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

[aj2k77]

Given what he did with Norwich and the bad luck with injuries he has had I know he has done a decent job.

UTV

LWT

Unfortunately he's just another one of these Owen Coyle, Phil Brown type jobbers. This is above him.

How many clubs have they got two consecutive promotions to the Prem and got to mid table with?

Then taken over a massive club, inherited an aged, finished squad, had terrible luck with injuries, no money and still kept them up?  In my eyes he has done wonders keeping us up.

Plenty of managers have gotten a club promoted and kept them midtable the next season.

Injuries, every team has them.
Money, bullshit, around £50m spent. Enough to compete with the middle reaches.
Aged squad? How many non keepers were 30+?

You're talking out of your arse Paul. I could write the usual list of negatives about him but we've all heard it before, the lacks of goals, lack of points, lack of entertainment and lack of organisation speak for themselves.

[Chris Smith]

Why make it personal? It just seems a bit unhinged to attack somebody like that when his greatest crime is not being good enough to get us beyond 15th. I really cannot understand anybody who can work themselves up to hate him. He seems like a decent bloke, much like McLiesh, yet ultimately he just isn't good enough for the job.

It is the way it always seems to go, that it isn't enough to criticis the job of work he has done but his whole character has to be traduced. Every extract from press conferences or snippets from interviews is torn apart, they get criticised for figures of speech or jargon used and people think from this they know the man.

His ultimate fate, I feel, is tied up with the club ownership so unless he pulls something unexpected out of the bag he will be gone when we are sold. I don't see how it helps anyone to spend the rest of the season sniping as Lerner does not show any inclination to go through the recruitment process again and in any case to date has not covered himself in glory in that respect.

[silhillvilla]

Chris it's a good point you make. "Better the devil you know" til we are sold .

[supertom]

Lambert feeds beefburgers to swans.

[Richard E]

He wants to watch out, they can break your arm, you know.

[saunders_heroes]

Given what he did with Norwich and the bad luck with injuries he has had I know he has done a decent job.

UTV

LWT

Unfortunately he's just another one of these Owen Coyle, Phil Brown type jobbers. This is above him.

Absolutely. Premier League history is littered with one season wonders who get found out after a lucky start. Lambert's name can be added to the likes of Coyne, Brown, Jewell, Burley etc etc.

[mr underhill]

I've never bought into the apologists argument of better the devil you know,  I respect their position but I firmly believe we need a change. Lambert isn't working and never has, other than for one or two isolated results.

[Clampy]

Given what he did with Norwich and the bad luck with injuries he has had I know he has done a decent job.

UTV

LWT

Unfortunately he's just another one of these Owen Coyle, Phil Brown type jobbers. This is above him.

Absolutely. Premier League history is littered with one season wonders who get found out after a lucky start. Lambert's name can be added to the likes of Coyne, Brown, Jewell, Burley etc etc.

In fairness, you can't deny he did a very good job at Norwich, they were gutted to see him go. I honestly don't think he's a bad manager and I reckon he'd probably go on to do a reasonable job somewhere else unlike the three you mentioned. It's not worked for him here though.

[saunders_heroes]

Given what he did with Norwich and the bad luck with injuries he has had I know he has done a decent job.

UTV

LWT

Unfortunately he's just another one of these Owen Coyle, Phil Brown type jobbers. This is above him.

Absolutely. Premier League history is littered with one season wonders who get found out after a lucky start. Lambert's name can be added to the likes of Coyne, Brown, Jewell, Burley etc etc.

In fairness, you can't deny he did a very good job at Norwich, they were gutted to see him go. I honestly don't think he's a bad manager and I reckon he'd probably go on to do a reasonable job somewhere else unlike the three you mentioned. It's not worked for him here though.

Jewell, Coyne etc all had good records in the lower leagues then had a decent first season at the top only to fade into obscurity. They were found out - a bit like Lambert. The only difference is that we have stupidly kept hold of him when he should have been sacked ages ago.

[Clampy]

Given what he did with Norwich and the bad luck with injuries he has had I know he has done a decent job.

