Sunny*Nunny

We have to assess it at the end of the season. If we finish OK I'd stick with Lambert because I don't see who else would take the job and improve us. That's how far we've fallen under Lerner. If we lose the last 4 game that's clearly a different issue.

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets some decent money to spend. That investment is what is lacking especially. I still think he can be a good manager for this club, and although I can understand others losing patience, I'm not sure how many managers would have been able to do a lot with a £5-15k wage cap on most players. That's Championship level - hopefully that's not where we end up.

The sad thing is our wage cap probably isnt even championship standard more likely league 1.

How many clubs in the Championship have a wage bill higher than ours?

QPR? At a guess.

Like with most of our players I hope for better.

He's managed to get a second chance at the club thanks to us dropping down to his level. Not sure he's done enough to be kept on.

Which players would you keep over Albrighton?

So I am hearing that Delph and Gabby were dropped against Fulham due to a disagreement with someone (probably Culverhouse) and that Albrighton traveled back from the Palace game alone on the train?

Anyone hear this on the GoalZone?

If we're not careful he'll be seeing out his final contracted season (next season?) with Nott's County and then taking an offer elsewhere due to too little premier game time with us.

Well said Sunny. Couldn't have put it better myself.

Our 4 most expensive signings (Benteke, Okore, Kozak & Nzogbia) are injured.

Take the 4 most expensive signs out of most teams and watch them struggle.

Lets grit out teeth, hope we stay up and see what happens next season. I'm not up for the club sacking Lambert and don't think they will anyway.

Excuses excuses excuses

Or, just possibly, reasons reasons reasons.

Sorry double post

So we have a manager who may, or may not have been instructed to oust many players from an over paid and underachieving squad and replace them with cheaper players to provide sustainability for the clubs future. It's up to us individually to offer the benefit of the doubt or not as to whether PL had a choice in this.

This has resulted in a squad that lacks quality in depth since the £40M in funds over 2 years has been used to buy quantity over quality with the exception of a few players. Again, we don't know if this was ordered from the top or whether PL was trying to assemble his own team too quickly.

The manager has bought in one of the most exciting strikers in Benteke that fans could have wished for. Okore also who admittedly has yet to prove himself, was brought in against competition from Chelsea and was very well regarded so we should consider this an achievement.

Vlaar was a Lambert signing who we all know is crucial to our win rate.

This £40M squad was always going to be susceptible to injuries especially if the bigger, more influential players became unavailable.

Players that remain mostly fit like Gabby and Weimann for some reason have gone missing. These are the players that fans have most expected to see decent performances from, as has I imagine the manager. They have let us and the manager down. Our right back Bacuna has our 2nd highest goal tally. Our remaining fit strikers need to take responsibly for their own performances.

With the injuries we have suffered, and the individual performances of certain key players being so poor, what can we expect from Lambert? We cant expect him to have to crowbar decent performances out of these professional athletes. They should do this every week regardless of manager, formation, tactics, fans, league position etc.

I worry that fans are only thinking about results and not about:

1 - whether Lambert has done all that can be expected under the circumstances of restrictive finances, an aggressive plan to replace most part of a complete squad and such poor luck with injuries, and

2- What on earth his replacement is likely to achieve under the same circumstances but with a weak squad they will know less about than Lambert does and too small a budget to change much.

I'm not happy with tactics and substitutions, but I'm also not watching every training session so I cant say whether his decisions are justified.

I also think that Lambert probably knows what mistakes he's made and that these 2 seasons have been valuable learning experiences which he should improve from.

All things considered, I don't think its fair to write him off yet. Too many things have gone against him, and the things he could be held directly accountable for I feel are forgivable, under the circumstances.

Id worry about any new manager being able to keep us up on a shoestring and id rather stick with someone who has so far managed to do just that. SO unless something changes at the top I think we should be very careful what we wish for.

Thanks for posting the article.

Lamberts not quoted as telling fans to take a reality check though, is he?

Another headline aimed to mislead.

What I find most disappointing after the awful results Is the tragic style of hoof ball we have adopted

Really not easy on the eye

Thats why I want Laudrup in to see what he can do. There's no chance he will be doing worse than Lambert and Eck anyways. Give him a go, at least we will improve our passing

Whether it be Laudrup or whoever I just want a manager that actually knows how to play football.

I want to be proud of the way my team plays and I want fans and managers of other teams and football pundits to comment on the fact that Villa play good football.

I don't expect to win titles or cups or be the English version of Barcelona.

Is that too much to want for a fan of a club the size of Aston Villa?

No it's not too much to want, but unfortunately we are in transition and in all honesty we don't know how good this manger is or whether he is our long term solution yet.

