Turmoil

[SamTheMouse]

There seems to have been a general downgrading of expectations when it comes to Villa in recent seasons, and it's infected the media too. This idea that Lerner has reined in the spending seems to have convinced everyone outside Villa that the constant stream of terrible performances and setting of dire new records is somehow to be expected.

I think the "lack of funds" argument has become a convenient cover that serves to deflect deserved criticism of poor performances.

[Duncan Shaw]

It may not be as irrelevant as you think.  We tend to kick towards the Holt in the second half.  So, without doing the research I'd guess it means we very rarely score in the second half at home, which may be a pointer to one of our footballing / tactical problems?  Ie - get our noses in front, sit back, concede late, go home frustrated.

Absolutely - and here is that research.

Since we played Cardiff at the start of November last year we've scored two goals in the second half of league matches at Villa Park (Benteke's consolation against Arsenal and Delph's winner against Chelsea). It goes up to a whopping three if we include Helenius' in the cup defeat to Sheffield Utd.

That can definitely put in the 'not good enough' file.

Grant Holt scored in front of the Holte in the second half of the match against Fulham. Doesn't make it much better though!

As was Benteke's penalty winner against the Baggies.

[WestleyArmsAV]

It may not be as irrelevant as you think.  We tend to kick towards the Holt in the second half.  So, without doing the research I'd guess it means we very rarely score in the second half at home, which may be a pointer to one of our footballing / tactical problems?  Ie - get our noses in front, sit back, concede late, go home frustrated.

Absolutely - and here is that research.

Since we played Cardiff at the start of November last year we've scored two goals in the second half of league matches at Villa Park (Benteke's consolation against Arsenal and Delph's winner against Chelsea). It goes up to a whopping three if we include Helenius' in the cup defeat to Sheffield Utd.

That can definitely put in the 'not good enough' file.

Grant Holt scored in front of the Holte in the second half of the match against Fulham. Doesn't make it much better though!

As was Benteke's penalty winner against the Baggies.

Interesting how certain "stats" get fabricated.

[SamTheMouse]

How about these, then?

[Toronto Villa]

How about these, then?

[img width=400 height=299]https://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/p526x296/10806466_969820216378870_4575755757511542955_n.jpg?oh=90ffe15e53cbda4486006752530e00fe&oe=55071A38[/imago

Happy days...

[Dave]

It may not be as irrelevant as you think.  We tend to kick towards the Holt in the second half.  So, without doing the research I'd guess it means we very rarely score in the second half at home, which may be a pointer to one of our footballing / tactical problems?  Ie - get our noses in front, sit back, concede late, go home frustrated.

Absolutely - and here is that research.

Since we played Cardiff at the start of November last year we've scored two goals in the second half of league matches at Villa Park (Benteke's consolation against Arsenal and Delph's winner against Chelsea). It goes up to a whopping three if we include Helenius' in the cup defeat to Sheffield Utd.

That can definitely put in the 'not good enough' file.

Grant Holt scored in front of the Holte in the second half of the match against Fulham. Doesn't make it much better though!

As was Benteke's penalty winner against the Baggies.

Interesting how certain "stats" get fabricated.

Is it? That a quick scan down the BBC results page meant I missed two goals which I thought were in the first half. I'm not sure that it is all that interesting really.

Do you feel that scoring four second half goals at home in the last thirteen months rather than two is therefore nothing to be concerned about?

[Monty]

How about these, then?

Fuck.

[Clampy]

It may not be as irrelevant as you think.  We tend to kick towards the Holt in the second half.  So, without doing the research I'd guess it means we very rarely score in the second half at home, which may be a pointer to one of our footballing / tactical problems?  Ie - get our noses in front, sit back, concede late, go home frustrated.

Absolutely - and here is that research.

Since we played Cardiff at the start of November last year we've scored two goals in the second half of league matches at Villa Park (Benteke's consolation against Arsenal and Delph's winner against Chelsea). It goes up to a whopping three if we include Helenius' in the cup defeat to Sheffield Utd.

