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

[Gregorys Boy]

Can we stop talking about the bloody Burnley game! We have played since then, last night and we won.  Progress has been made now lets look forward

[Tom_Mc9?]

I want to talk about the game we lost to Chelsea by lots to nil.

[pauliewalnuts]

Because we won the European cup doesn't make a point at Burnley the worst crime. Man utd also Drew threw btw.

That'll come in handy if we get knocked out the cup by MK Dons.

[Steve67]

Four games unbeaten. Who'd have thought. It's a good job Lambert doesn't do stats isn't it?

[pauliewalnuts]

What's he difference between having possession in your own half and then recycling it between having possession in a channel and recycling it? I have read on Palace forums about how they battered us and how well they played.

I didn't see it myself. I saw a poor side struggle to create anything in 97 minutes, where our keeper made one good save following our goal. I saw the same against Sunderland and I conclude that Palace will more than likely be relegated.

We deserved the win, mostly because for all Palace threw at it - and it was the kitchen sink - we didn't really have to do a lot to keep them out. We had two or three chances and took one of them. No luck involved.

I also agree, Palace were incredibly energetic and persistent, they were like a pumped-up Martin O'Neill team. Only one with nothing whatsoever up front.

The most important thing is that we got the three points. That overshadows everything. However, I think people are right to be a little concerned that the two or three persistent weaknesses we have this season - and we all know what they are, the giving the ball away cheaply, the sitting too deep, that sort of thing - were there in spades last night.

Palace were shit, and are a poor side, and we did enough to get the win, no doubt there. In terms of that fixture, that is all that matters.

In terms of what we've got to come, though, there wasn't really much evidence that we're doing anything to stop making the errors we've made week after week for a long time now. That is what concerns me, and I am not surprised others are pointing it out.

What i mean is, it is possible to think we deserved the three points last night AND at the same time be concerned about the way we played.

[Gregorys Boy]

Because we won the European cup doesn't make a point at Burnley the worst crime. Man utd also Drew threw btw.

That'll come in handy if we get knocked out the cup by MK Dons.

Thing is despite the total drivel he has been producing today he actually makes a perfectly fair point(unless of course we do actually lose to MK Dons in the cup, in which case he is clueless!).  I was let down we didn't hold on to the lead against Burnley but there were again postitives from the performance and we made up for it with the win last night.  I would like six points from the next two, but as long as we get at least four then I will be happy.

[pauliewalnuts]

Because we won the European cup doesn't make a point at Burnley the worst crime. Man utd also Drew threw btw.

That'll come in handy if we get knocked out the cup by MK Dons.

Thing is despite the total drivel he has been producing today he actually makes a perfectly fair point(unless of course we do actually lose to MK Dons in the cup, in which case he is clueless!).  I was let down we didn't hold on to the lead against Burnley but there were again postitives from the performance and we made up for it with the win last night.  I would like six points from the next two, but as long as we get at least four then I will be happy.

The problem is, nobody was suggesting that a point at Burnley was the worst crime in the first place. At the same time, it is hardly the stuff of dreams.

[Gregorys Boy]

Because we won the European cup doesn't make a point at Burnley the worst crime. Man utd also Drew threw btw.

That'll come in handy if we get knocked out the cup by MK Dons.

Thing is despite the total drivel he has been producing today he actually makes a perfectly fair point(unless of course we do actually lose to MK Dons in the cup, in which case he is clueless!).  I was let down we didn't hold on to the lead against Burnley but there were again postitives from the performance and we made up for it with the win last night.  I would like six points from the next two, but as long as we get at least four then I will be happy.

The problem is, nobody was suggesting that a point at Burnley was the worst crime in the first place. At the same time, it is hardly the stuff of dreams.

TBH I have given up reading through his threads, but did he suggest that it was the stuff of dreams.  If we had dropped points last night then the weekend would have been a worse result.  Totally agree with your post about us deserving to win last night (just) and Palace being a worse side than us by the way.

[Steve67]

Leicester and Albion are totally out of form. Nothing but two wins please.

[silhillvilla]

Leicester and Albion are totally out of form. Nothing but two wins please.

2 wins would be fantastic and i would happily take 2 ugly 1-0's . That would then set us up lovely for the Utd game .
1 game at a time though, baby steps. Let's not get ahead of ourselves .

[walsall villain]

You can't rely on us to win two on the trot, many a false dawn. If we can get at 4 points from the next two I will be happy. As I have been pessimistic about our chances of staying up this time around, twenty points before United would give me start to give me hope I am wrong with all my doom and gloom.

[taylorsworkrate]

I think we'll beat Leicester on Sunday. I don't think it'll be entertaining, or we'll score more than one goal, but I think we'll win.

That being said, two wins on the bounce is not enough to say that Lambert is anything other than a poor manager, who, at any other club would've had his marching orders months ago.

To have gone 27 games in a row without keeping a clean sheet is unacceptable. To have the record we've had at home the last 2 and a half seasons is unacceptable. To have gone out of cup competitions to teams like Bradford, Millwall and Sheffield Utd is unacceptable. To have scored just 8 goals in 15 matches this season is unacceptable. To be ranking at the bottom, or as good as on shots, shots on target, chances created and possession is unacceptable.

I'm sorry Westley, but the above things are not indicative of mine, or anyone elses "perception of realism" being askew, but merely facts showing how badly we have underperformed during Lambert's tenure.

[silhillvilla]

Very well put taylorsworkrate .
The facts do not lie and they are horrendous.
I too am very cautious of yet another false dawn.

[Ads]

I think there is a more than reasonable chance that we will be above Everton come Sunday night, which puts the context of our season thus far into the wider perspective of the Premier League as a whole, which as we know, isn’t very good.

The issue of possession, although that has increased in volume of late isn’t mutually exclusive from the issue of the lack of goals and how deep we sit. Its this latter matter which contributes to the former.

Against Burnley we played a lot higher up the pitch and dominated for a good 80 minutes. Palace we sat 15 yards deeper and again only pressed when Palace came within 35 yards of our goal. That may have been down to confidence and also anybody who saw Palace fumble around against Sunderland to no effect, who knows, but it worked. We could still be defending now and Zaha or Bolasie wouldn’t have put a good ball in the box.

At home though we have to take the game to sides, so that means Westwood and Sanchez as a deep two, but pushed further up the park to press and it also means Cleverley more advanced of them. We cannot at home play a flat/square, deep, three man midfield. I think that would help us retain possession a lot higher up the pitch, allow us to get men closer to Benteke and also exploit Hutton’s determination to get forward. The onus will be on us against Leicester and I do think we will beat them, but it would be nice to see us get about them in a positive manner, rather than making it difficult for ourselves.

[Clampy]

I think we'll beat Leicester as well. They looked awful at the back against Liverpool from what I saw. The Stripeyfilth game will be tougher obviously but they're another side who are not playing well. It's an ideal time to pick up some points but our good runs under Lambert don't always last very long so I understand the caution.