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

[pauliewalnuts]

i think even with a rise, the likes of Weimann, Lowton and Westwood are going to be on (comparatively) low wages still. When you come from Crewe to Villa, there is plenty of room to get a pay rise and still not be highly paid.

Benteke will be on more, but even so, it's easier to give a player a big rise when you know you could sell him for four times what you paid for him.

Ireland played his last game for us in January last year, so I am not really sure how hard Lambert tried to use him. As for Gabby, I imagine part of any assessment of him would be the size of shit storm we would see if he was treated like the rest of them have.

I bet N'Zogbia goes straight into the bomb squad when he returns to full training, too. We'll see, I guess.

[PaulWinch again]

The thing is I think Lambert should go, but unless the board show a lot more ambition then we're going to be perpetually in this cycle.

[tomd2103]

I can't see us spending much in the summer. They were probably hoping to sell Benteke for £25m.

Maybe we'll spend £10m, and it'll be more of the same next season.

I can't see any reason why summer 2014 will see half the spending of the last two summers before it?

Did we spend £20m last summer?

From the top of my head:-
Kozak - £7m
Okore - £4m
Bacuna - £2.5m
Tonev - £2.75m
Luna - £1m
Helenius - £1m
Steer -

That's roughly £20m.  May have got some of the prices wrong and missed a signing somewhere, but we're certainly talking in the region of a £20m outlay.

Hindsight is great, but we would have been much better off spending the combined fees of Tonev, Luna and Helenius on one good attacking player and then getting in a couple of quality players on season long loan signings. 

[Boz]

Twatter rumours suggesting that Lerner has broke a number of promises to Lambert over backing and especially this Summer coming, hence why he has seemingly given up.

I wouldn't put too much trust in twitter rumours. However, it wouldn't surprise me if any potential deals have been put on hold until the end of the season.

Until Lambert has been replaced you mean

[not3bad]

The statement from Faulkner is a vote of confidence in disguise. He is a dead man walking.

I agree. Why on earth otherwise would it be the CEO rather than just a "Lambert rallies the troops" puff piece?

It is a strange move if not a get safe and he is gone kind of thing.

Try as I might to read between the lines on these sort of statements, I can't get the inference that they are getting ready to sack Lambert.

Call me naiive, but I used to have a bloke behind me in the Trinity who, when times got tough, would always say, 'get behind the team'. To me, this proclamation by the CEO sounds no different to that. I fail to think what official statements would please people at times.

Fails to refer to the manager by name, talks about how dissapointing the run of results has been emphasises how everyone connected to the club should pull together, but leaves out saying getting behind the manager, which he would say if they weren't at least considering getting rid of Lambert. Yes, reads like dead man walking to me.

[rob_bridge]

Mr Faulkner has spoken:

In summary

We are all disappointed and want the fans to get behind the team for the last 2 home games.

I suppose him and Lambert on the same page for now.

[pauliewalnuts]

"Right now everyone connected with Villa is hurting badly.
"A win was in sight last night against Bolton after a strong start and the tenacity the team displayed, although ultimately we weren't able to hold on for the points.
"We very openly acknowledge the frustrations of Villa fans and share in them completely.
"What matters to us and the Board at this moment is how we, as a Club, handle adversity and the pressure it brings.
"Our horizon is the next three games and we continue to be in control of our own destiny.
"Young players side-by-side with more senior players are fighting hard for the Club.
"They are now preparing for West Brom followed by Spurs and Norwich.
"We will continue to support and rely on our manager and the squad and therefore give them our full support.
"We are totally conscious, as is everyone at the Club, that this is a very trying time for those who love Aston Villa.
"We know that the team will continue to fight through every minute of the remaining games and we hope Villa fans will continue to show their great support."

That's the statement from the same person two years ago.

It reads very similarly.

[PaulWinch again]

"Right now everyone connected with Villa is hurting badly.
"A win was in sight last night against Bolton after a strong start and the tenacity the team displayed, although ultimately we weren't able to hold on for the points.
"We very openly acknowledge the frustrations of Villa fans and share in them completely.
"What matters to us and the Board at this moment is how we, as a Club, handle adversity and the pressure it brings.
"Our horizon is the next three games and we continue to be in control of our own destiny.
"Young players side-by-side with more senior players are fighting hard for the Club.
"They are now preparing for West Brom followed by Spurs and Norwich.
"We will continue to support and rely on our manager and the squad and therefore give them our full support.
"We are totally conscious, as is everyone at the Club, that this is a very trying time for those who love Aston Villa.
"We know that the team will continue to fight through every minute of the remaining games and we hope Villa fans will continue to show their great support."

That's the statement from the same person two years ago.

It reads very similarly.

Yep it's particularly the last paragraph of today's statement presents the end of the season as a finite point. However like I said Lambert can go, but unless the board show more ambition not much is going to change.

[Walmley_Villa]

Mmm - Edit/Replace

[myf]

Saturday does have a Bolton-eque feel to it...

[caster troy]

I'm now looking forward to a similar copy/paste job for the 'Lambert departure' statement in a month's time.

[brian green]

I have a very strong gut feeling that Lambert and Culverhouse have been sacked already WEF the end of the season.  That piece in the Daily Mail did it.

[kippaxvilla2]

I've just gone on line and notice he is still manager, I take it the meeting has been set for later this afternoon?

[bob]

I can't see us spending much in the summer. They were probably hoping to sell Benteke for £25m.

Maybe we'll spend £10m, and it'll be more of the same next season.

I can't see any reason why summer 2014 will see half the spending of the last two summers before it?

Did we spend £20m last summer?

From the top of my head:-
Kozak - £7m
Okore - £4m
Bacuna - £2.5m
Tonev - £2.75m
Luna - £1m
Helenius - £1m
Steer -

That's roughly £20m.  May have got some of the prices wrong and missed a signing somewhere, but we're certainly talking in the region of a £20m outlay.

I can easily see them pointing to the return of Kozak and Okore as reasons not to spend money in those positions.

Maybe I should have said no more than £15m, but even still I can see it being less than last year.

[eamonn]

I think the last time the club released such a statement was just after the Bolton home game under McLeish. So, it possibly doesn't augur well for Lambert.

We can talk all day about wage restrictions but we were up against a club on Saturday whose players are the poormen of the Premier League and for a second time in under four months they easily kept us at bay and more than deserved their goal at the other end. I can't believe I'd actually prefer Tiny Penis in charge rather than the splutterer from Scotland.