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

[Malandro]

Was going to say Ads. Pulis spent a fortune on shit players at Stoke. He has done wonders at Palace, but he has been very lucky to walk into a squad with 2 players of the quality of Puncheon and Bolasie. He has focused them brilliantly, but I would say had he built the Palace side himself they would be worse off.

its the one thing that you cant deny about Pulis, nobody wants to play (or watch) his teams. With hindsight he would have been perfect for the last 3 years at our club.

I'd rather have a shit competitive team than a shit calamitous one

[Chris Smith]

Was going to say Ads. Pulis spent a fortune on shit players at Stoke. He has done wonders at Palace, but he has been very lucky to walk into a squad with 2 players of the quality of Puncheon and Bolasie. He has focused them brilliantly, but I would say had he built the Palace side himself they would be worse off.

its the one thing that you cant deny about Pulis, nobody wants to play (or watch) his teams. With hindsight he would have been perfect for the last 3 years at our club.

I'd rather have a shit competitive team than a shit calamitous one

He's fine at small clubs where expectations are low but he wouldn't survive at a club like us.

[VillaAlways]

I am pretty sure if Lambert finishes with less points than last season he will be gone and quite rightly so. The board can't point to injuries as Mcleish had a pretty horrific time on that front. He needs a real good finish to the season ( I make that the equivalent of 3 wins ) If we're stumbling over the line with no sign of improvement he will be gone.

[Chris Smith]

I am pretty sure if Lambert finishes with less points than last season he will be gone and quite rightly so. The board can't point to injuries as Mcleish had a pretty horrific time on that front. He needs a real good finish to the season ( I make that the equivalent of 3 wins ) If we're stumbling over the line with no sign of improvement he will be gone.

Unless we go down I think he will be given more time. There seems to be trust between him, Lerner and Faulkner and they know from experience that getting rid of a manager in itself doesn't necessarily bring any improvement.

[SashasGrandad]

I am pretty sure if Lambert finishes with less points than last season he will be gone and quite rightly so. The board can't point to injuries as Mcleish had a pretty horrific time on that front. He needs a real good finish to the season ( I make that the equivalent of 3 wins ) If we're stumbling over the line with no sign of improvement he will be gone.

We have same number of points (34) as this stage last year so he needs 7 to match last season. 2 wins and a draw. We might need that many just to stay up.

I can see us getting a result at Man City and handing the title to the bin-dippers.

[VillaAlways]

I am pretty sure if Lambert finishes with less points than last season he will be gone and quite rightly so. The board can't point to injuries as Mcleish had a pretty horrific time on that front. He needs a real good finish to the season ( I make that the equivalent of 3 wins ) If we're stumbling over the line with no sign of improvement he will be gone.

Unless we go down I think he will be given more time. There seems to be trust between him, Lerner and Faulkner and they know from experience that getting rid of a manager in itself doesn't necessarily bring any improvement.

I think that trust will disappear at the end of the season if he finishes on 37/38 points. How could they justify keeping him on if he's points tally is lower than McLeish's ? He's basically been in his last chance saloon  in my opinion.

[David_Nab]

http://www.thesecretfootballer.com/articles/the-secret-footballer/16584/backroom-harmony-at-villa-turns-sour/

Backroom harmony at Villa turns sour
To many commentators on the outside looking in, the events at Aston Villa this week have had all the hallmarks of a training ground bust-up or a pre-match coming together.

Where I was concerned, the suspensions this week of assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa looked as if a decent column was only 1,000 words away.

Unfortunately, the reality wasn’t anywhere near juicy enough.

“It’s been a gradual erosion of staff working relationships, mate,” my source at Villa Park said. He is a man who, it’s worth noting, is as close to Aston Villa FC as it is possible to get without actually slipping on a shirt each week.

My own team-mate did it once and was duly fined two weeks’ wages
“Randy [Lerner, the club chairman] has been very supportive of Paul [Lambert, the manager] and the latter actually supported the decision. And keep in mind that those outed have been at four different clubs with Paul.”

