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

[eastie]

sometimes whatever you do it doesn't work. I think Lambert was hinting at that also. That the players were so lethargic as a group that it was one of those situations that is hard to explain. Similar to Arsenal at the weekend. Wenger's big day, everyone knows and before they even woke up the side were 4-0 down. You know they would have prepared well, the team very much still in the title race, and yet they arrived and got blown clean out of the water. The manager was at a loss for what happened, a bit like Lambert. 1-0 up, everything going really well, and then the sky caved in.

That's fair enough but if happens far too often with this team -how many times have we actually performed well for 90 minutes in a game this season - often we go from good to awful in the space of 45 minutes.

Is it lack of character, backbone ? I think we need a leader on the pitch to lift players and gee them up,- when it's going badly they all tend to look at each other with nobody taking the game by the scruff 0f the neck -we need a hard snarling tough guy to lead by example.

[Concrete John]

Our shape and tactics were working at furst on Sunday and then defensive errors let us down again.  Perhaps his thinking was "Let's get over those mad 5 minutes and get back to what we were doing before that"?  Certainly seems sensible to me and the subs tried to keep that, but as a group we just played so awful it wasn't ever going to happen.

In the interests to balance, I will say that Holt on and moving Super Marc wide should have happened a while before it did.

[aj2k77]

Does anyone think IF Lambert get's bigger money to spend next season will he make us a better side or would we still struggle?

Still finish between 10th-16th and on the whole look clueless with the odd vintage performance or smash and grab thrown in to confuse us. If he had anything special tactically or technically in his locker I think we would have seen it by now but there have been WAY to many terrible aimless performances to be a co-incidence.

For me, at the end of it all he's just a very limited manager at the moment suitable for a team struggling to make an impact on the league as we do on the games we play in.

If we have any ambition to finish in the top 6 I doubt he will be at the helm when it's done.

[not3bad]

Does anyone think IF Lambert get's bigger money to spend next season will he make us a better side or would we still struggle?

I'm confident he'd make us a better side because of the quality of Benteke, Okore and Guzan and the way Delph has progressed since Lambert has been at Villa.

[Concrete John]

Better?  Yes, I'm sure we would be.  As well as what not3bad mentions above, we have to factor in that having a increase in quality would also give some of or 'maybe' players like Westwood a better chance to succeed.

[London Villan]

The thing is we see glimpses of half decent football. Ten minutes here, five minutes there... it's probably what makes it even more frustrating.

[Dante Lavelli]

Better?  Yes, I'm sure we would be.  As well as what not3bad mentions above, we have to factor in that having a increase in quality would also give some of or 'maybe' players like Westwood a better chance to succeed.

That is true. 

The frustration for me, is not the odd capitulation, it is the abscence of a clear football identity.  With a young inexperienced team it is inevitable that the team will occassionally fuck up.  With additional experience and the money he has created (through ruthlessly reducing the wage bill) he should improve the first team, however I am far less secure in thinking that he has the mojo necessary to build a clear footballing philosophy for the club. 

[Boz]

Nearly two years, looking like the second season in a row we will end up higher in the table.

What's the argument for sacking him?

The most insipid home performances ,a horrific home record results wise .
Humiliated regularly by lower league sides in cups.
The dreadful style of football.
Lack of a plan B.
The prospect of more of the same.

Absolutely correct.

Just because we're a little higher up the table is not a reason to retain him. Rodgers joined the Scousers around the same time as Lambert, but look at the difference in style of play, never mind any other factors.

[Dante Lavelli]

I hate to sit on the fence, but i really dont know anymore, he hasnt been given a huge amount of money when other clubs have been spending it like the Russians are at Calais, and yet our League position has improved year on year since he has been at VP, everyone knows, including Lambert, that our home form is abysmal but still, we keep inching away from trouble, i think we`ll only get a true idea when he is given some serious money to spend, and that aint happening any time soon.

