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

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

Lambert was employed by Lerner and is working within the pitiful budget offered to him by the man at the top.
The buck stops with Lerner.

Out of curiosity, do you think Lambert is getting the most out of the players he has?

Absolutely not. I want him out (and have done for 2 years now), but Lerner isn't capable of replacing him because he hasn't the ambition to get a decent replacement in and he won't give the new manager the budget required to get us out of this mess that he created. What ambitious manager would take over at Villa with such a tight fisted chairman in charge??

Calling Lerner tighfisted is the most hilarious thing i've ever read on here and I've been on here a few years. Laughable, utterly laughable.

Laugh all you like. What's not so funny is the decline of Aston Villa over the last 5 seasons, which in my opinion is all down to Lerner pulling the plug on finances.

I'm not laughing at the decline, i was laughing at your post.

Laugh away. Your constant defence of Lerner while his penny pinching plunges Villa into a painful decline is probably funny as well, but I don't find it amusing.

why would he throw more money at it? He hasn't got the finances to get us into the chumps league and so he isn't going to get any additional return on any money that he invests than he already is. He is a business man with a finite amount of money

the world changed when Man City came into money, and us being pretenders to the champions league at that time suffered more than probably most, especially as they also took our 2 best players at the time. We missed the boat back then I'm afraid

cough'Southampton'cough

Southampton meaning what?

[dcdavecollett]

C&BB is referring to the tactic of accumulating ridiculous fees from mugs (chiefly Liverpool) for moderate players them spending the money wisely.

At least PL is good at the last bit.

[brian green]

Claiming that Lambert is good at buying players is like claiming a roulette players who spreads his chips all over the baize has plenty of winning bets. The test of how skilful the roulette player is comes from counting how many chips he has left and how many he started with. The test of how good a player buyer Lambert is is what the players he has bought actually deliver on the pitch. It is all very well to claim that, for example, Benteke was an excellent buy, he is only an excellent buy when he is scoring goals which he is not. If you need transport to work and to live, which is the better buy the old banger that starts first time every time and never lets you down or the top of the range BMW that won't start? The league table does not lie, it tells you unerringly how good your players are performing and player value is dictated by one thing only, performance.

[PeterWithe]

With the signing of Sinclair and Gil it may now be that we play with 2 wingers. What, tactically, does Lambert believe in? After 3/4 years I still don't know.

[walsall villain]

With the signing of Sinclair and Gil it may now be that we play with 2 wingers. What, tactically, does Lambert believe in? After 3/4 years I still don't know.

It's a clear option but I can't see him doing it

[Ian.]

With the signing of Sinclair and Gil it may now be that we play with 2 wingers. What, tactically, does Lambert believe in? After 3/4 years I still don't know.

I don't know and agree but as we're well and truely stuck with him let's hope having a couple wingers will be a start of a new style of play which might bring some goals to our game.
At least we have some different options now.

[kippaxvilla2]

Amazing what a win over a championship side which made 8 changes can be spun.
Paul Lambert says Villa are upbeat ahead of the clash with Arsenal - with the club "moving in a really good direction."

Villa travel to the Emirates in Sunday's lunchtime kick-off looking to build on their FA Cup win over Bournemouth.

Lambert says the signings of Carles Gil and Scott Sinclair and the commitment of Fabian Delph to the claret and blues for the next four-and-a-half years has given everyone an extra spring in the step.

He's now relishing the Gunners battle.

He said: "Fabian has signed. Carlos has come in and is playing the way he is. Scott has come in too. He will be a breath of fresh air.

"There's a lot of good things going on. This club is moving in a really good direction.

"We go to Arsenal with plenty of confidence and with guys who are really enjoying their football.

"The Fabian Delph news was massive for us. I think when Fabian announced to everyone he was staying it gave everyone a massive lift.

"Fabian staying was huge for this football club, a brilliant thing."

On the Emirates encounter, he continued: "They are a good side.

"We have gone there before and won. It's a great place to play football.

"We will go there with confidence and try to win.

