Paul Lambert

[VillaChris]

 

 

 

In context, that Everton defeat was the worst so far because we really were bad, it was painful to watch cus their was no effort or intent from all but 2 players

There aren't many games you can say it for but Everton - especially given their current defensive frailties - actually was an ideal match for Lambert's tactics. I expected a high-press, high energy and a genuine attempt to get numbers forward on the counter. Instead it was another game that could easily have been presided over by Alex McLeish.

 

We'd have probably got that if Astu, Besic and Hibbert were in the Everton line up as has been the case for them in recent weeks.

 

With Barkley, McCarthy and Coleman all back in for the first time in ages, Everton were back to being a top 6 standard team and the gulf between that and us is huge I'm sad to say.

That is very significant....but they seem to come back from injury in a much more business like fashion.

 

 

I was amazed Barkley was as good as he was considering he's been out the whole season, the kid is a class act. The Irish lads have only been out for a few weeks so it wasn't a huge surprise they were both in after a two week break, those two integral to how Everton play so them back in shouldn't be underestimated even if we were woeful.

 

Back to Barkley, if Grealish is half as good we ourselves have a serious talent on our hands. Worth remembering Barkley struggled to break through for about 18 months and didn't do much in various loan spells in the championship.

[Mantis]

 

 

 

In context, that Everton defeat was the worst so far because we really were bad, it was painful to watch cus their was no effort or intent from all but 2 players

There aren't many games you can say it for but Everton - especially given their current defensive frailties - actually was an ideal match for Lambert's tactics. I expected a high-press, high energy and a genuine attempt to get numbers forward on the counter. Instead it was another game that could easily have been presided over by Alex McLeish.

 

We'd have probably got that if Astu, Besic and Hibbert were in the Everton line up as has been the case for them in recent weeks.

 

With Barkley, McCarthy and Coleman all back in for the first time in ages, Everton were back to being a top 6 standard team and the gulf between that and us is huge I'm sad to say.

That is very significant....but they seem to come back from injury in a much more business like fashion.

 

Not all injuries are the same you know.

[1974Centenary]

 

 

we have just came off playing top 5 from last season who have all spent over 25 million for a player in the summer compared to our biggest transfer fee. think context is needed. Games like QPR is what our season gets decided on

 

If said you can have 3 points from them 5 games, people would have bit your hand off

So based on that a lower league team has no chance of beating the Villa,i mean Bradford Sheffield utd and Leyton Orient all came to the Villa thinking they could win,we play against big teams hoping we can draw.Theirs nothing wrong in the 'smaller" teams beating the big ones.

 

This argument gets wheeled out time and time again but it's simply not the same. As disgraceful as those defeats were there's a difference between one-off cup ties and a 38 game league season.

 

You missed the point,but im not surprised.

[TRO]

In context, that Everton defeat was the worst so far because we really were bad, it was painful to watch cus their was no effort or intent from all but 2 players

There aren't many games you can say it for but Everton - especially given their current defensive frailties - actually was an ideal match for Lambert's tactics. I expected a high-press, high energy and a genuine attempt to get numbers forward on the counter. Instead it was another game that could easily have been presided over by Alex McLeish.

 

We'd have probably got that if Astu, Besic and Hibbert were in the Everton line up as has been the case for them in recent weeks.

 

With Barkley, McCarthy and Coleman all back in for the first time in ages, Everton were back to being a top 6 standard team and the gulf between that and us is huge I'm sad to say.

That is very significant....but they seem to come back from injury in a much more business like fashion.

Not all injuries are the same you know.

Of course they aren't....but it is starting to sound like....leaves on the rails or the wrong type of snow.

[Mantis]

I don't follow?

[TRO]

I don't follow?

I don't follow?

It's kinda referred to as excuses.....look we know injuries can be different, but it's always poor old us....it's like we are the most unlucky team in the league.

Mantis.....whether you like it or anyone else that supports him unconditionally....he is coming under the microscope.

He has a team that peaks and troughs at an alarmingly fickle rate....if he is not responsible for that I'm not sure who is....particularly when he is consistent in lauding Randy at every opportunity.

You and some may blame the owner for all this and he is NOT blameless, but other clubs with an owner with less money have done much better.

[Mantis]

 

I don't follow?

I don't follow?

It's kinda referred to as excuses.....look we know injuries can be different, but it's always poor old us....it's like we are the most unlucky team in the league.

Mantis.....whether you like it or anyone else that supports him unconditionally....he is coming under the microscope.

He has a team that peaks and troughs at an alarmingly fickle rate....if he is not responsible for that I'm not sure who is....particularly when he is consistent in lauding Randy at every opportunity.

You and some may blame the owner for all this and he is NOT blameless, but other clubs with an owner with less money have done much better.

 

I don't support Lambert unconditionally, but what's this got to do with injuries?

[Shaw_nuff]

There is a link as statistically you're more likely to score more if you have more shots on target but I fail to see how having a very low number of shots on target can be seen as anywhere near as bad as having a very low number of goals scored?

We could have zero shots on target and end up with three goals.

 

It all depends on which mood Dunne is in.

[omariqy]

I hate being overly negative about things but sometimes I hate it when people are positive for the sake of being positive and playing devils advocate.  Instead of arguing about different types of injuries or shots on target lets call it as it is.  We have been very poor for a while now. 4 goals is a very worrying stat.  I was talking the other day about how poor Burnley have been in front of goal and how they wouldn't survive if they carried on like that.  Turns out we are just as poor.  Pretty shocking.  Look at WBA today and how they played or QPR yesterday against Liverpool.  It can be done.  Yes we beat Liverpool but it was a typical one in 8 game for Lambert when his tactics come off. 

