BG_Villa_Fan

It's not that shocking, that u-turn started in January when Lambert started talking about experienced players, instead of the young and hungry mantra we've been fed for 2 years. Either he, himself has realized he couldn't cut it this way, or someone above him has had enough of it and enough of paying the bomb squad to stay away. Either way, it doesn't reflect nicely on Lambert.

Has balls because he duly obliges to whatever shit he's been put through? Is this the same as McLesh having balls because he's left a relegated team to sign for Villa for a hefty payrise? Balls. Deadly was an awful owner but I don't recall him dictating which players to be brought in and out of the squad. This is Venky's style ridiculous.

Lambert must really need that compo.

This would go completely against the supposed Lambert plan for young and hungry players. I doubt he'd admit he's been wrong for 2 years following that plan of his and make a 180 degree turn, and I also don't expect the club to agree to the sort of wages these would demand anyway.

It could if we had decent fullbacks, however, we have the likes of Lowton, Bacuna, Luna and Bennet, the best one of which could generously be described as below average for a fullback.

Agreed. A year under McLeish and 2 under McLambert can do that to anyone.

This is a bit like the alternative universe in which Doug and O'Leary stay put post 2006, isn't it?

Probably being sold to Real Madrid.

Cuban is an ass. I detest him for basketball reasons but he's rich and spends it. Doubt it's him though, he likes the hands-on approach to running a business, too much interfering, e.g. Mavs ( *spit )

Whoa! Post count schtick! Not seen in the internets since early 2000s.

What? What business has Lerner ever run successfully?

That actually is my main criticism of Lambert as a manager. We're not a one man team though. We're just about as likely to pick up points with Benteke in the team as without him. We're just as likely to pick up points against good teams as against poorer teams, regardless of personnel. We don't have structure. We have some very decent players in the first team that most teams in the bottom half don't have, and sometimes things click. Most often they don't because the gameplans and tactics are all over the place. There's zero structure, there's zero continuity, zero vision on the pitch. Just go out there and hopefully get something.

How did ANYONE know that the vision was going to turn out shit? Did you? Did I? did the thousands of others? but seems NOW they did (but not at the time) and I did NOT say it's all the fans fault at all did I? I said the fans were all for the vision but not now where have I blamed the fans? I can say that SOME fans who booed everytime one of the young players made a mistake and got on their backs didn't make things easy for them either. I just mentioned that the fans were all for it then and now in hindsight they are not. This is down to Lambert and the players and Lerner. The fans bought into the vision (it was their choice) and now have turned away(again their choice) - what does that say about SOME fans. I have no problem with fans - no matter what point of view they hold. Of course no one knew it'd turn out like that. Not sure what your point is. Of course Lambert will be judged based on hindsight, just as everyone else. Fans pay their money and will keep doing this regardless. Did Man U fans know Moyes would turn out to be totally out of sync? No, of course not. With hindsight, did he deserve the sack? Most probably yes.

So now it's the fans fault that they bought in a vision that turned out to be shit? The fans are the least of Villa's problems and they've proved it in the last 2 years.

Perhaps he shouldn't have brought so many until he'd managed to get rid of the ones he didn't fancy. That's why the wage bill has actually been increasing under Lambert, instead of going down. Also, if you suggest he has replaced players deemed not good enough - players that mcLeish managed to survive with - and replaced them with supposedly better ones, then why hasn't he managed to do better than what McLeish did with those deemed not good enough? Maybe Lambert should have been able to get something out of these players he couldn't get rid of while their wages were still being paid by the club. McLeish had a team that was settled and been together for more than a few months. I didn't see many complaining about bringing in the players Lambert did at the time - I see everyone is doing so now - hindsight again. McLeish did not bring in young players to add to the team - he brought in highly paid players and experienced and struggled. Different scenario - McLeish had experienced players in the premier league and JUST managed to survive. A little different to Lambert surely. Lambert had the same experienced players McLeish did, chose not to / or wasn't able to get anything out of them, kept paying their wages, brought new players with wages on top of those - and JUST managed to survive. Yea, slightly different.

Ranieri works with money. Lots of.

Perhaps he shouldn't have brought so many until he'd managed to get rid of the ones he didn't fancy. That's why the wage bill has actually been increasing under Lambert, instead of going down. Also, if you suggest he has replaced players deemed not good enough - players that mcLeish managed to survive with - and replaced them with supposedly better ones, then why hasn't he managed to do better than what McLeish did with those deemed not good enough? Maybe Lambert should have been able to get something out of these players he couldn't get rid of while their wages were still being paid by the club.

First year he had to get rid and bring in a myriad of players (some good some not so) so first year you can't hold that against him (or can you if you expect INSTANT results) - 2nd year - you may have a point. Any manager (no matter how good) would struggle having to replace a team with new players on limited funds. I for one won't have this two seasons stuff - 2nd season yes but not first! Really? Which players did he get rid of in his first season?

Yep, and Alex Ferguson knows about managers. Means nothing tbh.

It proves that under MON, they weren't as great as you were making out. lol check your facts

Dunne and Collins had a full season in which Villa conceded 39 goals. Think about it, 39 - that's about as many as Man City have got this season and they're looking like certain champions. The Vlaar-led defence conceded 69 goals last season and is on course to conceed around 60 again this season. Talk about partnerships all you like, but Vlaar has never been even close to performing as good as Dunne and Collins for Villa.

Lambert is shit, but if there's no takeover and no major investment then the most sensible thing would be for him to stay - probably our best chance in order to avoid relegation again as he knows the shit squad he has and finds a way to get results, albeit so rarely. A new manager, even with progressive ideas, would struggle with this lot - they can't string 2 passes together after 2 years of training together ffs...

Horrendous idea. Could easily imagine Chelsea's and man City's B teams being at the top of the championship in a couple of seasons. Then what? The first two non-B teams would be promoted? A wage cap in football is useless and will never work, as has been dicussed in countless topics, however limiting the number of players that can be registered is good, probably should be less than 25 + home growns. Also, IMO teams should be allowed to loan only players from their own academy, the HGs, not buying 20 million players and loaning them out. What good is poaching a team's best player, say Sinclair, then not playing him, destroying his career, then having to get rid. If some of this talent that sits on Man City's, or Chelsea's benches is spread out to the less rich teams then the league would be far more competitive. Chelsea's loaned out players could form a team that'd probably be top 6, that's bullshit.

Both Stoke and Palace have got the double over us this season, so it seems like we're not that close. When you look at the squads you'd think we're close, but both of these teams play much more as a unit and have much more cohesion. Maybe it's the manager, not the players.

It's a sorry state of a club when some of its fans resort to slagging off the other fans in order to show support for a failing manager and players, none of which will likely be at Villa in a couple of years. Unlike the fans being slagged off of course. Shameful.