Paul Lambert

[HeyAnty]

 

My point is perhaps simpler than my earlier 'essay'.

 

This team is awful, the majority of the players are substandard, it's some of the worst football ever played at Villa Park and we've broken loads of awful records. All almost undisputable facts. Is Lambert responsible? Yes, but it's the amount of responsibility you assign. For me it's way less than Lerner and sufficient enough to give him the benefit of the doubt if a new owner arrives. If Lerner stays we're f*cked with Lambert or Guardiola in charge.

 

Lambert's pricer buys have been Benteke (£7m), Vlaar (£3m), Kozak (£7m), Okore (£4m) and Bacuna (£3m) of which two are success, two are seriously injured and the final one is at worst mixed. All his other signings have been cheap punts, successful with likes of Westwood or disasters in shape of Tonev.

 

No, our position isn't OK, but it's too short sighted to blame it all on Lambert. We used to have likes of Young and Milner but they left and we got NZogbia and Bent, then they were bombed out and we could get likes of Westwood and Benteke, then Benteke gets injured... Keep taking away the quality and you end up down the wrong end of the table REGARDLESS of manager.

 

These players last year arguably over performed (see Lowton POTS to today, Weimann and even Benteke) and think we nearly all agree that Luna was/is better than Bennett and Betrand better than both of them. Lambert is responsible for that too.

 

I really am not Pro-Lambert or looking for positives but I genuinely can not see how any other manager would have done much better. Lerner's famous statement even highlights these constraints. This squad has been stripped from top to bottom; our first team the other day with Guzan, Baker, Clark, Delph, Albrighton and Gabby were all here with MON when we were 6th but not playing because we had better players. We have now sold these players and not replaced them so worse players are now in the first XI.

 

The players do seem to put in effort, they do seem to care they're simply just not good enough. Lambert is at fault to some degree, he has made mistakes, but not enough for me to not see WHY he's made those mistakes - lack of investment. I think few would argue that another manager could get THIS bunch playing better so it's about buying better quality and another seven £2m buys aren't going to do that in the best league in the world. It really is as simple as that.

No it isn't really as simple as that.

It was Lambert's choice was it not to strip the team of experience players and then form the bomb squad with those players making them worthless to prospective buyers.

It was his choice was it not to then replace those players with lower league or players from europe not used to playing in the Premiership.

It was his choice was it not to to bring in Tonev, Kozak, Helenius, Bowery, Bennett, Luna, Sylla, Westwood, Steer, when we already had Albrighton, Bent, Weimann, Lichaj, Delfouneso, Bannan, Given and would we not have been better off by keeping Collins and paring him with Vlaar. He could have also used one or two of our better youngsters as squad fillers. No-one is going to make me accept that one set of those players are better than the other.

Yes wages. But are we not still paying the wages of some of those players with Bent back in the summer so what difference would it have made.

He has substituted in the main average to good Premiership experience with just average championship players and you wonder why we have struggled so badly under him.

Given that those new players needed all the help they could get he then, if rumours are correct, presided over bullying tactics by his appointed coaches in training and you then wonder again why those players have been playing without motivation and confidence.

Might we also consider the constant changes in system which Lambert has presided over because his many blunders in the transfer market couldn't produce the required level of football to get decent consistent results in the Premiership.

And just maybe we should consider that finally he realised the error of his ways last January by targeting more experience but after wasting most of his limited budget on absolute shite, the same shite who he doesn't want to play in the team anymore, he didn't have the budget to bring that experience back into the team again.

No it isn't as simple as no other manager couldn't have done any better under the circumstances as it is quite possible is it not that another more savy manager wouldn't have made the same mistakes as Lambert.

 

 

 

It was Lambert's choice was it not to strip the team of experience players and then form the bomb squad with those players making them worthless to prospective buyers.

 

How do you know it was his choice?

It was his choice was it not to then replace those players with lower league or players from europe not used to playing in the Premiership.