Admittedly he's made some questionable decisions regarding tactics and subs, but we have to accept that he MAY HAVE BEEN restricted so much financially with fees and probably more so by wages that he's been unable to roll out his own plan.

Lambert came out in public and stated that Lerner hasn't provided funds for the players he has targeted. I imagine this is the case as if it was not the truth there would have been repercussions.

Most of us aren't happy with results, but we haven't seen what he can do with right backing.

I've noticed a change in him, more composed.

I think expectations were very high at the start of the season and he was trying too hard to impress. His last 2 games I can see signs of something good on the horizon.

I have high (no pun intended) hopes for this this guy.

We can relax if we win tomorrow so we probably won't…I would like to see Tonev start, its not much logic behind it but just a feeling I got.

I know the feeling. My gut is telling me he's going to do something special.

Interesting that people have been putting him up as an alternative to Weimann, even though Tonev is not a striker.

Where are you suggesting he plays?

Maybe if he's put closer to goal his shots will find the net before they leave the earths atmosphere!

I expect PL to go with:

-------------Guzan----------------

Bacuna---Vlaar---Baker---Bertrand

---KEA------Westwood-----Delph---

---Weimann----Holt-----Gabby-----

I'd like to see

-------------Guzan----------------

Bacuna---Vlaar---Clark---Bertrand

---KEA------Westwood-----Delph---

Albrighton----Gabby------Tonev

or

-------------Guzan---------------

Lowton---Vlaar---Clark---Bertrand

------------Westwood-------------

---KEA-----------------Delph-----

-------------Bacuna--------------

--------Robinson----Gabby--------

.

From that article in The Sun

"He then gave him two seasons to gut the place"

Do we know if this was actually the case and Lambert had no choice but to overhaul so many players in so little time and with so little money?

This is key to understanding exactly how big a job Lambert has been faced with. If true i'd say he's done well and should be given time to see what he can do now most of the stripping back has been done.

I guess we'll never know though.

If a spurt of Grant Holt goals convinced Lambert to keep him as our first striker next season would you be happy with that?

I think people are expressing concern that they can see Lambert doing just that. In fact, I can see it coming a mile off.

Has it crossed your mind that A, There isn't going to be a spurt of Grant Holt goals, and B, if there was to be then maybe it WOULD be worth keeping him! Who wouldn't want a striker that scores lots of goals.

The logic in this is quite simply a bit nuts.

A - Yes it has crossed my mind and I consider it unlikely, yet obviously possible.

B - I didn't question the logic to keep him, I asked if people would be happy with him as our FIRST striker.

Would you?

If a spurt of Grant Holt goals convinced Lambert to keep him as our first striker next season would you be happy with that?

I think people are expressing concern that they can see Lambert doing just that. In fact, I can see it coming a mile off.

According to Statto.com based on same number of games this time last season

20th - 24 points (Reading)

18th - 31 points (Wigan had 2 games in hand)

17th - 34 points (Aston Villa)

11th - 38 points Southampton

Aston villa

10 points from bottom

3 points from relegation spot

4 points from 11th

This season

20th - 25 points (Sunderland have 2 games in hand)

18th - 27 points (Fulham)

13th - 34 points (Aston Villa)

11th - 37 points West Ham

Aston villa

9 points from bottom

7 points from relegation spot

3 points from 11th

This isn't progress, or at least not enough for an argument based on points.

Also I think our league position is flattering AS IT STANDS, since a draw instead of a fortunate win (Southampton) would have seen us level on points with Norwich who are currently 17th.

With points so close throughout the bottom half, progress has to be top half finish with several points clearance otherwise we're clutching at straws in hope to see something that isn't there.

The one thing that stops me from getting off the fence with PL is not understanding whether he had a choice to replace so many players in such a short amount of time, and therefore whether he created the bomb squad because he wanted to or whether he was instructed to.

If RL / PF briefed him to get rid of so many players within 2 years and to replace them with cheaper options then I can begin to understand how difficult PL's task has been and possibly have more patience.

If PL decided to do this himself and had options to introduced fewer, better quality players over time then he should be held accountable.

Do we know any of this?

All we are left with is what we see on the pitch which looks like a team and manager short of ideas, especially sub decisions (who he brings on and how late he leaves it) which is the single most annoying thing about PL for me.

Surely Westwood DM, Albrighton and Bennett out wide with Bacuna at the tip of a diamond?

I predict a Tonev goal this weekend

Didn't he hit the second shot with the inside of his boot to place it rather than his usual hit it hard and high? He looked more composed today so more of this maybe. Either way I think he needs chances especially once (if) we're mathematically safe.

Lost 4-1 and yet I feel we should have won which says it all really.

For every missed chance we had we gave one to Utd and they took them.

A massive opportunity wasted.

Pants

-6 goals in 2 games **** this ****

Ooooh unlucky Tonev