[Mantis]

I don't think anybody's being positive for the sake of being positive. Even those who are supposedly being "positive" aren't actually being that positive.

[Stevo985]

 

we have just came off playing top 5 from last season who have all spent over 25 million for a player in the summer compared to our biggest transfer fee. think context is needed. Games like QPR is what our season gets decided on

 

If said you can have 3 points from them 5 games, people would have bit your hand off

So based on that a lower league team has no chance of beating the Villa,i mean Bradford Sheffield utd and Leyton Orient all came to the Villa thinking they could win,we play against big teams hoping we can draw.Theirs nothing wrong in the 'smaller" teams beating the big ones.

 

This doesn't really add up.

 

Nobody is saying it's impossible for us to beat big teams. We've already done it once this season.

Just that if a big team plays well against us and beats us, then it's not too surprising given the talent on the other team.

 

Had Lleyton Orient lost to us, they'd have said the same thing. Because they managed a win on the day doesn't change that.

 

Just as we beat Chelsea last season. If they'd beaten us 3-0 instead then we'd say the same thing.

 

 

That doesn't excuse us not turning up against the big teams. But in games like the Man City one this season where we DID put in a good performance, despite losing 2-0, then it's a valid point. Man City stepped up a gear and have the talent to beat us when they play to that level. That's not an excuse, it's a fact.

[Raver50032]

 

Of course they aren't....but it is starting to sound like....leaves on the rails or the wrong type of snow.

 

Oi!! You leave my railway out of it!!

[Ghost_of_Pongo_Waring]

 

Of course they aren't....but it is starting to sound like....leaves on the rails or the wrong type of snow.

 

 

Those are examples of spurious excuses, how are the difficulties we've had spurious?

 

Last season only Arsenal had a worse injury record than us. This season we've not been able to field a settled side since the Hull game.

 

We've played last seasons top five in the last five games. Even for a fully fit squad thats going to be a challenging run of fixtures.

 

 

Against Arsenal we had players out through illness, including losing a player on the morning of the match and losing another at half time.

 

We lost a player on the morning of the Man city game, again to illness, which would indicate that the illness had possibly been a continuing problem since the Arsenal game.

 

Two players, who would have started at Everton were out injured and another taken off in the first half through injury.

 

So it's understandable that people make allowances for the injury problems we've had. The majority of posters, at the start of the season, thought we'd be in the bottom three after this run of games, yet despite the problems we've encountered we're mid table.

 

Of course everything isn't perfect and there are issues that need looking at but disregarding the problems we've had is doing the players and manager a disservice.

[DCJonah]

Do you not think every team could create a list of reasons why they don't do well at times?

Edited October 21, 2014 by DCJonah

[sne]

This is the current injury list, and as always pretty much every team can claim they are hampered by injuries.

 

http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php

 

Edit: This is a good read about last season

 

http://www.drjessesaenz.com/20132014-english-premier-league-injury-review/

Edited October 21, 2014 by sne

[Kingman]

Of course they aren't....but it is starting to sound like....leaves on the rails or the wrong type of snow.

Oi!! You leave my railway out of it!!

Leaves on the line is a very real thing, This is just simple terminology that's used so everybody can understand it.

The main problem is vegetation that's fell/blown and got trapped in the stanchion/cantilevers of the OLE (25k volts). Once the trains pantograph hits the vegetation that's trapped in the pan this then shorts the circuit and brings the Network on that line to a stop,

Pending the damagage pends the delay for repair, A MOMS & ISO team is to be located to make there way to the nearest access point, this could be upto a mile push/walk down track with the gear to the said train, Once the OLE is earthed up and the juice is taken out the lines a C-form is granted to the COSS so no one gets smoked whilst touching the line,

Every minute is chargeable @ a few hundred quid so time is money, After a while the First thing the trains computer will do is shut down the toilets then after a further while it will then shuts down the climate control and then later the communications system so the race is on. Once coms are lost it has been known for commuters to take things into there own hands as they are fed up of waiting so make there exit onto the adjacent track of an open line with movements upto 125mph. This not good as those things hurt when they hit.

So hence the expression... Leaves on the line.

[briny_ear]

Got a feeling the "wrong type of snow" is a very real problem as well. Very thin snow that blows through protective grills on engines and disables them.

[pacbuddies]

This is the current injury list, and as always pretty much every team can claim they are hampered by injuries.

 

http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php

 

Edit: This is a good read about last season

 

http://www.drjessesaenz.com/20132014-english-premier-league-injury-review/

So this shows that there are 10 teams with more injuries than us and 2 teams with the same level of injuries as us.

 

Puts things into perspective I think. We are not cursed as some would have us think.

[Zatman]

nobody said we were cursed but so far this season we have had Vlaar, Delph and Benteke for a considerable period of time and they are our 3 best outfield players.

 

e.g How would Chelsea or City cope if they lost Terry, Fabregas and Costa or Kompany, Yaya and Aguero

[pacbuddies]

nobody said we were cursed but so far this season we have had Vlaar, Delph and Benteke for a considerable period of time and they are our 3 best outfield players.

 

e.g How would Chelsea or City cope if they lost Terry, Fabregas and Costa or Kompany, Yaya and Aguero

They would probably be 12th in the league with 10 points and a -8 goal difference having scored only 4 goals all season and just lost 4 games on the bounce conceding 11 goals without reply.