Paul Lambert

[villan_007]

 

I've got zero problems with Lambert staying if the new owners want him. I think he has built a decent foundation on sweet FA and found a few gems. I'd like to see him backed properly with premiership wages available to him, the players he wanted that we couldn't afford shows he knows where to look. Given cash to add 4 or 5 quality players and with Keane beside him I'd like to see what happens.

Sorry have I woken in a parallel universe where we didn't finish in the lower half of the table in the last 2 seasons? And the players he said he 'wanted' to sign could have been listed by any 8 year old in the UK, hardly leftfield were they?

 

 

For me I like to look at the bigger picture. The club hasn't been run properly for a number of yrs. Lambert came in when it was at it's worst, when resources were done. Yes we have finished in the lower half of the table, but each time only a handful of points from 9th - 10th and vice versa, but in all honest that is just being part of the bottom half mini league. I can't really take you seriously if you thought anything better would happen with the resources available. It wouldn't. We wouldn't be challenging where we want to be.

 

I also find it pointless saying if we hadn't signed Kozak or Tonev we could have this that and the other. The truth is taking all the money for both of them still would be a million miles from being able to take a sissoko, lukaku on board. That's the reality.

 

I think for all the players Lambert signed that didn't quite make the grade, he signed others that did, and are young enough to improve and have resale value.

 

I believe that he wants to be here and I think he deserves a crack at this club with an interested and active board / chairman in place that can give him the tools to compete as a premier league outfit.

[DelboyVilla]

 

 

I've got zero problems with Lambert staying if the new owners want him. I think he has built a decent foundation on sweet FA and found a few gems. I'd like to see him backed properly with premiership wages available to him, the players he wanted that we couldn't afford shows he knows where to look. Given cash to add 4 or 5 quality players and with Keane beside him I'd like to see what happens.

Sorry have I woken in a parallel universe where we didn't finish in the lower half of the table in the last 2 seasons? And the players he said he 'wanted' to sign could have been listed by any 8 year old in the UK, hardly leftfield were they?

 

 

For me I like to look at the bigger picture. The club hasn't been run properly for a number of yrs. Lambert came in when it was at it's worst, when resources were done. Yes we have finished in the lower half of the table, but each time only a handful of points from 9th - 10th and vice versa, but in all honest that is just being part of the bottom half mini league. I can't really take you seriously if you thought anything better would happen with the resources available. It wouldn't. We wouldn't be challenging where we want to be.

 

I also find it pointless saying if we hadn't signed Kozak or Tonev we could have this that and the other. The truth is taking all the money for both of them still would be a million miles from being able to take a sissoko, lukaku on board. That's the reality.

 

I think for all the players Lambert signed that didn't quite make the grade, he signed others that did, and are young enough to improve and have resale value.

 

I believe that he wants to be here and I think he deserves a crack at this club with an interested and active board / chairman in place that can give him the tools to compete as a premier league outfit.

 

 

 

I honestly believe regardless of the issues in the background at the club that Lambert should have performed better given that this was his second season in charge. He knew that he was not going to be signing Barry, Lukaku and Holtby last year with Lerner's cost cutting.

 

I never mentioned Kozak or Tonev so I don't know why you have?

 

Look a manager like Pulis who has taken a weaker squad than ours and got them motivated, organised and playing a system to their strengths as a team consistently over a number of games. Lambert got us motivated and organised 2 or 3 times last season which is not good enough as a manager earning millions a season. This has surprised and disappointed me as I thought this was the reason he was employed because of the good work he had done at Norwich?

[TrentVilla]

I honestly believe regardless of the issues in the background at the club that Lambert should have performed better given that this was his second season in charge. He knew that he was not going to be signing Barry, Lukaku and Holtby last year with Lerner's cost cutting.

