Fox says sacking Lambert would be like flicking a coin??

[N'ZMAV]

Just listened to his interview on the radio, what a pile of patronising shite. 'False narratives' my arse, you spend less than everyone else year after year (at a time when turnover is £30m > than during the O'Neil years), you will generally get inferior players and finish lower down the league than them. The longer you do this the less likely you are to buck the trend. I could present statistics to prove this obvious and simple fact if he doesn't believe me...

Secondly no-one's going to buy this crap about us being on track for top half finishes, cup finals and European runs. In this, Lambert's 3rd season we have made zero progress from his first in terms of league position. And are we supposed to believe the owner knows what a long term plan is? We've already had 'the 5 year plan' which mysteriously vanished into thin air, followed by the most ridiculously polar managerial appointments one could imagine.

in short, fuck off Tom.

Not bad. I'm prepared to give him a chance though.

[aj2k77]

Can anyone tell me these things that are going on behind the scenes? It did seem like patronizing drivel.
Of course the likes of Gabby are saying nice things about the gaffer, he never drops them.

Overhaul of the scouting system, don't know if it's happened yet.
Rumours of someone coming in to do the things Paul doesn't believe in or knows about (football management?) like data analysis, diet etc
Assistant manager? Has anyone looked for one?
Coaches? Maybe employing some with decent experience, respected at the top level?

There's lots we can do but haven't yet.

[Dave]

I don't get why Fox cant just come out and be straight with people, rather than this irritating habit of talking in riddles.

Short of "this isn't good enough so we've decided to sack the manager and his staff", what sort of thing could he say that would make you happier?

[Dante Lavelli]

Newcastle have recently lost their manager and and as a consequence have had to promote Carver to manager for the rest of the season.  I'd like to think that we would be shopping in the same market as Newcastle (for a manger) and therefore there is a decent chance that we too would fail to find anyone decent.  Maybe that is the point which Fox is trying to make with his 'coin toss' statement.

Assuming Lambert's job IS safe, Newcastle's Carver experiment could be an interesting Sliding Doors comparison.  My prediction is that they will get worse from their current 11th position.

Hopefully the fact that Fox has said such a thing means that the idea is on the agenda and he is thinking of candidates for the summer.

[hilts_coolerking]

Just listened to his interview on the radio, what a pile of patronising shite. 'False narratives' my arse, you spend less than everyone else year after year (at a time when turnover is £30m > than during the O'Neil years), you will generally get inferior players and finish lower down the league than them. The longer you do this the less likely you are to buck the trend. I could present statistics to prove this obvious and simple fact if he doesn't believe me...

Secondly no-one's going to buy this crap about us being on track for top half finishes, cup finals and European runs. In this, Lambert's 3rd season we have made zero progress from his first in terms of league position. And are we supposed to believe the owner knows what a long term plan is? We've already had 'the 5 year plan' which mysteriously vanished into thin air, followed by the most ridiculously polar managerial appointments one could imagine.

in short, fuck off Tom.

Thank you for that thoughtful contribution to the debate.

It may have been crudely expressed but, in his defence, there's more passion, truth and insight in his post than there is in today's statement.

[London Villan]

You are all seeing a different narrative though...

[ciggiesnbeer]

Wait, was the interviewer Pat Murphy?

What a twat. I would love to see Pat Murphy fired thats for damn sure. No downside there.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Newcastle have recently lost their manager and and as a consequence have had to promote Carver to manager for the rest of the season.  I'd like to think that we would be shopping in the same market as Newcastle (for a manger) and therefore there is a decent chance that we too would fail to find anyone decent.  Maybe that is the point which Fox is trying to make with his 'coin toss' statement.

Assuming Lambert's job IS safe, Newcastle's Carver experiment could be an interesting Sliding Doors comparison.  My prediction is that they will get worse from their current 11th position.

Hopefully the fact that Fox has said such a thing means that the idea is on the agenda and he is thinking of candidates for the summer.

Which, under all the bluff and rhetoric, is pretty much how I read it too.

[London Villan]

Faulkener said the same about not sacking TSM1. They looked at the facts of teams that had done sacked managers mid-season and the odds indicated they shouldn't... The fact he shouldn't have been appointed in the first place is a moot one.

[LTA]

I don't get why Fox cant just come out and be straight with people, rather than this irritating habit of talking in riddles.

Short of "this isn't good enough so we've decided to sack the manager and his staff", what sort of thing could he say that would make you happier?

