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

[Ian.]

That's my biggest thing this season. I remember after the Chelsea away game, Mourinho went on about how much long ball stuff we played. I thought, 'Lambert's Villa'? No chance. We're naive, and too open, but we pass the ball well.

But as the season has gone on we've generally been pretty uninspiring and played a lot of the long stuff. It's a bit like what happened under O'Neill actually. Just less successful.

Actually your right on this. I remember us defending the style we play and saying Lambert's Villa do not play long ball. What has gone so wrong this season? I suppose too many things have gone wrong, loss of key players, form and confidence which then resulted in a system which was of hoof it to the big man up top.

[rob_bridge]

My son and I had a long telephone conversation about saying the unsayable ie Gabby is fucked, Andi ain't the new Shearer, etc. etc.   I added that despite Brad Guzan's standing with the fans he has to be held responsible for his part in hoofball.   He has either been told to do it by the late unlamented coaches and Lambert in which case he should have refused or he was doing it of his own volition which is worse.   One way or another we have morphed into a TSM team.

Agree with Gabby. Dead on his feet. Shame but fact.

As for Guzan - couldn't disagree more. Best player over the past two seasons. I doubt he is doing hoofball of his own volition. TSM dropped him despite having a good spell for Shay who was injured culminating in a disastrous showing in Euro 2012.
If you think Steer deserves a chance then fair enough. I don't.

[kippaxvilla2]

Does Jurgen Klopp know Mjallby then?

[pauliewalnuts]

i too agree re Gabby.

I see what he contributes, but I just dont think it is anywhere near enough.

[mike]

Have we tied him down to that new contract yet? I'm worried Man Utd will be in for him.

[ozzjim]

I think Gabby has periods of contributing, and long, long periods of not. He has been awful for about 4 months now. The miss at Cardiff for example was shocking considering what it could cost. Trouble is he is never even in a goalscoring position. Weimann has been bobbins all season and should have been dropped long before now.

Trouble is those 2 positions are essential to how we play. They have to provide creation for the front man and goals to supplement. They would be the first 2 positions I would look to replace, along with a really strong central midfielder. Indeed, sign just those 3 players for really decent money, and I reckon you would add 10-12 points to us overnight.

[Morpheus]

There have been several glaring weaknesses throughout our team even since the inception of the Barry, Petrov partnership in midfield and one of those has been a lack of balance in our midfield.

Generally the best teams have one powerhouse defensive mid, one attacking mid (playmaker) and a box to box midfielder.

It is no surprise then that the last time we had that balance we did quite well by beating Man U in the league cup final and further back winning the European Cup.

I'm not saying that with a new manager and owner we would repeat the latter but I would fancy us to at least compete and win a cup or two and indeed break into the top six again.

For me that has been the overriding problem with Lambert's reign and more recent managers at the Villa in that we have not had an attacking mid since Merson and certainly no bad ass powerhouse midfielder since god knows when.

What we have had is a midfield chocked by similarity and nothing for quite sometime to get us fans back on the edge of our seats. Someone who can do that something special that we all want to emulate with our children in the back garden or our local teams.

I remember Mark Draper and how I felt when we signed him. We finally had a playmaker who tore Man U a new one in the league but sadly Draper was crucified by injury.

Some might argue that Barry was a playmaker but for me he was more of a link player in the same way that Stan Petrov was and there we have that similarity again.

Look at our present midfield. I know it hurts to do that but while we have a box to box player in Delph where is the powerhouse defensive mid and where is the playmaker?

Instead of wasting millions on Tonev, Helenius, Sylla and Kozak why didn't Lambert purchase either a quality defensive mid or attacking mid? At least we would have been one third of the way to achieve that balance.

Hopefully with a new manager and a new owner to back that manager with more money then once again we will have a better balanced midfield to take us forward.

[Rolta]

There have been several glaring weaknesses throughout our team even since the inception of the Barry, Petrov partnership in midfield and one of those has been a lack of balance in our midfield.

Generally the best teams have one powerhouse defensive mid, one attacking mid (playmaker) and a box to box midfielder.

It is no surprise then that the last time we had that balance we did quite well by beating Man U in the league cup final and further back winning the European Cup.

I'm not saying that with a new manager and owner we would repeat the latter but I would fancy us to at least compete and win a cup or two and indeed break into the top six again.

For me that has been the overriding problem with Lambert's reign and more recent managers at the Villa in that we have not had an attacking mid since Merson and certainly no bad ass powerhouse midfielder since god knows when.

What we have had is a midfield chocked by similarity and nothing for quite sometime to get us fans back on the edge of our seats. Someone who can do that something special that we all want to emulate with our children in the back garden or our local teams.

I remember Mark Draper and how I felt when we signed him. We finally had a playmaker who tore Man U a new one in the league but sadly Draper was crucified by injury.

Some might argue that Barry was a playmaker but for me he was more of a link player in the same way that Stan Petrov was and there we have that similarity again.

Look at our present midfield. I know it hurts to do that but while we have a box to box player in Delph where is the powerhouse defensive mid and where is the playmaker?

Instead of wasting millions on Tonev, Helenius, Sylla and Kozak why didn't Lambert purchase either a quality defensive mid or attacking mid? At least we would have been one third of the way to achieve that balance.

Hopefully with a new manager and a new owner to back that manager with more money then once again we will have a better balanced midfield to take us forward.

Oh dear, look who's turned up from villa talk. Disappointing.

[brian green]

My oblique criticism of Brad Guzan was not of his ability or his performance it was an indisputable observation that he kicks long too often. Now, he is either doing that from choice or because he has been told to. If it is the latter I consider him to be such a sound man and player I would have expected him to resist. If  there has been bullying in training Brad is the last one I would expect to be intimidated that is why, to me, the amount of long ball we have played is so puzzling.

[Legion]

What difference does it make where a poster is from? All are welcome to contribute here.

[Monty]

My oblique criticism of Brad Guzan was not of his ability or his performance it was an indisputable observation that he kicks long too often. Now, he is either doing that from choice or because he has been told to. If it is the latter I consider him to be such a sound man and player I would have expected him to resist. If  there has been bullying in training Brad is the last one I would expect to be intimidated that is why, to me, the amount of long ball we have played is so puzzling.

If the defenders all push up and make no effort to evade the marking of the forwards, there's not much else Guzan can do.

[rob_bridge]

My oblique criticism of Brad Guzan was not of his ability or his performance it was an indisputable observation that he kicks long too often. Now, he is either doing that from choice or because he has been told to. If it is the latter I consider him to be such a sound man and player I would have expected him to resist. If  there has been bullying in training Brad is the last one I would expect to be intimidated that is why, to me, the amount of long ball we have played is so puzzling.

If the defenders all push up and make no effort to evade the marking of the forwards, there's not much else Guzan can do.

Thank you - that was the part missing from my original response to Brian. He can't pass to someone who isn't there.

I'd much prefer we play the way Ajax do which would mean rolling out the ball from the goalie etc...

[Clampy]

He want's to stick around apparently.

http://t.co/1HzX6jWLwI

[Richard E]

He want's to stick around apparently.

http://t.co/1HzX6jWLwI

TSM was talking about his plans for the following season straight after the Norwich game, too.

[villasjf]

He want's to stick around apparently.

http://t.co/1HzX6jWLwI

I remember the statement from the club when TSM was sacked, it mentioned not being good enough, well this is not good enough, he has to go.