avfc1982am

He's been getting better since brought back into the team. Tthought he was quality today and can't understand why he was taken off so early. I think if he had stayed on we would've scored on the counter again.

Nobody can defend this lightweight clown anymore. My lad play's CM at academy level under 16's and I would put money on him bullying bannan all day. I'm truly suprised he made it through the youth system. He is shit end of!

Lambert gave the game away today with poor substitutions. Should never have brought on bannan and took Nzogbia off to early. Why do we try to defend when we can't. Should have carried on putting pressure on albion instead of conceding the lead like that. He really is a proper prat and will take us down make no mistake.

I would've taken a draw before the game yet after going 2 up and conceding the game with defensive subs putting us back under pressure Lambert has now proven beyond any doubt that he is tactically inept. What a utter turd!

Poor subs cost us. **** idiot Lambert!!!

what the **** is bannan doing on? He's contributing the best part of **** all. Even John Gregory mentioned it.

I think it's a mistake taking zog off. Allowing albion to push on more. hold on tight!!

What a **** goal!!!!

I read this earlier to and felt very angry. Not at Foster though, I think he's spot on.

In terms of the question re: the league cup semi reaction. I would hope that Villa Park would absolutely erupt if we were to turn this tie around and make it to Wembley.

Why are so many fans concerned about "looking smalltime" and about what other fans of other clubs will say these days? Why are we so caught up about what happened to Small Heath in terms of the league cup and then relegation?

Aston Villa has a prestigious history and a big part of that is our League Cup successes which bizarrely some of our fans now almost seem embarrassed to win, or be a part of. The only reason I won't be on that pitch if we win on Tuesday is because I'll be in the Upper Holte. These next two games are THE perfect opportunity to turn our season around and inject a bit of much-needed positivity into the club again. Why should we hold back? I've got images in my head of a Villa fan mildly applauding the win on Tuesday and turning to his mate to say "But it's our Premier League status we really want to preserve"

Do people not realise that success in the cup could very well translate to an upturn in form in the league? We as Villa fans have had seasons upon seasons of misery now and I think a few people need to get a perspective back about what following football is all about. I for one will be going mental if we win on Tuesday and I couldn't give a stuff if anyone thinks i'm "small-time" because I'll be going to Wembley.

Not sure if your comments were directed towards me as I asked the question about the possible reaction of fan's on tues? It's obvious if we get through people will be happy,that's a given. But how happy really? I've seen us in 3 finals at wembley yet this year would quite easily I given the choice would relinquish another final for staying up. I wasn't insinuating Villa fan's would be smalltime or should be embarrassed for celebrating and I haven't read any other comments suggesting that either or that we should give a toss what other fan's think. I was only trying to gauge the level of fan's interest to this particular semi with the uncertainty over our PL status.

Personally as much as I wanted him to succeed when he took over as with all Villa managers apart from the ginger prat. I really think that if we lose both games he has to go. You can't keep rewarding failure. I'm not even sure I want us to beat Bradford on tues I'd much rather the 3 points against albion and I don't think our players deserve a final.

I am also starting to wonder whether or not Lerner, although he hasn't given Lambert massive funds, is reluctant to give him anymore due to performances and not necessarily restrictions. It's concerning that every other club around us is attempting to boost their squads with fresh faces yet VP is a wall of silence. Nothing to feel optimistic about at all. It's just a bloody shambles.

Lerner and his advisers have to take the blame in my opinion the rot started when he took over although wasn't visible until a couple of years later . I don't blame MON though because you cannot expect a man, ex footballer with the intelligence the majority have to understand the dynamics of running a football club/business. As with most managers, if you give them money to spend you probably won't ever see change. Give your missus the credit card and tell her to buy something nice. I bet she doesn't go to primark!

Just to throw this in the mix then.

At what point do you say enough is enough then as far as Lambert and results go? Say we get beat on Sat and go out the cup against Bradford on Tues bearing in mind a League 2 club only 2 goals down,at home etc? would people honestly believe Lambert still had the nuts for a fight?

Another thought to throw out there diverting to Tues. I've personally been the last 2 league semis at VP and on both occasions invaded the pitch at the end, memorable times. Would fan's be really up for celebrating with the threat of relegation looming. I really don't know if I could feel proud of the current clearings in the woods wearing the famous claret and blue if we won and reached the final. To do a sha in my mind would be crap. I would much rather keep our top level status. Any thought's though?

