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

[Brend'Watkins]

PL may well be on a limited budget in comparison to a lot of the other Premiership managers.  I'd hazard a guess that it's still double/treble/5 times or more than what Eddie Howe at Bournmouth has to work with.  What a job he's doing.

[pauliewalnuts]

The limited budget thing is true, he has had less money to work with than other villa managers.

The problem is that he doesn't get anything like the best out of what he has.

How many games under Lambert do we think he really gets the best out of the squad?

As Woodhall said they other day, it isn't a top six squad but it isn't a bottom six squad either, but that is where he has us.

I still like the bloke in many ways, I find him hard to dislike as a person, and am more disappointed at it working out like this than I would be under many other managers, but it just isn't working, and I don't think any amount of extra time thrown at it is going to help.

After the first season, I felt differently, but it never really seems to change with any permanency.

Does anyone really still think he is the man to move us forward? By which I mean believe he is, not hope he is?

[villasjf]

PL may well be on a limited budget in comparison to a lot of the other Premiership managers.  I'd hazard a guess that it's still double/treble/5 times or more than what Eddie Howe at Bournmouth has to work with.  What a job he's doing.

Its what he has done with the money he has spent though. Sylla Tonev Hellenious Luna Bowery Steer Holte Cole etc etc

[pauliewalnuts]

What has happened to Bacuna this season?

I had totally forgotten he played for us until the other day.

[PaulWinch again]

The limited budget thing is true, he has had less money to work with than other villa managers.

The problem is that he doesn't get anything like the best out of what he has.

How many games under Lambert do we think he really gets the best out of the squad?

As Woodhall said they other day, it isn't a top six squad but it isn't a bottom six squad either, but that is where he has us.

I still like the bloke in many ways, I find him hard to dislike as a person, and am more disappointed at it working out like this than I would be under many other managers, but it just isn't working, and I don't think any amount of extra time thrown at it is going to help.

After the first season, I felt differently, but it never really seems to change with any permanency.

Does anyone really still think he is the man to move us forward? By which I mean believe he is, not hope he is?

Yep I'm fairly certain he is not the man to take us forward and he's had plenty of opportunity.

[IAmTheOneIanOlney]

The limited budget thing is true, he has had less money to work with than other villa managers.

The problem is that he doesn't get anything like the best out of what he has.

How many games under Lambert do we think he really gets the best out of the squad?

As Woodhall said they other day, it isn't a top six squad but it isn't a bottom six squad either, but that is where he has us.

I still like the bloke in many ways, I find him hard to dislike as a person, and am more disappointed at it working out like this than I would be under many other managers, but it just isn't working, and I don't think any amount of extra time thrown at it is going to help.

After the first season, I felt differently, but it never really seems to change with any permanency.

Does anyone really still think he is the man to move us forward? By which I mean believe he is, not hope he is?

Nope. And, like you say, it's not as though he hasn't had a lot of people willing him to do well, but you can only hope you're wrong so many times.

The players he sends out every week are either not sure what they're supposed to do or they're not confident enough to do it.

[paul_e]

I think the lack of funds is being overplayed now if I'm honest.  Yes we haven't spent as much as we were doing but he's till been given a decent budget.  Wages seem to have been limited but if you look at our overall wage bill it's not like we're massively underspending compared to the sides in the league outside the top 6-7.

He's used that a shield for most of his time and it needs to stop now.

[SO Villa]

Lambert fails to acknowledge that things need to improve let alone offer a case for how he hopes to do it.
He genuinely seems perfectly happy with the situation.

Every time he opens his mouth he's like a zombie repeatedly mumbling the same cliches.

I'm also amazed that the press don't give him more of a grilling in press conferences.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

The limited budget thing is true, he has had less money to work with than other villa managers.

The problem is that he doesn't get anything like the best out of what he has.

How many games under Lambert do we think he really gets the best out of the squad?

As Woodhall said they other day, it isn't a top six squad but it isn't a bottom six squad either, but that is where he has us.

I still like the bloke in many ways, I find him hard to dislike as a person, and am more disappointed at it working out like this than I would be under many other managers, but it just isn't working, and I don't think any amount of extra time thrown at it is going to help.

After the first season, I felt differently, but it never really seems to change with any permanency.

Does anyone really still think he is the man to move us forward? By which I mean believe he is, not hope he is?

It's the hope that's kept so many of us going for so long...still waiting for "the plan" to kick in and take effect; new approach this season but after the honeymoon of the first 4/5 games the hope's started to furtle its way down the drain again.
My belief in Lambert has almost disappeared; the hope remains.

(eg: what's happened at Newcastle over the last 3/4 games could happen to us too? Difference is: I HOPE it will happen...but have little belief that Lambert has the nous to bring it about)

[supertom]

I think the lack of funds is being overplayed now if I'm honest.  Yes we haven't spent as much as we were doing but he's till been given a decent budget.  Wages seem to have been limited but if you look at our overall wage bill it's not like we're massively underspending compared to the sides in the league outside the top 6-7.

He's used that a shield for most of his time and it needs to stop now.

Yep. He's had 5 windows and aside from re-signing Guzan and getting Benteke, there's not one player you can look at and say has been a success at this level. Westwood at a push, but even so, I don't think he's good enough for this level as a first 11 player. Sanchez will hopefully come good, and Kozak on his return.
The fact the majority of his signings are out on loan or sold on, or missing (Okra...Osaka...Okoara...that Danish lad) says a lot.

