Eigentor]

End of the season is the sensible point in time to decide whether he is good enough to be allowed to continue.

So far it has been a frustrating season so far, though. Many had expected better progress and far more convincing displays given our good form at the end of last season. So far, however, we are quite comfortably mid-table, despite all the shit performances. Compared to last season when we looked like a relegation candidate for so long, that's progress.

[Stu]

I was furious with the result because we always roll over to man u.

I was less sulky after we lost at home to stoke, which isn't logical at all.

[john e]

I was furious with the result because we always roll over to man u.

I was less sulky after we lost at home to stoke, which isn't logical at all.

I thought the Stoke performance was the worst this season so far, for me anyway

[Archie]

I completely abhor the short-termism in football nowadays. Manchester United plane was a fine example of it. If things aren't going right, it's the players' faults, the manager's fault, the chairman's fault, the fan's fault etc etc. You look at the Manchester United post match thread and have people 'furious' because we lost to a team that finished last season as champions. I don't care if they're having a bad season this season - they still have players above the quality we have and I think the score flattered them and we were unlucky not to score a goal or two more. I know there is an element of shoulda woulda coulda about it, but my point remains.
People could point towards the fact that the fury is the fruit of the frustration of the last few months, losing to teams like Palace, Stoke (convincingly) and Sheffield United isn't ideal of course. I'm not saying Lambert is perfect - of course he isn't. Look to the beginning of the season though when most people said they would like a season where we finish mid-table. It's where we will finish, I'd imagine.
Look at the votes - when we win, 80% of people want him in, when we lost 80% want him out. I'm not going to brand DOL's 'f' word about because it's pointless, irrelevant and insulting, but I think it's such an emotive game that people go with gut instinct on a day-by-day basis. It may be because we have far more coverage of the game rammed down our throats than we did ten years ago, twenty years ago, but either way, we criticise the smallest of things day in, day out.
On top of this, football has changed. We need a Sheikh or a Russian billionaire to waltz into the top four, it would seem. We can all say "We're Aston Villa, we should be higher!" but it's not that easy. Football stinks, it's not going to change and Lambert is not the problem, I'm afraid. He's just one of many managers we'll have over the next few years who can do precisely fuck all to help us improve much from where we are. For every crap defeat against Sheffield United or Bradford, there's a win at Arsenal, or against Chelsea or Man City. Can I see us improving on that in the next few years? No. Can I see fans criticising whatever manager is in charge for not elevating us to a much higher position? Yes. That's not just Villa fans - Spurs fans will be annoyed they can't get into the top four, Sunderland and Newcastle fans will be annoyed they can't get much beyond tenth-fourteenth, I daresay Southampton fans will soon get pissed off that they 'only' finish eighth each year. Football has now got a glass ceiling. It's shit but it's astonishing how quickly I've got used to it.

I would be content if only we played a decent football, if only we play football the way it has to be played, not this rubbish with abysmal mistakes typical of pub players.

[Dave Clark Five]

Get Ron Atkinson back until the end of the season. It would sell another 5000 tickets for each game.

[Tom_Mc9?]

I'm not saying anybody should be content - nobody is ever happy apart from the team in first position. I am saying that crying "Sack him!" every season is unnecessary though.

[curlytailavfc]

been going the villa for 50 years bye bye lambo or bye bye me

[Drummond]

If...

[curlytailavfc]

well he stays I go

[Tom_Mc9?]

There was a United fan on 606 saying he's not getting a season ticket because he's no longer entertained. His decision, fine. It's a lot of money to spend on something you're no longer enjoying. Football has become such a business-minded game that entertainment is put aside at the cost of staying up. Look at Sam Allerdyce with West Ham the other day - got booed when they won. It's the same with Lambert - we win and it's often not pretty, we lose and we've played ugly and got no points. I understand why people are frustrated and saying he's got to go. I just don't think it's purely down to him, that's all.

I also think he'll improve, but when people ask me what basis I have for that, it'll be the usual answers - we've played well for some parts of some games. It's enough for me to believe our style of play will improve,

[Hoppo]

Nail on head Tom Mc9..

[silhillvilla]

Get Ron Atkinson back until the end of the season. It would sell another 5000 tickets for each game.

I'd welcome that

[Ads]

well he stays I go

Turn it in you big drama llama.

[Irish villain]

well he stays I go

Turn it in you big drama llama.

If that's how he feels that's how he feels.

If somebody rigidly sticks to the line that all's well and we have been going fine as a club they shouldn't be sneered at either.

[passitsideways]

The thing is, when you're a comfortable lower mid-table team, your position reflects the fact that you'll turn in more mediocre-to-rubbish performances than you would very good performances. If you manage more of the latter than the former, then you're an upper-mid table team like Southampton. If you do it the majority of the time, that's a team contending for the CL spots.

I'm mystified that people think that we've somehow taken a particularly shit way to get where we are. I'm sure Lambert's Norwich side in their first season back turned in plenty of aimless dross as well, as did Rodgers' Swansea.