LordSepulchrave

Well, I guess that's probably the right result.

I don't like slamming our players, but has Sylla's passing is really, really shocking.

For a man whose nickname is "concrete", Vlaar is a remarkably intelligent player.

I'm not sure Lambert should be talking about the Newcastle fans really - if anything, he's likely to help galvinise them.

I think it would be an awful shame if Lambert wasn't able to make this opportunity count. There aren't enough UK coaches and managers doing it at a high level and Lambert will struggle to get another job at this level. This season Clarke, MacKay and Holloway have all lost their jobs, and will probably have to drop down to the championship if they want another job (a position Holloway is in already). David Moyes is drowning in Fergie's shadow. Hughes is unquestionably ambitious, but has a very questionable record especially recently. Effective and experienced managers like Allerdyce and Pulis are getting results, but the style of play they employ to do so means their stock is very low. At this rate, one day Hughton is going to get lynched by his own fans. Nobody really knows what to make of Sherwood, but it looks nailed on that he'll get the boot regardless of how he does anyway. The only manager from the UK really doing it at a top level is Rodgers - who else is looking good at the moment? Bruce, Pardew - hardly managers without question marks over their heads. Would be a shame for Lambert, who looked like he could have a great career ahead of him when he burst into the premier league with Norwich, to be unable to make it. Both for us at Villa and for the success of UK managers.

This guy did a pretty interesting look at Rooney, makes a pretty good case for him being kinda underrated: http://www.statsbomb.com/2014/01/statsbomb-mythbusting-five-years-of-wayne-rooney/

So Mohamed Fayed, a businessman well known for being eccentric and making strange decisions, is replaced with an ultra-rich american businessman who has experience running a sports business. The running of the club then goes from steady and generally well run to an erratic omnishambles. That feels like it's the wrong way round.

David Ginola isn't convinced we had any chances in the second half...

There was an invisible wall in both goals.

Well I just don't know what to say about this.

Our decision making in the final 3rd has been comical.

Wow.

Bennett has offered more going forward than Benteke though. If Benteke's confidence is still an issue I'm getting a bit worried.

Our forwards are getting crowded out and our defending has barely been good enough; their defending has been excellent and their attacks have looked dangerous. They've looked better organised and had way better a shape too. Difficult watching so far. Still 0-0 though.

Djemba-Djemba has reached a new high in his career: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26057668

Nailed on 0-0 sludgefest this one.

Haha, I guess I should clarify that I didn't mean to compare us directly to the way Italian football can be played, just making the point that it isn't necessarily dead as a concept to have 3 at the back.

Don't we generally, when playing three at the back, use that as a way to flood the midfield and play narrow whilst keeping two players high(er) up the pitch? I guess I'm not sure how that's different from what a 3-5-2 (or 5-3-2 if you want)?

3-5-2 has it's place. It's fairly commonly used in Italy for example. Hull and Liverpool have both used three at the back this season on occasions. This whole "Lambert is poor tactically" seems awfully close to hyperbole at times - on the balance it seems that "Lambert is average tactically" is more true.

Poor Lambo.

It'd amuse me to see Stoke go gown. The idea of Mark Hughes being relegated twice in a row, a man who declared he'd never get relegated with QPR. A thing that was written three weeks ago about this: http://www.statsbomb.com/2014/01/english-premier-league-crystal-ball-more-terrible-statistical-predictions-than-you-can-shake-a-stick-at/ Interesting to see, that of all the teams that have pulled away since, it's Norwich. Still amazingly tight though,

Fulham Excelsior! Brilliant.

At the start of the season I thought 12-14, but considering the weakness of the midtable this year, it could be anywhere 9-14.

Jury is out on him, but def' worth giving more time. I'd be more worried about bringing in an attacking mid and a midfielder enforcer to replace Sylla before worrying about his place in the team.

Surprised Lambert hasn't looked at more fellow Scotmen, although I suppose Charlie Edam has shown they don't always do well in the top level.