 

How do you know it was his choice?

 

[SikhInTrinity]

I think sometimes the club is too big for a manager and that's what happened with Lambert. Villa job is a poisoned chalice similar to the England job and it takes a special type of character to get to grasps with it

 

Look at where our previous managers have ended up will tell people this. Only Taylor I can think of first time round, went on to a bigger job.

[shaggy]

To HeyAnty

Is he or is he not the manager?

Does the manager buy and sell players?

[Zatman]

 

I think sometimes the club is too big for a manager and that's what happened with Lambert. Villa job is a poisoned chalice similar to the England job and it takes a special type of character to get to grasps with it

 

Look at where our previous managers have ended up will tell people this. Only Taylor I can think of first time round, went on to a bigger job.

 

 

didn't Big Ron go to Harchester

[HeyAnty]

To HeyAnty

Is he or is he not the manager?

Does the manager buy and sell players?

 

 

Did Lerner not state that Lambert had to work within a remit?  I've my doubts that it was Lambert who came up with the reject squad.  It was a stipulation by Lerner.

 

The chairman tells you that you have to get rid of all the high earners and you only have 20 million to buy new players to replace them.

 

You mentioned 'It was his choice was it not to then replace those players with lower league or players from europe not used to playing in the Premiership'.  How can he replace all the high earners(say 10 players for arguments sake) with players of the same ability.  It’s not possible.  He bought players to full up a squad to keep us in the premiership.  Yes the majority are useless but that’s what you get at that price bracket.

 

I agree that Lambert has to go, but that’s because he has lost the support of most of the fans and not because he has had to work with his hands tied behind his back by Randy Lerner.  Fans should be protesting more rigorously to get rid of Lerner than Lambert.     

[VillaForever1970]

I’m clutching here but since the bad apples have left and Lambert has done training himself with Sid etc have our performances actually improved a little?

I know we’ve not won or banging in the goals and i’ve not seen the games personally but the reports of the games seem to say we’ve played better just lacked cutting edge.

Is this true?

[BG_Villa_Fan]

 

To HeyAnty

Is he or is he not the manager?

Does the manager buy and sell players?

 

 

Did Lerner not state that Lambert had to work within a remit?  I've my doubts that it was Lambert who came up with the reject squad.  It was a stipulation by Lerner.

 

The chairman tells you that you have to get rid of all the high earners and you only have 20 million to buy new players to replace them.

 

You mentioned 'It was his choice was it not to then replace those players with lower league or players from europe not used to playing in the Premiership'.  How can he replace all the high earners(say 10 players for arguments sake) with players of the same ability.  It’s not possible.  He bought players to full up a squad to keep us in the premiership.  Yes the majority are useless but that’s what you get at that price bracket.

 

I agree that Lambert has to go, but that’s because he has lost the support of most of the fans and not because he has had to work with his hands tied behind his back by Randy Lerner.  Fans should be protesting more rigorously to get rid of Lerner than Lambert.     

 

 

First of all it was Paul Faulkner that has said that it's been entirely down to lambert how he's going to use the budget and wages and it's been Lambert's choice ( at the supporters meeting months ago ). 

 

Then, even if Lambert was told to get rid of all the high earners he didn't do it, did he? The only player he got rid of when he came was Collins. Ireland stayed, Bent, Dunne, Hutton, etc - all of them stayed and found themselves in the bomb squad at some point - again entirely Lambert's choice. He could have used them in the squad in some capacity until he sells them, but he didn't yet bought replacements before these were gone. So it's not like he sold all the high earners and bought new low paid players.

 

Lastly, the latest accounts show the wage bill has actually been increasing. Facts. 

[shaggy]

Even if that were so that remit didn't come down to specific choice of player. That was up to Lambert and he has got that badly wrong.

I've also read somewhere else on site that our wages have gone up and there didn't seem to be much of remit on the improved contracts of of Benteke or Weimann either.