Lambert has to go now! Regardless of whether he is a decent manager or has restraints on spending by the board. He has had more money to spend than many managers this season and IMO hasn't used the money wisely or assessed early enough the areas most in need of strengthening. And rather than organise a system that suits the players he has done completely the opposite which has led to shitty disjointed performances through lack of organisation and understanding.

As I have also mentioned before good managers adapt their strategies and get the best out of even average players, yet I don't see any of the tactics working or players performing above themselves. After watching us today what concerned me most was that it took 80 mins before we actually started to play like we wanted something from the game. If we had of started with the same intentions as we finished I don't think no one would be slaughtering the manager yet here we are again.

I like like Lambert however I see certain similarities with him and Alex Mcleish in the same boring excuses week after week, continual sorry for yourself look on the touchline and lack of plan B. On top of that I also believe that NO manager however well liked or highly regarded should be allowed to turn ASTON VILLA into a poxy championship club and from what we are all witnessing this is now a becoming reality.

I care as passionately as anyone about Villa and will not become part of the 'follow the leader whatever brigade'. It's absolutely embarrassing fan's thinking that it's ok for us to go down because good old Lambert will get us back up and we will be in better shape. Where's the pride!

Lerner needs to sell and take Faulkner with him and Lambert needs to walk because he is out of his depth at a club like Villa(at least at this point in his career). Disgrace!

If you go back through the posts, someone else raised the point about Xavi and Modric. I replied to it.

I didn't think the first half performance was particularly impressive. Whatever the reason for the "gaps" at the end, the Bradford goals didn't come from the midfield. They all came from the wings, two corners and one cross.

Midfield is not to blame for the goals. Midfield created chances for the strikers who didn't score. I reiterate that point that the midfield, though it didn't play great, is not to blame for the result. All 11 players could have played better.

Your right about all 11 could've played better nobody can argue with that however I think that although goals were conceded via the wings, passes through the middle were being intercepted to create the counters down the wings. Also it isn't the midfielders jobs to just create chances but to also protect the back four. Even more important in Villa's case.

You are rehashing the same old criticisms which I believe have been debunked with the help of statistics.

Statistics matter a lot in football because your team can play the best and still lose the game.

But I don't want to over-emphasise statistics because opinion can never be eliminated even when you use statistics. Like you say, stats never tell the whole story.

In this case though, I don't think I've said anything particularly strange in terms of positive comments about Bannan's play.

* I've not said he was the best player on the pitch. I've said he wasn't the worst and the midfield wasn't to blame. This opinion is supported by Lambert who said the defence was to blame, and by a Guardian reporter who gave Bannan a positive comment in his game write up.

* I posted criticisms of his play last night. I'm not posting positive comments and nothing else.

Firstly I don't think anyone has debunked criticisms based on stats, not even you. I believe the majority of fan's have an opinion based on what they have seen and not read and I doubt very much many have even given the stats a second thought.

Secondly when you try to back up your comments with stats that show Bannan has made more tackles than Xavi and clearances etc?! That mate is strange enough which ever way you look at it, even if you then say, "I'm not saying he's better than Xavi though"? What was the point of raising the point?

Thirdly saying your opinions are supported by Lambert and a reporter from the Guardian is hardly worth shouting about. The central midfield and defence is where all our problems are at the moment the gaps in the middle in the last 20mins last night were a disgrace.

This isn't an I hate Con rant either.

These errors occurring constantly. Any updates on the problem its becoming a nause?

I honestly believe he couldn't be arsed last night. From the moment he are on he just gave the impression that he didn't give a shit. Terrible attitude from him.

Ship him out

Typical attitude yourself. DB was arguably the most prolific scorer in the premiership until last season. Firstly Mcleish cuts his supply or should I say doesn't replace his supply instead throwing 10m at another player(Zog) who he then decides not to play. Now Lambert comes along and says not only am I dropping our biggest player asset in Bent but then says I'm going to treat you like a clearing in the woods in the process.

As I stated in another post. It is no coincidence that Bent, Zog, Ireland and a number of other players have been shit the last couple of years. It's not rocket science as to why, it's just a simple answer. The management is shit! Good managers get the very best out of even average players yet the last 2 managers haven't.

I honestly believe he couldn't be arsed last night. From the moment he are on he just gave the impression that he didn't give a shit. Terrible attitude from him.

Ship him out

Typical attitude yourself. DB was arguably the most prolific scorer in the premiership until last season. Firstly Mcleish cuts his supply or should I say doesn't replace his supply instead throwing 10m at another player(Zog) who he then decides not to play. Now Lambert comes along and says not only am I dropping our biggest player asset in Bent but then says I'm going to treat you like a clearing in the woods in the process.

