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

[ozzjim]

Hence the almost.

[Rolta]

I would almost say that by hanging about and trying to steady a ship which clearly has a huge gaping hole in the bottom, he deserves the chance to have a crack with more funds if we do get taken over. Almost.

I can see the logic in that but has anyone really seen the tactical or management ability to suggest he'd be anything other than a bit shit?

I'd like to see what you could do with the youngest team in the premiership! Also with having to cut tens of millions on the financial side as he has. It is possible that every manager woud look something as hopeless, if not worse. He never had Nani or Silva to bring off the bench to change a game, did he?

[Toronto Villa]

I dread to think what the feeling amongst fans will be if we start the season with Lerner still in place.

I am still just about persuaded that he didn't just put the club up for sale when he made that statement, but if it turned out that that was the case, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

I genuinely feel sorry for Lambert. He has clearly been sent out to bat against the press and face questions about the takeover. In every interview I've heard the last few days he sounds miserable as hell.

If it is true there is nothing imminent then he deserves a lot of praise for hanging around under conditions like these.

This is my feeling. I know it's early in the summer (technically, the season hasn't even ended yet), but there is certainly a feeling that this may be longer-term than we'd anticipated. Any other year Lambert would not be our manager anymore, and it's clear that he doesn't particularly want to be, but having a lame duck chairman now means we also have a lame duck manager, and if both start the season then, in my view, we'll be a lame duck Premier League club.

I think he looks thoroughly fucked off with everything. Who makes comments like "Now people understand the situation". What can be gained from making that comment in public other than to undermine the people you report to? What he is saying is the situation behind the scenes as derailed his ability to manage this club properly. He playing as straight a bat as he can with the chairman because not doing so hurts his future employment chances. But the meetings in NY would have been, the club is for sale, do your job as you are under contract, everything might and probably will change when we are sold.

[Villafirst]

I've got zero respect for Lambert, particularly his handling of the ''Bomb Squad'' situation. Absolutely ludicrous to shun senior pros just because they earn too much. Now all of a sudden everyone is welcomed back (not that they did anything wrong in the first place). Mat Kendrick has suggested that Lerner has told Lambert to include these players again particularly as the club is paying them millions for them to do nothing. Lambert has made a complete pig's ear of the situation, and I hope he's out sooner rather than later if new owners takeover.

[not3bad]

Ultimately those people who say everything is shit are now correct. That's where we are.

[LeeB]

I've got zero respect for Lambert, particularly his handling of the ''Bomb Squad'' situation. Absolutely ludicrous to shun senior pros just because they earn too much. Now all of a sudden everyone is welcomed back (not that they did anything wrong in the first place). Mat Kendrick has suggested that Lerner has told Lambert to include these players again particularly as the club is paying them millions for them to do nothing. Lambert has made a complete pig's ear of the situation, and I hope he's out sooner rather than later if new owners takeover.

You're assuming though that it was his idea to freeze them out in the first place. I'm not assuming anything when it comes to our management decisions.

[Villafirst]

I've got zero respect for Lambert, particularly his handling of the ''Bomb Squad'' situation. Absolutely ludicrous to shun senior pros just because they earn too much. Now all of a sudden everyone is welcomed back (not that they did anything wrong in the first place). Mat Kendrick has suggested that Lerner has told Lambert to include these players again particularly as the club is paying them millions for them to do nothing. Lambert has made a complete pig's ear of the situation, and I hope he's out sooner rather than later if new owners takeover.

You're assuming though that it was his idea to freeze them out in the first place. I'm not assuming anything when it comes to our management decisions.

Just that this scenario has happened at all is a disgrace. What other club would do this to their employees?

[LeeB]

I've got zero respect for Lambert, particularly his handling of the ''Bomb Squad'' situation. Absolutely ludicrous to shun senior pros just because they earn too much. Now all of a sudden everyone is welcomed back (not that they did anything wrong in the first place). Mat Kendrick has suggested that Lerner has told Lambert to include these players again particularly as the club is paying them millions for them to do nothing. Lambert has made a complete pig's ear of the situation, and I hope he's out sooner rather than later if new owners takeover.

You're assuming though that it was his idea to freeze them out in the first place. I'm not assuming anything when it comes to our management decisions.

Just that this scenario has happened at all is a disgrace. What other club would do this to their employees?

Actually, I think it's more common than you'd think. It's a tried and tested policy of getting rid of players that are sitting around on fat contracts that you don't want anymore, give them all the encouragement they need to take the first offer that comes their way.

Problem is, you need an offer in the first place.

[Jon Crofts]

I would almost say that by hanging about and trying to steady a ship which clearly has a huge gaping hole in the bottom, he deserves the chance to have a crack with more funds if we do get taken over. Almost.

I can see the logic in that but has anyone really seen the tactical or management ability to suggest he'd be anything other than a bit shit?

