Paul Lambert

[briny_ear]

The Lambertines.....even druggie Pete Doherty could have made a better job of managing Vila for the last two games !

The Lamberghinis - people who want him gone as quickly as possible.

The Lambertstotheslaughter - how he sets them up every game

Lambophiles?

Lambosceptic, me

.

[lapal_fan]

The thing that baffles me most about Lambert is that sometimes, he gets us good results. I mean, we always play well against Swansea. We always do well at arsenal and Liverpool. Then by the same token, we've been absolutely garbage againt fulham, palace and other low placed teams.

I really want him to bw successful, he's young, done well at other clubs and looks smart.

I'm still not in the Lambert out camp. This season's almost over and I'd like him to be given 5 games next season with his full first 11 playing. With Okore, vlaar, benteke, delph and guzan as a very decent spine.

Fair enough, there has been some absolute tripe lately, but I think this team has been on their holidays since chelsea (even though it's Lamberts job to motivate).

[Condimentalist]

We have to assess it at the end of the season. If we finish OK I'd stick with Lambert because I don't see who else would take the job and improve us. That's how far we've fallen under Lerner. If we lose the last 4 game that's clearly a different issue.

 

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets some decent money to spend. That investment is what is lacking especially. I still think he can be a good manager for this club, and although I can understand others losing patience, I'm not sure how many managers would have been able to do a lot with a £5-15k wage cap on most players. That's Championship level - hopefully that's not where we end up.

[rjw63]

 

 

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets enticed back to Norwich.

 

[The_Lions_Roar]

I wrote a long message but lost signal and it vanished!

The short version is, I don't we should sack Lambert, the last 2 games don't look good but I really don't see any manager improving us drastically under current conditions. If the rumours are true about Lerner moving the goalposts then fair play to Lambert for kicking up a fuss.

Just guessing here, but if the deal was for Lambert to improve things and the the owner would give him more money, that sounds kinda feasible from the owners point of view.

If the manager has not improved things then he can expect a pretty bare cupboard, that sounds like the deal to me.

Whether I agree with it is another matter.....I guess from MY point of view I just want an owner with a bottomless pit, so he can keep funding duds until we get it right.

As far as I know the first 2 seasons he was simply told to keep us up. I believe another £20 mil for 3 or 4 players would improve us. Anything less than that is a disgrace with clubs getting £63 mil from TV money. Getting rid of Lambert would just cloud over the bigger problem.

[powell91]

We have to assess it at the end of the season. If we finish OK I'd stick with Lambert because I don't see who else would take the job and improve us. That's how far we've fallen under Lerner. If we lose the last 4 game that's clearly a different issue.

 

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets some decent money to spend. That investment is what is lacking especially. I still think he can be a good manager for this club, and although I can understand others losing patience, I'm not sure how many managers would have been able to do a lot with a £5-15k wage cap on most players. That's Championship level - hopefully that's not where we end up.

The sad thing is our wage cap probably isnt even championship standard more likely league 1.

Edited April 14, 2014 by powell91

[Sunny*Nunny]

So I am hearing that Delph and Gabby were dropped against Fulham due to a disagreement with someone (probably Culverhouse) and that Albrighton traveled back from the Palace game alone on the train?

Anyone hear this on the GoalZone?

[thetrees]

We have to assess it at the end of the season. If we finish OK I'd stick with Lambert because I don't see who else would take the job and improve us. That's how far we've fallen under Lerner. If we lose the last 4 game that's clearly a different issue.

 

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets some decent money to spend. That investment is what is lacking especially. I still think he can be a good manager for this club, and although I can understand others losing patience, I'm not sure how many managers would have been able to do a lot with a £5-15k wage cap on most players. That's Championship level - hopefully that's not where we end up.

The sad thing is our wage cap probably isnt even championship standard more likely league 1.

That would suggest that you have some very strange ideas as to how much footballers earn.

Also, what is this mythical 'wage cap'? Wasn't Benteke raised to £40k per week (reportedly) last summer?

[Risso]

 

We have to assess it at the end of the season. If we finish OK I'd stick with Lambert because I don't see who else would take the job and improve us. That's how far we've fallen under Lerner. If we lose the last 4 game that's clearly a different issue.

 

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets some decent money to spend. That investment is what is lacking especially. I still think he can be a good manager for this club, and although I can understand others losing patience, I'm not sure how many managers would have been able to do a lot with a £5-15k wage cap on most players. That's Championship level - hopefully that's not where we end up.

The sad thing is our wage cap probably isnt even championship standard more likely league 1.

 

 

How many clubs in the Championship have a wage bill higher than ours?