I'm not saying that he has had perfect conditions to work under but he has made a shit load of mistakes which has left the club in a worse position playing wise than even under Mcdope and that is unforgivable in my book.

[djamfisher]

Getting rid of high earners does not necessarily mean you get rid, or don't bring in, any experienced players.

 

I can't imagine Lerner's guidance to Lambert was have no, or very little, epxerience in the squad, buy lower league tat, play hoofball tactics, etc

 

Both of them need to go to be fair..

[HeyAnty]

Even if that were so that remit didn't come down to specific choice of player. That was up to Lambert and he has got that badly wrong.

I've also read somewhere else on site that our wages have gone up and there didn't seem to be much of remit on the improved contracts of of Benteke or Weimann either.

I'm not saying that he has had perfect conditions to work under but he has made a shit load of mistakes which has left the club in a worse position playing wise than even under Mcdope and that is unforgivable in my book.

Of course he has made mistakes all managers do.  But buying inexperienced chaff your mistakes are going to be highlighted more especially in the numbers needed.  It’s not nice watching Villa avoid relegation every year and in fairness we have been doing that for 4 years now not just under Lambert.  There is a bigger common denominator here and its not him.   

 

I'm afraid it’s time for Lerner either to sack Lambert of back him.  But he can’t do neither. 

[AshVilla]

There is simply no way back for Lambert

[KHV]

I’m clutching here but since the bad apples have left and Lambert has done training himself with Sid etc have our performances actually improved a little?I know we’ve not won or banging in the goals and i’ve not seen the games personally but the reports of the games seem to say we’ve played better just lacked cutting edge.Is this true?

No, we have been massively crap and will continue to be crap until there is massive change.

[PussEKatt]

 

To HeyAnty

Is he or is he not the manager?

Does the manager buy and sell players?

 

 

Did Lerner not state that Lambert had to work within a remit?  I've my doubts that it was Lambert who came up with the reject squad.  It was a stipulation by Lerner.

 

The chairman tells you that you have to get rid of all the high earners and you only have 20 million to buy new players to replace them.

 

You mentioned 'It was his choice was it not to then replace those players with lower league or players from europe not used to playing in the Premiership'.  How can he replace all the high earners(say 10 players for arguments sake) with players of the same ability.  It’s not possible.  He bought players to full up a squad to keep us in the premiership.  Yes the majority are useless but that’s what you get at that price bracket.

 

I agree that Lambert has to go, but that’s because he has lost the support of most of the fans and not because he has had to work with his hands tied behind his back by Randy Lerner.  Fans should be protesting more rigorously to get rid of Lerner than Lambert.     

 

If I was appling for the job with the above conditions I would have to say that it cant be done,so I would apply for another job because Lerner is asking the impossable.

The Premier League is supposed to be the toughest league in the world and Lerner wants to be in it with lower league players ?

[Isa]

They weren't anything special, but they were a team, they had a spine there to work with. We didn't. Why is it interesting I included Davies, he had to give him his debut because at the time if you remember Taylor during the season got a serious injury, Laudrup then bought in Tiendelli as cover. Easier to bring in a player when you effectively have no other choice.

Yes I do remember and Davies had already been promoted to second-choice left-back before Taylor's injury. You say it's easy when you have no other choice but we've had terrible injuries this season and still no academy players have been given a chance. I have no doubt that if Lambert in the same situation wouldn't have given Davies that opportunity.

[terrytini]

As a Lambert fan who has reached the conclusion he needs to go I would ask those still defending him, regardless of all the circumstances how do they explain what has been a calamitous collapse in our form since December ?

The last half of last season we were showing clear improvement.

Despite the complaints of some on here that was actually being maintained - our first 14 games got us 19 points - not earth shattering but enough to finish the season on 51 - that to me would have been sufficient signs of progress.

But our next 21 games have brought just 16 points.........which would result in 28 points for a season.

