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

[Legion]

No we wouldn't.

Don'take it literally mate, where has the good old English sense of humour  gone? :-)

Mine evaporated at around 1.30pm.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Taxi for Lambert and I will cover  the fare - as far away from B6 as possible. I respect the views of most on here, however I do fail to see how Lambert is taking us forward - slowly or otherwise. That was the easiest opportunity in quite some time for us to turn over Utd in their own back yard and once again we fail. I feel that the club is going backwards, certainly on the field.
I do chuckle when some posters talk of the fact we played some good stuff and had we have taken our chances etc - we lost 4-1 FFS, for the second time in a week to two distinctly average sides - what does that make us?

[rob_bridge]

Taxi for Lambert and I will cover  the fare - as far away from B6 as possible. I respect the views of most on here, however I do fail to see how Lambert is taking us forward - slowly or otherwise. That was the easiest opportunity in quite some time for us to turn over Utd in their own back yard and once again we fail. I feel that the club is going backwards, certainly on the field.
I do chuckle when some posters talk of the fact we played some good stuff and had we have taken our chances etc - we lost 4-1 FFS, for the second time in a week to two distinctly average sides - what does that make us?

Worse than average as we have been for the best part of 4 years.

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The last four games tell you everything you need to know about where we are at the moment.

[Archie]

No we wouldn't.

Don'take it literally mate, where has the good old English sense of humour  gone? :-)

Mine evaporated at around 1.30pm.

He, he, I can well understand you, Legion.
Same for me.
I was probably the first on this forum to want Lambert,to which I had dedicated a thread when he was on the Norwich's books, but I must admit that I was deeply wrong.
Then, not now.

At Norwich he played with a brilliant, attacking-minded diamond formation, at Villa he coaches a team without creativity and without a distintictive style of play, that despite the 4-3-3 formation is based only on counter-attack.
The defenders still have not understood the ABC of the movements that they have to do with and without the ball,  the opponents are often totally unmarked, his tactical knowledges are less than zero, in Italy (where football is much worse than in England, but where coaches are at least sharp in tactics) he could not coach in Third Division, I am not joking.
A boring boring team in the 90% of the games.
 This is what we reduced us to be.
With players like Delph, Vlaar, Gabby, Super Mark, Benteke, Bertrand, etc., we could and should do much more.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think ultimately, for me, my main concern is that I look at how this season has gone and I don't see anything suggesting a marked improvement next season.

We'll probably finish about 13th or so, so a couple of places higher than last season. Not brilliant. If you look beyond points for positives in the way we play - as we did last year when we played well even when things were going badly for a decent spell of time - then I'm sorry, but I can't see any.

It's just another season of barely acceptable guff.

If he's growing something here, if we've got this cunning plan, then there needs to be sufficient evidence of us improving. Turning a great result in every few months and then going on a run of being as bad as we ever were week after week just isn't good enough, I'm afraid.

Barring something quite amazing happening between now and the summer, I'd part ways with him once the season is over.

Depressing to start over again, but not as depressing as having the same rubbish season over and over again.

[Deano's Mullet]

I think ultimately, for me, my main concern is that I look at how this season has gone and I don't see anything suggesting a marked improvement next season.

We'll probably finish about 13th or so, so a couple of places higher than last season. Not brilliant. If you look beyond points for positives in the way we play - as we did last year when we played well even when things were going badly for a decent spell of time - then I'm sorry, but I can't see any.

It's just another season of barely acceptable guff.

If he's growing something here, if we've got this cunning plan, then there needs to be sufficient evidence of us improving. Turning a great result in every few months and then going on a run of being as bad as we ever were week after week just isn't good enough, I'm afraid.

Barring something quite amazing happening between now and the summer, I'd part ways with him once the season is over.

Depressing to start over again, but not as depressing as having the same rubbish season over and over again.

Spot on. If the directors think Lambert is as good as it gets then we are in deep deep shit.

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He lost his two big summer signings. Benteke was pish today, where as I am fairly confident with those two options available we would have seen Libor winding the cockneys up by running behind the goal after he had scored.

It does seem to be the Villa way, that only our best players get injured. Not that I want any of them injured mind.

The midfield was actually pretty good today, certainly better than theirs which was bypassed by their endless punting up field. But that is where we are weak; two players shy at least to allow us to really crack the real problem; home form.

It was the same under O'Neill, too easy to stop and work out. People talk about what Lambert did at Norwich, but he had all the players he wanted to do that, being in his third season. He is in a real bind of balancing books, particularly wages. So where as I personally would have liked to have gone out in January and bought a centre half to replace Okore, doing so may have heavily impacted on the midfield/attacking options (who are the most expensive) come the summer.

I would defy anybody to name a harder task for a manager to come in a re-build a side with not a great deal in respect of it's peers, especially at a club like ours with all the tradition, expectation and the weight that goes with it.