I think sitting on the fence, whilst doesn't make for great debate, is a sensible position.  I find the ability of people to jump from sack him, keep him, sack him hard to follow because if you were the hypothetical chairman you can only sack a manager once.  So once you've pulled the trigger you can't change your mind if a Chelsea type result comes along.

Or once you've pulled the trigger you may hope the replacement delivers Chelsea like results on a much more often basis?

I assume Dante means pulling the trigger as in once you've stated that you want him out, you have to stick to it, not changing one's mind after a couple of good results then back again after a defeat. I'm sure he'll correct me if i'm wrong though.

What Clampy said. 

[Boz]

I'd love to know what Lerner is thinking. Surely he must know the fans aren't happy losing 4-1 at home to Stoke.

I was a talking to a browns fan who told me lerner if anything was quick to fire coaches who didn't do well.
Bottom 6 and I think lambert could be on his way .

We're not bottom six though

But we could be by the end of the season if one or two of those below us string a couple of wins together.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Does anyone think IF Lambert get's bigger money to spend next season will he make us a better side or would we still struggle?

I'm confident he'd make us a better side because of the quality of Benteke, Okore and Guzan and the way Delph has progressed since Lambert has been at Villa.

I don't understand how you can be confident when after more than 18 months Lambert has consistently failed to get the basics right.

[not3bad]

Nearly two years, looking like the second season in a row we will end up higher in the table.

What's the argument for sacking him?

The most insipid home performances ,a horrific home record results wise .
Humiliated regularly by lower league sides in cups.
The dreadful style of football.
Lack of a plan B.
The prospect of more of the same.

Absolutely correct.

Just because we're a little higher up the table is not a reason to retain him. Rodgers joined the Scousers around the same time as Lambert, but look at the difference in style of play, never mind any other factors.

Terrible comparison. When Rodgers joined Liverpool they had Gerrard, Suarez and a load of other players worth more on their own in transfer fees than our entire squad now. And as for being "a little higher up the table" I would ask you as I've asked other people, what were your expectations for this season? For me it was a mid table finish and more points than last season and, despite the pain, we are still on target for that.

[BoskoDjembaSalifou]

He's so dull, isn't he? When I hear him speak, all I think is "inevitable relegation". I want to have faith in our manager again.

[Dante Lavelli]

I'm no expert of NFL but isn't the economics of the game very different to here in the sense that the money is reasonably shared amongst the franchises and if you're shit you get to pick the better players from the draft.  Therefore with these variables (transfers and income) less important the coaching ability of the manager is probably more significant and has the potential to have a greater impact.

Whereas in the premier league teams are effectively financially doped by various carbon oligarchs.  When faced with this Randy may think that we're 'punching our weight' based on the economic health of the club and to sack the manager will have limited impact based on the sums available to certain clubs.

[supertom]

Much as I feel I'm neither here nor there on Lambert in the long term, largely due to his questionable tactical nous, I do also think we'd struggle to get a manager in who'll do much better.
We could go the cheap, up and coming foreign manager route, or conversely an experienced foreign boss who's perennially remained under the radar, but more often than not, these experiments end in failure.
We could go for an inexperienced manager from lower leagues, essentially the Lambert route again (though of course he had at least one season in top flight). Again, it's a gamble.
The other option is to go for someone who's been around the block a few times, but that leaves you with an unspectacular pool of managers of the Mark Hughes, Allardyce, Pulis, Bruce etc. It doesn't inspire, and while many of those have quite easily tactically outwitted Lambert this season, they'd struggle with the squad they'd inherit and the budget to turn it around.

First order of business for me is summer window. We've got to spend on better quality. Secondly, Lambert has to ensure we keep hold of our better players, particularly Benteke. Given he's had a mediocre season, we may just get one more year from him.

Next we look at thinks again in Nov-December. If nothings changed and we're still ensconced in a battle with the likes of Norwich, Swansea, Stoke etc, and flirting with the bottom 3, then it'll be getting pretty clear that Lambert can't take us beyond this point.

It's tough.