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

[Villain1874]

I think he should be removed from his job, for various reasons it's just not working..
But we have to look at the bigger picture at Villa Park, the absent/non-communicating/cost cutting owner is the real problem we have..
Until Lerner decides to sell Aston Villa expect more of the same or worse and I'm not joking when I say worse because over the last four seasons we have declined with every season that has passed and eventually it's going to catch up with us, to be really honest I have a nasty feeling we're going to get sucked into the bottom three this year..

I feel the same, along with many others. If we get relegated this season we will not be seeing Premiership football for a long time at Villa Park.

Agreed mate, it's very frustrating...

[not3bad]

Lerner is just hopeless. I've got zero respect for him as he never talks to his paying customers (there'll be one less next season). I find it insulting to be honest.

Absolutely.  Abramovich is always consulting the Chelsea fans.  We're back to having enough to critisise them about without having to dream up extra stuff.

At least Abramovich is at every match with his finger on the pulse. Look mate, there's a major crisis unfolding at the club and I think we need some answers from our leader as to the future direction the club decides to go. As a season-ticket holder for many, many years I'm entitled to say what I think!

And I'm entitled to say what I think.  Who's said that isn't the case?

[aj2k77]

I get the feeling that because the fans have shown some major patience the last 2 years in the face of what I would say is consistently the worst football played at the club for 25 years the hierarchy are ignorant to the feelings of what is going on.

It isn't acceptable to be the worst home side in Europe for 3 years
It isn't acceptable to be beaten by Bradford over 2 legs
It isn't acceptable to be knocked out of the cups by lower league teams repeatedly
It isn't acceptable to buy bargain basement players from lower leagues and throw them into the first team
It isn't acceptable to have a manager insult our intelligence week after week and tell us how well weve played after another defeat

and it isn't fucking acceptable to trundle along on the premis of  some project that no one have had the decency to tell us exactly what is it, what stage we are at and what our next moves are likely to be like.

I am seriously fucked off with the club and have been for 12 months. How do you guys go game in game out and not tear your hair out?

[eastie]

Of those available who would take it yes he would be my top choice - there are better managers of course but I don't think they would be interested in the job - I would hope that randy already has thought about who he should be looking for in the event of lamberts departure but as past experience shows  he seems to often  takes weeks to appoint someone.

Last time we lost a few games in a row you were sure that Bielsa was the most sensible option.

What's he done wrong and what's Koeman done right since?

Oh yes Koeman who is apparently being "released" by Feyenoord. He has a very consistent record of failure at every club he has managed since some success at Ajax in early 2000's. However having managed 7 clubs around Europe you could say he has experience!

3 league titles and 4 cups - I'd be happy for villa to have some of that failure

[rob_bridge]

I think he should be removed from his job, for various reasons it's just not working..
But we have to look at the bigger picture at Villa Park, the absent/non-communicating/cost cutting owner is the real problem we have..
Until Lerner decides to sell Aston Villa expect more of the same or worse and I'm not joking when I say worse because over the last four seasons we have declined with every season that has passed and eventually it's going to catch up with us, to be really honest I have a nasty feeling we're going to get sucked into the bottom three this year..

I feel the same, along with many others. If we get relegated this season we will not be seeing Premiership football for a long time at Villa Park.

Agree with this - there is no Graham Taylor to rescue us this time.

And God only knows who Lerner and Faulkner will recruit.

I dread Lambert staying, I dread him going in equal measure.

I suspect they would try and go for a a 'club legend' this time. Maybe (and I jest in part) a dream ticket of Hendire and Hitz. With disastrous consequences.

[NeilH]

With regards to the lack of protesting at Villa Park, and as one of many here who were involved in the original protests, my feeling on this is that there is simply not the stomach or desire for another round of protests.

Lest we all not forget that AVISA was borne through a perceived lack of ambition following a cup final defeat and a palpable wave of discontent among the fans, who could see that we were frequently close, but that Doug was too risk averse to take the next step. It seems ridiculous to look back now at the sense of grievance we had having just competed in our first cup final since 1957.

Back to today, I do not get any sense that Villa fans are now prepared to go head to head with the board once more. Frankly there was more discontent palpable discontent under McLeish than there is under Lambert and I suspect that had more to do with his former employers than other things.

And of course I also suspect that it is the frankly awful state of our McLeish’s former employers that are also playing heavily on the minds of any would be protesters. Randy is far far from the chairman that we wanted but it’s also a fact that he enabled us to roll the dice and try to get in the Champions League. We are still paying for that naivety as shown by the latest financial tables and more awful as his tenure has become, I suspect that for many it’s still of case of better to maintain the status quo than roll the dice once more.

[Richard E]

I get the feeling that because the fans have shown some major patience the last 2 years in the face of what I would say is consistently the worst football played at the club for 25 years the hierarchy are ignorant to the feelings of what is going on.

It isn't acceptable to be the worst home side in Europe for 3 years
It isn't acceptable to be beaten by Bradford over 2 legs
It isn't acceptable to be knocked out of the cups by lower league teams repeatedly
It isn't acceptable to buy bargain basement players from lower leagues and throw them into the first team
It isn't acceptable to have a manager insult our intelligence week after week and tell us how well weve played after another defeat

and it isn't fucking acceptable to trundle along on the premis of  some project that no one have had the decency to tell us exactly what is it, what stage we are at and what our next moves are likely to be like.

I am seriously fucked off with the club and have been for 12 months. How do you guys go game in game out and not tear your hair out?

