Villarocker

I can imagine Mourinho shaking hands with Lambert as they walk down the tunnel at half time and then not coming out to watch the second half.

I agree with dropping Sanchez today because he was worse than bad last week and one of the teams you definitely don't want to give the ball away to is Chelsea. But, to leave Cleverly in and drop Benteke was wrong. Cleverly offers nothing and I would have liked to see him benched and Gil playing as an attacking midfielder behind Benteke with Gabby and Weimann out wider.

Sad to say that I really don't think the tide will turn for us today. I can only see defeat but, without Costa, I don't see a hammering of Arsenal proportions. So, for me personally, I'd say a 3-0 defeat is on the cards today. I reckon one of their defenders will score from a set piece and then the other two from us being hit on the break ala Arsenal. Probably Ramires and Hazard.

He's not "actively" looking to sell is what tom fox said. I haven't seen that Fox has said Lerner's not " actively " looking to sell ". I've seen the Lerner's ' not a motivated seller' line. Which to me is just a way of telling us that the club is still for sale, but said in a way so that it doesn't look like he's desperate to get rid of us. I read it like this: Randy still wants out of dodge but he's not willing to lower the asking price at the moment.

Think the percentage would be up nearer to 85-90% personally. You would certainly think so but, in this crazy club, you just never know.

We could still do with a poll. Forget all that should he go now or wait until the end of the season mess. Just a straight forward sack him or keep him. I'd be amazed if there was less than 75% said sack him.

Then I think you've got serious issues grasping reality. It also points to you clearly not believing that supporters make a blind bit of difference to what happens in the pitch. So why bother at all? This conversation is just going to go rounds and round in circles, I'm done. If the players really like him and, want him to remain at the club, surely they would play out of their skins to save their manager - if the crowd started to chant for him to be sacked? The pressure from those chants would be on Paul Lambert - not the players. They would just have to play to the best of their ability. If they don't, and he loses his job as a result, they then have to look at themselves and ask themselves if they cost someone they liked - and wanted - his job. Maybe then they will buck their ideas up and start to play better.

I think QPR will get a boost from a new management team. I think Leicester have boosted their weak areas by getting in a striker and a defender. Burnley might well go and I think Hull are in freefall so that leaves one more and we will be threatened until the last couple of games at least. If we fail to win any of our next three games, for me personally, I won't see us escaping relegation.

I expect that we will lose the home game against Chelsea and the four away games at Spurs, Man City, Man United & Southampton. That means we will have 30 other points to play for. Just to get to last season's safety total of 34 points it would mean us taking 12 from 30. Now, that might well seem achievable judging by the other fixtures we would have left. But, if we lose against Chelsea on Saturday, we will have only taken 12 out of the last 60 available. If, as expected, we lose the 5 fixtures listed above, it's going to have to be a big turnaround in form from the team to take a minimum of 12 points from 30 when they've been on a run like they're on currently.

It might well be. Biggish crowd, probably a heavy defeat and the disappointment of not bringing a striker in before the transfer window. I don't think it will be pretty. We might have to wait until the Albion game before he gets his 'Bolton'. Hull is away, Leicester is a cup game and we can't be expected to beat the mighty Stoke and Newcastle as they are so far ahead of us in mid table. That Baggies game is a good shout by you PB. I could imagine that, if we have the chance to go above them with a win and we don't get that result - especially if we find ourselves in the bottom three and need a win against them to get out - the fans might just become their most vocal against him.

I sense that amongst those still supporting Lambert, enough will be enough if we lose the next two. To be fair, I have taken a look at the fixtures and I can still a crazy situation whereby we don't win any of the next 3 or 4 games and are still not in the bottom three.

With respect. That is a load of bull. I was there in 68, we didn't accept mediocrity then, and I wont now. It is possible to support the team but not those in charge. To say fans can change nothing, flies in the face of history. Fan unrest has frequently changed managers at clubs, including our own. The most recent being a certain Scotsman with Ginger hair. Who was our owner back then? You seem to be under the impression that the current one cares whether or not we are relegated. He really doesn't. He doesn't care at all about the club. It's fans. Whether they protest or not. Fine take action. Protest. Stop going to games. It won't change anything. The owner simply does not care. If you do it until the end of the season he won't care. He will not change. Simple as that. But it will change one thing. It will change the mood in the locker room and the morale of our players who are pretty shit as it is. It will only ensure us a relegation. Let us be clear. There is only one person who can change any of this. He's not a man who will listen to reason. Gives a damn about what the fan thinks. Gives a damn about staying in this league. Trying to reason with him, bargain, protest, set yourself on fire in front of the stadium, bomb the damn field, will all gain the exact same response from him. "meh" He simply does not care. Uncle Tom says the owner is "not a willing seller right now". I take that to mean that he still cares - so there!

I think that the 6-6-6 finishes have left us with a curse hanging over the club. Get an exorcism done ASAP and you'll soon see a change in fortune Paul!

Because they don't get to say "I told you so" until those people admit they were wrong. Until then, they don't score any points. Like is really not enough for this post. Dave I agree entirely with your view Aye, but as somebody who supports Lambert, you would. You are entitled to your view, just as others are entitled to question it. I'm not sure people are angry either, well not ALL of them, it would be wrong to suggest that. It is mostly bemusement. Again the definition of support is up for debate here. But I don't want Lambert as our manager anymore, and I agree with DDID too. The people who are anti Lambert are right. His time has passed, probably long ago. But why does it matter if one or two (and that's literally all it is) still want him as manager? It doesn't bother me one bit that people still choose to support Lambert. It just intrigues me as to why they support him. Sort of in the way that in intrigues me how a woman loves her man and won't leave him, despite the fact he is useless, lazy, shags around and treats her terribly. The odd "I love you babe" keeps them wanting more heartache, for whatever reason.

