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

[Malandro]

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.

It would not alter the appalling results and statistics.
If he is judged on unearthing a few gems, he is in the wrong job. He should be a head scout.

[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.

It would not alter the appalling results and statistics.
If he is judged on unearthing a few gems, he is in the wrong job. He should be a head scout.

It wouldn't but Brian was speaking about transfers.

[Toronto Villa]

Aston Villa target Watford sporting director Luke Dowling as Randy Lerner plans restructure at the club
Aston Villa are planning a restructure of the hierarchy of the club
They are interesting in bringing in Watford sporting director Luke Dowling
Dowling was a scout for Crystal Palace before moving to Portsmouth
By SIMON JONES

Aston Villa are considering Watford sporting director Luke Dowling as they plan a restructure of the club.

Dowling, 37, a former scout for Crystal Palace, worked as head of recruitment at Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United prior to joining Watford last summer.

Villa chief executive Tom Fox is looking to support manager Paul Lambert by adding new staff behind the scenes to help with recruitment and commercial activities.

Watford sporting director Dowling is well connected within the game and was considered by Tottenham Hotspur for their technical director role prior to Franco Baldini getting the role, but Randy Lerner is now showing an interest.
Leeds approached Dowling last summer but he rejected the role.

[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.

Mine was better than yours.  :-)

Oh no it wasn't 

[Malandro]

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.

It would not alter the appalling results and statistics.
If he is judged on unearthing a few gems, he is in the wrong job. He should be a head scout.

It wouldn't but Brian was speaking about transfers.

Fair enough, should have read the bit above

[SamTheMouse]

I dunno about a director of football. But I think Fox should look to recruit a manager to help Lambert out.

[ChicagoLion]

It has taken him a few attempts to sort out fullbacks, he still hasn't- Sissoko is pretty awful.

After many attempts to sort out the midfield he has failed, it is not necessarily that they are bad players it is that he either does not have the blend or the tactics to get it right.

As someone said, when you look at his record it tells you that he is a XXXXXing awful manager.

No excuses just awful.

[Legion]

Sissoko does not play for us. If you mean Cissokho, he is a decent defender, but admittedly not great at going forwards.

[Nastylee]

Sissoko does not play for us. If you mean Cissokho, he is a decent defender, but admittedly not great at going forwards.

I'd agree. Based on the last few seasons, no one can argue Lambert hasn't put the defence right this year. Don't we have the fifth best defensive record?

[paul_e]

Sissoko does not play for us. If you mean Cissokho, he is a decent defender, but admittedly not great at going forwards.

and he looked decent going forward early on, it was once the results started going against us and we became static up front that he began to look lost going forward.

[KevinGage]

Part of the issue we have had this season is that both our fullbacks- although  more solid than the previous pair- don't offer much in the final third.

I personally don't have an issue with that.  For me, it is better to have Cissokho and his limitations than Bennett or Bertrand and enough space for three No.11 buses down our left flank.

But if you are going to go that route, you need width from your attacking players.  And we haven't had that either.

[pauliewalnuts]

I dunno about a director of football. But I think Fox should look to recruit a manager to help Lambert out.

I'd go as far as to say he should recruit a manager to manage our football club.

[saunders_heroes]

Part of the issue we have had this season is that both our fullbacks- although  more solid than the previous pair- don't offer much in the final third.

I personally don't have an issue with that.  For me, it is better to have Cissokho and his limitations than Bennett or Bertrand and enough space for three No.11 buses down our left flank.

But if you are going to go that route, you need width from your attacking players.  And we haven't had that either.

Cissokho isn't the best, but Christ he's better than Bennett. What on earth was Lambert thinking when he signed him.

[pauliewalnuts]

Part of the issue we have had this season is that both our fullbacks- although  more solid than the previous pair- don't offer much in the final third.

And too often it is actually our right back who looks our only recognisable attacking "threat"

[mattjpa]

Part of the issue we have had this season is that both our fullbacks- although  more solid than the previous pair- don't offer much in the final third.

And too often it is actually our right back who looks our only recognisable attacking "threat"

I've got to say I think Hutton does just fine when going forward. Cissokho was decent at Liverpool, as is Bertrand at soton. It's about how you use players that counts