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

[silhillvilla]

Over 30% myself included vote now

[Concrete John]

The poll seems quite a landslide.

After the last 3 results, you'd expect it to be.  Prior to that, the last poll was started after a good set of results (after Chelsea at home, I believe) and was very strongly in favour of keeping him.  Not to use the 'f' word, but I think you get where I'm coming from.  Best time to take a poll like this is probably late May/early June, so that we've got a whole season to look back on and any short term pain or joy from the last result has ebbed away.

My own stance is unchanged in that the bad has outweighed the good under him, but I do balance that out with the tough rebuilding job he had to undertake, the relatively limited resources he's had to carry that job out with and terrible luck with injuries.  Saturday alone he had his top 3 signings out, which total value wise has to be pushing half of what he's spent over his 2 years here, plus Gabby and Delph, the best two players he inherited. 

All that leaves me sitting on the fence a little.  I'm naturally one to give a manager time, so voted "Not at all, deserves another season".  However, I wouldn't use the word 'deserve' personally, more that there's enough doubt in my mind due to the things mentioned above that I'm more curious than anything to see what his Villa would look like if a) he can focus funds on quality over quantity and b) can get his best side on the pitch for an extended period of time.  Can he start to get the better performances we've seen under him, and there have been some good ones, more consistently?

I'd rather wait on see on that than instigate more upheaval at the club.   

[Witton Warrior]

The poll seems quite a landslide.

After the last 3 results, you'd expect it to be.  Prior to that, the last poll was started after a good set of results (after Chelsea at home, I believe) and was very strongly in favour of keeping him.  Not to use the 'f' word, but I think you get where I'm coming from.  Best time to take a poll like this is probably late May/early June, so that we've got a whole season to look back on and any short term pain or joy from the last result has ebbed away.

My own stance is unchanged in that the bad has outweighed the good under him, but I do balance that out with the tough rebuilding job he had to undertake, the relatively limited resources he's had to carry that job out with and terrible luck with injuries.  Saturday alone he had his top 3 signings out, which total value wise has to be pushing half of what he's spent over his 2 years here, plus Gabby and Delph, the best two players he inherited. 

All that leaves me sitting on the fence a little.  I'm naturally one to give a manager time, so voted "Not at all, deserves another season".  However, I wouldn't use the word 'deserve' personally, more that there's enough doubt in my mind due to the things mentioned above that I'm more curious than anything to see what his Villa would look like if a) he can focus funds on quality over quantity and b) can get his best side on the pitch for an extended period of time.  Can he start to get the better performances we've seen under him, and there have been some good ones, more consistently?

I'd rather wait on see on that than instigate more upheaval at the club.   

I see what your saying CJ but what about the terrible results/performances when he did have those players?

[rob_bridge]

I'm in the Boo Hoo.

I am so far gone on this that staying the same or moving him on won't make any difference.

Sack him and I am convinced we will get someone even worse, and there are plenty of candidates, such is the ineptitude of the recruiters.

Refer to Jimbo's post yesterday.

Catch 22 has now become a Clockwork Orange

[Toronto Villa]

nobody called the recruiters inept when Lambert was hired. It was a stroke of genius to get one the most sought after young managers in the game at the time. And had we got OGS it would have been an even more successful recruitment.

[Concrete John]

I see what your saying CJ but what about the terrible results/performances when he did have those players?

It happens.  Just as beating Man City at home happened without Okore, Benteke and Gabby.

[rob_bridge]

nobody called the recruiters inept when Lambert was hired. It was a stroke of genius to get one the most sought after young managers in the game at the time. And had we got OGS it would have been an even more successful recruitment.

The recruiters are inept because in 2 years (Aug 2010 - June 2012) we spent £15 million hiring and firing (or whatever euphemism is used nowadays) managers and assistants and coaches.

That's a lot of money to piss up the wall as your team slides down the league including a generous donation to our neighbours who, for once, were able to have justifable big joke at our expense.

I didn't and still don't get the public cavorting with OGS. I don't think that episode covers them in glory. The Private Plane, The Fergie Accolyte etc... It had an echo of the previous summer.

That said I was more than happy they finally landed Lambert and he was recrutied, especailly based what had gone before and what he had achieved immediately prior to his appointment.

[Ads]

OGS wasn't courted publically, it was somebody working at BHX spilling the beans.

[silhillvilla]

Until the evening mail run a poll I'm not believing anything

[Toronto Villa]

OGS wasn't courted publically, it was somebody working at BHX spilling the beans.

funny how critics of Lerner view that entire incident completely ignoring the facts of how the story came to light. You'd think that the club took out a full page ad in the Mail begging OGS to join given the revisionism by some people.

[Steve67]

I was really pleased when we signed him, but I was wrong. He is out of his depth at Villa. I do not blame the recruiters as he was the first choice for me.  Lambert has blown a hefty chunk of money and we over rely on his better signings in Vlaar and Benteke. The rest of his signings are upper championship at the very best, some, lower. He chose those players, HE has lowered the overall quality of the squad.  One might argue that those players needed to go, but we might have been better signing fewer players and perhaps going for better quality? We have had a few good moments to savour in Lambert's tenure, but have had far, far more poor moments to, quite frankly, be embarrassed about.

[olaftab]

Can everyone please speculate away, as libellously as possible? My fellow lawyers have families to feed and mortgages to pay you know!

You poor barstewards. I am going to get a collection box going!

[Richard E]

Can everyone please speculate away, as libellously as possible? My fellow lawyers have families to feed and mortgages to pay you know!

You poor barstewards. I am going to get a collection box going!

Thanks. Please give generously everyone.

[mike]

I wanted Rodgers but was happy enough with Lambert, right up until his first transfer window. Some managers have a knack of finding a hidden gem here and there, but no one can find a whole team full. It reminded me of when I worked in Evesham, which was blessed with an abundance of pound shops. I marvelled at how much money I could save and went out every lunch time buying stuff and wondering why people paid over the odds. Well, the twisty wire for tying plants was fine, but pretty much everything else broke or didn't work. I hoped that I would be wrong but I just couldn't see that anyone could be such a brilliant visionary to build a team from nowt with lower league signings.

Sadly, he hasn't proved me wrong except that the bits I thought he might be good at like tactics (I remember there was a lot of discussion about how good he was at changing formations to suit the opposition etc) he isn't. To top it all, he appears to have the personality of Father Stone.

[Toronto Villa]

he signed some bloke called Benteke in his first window. Lowton was very good at times. He resigned Guzan