Paul Lambert

[Ulver]

will be the season the useless twunt finally relegates us ?

[Villastine]

will be the season the useless twunt finally relegates us ?

 

Philippe Sylvain Senderos says YES!

 

Edited July 17, 2014 by Villastine

[GENTLEMAN]

I feel for Lambert, I sincerely do. I sense the guy has a real affection for the Villa and believes in the potential of the club. Unfortunately he is shackled by our current budget and a disinterested (and selfish) owner, how can you sell the club to quality players? How can you move the club forward? It is a mess.

 

I am staggered by the abuse our supporters have given the guy during the last twelve months. Lambo has bore the brunt for far too long, it is time Lerner took some responsibility and delivered on his original promise in 2006. I have personally had enough of Lerner's hiding.

Edited July 17, 2014 by GENTLEMAN

[GENTLEMAN]

will be the season the useless twunt finally relegates us ?

Lerner? Probably. 

[dont_do_it_doug.]

I don't think the tactics he uses really matters. It's all about results for the time being.

I'd agree to an extent, but if a poor tactical decision leads to a defeat (which I think did happen last season) then rightfully he should be criticised.

Tactics get results?

Individual talent is necessary, but even that needs to be harnessed in the system. The less talent you have, the more crucial the system becomes.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Lambert is very tactically astute. Or at least, he is tactically aware. He often doesn't have the personnel to fit his systems though and so it boggles the mind at times why he sends them out as he does.

With even an average amount of money I've no doubt he'd be a fantastic manager. The question is more, for me, is he the right manager for us? I have my doubts.

[El-Reacho]

I feel for Lambert, I sincerely do. I sense the guy has a real affection for the Villa and believes in the potential of the club. Unfortunately he is shackled by our current budget and a disinterested (and selfish) owner, how can you sell the club to quality players? How can you move the club forward? It is a mess.

 

I am staggered by the abuse our supporters have given the guy during the last twelve months. Lambo has bore the brunt for far too long, it is time Lerner took some responsibility and delivered on his original promise in 2006. I have personally had enough of Lerner's hiding.

 

Agreed - Lambert's actually getting grief on here because he took a job with one of the biggest club's in the country, despite evidently having no long term assurances about money to strengthen, despite being asked to get rid of all of the top earners, despite his current club (at the time) punching well above their weight and subsequently outspending us since then.

 

If he'd left after the meeting in May I'm convinced we'd be down because no one would take Lambert's job right now - perhaps we could get Ian Dowie in on a 12 month 'football consultancy' contract. 

Edited July 17, 2014 by El-Reacho

[Ulver]

It must've been a right old struggle only having 43m to spend. Good job his sound tactical knowledge was intact otherwise we'd have gone for sure

 

perhaps we could get Ian Dowie in on a 12 month 'football consultancy' contract. 

 

 

I'd be willing to give that a go

[Richard]

43M over this long is nothing in this division,  some teams will spend that on two players and he has been told to rebuild a whoe team with it and to do so with supporters expecting mid table safety or better

[VillaForever1970]

It must've been a right old struggle only having 43m to spend. Good job his sound tactical knowledge was intact otherwise we'd have gone for sure

To re-build a whole team? Yeah thats shit load.

[Rovers13]

Exactly, the number of players matters. If villa had an almost complete squad and he only had to spend on 5 or 6 players with those funds, then yeah, you'd expect quality. But he's had to spend on what, 15 or 16?

[rodders0223]

 

It must've been a right old struggle only having 43m to spend. Good job his sound tactical knowledge was intact otherwise we'd have gone for sure

To re-build a whole team? Yeah thats shit load.

 

 

Whilst reducing the wage bill?

I think he has done a fantastic job in that regard.

[Isa]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Lambert is very tactically astute. Or at least, he is tactically aware. He often doesn't have the personnel to fit his systems though and so it boggles the mind at times why he sends them out as he does.

Surely the second part of that paragraph pretty much sums up exactly why he isn't tactically astute in the slightest. Astuteness implies pragmatism and flexibility while as you concede, he plays a set system regardless of whether it is conductive to the players at his disposal or not.

[GENTLEMAN]

Exactly. I think Lambert is working on the basis that "things will get better in time", I think he sees a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. Credit to him. Most managers would have walked at the end of the season and would have been well within their rights to do so.

 

Lambert comes cross as somebody who wants to look up at the stars in the sky rather than the mud in the gutter. I hope he is the man that leads the mighty Villa back to glory in time.

Edited July 17, 2014 by GENTLEMAN

[ozvillafan]

Exactly. I think Lambert is working on the basis that "things will get better in time", I think he sees a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. Credit to him. Most managers would have walked at the end of the season and would have been well within their rights to do so.

