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

[Stu]

We need five quality signings, six if Benteke goes. There's no spine to the team.

This summer we need to sign a left back, a right back, a centre half, a couple of midfielders and probably another striker.

No more drek from lower leagues or youngsters. This club needs a kick up the arse if we want to compete again. Jack the lad need not apply.

[pauliewalnuts]

In one sense, you are right.

This is an experiment which has not been attempted by any other established Premiership team, and has come about by what I have described elsewhere as the symbiosis of Lerner and  Lambert. Lerner, having given it a go with MoN, has now "bent the stick the other way" and is more concerned with "doing the right thing" and not "behaving like an oligarch". Lambert is convinced (so far he is right) that we can survive  in the Prem without shelling out big bucks on fees or wages.

It might work, but not many people are betting on it.

Not sure I follow that.

If by this experiment you mean mixing youth products and cheap players in an attempt to cut costs, then how is it something which has never been tried by any other premiership team?

That strikes me as something plenty of teams have tried.

I don't think so. Name another team that has:

1. Ostracised such a number of high-earning players simultaneously.
2. Bought such a large number of lower league payers and stuck them straight into the first team.
3. Stopped from buying any established quality premiership players whatsoever.
4. Bought portly players who are clearly past their best which was never very good in the first place on the grounds they were proper.

In the general sense of spending less money, it is nothing new. I'd say #1 above is not in itself a strategy, it is a (ill advised) symptom of what they are trying to do.

#3 is also a result of spending less.

It basically comes down to spending less on fees and also cutting the wage bill. The fact they've convinced themselves this is any sort of fiendish plan is what worries me. It isn't. It also won't work, but it suits their desire to cut spending to pretend it will.

[eastie]

We need five quality signings, six if Benteke goes. There's no spine to the team.

This summer we need to sign a left back, a right back, a centre half, a couple of midfielders and probably another striker.

No more drek from lower leagues or youngsters. This club needs a kick up the arse if we want to compete again. Jack the lad need not apply.

The spine is solid with Guzan , Vlaar, Delph, benteke .

It's the other 7 places that lack quality.

[Clampy]

We need five quality signings, six if Benteke goes. There's no spine to the team.

This summer we need to sign a left back, a right back, a centre half, a couple of midfielders and probably another striker.

No more drek from lower leagues or youngsters. This club needs a kick up the arse if we want to compete again. Jack the lad need not apply.

The spine is solid with Guzan , Vlaar, Delph, benteke .

It's the other 7 places that lack quality.

I don't think they do, they just lack consistency.

[eastie]

We need five quality signings, six if Benteke goes. There's no spine to the team.

This summer we need to sign a left back, a right back, a centre half, a couple of midfielders and probably another striker.

No more drek from lower leagues or youngsters. This club needs a kick up the arse if we want to compete again. Jack the lad need not apply.

The spine is solid with Guzan , Vlaar, Delph, benteke .

It's the other 7 places that lack quality.

I don't think they do, they just lack consistency.

Westwood, okore, bacuna may be ok - we need to sort the left back, two midfielders and two striker/widemen positions .

Gabby and Weimann should not be regular starters on their performances this season.

[Dante Lavelli]

In one sense, you are right.

This is an experiment which has not been attempted by any other established Premiership team, and has come about by what I have described elsewhere as the symbiosis of Lerner and  Lambert. Lerner, having given it a go with MoN, has now "bent the stick the other way" and is more concerned with "doing the right thing" and not "behaving like an oligarch". Lambert is convinced (so far he is right) that we can survive  in the Prem without shelling out big bucks on fees or wages.

It might work, but not many people are betting on it.

Not sure I follow that.

If by this experiment you mean mixing youth products and cheap players in an attempt to cut costs, then how is it something which has never been tried by any other premiership team?

That strikes me as something plenty of teams have tried.

I don't think so. Name another team that has:

1. Ostracised such a number of high-earning players simultaneously.
2. Bought such a large number of lower league payers and stuck them straight into the first team.
3. Stopped from buying any established quality premiership players whatsoever.
4. Bought portly players who are clearly past their best which was never very good in the first place on the grounds they were proper.

In the general sense of spending less money, it is nothing new. I'd say #1 above is not in itself a strategy, it is a (ill advised) symptom of what they are trying to do.

#3 is also a result of spending less.

It basically comes down to spending less on fees and also cutting the wage bill. The fact they've convinced themselves this is any sort of fiendish plan is what worries me. It isn't. It also won't work, but it suits their desire to cut spending to pretend it will.

I can think of two clubs which have followed this model:  Arsenal and Middlesboro.
Relatively speaking Arsenal pulled it off and grew as a result whereas Boro have sunk and probably shrunk as a consequence. 
It's a brave, high risk strategy which probably doesn't produce 'mid-table' very easily.  Hopefully in our situation it is a relatively temporary situation and future spending will be concentrated into fewer players.  This flexibility should prevent us doing a Boro.

