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

[brian green]

And as for the theory that Lerner no longer wants to sell the club and is enthusiastic again I would reply that it might be true or it might be untrue but one thing you can be sure of is that Randy Lerner is impulse driven and that any rekindling of his love for the club could just as easily turn back to apathy.   Our big, big, big problem is the uncertainty which has enveloped the club and Lerner does nothing to dispel it.   If he is keen again let him say so, if he want out then find a buyer and stop pissarseing about.

[dave shelley]

I hate this thread, I really do, complete negativity, and, for the most part fully justified.  At the moment there seems not even a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel despite our current league position.

Two wins on the bounce followed by a player brainstorm.  Player in form getting fifth yellow card and suspension with a match against Manure coming up and no one giving us a chance.  Every poll we've had about the manager wants him out, as I do.  I really despair at the moment.  As I said, I hate this thread but, I'm drawn to it like a friggin magnet.

[silhillvilla]

I think he's getting worse with time. I've never seen a goalkeeper pass a goal kick backwards not even in the local park.
Our league position looks comfortable but we are far from it. 10 goals in 16 games ! You'd think that's a wind up but it so sadly isn't !
Lambert is clueless but not quite as clueless as the owner who is a complete sham and a phoney ! A charlatan spunking his inheritance away very badly.

[paul_e]

I don't like the comments about him being clueless, mumbling or stupid that appear on here with some frequency.  They make the argument against him look a bit 'playground'.

I don't think he's a terrible manager, his record before he came to us is too good for him to be as useless as some believe.

I don't think he's worse than the likes of Pulis, Allerdyce, Pardew, etc.  To me they're all cut from the same cloth and offer similar quality and similar limitations.

I think he is a decent judge of a player.  He realised early on that Bent was a spent force and Given was a reserve at best, he's signed Benteke, Okore, Sanchez, Westwood, Vlaar, Senderos and Bacuna (and resigned Guzan) who all look good enough for 7-10 in the league which is where we're targeting for the time being.  He's also tried to give Robinson and Grealish an exposure to the first team, which is very much the right thing to do.

I think he comes across as a decent guy who genuinely wants what's best for the club and fans and genuinely thinks he can bring that about.  He's also, apparently, very honest in his appraisals of where we're at and what's going wrong.

Add all of that together and I can see the appeal to board in keeping him and why some fans are willing to defend him to the hilt, he's not like Pardew who was struggling for results and was a complete areshole.

The problem as I see it is that it just hasn't worked out every time he seems to get us on the right track something knocks us off again and it's now got the point where pretty much everyone is waiting for the storm after the calm.  The team are a bag of nerves, the manager is scared to make proactive changes in case they backfire, the fans see a 1-0 lead as something to be afraid of and become more and more tense as the games go on.  Once a club is that gripped by fear of failure it becomes almost inevitable and after almost exactly 2 years since it started it's pretty clear that Lambert can't work out how to break free of it.  That's why we retreat into our shells, that's why we play keep ball in our own half, that's why players don't want the ball with an opponent in the same postcode, that's why everything gets snatched at and rushed and looks so disorganised.

It's because of the fear around the club that Lambert needs to go, it's nothing personal about him and once he goes I'll wish him well (within reason) but something needs to change and changing the figurehead is the cheapest, simplest and likely most effective option open to us.

[pauliewalnuts]

It's because of the fear around the club that Lambert needs to go, it's nothing personal about him and once he goes I'll wish him well (within reason) but something needs to change and changing the figurehead is the cheapest, simplest and likely most effective option open to us.

It just feels like we need something sudden and violent (not literally) to happen to knock us off the course we are on, which looks to me like one that'll end in relegation eventually.

The ideal one for me would be a new owner, who would in turn probably bring a new manager, but other than that, the obvious one is to replace Lambert.

I like him, too, and I am not having any of that "he's mumbling" "he's thick" nonsense either, it is a ridiculous line of argument and just reduces the whole discussion to a puerile level. I'd love it to work out with him.

