Ingram85 Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 (edited) The sad thing about Lambert is that when he came here he had a history of exciting attacking football but by the end of his tenure we were playing such dour defensive football comparable to McLeish. We seemed quite attacking for most of his first season (which was often our undoing) but gradually over time we got more and more defensive. I still don't believe that Lambert is a defensive manager at heart but for whatever reason the life got sucked out of him. My guess is he was still haunted by the drubbings we received in his first season and that horrific run at the end of last season.Our attacking play got destroyed after Keanes arrival, after Keanes arrival we never looked like the team we once were. Because it was all going so swimmingly up until then... Edited February 15, 2015 by Ingram85 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 It sounds as though he wanted his contact mutually terminated last summer. Why on earth that didn't happen is anybody's guess. His heart clearly wasn't in it, when a manager stops backing himself then it's already too late. The new contract too! Crazy. Another £2m mistake by Lerner. Was it a £2m mistake? I'm assuming Lambert's pay off is 12 months pay? Lambert was contracted until 2016 anyway wasn't he? So even if we'd sacked him at the same time but on his old contract I assume we'd have still had to pay him at least a year's salary to do so (maybe even all of what was remaining, so 15/16 months?) I imagine the new contract was just a pay rise. And given the remit that Lambert claimed to have, it was probably justified (as mad as that may seem to some). So I'm guessing (as I don't know either way) it's cost us 5 months of whatever the difference was between Lambert's old wages and his new wages. Which probably doesn't come to an awful lot of money (relatively speaking obviously) Happy to be corrected. I think the phrase mutual termination is important here. IF what we hear is correct, he wanted to go but wanted a few quid for his troubles. Fair enough. Doubt it would have been anything like £2m though. It's all just opinion with a healthy dose of supposition mind, regardless they should have moved him on then and the new contract was **** barmy. I wonder where he might pop up next? Championship I imagine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 The sad thing about Lambert is that when he came here he had a history of exciting attacking football but by the end of his tenure we were playing such dour defensive football comparable to McLeish. We seemed quite attacking for most of his first season (which was often our undoing) but gradually over time we got more and more defensive. I still don't believe that Lambert is a defensive manager at heart but for whatever reason the life got sucked out of him. My guess is he was still haunted by the drubbings we received in his first season and that horrific run at the end of last season. Our attacking play got destroyed after Keanes arrival, after Keanes arrival we never looked like the team we once were. Because it was all going so swimmingly up until then... Indeed. That is revisionist rubbish. We were awful last season, there was a particular run of games pre-christmas that included Hull, Fulham and Manchester United where we were every bit as bad as we have been this season. Keane left in what, October? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Lambert wanted to be sacked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Zen Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) I am still convinced he's a talented manager. He'll go on to be a success somewhere, and I think he could have been here too under different circumstances. For all the criticism he's received he also deserves a lot of praise. These last few weeks have been painful. Mostly because we now find ourselves battling relegation but also a little bit because it's a shame if Lambert is remembered by Villa fans only for the dreadful run that made his exit necessary. For all the low points of his reign, he also did a lot of good for the future of the club. He kept us in the PL through a period where I believe lesser managers wouldn't have. Don't get me wrong, there is no question he had to go, but I have no ill feelings towards him. He certainly deserves more respect than what is being shown to him by a certain moronic General with no knowledge of football whatsoever. Best of luck, Paul, I appreciate the effort. Edited February 16, 2015 by Michelsen 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomaszk Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Who was Hairyhands? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ_Villain Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 Lambert wanted to be sacked. I've thought this too... He has had us playing so abysmally and negatively for so long; He was essentially goading the powers that be to sack him... But the fact that he would rather see us relegated than leave of his own accord speaks volumes of the man... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 It sounds as though he wanted his contact mutually terminated last summer. Why on earth that didn't happen is anybody's guess. His heart clearly wasn't in it, when a manager stops backing himself then it's already too late. The new contract too! Crazy. Another £2m mistake by Lerner. Was it a £2m mistake? I'm assuming Lambert's pay off is 12 months pay? Lambert was contracted until 2016 anyway wasn't he? So even if we'd sacked him at the same time but on his old contract I assume we'd have still had to pay him at least a year's salary to do so (maybe even all of what was remaining, so 15/16 months?) I imagine the new contract was just a pay rise. And given the remit that Lambert claimed to have, it was probably justified (as mad as that may seem to some). So I'm guessing (as I don't know either way) it's cost us 5 months of whatever the difference was between Lambert's old wages and his new wages. Which probably doesn't come to an awful lot of money (relatively speaking obviously) Happy to be corrected. I think the phrase mutual termination is important here. IF what we hear is correct, he wanted to go but wanted a few quid for his troubles. Fair enough. Doubt it would have been anything like £2m though. It's all just opinion with a healthy dose of supposition mind, regardless they should have moved him on then and the new contract was **** barmy. I wonder where he might pop up next? Championship I imagine. Probably Lamberts level of coaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