I expect him not to patronize and belittle the fans (the people who contribute towards his wages).  Who exactly does he think he is?

That interview is an absolute disgrace.  Hes basically telling us to pay our money and stop moaning.

[saunders_heroes]

Just listened to his interview on the radio, what a pile of patronising shite. 'False narratives' my arse, you spend less than everyone else year after year (at a time when turnover is £30m > than during the O'Neil years), you will generally get inferior players and finish lower down the league than them. The longer you do this the less likely you are to buck the trend. I could present statistics to prove this obvious and simple fact if he doesn't believe me...

Secondly no-one's going to buy this crap about us being on track for top half finishes, cup finals and European runs. In this, Lambert's 3rd season we have made zero progress from his first in terms of league position. And are we supposed to believe the owner knows what a long term plan is? We've already had 'the 5 year plan' which mysteriously vanished into thin air, followed by the most ridiculously polar managerial appointments one could imagine.

in short, fuck off Tom.

Thank you for that thoughtful contribution to the debate.

It may have been crudely expressed but, in his defence, there's more passion, truth and insight in his post than there is in today's statement.

Indeed.
And who in their right mind believes Lerner is "having fun with the club again"? If this is his idea of having fun God help Villa if he gets a bit bored of us again.

[Dante Lavelli]

I don't get why Fox cant just come out and be straight with people, rather than this irritating habit of talking in riddles.

Short of "this isn't good enough so we've decided to sack the manager and his staff", what sort of thing could he say that would make you happier?

I expect him not to patronize and belittle the fans (the people who contribute towards his wages).  Who exactly does he think he is?

That interview is an absolute disgrace.  Hes basically telling us to pay our money and stop moaning.

Can you pinpoint what he actually said which lead you to reach that conclusion?  There is absolute justification for being pissed off with the whole situation but I don't think he has done too much wrong here - what is the disgraceful bit for example?

[john e]

the 'wrong narative' will now go down into the forum history along with the Shumanite women, we go again, Barry's penalty, Parma's attendance and fists all over you, etc

in ten years time and more it will be trotted out in posts on this good old site from time to time,
its what football boards are all about, brilliant

[hilts_coolerking]

Don't forget African car reverser.

[pauliewalnuts]

Just listened to his interview on the radio, what a pile of patronising shite. 'False narratives' my arse, you spend less than everyone else year after year (at a time when turnover is £30m > than during the O'Neil years), you will generally get inferior players and finish lower down the league than them. The longer you do this the less likely you are to buck the trend. I could present statistics to prove this obvious and simple fact if he doesn't believe me...

Secondly no-one's going to buy this crap about us being on track for top half finishes, cup finals and European runs. In this, Lambert's 3rd season we have made zero progress from his first in terms of league position. And are we supposed to believe the owner knows what a long term plan is? We've already had 'the 5 year plan' which mysteriously vanished into thin air, followed by the most ridiculously polar managerial appointments one could imagine.

in short, fuck off Tom.

Thank you for that thoughtful contribution to the debate.

It may have been crudely expressed but, in his defence, there's more passion, truth and insight in his post than there is in today's statement.

Indeed.
And who in their right mind believes Lerner is "having fun with the club again"? If this is his idea of having fun God help Villa if he gets a bit bored of us again.

Indeed.

And I wonder how that "false narrative" chimes with the reasons they gave for binning McLeish - after one season, lest we forget, rather than 2.5 - which were as follows.

"Aston Villa can confirm that Alex McLeish's contract has been terminated with immediate effect. The club has been disappointed with this season's results, performances and the general message these have sent to our fans.

"The board wishes to assure supporters that we are conscious in every sense that Villa expects and deserves more and we will strive to deliver this."

Villa chairman Randy Lerner said: "We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years.

"Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.

"The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club's potential and embraces our collective expectations."

So, back then Lerner - in his own words - thought compelling play and results showing we were on the right track had been "plainly absent".

Fast forward to now, and since then we've had another unbroken 2.5 years of pretty much exactly the same "plain absence" of compelling play and results, but now it is all about "false narratives".

I understand their need to say something but not resort to slagging off the manager in public, I just wish they could find some way of doing it that didn't read like a kick in the teeth to the supporters, a "fuck you, you just don't get it".

They're going to struggle to shift season tickets in the summer, even more than they did last year, and frankly, they absolutely deserve to.