Press-ed off

[Clampy]

We generally saw out games well under MON iirc.

We were doing it well enough two months ago. That's my biggest frustration under Lambert - once we do something well we suddenly stop doing it.

The consistency or rather the lack of it is the main reason why he should move on. If we had won yesterday, there is a very good chance we'd have gone on to lose the next two or three and that's been his downfall.

[pbavfckuwait]

Clampy and what makes you think we still wont go and lose the next 2 or 3, or 4 or 5 or another 6.

[Clampy]

Clampy and what makes you think we still wont go and lose the next 2 or 3, or 4 or 5 or another 6.

That's what i'm saying, there's a good chance we might have done that even if we had won yesterday.

[paul_e]

I don't see how anybody can blame the manager for the winner.

No the second goal was down to Sanchez being indisciplined - because he can't last 90minutes yet and was clearly shattered. The first goal was down to Agbonlahor being somewhere where he shouldn't have been. - because how can anyone possibly plan to defend a corner without having the specific players available

Nothing to do with Lambert at all.

Both are things Lambert could have influenced if it's nothing to do with him at all when stuff happens on the pitch then we're really wasting a hell of a lot of money having him at the club.


Genuine mistakes (like Guzan dropping one at Lukaku's feet) aren't the manager's fault but positioning errors or players still being on the pitch when they've run out of steam or the whole team dropping deeper and letting teams back into the game are all things that the manager has to be responsible for.


More important than anything else though, everything at the club is in a deep malaise and Lambert has been able to address that.  If he can't then the only choice is to clear out the coaches and management and let the boost come from the relief of the fans.

[darren woolley]

Another good read Dave.

[QBVILLA]

I don't see how anybody can blame the manager for the winner.

No the second goal was down to Sanchez being indisciplined - because he can't last 90minutes yet and was clearly shattered. The first goal was down to Agbonlahor being somewhere where he shouldn't have been. - because how can anyone possibly plan to defend a corner without having the specific players available

Nothing to do with Lambert at all.

Both are things Lambert could have influenced if it's nothing to do with him at all when stuff happens on the pitch then we're really wasting a hell of a lot of money having him at the club.


Genuine mistakes (like Guzan dropping one at Lukaku's feet) aren't the manager's fault but positioning errors or players still being on the pitch when they've run out of steam or the whole team dropping deeper and letting teams back into the game are all things that the manager has to be responsible for.


More important than anything else though, everything at the club is in a deep malaise and Lambert has been able to address that.  If he can't then the only choice is to clear out the coaches and management and let the boost come from the relief of the fans.

There was nothing wrong with Agbonlahor's starting position, in which case the manager and the coaching staff have done their job. The fact he stood and ball watched is down to the player. There's plenty to have a go at Lambert about but that was solely down to the player not doing his job.

[Drummond]

Good managers make sure they have players doing their jobs in the team.

[QBVILLA]

Good managers make sure they have players doing their jobs in the team.

Come on there's mistakes, players switching off etc all of the time. The better players make fewer mistakes. By all means slate Lambert for 6 defeats on the bounce and all of the other shitty records he has set but there's no way his instruction to Agbonlahor was " you stand there and do bugger all"

[Drummond]

Of course, but how many times will we see players switching off or making silly mistakes?

It's time after time with us and that's because either the manager isn't telling them what to do, or because they don't really give a shit.

[paul_e]

Gabby not being able to defend in the position he took up is Lambert's problem.  You can train players for that and if it doesn't stick with them you don't put them in that spot, give it to someone else and shove Gabby on the edge of the box.

The instructions won't have been 'stand there and do nothing' I agree, but it seems like they were 'go and do everything Christian should've been doing', the issue being that Gabby can't do that.  That's a tactical error by the manager, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of a guy you've worked with for nearly 2 1/2 years should be basics.

[QBVILLA]

Gabby's defended that area before as he is good in the air (relatively compared to his teammates). Player error for me. As was the second from a late challenge by Sanchez, but again the winner came from a piss poor free kick which took a massive deflection. The two goals in my opinion were not tactical errors. The fact Spurs kept  finding space between the full backs and centre halves was my issue with Lambert on Sunday. Same as QPR did last week.

[paul_e]

You don't see keeping sanchez on as a tactical error?  This is the guy who 6 days earlier had looked great for an hour and then clearly hit a wall and had clearly done the same on Sunday.

Aside from that the manager has to take responsibility for performances even if there are errors by players same as any other management job, the buck stops with you.

[Clark W Griswold]

Lambert shouldn't still be here, but that said he has had some bad luck with injuries. Whilst we have to keep playing the sub premier league standard Baker, Lowton and Clark we are always going to concede lots of goals, there is no avoiding it. If we got Senderos and Hutton back to play with Vlaar and Sissoko and can keep that together for a while you might start to see us seeing games out better. The next problem is in regard to the holding midfielder. We haven't had a good one for years now, and thought that Sanchez would be the answer. So far he is not, hopefully that situation will improve with time. Delph is now injured and had been our best midfielder. Together with Richardson and Westwood a solid (ish) three had formed. I think most of us were hoping Sanchez would eventually be an improvement on Westwood, but all the same those three looked pretty solid and that has broken up. Finally, our best player (and goal threat) has been injured and is only just coming back. The kind of guy that against the good opposition could mix it with the best and give you a chance at the other end.

I still think with our best 11 being all fit and Sanchez coming good, we don't have a lot to worry about, but it still goes to show that some of our stand in's are no stand in at all.

[QBVILLA]

Of course, but how many times will we see players switching off or making silly mistakes?

It's time after time with us and that's because either the manager isn't telling them what to do, or because they don't really give a shit.

I answered the post last week regarding the claim that we have a squad who aren't top 6 but definitely aren't bottom 6 either. In my opinion the current squad is bottom six. The players simply aren't good enough. Put them all up for sale tomorrow and where would they go? Benteke,Delph and Vlaar possibly to a top 6 side. The others? Bottom end of the Prem and Championship. How many of these players would get into the side that finished 6th in 2009? Benteke over Carew maybe, but the rest wouldn't get a sniff. This is the worst Villa squad we have had in the past 25 years and that is why we are once again in a relegation battle. Can be argued that Lambert has signed these players, can also be argued that with the financial restraints he has been limited in who he could buy. Doesn't really matter, the players are of sub standard quality. Couldn't knock the effort on Sunday, couldn't knock the commitment they just weren't good enough to beat a poor Spurs side.

[QBVILLA]

You don't see keeping sanchez on as a tactical error?  This is the guy who 6 days earlier had looked great for an hour and then clearly hit a wall and had clearly done the same on Sunday.

Aside from that the manager has to take responsibility for performances even if there are errors by players same as any other management job, the buck stops with you.

Yes Sanchez ran out of steam at QPR and I agree the manager has to take responsibility for the results. On Sunday we were down to 10 men and looking at the bench even with the benefit of hindsight I don't think Sanchez could've been subbed. For the record i'd be happy to see the back of Lambert now i'm not blindly supporting him but I think blaming him for the goals on Sunday are off the mark.