I put the various rumours to him that there had been a coming together before the Crystal Palace game on Saturday, which Villa lost 1-0 at Selhurst Park, and that one of the players went home after the game by train.

It has been known; my own team-mate did it once and was duly fined two weeks’ wages.

“There has been plenty of hearsay, mate,” my friend said. “All of which is wrong. This week, I’ve had four different newspapers ring me asking about those same rumours.

“All of them are bollocks [he actually said that] and were dreamt up somewhere on the internet. The one about the player taking the train home was the worst. He was actually on the team bus with everyone else.”

There’s always a little more to it than that, though. The bottom line is that Lerner has stood by Lambert, as my friend rightly said, but only because Lambert has agreed, somewhere along the line, to never mention the fact that he has no real money to spend.

Lambert is an extension of Lerner’s business model for Villa, which is to stay in the Premier League using a mixture of cheap foreign imports and home-grown youth.

Lambert is an extension of Lerner’s business model for Villa
Take Lerner’s quotes yesterday as the example. Here is a man who is notoriously reclusive, rarely makes any statement and, yet, his first public offering of the year is a ringing endorsement of his manger’s abilities.

“Our manager has been faced with some unexpected issues,” Lerner said. “In watching him handle matters, I’ve seen total loyalty and commitment to Aston Villa.”

Keep in mind that Villa are 14th in the Premier League and just four points off the relegation places.

But my friend is adamant. “This is a genuine case of ‘wanting to do something’ before the end of the season in order to get a reaction from the players,” he said. “In our last game, the fans were calling for Paul’s head, so the club felt it needed to do something.”

The new recruits were already in the building. Development coach Gordan Cowans is a “god” at Villa and has no doubt been promoted to give the managerial side of things a more likeable face.

The lads at Villa love Given; everybody, for that matter, loves Given
“But Shay Given [the goalkeeper] was perhaps an odd choice,” my friend added, “especially given that Paul has largely frozen him out.”

It isn’t strange to me. Needs must where the bigger picture is concerned. The lads at Villa love Given; everybody, for that matter, loves Given.

One thing that I did think was a little odd, though, was the fact that Villa had suspended Culverhouse and Karsa rather than mutually agreeing to terminate their deals.

“Randy won’t pay for something if he doesn’t have to,” my friend said.

[Ron Manager]

So its all Culverhouse's and Karsa's fault then?  Nothing to do with Lambert or the players ability to perform on the pitch.

If Mr Lerner and some of our fans think this will solve all our problems with a sweep of the brush they (and he) are sadly mistaken.

Even if we beat Southampton 4-0  Saturday Lambert will remain a tactically inept manager with very poor man management  skills. In short unless
Mr Lerner gets rid of him at the end of the season we have no hope of improving in the future.

After all Culverhouse and Karsa were not responsible for bringing Bowery and Sylla to Villa Park were they?

and if Southampton beat us and ,that is quite possible, what will that mean for Paul Lambert?

[Ron Manager]

Was going to say Ads. Pulis spent a fortune on shit players at Stoke. He has done wonders at Palace, but he has been very lucky to walk into a squad with 2 players of the quality of Puncheon and Bolasie. He has focused them brilliantly, but I would say had he built the Palace side himself they would be worse off.

its the one thing that you cant deny about Pulis, nobody wants to play (or watch) his teams. With hindsight he would have been perfect for the last 3 years at our club.

I'd rather have a shit competitive team than a shit calamitous one

He's fine at small clubs where expectations are low but he wouldn't survive at a club like us.

Oh I think he might. After all Lambert has.

[Meanwood Villa]

The events of this week have been bizarre, like a half sacking almost. I try and be optimistic but if we continue to churn out crap for the rest of the season it makes the board look like idiots.

[Morpheus]

http://www.thesecretfootballer.com/articles/the-secret-footballer/16584/backroom-harmony-at-villa-turns-sour/

Backroom harmony at Villa turns sour
To many commentators on the outside looking in, the events at Aston Villa this week have had all the hallmarks of a training ground bust-up or a pre-match coming together.