[Sunny*Nunny]

We have to assess it at the end of the season. If we finish OK I'd stick with Lambert because I don't see who else would take the job and improve us. That's how far we've fallen under Lerner. If we lose the last 4 game that's clearly a different issue.

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets some decent money to spend. That investment is what is lacking especially. I still think he can be a good manager for this club, and although I can understand others losing patience, I'm not sure how many managers would have been able to do a lot with a £5-15k wage cap on most players. That's Championship level - hopefully that's not where we end up.

The sad thing is our wage cap probably isnt even championship standard more likely league 1.

How many clubs in the Championship have a wage bill higher than ours?

QPR? At a guess.

[smetrov]

The thing that baffles me most about Lambert is that sometimes, he gets us good results. I mean, we always play well against Swansea. We always do well at arsenal and Liverpool. Then by the same token, we've been absolutely garbage againt fulham, palace and other low placed teams.

I really want him to bw successful, he's young, done well at other clubs and looks smart.

I'm still not in the Lambert out camp. This season's almost over and I'd like him to be given 5 games next season with his full first 11 playing. With Okore, vlaar, benteke, delph and guzan as a very decent spine.

Fair enough, there has been some absolute tripe lately, but I think this team has been on their holidays since chelsea (even though it's Lamberts job to motivate).

 

Thing is almost any player can have the odd good game - the difference (and what you pay for) is those that do it week in - week out.

 

Now against Chelsea 6 or 7 villa players played way above there normal levels - and chelsea couldn't handle it. Unfortunately several villa players had 'once in a blue moon' days that day - they haven't been able to do it since - but its the consistency that sets the players apart. 

[BigCarew]

So I am hearing that Delph and Gabby were dropped against Fulham due to a disagreement with someone (probably Culverhouse) and that Albrighton traveled back from the Palace game alone on the train?

Anyone hear this on the GoalZone?

 I want to hear more about this, anyone heard anything? Ridiculous if true. Losing the dressing room

[Richard]

 

Can I ask Richard, why it is you still have so much faith in Lambert? I know you previously mentioned you had met him and he came across well, but surely there has to be more than that?

 

A few reasons really;

 

1. Right from the start why come here?  Why leave Naaarrrrwich to come here unless promised something.

2. What if,  just say,  the conversation went something like this "Look Paul we're in a bit of a mess and it's going to take a while to sort us out but this is a long term thing for us.  What we expect you to do is get rid of the high earners.  They aren't contributing at ll they just aren't value for money and there is no resale value for us.  Resale is an issue for us as we can't really afford the huge sums involved to buy the better players so we're going to give you some seed money to pump prime the transfer deals so that you buy em cheap sell em high and you can spend what you get plus a little bit more on top of that.  So take a couple of seasons to get rid of them,  put some foundations in place build on them foundations.  Then for our side in year three we'll relax a little and give you some more to progress.  We understand that it's going to be tricky to keep us up but we have faith in you so we want you to know you'll be under no threat we'll stick by you and back you and if you keep us up and make the progression then as we say year three you'll get a bit more,  providing of course youve shifted all the earners". In those circumstances he has done what was agreed largely. Rebuilding an entire team on not much money.

3. Now say some things have changed. if goalposts have shifted is that him or someone else?

4. For much of this season he has been without his main defensive signing, a striker he bought to develop and who was scoring a few goals before his injury and has now lost our best player and most potent striker.  he has had to juggle team selection to try and find a winning,  and importantly,  goal scoring formation.

5. We have had no stability and wasted fortunes on changing our management team,  doing the same now when the hard work has been done is utterly ludicrous.  Unless of course things have changed and there was never an intent to release the purse strings

6. Can help but be impressed by the man when talking to him really impressive.

 

So for me there are a circumstances which have not helped him and I guess we'll find out during the summer what our long term standing as a club is.  I think we should stick with him rather than change now because changing now would imo be much much worse for us,  especially under the current board

[Condimentalist]

 

 

We have to assess it at the end of the season. If we finish OK I'd stick with Lambert because I don't see who else would take the job and improve us. That's how far we've fallen under Lerner. If we lose the last 4 game that's clearly a different issue.

 

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets some decent money to spend. That investment is what is lacking especially. I still think he can be a good manager for this club, and although I can understand others losing patience, I'm not sure how many managers would have been able to do a lot with a £5-15k wage cap on most players. That's Championship level - hopefully that's not where we end up.

The sad thing is our wage cap probably isnt even championship standard more likely league 1.

 

 

How many clubs in the Championship have a wage bill higher than ours?

 

 

QPR is probably it, but only because of the high wage hangover left over from previous managers' tenure. The question isn't the current size of our wage bill though so much as what it has meant for the standard of players he's had to aim for. In that respect I think he's done well. The likes of Vlaar, Okore (probably), Westwood, Lowton, Benteke, Bacuna have been shrewd buys for the fees involved and the wages on offer, and that's actually what gives me some confidence that he could do well with the ability to aim for better players. Certainly he and his team know the European market a lot better than our previous managers.