So we clearly started last season rocky, improved, continued improving, then fell off a cliff.

The budget, the high rollers, the salaries, the transfer policy, ...none of that explains this.

It is for that reason, and Lamberts inability or unwillingness to offer any explanation or answer to that, that I think we need to move on.

And that is from someone who would have never expected to say so, and is certainly aware of the constraints, and doesn't have a problem with his purcheases, his tactics, or who he plays, or even with having lowered expectations.

It is such a huge collapse compared to the steady progress we had seen and could have expected to continue.

[SikhInTrinity]

 

They weren't anything special, but they were a team, they had a spine there to work with. We didn't. Why is it interesting I included Davies, he had to give him his debut because at the time if you remember Taylor during the season got a serious injury, Laudrup then bought in Tiendelli as cover. Easier to bring in a player when you effectively have no other choice.

Yes I do remember and Davies had already been promoted to second-choice left-back before Taylor's injury. You say it's easy when you have no other choice but we've had terrible injuries this season and still no academy players have been given a chance. I have no doubt that if Lambert in the same situation wouldn't have given Davies that opportunity.

 

 

Possibly. But looking at the previous graduates of our academy, I ain't too hopeful.

[foreveryoung]

Bump!!

 

The thought of people saying how no other manager could do better with this squad are, dare I say it, probably right. But the point is, another, more knowledgable manager would almost definately have took a different approach and not signed so much shit like Lambert has in the first place.

 

Actually, no I take it back. To say no other manager could do better for us, is one of the most rediculous statments made on VT to date.

Edited April 29, 2014 by foreveryoung

[Condimentalist]

Bump!!

 

The thought of people saying how no other manager could do better with this squad are, dare I say it, probably right. But the point is, another, more knowledgable manager would almost definately have took a different approach and not signed so much shit like Lambert has in the first place.

 

Actually, no I take it back. To say no other manager could do better for us, is one of the most rediculous statments made on VT to date.

 

I'm not sure that's quite what's being said. I'm sure there are managers out there who could have done better. I also think there are plenty who would have done worse. The problem is that the calibre of managers we can attract to this Lerner 'project' of cost-cutting and misery are more likely to come from the latter category.

[PieFacE]

Bump!!

 

The thought of people saying how no other manager could do better with this squad are, dare I say it, probably right. But the point is, another, more knowledgable manager would almost definately have took a different approach and not signed so much shit like Lambert has in the first place.

 

Actually, no I take it back. To say no other manager could do better for us, is one of the most rediculous statments made on VT to date.

[jackbauer24]

Actually I can put it a very simple way; the question is not who is the best manager for us, it's who is the best manager for us in our situation? And what do you want our situation to be?

 

People have banded around names like Bruce and Pulis who possibly have a better record with cheap buys and surviving on a shoe string. Ok, get them. Accept we are a team fighting for survival. Would you want these managers if aiming for top 6?

 

Or we go likes of Martinez. He gets poorly funded teams relegated despite being well thought of. But at least that shows ambition hey...

 

Or we go managerless, if you're a crap manager we accept we will forever be crap or you can't get a manager to take us on.

 

Lambert, to me, is that middle ground. He's probably not a top manager but he has more potential than Bruce/Pulis. And I don't for one second think he chose to bomb out all top earners and I don't think he's refused to spend more money on better quality, no manager does that. He's made calls on players in our range, normally lower league. Lots haven't worked, others have but the quality is always going to be poorer than we want.

 

I think we might have made small progress this year with more luck injury wise. Not huge, but some. And how do you explain a collapse second half of the season? I don't know, but i dont want to be a fan/ team that jumps on a manager because of a bad run. Too many mitigating circumstances for me. I said i wasnt Pro-Lambert but the more I look at the hand he's been dealt the more I have extreme sympathy for him.

 

Or he could be the 'big man' and just walk away because it's impossible. Great for him, not so great for us. See MON....