Where I was concerned, the suspensions this week of assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa looked as if a decent column was only 1,000 words away.

Unfortunately, the reality wasn’t anywhere near juicy enough.

“It’s been a gradual erosion of staff working relationships, mate,” my source at Villa Park said. He is a man who, it’s worth noting, is as close to Aston Villa FC as it is possible to get without actually slipping on a shirt each week.

My own team-mate did it once and was duly fined two weeks’ wages
“Randy [Lerner, the club chairman] has been very supportive of Paul [Lambert, the manager] and the latter actually supported the decision. And keep in mind that those outed have been at four different clubs with Paul.”

I put the various rumours to him that there had been a coming together before the Crystal Palace game on Saturday, which Villa lost 1-0 at Selhurst Park, and that one of the players went home after the game by train.

It has been known; my own team-mate did it once and was duly fined two weeks’ wages.

“There has been plenty of hearsay, mate,” my friend said. “All of which is wrong. This week, I’ve had four different newspapers ring me asking about those same rumours.

“All of them are bollocks [he actually said that] and were dreamt up somewhere on the internet. The one about the player taking the train home was the worst. He was actually on the team bus with everyone else.”

There’s always a little more to it than that, though. The bottom line is that Lerner has stood by Lambert, as my friend rightly said, but only because Lambert has agreed, somewhere along the line, to never mention the fact that he has no real money to spend.

Lambert is an extension of Lerner’s business model for Villa, which is to stay in the Premier League using a mixture of cheap foreign imports and home-grown youth.

Lambert is an extension of Lerner’s business model for Villa
Take Lerner’s quotes yesterday as the example. Here is a man who is notoriously reclusive, rarely makes any statement and, yet, his first public offering of the year is a ringing endorsement of his manger’s abilities.

“Our manager has been faced with some unexpected issues,” Lerner said. “In watching him handle matters, I’ve seen total loyalty and commitment to Aston Villa.”

Keep in mind that Villa are 14th in the Premier League and just four points off the relegation places.

But my friend is adamant. “This is a genuine case of ‘wanting to do something’ before the end of the season in order to get a reaction from the players,” he said. “In our last game, the fans were calling for Paul’s head, so the club felt it needed to do something.”

The new recruits were already in the building. Development coach Gordan Cowans is a “god” at Villa and has no doubt been promoted to give the managerial side of things a more likeable face.

The lads at Villa love Given; everybody, for that matter, loves Given
“But Shay Given [the goalkeeper] was perhaps an odd choice,” my friend added, “especially given that Paul has largely frozen him out.”

It isn’t strange to me. Needs must where the bigger picture is concerned. The lads at Villa love Given; everybody, for that matter, loves Given.

One thing that I did think was a little odd, though, was the fact that Villa had suspended Culverhouse and Karsa rather than mutually agreeing to terminate their deals.

“Randy won’t pay for something if he doesn’t have to,” my friend said.

If the source is correct then it has validated my thoughts on why Lambert hasn't already been sacked.

Lerner is the puppet master and Lambert is the yes man on the end of the string agreeing not to disclose a lack of finance for players. A chairman covering for a manager's inadequacies while the manager covering for a chairman running a Premiership club on the cheap until he can get his money back and getting club finances in order to make the purchase of our club more appealing to prospective purchasers.

It is also becoming clearer why O'Neill left the club as he simply wasn't going to become a puppet for Lerner.

[not3bad]

After all Culverhouse and Karsa were not responsible for bringing Bowery and Sylla to Villa Park were they?

They may be partly responsible.

[nodge]

The secret footballer could have cobbled that together from reading this website, or probably this thread even.

[German James]

It is also becoming clearer why O'Neill left the club as he simply wasn't going to become a puppet for Lerner.

I know it's a bad time, but please don't let's start finding excuses for O'Neill's behaviour!

