Paul Lambert

[Villarocker]

I had thought we'd be on damage limitation this season until Benteke was back fully fit. He is our goal scorer and the points per game average is very much higher with him in the team than him out of the team. 

 

So with that in mind

 

Liverpool (A)

Arsenal (H)

City (H)

Chelsea (A)

Everton (A)

 

3 points from those 5 games is not bad at all. 2 draws and 3 defeats wouldn't have been bad either.

 

So

 

Stoke (A)

Newcastle (H)

Hull (H)

QPR (A)

 

To get 7 points from those is also a good return. 

 

Take into account we've played last seasons top 5 in our first 9 games without our star player and we're still on course to get 42 points this season. 

 

It must be hard for the team to have such a tough run of games and try to come out of it with confidence intact, especially as we've not had the opportunity to play our best back 4 in any of those games. 

 

Give the team a chance to get Benteke up to speed, for our best back 4 out on the pitch week in week out before we start getting so pessimistic. 

 

4 points from the next 3 tricky games would be a great result for us. Lets give them the chance to turn things around

 

Mate, if you think the players would struggle to have any confidence intact after playing the top teams, how much confidence do you think is left after losing 2-0 against the team that's bottom of the league?

[VillanousOne]

Gotta love how fickle football fans are. 

Amazed it took 13 pages before someone came out with the all conquering 'hey i'll just say fans are fickle then I don't have to make any rational case or argument' type response .

[Villarocker]

 

I don't understand the debate about us needing new ownership to improve the club. Surely that goes without saying?

The only question that needs to be asked is:

Would this Villa team be better off being managed by someone else?

For two seasons we've looked horrendous and this recent form shows that this season is looking to be the same old struggle. I think it's time now to let someone else have a go at getting the best out of our squad of players.

But I think Mantis' point is, seeing as he seems to be the one fighting fire here, that he doesn't think anyone that we could currently attract would do a better job.

 

Now I'm not sure I agree with that (although there's obviously a big variable in who we could attract), but people seem to be twisting his words to interpret him as saying "Nobody could do a better job than Lambert" or, as you put it "This team wouldn't be better off managed by anybody else"

 

That's clearly not what he is saying. SO that restaurant analogy earlier didn't work either.

 

 

None of my post was aimed directly at anything Mantis has said. I was basically saying that we all know that a new owner will see a bigger improvement in us, most likely because we will have more money to buy players with, and also, because as OBE said in his later post, owners are the most important out of them and the manager. Player power can remove managers but it cannot remove owners, or it certainly has never seemed that way previously!

 

My points were that a new owner is needed and it goes without saying that it needs to happen before we properly progress. But, in the meantime, whilst Randy finds a price that someone actually wants to pay, we have to make do with what we have. The only difference that can really be made is the manager. We can either stick with what we have and hope for some kind of miraculous turnaround, which I think is looking very unlikely, or, we can get someone else in to see if they can get more out of the squad of players that we have.

 

It has nothing to do with money or ownership. Pure and simply, give another guy a go and hope that he gets more from what we have.

Edited October 29, 2014 by villarocker

[CVByrne]

I'll judge Lambert at the end of the season, I do not fear relegation at all this season. So I'll hold off on judgement of how its gone until at least March. We at least deserve to see how we do with Benteke back in the team. He has been hugely missed. 

[ArteSuave]

Because its not a defense thats why, or is 60m+ and 3 seasons not enough 

 

Source?

 

I don't think we've spent £60m gross, let alone net. I don't think we've spent £50m gross tbh. It's more like <£40m net.

 

SOURCE

[CVByrne]

 

Gotta love how fickle football fans are.

Why?

Not sure what the fans have done wrong.

 

 

All over the moon after the first 4 games, 10 points amazing stuff.

 

We lose the next 4 very tough games. People are back on the managers back

 

So the entire decision on him rests on just one away match against QPR. 

 

4 great results, 4 bad results. This is the decider, this one game against QPR. Am I happy we are past the run of bad games with a result or am I out for the managers head on a spike. 

 

It all comes down to that one game......

[DCJonah]

I'll judge Lambert at the end of the season, I do not fear relegation at all this season. So I'll hold off on judgement of how its gone until at least March. We at least deserve to see how we do with Benteke back in the team. He has been hugely missed. 

Can i ask what you see our future under lambert as? What do you think the end of this season will look like? What do you expect from next season?

[IwishIwasalivein1982]

 

 

Gotta love how fickle football fans are.

Why?

Not sure what the fans have done wrong.

 

 

All over the moon after the first 4 games, 10 points amazing stuff.

 

We lose the next 4 very tough games. People are back on the managers back

 

So the entire decision on him rests on just one away match against QPR. 

 

4 great results, 4 bad results. This is the decider, this one game against QPR. Am I happy we are past the run of bad games with a result or am I out for the managers head on a spike. 

 

It all comes down to that one game......

 

It's more down to the fact that since the Liverpool match we haven't even scored a goal and we're ranked 20th for things like shots on target and attempts at goal. 

[DCJonah]

Is it all the same people?

 

I was happy with the first few results but that didn't change what went on before or meant that i can' change opinions of him.  I don't think anyone said wow what an amazing manager after the first few games, people were impressed with the result and gave him credit.  And now they aren't impressed and are losing patience with him.  I don't think that makes fans fickle.

 

I don't know why some feel the need to criticise other fans over this matter.

[Isa]

Gotta love how fickle football fans are.

Especially ours. As was evident from the way that the vast majority wanted him gone last season only to then u-turn during the summer and after a few good results at the beginning of the season. I did literally cringe when 'Paul Lambert's claret and blue army' was back being sung after the third game.