 

Lambert comes cross as somebody who wants to look up at the stars in the sky rather than the mud in the gutter. I hope he is the man that leads the mighty Villa back to glory in time.

 

For that, you need a plan.

 

Not the Lerner 5 year plan or a plan for a lot of money from rich owners. Those things are beyond Lambert's control.

 

I mean a plan on how you can compete on a football field. It's not easy when you don't have a lot of quality players - but football is a team game and is not won by balance sheets. It doesn't have to overly elaborate:

 

- Start with a modern football philosophy (e.g. movement, ball retention, short passes, keep the ball on the ground)

- Work to a formation, with well defined roles

- Find players that fit those roles

- Drill this into your players and coaches at all levels.

 

Will this bring immediate results? Of course not. But there should be improvement over the short term and medium term.

 

So is Lambert doing this? I doubt it. I see nothing resembling any sort of plan in the football being played over the last 2 seasons.

 

Is Lerner to blame for that? Nope. He's to blame for the quality of player available to us but not for the style of football being produced.

 

The simple truth is that Lambert does NOT need better players to introduce this "plan". The day when we can afford/attract them may never come - new owner or not. He needs to work in the present so that, if that day comes, we are ready to step up instead of just getting started.

 

Sadly, imo, this is beyond his capabilities. His football is archaic and quintessentially English. And it's failing. In fact, I'd level that at most of the managers we have had since I started supporting Villa 20 years ago despite brief flirtations with European football.

 

We need a complete turn around in our football philosophy. Getting a manager outside of Britain (for only the 3rd time, ever) might be a good start.

[rodders0223]

 

Exactly. I think Lambert is working on the basis that "things will get better in time", I think he sees a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. Credit to him. Most managers would have walked at the end of the season and would have been well within their rights to do so.

 

Lambert comes cross as somebody who wants to look up at the stars in the sky rather than the mud in the gutter. I hope he is the man that leads the mighty Villa back to glory in time.

 

For that, you need a plan.

 

Not the Lerner 5 year plan or a plan for a lot of money from rich owners. Those things are beyond Lambert's control.

 

I mean a plan on how you can compete on a football field. It's not easy when you don't have a lot of quality players - but football is a team game and is not won by balance sheets. It doesn't have to overly elaborate:

 

- Start with a modern football philosophy (e.g. movement, ball retention, short passes, keep the ball on the ground)

- Work to a formation, with well defined roles

- Find players that fit those roles

- Drill this into your players and coaches at all levels.

 

Will this bring immediate results? Of course not. But there should be improvement over the short term and medium term.

 

So is Lambert doing this? I doubt it. I see nothing resembling any sort of plan in the football being played over the last 2 seasons.

 

Is Lerner to blame for that? Nope. He's to blame for the quality of player available to us but not for the style of football being produced.

 

The simple truth is that Lambert does NOT need better players to introduce this "plan". The day when we can afford/attract them may never come - new owner or not. He needs to work in the present so that, if that day comes, we are ready to step up instead of just getting started.

 

Sadly, imo, this is beyond his capabilities. His football is archaic and quintessentially English. And it's failing. In fact, I'd level that at most of the managers we have had since I started supporting Villa 20 years ago despite brief flirtations with European football.

 

We need a complete turn around in our football philosophy. Getting a manager outside of Britain (for only the 3rd time, ever) might be a good start.

 

 

I agree, let's bring Dr Jo back.

 

Exactly. I think Lambert is working on the basis that "things will get better in time", I think he sees a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. Credit to him. Most managers would have walked at the end of the season and would have been well within their rights to do so.

 

Lambert comes cross as somebody who wants to look up at the stars in the sky rather than the mud in the gutter. I hope he is the man that leads the mighty Villa back to glory in time.

 

For that, you need a plan.

 

Not the Lerner 5 year plan or a plan for a lot of money from rich owners. Those things are beyond Lambert's control.

 

I mean a plan on how you can compete on a football field. It's not easy when you don't have a lot of quality players - but football is a team game and is not won by balance sheets. It doesn't have to overly elaborate:

 

- Start with a modern football philosophy (e.g. movement, ball retention, short passes, keep the ball on the ground)

- Work to a formation, with well defined roles

- Find players that fit those roles

- Drill this into your players and coaches at all levels.

 

Will this bring immediate results? Of course not. But there should be improvement over the short term and medium term.

 

So is Lambert doing this? I doubt it. I see nothing resembling any sort of plan in the football being played over the last 2 seasons.

 

Is Lerner to blame for that? Nope. He's to blame for the quality of player available to us but not for the style of football being produced.