[Ron Manager]

http://www.thesecretfootballer.com/articles/the-secret-footballer/16584/backroom-harmony-at-villa-turns-sour/

Backroom harmony at Villa turns sour
To many commentators on the outside looking in, the events at Aston Villa this week have had all the hallmarks of a training ground bust-up or a pre-match coming together.

Where I was concerned, the suspensions this week of assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and head of football operations Gary Karsa looked as if a decent column was only 1,000 words away.

Unfortunately, the reality wasn’t anywhere near juicy enough.

“It’s been a gradual erosion of staff working relationships, mate,” my source at Villa Park said. He is a man who, it’s worth noting, is as close to Aston Villa FC as it is possible to get without actually slipping on a shirt each week.

My own team-mate did it once and was duly fined two weeks’ wages
“Randy [Lerner, the club chairman] has been very supportive of Paul [Lambert, the manager] and the latter actually supported the decision. And keep in mind that those outed have been at four different clubs with Paul.”

I put the various rumours to him that there had been a coming together before the Crystal Palace game on Saturday, which Villa lost 1-0 at Selhurst Park, and that one of the players went home after the game by train.

It has been known; my own team-mate did it once and was duly fined two weeks’ wages.

“There has been plenty of hearsay, mate,” my friend said. “All of which is wrong. This week, I’ve had four different newspapers ring me asking about those same rumours.

“All of them are bollocks [he actually said that] and were dreamt up somewhere on the internet. The one about the player taking the train home was the worst. He was actually on the team bus with everyone else.”

There’s always a little more to it than that, though. The bottom line is that Lerner has stood by Lambert, as my friend rightly said, but only because Lambert has agreed, somewhere along the line, to never mention the fact that he has no real money to spend.

Lambert is an extension of Lerner’s business model for Villa, which is to stay in the Premier League using a mixture of cheap foreign imports and home-grown youth.

Lambert is an extension of Lerner’s business model for Villa
Take Lerner’s quotes yesterday as the example. Here is a man who is notoriously reclusive, rarely makes any statement and, yet, his first public offering of the year is a ringing endorsement of his manger’s abilities.

“Our manager has been faced with some unexpected issues,” Lerner said. “In watching him handle matters, I’ve seen total loyalty and commitment to Aston Villa.”

Keep in mind that Villa are 14th in the Premier League and just four points off the relegation places.

But my friend is adamant. “This is a genuine case of ‘wanting to do something’ before the end of the season in order to get a reaction from the players,” he said. “In our last game, the fans were calling for Paul’s head, so the club felt it needed to do something.”

The new recruits were already in the building. Development coach Gordan Cowans is a “god” at Villa and has no doubt been promoted to give the managerial side of things a more likeable face.

The lads at Villa love Given; everybody, for that matter, loves Given
“But Shay Given [the goalkeeper] was perhaps an odd choice,” my friend added, “especially given that Paul has largely frozen him out.”

It isn’t strange to me. Needs must where the bigger picture is concerned. The lads at Villa love Given; everybody, for that matter, loves Given.

One thing that I did think was a little odd, though, was the fact that Villa had suspended Culverhouse and Karsa rather than mutually agreeing to terminate their deals.

“Randy won’t pay for something if he doesn’t have to,” my friend said.

If the source is correct then it has validated my thoughts on why Lambert hasn't already been sacked.

Lerner is the puppet master and Lambert is the yes man on the end of the string agreeing not to disclose a lack of finance for players. A chairman covering for a manager's inadequacies while the manager covering for a chairman running a Premiership club on the cheap until he can get his money back and getting club finances in order to make the purchase of our club more appealing to prospective purchasers.

It is also becoming clearer why O'Neill left the club as he simply wasn't going to become a puppet for Lerner.

O'Neill left the club when Lerner realised that not only was he in the wrong letting MON have whatever finance he wanted but absolutely plain stupid in letting MON have full control over everything concerning Aston Villa. When he told MON that he flounced out. It was basically
the best thing that could have happened.