"There are good signs at the club. The way the lads train, work, apply themselves - I couldn't ask for any more.

"I think the Bournemouth game helped us with the way we played and the chances we did create. The lads are really upbeat and there's a really good feeling."



Lambert is adamant, too, that it's only a matter of time before Christian Benteke gets back to his brilliant best.

The big Belgian returned to action against Manchester City in October after recovering from a six-month injury lay-off following a ruptured achilles.

Since netting in December meetings with Crystal Palace and Man Utd, the forward has struggled to assert himself in the past few Barclays Premier League matches.

This weekend, Villa face Arsenal - an opponent the 24-year-old has traditionally enjoyed playing against - with three goals in four league appearances against the north Londoners.

And the boss is confident Benteke can continue his fine record against Arsene Wenger's men.

He said: "This is probably one of the only dips he's had in his career. He'll come through it. He'll bounce back from it.

"Christian is still a big threat.

"We have to get him back to what he did in his first year here.

"He's missed a lot of football. I knew it would happen as well.

"This week he's looked a little bit more like himself. You've also got to remember the type of injury that he had. He didn't have a pre-season either."

[passport1]

I think Lambert is in the role of head coach at the club. Players are signed without his input and he then has to find a system to suit them.

Its the only explanation I can find for his total inability to find a consistent system.

Well there is another explanation which several others have given.

[saunders_heroes]

I think Lambert is in the role of head coach at the club. Players are signed without his input and he then has to find a system to suit them.

Its the only explanation I can find for his total inability to find a consistent system.

Well there is another explanation which several others have given.

I doubt that very much. Other than Lambert what other football people are above his pay grade? Absolutely no one from what I can see. Na, Lambert has been given a pitiful budget and the result of that is what we see on the pitch

[mr underhill]

I believe in ghosts, UFO's/alien humanoid life-forms more than I believe in Lambert's ability to effectively coach and manage AVFC, regardless of the starting 11.Mind you, he talks enough bollocks to almost convince me he is from another world.

[nigel]

Amazing what a win over a championship side which made 8 changes can be spun.
Paul Lambert says Villa are upbeat ahead of the clash with Arsenal - with the club "moving in a really good direction."

Villa travel to the Emirates in Sunday's lunchtime kick-off looking to build on their FA Cup win over Bournemouth.

Lambert says the signings of Carles Gil and Scott Sinclair and the commitment of Fabian Delph to the claret and blues for the next four-and-a-half years has given everyone an extra spring in the step.

He's now relishing the Gunners battle.

He said: "Fabian has signed. Carlos has come in and is playing the way he is. Scott has come in too. He will be a breath of fresh air.

"There's a lot of good things going on. This club is moving in a really good direction.

"We go to Arsenal with plenty of confidence and with guys who are really enjoying their football.

"The Fabian Delph news was massive for us. I think when Fabian announced to everyone he was staying it gave everyone a massive lift.

"Fabian staying was huge for this football club, a brilliant thing."

On the Emirates encounter, he continued: "They are a good side.

"We have gone there before and won. It's a great place to play football.

"We will go there with confidence and try to win.

"There are good signs at the club. The way the lads train, work, apply themselves - I couldn't ask for any more.

"I think the Bournemouth game helped us with the way we played and the chances we did create. The lads are really upbeat and there's a really good feeling."



Lambert is adamant, too, that it's only a matter of time before Christian Benteke gets back to his brilliant best.

The big Belgian returned to action against Manchester City in October after recovering from a six-month injury lay-off following a ruptured achilles.

Since netting in December meetings with Crystal Palace and Man Utd, the forward has struggled to assert himself in the past few Barclays Premier League matches.

This weekend, Villa face Arsenal - an opponent the 24-year-old has traditionally enjoyed playing against - with three goals in four league appearances against the north Londoners.

And the boss is confident Benteke can continue his fine record against Arsene Wenger's men.

He said: "This is probably one of the only dips he's had in his career. He'll come through it. He'll bounce back from it.

"Christian is still a big threat.

"We have to get him back to what he did in his first year here.

