Rovers13 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 There's nothing more perfect in the game than not letting the other team have the ball and scoring goals. We've allowed far too many teams to play perfect football against us. Not really. Most of the teams that have had all the ball have had trouble scoring against villa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted March 12, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted March 12, 2014 Not really. Most of the teams that have had all the ball have had trouble scoring against villa. Even good teams can struggle against a 5-3----2 formation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers13 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Not really. Most of the teams that have had all the ball have had trouble scoring against villa. Even good teams can struggle against a 5-3----2 formation. Right. And if they're struggling, they aren't playing perfect football. So my points stands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GENTLEMAN Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Paul Lambert never tired of doing the "dirty work" for the high-flying Borussia Dortmund team of the late 1990s, according to former skipper Matthias Sammer. And it's this selfless behaviour - and appreciation for the overall importance of the team - that he thinks will serve Villa well as they look for a renaissance in fortunes under the 43-year-old. Lambert was "here, there and everywhere" on the pitch - giving everything to the side. The Scotsman was all about the greater good - sacrificing himself for his team-mates. He appreciated the qualities of each player, says Sammer, and knew that everyone had a specific role to execute. Sammer thinks this appreciation for "the collective - and the individuals within the collective" is the key characteristic in the makeup of Lambert. Players like Brad Guzan, Gabby Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann have all come forward to hail the manager for his supportive, encouraging style. Sammer - who now works as technical director for European powerhouses Bayern Munich - isn't surprised after seeing the "very genuine personality" of Lambert up close. He said: "Paul was a good team-mate. That was one of his big strengths. "I think he has a very good instinct for how to deal with players. He had it as a player himself. He now has it as a manager. "He has a very genuine personality. That's important in football. Paul will always do what's best for the team and the club. That's how I remember him. "It was sad to see him leave Dortmund but we've kept in touch since then. I'm pleased that he's established himself as a manager now. "It's great to see him at Aston Villa, a club which boasts a long tradition and is undoubtedly one of the top teams in Britain. "I hope that he'll be able to work with this great club for a long time and I am confident he will be successful. "I remember when Paul first came in to Dortmund. He took part in a preliminary training session and impressed me even then. "He was here, there and everywhere. He was brave and aggressive too. "I know he has spoken since of feeling anxious about entering a virtually all-German dressing room but we were only interested in a player's quality, not where he came from. As such Paul was a very welcome addition. "I hadn't heard of him when he joined, I must admit. But his qualities as a person and as a player were immediately obvious. "He had a modest, reserved manner and fitted in straightaway. And we made sure he knew that he'd been accepted into the group. "He played a key role for us, of course, make no mistake about that. He was an important player. Every team needs someone who'll do the dirty work. "He was a strong runner, he had good technique, he was an accurate passer of the ball, an excellent tackler and the link between defence and attack." The prospect of someone from Scotland joining a big team in Germany would have been dismissed out of hand in the early 1990s - but things changed for Dortmund when Ottmar "Der General" Hitzfeld became boss. In no time, Dortmund were back at the forefront of German football after several years in the doldrums, and captained by their commanding centre-back Sammer, they won consecutive Bundesliga titles in 1995 and 1996. However, Dortmund's forays into Europe met with less success. They were beaten to the 1993 UEFA Cup by Juventus, losing 6-1 on aggregate in the two-leg final, and were knocked out of the 1995-96 Champions League tournament at the quarter-final stage by Ajax. It was unsurprising therefore that nobody gave Dortmund a chance of winning the biggest prize in European club football when they took their place alongside the likes of Manchester United, Juventus, AC Milan and Ajax in the 1997 tournament. Hitzfeld however had other ideas - and knew the player he needed to help the club lift the trophy. "Der General" had an incredibly talented squad, with players like Karl-Heinz Riedle, Stephane Chapuisat and Andreas Möller possessing no shortage of ability and skill. Dortmund played very attractive, attacking football but Hitzfeld recognised that his side sorely needed a hard man in midfield - an all-action player to run his socks off in the middle of the pitch and get stuck in. And so, Dortmund's signing of Lambert from Motherwell was agreed. It was a signing which made little headlines in Germany but eventually proved to be a masterstroke. Dortmund smoothly negotiated every obstacle in their path before booking a place in the final and a date with Juventus, led by the master technician Zinedine Zidane. The smart money was on the Italians but Lambert gave Zidane a torrid evening, helping Dortmund emerge victorious 3-1. Sammer was far from