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

[VinnieChase84]

If what Charlie Nicholas said yesterday is true ir probably doesn't matter who is manager. In fact, they might as well do without one completely for all the difference it seems to make.

What was that?

On yesterday's match thread:

Quote from: Lamb_Stockmix on April 12, 2014, 02:52:08 PM

    Anyone here about what Charlie Nicholas said on Soccer Saturday:

    "I have it on very good authority from a mutual friend of ours, that Paul has been exceptionally close to deals for Barry, Lukaku, Sissoko, Holtby and Coutinho, only to have them fail at boardroom level. He knows what he needs to do, but I'm not sure the structure put in place there will ever allow him to do any better. He'd be the first to admit he's not doing great, but I'm told he's getting frustrated by the lack of ambition. It's a big summer because he's kept his part of the bargain now. I think he'll walk away if he's not given funds."

    Interesting.

Well, this must be what Lambert was referring to when he mentioned things going on we don't know about.

Absolute bs. If it came down to not being able to afford them (holtby and sissoko) then how were we ever actually 'close' to having them!?

[Billy Walker]

I've been reading the same comments about our managers for the past few years now.  It's the Chairman and his policies that are holding us back here not the management.   Randy Lerner is the common denominator in all of this and the pattern of poor performance at Villa pretty much mirrors the pattern of poor performance at the Cleveland Browns.  Lerner - like the custodian before him - is making the huge mistake of trying to run a Rolls-Royce on the budget of an Austin Allegro...when you do that something has to give eventually.

It is a big summer ahead for Villa - the first thing we have to do is get the next win on the board.  After that all eyes have to be on the Chairman and his actions.  It doesn't matter who is charge, if Lerner maintains the same constraints and displays the same lack of ambition this club will become a manager's graveyard.  Lerner is responsible for where we are.

[villasjf]

IIRC Lambert said in an interview befor the Fulham match that he tried to sign Holtby but couldnt afford his wages.
http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/2014/04/05/paul-lambert-reveals-villas-holtby-enquiry/

[Des Little]

Nicholas can drive the clown to Celtic any day he likes if he wants. Six hours in the motor for Lambo to tell him all about it.

[Ron Manager]

If what Charlie Nicholas said yesterday is true ir probably doesn't matter who is manager. In fact, they might as well do without one completely for all the difference it seems to make.

What was that?

On yesterday's match thread:

Quote from: Lamb_Stockmix on April 12, 2014, 02:52:08 PM

    Anyone here about what Charlie Nicholas said on Soccer Saturday:

    "I have it on very good authority from a mutual friend of ours, that Paul has been exceptionally close to deals for Barry, Lukaku, Sissoko, Holtby and Coutinho, only to have them fail at boardroom level. He knows what he needs to do, but I'm not sure the structure put in place there will ever allow him to do any better. He'd be the first to admit he's not doing great, but I'm told he's getting frustrated by the lack of ambition. It's a big summer because he's kept his part of the bargain now. I think he'll walk away if he's not given funds."

    Interesting.

I tend to believe what Charlie Nicholas has said. It makes sense. Therefore, if Lambert has enough money to get by,and I assume that is the case, he should resign the job with immediate effect and tell his story through a reputable newspaper. But of course he will not. He will wait for the sack at the end of the season and the big pay off....as they all do. I think Lerner desperately wants to sell but is trying to find someone he can trust not to waste all the good work he put in in his initial years...just as Doug did.

[not3bad]

The question may come down to how much another manager can get from the current set of players. Undoubtedly a bit more, but how much more? It could be that perennial survival is now the name of the game, whoever is in charge. Of course this is nothing new to some people who have said that all along.

[DB]

Lambert is not doing well, but the board have a huge part to play to where we are the moment - not just league position but a club as a whole.

Any manager would struggle to do anything at the Villa currently.

[saunders_heroes]

Lambert is not doing well, but the board have a huge part to play to where we are the moment - not just league position but a club as a whole.

Any manager would struggle to do anything at the Villa currently.

Agreed, sadly. Much as I want rid of Lambert the next man that comes in will have the exact same wages issues. It won't change till Lerner leaves.
Hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later.

[onje_villa]

Talk of Sid stepping up is ridiculous. But I don't see where the 3 points or goals we need are coming from?

Can anyone point out a time when someone from our U21 side has every had as much as 5 mins in a Premier League game under Lambert?

It's frustrating. I look at players like Lowton, Bennett, Bowery, Sylla, Westwood, Bacuna, Tonev, Luna, Dawkins, Helenius. All young players from lower leagues and abroad.
Now in all seriousness, can Lambert genuinely say that our academy can't produce better than that lot? Certainly if you look at the poorer selections from above, like Sylla, surely we can. But I'm sure we could produce players better than any of that lot.