I'm not sticking by nor going against Lambert. I'm not a Lambert supporter nor am I anti-Lambert. But I still feel it's more dangerous to change the manager right now than it is to keep the current regime for a little while longer to see if it picks up. This season has been awful, mainly I think due to an ill-advised complete change of style of play. Most people on here were asking for it, but it just shows the masses shouldn't be listened to. If we get to a few games after Chelsea and we're in dire straits then it'll probably be best to part company, even if someone else coming in may or may do not any better. Same here. I'm not having a go here so please don't think I am. I am genuinely trying to get an idea for how bad it must get before people say enough is enough. So, what if we go say four more games without a win and still we're not in the bottom three, would you change your opinion of him then or would it take dropping into the bottom three to do that? you are in danger now of making me laugh....and it is clearly not a laughing matter. you are beginning to sound like "Martin Lewis on the money saving expert" sorry, its all a bloody shame. Funny you should mention Martin Lewis. I heard Lerner's been enquiring about his knowledge of football!

Fair enough DarrenM. Let's hope that he can turn it around and not continue this poor run that we're on. Otherwise, we might be in that bottom three sooner than we think.

I'm not sticking by nor going against Lambert. I'm not a Lambert supporter nor am I anti-Lambert. But I still feel it's more dangerous to change the manager right now than it is to keep the current regime for a little while longer to see if it picks up. This season has been awful, mainly I think due to an ill-advised complete change of style of play. Most people on here were asking for it, but it just shows the masses shouldn't be listened to. If we get to a few games after Chelsea and we're in dire straits then it'll probably be best to part company, even if someone else coming in may or may do not any better. Same here. I'm not having a go here so please don't think I am. I am genuinely trying to get an idea for how bad it must get before people say enough is enough. So, what if we go say four more games without a win and still we're not in the bottom three, would you change your opinion of him then or would it take dropping into the bottom three to do that?

I recall John Gregory coming to us from Wycombe Wanderers and they were in the equivalent of league one. His management experience before that was caretaker manager of Plymouth and manager of Portsmouth. Hardly huge jobs! Villa are not too big a job for the likes of past players such as Simon Grayson and Stuart Gray. An ex player like either of those might just manage to instil some belief and passion into our players, who I believe are better than a bunch of relegation battlers.

Here's a question for all those that are currently sticking by Lambert. What would it take for you to change your opinions and want him gone from the Villa?

There's a great point in one of the previous posts. What if we do keep Lambert and stay up, what are we to expect next season? Can any one fan honestly say that they truly believe we will not break any more "bad" records next season, or face a struggle like in the previous three seasons, with this man in charge? We've brought in virtually a whole back four for this campaign so far with Hutton and Cissokho/Richardson at full back and Senderos/Okore at centre back. Yet, we've still conceded just one goal less than at this stage last season. This, with an international star of the World Cup covering in front of the back four! We've had our star striker back for most of the campaign and Delph fit for most of it too. There's just no excuses for this mess, not after three seasons anyway! I see another struggle next season, regardless of the league we are in. It's a common theme with Lambert in charge. I'm not saying that the next man will come in and save us. I'm not saying that we would be any better off. I'm saying I pretty much know where we're heading as we are. A change would at least give us fresh hope hope and a sense of the unknown. Which, right now, seems to me like a better option than the inevitable struggles we face with Lambert at the helm.

I'd give someone like Stuart Gray or Simon Grayson a crack at it. Someone who has managerial experience and who doesn't need a massive budget to be able to do anything. Someone who also has previous at the club and who would want to do well for us, not just themselves.

Against the teams around us, whether playing at home or away, we need to play a team that looks something like this: ------------------------------GUZAN------------------------------ HUTTON-------OKORE-------CLARK------CISSOKHO -------------------SANCHEZ----DELPH--------------------- -----------------------------------GIL----------------------------- GABBY/WEIMANN----------------------------SINCLAIR -----------------------------BENTEKE------------------------- Gil shouldn't be asked to track back chasing opposing players. He needs to sit in the hole behind Benteke and collect the ball off Delph, who in turn should be getting it off Sanchez. That's enough cover for the back four and enough attacking threat to see us create/score goals.

I think that this Paul Lambert Villa has sucked the life and soul out of the fans. In some ways, the way he is as a person in his interviews, it seems to have transferred to the fans and the club as a whole. I don't personally dislike him, I just do not like the way he manages our football team. I wish for the old days when going to the Villa was fun and people had a laugh and enjoyed watching the team. Any old 'uns recall the late 80s when Norwich fans started the trend of taking inflatables to games? I loved it back then and going down the Villa as a teenager with an inflatable caveman's club was great! Tarzan was in the Holte too and the fans would have banter between themselves. Nowadays it seems that all people want to do is argue amongst themselves about whether Lambert should or shouldn't get the chop. Bring back the brighter days - PLEASE!!

I don't think that the club has taken the current situation seriously enough. When we were struggling under Houllier they went out and bought Darren Bent who was a proven goalscorer. His contribution was probably the reason we stayed up that season. This time around, they've bought Gil who is an unknown prospect who, to be fair to all, has hit the ground running. But, it's early days with him still and we don't know for sure that his performance level is what we've actually seen so far. If it was, why did he only play 8 games for Valencia? We've also brought in Sinclair who has started something like 2 games in two seasons. Are these dealings really enough to turn around a team who can't buy a goal right now? I'm not so sure. I hope I'm wrong though because we really do need these guys to make a difference to our team.

Two things to consider here. Either Villa were putting it out there about Lambert just to make it look like they're trying to address the lack of goals situation OR we still have £5-£6m to spend tonight!