I just think he's had enough time and results don't even live up to the relatively low expectations you'd get from looking at the squad he has assembled.

[saunders_heroes]

There's an excuse for nearly every defeat.

Injuries.
Someone got sent off.
Keane's being a c***.
They're on a good run.
We're lacking confidence.
Ref gave us nothing.
They spent more money than us.

We've got no backbone as a club at the moment and accept whatever shit is served up to us and whatever bad record is broken. There is no excuse or reason why 3 years down the line from taking over Lambert hasn't stamped any kind of signature on his team, we wing it from game to game trying to survive and it's shit to watch and shit to be a part of.

The sooner the chancers Lambert and Lerner leave the better. Never in a million years are they capable of taking us forward proactively, every decision is a reaction to something they didn't see coming.

And no I won't accept that this is where we should be right now. We should have sacked that clown after the Christmas and New Year 2012 fuck up and got in someone else, we didn't because the chairman couldn't give a hoot as long as we don't cost him more dollars.

Agree with this 100%. He should have been sacked after the 8-0 disgrace at Chelsea. Instead he was allowed to stay and fester. It just about sums up the lack of interest and respect Lerner holds for Villa.

You'd sack a manager after four months in the job on the back of one result?

Damn right I would. It wasn't just one bad result, it was arguably the most humiliating result in our history. I wanted him out there and then and I haven't changed my mind since. He's been nothing but a disaster for Villa stumbling from one embarrassing season to another. I'll raise a glass of something special the day he and Lerner clear off from our club.

[SoccerHQ]

He was very lucky to survive the Bradford shambles. 99% of clubs would've sacked him for that.

The run in was good though, the only time under him we've played football for more than the odd game that I've really enjoyed so I was happy for him to get another season thinking if he can get us to play like that under extreme relegation pressure it would be a doodle to do that in mid table.

Oh dear. He's very lucky he has a very supportive/incompetent board.

[dave.woodhall]

Damn right I would. It wasn't just one bad result, it was arguably the most humiliating result in our history. I wanted him out there and then and I haven't changed my mind since. He's been nothing but a disaster for Villa stumbling from one embarrassing season to another. I'll raise a glass of something special the day he and Lerner clear off from our club.

One result and you'd sack a manager.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

And as for the theory that Lerner no longer wants to sell the club and is enthusiastic again I would reply that it might be true or it might be untrue but one thing you can be sure of is that Randy Lerner is impulse driven and that any rekindling of his love for the club could just as easily turn back to apathy.   Our big, big, big problem is the uncertainty which has enveloped the club and Lerner does nothing to dispel it.   If he is keen again let him say so, if he want out then find a buyer and stop pissarseing about.

Damn right a statement is needed but as far as I know Doogan hasn't yet been replaced.

[dave.woodhall]

And as for the theory that Lerner no longer wants to sell the club and is enthusiastic again I would reply that it might be true or it might be untrue but one thing you can be sure of is that Randy Lerner is impulse driven and that any rekindling of his love for the club could just as easily turn back to apathy.   Our big, big, big problem is the uncertainty which has enveloped the club and Lerner does nothing to dispel it.   If he is keen again let him say so, if he want out then find a buyer and stop pissarseing about.

Damn right a statement is needed but as far as I know Doogan hasn't yet been replaced.

He's still here until next month.

[Damo70]

I don't like the comments about him being clueless, mumbling or stupid that appear on here with some frequency.  They make the argument against him look a bit 'playground'.

I don't think he's a terrible manager, his record before he came to us is too good for him to be as useless as some believe.

I don't think he's worse than the likes of Pulis, Allerdyce, Pardew, etc.  To me they're all cut from the same cloth and offer similar quality and similar limitations.

