Could any manager do better.

[kurtsimonw]

It's Lambert's squad now, if we're playing shit football it's down to the players HE wanted and the tactics HE chooses to play.

[Risso]

And it was really, really shit again today.

[dudevillaisnice]

I still maintain another manager can get better out of this squad, certainly make us play as a unit/team better.

 

The players are very average no doubt but the manager isn't helping the situation with his limited tactics.

[StefanAVFC]

 

For the umpteenth time, he was told by Lerner to completely rebuild the squad.

 

You keep saying that like it's a fact.

 

 

Because it is. What other proof do you need other than direct quotes from Lambert?

[Sunny*Nunny]

So we know that Lambert was instructed to buy most of a full squad, for around £40M over a 2 year period?

I would have thought he'd have the option to integrate a new team more slowly by bringing in fewer, better quality players.

[ROTTERDAM1982]

 I could do better than PL.Possibly one of the worst displays i have seen from a Villa team at VP today.No movement, one tactic, hoof the ball up to a non-existent tall CF,no support from fellow players when they have the ball, no ideas on how to close down the opposition, no leadership on or off the pitch, Swansea had 73% possession.An absolute disgrace. 

[Big_John_10]

To have 27% possession, 56% pass accuracy and our keeper touching the ball more than any other player makes the stuff under mcleish look like entertaining football.

[villianusa]

The way Swansea played today were taught, today the Villa played today was taught. The movement of the Swansea players was something they have been at the training ground. The lack of movement and communication with Villa players is something that is taught on the training ground. This is the responsibility of the coaching team, that are headed up by the respective managers.

 

Laudrup  has been  able to build on the foundation of the previous managers. He purchases players that will enhance the performance of the team. Lambert has thrown his house in on two tall center forwards, that may possible muscle teams into submission.  You could see the Swansea players were comfortable playing the ball on the ground, and moving into open space. Villa players did not look comfortable until Kozak came on, and they could put their head down, and lump the ball up to the big man.

 

This is the difference between the two sides playing today. Swansea train to keep possession, wear opposition players down, and take the chance when they become available. For me, it looks like Villa train to lump the ball forward, and hope a knock down goes to one of our forwards. Sadly, our other attacking are so deep they have no chance to support Kozak, or when he was fit Benteke. This tactic gives the ball back to the opposition so often, and to coin a Lambert phrase, “They go again.”

 

I’m not saying which tactics are right or wrong, because they both can work, but if you don’t have players can support the tactics, then you will fail. We are failing because except for the big man up top the other ten players are to deep. If Lambert is going  to continue to play this way then he has to gamble by keeping another player up at all times. It is usually big verses two to three defenders. This leaves us with nine against seven of their outfield players, and we still can’t keep possession. We have to put the under pressure in their defense third, we tried this at the start of the first half today, but sadly fell back into bad habits.

 

I do have quite a bit of a background in coaching. I spent two years studying for my UEFA “A” license, before I met my wife and moved to the USA. I have coached now for over twenty years, just to let you know I do have a bit of knowledge concerning what goes on at the training ground. The tactics/pattern of play should have been sorted pre-season, along with the fitness. Tinkering should be taking place during the season. The problem is the players still haven’t got a clue what they are supposed to be doing, and this is shown in their lack of confidence and poor performance.

 

No matter where the players have come from they wouldn’t be playing at a professional level if they didn’t know the basics. I am talking about passing, communication, and finding space. Can anyone after watching the game today say our players were doing that? Sorry HH if you read this, but that lays with the coaching team, which was also recruited by Mr. Lambert.

 

Not saying Lambert has to be the greatest tactician as long as he has other strengths, but he better have people around him who can do that, and not just give a job to the “good ole boys.” He needs to decide on his tactics, get the players back out on the training ground, and get it sorted. He needs to give the players the opportunity to work by balancing out the transition from defense to attack, because at the moment that is the team's biggest weakness.

 

Sorry for such a long post, but I had to get this off my chest. I’m praying for a New Year’s resolution of a change or tactics, or at least to stop hearing, “We go again.”

Edited December 28, 2013 by villianusa

[bretonvilla]

Really can`t see why Lambert dropped Albrighton for Bacuna, after he was one of the few players who wasn`t shite against Palace

[Morpheus]

 

To be fair to Lambert I think we're now in a financially sustainable position so it's what happens from now really. Our young and hungry policy may work out ok, it may not, it's so unpredictable there's no way of telling. The squad as it is will have good days and bad days, that's the nature of it.

People are saying we should invest heavily on proven talent - that's not going to happen. I know fans are now beginning to panic again but like someone else has said everything that could possibly be going wrong for us is going wrong at the moment. It wouldn't take that much for us to find a bit of form and sneak back into mid table.

If at the end of this season we've stayed up again and we've cleared a bit more of the wage bill then I think some people will get their wish and Lerner will be looking to sell up. Have a feeling he's had enough now. And I'd rather he did that with us a financially sound Premier League club than one racked in financial meltdown.

