It's not Sherwood!

[Pat McMahon]

Best football since 2009-10 maybe for me.

[PeterWithesShin]

We played as well, if not better, at the end of Lambert's first season.

[SoccerHQ]

We did play well at the end of Lambert's season no argument there but of course Lambert soon reverted the following season to low scoring dismal football.

Who knows what the future beyond this season under Sherwood holds but I don't think it will be boring on or off the pitch.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'd love to know what happened to Lambert that summer. Why go from the great stuff we were playing, and winning with, to the dire shite we ended up having to put up with.

[Toronto Villa]

What I particularly enjoying is that we actually have a plan for each game. We started well in both games vs Spurs and Liverpool and even though we went a goal down against the latter stuck to our task and rightfully came back to win. Same at Man City really where in the past the early setback would have killed us, yet instead as the game went on we regained our composure and ended up dominating the game even though we came out with nothing. I looking forward to how we set up vs Everton.

[Dante Lavelli]

I'd love to know what happened to Lambert that summer. Why go from the great stuff we were playing, and winning with, to the dire shite we ended up having to put up with.

For that series of games I thought westwood was going to become carrick's replacement, he looked that good.
The following season, the team stopped pressing high up the pitch and we slowly became the defensive, low energy team we ended up with. 

I'll never understand why he changed it all.  Arguably Sherwood has simply returned that vigour to the side and, hey presto, the results have improved.

[nodge]

The weird thing is, it is really easy somehow to look at other teams and think they are putting together a run of form. Then you look at the current form table and see that we are mid table, with only Leicester of the strugglers above us. All of the other teams at the bottom of the actual table, are also at the bottom of the form table.

We are only 2 points clear, but 3 of teams below us need to overhaul those points for is to go down, and the reality is that only one of them is showing the form to do it at the moment. The teams in form, are us and Leicester. Added to that, we have played better than our points total suggests recently, which could indicate better results to come, and teams below us have harder run ins.

Put all this together and you'd have to be disappointed if our manager wasn't confident we are staying up.

I like this amfy, if only my bottom could read it might stop squeaking.

[Deano's Mullet]

Best football since 2009-10 maybe for me.

this, although we did see occasional glimpses of it the following season which did feature the same squad. Blackburn at home comes to mind.

[bob]

We are playing or best football since the 2008/9 season. I am looking forward to every game at the moment.

Steady on kiddo. Actually....yeah, we've stunk out the football league and beyond this decade. The odd time under GHou and GMac I guess.

I said the other day we haven't played like this since BFR/Little/early Gregory.

More chance of us winning all our remaining games than going down.

[Mister E]

I'd love to know what happened to Lambert that summer. Why go from the great stuff we were playing, and winning with, to the dire shite we ended up having to put up with.

I think the regression was due to the inherited and continuing habit of conceding horrible goals and the frailty in defending set pieces. Like TSM, I suspect Lambarse saw organising numbers into a defensive structure along with speed of counter attacking as the solution. Pete Tong, obviously. The current game demands that teams defend high up the pitch and organised pressure on the ball. TS's Villa is doing this, along with quick movement of the ball when in possession.

[not3bad]

I'd love to know what happened to Lambert that summer. Why go from the great stuff we were playing, and winning with, to the dire shite we ended up having to put up with.

I think the regression was due to the inherited and continuing habit of conceding horrible goals and the frailty in defending set pieces. Like TSM, I suspect Lambarse saw organising numbers into a defensive structure along with speed of counter attacking as the solution. Pete Tong, obviously. The current game demands that teams defend high up the pitch and organised pressure on the ball. TS's Villa is doing this, along with quick movement of the ball when in possession.

The Newcastle at home match is always the turning point in my mind.  Our play going forward was frantic and without the purpose that I'd seen at the end of the previous season.  And we conceded a late goal to lose, which we would go on to do again and again.

[villa for life]

I wonder what position we would be in the league had Sherwood been with us the from the start of the season?

[brian green]

Now the smoke is clearing a bit, I am left with the distinct impression that the change in Lambert was due to him trying too hard to please Randy Lerner.  The change was in the owner. It may have come about as a result of the global banking crisis, his no doubt expensive divorce, the conduct of O'Neill, personal fickleness or a mixture of all four. As has often been said we had no plan B to take the place of MON's profligacy so first TSM1 instilled an attitude of negativity and survival at all costs then Lambert tried to please the owner with cheap, sustained mediocrity. My opinion is that Lerner called the tune and Lambert danced to it. I was not joking when I predicted on the arrival of Sherwood that he would be much more his own man. Much less of a Smithers. How he gets on with any new owners we may or may not get, only time will tell.

[Dante Lavelli]

I agree with that Brian.  I think that theory is supported by the complete absence of coaches and support staff, that would never have been Lambert's preferred set-up.  Proof will be to see how Lambert approaches his next job.  All that said, Lambert should not have allowed it to happen.

[pbavfckuwait]

Have alot of faith in Mr. Sherwood, but we really need to get the points on the board starting Saturday, as we now know only to well, we cannot rely on any predicted results, people saying Hull have Liverpool, well that one is now 3 points for them, Spurs their manager has said he really does not fancy the Europa League and Man u could be without Rooney making them quite ordinary, as for the ones below us, I do think QPR and Burnley are gone, but that last place is going to involve us and defo 2 others maybe 3 if the Geordies keep it going.
Lets get the points on the board Tim and look forward to Wembley and 2015/16 season in the prem with a refreshing and attacking approach. Please