Manager Paul Lambert

[HeyAnty]

Excellent point.

Even if lambert stays he will have to rebuild. Our squad is pretty pathetic and just full of average players.

During his first transfer window while many were very happy with what we were doing i asked why other clubs weren't doing the same if it was clearly a good approach. I guess we're seeing why other clubs didn't just sign cheap foreign and lower league players.

Even if lerner decides to increase spending this squad needs a lot of work doing to it.

BJ, Ive agreed with a lot of your posts recently. Surely you must understand that Lambert took the approach he has precisely because funds went not available??

He wanted Sissoko - too expensive, He wanted Kiyotake - too expensive, Apparently he wanted Lukaku and Barry - too expensive

His only option was to sign younger players and be forced to play a style that although not esthetically pleasing is effective enough to retain our premiership status whilst the books are balanced.

The fact he has no money is bullshit but he is trying to make the best of the situation, expecting that in the medium term pursestrings will be loosened

This is a problem of Lerner's making - let him carry the can not Lambert who his doing everything he knows to put things right

Agree, lerner is 100% to blame in my opinion. I actually think Lambert would be dangerous with a decent bit of money to spend

[pacbuddies]

 

 

Excellent point.

Even if lambert stays he will have to rebuild. Our squad is pretty pathetic and just full of average players.

During his first transfer window while many were very happy with what we were doing i asked why other clubs weren't doing the same if it was clearly a good approach. I guess we're seeing why other clubs didn't just sign cheap foreign and lower league players.

Even if lerner decides to increase spending this squad needs a lot of work doing to it.

 

 

BJ, Ive agreed with a lot of your posts recently. Surely you must understand that Lambert took the approach he has precisely because funds went not available??

 

He wanted Sissoko - too expensive, He wanted Kiyotake - too expensive, Apparently he wanted Lukaku and Barry - too expensive

 

His only option was to sign younger players and be forced to play a style that although not esthetically pleasing is effective enough to retain our premiership status whilst the books are balanced.

 

The fact he has no money is bullshit but he is trying to make the best of the situation, expecting that in the medium term pursestrings will be loosened

 

This is a problem of Lerner's making - let him carry the can not Lambert who his doing everything he knows to put things right

 

 

Whilst I agree that Lerner is 'the making' of the problem I would suggest that if Lambert is doing everything he knows to put things right that he doesn't actually know enough.

[Rovers13]

It's a bit sad when people are arguing over whether an injury prone player or a suspension prone player is our best player.

Don't say much for the rest of the shit does it.

Yeah like Liverpool best player is suspension prone, arguably second best player is injury prone (Sturridge). They're in horrible shape though.

[LordSepulchrave]

 

 

 

 until they scored we weren't looking too bad, and we certainly weren't playing a long ball game.

 

 

I agree we didn't look too bad until they scored. Unfortunately they scored after just 15 minutes though. For the next 50 minutes we were poor. Then a combination of Utd taking their foot off the gas and us continuing to put in a shift meant for the last 20 or so minutes we did OK and held our own.

In all fairness there is no shame in losing to an even off form Man Utd but its not just about today though is it. We have been in the main dire, certainly performance wise, for the last 3 months.

 

Absolutely - I was more making a point about intention than our actual ability to play that way.

 

I would agree that our results have actually masked our bad form. For me the problem seems to be that we've based our entirely around our front three, mainly Benteke. With all of them off goal scoring form, suddenly the team is looking pretty bad. A boost in confidence, I reckon, would improve things hugely, but at the moment I really can't see where it would come from.

 

Worrying times.

[pacbuddies]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wait till next season, wait till next season, wait till next season. Will it ever end.....

Wait for next season for what? Without serious money the best we can hope for is realistically 8th.

This will be the same no matter who controls the first team, some just have to accept that!

8th, flipping heck we'll get a nose bleed! Based on the current rubbish that would be heaven.

Take a quick look at the table.

Why, has it suddenly been manipulated so that the season has finished and we are 8th just like you said?

What are you on about?

I guess my original response was too cryptic for you.

 

Why should I take a quick look at the table?

There's a difference between being critic and not making sense.

Why would it matter that it's not the end of the season? We are about half way through and positioned 3 places lower than we could hope to be.

My point is that we are still doing ok in the league positions (which is the only real way to judge progress), we can't actually do much better than we are without serious funding. So why would people use the argument 'wait till next season' when we are positioned about as high as we can get?

 

So if I was being cryptic I must, by default, have been making sense then.

[vandaq]

Would have been interesting to see how we would have done if we had a striker that was banging in some goals. Weimann has also let Lambert down this season. It could have been a totally different scenario and story. 