I'd like to see what you could do with the youngest team in the premiership! Also with having to cut tens of millions on the financial side as he has. It is possible that every manager woud look something as hopeless, if not worse. He never had Nani or Silva to bring off the bench to change a game, did he?

Yes he really has managed the big wage earners well hasn't he, he's cut tens of millions off their value that's for sure.  His use of substitutions is as comical as MONs.

[Diablo]

I wonder when was the exact date Lerner lost interest? Was it prior to McLeish? Or prior or during Lambert's reign? If it was prior to Lerner's reign then you have to wonder why Lambert took the job at Villa Park when he could have stayed at Norwich for another season, was adored by the fans and because of his success there had a mountain of goodwill and could have waited for another position with a club that had better finances than ours. I remember an interview with Lambert in his first season where he made a comment along the lines of "I don't think people realise the financial parameters we're now working with" which suggests to me he knew from the off. And if he did know from the off was the young hungry kids thing always just spin? Or did Learner change the goal posts last season?

[Lucky Eddie]

If Mr Lamberts done such a great job in keeping us up whilst cutting costs how long before a like minded chairman of one of our competitors sees how unhappy he is and offers him a job?

Where would that leave us I wonder.

[Toronto Villa]

I wonder when was the exact date Lerner lost interest? Was it prior to McLeish? Or prior or during Lambert's reign? If it was prior to Lerner's reign then you have to wonder why Lambert took the job at Villa Park (when he could have stayed at Norwich for another season, was adored by the fans and because of his success there had a mountain of goodwill and could have waited for another position with a club that had better finances than ours - I remember Norwich fans asking this question at the time and the uproar it caused from our fans). I remember an interview with Lambert in his first season where he made a comment along the lines of "I don't think people realise the financial parameters we're now working with" which suggests to me he knew from the off. And if he did know from the off was the young hungry kids thing always just spin? Or did Learner change the goal posts last season?

probably when the rest of his life became more important than football. I imagine it coincided with MON fucking him over too.

[LeeB]

I wonder when was the exact date Lerner lost interest? Was it prior to McLeish? Or prior or during Lambert's reign? If it was prior to Lerner's reign then you have to wonder why Lambert took the job at Villa Park (when he could have stayed at Norwich for another season, was adored by the fans and because of his success there had a mountain of goodwill and could have waited for another position with a club that had better finances than ours - I remember Norwich fans asking this question at the time and the uproar it caused from our fans). I remember an interview with Lambert in his first season where he made a comment along the lines of "I don't think people realise the financial parameters we're now working with" which suggests to me he knew from the off. And if he did know from the off was the young hungry kids thing always just spin? Or did Learner change the goal posts last season?

I was talking to a Norwich fan the other week, the day they went down in fact, and after saying he'd take him back in a heartbeat, we both mused as to why he ever left to join this car crash at all. The bloke was lamenting on how Hughton had pissed all that money away and took them backwards, and Lambert would have had more money to strengthen an already better side than the one he left for.

I had to agree.

[not3bad]

I wonder when was the exact date Lerner lost interest? Was it prior to McLeish? Or prior or during Lambert's reign? If it was prior to Lerner's reign then you have to wonder why Lambert took the job at Villa Park (when he could have stayed at Norwich for another season, was adored by the fans and because of his success there had a mountain of goodwill and could have waited for another position with a club that had better finances than ours - I remember Norwich fans asking this question at the time and the uproar it caused from our fans). I remember an interview with Lambert in his first season where he made a comment along the lines of "I don't think people realise the financial parameters we're now working with" which suggests to me he knew from the off. And if he did know from the off was the young hungry kids thing always just spin? Or did Learner change the goal posts last season?

probably when the rest of his life became more important than football. I imagine it coincided with MON fucking him over too.

I think it was a bit after that. He was still keen when Darren Bent signed the following Winter I think. I would put the date of Randy at least starting to lose interesty at around the time Mcleish was taken on and the General dissapeared from the various forums he was contributing to.

[LeeB]

I wonder when was the exact date Lerner lost interest? Was it prior to McLeish? Or prior or during Lambert's reign? If it was prior to Lerner's reign then you have to wonder why Lambert took the job at Villa Park (when he could have stayed at Norwich for another season, was adored by the fans and because of his success there had a mountain of goodwill and could have waited for another position with a club that had better finances than ours - I remember Norwich fans asking this question at the time and the uproar it caused from our fans). I remember an interview with Lambert in his first season where he made a comment along the lines of "I don't think people realise the financial parameters we're now working with" which suggests to me he knew from the off. And if he did know from the off was the young hungry kids thing always just spin? Or did Learner change the goal posts last season?

probably when the rest of his life became more important than football. I imagine it coincided with MON fucking him over too.

I think it was a bit after that. He was still keen when Darren Bent signed the following Winter I think. I would put the date of Randy at least starting to lose interest at around the time Mcleish was taken on and the General dissapeared from the various forums he was contributing to.

Fuck me, he wasn't alone there then.