 

I thought we would do better last season than we did in his first season and for most of it we did, the end to the season though meant that we finished in the same place. Given the resources available financially and the injuries picked up to the likes of Okora, Benteke, Kozak and N'Zogbia along the way I don't think its realistic to still think we should have performed better.

 

 Lambert got us motivated and organised 2 or 3 times last season which is not good enough as a manager earning millions a season. This has surprised and disappointed me as I thought this was the reason he was employed because of the good work he had done at Norwich?

 

Sorry but that is just silly. If he had got us organised and motivated just two or three times last season we would have been down by Christmas.

 

And yes he was employed because of the remarkable job he did at Norwich, so far I think he has done a reasonable job here given the circumstances.

[Big_John_10]

I just read bigger picture again. I thought after yet another shocking year in which we finished with 38 points that argument wouldn't really be thrown out anymore.

[Zhan_Zhuang]

I believe that he wants to be here and I think he deserves a crack at this club with an interested and active board / chairman in place that can give him the tools to compete as a premier league outfit.

 

[markavfc40]

 Yes we have finished in the lower half of the table, but each time only a handful of points from 9th - 10th 

 

 

Last season we finished 12 points off 9^th and 11 points off 10^th. We were nowhere near the top 10.

 

I have to say having had a few weeks since the end of the season to reflect then I am coming round to the minority verdict that realistically given what he had to spend, certainly in terms of wages, then could we have expected much better.

 

The squad on the whole is poor. You pay peanuts though and that is what you get. My main criticism of Lambert is that the money he did have to spend he spread too thin. Bowery, Sylla, Helenius, Tonev are no more than squad fillers and the squad could have been padded out with some of the younger lads. Instead of signing so many players he should have gone for a couple of players with a little more nous and experience in the Premier League. The penny though does seem to have now dropped with Lambert that this is what is desperately needed.

 

I believed Lambert was a good manager before he came. Has he become a bad manager since joining us? Perhaps he has but I doubt it. Managing Aston Villa comes with a lot more pressure than managing Norwich. The same goes for playing for Aston Villa. The Norwich side he managed to mid table in 2011/12 was no better than the side he had last season. However they also didn’t play under the pressure that the lads playing for us do. We as supporters have pretty high expectations and standards, and I hope that never changes, but it does mean that pressure will be felt by the players. A team full of young and inexperienced players have struggled to cope with that.

 

Until anything changes then I am expecting us to start the season under Lerner and Lambert. I doubt Lambert will be backed with much in terms of fees to spend but whatever he is given he needs to spend on 2 or 3 experienced players who can come in and hit the ground running and offer a little leadership and guidance to those around them. You throw in a Gareth Barry for instance alongside Westwood and Delph and not only do we gain a good player in Barry but I could see Delph and Westwoods game going up a notch or two and we instantly become a better side.

 

I also think bringing in Keane could be a very interesting move. I don’t have a clue about his coaching abilities but I know he is a born winner with a winners mentality. I’d hope he could at least in the short term have a very positive impact on not only the players but also reignite a bit of passion in Lambert who was clearly wavering at the back end of last season.

 

As things stand we likely face another season of struggle. I have now taken the stance that I can either wallow in the fact I was hoping for a managerial change or I can accept the fact that Lambert is likely to be here and back him. I am taking the second option.  Whilst I acknowledge he has made plenty of mistakes, and won’t forget the pain and disappointment of last season, I am happy to give the guy a chance to prove that my initial excitement at his appointment could yet be justified. Here’s hoping.

Edited June 4, 2014 by markavfc40

[andyh]

Ahhhh, the 'not actually having to watch shite for a for few weeks and forgetting how bad it really was' effect is starting to kick in. 

Edited June 4, 2014 by andyh

[cosofsaunders]

I've got zero problems with Lambert staying if the new owners want him. I think he has built a decent foundation on sweet FA and found a few gems. I'd like to see him backed properly with premiership wages available to him, the players he wanted that we couldn't afford shows he knows where to look. Given cash to add 4 or 5 quality players and with Keane beside him I'd like to see what happens.

