FC Groningen vs Aston Villa

[mr underhill]

 IMO no amount of extra time is going to change the fact that as a manager of Aston Villa Lambert has, is, and will always be a failure.

[Pete3206]

At this rate, Lambert's "McLeish" moment may well be approaching. I'm going for the Hull match.

[WestleyArmsAV]

Epic overreaction as per usual.

If we beat Parma by the same score next week I'm sure it will be that they are a week behind us in terms of fitness.

UTV.

[paulcomben]

"The results don’t matter.” Paul Lambert.  http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-paul-lambert-plays-7553888

[UK Redsox]

Groningen wegoagain

[bobdylan]

Still no Cole?  Looks like Richardson will be playing further forward in his absence leaving us woefully short at left back.  It's a disgrace that Lambert has signed been here 2 years, signed 3 or 4 full backs and yet Hutton and Stevens are probably the best two full backs at the club.

[silhillvilla]

At this rate, Lambert's "McLeish" moment may well be approaching. I'm going for the Hull match.

I thought he'd had that moment several times already? 0-8 0-4 0-3 Xmas, Bradford, millwall, Sheffield Utd.

[pauliewalnuts]

At this rate, Lambert's "McLeish" moment may well be approaching. I'm going for the Hull match.

I don't want to sound like I am having a go at you here - I am not, I've seen lots of people say similar - but I can not believe anyone really thinks this way. At least if that means a McLeish moment as the point at which his sacking becomes inevitable.

Look at the wider picture.

The owner, having not bothered to pay much attention for two years, has finally admitted he wants out and is trying to sell.

Thus far, we have no buyer, but now it is all in the open, the owner doesn't even have to pretend to be interested.

As a result of this we are in a "deep freeze" situation, whereby he will spend as little energy, attention or money on the club as he can get away with.

That is why, now the CEO has had enough, we have a CFO being both CFO and CEO, and it is why we won't be getting a new CEO in a hurry - the owner wants out, he's trying to sell, who would take the job in the knowledge they'll probably be out when we get sold?

And why is Lerner going to go to the bother of finding and paying for a new CEO when he's had enough?

That is why we are doing nothing, absolutely nothing that suggests anyone is looking beyond the extremely short term.

We've signed three free transfers. Why is that? It is because they're free, they don't involve spending money. We've stopped talking about ambition. Why is that? Because we don't have any - the owner wants out, what does he care?

So, given all that, why does anyone think Lerner is going, at any point, to sack Lambert? Lambert's record on paper the last two years screams "sack me", so why hasn't he been sacked?

Because Lerner does not want the hassle of having to find a new manager, and because he does not want the expense.

I genuinely think that while Lerner is here, Lambert is the safest manager in the premier league. He just has to keep things ticking over. He's not going to be expected to do any more because there is a total lack of interest and organisation at all points above him at the club.

Managers get sacked because they fail to meet expectations - Lambert is working under *no* expectation. There isn't a CEO to be breathing down his neck any more, and there isn't a bothered, interested owner there, either, and that is why there will be no d-day for him this season.

[pauliewalnuts]

Still no Cole?  Looks like Richardson will be playing further forward in his absence leaving us woefully short at left back.  It's a disgrace that Lambert has signed been here 2 years, signed 3 or 4 full backs and yet Hutton and Stevens are probably the best two full backs at the club.

Cole is injured.

[silhillvilla]

I see the club are blanket emailing tonight re avtv re subscriptions at £35. Timing impeccable as ever.

[Locko]

It appears we're screwed. The ship is rudderless and about to sail off the edge of the world. The captain is locked in his cabin dreaming of the Shumanites. The first officer jumped overboard to swim for shore a while ago. The navigator has lost his charts, if he ever had them. The bosun is New and his autocratic methods have fermented mutiny on his previous vessels. The crew meanwhile look on like bemused strangers. In short gents we're fucked, unless the good and catastrophically inept captain is prepared to take a hefty financial hit, and get the fuck out of Dodge and hand over to someone who is less of a clueless bastard, we're going this season..

[ciggiesnbeer]

Still no Cole?  Looks like Richardson will be playing further forward in his absence leaving us woefully short at left back.  It's a disgrace that Lambert has signed been here 2 years, signed 3 or 4 full backs and yet Hutton and Stevens are probably the best two full backs at the club.

Cole is injured.

I expect this to be said a lot in the upcoming months.

[andyh]

Have we actually had a close season ?
I KNOW today was a friendly but it seems to me very much like a continuation of last season.
Same approach, same mis-mash of players, same lack of ideas, same bloody result !!

[Ron Manager]

I'm sorry to say this but, there is nothing, absolutely nothing to look forward to.

I just wish Mr Lerner and Mr Lambert would go as far away from this club as is possible.

[Louzie0]

It appears we're screwed. The ship is rudderless and about to sail off the edge of the world. The captain is locked in his cabin dreaming of the Shumanites. The first officer jumped overboard to swim for shore a while ago. The navigator has lost his charts, if he ever had them. The bosun is New and his autocratic methods have fermented mutiny on his previous vessels. The crew meanwhile look on like bemused strangers. In short gents we're fucked, unless the good and catastrophically inept captain is prepared to take a hefty financial hit, and get the fuck out of Dodge and hand over to someone who is less of a clueless bastard, we're going this season..

And in other news, the Titanic looks unsinkable.