I think that Albrighton looked all but gone as a Villa player earlier in the season, but has come back and been one of our better players, says a lot.
Our academy produces Prem/Championship quality. It's very questionable whether many of Lambos signings are even that. Some will argue he's had no money to spend, but add up all the poor signings he's made and that's not exactly loose change, when we have players like Robinson, Johnson, Carruthers, Gardner, Donacien and more coming through right now. Then we've got Grealish too.

How can we pay out money for Jordan Bowery when we produce a lot of forward players who like to play with the ball and seem to have a lot of potential? We even let Delfouneso go, who for all his faults, is a better player than Bowery.

If our new remit under Lambert was to be a young side, he has failed. He's ignored our academy which is one of the best in the top flight. It's also an U21 side that is set up to play in the right way, and that gets a fair deal of success too. Our second string sides and youth sides have done pretty well for years now.

Agree entirely. If funds are limited, use these kids and use the money you do have to bring it experience and a bit of quality, temperament.

[rob_bridge]

If what Charlie Nicholas said yesterday is true ir probably doesn't matter who is manager. In fact, they might as well do without one completely for all the difference it seems to make.

What was that?

"I have it on very good authority from a mutual friend of ours, that Paul has been exceptionally close to deals for Barry, Lukaku, Sissoko, Holtby and Coutinho, only to have them fail at boardroom level".

It's bullshit. He's come out in his own words and categorically denied being in for some of those players. Lambert is in self preservation mode now.

Odd comments here. Rumours there. Lowering amounts of fees for players. He's going to try and make himself look better than he is from now on until the chop.

Yep. I thought that as soon as I read the Mail article. It 's bad but not my fault

[DB]

It all points to Randy wanting to sell, radio silence from the board, he doesn't  attend games (does he?), seems like he has lost interest and is hoping by lowering the running costs we can stay in the Prem long enough for him to find a buyer.

[onje_villa]

Agreed, but however it is spent, £20m a year isn't us spending nothing either.

It's not us adding  enough quality to the squad either, though.

It's like having a 100 quid weekly food shopping allowance but having to spend it all at Netto.

If wages are that big a problem, adding decent players will always be nigh on impossible, because even if you pay the fees, they cost salary money. Lambert said we couldn't make Lukaku happen because of wages, and that was the summer he went to Albion. That's worrying.

We needed bodies in January, and ended up with two players on loan, one of whom was Grant Holt.

I know he put in a shift last week, but really, if you're shopping around at the Grant Holt end of the market, I think that says a lot about your financial clout.

Agreed. Lambert has to carry the can for the appalling lack of tactics, technique and organisation on the pitch but the sort of signings we are making is surely settled at board level.

[Des Little]

It all points to Randy wanting to sell, radio silence from the board, he doesn't  attend games (does he?), seems like he has lost interest and is hoping by lowering the running costs we can stay in the Prem long enough for him to find a buyer.

Well at this rate he has about a month.

[onje_villa]

If what Charlie Nicholas said yesterday is true ir probably doesn't matter who is manager. In fact, they might as well do without one completely for all the difference it seems to make.

What was that?

"I have it on very good authority from a mutual friend of ours, that Paul has been exceptionally close to deals for Barry, Lukaku, Sissoko, Holtby and Coutinho, only to have them fail at boardroom level".

It's bullshit. He's come out in his own words and categorically denied being in for some of those players. Lambert is in self preservation mode now.

Odd comments here. Rumours there. Lowering amounts of fees for players. He's going to try and make himself look better than he is from now on until the chop.

Yep. I thought that as soon as I read the Mail article. It 's bad but not my fault

Or, he played along to keep morale up by protecting his employers and now he can't be bothered anymore? As much as I'm beyond fed up with Lambert, signing players like Grant Holt would indicate we can't afford the likes of Lukaku.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

If what Charlie Nicholas said yesterday is true ir probably doesn't matter who is manager. In fact, they might as well do without one completely for all the difference it seems to make.

What was that?

On yesterday's match thread:

Quote from: Lamb_Stockmix on April 12, 2014, 02:52:08 PM

    Anyone here about what Charlie Nicholas said on Soccer Saturday:

    "I have it on very good authority from a mutual friend of ours, that Paul has been exceptionally close to deals for Barry, Lukaku, Sissoko, Holtby and Coutinho, only to have them fail at boardroom level. He knows what he needs to do, but I'm not sure the structure put in place there will ever allow him to do any better. He'd be the first to admit he's not doing great, but I'm told he's getting frustrated by the lack of ambition. It's a big summer because he's kept his part of the bargain now. I think he'll walk away if he's not given funds."

    Interesting.

Well, this must be what Lambert was referring to when he mentioned things going on we don't know about.

It's strange, a few weeks back Lambert seemed very proud of what was going on behind the scenes.