shocked at Lambert's terrific performance. He added: "He was brilliant that night. On the one hand I was impressed. But on the other hand, I was more than aware of his qualities and knew that he wouldn't let Zidane get into the game. So it proved. "Of course, he left at the end of that season and everyone was very sad to see him go. "He made a big impression with Dortmund fans, despite the fact he was only there for one season. I think it was his playing style that made him a favourite with the fans. He is still revered in Dortmund today - and rightly so! "I think the manager, Hitzfeld, had a huge impact on us of course. We worked perfectly together. Paul would agree with this. "He was first class - both as a person and as a manager, which is why we were so successful. "Someone told me in the past few weeks that Paul used to keep a notepad when he was at Dortmund, jotting down things that impressed him about the manager. I didn't know that at the time. "But it just shows that even back then Paul was looking to the future! That bit doesn't shock me!" One of the points scribbled down by Lambert was the fact that the desolation of a weekend defeat couldn't linger into Monday. This is a key attribute that he has brought to Bodymoor Heath with Villa. Sammer laughs when he hears this approach. He added: "But when Paul and I played, we never lost!" http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~3711210,00.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 If he is in touch with Sammer perhaps he should ask to loan a couple of players next season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted March 13, 2014 Share Posted March 13, 2014 Pity Lambert's reputed brilliance as a player hasn't translated into brilliance as a manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GENTLEMAN Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Pity Lambert's reputed brilliance as a player hasn't translated into brilliance as a manager. Yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers13 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Pity Lambert's reputed brilliance as a player hasn't translated into brilliance as a manager. Had a pretty good career so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArteSuave Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 He did a pretty **** good job dragging that shower of shite Norfolk outfit from where they belong into the big leagues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isa Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 Judging Lambert the manager based on what he saw from Lambert the player. Makes sense... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I don't give a toss what he did with Norwich. His record at Villa had been pretty awful so far and anyone who wants to deny that is just burying their head in the sand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers13 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 (edited) I don't give a toss what he did with Norwich. His record at Villa had been pretty awful so far and anyone who wants to deny that is just burying their head in the sand. The sand of context, yes Also, not giving a toss about him doing something very few other managers do (and none in recent times without much larger funds) suggests a hint of bias. Edited March 14, 2014 by Rovers13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 New chant, then "He did OK at Norwich And that's enough for us" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suttonpaul Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 All I am going to say is PL has done alright as he has fulfilled his remit from the board. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I don't give a toss what he did with Norwich. His record at Villa had been pretty awful so far and anyone who wants to deny that is just burying their head in the sand. Only if you remove context. Whether he did a bad a job when you take the context into account is down entirely to one's own opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 New chant, then "He did OK at Norwich And that's enough for us" I assume you're being facetious here because the job he did at Norwich was slightly better than OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 He built a premier league squad on peanuts, pretty incredible really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daggy_333 Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 I would love to see how many other managers could practically rebuild a team whilst staying in the Premier League on a budget of £40 million. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 For me, he's just doing a decent enough job. It's not been brilliant at all but it's not been bad either. You've just got to hope we're now done with "rebuilding" a squad (I actually think the loan signings hint at this) and can add proper quality. He may well be tactically limited to an extent and not all of his signings have worked out (obviously), but I'm encouraged by the fact that he recognises exactly what we need and that he/his scouting team has picked up Benteke, Vlaar and Bacuna in particular whilst also recognising that Guzan was a keeper to... keep. Okore also looks like he'll be a very good purchase. There's enough there for me to think he'd do well in buying the right players with the right money and he's a young manager who will be learning all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannedfromHandV Posted March 14, 2014 Share Posted March 14, 2014 We live in an age where we're told at every turn that winning is everything, fans today are a byproduct of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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