[pacbuddies]

 

It's a bit sad when people are arguing over whether an injury prone player or a suspension prone player is our best player.

Don't say much for the rest of the shit does it.

Yeah like Liverpool best player is suspension prone, arguably second best player is injury prone (Sturridge). They're in horrible shape though.

 

Are you attempting to compare the remainder of our team with that of Liverpools?

[LordSepulchrave]

 

 

"And look more confident on the ball. We looked much better in possession than we have been lately..."

Simply not true, watch the lead up play to two of their goals again. Baker was under no pressure but gave the ball away through an appalling forward pass. Likewise Luna played a stupid pass that lead to another. In both cases it was illustrated just how poor we are when in possession. As for our midfield, they are far from confident on the ball or capable of a decent forward pass. Time and time again they gave possession away very cheaply.

 

Indeed, but that just shows how badly we have been doing lately. The intention was there, the execution wasn't. 

And execution is everything, intention is nothing.

 

But some people have him down as a long ball merchant of a manager (which is what all the comments about our "style" of play really pertain to), and that doesn't really appear to be the case.

[VillaCas]

 

I agree with that save for the fact the players he has signed along with those he inherited do not even do the basics properly and that is down to poor coaching.

 

 

Poor coaching is one possibility I suppose, although the same coaches have improved Delph or Clark or Vlaar or Westwood

 

Much more likely I think is that we don't yet have the quality or depth of squad required to compete in the top half of the table.

 

I would think that we have probably got one of the lowest paid squads in the division - thats either an excuse or a reason depending which side of the argument you fall on

 

[MikeMcKenna]

Excellent point.

Even if lambert stays he will have to rebuild. Our squad is pretty pathetic and just full of average players.

During his first transfer window while many were very happy with what we were doing i asked why other clubs weren't doing the same if it was clearly a good approach. I guess we're seeing why other clubs didn't just sign cheap foreign and lower league players.

Even if lerner decides to increase spending this squad needs a lot of work doing to it.

BJ, Ive agreed with a lot of your posts recently. Surely you must understand that Lambert took the approach he has precisely because funds went not available??

He wanted Sissoko - too expensive, He wanted Kiyotake - too expensive, Apparently he wanted Lukaku and Barry - too expensive

His only option was to sign younger players and be forced to play a style that although not esthetically pleasing is effective enough to retain our premiership status whilst the books are balanced.

The fact he has no money is bullshit but he is trying to make the best of the situation, expecting that in the medium term pursestrings will be loosened

This is a problem of Lerner's making - let him carry the can not Lambert who his doing everything he knows to put things right

Agree, lerner is 100% to blame in my opinion. I actually think Lambert would be dangerous with a decent bit of money to spend

Where does this faith in lambert come from? I agree that theroot of our problem is under investment by Lerner but where is the evidence that lambert has the potential to be a great manager IF he had the money to spend?

[samjp26]

Would have been interesting to see how we would have done if we had a striker that was banging in some goals. Weimann has also let Lambert down this season. It could have been a totally different scenario and story. 

 

Yeah, I do agree with that. Weimann was handed a new contract and you'd have thought he'd progress, maybe it isn't fault, maybe he isn't cut out for this level after all I dunno. It is a shame though.

[Robbie09]

 

 

 

Excellent point.

Even if lambert stays he will have to rebuild. Our squad is pretty pathetic and just full of average players.

During his first transfer window while many were very happy with what we were doing i asked why other clubs weren't doing the same if it was clearly a good approach. I guess we're seeing why other clubs didn't just sign cheap foreign and lower league players.

Even if lerner decides to increase spending this squad needs a lot of work doing to it.

BJ, Ive agreed with a lot of your posts recently. Surely you must understand that Lambert took the approach he has precisely because funds went not available??

He wanted Sissoko - too expensive, He wanted Kiyotake - too expensive, Apparently he wanted Lukaku and Barry - too expensive

His only option was to sign younger players and be forced to play a style that although not esthetically pleasing is effective enough to retain our premiership status whilst the books are balanced.

The fact he has no money is bullshit but he is trying to make the best of the situation, expecting that in the medium term pursestrings will be loosened

This is a problem of Lerner's making - let him carry the can not Lambert who his doing everything he knows to put things right

Agree, lerner is 100% to blame in my opinion. I actually think Lambert would be dangerous with a decent bit of money to spend

Where does this faith in lambert come from? I agree that theroot of our problem is under investment by Lerner but where is the evidence that lambert has the potential to be a great manager IF he had the money to spend?

 

 

In defence of Lambert, he transformed an under performing Norwich team with arguably poorer players than he has now. Given time and a decent transfer budget I still think he can do the same for us.

