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

[Damo70]

Micky Quinn on Talksports says Lambert is doing his job by keeping us in the top flight and that things wont change until he is given more money. Cant believe the bullshit that man spouts.

Yes Micky Quinn the great mind  of  our  times!

The thickest, fattest moron in football punditry. His show with some equally brainless woman on Talkshite on a Sunday morning really scrapes the bottom of the barrel. And that is saying something, as there is a lot of competition out there

You aint seen nothing fatter than the mighty Quinn.

Can't stand the fat fucker, no nothing gobshite. Talkbollocks must require all presenters to have been lobotomised before being considered. I love that Alan Brazil is still broken hearted enough about 80/81 to hate us now.

You don't fancy Quinn as our new manager then?

[pooligan]

After yesterdays fight at the end of the game, i can see another misconduct /failure to control our players charge looming. How many is that this season ,three ?  Another unwanted Lambert record?

[Yossarian]

No-one should take Micky Chinn seriously. The idiot.

Of course that's true, but I haven't got an issue with him on this. It's clear to me Lambert's only remit is to keep us in the PL on a tight budget while Lerner tries to sell, and as horrible as it is that's what he's doing.
I want rid of Lambert as much as the next fan, but let's not forget who the real villain of the piece is - it's Randy Lerner.

I have to agree on this. Even if Lambert resigned tomorrow and we found a new manager to replace him the new manager's brief would  be to keep us up with the minimum amount of fuss and bother.

[Jockey Randall]

I've backed Lambert quite a lot over the last few years but the amount of goals we have scored so far is shocking and unacceptable. The thing I can't get my head around is we have been a counter attacking team for the last few years, doing ok against teams that come and play against us and struggling against anyone that sits in and tries to frustrate. So nearly halfway through the season Lambert decides we'll try and become a possession based team and do exactly the thing we're terrible at - breaking teams down. I could stomach it if we'd signed some creativity which would enable us to do this but all we've added is Sanchez who allows us to dominate the middle of the park, not create bundles of chances.

[Monty]

I've also been very impressed with Allardyce. I'm not sure the thuggish element of his playing style is totally gone, but certainly the attacking style is much more exciting.

[Toronto Villa]

I've also been very impressed with Allardyce. I'm not sure the thuggish element of his playing style is totally gone, but certainly the attacking style is much more exciting.

Sorry Monty I posted my thoughts in the wrong thread. It's in the Lambert replacement thread now.

[Des Little]

Is it safe to assume that Lambert isn't going to be sacked, regardless of how bad it gets?

[Witton Warrior]

Is it safe to assume that Lambert isn't going to be sacked, regardless of how bad it gets?

I think that a fortnightly barrage of "We want Lambert out" might eventually filter through to the USofA

[Boz]

Is it safe to assume that Lambert isn't going to be sacked, regardless of how bad it gets?

I think that a fortnightly barrage of "We want Lambert out" might eventually filter through to the USofA

Surely Fox must be wanting something done about keeping Villa in the Premiership. Today's papers mention Villa interested/bidding/loaning players but who'd want to come to Villa if they want to keep their reputation, because Lambert is a sure bet to make a player look worse with his lack of nous.

[Malandro]

If Lambert wants creativity and surely that in its naked form means goal assists - how many assists has S.Sinclair provided in the premier league? As you can more or less say he is a main transfer target

[caster troy]

Starting tomorrow I am hoping for:

'Randy's jet seen at the airport'
'Randy at bodymoor heath!'
Club statement! He's gone!
Cowans in charge for Liverpool game
We beat the scousers
New manager appointed next week
'John Gregory style' european charge
Top half finish
FA Cup win

I can dream can't I?

[old man villa fan]

Cissohko isn't even that strong defensively. As has been pointed out, we don't concede many goals but go back through them and you'll see he's at fault for quite a few of them, generally when he switches off and let's his man get in front of him.

The thing for me with Cissohko is that when he arrived he seemed to want to take defenders on but over the course of this season seems to have had that coached out of him. Now he generally runs until he comes up to a defender then will stop, turn round and pass it back to a centre half. It's just so pointless.

That's my view on him as well.  When he first came he put his head down, had pace and power and got to the penalty area and put some very good crosses into very dangerous areas.  He now looks as though he has no confidence at all playing a slow game.

[JUAN PABLO]

I heard only rumours somewhere about a director of football coming in.

[Boz]

Interesting comments from the Metro, which I was surprised about.A journalist who seems to know about Villa other than the normal journalistic dross. What he doesn't address though is Lambert's inability to get  players playing to a consistent standard and style.

This Villa squad, in its current state, will hit a mid-table glass ceiling because the majority aren’t consistent performers. And, in footballing terms at least, we barely have a brain cell to rub together.

In the first half against Sunderland, we spent lots of time with the ball but lacked the imagination and invention to hurt them. We were ponderous and resorted to crosses too close to a 6′ 8″ goalkeeper, while failing to fill up the box.

Andi Weimann is a hard worker but made poor decisions all game, while Charles N’Zogbia compounded a lack of intelligence by being lazy as well.

By contrast, Carlos Sanchez once again showed he is the best thinker in the team with another commanding performance, his best in a Villa shirt. He knows exactly when to engage an attacker and when to drop in to protect the back four, and is growing in confidence with the ball at his feet.

In the Colombian, Lambert has found the perfect anchorman; in Jores Okore, he’s unearthed a centre-back of enormous promise; and in Benteke he’s nabbed himself a supreme goalscorer.

Now he must be given the funds to add a winger (and an attacking midfielder if possible) who not only has the tricks to unlock a defence – but the nous to know how and when to pick the right pass.

Without it, we know what we are. A willing, if limited, side destined to be looking over our shoulder at the scrap beneath us.

[old man villa fan]

I have always had a very simple view of a managers job in football.  He firstly looks at what players he has at the club and sets a style of play that gets the most out of them and, secondly, looks to the future and players to buy that will improve the team, which, may or may not, mean changing the style of play.

I have been one of Lambert's supporters because I think he has been dealt a bad hand but my view has completely changed with the recent change of tactics.  If a style of play least suited the offensive part of the Villa team, this is it.  We have fullbacks that do not have the skill to play with a slow build up, we have no attacking midfield players with drive and we have two forwards in Gabby and Weimann that lack the vision and skill to drop deep and link play.  Add to this the passing ability of most of the team is shocking.  The result of this change is that we have negated the effect of our one true star player.  To make this change mid-season and one so diametrically opposed to before beggars belief.

If Lambert really thinks this suits us better, then he has not a clue.  I could understand something half way between before and now because that was the way we should have been heading but not this.