Seconded! I think this sums up exactly how I feel.

[eastie]

I get the feeling that because the fans have shown some major patience the last 2 years in the face of what I would say is consistently the worst football played at the club for 25 years the hierarchy are ignorant to the feelings of what is going on.

It isn't acceptable to be the worst home side in Europe for 3 years
It isn't acceptable to be beaten by Bradford over 2 legs
It isn't acceptable to be knocked out of the cups by lower league teams repeatedly
It isn't acceptable to buy bargain basement players from lower leagues and throw them into the first team
It isn't acceptable to have a manager insult our intelligence week after week and tell us how well weve played after another defeat

and it isn't fucking acceptable to trundle along on the premis of  some project that no one have had the decency to tell us exactly what is it, what stage we are at and what our next moves are likely to be like.

I am seriously fucked off with the club and have been for 12 months. How do you guys go game in game out and not tear your hair out?

Seconded! I think this sums up exactly how I feel.

Thirded.

[Mister E]

I voted yes on him deserving it at the end of the season. Now would be suicide.

I don't get that - to me, not to sack him now would be suicide.

All depends on the options.
We know (from experience) that Lerner is unlikely to have been running a file on "Potential Managers I may need to Call Upon" and so it'd take the current administration at least 3 weeks to bring in a credible replacement (whether temporary or permanent).
 We can also speculate that Lerner is scarred from the experience of the last four years and is therefore highly unlikely to pull the trigger.
Finally, he'll be persuaded that Lambert can repeat the escapology trick he pulled last season (despite the evidence that this season actually looks gloomier than last).

Lambert ain't going anywhere until this season is decided; is my 'take' on matters.

[levico]

I get the feeling that because the fans have shown some major patience the last 2 years in the face of what I would say is consistently the worst football played at the club for 25 years the hierarchy are ignorant to the feelings of what is going on.

It isn't acceptable to be the worst home side in Europe for 3 years
It isn't acceptable to be beaten by Bradford over 2 legs
It isn't acceptable to be knocked out of the cups by lower league teams repeatedly
It isn't acceptable to buy bargain basement players from lower leagues and throw them into the first team
It isn't acceptable to have a manager insult our intelligence week after week and tell us how well weve played after another defeat

and it isn't fucking acceptable to trundle along on the premis of  some project that no one have had the decency to tell us exactly what is it, what stage we are at and what our next moves are likely to be like.

I am seriously fucked off with the club and have been for 12 months. How do you guys go game in game out and not tear your hair out?

I'm bald as a coote.

[wozwebs]

Fourth-ed (is that a word?)

[rob_bridge]

I voted yes on him deserving it at the end of the season. Now would be suicide.

I don't get that - to me, not to sack him now would be suicide.

All depends on the options.
We know (from experience) that Lerner is unlikely to have been running a file on "Potential Managers I may need to Call Upon" and so it'd take the current administration at least 3 weeks to bring in a credible replacement (whether temporary or permanent).
 We can also speculate that Lerner is scarred from the experience of the last four years and is therefore highly unlikely to pull the trigger.
Finally, he'll be persuaded that Lambert can repeat the escapology trick he pulled last season (despite the evidence that this season actually looks gloomier than last).

Lambert ain't going anywhere until this season is decided; is my 'take' on matters.

Agree and if we get relegated and are perceived to be unlucky then he will remain.

Only if we fall through the floor McNeill style will he be turfed out.

[Richard E]

Most Boards would have given their manager the bullet after "15-0 Christmas" was followed by Bradford and Millwall, but the decision to stick with their man might have been vindicated if there was some sign that the medicine had worked and we were coming out the other side.

Another lower division Cup exit (at home!) this season and the fact that we are not even now regularly beating the teams around us suggest that there is no reason to believe that the upturn is coming.

I always try to see the glass as being half-full with Villa but something has to change.

[supertom]

Most Boards would have given their manager the bullet after "15-0 Christmas" was followed by Bradford and Millwall, but the decision to stick with their man might have been vindicated if there was some sign that the medicine had worked and we were coming out the other side.

Another lower division Cup exit (at home!) this season and the fact that we are not even now regularly beating the teams around us suggest that there is no reason to believe that the upturn is coming.

I always try to see the glass as being half-full with Villa but something has to change.

A good offer might see not only Benteke gone in the summer but perhaps even Guzan and Delph. Take away 1-2 of our better players and then there's trouble. I wouldn't trust Lambert to get it right in the transfer window, nor would I trust Lerner to re-invest all the Benteke fee (dwindling by the week) into signings.

If not this season, next season will probably see us fall into the Champ. There's just a depressing inevitability about it.

[David_Nab]

I get the feeling that because the fans have shown some major patience the last 2 years in the face of what I would say is consistently the worst football played at the club for 25 years the hierarchy are ignorant to the feelings of what is going on.

It isn't acceptable to be the worst home side in Europe for 3 years
It isn't acceptable to be beaten by Bradford over 2 legs
It isn't acceptable to be knocked out of the cups by lower league teams repeatedly
It isn't acceptable to buy bargain basement players from lower leagues and throw them into the first team
It isn't acceptable to have a manager insult our intelligence week after week and tell us how well weve played after another defeat

and it isn't fucking acceptable to trundle along on the premis of  some project that no one have had the decency to tell us exactly what is it, what stage we are at and what our next moves are likely to be like.

I am seriously fucked off with the club and have been for 12 months. How do you guys go game in game out and not tear your hair out?

Great post !!!