As I stated in another post. It is no coincidence that Bent, Zog, Ireland and a number of other players have been shit the last couple of years. It's not rocket science as to why, it's just a simple answer. The management is shit! Good managers get the very best out of even average players yet the last 2 managers haven't.

I remember when we lost to Chelsea and Spurs and people defended Lambert by telling us how much the Chelsea team and spurs team cost to put together.

The Bradford team that humiliated us last night cost £7,500.

Also the Bradford average age was approximately 21 years old. So much for our Kid's eh!

I remember when we lost to Chelsea and Spurs and people defended Lambert by telling us how much the Chelsea team and spurs team cost to put together.

The Bradford team that humiliated us last night cost £7,500.

Also the Bradford average age was approximately 21 years old. So much for our Kid's eh!

Disagree. He was the only one creating anything today. Him and Wiemann the only decent players on the pitch

My thoughts exactly. Although head down with the ball on one or two occasions tonight, I thought in the second half he was our biggest threat.

Have I missed something?

It appears you have missed the first half of the season my fellow villan if you don't believe some of the criticism is justified!

I think reactions are more of an accumulation of results rather than just the Bradford game.

If Aston Villa are ever going to get a Mourinho/Ferguson/Wenger we will first need to get a manager with talent who can prove his ability at the club and move things forward. Lambert has had one transfer window and did pretty well in that. Now he has another one. If he can't turn it around in the next three weeks maybe he should go, but I would genuinely be amazed if ANYONE could come in and turn this into a winning squad right now without making some signings.

You said he should have had Bent and Ireland on today. Bent came on, missed our easiest chance and then hurt himself. Ireland would have trotted around as he does, and for all his talent, that isn't what you want against a fired-up team on a cup run.

I'll give you that Bennet shouldn't have been on the pitch. Or near it. Antarctica would have been the best place for him today, but after the Ipswich game it looked like he might be getting his act together, and many of us said so.

I also doubt that he expected Richard Dunne to be out for so long. He has had bad luck with injuries. Does anyone really think he'd be playing Clark and Baker together if he had any choice? And please, please nobody come back with Collins and Cuellar being sold. I'd have kept Cuellar, but at some point Lambert does have to work on the wage bill.

I agree with many of your points but for me its not just about who he brought in but more who he didn't. He had the full summer and pre season to assess the squad and for me didn't identify the main areas for strengthening instead bringing youth in the hope energy would be enough to ride this season out. He persists with Bannan and Delph in the middle when its plainly obvious to the majority of us that they aren't good enough. He isolated the senior players, not picking them, questioning their quality over players who have for the most part all been shit instead of getting the best from them. Then crying and making excuses about injuries when he wasn't picking them. Tactically clueless we could go on and on and on...

The thing for me is if I could see that Villa were organised, the players all knew their positions, their jobs and played with cohesion but lacked quality I would be more than willing to back Lambert further. Yet all I see is a team lacking all I have just mentioned. That's why this situation has now become unacceptable.

I don't believe either that Bent, NZog,or Ireland have all of a sudden become shit I think our last 2 managers have **** them up. Good managers get the best out of even average players something our last 2 haven't.

Sacking Lambert wouldn't achieve anything.

For one:

Who the **** would replace him? Who would WANT to take the job?

The curse of the Villa manager lives on. Only Taylor and Venglos managed to survive beyond us in my lifetime...

Well this is the question people need to ask? Do we leave things in the hope that someone who has proved completely inept up to now turns things around? or do you act before it's to late and we go down and possibly struggle to come straight back up?

I would rather see Cowans and McAndrew running things than Lambert the way things are. Week after week he gives the same shit excuses about "The Kids,the injuries". I truly believe the majority of fans could pick a better starting 11 and formation, such is my confidence in him.

If I'm completely honest I felt very uninspired with the appointment of Lambert. He's had around 20mil to spend and we find ourselves supporting one of the worst Villa teams in decades. he's tactically inept, unable to organise or setup our team to at least avoid being defeated regularly (especially against a league 2 side) , something even mcduff managed. It's absolutely dreadful. Must go now!! And a lot of Villa fans need to buck up instead of continually excepting this shit and believing we will get out of this mess by leaving it in Lamberts incapable hands. Where is the **** pride? Tonights result was nothing short of a disgrace.

He isn't good enough for the Villa centre midfield neither is Delph or KEA. Far to lightweight the three of them are, yet Lambert never thought about getting a decent DM during the summer-poor management in my opinion.