This all the live long day

[AshVilla]

I'm past caring about whether Lambert is still in the job because he's a dead man walking anyway

 

Just recieved a stay of execution because a buyer has not been found yet

[TrentVilla]

My main criticism of Lambert is that the money he did have to spend he spread too thin. Bowery, Sylla, Helenius, Tonev are no more than squad fillers and the squad could have been padded out with some of the younger lads. Instead of signing so many players he should have gone for a couple of players with a little more nous and experience in the Premier League. The penny though does seem to have now dropped with Lambert that this is what is desperately needed.

 

A very good post that, I agree with much of it.

 

One point I didn't agree with though was the above.

 

If all had been signed at the same time I would perhaps agree but the 4 players you mention were signed over 3 transfer windows if I recall correctly. Bowery in his 1st summer, Sylla in the January and the other two in the 2nd summer. I think that is an important factor to consider.

 

For instance Sylla arrived for peanuts as you rightly say in a January window where he wasn't backed by Lerner and where we did at the time need another option in midfield. I don't think he had a lot of choice on that one in more ways than one.

 

The other three, you perhaps have a point perhaps not but I'd hazard a guess the cost of all 4 players wasn't much in excess of £5m. I think he would have struggled to get a couple of experienced PL players for that sort of money. He might have been able to get a couple in on Bosmans I suppose but then there would be the wage issue, an issue made worse by them being Bosman's. That only really leaves loans as an alternative and I think Lambert tried to invest in players for the long term rather than spend on loans for the short term. 

 

It may or may not work/have worked but I think I'd prefer that approach as it could see us in a better position in the long term.

 

Overall though i just don't think the wages were there for 'better' or more experienced players last summer. Perhaps wages will be this summer even if a transfer kitty isn't.

 

We shall see.

 

Good post though as I said previously.

[DelboyVilla]

 

I honestly believe regardless of the issues in the background at the club that Lambert should have performed better given that this was his second season in charge. He knew that he was not going to be signing Barry, Lukaku and Holtby last year with Lerner's cost cutting.

 

I thought we would do better last season than we did in his first season and for most of it we did, the end to the season though meant that we finished in the same place. Given the resources available financially and the injuries picked up to the likes of Okora, Benteke, Kozak and N'Zogbia along the way I don't think its realistic to still think we should have performed better.

 

 Lambert got us motivated and organised 2 or 3 times last season which is not good enough as a manager earning millions a season. This has surprised and disappointed me as I thought this was the reason he was employed because of the good work he had done at Norwich?

 

Sorry but that is just silly. If he had got us organised and motivated just two or three times last season we would have been down by Christmas.

 

And yes he was employed because of the remarkable job he did at Norwich, so far I think he has done a reasonable job here given the circumstances.

 

 

I think you know that I meant if we had played the a majority for the  season like the Arsenal or Chelsea games then we could have achieved a top ten place easily, we gave up in too many games!

 

As for doing a reasonable job in the circumstances, well that depends on your assessment of reasonable? We should not have been worrying about relegation that close to the end of the season, no amount of excuses justify that to me?

 

As for the 'difficult circumstances' let's be realistic that is just a pathetic excuse, he was hardly working in circumstances which he didn't know when he took on the job.

 

But hey all I can hope for is a new owner who will get rid of Lambert. My fingers are crossed!

[Rovers13]

"we gave up in too many games"

This didn't really seem like the issue.

[TrentVilla]

I think you know that I meant if we had played the a majority for the  season like the Arsenal or Chelsea games then we could have achieved a top ten place easily, we gave up in too many games!

 

As for doing a reasonable job in the circumstances, well that depends on your assessment of reasonable? We should not have been worrying about relegation that close to the end of the season, no amount of excuses justify that to me?

 

As for the 'difficult circumstances' let's be realistic that is just a pathetic excuse, he was hardly working in circumstances which he didn't know when he took on the job.