 

I've been less impressed with his tactics (please stop with 3 at the back) and personally he can be a bit dull - fine when we're winning but actively irritating when we're not, but overall I would stick with him. 

 

Ultimately we have to spend some money in the summer for three reasons - to improve our insufficient squad, to give Lambert a full shot at the job, but also to prove to any potential replacements that we might bring in for Lambert mid-season that we at least retain some ambition. Without that I think we're doomed and I won't hold Lambert primarily to blame.

Edited April 14, 2014 by PatrickCousens

[Condimentalist]

 

 

We have to assess it at the end of the season. If we finish OK I'd stick with Lambert because I don't see who else would take the job and improve us. That's how far we've fallen under Lerner. If we lose the last 4 game that's clearly a different issue.

 

I hope we finish the season OK and Lambert gets some decent money to spend. That investment is what is lacking especially. I still think he can be a good manager for this club, and although I can understand others losing patience, I'm not sure how many managers would have been able to do a lot with a £5-15k wage cap on most players. That's Championship level - hopefully that's not where we end up.

The sad thing is our wage cap probably isnt even championship standard more likely league 1.

That would suggest that you have some very strange ideas as to how much footballers earn.

Also, what is this mythical 'wage cap'? Wasn't Benteke raised to £40k per week (reportedly) last summer?

 

 

£40k a week in the modern Premier League is not a lot. If anything it's another feather in the cap of the manager that he talked him into signing for 4 more years at that rate when he could surely have earned more elsewhere, off the back of being one of the best signings made by any manager all over Europe. If we were allowed to sign more players at £7m and £40k a week I'd suggest that we'd be doing a lot better. Maybe this summer we will. 

[villa-revolution]

For those who are pro Lambert let's label them `Villa Supporters`

 

For those who are go Lambert let's label them `Villa Supporters`

 

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

 

LAMBERT IN.

[smetrov]

 

 

Can I ask Richard, why it is you still have so much faith in Lambert? I know you previously mentioned you had met him and he came across well, but surely there has to be more than that?

 

A few reasons really;

 

1. Right from the start why come here?  Why leave Naaarrrrwich to come here unless promised something.

2. What if,  just say,  the conversation went something like this "Look Paul we're in a bit of a mess and it's going to take a while to sort us out but this is a long term thing for us.  What we expect you to do is get rid of the high earners.  They aren't contributing at ll they just aren't value for money and there is no resale value for us.  Resale is an issue for us as we can't really afford the huge sums involved to buy the better players so we're going to give you some seed money to pump prime the transfer deals so that you buy em cheap sell em high and you can spend what you get plus a little bit more on top of that.  So take a couple of seasons to get rid of them,  put some foundations in place build on them foundations.  Then for our side in year three we'll relax a little and give you some more to progress.  We understand that it's going to be tricky to keep us up but we have faith in you so we want you to know you'll be under no threat we'll stick by you and back you and if you keep us up and make the progression then as we say year three you'll get a bit more,  providing of course youve shifted all the earners". In those circumstances he has done what was agreed largely. Rebuilding an entire team on not much money.

3. Now say some things have changed. if goalposts have shifted is that him or someone else?

4. For much of this season he has been without his main defensive signing, a striker he bought to develop and who was scoring a few goals before his injury and has now lost our best player and most potent striker.  he has had to juggle team selection to try and find a winning,  and importantly,  goal scoring formation.

5. We have had no stability and wasted fortunes on changing our management team,  doing the same now when the hard work has been done is utterly ludicrous.  Unless of course things have changed and there was never an intent to release the purse strings

6. Can help but be impressed by the man when talking to him really impressive.

 

So for me there are a circumstances which have not helped him and I guess we'll find out during the summer what our long term standing as a club is.  I think we should stick with him rather than change now because changing now would imo be much much worse for us,  especially under the current board

 

 

I agree with this. but don't underestimate the power of poor results - whatever promises and discussions have been had.

 

I think he's a goner myself. 

 

Actually with the shortage of managers around, I don't think he's done himself much harm at villa - keeping villa up on a shoestring, finding Benteke, - I think he will be re-employed at a comparable level....who knows maybe he feels thats not a bad option for him...

[The_Lions_Roar]

If he's a goner then I'd rather he walked than be sacked, at least them it might tell Lerner something! Back him and give him a chance!

[pacbuddies]

I am a 'Villa Supporter' and I want Lambert out.

[Big_John_10]

I can't see him staying if he's lost the fans. Needs something Saturday to not lose them completly.