Whose to blame for Comical Lambert ?

[dave.woodhall]

Fans feel a sense of "ownership" regardless of the nuts and bolts of owning/limited companies etc.

Contexts count. I think Most Villa fans would be very happy with some sense of stability at the moment and hope that a team that includes Guzan, our solid defence this season, Sanchez, Delph, Agbonlahor, and Benteke could do better than 15th.
I doubt that equals "a successful team" in most fans' views.

It's glib out of context.

It strikes me as the sort of thing that gets said at clubs like Spurs with some nonsensical sense of tradition in order to put across some even more nonsensical sense of entitlement. Yes, we all want to see a team that combines the flair of BFR with the ruthless winning mentality of 1980-81 but to tie it up with wanting "our" Villa back and saying that it'll happen as soon as we get a new owner and/or manager just seems a bit daft.

[saunders_heroes]

Fans feel a sense of "ownership" regardless of the nuts and bolts of owning/limited companies etc.

Contexts count. I think Most Villa fans would be very happy with some sense of stability at the moment and hope that a team that includes Guzan, our solid defence this season, Sanchez, Delph, Agbonlahor, and Benteke could do better than 15th.
I doubt that equals "a successful team" in most fans' views.

It's glib out of context.

It strikes me as the sort of thing that gets said at clubs like Spurs with some nonsensical sense of tradition in order to put across some even more nonsensical sense of entitlement. Yes, we all want to see a team that combines the flair of BFR with the ruthless winning mentality of 1980-81 but to tie it up with wanting "our" Villa back and saying that it'll happen as soon as we get a new owner and/or manager just seems a bit daft.

"Our club" should certainly not be perennial relegation strugglers that's for sure, but that's what we've become under Lerner and Lambert. Competing in the top half of the Premier League should be the bare minimum for Aston Villa, not the shit we've become over the last 5 seasons.
Don't see anything controversial in saying that.

[dave.woodhall]

Fans feel a sense of "ownership" regardless of the nuts and bolts of owning/limited companies etc.

Contexts count. I think Most Villa fans would be very happy with some sense of stability at the moment and hope that a team that includes Guzan, our solid defence this season, Sanchez, Delph, Agbonlahor, and Benteke could do better than 15th.
I doubt that equals "a successful team" in most fans' views.

It's glib out of context.

It strikes me as the sort of thing that gets said at clubs like Spurs with some nonsensical sense of tradition in order to put across some even more nonsensical sense of entitlement. Yes, we all want to see a team that combines the flair of BFR with the ruthless winning mentality of 1980-81 but to tie it up with wanting "our" Villa back and saying that it'll happen as soon as we get a new owner and/or manager just seems a bit daft.

"Our club" should certainly not be perennial relegation strugglers that's for sure, but that's what we've become under Lerner and Lambert. Competing in the top half of the Premier League should be the bare minimum for Aston Villa, not the shit we've become over the last 5 seasons.
Don't see anything controversial in saying that.

It's still a meaningless phrase, particularly if you want to build a revolution around it.

[PeterWithesShin]

The only time I felt it wasn't my Villa in my time was the tail end of MON. We were Martin O'Neill's Villa and no one elses.

[saunders_heroes]

Fans feel a sense of "ownership" regardless of the nuts and bolts of owning/limited companies etc.

Contexts count. I think Most Villa fans would be very happy with some sense of stability at the moment and hope that a team that includes Guzan, our solid defence this season, Sanchez, Delph, Agbonlahor, and Benteke could do better than 15th.
I doubt that equals "a successful team" in most fans' views.

It's glib out of context.

It strikes me as the sort of thing that gets said at clubs like Spurs with some nonsensical sense of tradition in order to put across some even more nonsensical sense of entitlement. Yes, we all want to see a team that combines the flair of BFR with the ruthless winning mentality of 1980-81 but to tie it up with wanting "our" Villa back and saying that it'll happen as soon as we get a new owner and/or manager just seems a bit daft.

"Our club" should certainly not be perennial relegation strugglers that's for sure, but that's what we've become under Lerner and Lambert. Competing in the top half of the Premier League should be the bare minimum for Aston Villa, not the shit we've become over the last 5 seasons.
Don't see anything controversial in saying that.

It's still a meaningless phrase, particularly if you want to build a revolution around it.

Perhaps it is but at the very least it's a start and a way of drawing attention to what Lerner and Lambert are doing to the club. It's about time the fans started to speak up.

[saunders_heroes]

The only time I felt it wasn't my Villa in my time was the tail end of MON. We were Martin O'Neill's Villa and no one elses.

Oh please!

[dave.woodhall]

Perhaps it is but at the very least it's a start and a way of drawing attention to what Lerner and Lambert are doing to the club. It's about time the fans started to speak up.

In a way that's guaranteed to make us look clueless at best.

[saunders_heroes]

Perhaps it is but at the very least it's a start and a way of drawing attention to what Lerner and Lambert are doing to the club. It's about time the fans started to speak up.

In a way that's guaranteed to make us look clueless at best.

I agree it's a bit lame, but we're football fans and we're never going to have a sophisticated protest. If it draws attention to what Lerner has done to us over these last 5 seasons then I'm all for it though. The media are starting to take an interest at last.

