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

[Billy Walker]

I'm happy to hear they're thinking ahead and negotiating a new contract with Lambert.  As others have said, stability is important for the club.  Above that, though, I do think Lambert is doing a very good job.  I know performances have been up and down - going from the Liverpool performance to the Everton one in the space of a week is a real frustration but this is where we are for the moment in terms of squad depth and quality.  I'd be happy with a mid-table finish this season  as long as we start to kick on next year - and I think we will.

I'm struggling to comprehend how anyone can think Lambert is doing a very good job.

 Have a look at this article, it explains it far better than I can (sorry, can't do links):

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1947632-why-aston-villa-are-right-to-extend-paul-lamberts-deal-despite-fan-unrest

'How to...' in Off Topic gives step-by-step guidance.

Much obliged Legion.

[Steve R]

Summer is too soon fore a new contract decision. What are we going to know then that we don't know already other than he has saved us from relegation? Does this mean he has the job until he fails?

Christmas is the earliest time. So far he has had nothing but firefighting whilst enjoying mostly (mostly) goodwill and low expectation.

The next transfer window is the one in which he needs to cast a critical eye on his own signings rather than cast aside those of previous managers. He needs to strengthen in specific positions with pricier upgrades rather than buy job lots of competence. Victory - and acceptable football - needs to be more routine and less a matter of relief and surprise.

We really ought to see how he makes a start with that lot before deciding he can have the job for another three years.

[German James]

I'm pleased about it. I may be in the minority, but I am.

There's more of us than you think.

[brian green]

I have been at work until now and could only follow the badinage on this thread via my phone but unable to post due to somebody called Brian Green already having registered with the same password as the said gent.

I have only two comments to make.   

Firstly I think that the biggest break Lambert got and continues to get is that he is not Alex McLeish.   If he had come to us immediately after Houllier and produced the run of abysmal results he has done during his own tenure there would not be any reasonable fan of the club or poster on here who would give him the time of day.   Because he is not TSM and has sort of tried to play entertaining football (blink and you will have missed it) he is vested with qualities and potential for which there is no hard evidence at our club whatsoever.

Whether he goes or stays I really don't care.   Whether Lerner keeps or sells Villa I really don't care.   What I want is an end to the obsession with thrift.   As I said in a post yesterday if you want to share in the massive spoils of premiership football you have to put up the ante, not IOUs or Monopoly money or post dated cheques.   If the owner will only give Lambert a few million, buy a bit of quality, one player if necessary but let's not have any more of this bottom fishing.   Thrift for thrift's sake is a recipe for disaster.   You get a room full of happy bankers and accountants and a ground full of empty seats.

The reason our football is so dire and our results so bad is that, for no fault of theirs, the players he has bought are not good enough to play the game he says he wants them to play.

[Nastylee]

Laudrup of the team that we all hold in high esteem has had the chop. So much for passing football.

[Monty]

Laudrup of the team that we all hold in high esteem has had the chop. So much for passing football.

So one manager at one team didn't do well so all of passing football (passing football! as in, 'passing the football') is now damned. There's logic for you.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Good. Lambert is tactically smart and has an eye for a good transfer.

Tactically smart ? Really ?

Yes really.

[Monty]

Good. Lambert is tactically smart and has an eye for a good transfer.

Tactically smart ? Really ?

Yes really.

He's very good at one sort of tactics which doesn't work often enough to be sufficient on its own. Nevertheless, he really is good at those tactics, which is a hell of a lot better than some *cough* McLeish *cough*.

[Legion]

Laudrup sacked

[German James]

What I want is an end to the obsession with thrift.   As I said in a post yesterday if you want to share in the massive spoils of premiership football you have to put up the ante, not IOUs or Monopoly money or post dated cheques.

FINALLY someone coming in with a bit of cash to throw around! Great stuff! When do you take over? Can we get Jürgen Klopp in?

[Nastylee]

Laudrup of the team that we all hold in high esteem has had the chop. So much for passing football.

So one manager at one team didn't do well so all of passing football (passing football! as in, 'passing the football') is now damned. There's logic for you.

Rewind a few pages and see said manager being touted as an example to all. Rewind to Xmas and his team were being touted as the benchmark we should be looking to emulate - a wonderfully, entertaining team  built on a shoestring that entertained themselves to a 1-1 draw despite having 89% of possession or whatever it was. As the saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Good. Lambert is tactically smart and has an eye for a good transfer.

Tactically smart ? Really ?

Yes really.

He's very good at one sort of tactics which doesn't work often enough to be sufficient on its own. Nevertheless, he really is good at those tactics, which is a hell of a lot better than some *cough* McLeish *cough*.

But I think he mixes things up a lot. Same as he did at Norwich. he is always changing things around. Last season he played how many different styles and formations? This season he has changed things again.

My hunch is that we will "settle" on his latest formation in the next month or so till the end of the season then it will be all change again.

[brian green]

Where does the "throw around" come into it?   In any business you have to be adequately capitalized, it is a no brainer.  We are inadequately capitalized.   That we do not have money because it has been wasted is not in question.   

[barrysleftfoot]

 I think Laudrup will be a more successful manager than PL though Nasty.Still not over convinced by PL, the afore mentioned game against Swansea was one of the worst, if not the worst, Villa performance i have ever been unfortunate to witness, the complete lack of football, style, movement etc was truly atrocious.

 I came away from that game thinking that at a better team, with better players, Laudrup would be a very good manager, as his philosophy and style would be better suited, as would Poyets.

[Dribbler]

Laudrup of the team that we all hold in high esteem has had the chop. So much for passing football.

So one manager at one team didn't do well so all of passing football (passing football! as in, 'passing the football') is now damned. There's logic for you.

Rewind a few pages and see said manager being touted as an example to all. Rewind to Xmas and his team were being touted as the benchmark we should be looking to emulate - a wonderfully, entertaining team  built on a shoestring that entertained themselves to a 1-1 draw despite having 89% of possession or whatever it was. As the saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

And? Three sentences there and about as non sequitur as you can get. Swansea do play nice football and are an entertaining team, admitedly though they are a massive 2 places and 3 points behind us in the league, so that of course shows our non possession long ball football to be far superior.

Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't the style of football played that was the reason he 'left' Swansea, maybe it was something to do with the Chairman and him not getting on since last summer. Maybe also, he had a chairman that wasn't happy to let his managers get away with 1 win in 10 games, even if he was having to manage on a shoestring budget.