UTV

LWT

Unfortunately he's just another one of these Owen Coyle, Phil Brown type jobbers. This is above him.

Absolutely. Premier League history is littered with one season wonders who get found out after a lucky start. Lambert's name can be added to the likes of Coyne, Brown, Jewell, Burley etc etc.

In fairness, you can't deny he did a very good job at Norwich, they were gutted to see him go. I honestly don't think he's a bad manager and I reckon he'd probably go on to do a reasonable job somewhere else unlike the three you mentioned. It's not worked for him here though.

Jewell, Coyne etc all had good records in the lower leagues then had a decent first season at the top only to fade into obscurity. They were found out - a bit like Lambert. The only difference is that we have stupidly kept hold of him when he should have been sacked ages ago.

What I'm saying is though that I do think Lambert is good enough to do a decent job somewhere else. I can't see him fading away like the others have. I might be wrong though, time will tell obviously.

[WestleyArmsAV]

Given what he did with Norwich and the bad luck with injuries he has had I know he has done a decent job.

UTV

LWT

Unfortunately he's just another one of these Owen Coyle, Phil Brown type jobbers. This is above him.

Absolutely. Premier League history is littered with one season wonders who get found out after a lucky start. Lambert's name can be added to the likes of Coyne, Brown, Jewell, Burley etc etc.

In fairness, you can't deny he did a very good job at Norwich, they were gutted to see him go. I honestly don't think he's a bad manager and I reckon he'd probably go on to do a reasonable job somewhere else unlike the three you mentioned. It's not worked for him here though.

Jewell, Coyne etc all had good records in the lower leagues then had a decent first season at the top only to fade into obscurity. They were found out - a bit like Lambert. The only difference is that we have stupidly kept hold of him when he should have been sacked ages ago.

How as Lambert been "found out"?

He has kept us up for two years, 8million the most spent on one player, and has had his key players plagued with injury.  When he gets his best side playing 7-10 games only then will I judge him.

LWT

[old man villa fan]

He came here with best intentions and believed in Lerner's business plan of getting rid of the high earners and building a young team.  This proved very difficult without a backbone of solid experience.  He has not been helped by not being able to field is best team for any extended period.

What has happened is, rather than building a team and a good method of play, he has got stuck in a rut of results are the only thing that is important and the desperation has grown.  It is now at the point where just enough points is seen as enough and I thing the players now have the same attitude and something that is running through the club from top to bottom.

I look back to the 1st leg of the semi-final against Bradford and think if we had gone in at half time three goals up, like we should have, would it have all been different.

[Clampy]

He has been found out to an extent. His record against lower league sides for example is appalling and a good manager would build on good results, not reside over 4, 5 or 6 straight losses afterwards. He has had bad luck with injuries, especially with Benteke, Kozak and Okore. That said, I still think he's had enough decent players to work with to enable us to have a comfortable mid table season.

[Toronto Villa]

I would trust Lambert with a small to mid size side in League one or the championship. On limited resources and expectation he'd do well and get them promoted. I'd trust him to keep that side in the PL because that is all the expectation would be. I don't trust to get beyond that. Some managers thrive at big clubs and big expectations. Others get found out and to protect what they have left go into a shell, and move away from their core beliefs. Lambert came to Villa a much different man and manager than he is today. He needs to leave in order to get back to those beliefs because there is a good manager in there somewhere but he will keep regressing the longer he is here and with it so will we.

[Gareth]

Given what he did with Norwich and the bad luck with injuries he has had I know he has done a decent job.

UTV

LWT

Unfortunately he's just another one of these Owen Coyle, Phil Brown type jobbers. This is above him.

How many clubs have they got two consecutive promotions to the Prem and got to mid table with?

Then taken over a massive club, inherited an aged, finished squad, had terrible luck with injuries, no money and still kept them up?  In my eyes he has done wonders keeping us up.

If he'd done a second season in the Prem with Norwich I would have had to agree...he didn't though!  He is the equivalent of Paul Jewell on your scale.