[Isa]

I'll judge Lambert at the end of the season, I do not fear relegation at all this season. So I'll hold off on judgement of how its gone until at least March. We at least deserve to see how we do with Benteke back in the team. He has been hugely missed.

You do know that the fact we are a one-man team and incapable of any coherent offensive play without Benteke is something that reflects badly on the manager, right?

[Zatman]

Watford and Leeds have had 5 managers since we last scored a goal  

[lapal_fan]

lapal fan. No disrespect but reading your comments in not sure why any manager gets sacked.

 

Every clubs ambitions and aspirations are different.

 

No doubt that if Chelsea didn't get CL next year, Mourinho would be gone.  Likewise with Arsenal, Man City extra.

 

But when you're where we are, with the players we have, apart from staying in the division, what else is there to play for?

 

Ok, if we were previously in Europa spots and we continued to get worse and worse, you'd sack him no doubt.

 

But Lambert came here when we were on cusp of relegation and 3 years later, we're still here.

 

You can't even sack him because of over the top spending, because he hasn't had it.

 

The only thing you could sack him for is an iminent threat of relegation, which we don't currently have (until Xmas, which is the period, I'd assess his position).

 

If there was a great manager out there unemployed (which there might be, I have no idea!) then I'd be all for it.  I remember the buzz when MON was installed as manager, it lifted the whole squad.

 

However, if we were to appoint Felix McGath, then I think it would be an utterly pointless and expensive exercise and ultimately, may as well put up with what we have (which I don't think is good enough).

[DCJonah]

 ultimately, may as well put up with what we have (which I don't think is good enough).

 

Do you not think it's worth the gamble though?  This isn't good enough, it's awful to watch and we lose 50% of the time.

 

I really do think it's worth gambling than sticking with something that 1. doesn't work and 2. provides virtually no entertainment.

[CVByrne]

 

Gotta love how fickle football fans are.

Especially ours. As was evident from the way that the vast majority wanted him gone last season only to then u-turn during the summer and after a few good results at the beginning of the season. I did literally cringe when 'Paul Lambert's claret and blue army' was back being sung after the third game.

 

 

 

I know, it's hilarious. Look people like to moan when things are bad and sing praises when things are good. Especially villa fans, we are easily the most fickle fans in the league. 

 

Just don't take peoples opinions too seriously when things are good or things are bad, the reality is somewhere in between. 

Edited October 29, 2014 by CVByrne

[CVByrne]

It is most certainly not worth gambling. It would be madness sacking and paying off a Lambert who just signed a new contract at any time before the end of the season while the club remain outside the relegation zone. 

[lapal_fan]

 

 ultimately, may as well put up with what we have (which I don't think is good enough).

 

Do you not think it's worth the gamble though?  This isn't good enough, it's awful to watch and we lose 50% of the time.

 

I really do think it's worth gambling than sticking with something that 1. doesn't work and 2. provides virtually no entertainment.

 

 

1. It has worked to some degree, because we're still in the PL. 2. Regardless of who is in charge, conceding goals and losing is never fun.

 

I'm like our midfielders on Tuesday, risk averse.  Unless there's clearly someone to improve the team, we may as well bide our time and stay in the league. 

 

We've wasted enough money on taking chances (MON finishing 4th, McLeish, Houiller & Lambert).  Stability isn't always a bad thing.

[VillanousOne]

 

 

Gotta love how fickle football fans are.

Why?

Not sure what the fans have done wrong.

 

 

All over the moon after the first 4 games, 10 points amazing stuff.

 

We lose the next 4 very tough games. People are back on the managers back

 

So the entire decision on him rests on just one away match against QPR. 

 

4 great results, 4 bad results. This is the decider, this one game against QPR. Am I happy we are past the run of bad games with a result or am I out for the managers head on a spike. 

 

It all comes down to that one game......

 

 

I wasn't over the moon, i was cautiously optimistic. Part of me hoped that Keane would bring sustained change

 

But I was incredibly worried that a lack of a fit Benteke or Kozak would mean we would run into trouble, especially as I couldn't see any conclusive proof that Gabby or Weimann would be the key to goals.

 

I couldn't believe we gave Hutton and Lambert new deals.

 

I want Lambert and these players to succeed, but it takes a season not just 4 decent results. Yes you can argue that losing two the big teams and QPR doesn't define our season but everytime we look tactically inept, defensively useless and feckless in the final third - most fans will see this as a return to the form that has nearly relegated us for the last four seasons.

 

I think our fans deserve a medal for trying to stay behind their team and manager for as long as they have.

 

Blind loyalty is all very good but this club deserves better.

Edited October 29, 2014 by VillanousOne

[VillanousOne]

 

 

Gotta love how fickle football fans are.

Especially ours. As was evident from the way that the vast majority wanted him gone last season only to then u-turn during the summer and after a few good results at the beginning of the season. I did literally cringe when 'Paul Lambert's claret and blue army' was back being sung after the third game.

 

 

 

I know, it's hilarious. Look people like to moan when things are bad and sing praises when things are good. Especially villa fans, we are easily the most fickle fans in the league. 

 

Just don't take peoples opinions too seriously when things are good or things are bad, the reality is somewhere in between. 

 

Not Villa fans, all fans, all human beings in fact. If you're stranded in a hole, starved of food and attention and being urinated on and shat on from a great height, you're going to clamber enthusiastically for any shreds of food and diginity that you can get, you won't care who it is feeding you those scraps.   

Edited October 29, 2014 by VillanousOne

[DCJonah]

Stability isn't always a bad thing.

I think this kind of stability is. With the increased money for league placings we fall further behind, our attendences will drop and tom fox will struggle to get good deals.

I can think of much worse than this kind of stability right now.