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

[Clampy]

I don't think there's a great deal wrong that a few good additions in key areas and a little consistency wouldn't put right.  It's playing like we did against Chelsea then following it up with stinkers like yesterday that's holding us back.

[supertom]

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.

Part of being good enough at this level is about having some sort of consistency. I don't think some do. Westwood makes me pull my hair out. He could go either way. He'd been good in recent weeks, but once again was anonymous yesterday. Delph conversely, even when he's not entirely at the races still has a presence in midfield. If you say to me now that Westwood will play 40 games next season. In my opinion he'd be a hindrance more than an asset. If he's coming in for the odd game here and there to cover someone better, then I can live with that. As a first choice, he's way, way off.

For me, Baker and Weimann will never be good enough at this level either, for anything more than squaddies. In the last two years, Weimann has played way too much. Baker has too.
At some juncture, Bacuna, who has a lot of promise, needs to play in a more natural position. He gets pretty sloppy defensively, but having to concentrate on defending, game in, game out, isn't his specialty. He's an attacking player.

[Stu]

Consistency is part of the package of a good player.

Didn't Shankley say something like that in terms of skill, fourth division players weren't any different to first division players, however where the elite players were superior was that they played consistently to a high level.

[Concrete John]

Consistency is obviously our weakness right now.  The question is whether this set of players will pick that up as they gain experience or if they're just not good enough regardless.  The truth will probably be that some aren't good enough, but some are.

[Ads]

Two good results and an awful one. Two good performances and an awful one too.

We couldn't be any more mediocre if we tried at the moment.

Tactically you may have said that stretching Stoke with width was the answer or using Delph in front of a midfield two to occupy the space Stoke's midfield were intentionally leaving vacant, but there were just so many poor performances yesterday that it was baffling.

[Mister E]

I don't think there's a great deal wrong that a few good additions in key areas and a little consistency wouldn't put right.  It's playing like we did against Chelsea then following it up with stinkers like yesterday that's holding us back.

My concerns are beginning to centre on Lambert rather than on the quality of the playing staff* - and I realise that they are not mutually exclusive. I don't believe it is difficult to get a team 'up' against Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Citeh, either motivationally and tactically (becasuse these teams will give the likes of us some space to counter-attack in). It's when we come to play the humdrum games that are in our capability to win. Take yesterday:

I was shocked by the double substitution: bringing on Albrighton into central midfeld and having Sylla on the pitch at all were massive mistakes by Lambert. I said to those around me at the time that the obvious substitutions were to bring on Bennett into left MF in front of Bertrand and Albrighton on the right, ahead of Bacuna (who was getting caught out of position regularly): doing this would not have exposed Sylla as being completely out of his depth and given us both width and fullback protection.
And I found it bizarre that in the second half Delph spent more time behind Bertrand than ahead of him ...

Tactically, he is really not cutting the mustard and I doubt his capacity to out-think oppo managers. Alladyce and Hughes have, in the last 4  weeks, completely beguiled him and exposed the weaker players in our team badly. Against Norwich , we had a wonderful 25-minute period and 65 minutes of mediocrity. Against Chelsea we got slightly lucky with the William second yellow, but we played well against a team playing very openly.






* Although Baker is, for me, not going to cut it in the Premiership on current evidence; Bacuna was horribly exposed yesterday with poor positioning; Bertrand looked out of sorts; Vlaar was poor; Sylla is not at an acceptable standard; Gabby is looking less and less effective.

[midnite]

Vlaar was not at his best yesterday but I think that's because baker was out of sorts making vlaar work more to cover. Bacuna at the end of the day isn't a right back. I'd rather have a left back playing right back than a midfielder, but then that's lamberts job to decide that. Stokes number 10 yesterday completely bossed Bacuna and nothing was done about it.

I can't wait for okore to be fit. I think he is going to be something great. But we can't delude ourselves either. I think the main reason he picked villa is for first team football. So if he does have the kind of season we all expect him to next year he'll be gone to bigger and better things. I'm not complaining about this, it's the way things are. But we need to be looking for his replacement really this summer so when he does leave we're ready with someone else that's been in and around the team for a season not sell okore then react to the sale.

[London Villan]

The whole second half the management team barely said a word to the players. You might not like Hughes but he was driving his team on and barking orders now and again. The lethargy on and off the pitch from our side was very obvious...

[richardhubbard]

He lost his 2 biggest signing of the summer in Okore and Kozak, and also had his star player go missing for 2 months of season in Benteke.

We are half up in the premership, if the likes of Okore, Kozak may be Nzgobia play to their potential plus likes of Grealish come through i dont think there that much wrong with that team capable of finishing eighth

We had to undo a lot of damage and probably finishing 10-11th this season would be progress on April 12

[MarkM]

He lost his 2 biggest signing of the summer in Okore and Kozak, and also had his star player go missing for 2 months of season in Benteke.

We are half up in the premership, if the likes of Okore, Kozak may be Nzgobia play to their potential plus likes of Grealish come through i dont think there that much wrong with that team capable of finishing eighth

We had to undo a lot of damage and probably finishing 10-11th this season would be progress on April 12

Some truth to that, however his tactics at times are just rubbish

Playing Marc in the centre yesterday was a complete mystery to me??

[pooligan]

playing Marc in the centre yesterday was a complete mystery to all of us.

[rob_bridge]

The whole second half the management team barely said a word to the players. You might not like Hughes but he was driving his team on and barking orders now and again. The lethargy on and off the pitch from our side was very obvious...

Hughes has proved himself to be a very capable manager when he has limited resource. Organisation and game plan. Wales, Blackburn and now Stoke.

Give him any money and he is absolutely useless as he can't pick a player - Man Cit-eh / QPR.

[rob_bridge]

playing Marc in the centre yesterday was a complete mystery to all of us.

I think the first 2 words suffice. Never a Premiership players.

Neither are most of them though.

[sirlordbaltimore]

Albrighton's been a rare positive player wise in yet another season of depressing shite. But playing him in the middle yesterday was a decision bordering on idiotic/unbelieveable IMHO

Even more so when you saw the space down the sides he could've exploited

Sadly it was exactly the kind of daft decision i've come to expect from Lambert.

[ChicagoLion]

I want to stand up for Albrighton as I think the criticism is very harsh. He came back from loan and has, and is obviously trying his hardest to get into the team. He has been dropped by this manager after man of the match performances. Has not been given a run in the team when Weiman who has been at best average and often awful gets picked every week. And when he does play him its out of position.

Allbrighton is easily good enough to play in this team and his lack of progression is down to this blinkered stubborn manager who thinks that wings are only for aeroplanes.