Manager Paul Lambert

[MikeMcKenna]

Travelled over 250 miles to get to Bradford earlier this evening and am now holed up in a hotel on the M1. I have suffered many humiliating defeats following Villa but that was one of the worst.

I want Lambert, Lerner and most of this squad out NOW! However the reality is that that isn't going to happen despite this being the worst team I have ever seen in AVFC shirts.

But at the end of the day, the buck stops with Lambert. He got the formation and tactics totally wrong AGAIN. He signed the crap players from the lower leagues who looked out of their depth against a league two team.

We may have had loads of shots on target but they were the better team and deserved the win.

For any of you who think relegation may give us chance to regroup and bounce straight back, think again. If we go down we will be down for a while.

Lambert and Lerner have well and truly **** Aston Villa Football Club - shame on you!

[avfc1982am]

If Aston Villa are ever going to get a Mourinho/Ferguson/Wenger we will first need to get a manager with talent who can prove his ability at the club and move things forward. Lambert has had one transfer window and did pretty well in that. Now he has another one. If he can't turn it around in the next three weeks maybe he should go, but I would genuinely be amazed if ANYONE could come in and turn this into a winning squad right now without making some signings.

You said he should have had Bent and Ireland on today. Bent came on, missed our easiest chance and then hurt himself. Ireland would have trotted around as he does, and for all his talent, that isn't what you want against a fired-up team on a cup run.

I'll give you that Bennet shouldn't have been on the pitch. Or near it. Antarctica would have been the best place for him today, but after the Ipswich game it looked like he might be getting his act together, and many of us said so.

I also doubt that he expected Richard Dunne to be out for so long. He has had bad luck with injuries. Does anyone really think he'd be playing Clark and Baker together if he had any choice? And please, please nobody come back with Collins and Cuellar being sold. I'd have kept Cuellar, but at some point Lambert does have to work on the wage bill.

I agree with many of your points but for me its not just about who he brought in but more who he didn't. He had the full summer and pre season to assess the squad and for me didn't identify the main areas for strengthening instead bringing youth in the hope energy would be enough to ride this season out. He persists with Bannan and Delph in the middle when its plainly obvious to the majority of us that they aren't good enough. He isolated the senior players, not picking them, questioning their quality over players who have for the most part all been shit instead of getting the best from them. Then crying and making excuses about injuries when he wasn't picking them. Tactically clueless we could go on and on and on...

The thing for me is if I could see that Villa were organised, the players all knew their positions, their jobs and played with cohesion but lacked quality I would be more than willing to back Lambert further. Yet all I see is a team lacking all I have just mentioned. That's why this situation has now become unacceptable.

I don't believe either that Bent, NZog,or Ireland have all of a sudden become shit I think our last 2 managers have **** them up. Good managers get the best out of even average players something our last 2 haven't.

[nycVILLA]

"The Alarm bells are ringing for Claret and Blue"...

I have officially lost faith in Lambert...

He has alienated senior players that have performed well (mostly) in the past,

Sorry but if he is not good enough to motivate these proven highly paid real footballers, perhaps he should coach the youth team and we get a real Manager in the role.

Even the mercenaries are better than the children.

If Lambert can't motivate kids to get to their first Wembley final, how will he get them up for Southampton?

I will be happy to have someone ram this down my throat if we win the Cup, but sorry, it ain't going to happen.

Honeymoon is over, the fact is, We married a munter!

[JackAVFC1993]

we're a joke fck off lambert now.

[danceoftheshamen]

This is just so bitterly disappointing,,, I So wanted it to work out for Paul but what i fear is we have been made a laughing stock by one man who is barely in the country anymore (That says a lot right there now really does it not?!)The writing was on the wall when MON walked & the General quit. They both knew what was coming & clearly disagreed with what has now become evident....A 3 year (& counting) decimation of the playing squad.

Well hope your happy.. you now have a corpse of a football club which is beginning to rot & the stench is becoming unbearable!

[AvfcRigo82]

Have I missed something?

I cannot believe what I am reading and some of the peoples reactions on this forum are utterly unbelievable reading.

We lose OUR 1ST LEG AWAY TIE to a Lge 2 team by a 2 goal margin and everyone bar a few want Lambert hung! Amazing.

Notable that every Lge Cup we have won we never won in the first leg of the semi final!

Now I sit here and type this looking forward to the return leg at Villa Park being only 2 goals down. I expect there will be incentives to get the ground packed out with flags and everything going on and you can bet your ass that the ground will be rocking and actually show Bradford the actual difference of why they are where they are and the difference in class of the two teams. I am not being disrespectful to Bradford in anyway but that is my opinion.

WOW we got beat 3-1 and played shit! Big **** deal. IT'S ONLY THE FIRST LEG. Let Bradford have there moment tonight. We will have ours in 2 weeks!

We are 3 goals away in our own backyard playing a team 3 leagues below us to get to a cup final considering the resources Lambert has had to work with so far is an absolute miracle to get to where we are at now and everyone is just downing tools and giving up on the team and want the manager sacked?? Only on Villa talk would you see this.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

IN LAMBERT WE I TRUST!

Edited January 9, 2013 by AvfcRigo82

[Daniel]

While he couldn't do anything about the team selection, surely he had something to do with the constant long balls that were not working? Bradford lapped it up, we made it easy for them.

[avfc1982am]

Have I missed something?