 

The simple truth is that Lambert does NOT need better players to introduce this "plan". The day when we can afford/attract them may never come - new owner or not. He needs to work in the present so that, if that day comes, we are ready to step up instead of just getting started.

 

Sadly, imo, this is beyond his capabilities. His football is archaic and quintessentially English. And it's failing. In fact, I'd level that at most of the managers we have had since I started supporting Villa 20 years ago despite brief flirtations with European football.

 

We need a complete turn around in our football philosophy. Getting a manager outside of Britain (for only the 3rd time, ever) might be a good start.

 

 

I agree, let's bring Dr Jo back.

[El-Reacho]

 

Exactly. I think Lambert is working on the basis that "things will get better in time", I think he sees a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. Credit to him. Most managers would have walked at the end of the season and would have been well within their rights to do so.

 

Lambert comes cross as somebody who wants to look up at the stars in the sky rather than the mud in the gutter. I hope he is the man that leads the mighty Villa back to glory in time.

 

For that, you need a plan.

 

Not the Lerner 5 year plan or a plan for a lot of money from rich owners. Those things are beyond Lambert's control.

 

I mean a plan on how you can compete on a football field. It's not easy when you don't have a lot of quality players - but football is a team game and is not won by balance sheets. It doesn't have to overly elaborate:

 

- Start with a modern football philosophy (e.g. movement, ball retention, short passes, keep the ball on the ground)

- Work to a formation, with well defined roles

- Find players that fit those roles

- Drill this into your players and coaches at all levels.

 

Will this bring immediate results? Of course not. But there should be improvement over the short term and medium term.

 

So is Lambert doing this? I doubt it. I see nothing resembling any sort of plan in the football being played over the last 2 seasons.

 

Is Lerner to blame for that? Nope. He's to blame for the quality of player available to us but not for the style of football being produced.

 

The simple truth is that Lambert does NOT need better players to introduce this "plan". The day when we can afford/attract them may never come - new owner or not. He needs to work in the present so that, if that day comes, we are ready to step up instead of just getting started.

 

Sadly, imo, this is beyond his capabilities. His football is archaic and quintessentially English. And it's failing. In fact, I'd level that at most of the managers we have had since I started supporting Villa 20 years ago despite brief flirtations with European football.

 

We need a complete turn around in our football philosophy. Getting a manager outside of Britain (for only the 3rd time, ever) might be a good start.

 

 

Agree with lots of this, however what happens when, whilst implementing the long term plan, we fail to deliver in the short term and find ourselves in a relegation fight? Do we stick with the long term vision even though it's not producing results, the crowd are on the players' backs, and confidence has gone out the window - or do we revert to survival mode and win or draw in whatever way we can like McLeish more or less did - hoping to snatch a draw to get another point that might keep us up.

 

Lambert's first season in charge had the pivotal moment of when we beat Liverpool with a modern football philosophy, well defined roles, ball on ground etc. We took that into the next game and got utterly destroyed by Chelsea and two weeks later Lambert admitted we were in a fight for survival and everything we had against Liverpool went out the window.

[TrentVilla]

43M over this long is nothing in this division,  some teams will spend that on two players and he has been told to rebuild a whoe team with it and to do so with supporters expecting mid table safety or better

And it's important to remember that was over 4 transfer windows it's not like the money was available in one or two windows allowing a higher value of player to be signed.

We needed numbers especially when he arrived.

In Premier League terms he has spent a pittance and trying to claim otherwise is a little silly.

Fulham have twice in the last 12 months signed players for around twice the cost of Lambert's biggest signing, one of which is since they were relegated.

[GENTLEMAN]

I do not disagree we having a long term strategy in place, I think we desperately need one. It is so frustrating because we have all the ingredients to be one hell of a football club, but the current reality has us fending off the likes of QPR for our star talent. It is not acceptable. The whole culture of the club stinks.

[mikeyp102]

I don't think the tactics he uses really matters. It's all about results for the time being.

I'd agree to an extent, but if a poor tactical decision leads to a defeat (which I think did happen last season) then rightfully he should be criticised.

Tactics get results?

Not sure if you are being sarcastic here. If you're not, ten ye tactics get results, why else do w have a manager and why are there different calibre of managers?

[Isa]

I think the mentioning of "four transfer windows" when it comes to putting Lambert's transfer funding into context is deliberately misleading. It is usually the case that the bulk of the season's business is done in the summer and very little done in the winter due to the nature of the market during that time.

So more appropriate is to just state how much was spent per season, which in Lambert's case is roughly £20m. Obviously the arguement will rage on about whether that was enough for him to do better than he has etc. but that is the standard way of specifying it rather than trying to divide it by transfer windows.