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

[mr underhill]

I wonder if Lambert is going to feel as smug as he appears right now if we continue loosing/not winning/not scoring many leading up to Christmas whilst playing home games to ever shrinking/couldn't give a fuck crowds. Personally another 100 minutes of Paul - let alone another 100 games - and I'm going to loose the will to live.

[N'ZMAV]

I want him out. It's past the point of no return now. Nothing that is realistically going to happen will turn us around. He isn't capable of bettering us on a consistent basis.

[Malandro]

In a sick way, its interesting to see just how far Lerner will go with Lambert.

[Villa in Denmark]

I wonder if Lambert is going to feel as smug as he appears right now if we continue loosing/not winning/not scoring many leading up to Christmas whilst playing home games to ever shrinking/couldn't give a fuck crowds. Personally another 100 minutes of Paul - let alone another 100 games - and I'm going to loose the will to live.

On a professional level I would think he hates losing, and genuinely hurts when we lose. That he's professionally incapable of altering it is the problem.

On a personal level why wouldn't he feel smug. 

Either the whole thing reaches a level where even Randy says enough is enough and gives him his best Anne Robinson impersonation where he then gets a rather large pay-off, or he trundles along knowing that he's got another 4 years earning what £1.5 -2M a year?

In that situation I'd be bloody smug.

[Holte L2]

In a sick way, its interesting to see just how far Lerner will go with Lambert.

I'm starting to think that Lambert could relegate us, and Lerner would still believe we've got the best qualified person to take us back up.

[mr underhill]

that's too depressing to contenplate

[kippaxvilla2]

I am willing to lay odds that either of or both Steve Bruce and Brendan Rodgers will be fired before we even consider the remotest possibility of him going.

[mr underhill]

that's too depressing to contemplate (correct spelling)

[Holte L2]

I am willing to lay odds that either of or both Steve Bruce and Brendan Rodgers will be fired before we even consider the remotest possibility of him going.

I'd have Bruce at Villa now.  Despite his nose connections.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I'd have Robert the Bruce at Villa now. Despite him being dead for several hundred years.

[Rioch is King]

I think we should steer clear of Scot's for a while

[paul_e]

I have no idea how accurate this is but transfer league has the total spend under Lambert down as £48m (after incomings).

Now looking at some of those numbers I'm fairly sure it's less than that but I reckon it's still 35-40m at worst, is that really such a disgraceful amount of money that after 2 1/2 years we're right in being told to just accept that a relegation battle is the best we can expect?  The worst thing is he had a definite strategy of buying young players looking to prove themselves and giving them a platform.  For that to work you need to coach them to be better players which we didn't do.  Even when he signed more established players this year the same technical faults are there, which makes it much more likely that they exist because of issues on the training ground.  In the summer a lot of that got put firmly at the feet of Culverhouse and Karsa but after watching us make the same mistakes this year it feels, to me, a little like Lambert chucked his mates under a bus to save his own skin.

Go on to injuries.  If you look on physioroom we average 5-6 new injuries a month, this is much the same as any other side in the league and much the same as our record under the last 2 managers.  The only genuine crisis we've had under Lambert was when everyone was sick for the Arsenal game.  Prior to that we had the run under Houllier in october/november where we picked up 2-3 injuries a week for about 5-6weeks and had, at one point, 17 players out.  Have we been unlucky in that a lot of injuries have been to key players, maybe.  Have we been unlucky with the number that are genuinely serious, maybe (Arsenal would argue that point though).  Either way to use the injury situation to justify the results for a few weeks I can live with, over 99 games you're taking the piss.

If a manager at pretty much any other club in the league had the same record and restrictions we wouldn't be seeing stories defending them so why are Villa constantly expected to just accept it?  It's fucked up, Kendrick started to reflect the views of the fans and was quickly moved away from Villa coverage and we're back to blanket, 'hardest job in the league' bullshit on all channels.

[mike]

We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years," Lerner said. "Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent. The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club's potential and embraces our collective expectations." Obviously his strategic aims have altered since he said that.

[dave.woodhall]

Have we been unlucky in that a lot of injuries have been to key players, maybe.  Have we been unlucky with the number that are genuinely serious, maybe (Arsenal would argue that point though).

I think that's certainly been the point with the last two managers. McLeish has the central spine of his team - Given, Dunne, Petrov, Bent - out long-term and we've got arguably our best three out now, plus the understudies of two of them. But as you say, that's a temporary excuse and certainly doesn't explain away 2 1/2 years. 

[Rudy Can't Fail]

It's worth remembering back when we had a full strength team available last season we still looked clueless.