That we haven't made any money on any player since he took over is also in no small part down to Lambert. The whole bomb squad debacle was a total mess. We've now got players like Bent, N'Zogbia, formerly Ireland. They cost us a combined 36-40 million in fees. One left for nothing and the other two likely will too.
Even as cheap as most of his signings are, there's only 2-3 we could actually sell on for a profit at this point.

It may not be entirely Lamberts fault, but of course we also look set to lose Delph and Vlaar for nothing too. But still, we've not made money on a player since selling Ash and Downing in 2011. That's awful. If our place in life is to be a bottom feeder in the Prem these days, then making money on players is essential. It's a managers job to use his budget, and that includes selling players to raise money. He's de-valued far too many players. We're gonna end up shipping out the likes of Sylla, Tonev, Lowton, Bacuna, Luna, Bennett, Okore etc for next to nothing.

He's more or less stuck to two formations in his time. The 4-3-2-1/4-3-3 and the 5-3-2. The latter worked a couple of times but looked a mess more often than not. The former stopped working a year ago.
He's had no fresh ideas. He's still failed to bring in a suitable creative midfielder. We were all set to pay 8 million for Cleverley in August. Could we not have found a decent attacking mid for 8 million elsewhere? He promised attacking football but has mostly delivered dour negativity and the sort of anti-football that even McLeish would turn his nose up at.

He's in his third season now. The excuses don't hold water anymore. He's had a budget. Not big, but not peanuts by any stretch either. There's been no progression at all.

[andyh]

I think the Newcastle/Pardew comparison with Villa/Lambert is all wrong.

Generally, over the last few years Newcastle have been better than us. They tend to have a run of a few games where they are shite, their fans then get all demonstrative, call for Pardew's head, get labelled as 'passionate' Geordies, the team finds their feet again and they go back to being a half decent team and Pardew carries on.

Generally, over the last few years, the Villa have been shite. We have the odd run of a game where we are better than shite. The fans have been incredibly patient, but when there is the slightest dissent (a bit of booing at the end of a game) then they are labelled as the most most 'fickle' fans in the history of the game.
Eventually, another good run of a draw away comes along, the manager is praised by the media for getting the team back on track, before we go back to being shite again.

We must be doing something wrong?
         

[supertom]

I think the Newcastle/Pardew comparison with Villa/Lambert is all wrong.

Generally, over the last few years Newcastle have been better than us. They tend to have a run of a few games where they are shite, their fans then get all demonstrative, call for Pardew's head, get labelled as 'passionate' Geordies, the team finds their feet again and they go back to being a half decent team and Pardew carries on.

Generally, over the last few years, the Villa have been shite. We have the odd run of a game where we are better than shite. The fans have been incredibly patient, but when there is the slightest dissent (a bit of booing at the end of a game) then they are labelled as the most most 'fickle' fans in the history of the game.
Eventually, another good run of a draw away comes along, the manager is praised by the media for getting the team back on track, before we go back to being shite again.

We must be doing something wrong?
         

What you can say for Newcastle too under Pardew, is that whilst they've had terrible runs, he's also shown an ability to put them on a good run. Sometimes those good runs have been enough to keep them up. The sold Demba Ba at a bad time which effected them. It's never a good idea to sell your top scorer mid-season.
They've won 5 on the spin now though. Will they keep it up? Who knows but they're probably gonna end solidly mid-table. Other managers have shown a capability to go on good runs and build up a head a steam. Lambert seems incapable for us. Even on our better runs, like going 4 unbeaten (in the league) this season, it was hardly convincing throughout.

Newcastle have been good value for their current run too and entertained with it.

If it absolutely came down to it and we were in utter shit, could we trust Lambert to go on a good run of form? Like Martinez did a couple of seasons for Wigan to keep them up, or Pulis for Palace last season. Sometimes you have to go 7-8 unbeaten, or string together a run of wins.

[mattjpa]

But the media will not give him a hard time, no matter how bad he is. Wenger, Poccetino, moyes, Mcleish, AVB, Pardew, Even media darling Redknapp all took massive criticism at some point or another whilst performing badly. Yet Lambert continues to throw up the worst, shittest brand of non-scoring anti football week in, week out with very little criticism. We dont score, we conceed too much possesion, we play defensive on the break football and are incapable of breaking teams down etc. Its not worth listing it all here as I could go on for pages but you get the message.

Maybe its because hes likeable, I dont know. But  one dour nil-nil and all the stories are leading with gutsy performance, stopping the rot angles which just isnt true. I will eat my words if we build on this now but for the life of me I cant see it. Cue a loss at southampton, a draw with burnley and Benteke back just in time to save him again

[Boz]

I think the lack of funds is being overplayed now if I'm honest.  Yes we haven't spent as much as we were doing but he's till been given a decent budget.  Wages seem to have been limited but if you look at our overall wage bill it's not like we're massively underspending compared to the sides in the league outside the top 6-7.

He's used that a shield for most of his time and it needs to stop now.

Absolutely, his excuses have run their course. The players don't seem to know how they are expected to play and has the Keane influence already lost its impact.

We look more like a bottom three club at this stage than last season.

[DBTW]

Lerner wont sack Lambert because at the end of the day he was the choice of the fans.

Lerner took so much stick for his previous appointments, he is basically saying to the fans, 'You picked him, its your own fault'