[Boz]

In one sense, you are right.

This is an experiment which has not been attempted by any other established Premiership team, and has come about by what I have described elsewhere as the symbiosis of Lerner and  Lambert. Lerner, having given it a go with MoN, has now "bent the stick the other way" and is more concerned with "doing the right thing" and not "behaving like an oligarch". Lambert is convinced (so far he is right) that we can survive  in the Prem without shelling out big bucks on fees or wages.

It might work, but not many people are betting on it.

Not sure I follow that.

If by this experiment you mean mixing youth products and cheap players in an attempt to cut costs, then how is it something which has never been tried by any other premiership team?

That strikes me as something plenty of teams have tried.

I don't think so. Name another team that has:

1. Ostracised such a number of high-earning players simultaneously.
2. Bought such a large number of lower league payers and stuck them straight into the first team.
3. Stopped from buying any established quality premiership players whatsoever.
4. Bought portly players who are clearly past their best which was never very good in the first place on the grounds they were proper.

In the general sense of spending less money, it is nothing new. I'd say #1 above is not in itself a strategy, it is a (ill advised) symptom of what they are trying to do.

#3 is also a result of spending less.

It basically comes down to spending less on fees and also cutting the wage bill. The fact they've convinced themselves this is any sort of fiendish plan is what worries me. It isn't. It also won't work, but it suits their desire to cut spending to pretend it will.

I can think of two clubs which have followed this model:  Arsenal and Middlesboro.
Relatively speaking Arsenal pulled it off and grew as a result whereas Boro have sunk and probably shrunk as a consequence. 
It's a brave, high risk strategy which probably doesn't produce 'mid-table' very easily.  Hopefully in our situation it is a relatively temporary situation and future spending will be concentrated into fewer players.   This flexibility should prevent us doing a Boro.

But not with Lambert as manager, he's had his chance and shown little sign of getting his team to play consistently.

[citizenDJ]

We need five quality signings, six if Benteke goes. There's no spine to the team.

This summer we need to sign a left back, a right back, a centre half, a couple of midfielders and probably another striker.

No more drek from lower leagues or youngsters. This club needs a kick up the arse if we want to compete again. Jack the lad need not apply.

The spine is solid with Guzan , Vlaar, Delph, benteke .

It's the other 7 places that lack quality.

I don't think they do, they just lack consistency.

Westwood, okore, bacuna may be ok - we need to sort the left back, two midfielders and two striker/widemen positions .

Gabby and Weimann should not be regular starters on their performances this season.

It's going to be so crushingly, horribly disappointing if Okore turns out to be crap.

I think he'll be good, mind.

[Stu]

We need five quality signings, six if Benteke goes. There's no spine to the team.

This summer we need to sign a left back, a right back, a centre half, a couple of midfielders and probably another striker.

No more drek from lower leagues or youngsters. This club needs a kick up the arse if we want to compete again. Jack the lad need not apply.

The spine is solid with Guzan , Vlaar, Delph, benteke .

It's the other 7 places that lack quality.

Guzan is fine. Vlaar is injury prone, Delph all too often has to play on his own and needs support, Benteke may or may not be here next season.

It needs a complete overhaul, from back to front.

[danlanza]

We need five quality signings, six if Benteke goes. There's no spine to the team.

This summer we need to sign a left back, a right back, a centre half, a couple of midfielders and probably another striker.

No more drek from lower leagues or youngsters. This club needs a kick up the arse if we want to compete again. Jack the lad need not apply.

The spine is solid with Guzan , Vlaar, Delph, benteke .

It's the other 7 places that lack quality.

Guzan is fine. Vlaar is injury prone, Delph all too often has to play on his own and needs support, Benteke may or may not be here next season.

It needs a complete overhaul, from back to front.

And that will not happen, will it really. Unless Lerner decides to throw a lot of cash down the drain we will be shopping in the local corner shop instead of Harrods.
It is not going to happen.

[citizenDJ]

Guzan is a good 'keeper, Vlaar can look good, but has looked pretty shaky on numerous occasions (I think he may well be better alongside a better partner), Delph has done well enough this season to earn himself a move away in the summer, while Benteke is sure to be gone.

It's a dreadfully poor squad, to be honest.

[Stu]

I'm pretty sure it has been said there will be money available in the summer. We'll just have to wait and see what we get. It's a massive summer for the club as whole though; we've been told the wage bill has been sorted out, so maybe it's time to think big again.

[olaftab]

The spine is solid with Guzan , Vlaar, Delph, benteke .

Vlaar may be our best defender but he is far from solid.

[olaftab]

God only knows what you're banging on about in the rest of your post.

I think he is saying you are shooting ducks!

[eastie]

The spine is solid with Guzan , Vlaar, Delph, benteke .

Vlaar may be our best defender but he is far from solid.

Oh affers you do love to moan