That can definitely put in the 'not good enough' file.

Grant Holt scored in front of the Holte in the second half of the match against Fulham. Doesn't make it much better though!

As was Benteke's penalty winner against the Baggies.

Interesting how certain "stats" get fabricated.

I think we can all agree that 4 goals at home this season (two of which were in one game) is not good enough.

[LeeB]

Lambert for me is in a curious limboland where he's not good enough to do the job but not doing badly enough to warrant the sack. I can't bring myself to actively want us to lose to bring about his dismissal. I'd accept it if it happened, shrug my shoulders and say it's probably for the best but I would much rather we started winning.

I can't think of another club at any professional level, where the current run wouldn't have got him the sack.
Or the run at the end of last season.
Or the run over Christmas in his first season.
Or the accumulated picture that from around the time of the Chelsea game last year, results have got progressively worse and we're now in a nosedive.

I think that Christmas in his first season broke him. He kept doing the same thing as earlier in the season because he couldn't think what else to do (rabbit in headlights.)

He took stock that first summer, basically shit himself at how close we'd come, resolved that we'd be tighter defensively with the 18 months of banging heads against walls that have followed (rabbit in headlights again)

I think he could get us playing half decent stuff based on the odd glimpses we see and what we saw at Norwich.  Unfortunately he no longer trusts himself or his players.

I think he was fearless in that first season, he stuck to his principles, players got into the team on merit ( granted in many cases is was down to rivals being utter dross) and it was eventually rewarded as we not only stayed up but were vibrant if naive.

Then after a decent start, the loss of Okore seemed to derail the whole thing in hindsight, he shit himself and retreated, found most of his new recruits were shit and since then it's been a succession of injuries and clustersfucks.

The about turn in policy itself would have undermined his credibility in itself with the current squad, and that would soon enough be transferred to new players, let alone the back room shennanigans, and if that was agreed what was needed then another man should have been appointed to carry it out.

[Matt C]

That graphic is pretty terrifying.

If you put a league table together based on final 10 games of last seasons through to now I can imagine where we'd be too.

Still, the boss 'doesn't believe in stats' does he? 

[edgysatsuma89]

How about these, then?

Fuck.

There is no limboland... he's been shit. Come down VP to be entertained.

[WestleyArmsAV]

How about these, then?

Yet not 20th in the most important position, and yet win pick up four points this week we are mid-table.

But hey, I'm planted.

UTV

[pauliewalnuts]

How about these, then?

[img width=400 height=299]https://scontent-b-cdg.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/p526x296/10806466_969820216378870_4575755757511542955_n.jpg?oh=90ffe15e53cbda4486006752530e00fe&oe=55071A38[/imago

Happy days...

We were table toppers back then. Table toppers. Inverse ones, admittedly, but hey ho.

[pauliewalnuts]

How about these, then?

Yet not 20th in the most important position, and yet win pick up four points this week we are mid-table.

But hey, I'm planted.

UTV

The problem is, at the rate we accrue points, those four points would take about a month for us to get them, and not only that, we'd need to be hoping everyone between us and mid table picks up no points in the meantime.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think he was fearless in that first season, he stuck to his principles, players got into the team on merit ( granted in many cases is was down to rivals being utter dross) and it was eventually rewarded as we not only stayed up but were vibrant if naive.

I agree entirely.

In as much as Westley (I don't want to single him out, but he's the only one making the point) feels that Lambert is not getting the support he deserves, it is worth noting that, at the end of the first season on here, Lambert had immense support levels.

It was last season that he started to really let us down.

I can't speak for anyone else, but although i want us to sack him ASAP, I will still be pretty gutted about it. I really, really wanted it to work out for him, and supported him for ages, so as gutted it hasn't worked, but it hasn't. And not only that, it seems to be getting worse.

Lambert has had immense levels of support. I can't think of many clubs where the fans would have been behind him as much as we were after the first season.