electronicmaji Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I think Lambert did a good job and made good signings. But at the same time I believe sometime this season he really gave up and started seeing this team as a lost cause. He was fighting with Lerner over funds. He was sick of trying to stay up with half of what other teams trying to stay up were using. He told Lerner this that's a issue of public record. He told Lerner to sack him. He was sick of it. Lerner gave him another contract instead. Either way the gut feeling Lambert had about the team affected the football on display quite a bit. It may have been conscious it may have been subconscious I can not claim to know if it was either. Something in all of this is extremely fishy and it seems to me something is quite rotten in the state or Aston Villa if Lambert felt so negatively about the state of things that it shook him as badly as it did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I'm pretty sure this stuff about Lambert wanting to be sacked is total bollocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacbuddies Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 If the guy wanted to be sacked why on earth would he sign a new four year deal? To me it smacks of him wanting to screw as much money out of the club as possible and then engineered his own dismissal by playing some of the most awful football and achieving the most awful results all leading to taking risks with our PL survival. Despicable way to behave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post StefanAVFC Posted February 16, 2015 Popular Post Share Posted February 16, 2015 If the guy wanted to be sacked why on earth would he sign a new four year deal? To me it smacks of him wanting to screw as much money out of the club as possible and then engineered his own dismissal by playing some of the most awful football and achieving the most awful results all leading to taking risks with our PL survival. Despicable way to behave. Also total conjecture until proven otherwise. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I don't for a second believe that Lambert "engineered" his own dismissal but it would be interesting to know just what caused things to be so bad this season, especially on the goals front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ingram85 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 If the guy wanted to be sacked why on earth would he sign a new four year deal? To me it smacks of him wanting to screw as much money out of the club as possible and then engineered his own dismissal by playing some of the most awful football and achieving the most awful results all leading to taking risks with our PL survival. Despicable way to behave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarpie Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 I don't for a second believe that Lambert "engineered" his own dismissal but it would be interesting to know just what caused things to be so bad this season, especially on the goals front. I think it's just that he lost it, belief in himself and belief for players, and they have obviously picked up on that, and it crushed their confidence going forward. Hopefully Sherwood and the coaching staff is able to fix that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) He did ask to be sacked, but I suspect it was out of frustration and he said "if you can get someone to better, sack me" sort of threat. There's no way he would sabotage his own career in management for the sake of a pay off. Relegating Aston Villa would be a a career ending move. He just lost his way. Edited February 16, 2015 by Jimzk5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) Lambert wanted to be sacked. I've thought this too... He has had us playing so abysmally and negatively for so long; He was essentially goading the powers that be to sack him... But the fact that he would rather see us relegated than leave of his own accord speaks volumes of the man... I think thats pure speculation and to be honest b0llocks. why would he want his image tarnished? I think he just lost his passion for the job and he wanted to be put out of his misery One thing i wont dispute, i really do think he loves this club despite him being a very poor manager for us. Edited February 16, 2015 by Demitri_C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) One newspaper story with no quotes suggesting he asked to be sacked, in spite of all the evidence to the contrary, and people are taking it as fact and using it as a stick to beat him with. Nonsense. If he'd asked to be sacked in the summer I'm quite sure he would have been. He loved managing Villa, it didn't work out, but let's stop smearing the man with unfounded accusations. Edited February 16, 2015 by PatrickCousens 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 i agree completely patrick. even though he flopped at us, i would give him a welcome reception if returns for the opposite dug out. he didnt relegate us in those two years people do need to stop smearing him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted February 16, 2015 Share Posted February 16, 2015 (edited) i agree completely patrick. even though he flopped at us, i would give him a welcome reception if returns for the opposite dug out. he didnt relegate us in those two years people do need to stop smearing him He didn't relegate us no, I do think he bailed just at the right time though to save his rep. As for he loved managing Villa, it really didn't look like it in the last weeks of his tenure. Edited February 16, 2015 by foreveryoung Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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