I think he is a decent judge of a player.  He realised early on that Bent was a spent force and Given was a reserve at best, he's signed Benteke, Okore, Sanchez, Westwood, Vlaar, Senderos and Bacuna (and resigned Guzan) who all look good enough for 7-10 in the league which is where we're targeting for the time being.  He's also tried to give Robinson and Grealish an exposure to the first team, which is very much the right thing to do.

I think he comes across as a decent guy who genuinely wants what's best for the club and fans and genuinely thinks he can bring that about.  He's also, apparently, very honest in his appraisals of where we're at and what's going wrong.

Add all of that together and I can see the appeal to board in keeping him and why some fans are willing to defend him to the hilt, he's not like Pardew who was struggling for results and was a complete areshole.

The problem as I see it is that it just hasn't worked out every time he seems to get us on the right track something knocks us off again and it's now got the point where pretty much everyone is waiting for the storm after the calm.  The team are a bag of nerves, the manager is scared to make proactive changes in case they backfire, the fans see a 1-0 lead as something to be afraid of and become more and more tense as the games go on.  Once a club is that gripped by fear of failure it becomes almost inevitable and after almost exactly 2 years since it started it's pretty clear that Lambert can't work out how to break free of it.  That's why we retreat into our shells, that's why we play keep ball in our own half, that's why players don't want the ball with an opponent in the same postcode, that's why everything gets snatched at and rushed and looks so disorganised.

It's because of the fear around the club that Lambert needs to go, it's nothing personal about him and once he goes I'll wish him well (within reason) but something needs to change and changing the figurehead is the cheapest, simplest and likely most effective option open to us.

Excellent post.

[saunders_heroes]

Damn right I would. It wasn't just one bad result, it was arguably the most humiliating result in our history. I wanted him out there and then and I haven't changed my mind since. He's been nothing but a disaster for Villa stumbling from one embarrassing season to another. I'll raise a glass of something special the day he and Lerner clear off from our club.

One result and you'd sack a manager.

It wasn't just any old defeat, it was 8-0, and he's continued to humiliate us ever since.  Eight bloody nil.

[dave.woodhall]

Damn right I would. It wasn't just one bad result, it was arguably the most humiliating result in our history. I wanted him out there and then and I haven't changed my mind since. He's been nothing but a disaster for Villa stumbling from one embarrassing season to another. I'll raise a glass of something special the day he and Lerner clear off from our club.

One result and you'd sack a manager.

It wasn't just any old defeat, it was 8-0, and he's continued to humiliate us ever since.  Eight bloody nil.

Previous managers have lost in the FA Cup to a fourth division team, gone a season without winning away, got one point in nine games and been bottom of division two.

[saunders_heroes]

Damn right I would. It wasn't just one bad result, it was arguably the most humiliating result in our history. I wanted him out there and then and I haven't changed my mind since. He's been nothing but a disaster for Villa stumbling from one embarrassing season to another. I'll raise a glass of something special the day he and Lerner clear off from our club.

One result and you'd sack a manager.

It wasn't just any old defeat, it was 8-0, and he's continued to humiliate us ever since.  Eight bloody nil.

Previous managers have lost in the FA Cup to a fourth division team, gone a season without winning away, got one point in nine games and been bottom of division two.

I don't remember many previous managers lose a game 8-0 though. And by the way Lambert has made a habit of humiliating Villa like no manager I can ever remember in all my years.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I hate this thread, I really do, complete negativity, and, for the most part fully justified.  At the moment there seems not even a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel despite our current league position.

Two wins on the bounce followed by a player brainstorm.  Player in form getting fifth yellow card and suspension with a match against Manure coming up and no one giving us a chance.  Every poll we've had about the manager wants him out, as I do.  I really despair at the moment.  As I said, I hate this thread but, I'm drawn to it like a friggin magnet.

Ha! It reminds me of the Ellis threads on here years back, everything wrong but that could be so easily fixed points to him, it's depressing and worse still, he's still here with no signs of leaving.