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

[bertlambshank]

Lambert can start by losing that fucking huddle before the game.
It's small time and the manager should have the last word.

I flipping hate it also.

Would you notice the huddle if we were winning more games? Because when we are not it's just another nonsensical stick to beat the manager/team with to filed along with "the manager isn't conherent during press conferences"

It's a waste of energy.Its the managers/coaches job to get them up for it.
As for your conherent argument another waste of energy.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Lambert can start by losing that fucking huddle before the game.
It's small time and the manager should have the last word.

I flipping hate it also.

Would you notice the huddle if we were winning more games? Because when we are not it's just another nonsensical stick to beat the manager/team with to filed along with "the manager isn't conherent during press conferences"

The thing is, if they were having a bit of a cuddle before games which we went on to win, we'd want it to stay because we'd like to think it has some kind of bonding effect. As it stands at the moment, it's clearly not working at all so those who call for it to stop have a good point.

And it looks stupid

[Jimbo]

I always wonder what they are saying to each other:

"Right... you two try and score, we will try to defend, and as for the rest of you just try not to f@ck up!"

I reckon they just say how much they love each other, then the captain will recite one of those bullshit sportsman motivation things you sometimes see them tweeting.

Either that or it is some sort of communal brain purge manoeuvre - they link arms and lean forward, as they do, all the things they've been told during the week exit their minds via the nostrils, leaving them totally void of instruction by the time the huddle ends.

When the Aussie cricket team do their pre-match huddle, doesn't one of them have to tell a joke to the others?

"What did he say in the changing room?"
"Dunno blud, summat about giving it a right good go, innit."

[john e]

Maybe we should start our own Haka

[Walmley_Villa]

Maybe we should start our own Haka

Benteke sticking his tongue out at the opposition would be a sight to see..

[pauliewalnuts]

I presume the pre match huddle is something the players feel the need to do, lots of teams do it. Can't really see the harm in it myself.

I think that's where we could do with NRC back.

One of the finest huddle organisers in the game today. Captain fantastic, huddle expert and a marvellous pointer of fingers.

The greatest arm waving in a circular motion while screaming "come on" with an anguished look on his face our generation has ever seen.

I always imagined the other players thinking "you need to shut the fuck up because you're the one who just gave the ball away...AGAIN!"

Him and Zat Knight, both excellent pointers, stood next to each other as the ball nestles in our net, doing this:

[pauliewalnuts]

Lambert can start by losing that fucking huddle before the game.
It's small time and the manager should have the last word.

I flipping hate it also.

Would you notice the huddle if we were winning more games? Because when we are not it's just another nonsensical stick to beat the manager/team with to filed along with "the manager isn't conherent during press conferences"

The thing is, if they were having a bit of a cuddle before games which we went on to win, we'd want it to stay because we'd like to think it has some kind of bonding effect. As it stands at the moment, it's clearly not working at all so those who call for it to stop have a good point.

And it looks stupid

It's not even being used as a stick to beat the manager with, is it? I'm certainly not. I thought it was just a general point about the increasing huddling going on in the game.

I'd love to know what they say, though.

Something else I've noticed more and more in football recently is players / managers / coaches, when talking during the match, doing so with their hands over their mouth, to foil lip readers.

Like doubles teams do in tennis.

[Toronto Villa]

Lambert can start by losing that fucking huddle before the game.
It's small time and the manager should have the last word.

I flipping hate it also.

Would you notice the huddle if we were winning more games? Because when we are not it's just another nonsensical stick to beat the manager/team with to filed along with "the manager isn't conherent during press conferences"

It's a waste of energy.Its the managers/coaches job to get them up for it.
As for your conherent argument another waste of energy.

Have you been able to calculate how much energy is expended during a huddle to ascertain that it is being wasted? I just think it is a non topic. I don't even notice it and like I said if we were winning those things become completely irrelevant. And I don't know what you mean by your last sentence.

[bertlambshank]

If it's a non topic why are you posting about it.
As for it being a stick to bash him with,do you spin for the SNP?
''It's another piece of English bullying I tell ya''.

[Concrete John]

The real question regarding PL is this, have we moved on during his time in charge as a team and as a club?

If you look back over the last 12 months we should be able to see a trend one way or the other.

On the face of it and looking at the league table it would seem that we have improved, this time last year we were in the bottom 3 and we are now currently 12 so that is an inprovement, however if you were to put our current points and GD into last seasons table we would be 14th with only 4 points seperating us from the bottom 3.

The stats also show an improvement but it is only marginal:

[To the end of March]

                  P     W    D    L      F     A      GD    Pts
2012/13:   31    7     9   15   32   58    -26     30
2013/14:   31    9     7   15   34   46    -12     34

So we have won 2 more games, drawn 2 less and lost the same as this time last season, our goal difference has improved but we have not had a repeat of the Chelsea result without which it would make the GD allot closer

So in essence in twelve months PL has turned two draws into wins, now I know that this does not tell a complete story but it is indicative of the trend in performance under PL and the current strategy from the board.

So is this progress? and is it progress enough?

It can only really be viewed after 38 games. 

However, if you said at the start of the season that we'd have had our two top summer signings out for most of the season, Benteke would be having the season he is and we'd still have improved, however marginally, after 31 games, would anyone really have said that was a bad season? 

[Chris Harte]

I remember when the fact Doug Ellis was chairman was irrelevant back in the mid-to-late 90s when we were doing reasonably well. Trouble is we aren't doing well. I posted a stat on another thread yesterday that we've won 14 out of 54 home PL games under our last two managers in the last three seasons (with three games to go this term).

Go back another season (managed mostly by Gerard Houiller) and it becomes 22 wins out of 73 played, so not much better.

My point is whether you sack Lambert or keep him, it won't make much difference. The problem at this club is the "custodian" - the man charged with looking after the club, maintaining it, nurturing it.

Less than a third of our home games over the last four seasons have resulted in Villa wins. This is a truely shocking statistic. But the person ultimately responsible just doesn't seem interested in this fact, despite previously describing himself as being the "custodian."

[Toronto Villa]

If it's a non topic why are you posting about it.
As for it being a stick to bash him with,do you spin for the SNP?
''It's another piece of English bullying I tell ya''.

Erm...it's an internet forum and it's a discussion point. That's what we do. We discuss all kinds of meaningless and mindless stuff. Why do you think it's relevant in the grand scheme of things? It appears to me that you think that there might be a link between the "wasted energy" of the huddle and our performances. For me it's just another example of how the season has worn people out that some just have to find something else to moan about.

[bertlambshank]

All you do is moan about people moaning.

[Ger Regan]

Pack it in, please.

[MarkM]

If it's a non topic why are you posting about it.
As for it being a stick to bash him with,do you spin for the SNP?
''It's another piece of English bullying I tell ya''.

Erm...it's an internet forum and it's a discussion point. That's what we do. We discuss all kinds of meaningless and mindless stuff. Why do you think it's relevant in the grand scheme of things? It appears to me that you think that there might be a link between the "wasted energy" of the huddle and our performances. For me it's just another example of how the season has worn people out that some just have to find something else to moan about.

Its not just us, I moan about the huddles that all the teams do, just like I moan about the stupid pre game hand shakes and line ups under the Premier sponsors sign and the stupid bloody ref having to pick the ball up from the plinth!

A half and half scarf for Villa vs Wigan with the teams having the pre match hand shake under the PL banner after the ref has picked the ball up from the plinth like it is the FA cup!

How the game has changed!