 

But hey all I can hope for is a new owner who will get rid of Lambert. My fingers are crossed!

 

 

How can I know what you mean if its different to what you post? I assume that what you post is what you mean, its the best way for this to work

 

If played the way we did against Arsenal and Chelsea in evey game we would do better than top 10 but I think that is completely and utterly unrealistic. We have neither the quality or depth to our squad to perform at those levels over 38 games and to set that as a bench mark for Lambert with his level of resources is setting him up to fail, there is no way he can succeed on that basis in your eyes.

 

So I think we have very different definitions of reasonable expectations. based upon what you've posted but then seemingly I shouldn't make that conclusion based on what you've posted because what you post isn't actually what you mean. Therefore you probably agree with me

 

You are perfectly entitled to your opinion but not to having it taken seriously and I don't take it seriously based on what I've read over the last few pages. Sighting circumstances isn't a pathetic excuse for anything, its a degree of realism which you could do with given you seemingly expect Lambert to have a side performing at a top 4 level over a season based on a bottom half PL budget.

 

Him knowing the circumstances when he arrived is completely irrelevant, because he knew the circumstances doesn't somehow mean that he should be expected to perform at your unrealistic level.

[dn1982]

Last season we finished very strongly because we had a settled side with every body playing well and virtually no injuries. Contrast that too the end of this season and it's a massive difference. Loss of key players through injury added to the loss of from of others made it a very tough season for all. If Lambert gets sacked once a takeover happens I wouldn't be too bothered as the way we played towards the end of the season was awful but if he stayed I believe he knows that he has to do a lot better. From how the team plays to his purchases to probably most critically our home form which has been unbelievably bad! I do think given more backing and hopefully with a strong No2 who isn't just a yes man he can get us playing how we did at the end of his first season and I'm sure the fans would come around as we all want to see us winning. I understand the constraints he's had to work under and I also know it wasn't good enough regardless but I can still believe he can do better given better resources what puzzles me is why even if they want him gone no matter what some people can't see he's worked under some tough constraints.

[Big_John_10]

I keep hearing about expectation again but for some reason they continue to be lowered to defend Lambert. Not one single person said they expected two relegation battles and club record lows when he arrived and had his first transfer window.

I didn't expect top 8 but I also didn't expect a season that was similar if not worse than McLeish.

Edited June 4, 2014 by Big_John_10

[Mantis]

Not many expected so little investment either. I certainly thought he'd get a lot more to spend, at least on wages.

[Mantis]

I've also said (many times in fact) that in terms of wages we just haven't been able to compete with most other Premier League clubs.

 

Also, why does everything have to be an "excuse"? Most of the time they're just opposing opinions.

Edited June 4, 2014 by Mantis

[Big_John_10]

I've also said (many times in fact) that in terms of wages we just haven't been able to compete with most other Premier League clubs.

But you've defended our level of spending. If you think what he's been given is OK then surely you can't then use it as a reason to defend such poor performances and results.

[ozvillafan]

My opinion hasn't changed.

 

After a second season I hoped to see something more of an improvement in the way we play our football. It hasn't happened. In fact, I honestly think we've regressed to levels below what we saw with McLeish.

 

This whole "give him a few quality players and see" attitude misses the mark. It's an easy cop out for playing crap football now. You don't wait till you have quality players to start playing better football. You bring the squad up to speed immediately so that those "quality" players have an immediate impact when they join - not have to pull the squad up around them.

 

I sincerely hope our new owners get rid and bring in a manager with a better football philosophy.

[Mantis]

 

I've also said (many times in fact) that in terms of wages we just haven't been able to compete with most other Premier League clubs.

But you've defended our level of spending. If you think what he's been given is OK then surely you can't then use it as a reason to defend such poor performances and results.

 

 

Just because I don't take extreme black and white views doesn't mean I don't think everything has been ok on the investment front.