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

[Jimbo]

That howled at the moon for TSM's head is way off the truth.   I was there and so were you.   We put up with a great deal from Alex McLeish and it was absolutely nothing to do with where he came from.   It snapped at the Bolton game and we turned him out.   That is not howling at the moon, it was a very quick and humane coup de grace.   Why do journalists tell so many lies?

It's because they don't know what they're talking about, so they rely on received wisdom. It doesn't matter whether it's true or not, it's the generally accepted story so they stick with it.

[peter w]

From The Guardian's Cup round up:

14) Lambert risks the wrath of a forgiving Villa faithful
The discrepancy between Paul Lambert’s press conference assessment and the FA Cup tie witnessed at Villa Park yesterday left the attendant media somewhat bemused. The Holte End had just turned on the Aston Villa manager for the first time in his tenure, three minutes before Christian Benteke’s winning goal broke Blackpool’s resistance. Lambert said he found their vehemence “strange”. With 12 goals from 22 games this season, and three wins from the last 17, it is stranger that Villa fans have remained supportive of Lambert. In these days of short-term reigns and so little loyalty, strange but laudable. It is as if, with Randy Lerner hitting stony ground thus far in his attempt to sell up, the Villa crowd have become accustomed to mediocrity.

After the relatively heady days of three successive top-six finishes and two Wembley visits under Martin O’Neill, Villa fans never bought into Gérard Houllier. They positively howled at the moon until delivered with Alex McLeish’s head on a plate. Yet after finishing 15th in the Premier League in each of the past two seasons, with one run to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup (where they lost to Bradford City from League Two), and now facing a third successive campaign endeavouring to keep their heads above the relegation parapet, Lambert has received very little grief from the crowd.

Benteke was a superb signing, even if he has flattered to deceive in the past 18 months, and the likes of Ashley Westwood and Fabian Delph have developed into good Premier League midfield players. The players work hard for him and are now trying to adapt to a preferred passing game, but still lack touch and movement. Lambert is deluded if he thinks maintaining harmless possession in recent games against Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Blackpool equals progress. Lambert has been fortunate to avoid too much criticism thus far. But if he continues to praise Villa’s performances every week, not distinguishing between the good and the bad games, then he risks alienating supporters further. In these dour, difficult days for Villa he needs to keep a forgiving fan base onside. Peter Lansley

Is that the same article as before? if not its very similar.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Lambert has been fortunate to avoid too much criticism thus far. But if he continues to praise Villa’s performances every week, not distinguishing between the good and the bad games, then he risks alienating supporters further. In these dour, difficult days for Villa he needs to keep a forgiving fan base onside. Peter Lansley

Hard to disagree with any of that.

Of course, winning two games in a row would also bring back "lambo lambo give us a wave" rather than "lambert out". Villa fans have been amazingly patient with Lambert.

[mark west]

Backwards it's Rool B Droffasbes. The manager of The Westley Arms.

He's a gooD gaffer. That,s my loCal.

[Goldie.7]

Backwards it's Rool B Droffasbes. The manager of The Westley Arms.

He's a gooD gaffer. That,s my loCal.

Hey Westley back so soon I see 

[brian green]

The clue is in the name.   Westley is really Eastie aka Rool B Droffatsbes.   On the subject of the thread, the media also missed the chant from the Holte of "boring, boring Lambert".   That is the verdict which will dish him because he can and will and always has deflected calls for his removal as subjective spite.   The indisputable fact that even the most thick red top reporter can appreciate is that the games he masterminds have the crowd so comatose they need tasering to get up and go home.

[LeeB]

Backwards it's Rool B Droffasbes. The manager of The Westley Arms.

He's a gooD gaffer. That,s my loCal.

The 'cut and paste' technique used by kidnappers and such like, doesn't really work online. Nice try though.

[Risso]

Yes, well said sir. (To Paulie for his earlier post)

[SoccerHQ]

We've been pretty patient with managers in recent years.

It took until Wigan away in March for the first sustained McLeish out chants to be sung from the majority of the crowd and then we had the infamous Bolton game two months later when the whole of VP joined in.

And Lambert has got off very lightly considering our home record under him has been two and a half years near enough of utter rubbish.

Compare all this with Houllier. The crowd were after him after three months. His problem was following O'Neil and top 6 finishes although the Liverpool comments and Man. City selection didn't help.

[ciggiesnbeer]

We've been pretty patient with managers in recent years.

It took until Wigan away in March for the first sustained McLeish out chants to be sung from the majority of the crowd and then we had the infamous Bolton game two months later when the whole of VP joined in.

And Lambert has got off very lightly considering our home record under him has been two and a half years near enough of utter rubbish.

Compare all this with Houllier. The crowd were after him after three months. His problem was following O'Neil and top 6 finishes although the Liverpool comments and Man. City selection didn't help.

That was a very very stupid thing to do though. I don't blame Villa fans for being upset over that at all.

[PeterWithesShin]

His Liverpool love-in was a tad annoying but no more, especially when you consider how we reacted to SGT returning with Watford, and the way he waved to us. What pissed me off was when he said something along the lines of the game was lost as soon as it went to 2-0. The was still over 70 mins to go and it was the defeatist attitude that got to me.

[Steve67]

And yet, near to the end of his tenure, we started to play better. I think I personally would have liked to have seen what might have happened under Houllier for another season.

[pauliewalnuts]

Houllier said, to the French press, in his press conference when he was revealed as our new (well, when he'd finished his old job) manager that he thought "this is not a club on the level of Liverpool".

There's nothing wrong with him thinking that. There are lots of things wrong with him saying it to the press.

That was his problem. He put his foot in his mouth so frequently that, when he really needed all the friends he could get, he had needlessly fucked most of them off.

[Gareth]

If the Sinclair or Januzaj rumours are to believed it seems playing with width might be the next experiment in line...he truly is like the flakiest kid in the school, changes his mind with the weather.

If he is being trusted with a transfer pot that confirms to me that we are stuck with him, be hopes his scattergun approach to tactics eventually stumbles on one that actually works, you know the one, the one where he isn't the only one who thinks we were 'excellent'

At least another 6 months of protecting the 'nil' - Joy!!!  4more years of it will the test even the staunchest supporter to believe

[pbavfckuwait]

No one expects a manager to come out and crucify individual players if they have had a nightmare, the part I do not get and really pisses me off, is his "Excellent performance" "We played really well" "They worked so hard'. all this crap.
If we have not played to the required standard admit it and tell the supporters what you are going to try and do about it, not go from possession is over rated, to now we keep the ball well in our new style and the players are loving it.
Just stinks off which way is the wind blowing this week.
No plan we can see, no tactical awareness we can also see, but this false sincerity aarrrggghhhh.