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

[KevinGage]

We still have the eighth highest wage bill in the league.
.

I'm not arguing with you on this but how do you know this to be true?

Was in the Guardians football finances feature last week.

It'll be influenced by the 'bomb squad' members still on the wage bill.

If ever there were an illustration of how abysmally this club is run, then it is that whole 'bomb squad' thing.

A failure in the contract negotiations at the start and a failure to utilise the assets while we have them to aid in offloading them.

We have been badly run from 2006 to the present.

I keep saying this, but the one thing we have consistently failed to do in that time is manage the squad.

The squad should be the club's main asset, the club should be largely based around improving it, or, in base terms, maintaining and improving it's value.

For some reason, we do not appear to have done this. We are, for example, great at selling really good players - Milner, Young, Downing, Barry, ones people actively want. What about the other ones, though, who aren't so high profile?

Why are Hutton, Bent, N'Zogbia (because he will be one of them, have no doubt), Given, why are these players seemingly impossible to sell? Are they on stupid money? If so, that's poor management. If not, then it's still poor management in failing to sell them.

How many players have we had sit out huge contracts, contribute fuck all, and walk away for nothing?

Cuellar? NRC? Luke Young? Heskey? Ireland?

Randy is a good man, and he has spent a lot of money on this club. He "got" the club in a way that many others have not and do not. He has run it awfully, though, and it doesn't take much of a glance at the way money was wasted to see that.

I just don't see how it is possible for it to have been anything other than a job badly done to have spent hundreds of millions of pounds to end up with a really poor squad which has spent four years arsing around at the bottom of the table.

A Functioning CEO would never have let the Reo Coker and Cuellar situations escalate to a point where they were allowed to run down their contracts. We would have got around half what we paid for them if we let them go with 12 months left on their contracts like what Wenger does. Ireland in hindsight should have been flogged after his POTY season. Albrighton is going to walk this season for free. Same as Herd and a few others who should have been let go at least a year ago.

Lerner seems utterly clueless at even running a business. It's no wonder we are stony broke with the financial mismanagement that has taken place under his reign.

For example we paid the bones of a million quid for each of Makoun's appearances. Doubt we even got a thank you in return. The five year Given deal, the Kozak signing looks a nailed on net loss for us too. 500k is it for each Darren Bent goal.

Each club makes mistakes but we continuously shoot ourselves in the foot with the contracts management of players and staff

I remember at looking at Newcastle when they went down and thinking their biggest earners were people who were having little/no impact on the first team. 

They let Milner (a player whose industry may have spared them) go to us, but were tied into ridiculous deals for the likes of Owen, Duff, Martins, Geremi, Alan Smith and Joey Barton.

It's never an exact science, you might always have the odd big earner who maybe disappoints.   But if most of your top earners are not actually your best players, you have problems.  Kinda like how we do now.

[mr underhill]

apparently we are being linked with a move for Christophe Galtier as Mr L's replacement

[brian green]

I think in retrospect that, with new owner momentum, and the money and health O'Neill enjoyed Houllier, TSM or Lambert would have achieved as much as MON.  In the case of Houllier probably more.

[dcdavecollett]

Lambert gets dog's abuse over the bomb squad but most of them were players he didn't sign. Further, Kenny Jackett had the same problem with Wolves this season. According to WSC, there were two players there who were stinking the place out and KJ made it clear to the owners that the club would have to pay them not to play as he would not select them.

Of course when results are good, no-one minds too much.

[pauliewalnuts]

Lambert gets dog's abuse over the bomb squad but most of them were players he didn't sign. Further, Kenny Jackett had the same problem with Wolves this season. According to WSC, there were two players there who were stinking the place out and KJ made it clear to the owners that the club would have to pay them not to play as he would not select them.

Of course when results are good, no-one minds too much.

Lambert didn't sign them, but it's not really much of an excuse for alienating them and watching their value decline, is it?

The "stinking the place out" thing doesn't even apply here - Lambert keeps saying what a pro Hutton is, Given is such a pro he's now on the coaching team, and we've never really heard a bad word said about Darren Bent, really.

It's a convenient reason to explain why they might be treated that way, but there's nothing to actually suggest it is true.

Other clubs, when they have players they don't want any more, sell them. We opted to isolate them and refuse to use them, whilst still paying their wages.

Genius bit of management, that.

[Toronto Villa]

I think in retrospect that, with new owner momentum, and the money and health O'Neill enjoyed Houllier, TSM or Lambert would have achieved as much as MON.  In the case of Houllier probably more.

I would have loved to have seen what a healthy Houllier could have achieved with MON level finances.

[dcdavecollett]

Okay, PW.

But if you factor in the likes of Warnock & Collins, the comparison becomes more favourable.

Bent and Given on the bench? Maybe, but you wouldn't pick them ahead of the Beast or Goose, would you?

[brian green]

I think in retrospect that, with new owner momentum, and the money and health O'Neill enjoyed Houllier, TSM or Lambert would have achieved as much as MON.  In the case of Houllier probably more.

[brian green]

Sorry lads another double post. They must be splitting the atom somewhere in Cambridge.  Gadgets all have a mind of their own.

[pauliewalnuts]

Okay, PW.

But if you factor in the likes of Warnock & Collins, the comparison becomes more favourable.

Bent and Given on the bench? Maybe, but you wouldn't pick them ahead of the Beast or Goose, would you?

Not necessarily, no, but I might have though about using Bent rather than Bowery recently. I'd also have thought about using Hutton possibly.

They're not amazing players, no, but I do not see what possible advantage there is to be had in a group of players not being allowed to even train with the squad. How does that help sell them? It doesn't.

How many of them have we actually sold? None.

And does anyone think it is coincidence that these players are almost all the biggest earners at the club?

It's just awful, awful management. That Darren Bent, he cost us £18m. Eighteen million pounds.

[mr underhill]

but don't underestimate Bent's contribution; at least he helped keep us up and his goal ratio isn't too bad. He's got a lots of shortcomings but he's done more for us than any other BS member.

[pauliewalnuts]

Am assuming this is from the press conference today:

DAMIAN JOHNSON ‏@JohnsonDamian  1h
Villa boss Paul Lambert on owner Randy Lerner's statement on future of club due next week "I fully intend to be here next season"

[Richard E]

TSM said the same immediately after the Norwich game.

[not3bad]

Pretty much what he said before the Man City game.

[rob_bridge]

TSM said the same immediately after the Norwich game.

TSM was slightly more reserved. He said he didn't have any reason to expect that he wouldn't be here. Subtle difference.

By that stage I believe he was only in contact via email/text with Owner and CEO.

Not sure if that is the case with Lambert - does anyone else have anything concrete?