I think we have moved forward, not by much. I think we will get 46 points and finish 11-10th. I feel like we have been saying since September that the acid test is the summer, where we will hopefully spend £20 million odd again, but on say three good players, with Okore coming back too. That is frustrating in itself as this season has always been a write off, because our past profligacy means we lack the funds to speed the process up.

I think a few things would help with the way we play; contracting the pitch, by getting more players around the man in possession. Get closer, give options and don't make the same runs as your colleague. Little things like that would benefit us. Of course if you miss nailed on chances you're never going to get anywhere.

[VinnieChase84]

I hope we get rid of him as soon as were mathematically safe.
We won't however, we will have another summer of mediocre signings and will have another relegation scrap next year. Think PL is out his depth and is showing we are not making any progress at all

[Toronto Villa]

As much as after two 4-1 pannings it is very hard to defend him, the players need to good, hard look at themselves also. We had chances to win the last two games, leading 1-0 looking good. It's not as if the manager did something definitive to change the game against us. He wasn't able to correct the situation that's on him also, but the players have let all of us down.

[saunders_heroes]

I think ultimately, for me, my main concern is that I look at how this season has gone and I don't see anything suggesting a marked improvement next season.

We'll probably finish about 13th or so, so a couple of places higher than last season. Not brilliant. If you look beyond points for positives in the way we play - as we did last year when we played well even when things were going badly for a decent spell of time - then I'm sorry, but I can't see any.

It's just another season of barely acceptable guff.

If he's growing something here, if we've got this cunning plan, then there needs to be sufficient evidence of us improving. Turning a great result in every few months and then going on a run of being as bad as we ever were week after week just isn't good enough, I'm afraid.

Barring something quite amazing happening between now and the summer, I'd part ways with him once the season is over.

Depressing to start over again, but not as depressing as having the same rubbish season over and over again.

Agreed. Every step forward we think we've taken is quickly dashed and we step back again. I see little or no improvement on the McLeish season and we've simply stagnated over the last 4 seasons. We keep thinking something good is just around the corner but nothing ever materialises. At some stage we have to make a decision on where the club is going and who is taking us there. Lambert has had enough chances but he continues to produce results and performances that are simply not acceptable.
Lerner must act in the summer.

[saunders_heroes]

As much as after two 4-1 pannings it is very hard to defend him, the players need to good, hard look at themselves also. We had chances to win the last two games, leading 1-0 looking good. It's not as if the manager did something definitive to change the game against us. He wasn't able to correct the situation that's on him also, but the players have let all of us down.

A lot of those players are out of their depth though and really shouldn't be playing in the PL. Whose fault is that though, Lambert for signing them or Lerner for tightening the purse strings?

[Toronto Villa]

As much as after two 4-1 pannings it is very hard to defend him, the players need to good, hard look at themselves also. We had chances to win the last two games, leading 1-0 looking good. It's not as if the manager did something definitive to change the game against us. He wasn't able to correct the situation that's on him also, but the players have let all of us down.

A lot of those players are out of their depth though and really shouldn't be playing in the PL. Whose fault is that though, Lambert for signing them or Lerner for tightening the purse strings?

they've shown they can play. If you find a way to beat teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, which many of the teams below us cannot do at some point a player needs to look at himself and ask why his performance drops so dramatically. Today, the misses by Benteke were shocking. To that point we were very much in the game and the game plan was fine. Nobody is saying Benteke is not a PL footballer, and he has do his part and complete the move which was set up by the other players. So they can all play at this level, and while I'm dismissing your notion entirely, and I'm not going to lay the blame at the managers door exclusively either.

[dicedlam]

It simply isn't working for him and I think it is time for a change.
Two seasons now fighting to get to forty points with him at the helm, surely Randy can see that we need a different approach?

[PeterWithesShin]

As much as after two 4-1 pannings it is very hard to defend him, the players need to good, hard look at themselves also. We had chances to win the last two games, leading 1-0 looking good. It's not as if the manager did something definitive to change the game against us. He wasn't able to correct the situation that's on him also, but the players have let all of us down.

A lot of those players are out of their depth though and really shouldn't be playing in the PL. Whose fault is that though, Lambert for signing them or Lerner for tightening the purse strings?

Rationally though, how many of the starting 11 aren't PL standard? Ignoring if they were shit today and heat of the moment reaction. Lower level PL maybe with a few, but still PL players.

IMO whether they are good enough to be regulars in the PL. That's not me saying i'm happy with the overall quality of the 11 either.
Guzan Yes
Bacuna Almost certainly
Bertrand Yes
Vlaar Yes
Clark Probably
Delph Yes
Westwood Yes
Albrighton Probably
Benteke Yes
Gabby Yes
Weimann Probably