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

[Monty]

'Lively' is one word for it. Barely a minute passed when he wasn't whinging his arse off about something. He concocted this idea that there was a great refereeing conspiracy against Celtic, he insulted fans behind the dugouts, his team ground their way to the most uninspiring title processions you'll ever see. Lambert was able to motivate players at Norwich, has higher level experience than Lennon ever did and has about as lively a personality as Lennon - if by lively you mean 'grumbling misanthropic sod'.

[andyh]

'Lively' is one word for it. Barely a minute passed when he wasn't whinging his arse off about something. He concocted this idea that there was a great refereeing conspiracy against Celtic, he insulted fans behind the dugouts, his team ground their way to the most uninspiring title processions you'll ever see. Lambert was able to motivate players at Norwich, has higher level experience than Lennon ever did and has about as lively a personality as Lennon - if by lively you mean 'grumbling misanthropic sod'.

re: Lennon & Referees. see last nights match report on the BBC

[Gregorys Boy]

'Lively' is one word for it. Barely a minute passed when he wasn't whinging his arse off about something. He concocted this idea that there was a great refereeing conspiracy against Celtic, he insulted fans behind the dugouts, his team ground their way to the most uninspiring title processions you'll ever see. Lambert was able to motivate players at Norwich, has higher level experience than Lennon ever did and has about as lively a personality as Lennon - if by lively you mean 'grumbling misanthropic sod'.

He was able to motivate players at Norwich, but one of the issues withhim at Villa is that he has never adjusted to life at a bigger club for me.  Not saying Lennon wouldn't represent a gamble, but then so would most managers nowadays.

[Monty]

I think we need to escape the dreary British manager merry-go-round. Compared to someone like Lennon, Lambert is enlightened football-wise. The one thing which all these smaller clubs doing better than they should have in common - Swansea, Southampton, now Bournemouth and Brentford - is that none of them do football the old British way. It's all the continental innovations, from Milan-style sports science to Klopp-style 'transition' tactics via Barca-style preoccupation with possession stats. The fact that all three of these have since been picked apart doesn't matter - we can learn something from them, but the general British way is as it mostly has been, ie twenty years behind the curve.

[pauliewalnuts]

He was able to motivate players at Norwich, but one of the issues withhim at Villa is that he has never adjusted to life at a bigger club for me.

Is it also worth noting that this is his first encounter with prolonged struggling, at a club where his struggles will get lots of coverage?

[ChicagoLion]

Having seen the Bolton v Liverpool game last night, I was impressed with how Lennon has improved Bolton since he's been there, from bottom to mid table and is just what Villa need. Although the Scousers outplayed them, Bolton worked really hard as a team and might have pinched it but for the sending off. Perhaps Lambert might have a Scottish mumble with Lennon and pick up a few tips.

I doubt it mate, he went to Bayern Munich and came back with the stupid goal kicks to fullbacks near the corner flag idea. He'd probably go to Bolton and come back with the drum.

Brilliant

[FranzBiberkopf]

I think we need to escape the dreary British manager merry-go-round. Compared to someone like Lennon, Lambert is enlightened football-wise. The one thing which all these smaller clubs doing better than they should have in common - Swansea, Southampton, now Bournemouth and Brentford - is that none of them do football the old British way. It's all the continental innovations, from Milan-style sports science to Klopp-style 'transition' tactics via Barca-style preoccupation with possession stats. The fact that all three of these have since been picked apart doesn't matter - we can learn something from them, but the general British way is as it mostly has been, ie twenty years behind the curve.

Absolutely. The "Proven Premier League experience" is/was a death knell for anything radical. I'm all for being brave, a Thomas Tuchel type of appointment.

You mention Klopp above. I'd still bite yer arm off for him. Staggering though whats gone on at Dortmund this season. Lost again last night too. Surely they're fall this season (CL excepted) has to be unprecedented in recent times?

[Monty]

I sort of feel that the whole Kloppmund thing was so built on emotion and momentum that as soon as it went the other way it was always going to really fall apart. They've got momentum for being rubbish as they used to have momentum for being good. A pure footballing collapse like this does indeed look unprecedented.

Doesn't invalidate the playing style, though, which was very interesting and exciting. And I agree about Tuchel (or my favourite, Prandelli, 'cos I'm a dreamer), and about that 'Premier League experience' bullshit. It was very embarrassing.

[joe_c]

I think we need to escape the dreary British manager merry-go-round. Compared to someone like Lennon, Lambert is enlightened football-wise. The one thing which all these smaller clubs doing better than they should have in common - Swansea, Southampton, now Bournemouth and Brentford - is that none of them do football the old British way. It's all the continental innovations, from Milan-style sports science to Klopp-style 'transition' tactics via Barca-style preoccupation with possession stats. The fact that all three of these have since been picked apart doesn't matter - we can learn something from them, but the general British way is as it mostly has been, ie twenty years behind the curve.

I agree but there seems to be, and it might just be me that thinks this, an ambience of "Oh, we've tried that before and it didn't work" emanating from the club.

[Monty]

Well, if they think that, then you have to wonder why they don't apply the same criteria to Lambert, who has been tried and has not worked, or to the meat-and-potatoes British approach in general which got us in this mess. If they think one season of Houllier amounts to a reall effort to catch up to the footballing curve, then blimey are we in trouble.

[Ads]

I think we need to escape the dreary British manager merry-go-round. Compared to someone like Lennon, Lambert is enlightened football-wise. The one thing which all these smaller clubs doing better than they should have in common - Swansea, Southampton, now Bournemouth and Brentford - is that none of them do football the old British way. It's all the continental innovations, from Milan-style sports science to Klopp-style 'transition' tactics via Barca-style preoccupation with possession stats. The fact that all three of these have since been picked apart doesn't matter - we can learn something from them, but the general British way is as it mostly has been, ie twenty years behind the curve.

I agree but there seems to be, and it might just be me that thinks this, an ambience of "Oh, we've tried that before and it didn't work" emanating from the club.

That is excatly what the McLiesh appointment was and also Lambert. Getting back to what they knew previously in an effort to replicate our limited success under O'Neill. The issue however, was that it was more Randy's millions injected into the squad than anything astouding from the manager.

 

[Stu]

Would the club also be able to say, should Lambert get the push, that they gave the fans what they wanted last time and now they'll ask Fergie who to appoint again?

[andyh]

I'd just ask fergie if he wants the job !

[ciggiesnbeer]

No more British/Irish managers thank you.

[Des Little]

Look at that.  Over 95% want him gone.  Do the high rollers at the club ever look at stuff like this?