"He's missed a lot of football. I knew it would happen as well.

"This week he's looked a little bit more like himself. You've also got to remember the type of injury that he had. He didn't have a pre-season either."

You can also spin it this way:
A team that is constantly being regarded as just a mid championship team, make six changes beat a Bournemouth team that beat Rotherham 5-1 away, beat WBA and gave Liverpool a game, before losing.

[passport1]

As ever we are all trying to explain the inexplicable

[kippaxvilla2]

Amazing what a win over a championship side which made 8 changes can be spun.
Paul Lambert says Villa are upbeat ahead of the clash with Arsenal - with the club "moving in a really good direction."

Villa travel to the Emirates in Sunday's lunchtime kick-off looking to build on their FA Cup win over Bournemouth.

Lambert says the signings of Carles Gil and Scott Sinclair and the commitment of Fabian Delph to the claret and blues for the next four-and-a-half years has given everyone an extra spring in the step.

He's now relishing the Gunners battle.

He said: "Fabian has signed. Carlos has come in and is playing the way he is. Scott has come in too. He will be a breath of fresh air.

"There's a lot of good things going on. This club is moving in a really good direction.

"We go to Arsenal with plenty of confidence and with guys who are really enjoying their football.

"The Fabian Delph news was massive for us. I think when Fabian announced to everyone he was staying it gave everyone a massive lift.

"Fabian staying was huge for this football club, a brilliant thing."

On the Emirates encounter, he continued: "They are a good side.

"We have gone there before and won. It's a great place to play football.

"We will go there with confidence and try to win.

"There are good signs at the club. The way the lads train, work, apply themselves - I couldn't ask for any more.

"I think the Bournemouth game helped us with the way we played and the chances we did create. The lads are really upbeat and there's a really good feeling."



Lambert is adamant, too, that it's only a matter of time before Christian Benteke gets back to his brilliant best.

The big Belgian returned to action against Manchester City in October after recovering from a six-month injury lay-off following a ruptured achilles.

Since netting in December meetings with Crystal Palace and Man Utd, the forward has struggled to assert himself in the past few Barclays Premier League matches.

This weekend, Villa face Arsenal - an opponent the 24-year-old has traditionally enjoyed playing against - with three goals in four league appearances against the north Londoners.

And the boss is confident Benteke can continue his fine record against Arsene Wenger's men.

He said: "This is probably one of the only dips he's had in his career. He'll come through it. He'll bounce back from it.

"Christian is still a big threat.

"We have to get him back to what he did in his first year here.

"He's missed a lot of football. I knew it would happen as well.

"This week he's looked a little bit more like himself. You've also got to remember the type of injury that he had. He didn't have a pre-season either."

You can also spin it this way:
A team that is constantly being regarded as just a mid championship team, make six changes beat a Bournemouth team that beat Rotherham 5-1 away, beat WBA and gave Liverpool a game, before losing.

Mine was better than yours.  :-)

[Clampy]

With the signing of Sinclair and Gil it may now be that we play with 2 wingers. What, tactically, does Lambert believe in? After 3/4 years I still don't know.

I just wonder if the Leicester away game was a tipping point, not just for the fans but for the club as well. We were so utterly woeful and uncreative that day, maybe words were said. Gil and Sinclair coming in might suggest it.

[PeterWithesShin]

Claiming that Lambert is good at buying players is like claiming a roulette players who spreads his chips all over the baize has plenty of winning bets. The test of how skilful the roulette player is comes from counting how many chips he has left and how many he started with. The test of how good a player buyer Lambert is is what the players he has bought actually deliver on the pitch. It is all very well to claim that, for example, Benteke was an excellent buy, he is only an excellent buy when he is scoring goals which he is not. If you need transport to work and to live, which is the better buy the old banger that starts first time every time and never lets you down or the top of the range BMW that won't start? The league table does not lie, it tells you unerringly how good your players are performing and player value is dictated by one thing only, performance.

What if all the big bets pay off and only some of the smaller bets do? If we cashed in on every player Lambert has bought we'd have more chips than we started with.