But we aren't financially sound because we owe Lerner a lot of money and he's not just going to give that up. I doubt very much that there will currently be a buyer willing to pay what it takes to make sure a billionaire loses no more money. It looks very much like we will continue this approach until Lerner gets more of his money back and eventually sells.

 

I have to agree BJ10 but at the moment we are walking a tightrope and what happens to Lerner's money if we fall off?

[Richard]

No

[markavfc40]

You'd struggle to make an argument for a manager doing a worse job at the moment. In the last 5 games we have played utter shite in Fulham, Stoke and Crystal Place, mid table mediocrity in Swansea and an out of sorts Man Utd. We have taken one point and looked absolute dire in every game. In fact we have looked dire for the vast majority of the season.

 

I had the the indignity on my way back home from the game today of having to listen on the radio to the manager of this great club insult my intelligence by stating we are making progress, are 18 months into a project that is going to take years and years and have some huge clubs below us in the table. On each part of his interview I was seriously wondering if it was him on drugs or he thought us Villa fans are all crack heads and would believe any old bullsh*t.

Edited December 28, 2013 by markavfc40

[will87]

I really don't think we want to have Lambert around long enough for him to complete his 'project'.

[dudevillaisnice]

Why haven't any of the journos asked him what exactly the project is and where he sees the club in the future? Or maybe they have and I've missed it

[cbr600rr]

 

 

 

 

STEVE BRUCE

Look what they've turned us into!

 

I'd like to suggest Trevor Francis with Barry Fry as coach.

 

you must be happy with lambert then i take it..hahahah.. bruce is a proven manager-fact..he would turn us down anyway-fact ,i recall the same was said about martinez..all these managers are falling over laughing at avfc..

 

I'm not saying he isn't better than we've got. And I was pro-Martinez too.

The intention was to imply how far we've fallen. Once upon a time we had Ron Atkinson as manager, and Brian Little, and Graham Taylor. We were linked with the likes of Franz Beckenbauer.

We used to be a club targeting managers with pedigree, with a history I of trophies.

Now we're a club where I get rounded on for suggesting we used to be too good for Steve Bruce.

I think Lerner's an absolute moron but I'll admit he's done a fantastic job of brainwashing the masses.

 

how did bruces lot do v fulham?

[Woodytom]

 

 

For the umpteenth time, he was told by Lerner to completely rebuild the squad.

 

You keep saying that like it's a fact.

 

 

Because it is. What other proof do you need other than direct quotes from Lambert?

 

 

 

So what if it is what Lerner said? Doesn't excuse the fact that he appears to be doing a pretty shoddy job of it.

[Woodytom]

FWIW, I I think there is a manager out there who can do better. A manager who can get professional footballs executing the basic fundamentals of football would be a start.

 

Wouldn't be overly excited but I believe Steve McClaren would be able to at least get us to pass the football. Most of his managerial positions have been successful and he is doing well at Derby. You dont get Middlesbrough to the UEFA Cup final without having half a clue. 

 

Oh wait, the man (who is probably over qualified for Villa atm), chose to hold a brolly instead of getting piss wet through and spoke in a Dutch accent whilst winning the title with FC Twente for their first time ever, so lets swing from the gates of Villa Park protesting at the possibility of him getting interviewed, because we had such a barrage of top quality managers knocking at the door.

[Rovers13]

I think the transfer work this year was poor, but I think he's getting better results out of the squad than most could. Swap him and norwichs manager, villa would probably be bottom and Norwich would be comfortable top half.

[GeordieVillan]

Like last year, we struggled when Ron Vlaar was injured - and again this year our poor run of form has coincided with his injury. You cannot underestimate the impact of Ron not being there. For a team like us, key players are much more important because we don't have the back up.

 

To be fair to Lambert, I think Okore was brought in so that if Vlaar was missing we wouldn't be left with Clark/Baker/Herd again like last year, and it is unfortunate that Okore has been injured since pretty much day one.

 

I don't expect us to win a game until Vlaar returns, but then I think we will be fine and will return to our early season form.

 

So, can any manager do better - no, not when our two of three most important players (Vlaar, Guzan, Benteke) are injured or carrying injuries and thus out of form.

[PauloBarnesi]

FWIW, I I think there is a manager out there who can do better. A manager who can get professional footballs executing the basic fundamentals of football would be a start.

 

Wouldn't be overly excited but I believe Steve McClaren would be able to at least get us to pass the football. Most of his managerial positions have been successful and he is doing well at Derby. You dont get Middlesbrough to the UEFA Cup final without having half a clue. 

 

Oh wait, the man (who is probably over qualified for Villa atm), chose to hold a brolly instead of getting piss wet through and spoke in a Dutch accent whilst winning the title with FC Twente for their first time ever, so lets swing from the gates of Villa Park protesting at the possibility of him getting interviewed, because we had such a barrage of top quality managers knocking at the door.

 

Couple of things; he spent a fortune at Boro. And he’s been a mixed bag of things, some successes, and some failures. He would do ok at Villa, but not be able to move it on.