[VillaCas]

Agree, lerner is 100% to blame in my opinion. I actually think Lambert would be dangerous with a decent bit of money to spend

 

I've no reason to think Lambert would be any better or worse buying decent players

 

Sissoko who he wanted looks a very decent player

 

Kiyotake looked very good the handful of times I've seen him play

 

Lukaku and Barry have obvious quality

 

Lambert's shopping in the bargain bin, there isn't much fillet steak in there!

Edited December 15, 2013 by VillaCas

[JB]

I'm wondering what's happened after such a positive (performance-wise) first few games of the season. I know we lost (thanks to the ref) but I thought we were awesome against Chelsea in particular and looked far from the hoofball, counter-attack-only, can't-pass-it-five-yards team that we seem to be lately. After getting our hopes up (again), we seem to be going backwards at an alarming rate and I can't see any evidence of Lambert's attempts to change it.

[LondonLax]

 

 

It's a bit sad when people are arguing over whether an injury prone player or a suspension prone player is our best player.

Don't say much for the rest of the shit does it.

Yeah like Liverpool best player is suspension prone, arguably second best player is injury prone (Sturridge). They're in horrible shape though.

 

Are you attempting to compare the remainder of our team with that of Liverpools?

 

 

You made a pretty dumb point that a team must be bad if it's two best players get injured or suspended often. 

 

Liverpool show that your point was wrong. 

[VillaCas]

 

Whilst I agree that Lerner is 'the making' of the problem I would suggest that if Lambert is doing everything he knows to put things right that he doesn't actually know enough.

 

 

You're entitled to your opinion.  My opinion is that there are few if any managers who could do a better job with the resources available - if we agree that resources are very limited, I feel we need to support someone who is willing to trash their reputation, whilst going the hard yards to put things right

 

Lambert wasn't my first choice (I would have prefered OGS or Poyet - choices that actually I now feel would have been worse) but for the good of the club I feel we need to get behind someone for a sustained period.

 

Any manager would struggle cobbling a team together from lower league bargain buys - if we were to bring another guy in, we would have to wait three or four windows for him to 'rebuild' , during which time we would be bottom half of the table and everyone on here would be calling for his head.

[VillanousOne]

So does anyone think in January we will be trying to actually make worthwhile signings or just more scratching around for bargains.

Is the cost cutting over? Will it ever be over?

 

I am not for reckless spending, but if we don't balance our youthful transfer policy with the occasional high profile higher cost transfer gamble then we will be permanently flirting with relegation every season.

[samjp26]

I love how people say we're going backwards. If we had a football team full of superstar players, or even some real quality footballers, I'm sure we would be playing a different style of football.

 

We don't though, we have an average of £2.5m spend per player if are to believe that we have spent around £40m. That isn't a lot of money at all compared to other teams and in turn you get what you pay for. 

 

The same people that moan about the players we have are the ones that moan about the style of play, what do you expect? I'd rather we're 11th place, grafting out results, keeping some clean sheets and so on rather than trying to impress people with dazzling football that the team aren't capable of doing consistently, in turn leading us to a relegation scrap if not an actual relegation. See Martinez at Wigan as people have already stated.

 

Maybe the silky football will come, but it won't be anytime soon because of the money that Lambert has to work with. Now he has built his skeleton, his squad, hopefully he can begin to add some quality bit by bit which will then hopefully lead us to a team that plays the way many of us would love to see.

 

For now though, points on the table are the most important thing, we do not want to be pulled into a relegation scrap.

[AshVilla]

So does anyone think in January we will be trying to actually make worthwhile signings or just more scratching around for bargains.

Is the cost cutting over? Will it ever be over?

 

I am not for reckless spending, but if we don't balance our youthful transfer policy with the occasional high profile higher cost transfer gamble then we will be permanently flirting with relegation every season.

 

I think we will be checking down the back of the sofa again

[samjp26]

So does anyone think in January we will be trying to actually make worthwhile signings or just more scratching around for bargains.

Is the cost cutting over? Will it ever be over?

 

I am not for reckless spending, but if we don't balance our youthful transfer policy with the occasional high profile higher cost transfer gamble then we will be permanently flirting with relegation every season.

 

This is the million dollar question and we won't know the answer until January, maybe even the Summer. We have a squad that Lambert has assembled now, we are mid-table and obviously there are issues that need to be fixed with the squad. These issues need money spending on them as they are problems with key areas of our game that will stop us from progressing. 

 

Unfortunately, HairyHands has already said he reckons Lambert will get about £3m in January. That doesn't look too hopeful for me, but we can't judge until it has happened or the time has passed. 

 

I would hope that we will begin adding some real quality to the side in key departments within the following transfer windows, as we won't need to buy 6+ players at a time.