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

[Walmley_Villa]

If Lambert gets outwitted by Lee Clark we may as well close the club down.

[silhillvilla]

Sorry but no. He's broken , no absolutely shattered too many bad records and bought upon us more embarrassment and tedium than anyone can say it's just coincidence.
He's a clueless , chancer who any other club would have fired ages ago.

[caster troy]

The problem I have with him is that his tactics are utterly woeful, and his team consistently play eye-bleedingly, pancreas-shreddingly shit football. And two and a half years into his tenure, and with probably his strongest eleven available, his team STILL plays shit football.

I agree, but it's sort of the only thing that means that 1% of me thinks that he might still make it work. The huge problems that we've had have bit-by-bit been sorted out.

The other year, when every cross, free-kick or corner meant we conceded a goal. Remember cornalties? Sorted. I'm pretty confident that we could concede a dozen corners in succession now and we'll happily clear them all. That would have been unthinkable 18 months ago.

Lowest possession in the league? Stoke City turn up and get more than 50% possession in a match for the first time ever in their half decade in the Premier League? Fine, let's turn 30% ball possession into 70% ball possession.

This is the frustrating thing - eventually a problem is sorted, but it's at the expense of all the other stuff. Whack one mole and another pops it's head up. He'll probably work out a way to sort of the goalscoring like the other problems that he's managed to sort out. But it'll be at the expense of something else and we'll all get angry about a new set of records that said new problem brings about.

That is an excellent summation and one that leaves you thinking he could eventually be the manager we want him to be. Sadly, it would also require even more patience from the supporters and also from the players, some of whom most likely won't want to risk their careers stagnating or will be tempted away while we wait for the changes to take effect.

It is easy to fix something like our old corner problem, just play two fullbacks who are taller and more physical with some aerial ability instead of Bennett and Lowton. It's easy to bump up possession stats, just tell the players to play no risky passes and keep the ball among your defenders for longer periods.

How long are we going to give him to fix something more complicated and fundamental to success, like being able to win more than a quarter of our home games? Or even just score at home occasionally? Because he's been trying that for 50+ games and is getting nowhere.

[olaftab]

This is the frustrating thing - eventually a problem is sorted, but it's at the expense of all the other stuff. Whack one mole and another pops it's head up. He'll probably work out a way to sort of the goalscoring like the other problems that he's managed to sort out. But it'll be at the expense of something else and we'll all get angry about a new set of records that said new problem brings about.

I guess this is the problem of not having better players in our squad. Better teams take care of all the things you have mentioned. Inadequate teams can do one thing or the other. Play tight defensive football=zero or very little attacking options. Go for goals and end up conceding more than you score. However the current way is the correct way to fix it for the long term. Start with defence and than buy better attacking/creative players to fix attack. However teams can not do this sometimes because time and resources are not there and by the time you are ready to fix the unfixed part the  fixed part starts breaking up and struggle continues.

[Witton Warrior]

How long are we going to give him to fix something more complicated and fundamental to success, like being able to win more than a quarter of our home games? Or even just score at home occasionally? Because he's been trying that for 50+ games and is getting nowhere.

"We" have no authority, power or influence over the period of time Lambert the Chancer has - that is the pisser!

[supertom]

We're the most boring side in the Premier League apparently. Hard not to agree to be fair. Seems like we're last on Match of The Day almost every week too.

https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/revealed--most-boring-team-in-the-entire-premier-league-224430343.html

[PeterWithesShin]

So basically, conceding a lot makes things more exciting? A few 8-0 drubbings and we'd be a lot higher in the boring table. Makes sense.

[supertom]

So basically, conceding a lot makes things more exciting? A few 8-0 drubbings and we'd be a lot higher in the boring table. Makes sense.

Well I suppose for the neutrals it's not good to watch a team ruin games by camping out on the edge of their own box to try and drain all life out of a game.
We've stopped doing that quite so much recently, but still couldn't score in a brothel.

I did expect a Keegan-esque side full of brazen attacking intent when Lambert came in. Winning 4-3 one week, lose 5-4 the next. It's been less gung-ho and more ho-riffic.

[LTA]

I actually believe Lambert has done the unthinkable and ousted O'Leary from the position of most disliked Villa manager.  That in itself is an achievement.....and not a good one either.

I am absolutely certain that you are wrong.

He's not far off it.

There's that hyperbole you like so much again.

He's nowhere near, give it 2 years after he's left and he'll be largely forgotten, Dolly will always be hated because he's an arse, Lambert's just not very good at his job, there's a vast difference.  This is also why most people don't hate McLeish, he didn't deserve to be hated.

Theres not that big a difference.

Both came to the club to replace managers who were perceived as outdated.  Both showed initial glimpses that they had a clue, but then spent the rest of their tenures sucking the life out the place.

Lambert has humiliated the club far more than DOL managed.  There were never repeated relegation battles under DOL.

[pauliewalnuts]

I actually believe Lambert has done the unthinkable and ousted O'Leary from the position of most disliked Villa manager.  That in itself is an achievement.....and not a good one either.

I am absolutely certain that you are wrong.

He's not far off it.

There's that hyperbole you like so much again.

He's nowhere near, give it 2 years after he's left and he'll be largely forgotten, Dolly will always be hated because he's an arse, Lambert's just not very good at his job, there's a vast difference.  This is also why most people don't hate McLeish, he didn't deserve to be hated.

Theres not that big a difference.

Both came to the club to replace managers who were perceived as outdated.  Both showed initial glimpses that they had a clue, but then spent the rest of their tenures sucking the life out the place.

Lambert has humiliated the club far more than DOL managed.  There were never repeated relegation battles under DOL.

You're still focusing on the wrong thing, though.

The original point was "most disliked Villa manager".

The points about how awful their records are, how they were outdated, how the football was terrible etc etc whilst being undeniable, are pretty much irrelevant to the point he made. They are different things being discussed.

I thought the football at home under MON was fucking awful, for example, and I think he was a ****** to fuck us over the way he did when he left, but I dislike him way, way less than I do O'Leary.

Lambert to me looks to be from the same pool of managerial dross as O'Leary and McLeish, but of those three, I dislike DOL way more than the others.

Nothing to do with their respective records (McLeish had a worse win record than Lambert, for example) and everything to do with the personal side of things.

[RussellC]

Lambert's assertion that we "just aren't finishing off all the chances we're creating" is absolutely absurd. If he really believes that then why has he not recalled Darren Bent, the player most capable of doing just that on our pay-roll??

Watching Villa under Lambert is like the first time you play FIFA and you haven't quite worked-out which the 'shoot' button is. Just repeatedly.

[McGraths Dry Cleaning]

Villa are relying on the Micawber principle and relegation avoidance is the name of the game. No matter what anyone says in a press conference after a match this is the only thing they care about until the club is sold - so we play not to lose rather than to win.

[Clampy]

Lambert's assertion that we "just aren't finishing off all the chances we're creating" is absolutely absurd. If he really believes that then why has he not recalled Darren Bent, the player most capable of doing just that on our pay-roll??

Watching Villa under Lambert is like the first time you play FIFA and you haven't quite worked-out which the 'shoot' button is. Just repeatedly.

He reckons we're playing well too. I thought the last time we played well was against Man Utd in the second half.

[Matt Collins]

I thought we were quite good at swansea too. But the last two home games have been dirge

[silhillvilla]

I thought we were quite good at swansea too. But the last two home games have been dirge

Swansea got their goal and conserved themselves happily letting us play square ball after square ball across the midfield . It was a poor show other than 2 efforts in stoppage time.