[dave.woodhall]

Perhaps it is but at the very least it's a start and a way of drawing attention to what Lerner and Lambert are doing to the club. It's about time the fans started to speak up.

In a way that's guaranteed to make us look clueless at best.

I agree it's a bit lame, but we're football fans and we're never going to have a sophisticated protest. If it draws attention to what Lerner has done to us over these last 5 seasons then I'm all for it though. The media are starting to take an interest at last.

It doesn't need to be particularly highbrow but the people behind it should at least be able to answer the question "What do you want?"

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I think some sense of pride in what we stand for - and we have plenty in that department, but none on the pitch - is what is meant. As I stated earlier: a sense of direction, purpose and intent. Lambert's first season many consider a disaster, but we could also see that there was some sense of purpose and a plan by May. That has simply disappeared.
I don't think we do expect BFR's flair and Saunders' ruthless winning mentality.
We simply expect the Villa manager and players to work hard for each other, the team, the club, the owner and the fans with some sense of pride in their collective efforts.
Leicester showed that on Saturday.
We were embarrassing by comparison.

[remy]

"We want a our club back" - may be glib when put into the context of spuds and their sense of entitlement.

For me it resonates because I have a different interpretation.

Me wanting my club back doesnt mean I have a sense of entitlement to be sitting in the top 4 because we won the EC in 1982.

I dont expect a hybrid of the class of 81 and 92 and for us to be top 4 regulars. I am a realist. Somewhere in the top 10 with the odd cup run thrown in based on the resources we have at our disposal.

What I dont expect is for us to be perennially shite for so long and allowed to carry on still. I was at VP last week and the whole atmosphere felt toxic. The staff were miserable, the fans are miserable, our reputation is in tatters, 3 points off relegation, one goal in the last 6 league games, ad nauseum.

Where is the knowledge that whoever is in charge is HERE and has the best interests of AVFC at heart.

The players dont look up for it - manager at fault.

The tactics, substitutions, team selection - manager at fault.

Same monotone, deluded after match analysis from the manager. 

However it happens, me wanting my club back means:

I'd expect to walk in to Villa Park to buy a ticket for an upcoming game knowing that ok they might be better than us but we'll give them a game not hoping Guzan will keep their score down.

I'd expect to play a 4th division team in the cup over 2 legs and expect to beat them not wondering whether that 7-1 odds is too good to resist year after year.

I'd expect to be beaten 8-0 by a World XI not Chelsea.

I'd expect not to be at VP in the 55th minute and be 3-0 down to Wigan. Wigan!

Me wanting my club back is for the players to care about playing for us, a manager to show balls and to know what he is doing. If it isnt working then the guys in charge to relieve him and bring the next one in.

I want the club to tell the fans about the plan they have for AVFC and to communicate with us. I want the club to know when the fans arent happy and to do something about it.

[dave.woodhall]

You want your team to be doing better. There's nothing wrong with that - as I keep saying, it's what every supporter in the word wants but you still haven't said anything about how it's going to happen.

[saunders_heroes]

You want your team to be doing better. There's nothing wrong with that - as I keep saying, it's what every supporter in the word wants but you still haven't said anything about how it's going to happen.

Persuading the chairman to stop running the club on a bloody shoestring would be a start.

[aj2k77]

I don't know if it's happened yet but it should. Have a short list drawn up of targets to take over should things get worse or continue along the same path.

If the manager is 100% bullet proof no matter what then how is that a healthy situation for the club to be in.

[NeilH]

Without wishing to piss on everyone chips, I am really struggling with this concept of wanting the club back and its key goal. It’s a known fact that Lerner wants to sell up and it’s a known fact that until he does we are totally and utterly stuck in limbo. Given that he is going to spend the bare minimum until such time as we can be sold, I simply fail to see how a protest or indeed any other action about wanting our club back would be beneficial. Surely it’s a fact that until we get a buyer for the club, no matter how loud we scream and shout, nothing whatsoever will change. It’s a horrible and totally unpalatable truth, but it’s where we are right now.

As regards Lambert, as I pointed out yesterday, he’s been a total and utter letdown, even though the sentiment for hiring him was sound. It’s obvious that we should be in a better position than where we are, but to me it’s also equally obvious that given the paucity of funds and a great reluctance to spend any more on payoffs (see above), we are stuck with him for at least this season. I genuinely believe that the aim of the club is to maintain the status quo until such time as a buyer is in the offing. Up to now, Lambert has just managed to achieve this (just) and has ticked all of Lerner’s requirements.

I’ve said before, that I firmly believe that the club has provisions in place already for a relegation, as the risk of us going down is simply too high to ignore. Little has been done to arrest the declining crowds and I suspect an even greater decline would also prompt a change in tack. Bottom line is that the infrastructure is in place, the support base remains there and would almost certainly come back in the event of a new owner, so why rock the boat. As a fan it’s extremely hard to write this, as it goes against every principle of a football club and is painful for the club I love. I suspect that Lerner has long stopped caring though about the state of play on the field and has simply instructed his advisors to sell up and keep a steady ship at minimum cost until it’s done.