It appears you have missed the first half of the season my fellow villan if you don't believe some of the criticism is justified!

I think reactions are more of an accumulation of results rather than just the Bradford game.

[Mantis]

We should be ashamed of ourselves? What a ridiculous thing to say. All is not lost (although it will be if this carries on) but to be beaten 3-1 by a League 2 team in the manner that we were tonight is just not acceptable, and this comes after an absolutely dreadful string of results and performances in the league (Swansea aside). We are making the same mistakes over and over again yet Lambert doesn't seem to be changing anything. He's a stubborn prick. The players didn't play with any fight tonight either yet again and that needs to **** change as well.

I used to think Lambert was a good motivator and tactically astute but he is clearly neither of those things.

[MikeMcKenna]

Have I missed something?

I cannot believe what I am reading and some of the peoples reactions on this forum are utterly unbelievable reading.

We lose OUR 1ST LEG AWAY TIE to a Lge 2 team by a 2 goal margin and everyone bar a few want Lambert hung! Amazing.

Notable that every Lge Cup we have won we never won in the first leg of the semi final!

Now I sit here and type this looking forward to the return leg at Villa Park being only 2 goals down. I expect there will be incentives to get the ground packed out with flags and everything going on and you can bet your ass that the ground will be rocking and actually show Bradford the actual difference of why they are where they are and the difference in class of the two teams. I am not being disrespectful to Bradford in anyway but that is my opinion.

We are 3 goals away in our own backyard playing a team 3 leagues below us to get to a cup final considering the resources Lambert has had to work with so far is an absolute miracle to get to where we are at now and everyone is just downing tools and giving up on the team and want the manager sacked?? Only on Villa talk would you see this.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

IN LAMBERT WE I TRUST!

I think you are in cloud cuckoo land. Its not just tonight is it? We have had an absolutely appalling last 3/4 weeks, with humiliations after humiliation. Lambert has proved sweet FA, quite the reverse and even if we scrape a win at VP I would like to see him gone. I can assure you it is not just Villa Talk where the fans are up in arms - at the game there 1000s of really pissed off fans. If we lose against Southampton on Saturday that may be the straw that breaks the camels back. The fans have been incredibly patient with Lambert & Lerner but they won't take much more.

[danceoftheshamen]

I take my hat off to you Rigo82

Edited January 9, 2013 by danceoftheshamen

[Daniel]

Have I missed something?

I cannot believe what I am reading and some of the peoples reactions on this forum are utterly unbelievable reading.

We lose OUR 1ST LEG AWAY TIE to a Lge 2 team by a 2 goal margin and everyone bar a few want Lambert hung! Amazing.

Notable that every Lge Cup we have won we never won in the first leg of the semi final!

Now I sit here and type this looking forward to the return leg at Villa Park being only 2 goals down. I expect there will be incentives to get the ground packed out with flags and everything going on and you can bet your ass that the ground will be rocking and actually show Bradford the actual difference of why they are where they are and the difference in class of the two teams. I am not being disrespectful to Bradford in anyway but that is my opinion.

WOW we got beat 3-1 and played shit! Big **** deal. IT'S ONLY THE FIRST LEG. Let Bradford have there moment tonight. We will have ours in 2 weeks!

We are 3 goals away in our own backyard playing a team 3 leagues below us to get to a cup final considering the resources Lambert has had to work with so far is an absolute miracle to get to where we are at now and everyone is just downing tools and giving up on the team and want the manager sacked?? Only on Villa talk would you see this.

You should be ashamed of yourselves.

IN LAMBERT WE I TRUST!

If you think Bradford are going to come to Villa park and play attacking football, you must be mad. They're going to defend and defend good. We don't have the team to break them down. We certainly wont be scoring 2 goals without reply that's for sure.

[danceoftheshamen]

I wonder what odds you'd get on a "0" in the against column for a Villa game now?

[AvfcRigo82]

I understand the frustrations most definately and right now is a very raw emotional time for everyone and It is clear 91% of Villa Talk is pissed off after tonight and that is acceptable.

For me its the results of December and the team displays over the last 7 games that have now made your pint glasses overflow and out pours all the frustration that's built up in this time. It is natural.

There is a reason why Lambert is going to be one of the top managers in this league and now whilst in the thick of it is not the time to drive him out.

As a certain chairman of a football club said to the fans: WHERE ARE YOU?.. WHERE ARE YOU?.. LET'S BE A'VIN YOU!!

[Daniel]

In Lamberts time here, he has shown me nothing that might back up he will come good in the end.

[KHV]

Crap manager, as I said before he got the job when I got slated. One of the worst tacticians in football, utterly clueless hoofball and cant organize a defence to save his life. On a par with Billy McNeill.

Players dont want him there because he acted like a grade A cock as soon as he walked through the door. Spent near enough £7m of a limited budget on KEA and Bennett who are two of the worst footballers ever to walk on to our pitch.

Time for him to go, you only have to look at him on the touchline to see he hasnt got a **** clue. He just looked bewildered against Chelsea, Spurs and especially tonight. Our defending is awful, mind you Ian Culverhouse was hardly any good at defnding himself! As soon as Lambert, Culverhouse and Karsa **** off the better and they can take there clueless one dimentional brand of football with them.

[nycVILLA]

I understand the frustrations most definately and right now is a very raw emotional time for everyone and It is clear 91% of Villa Talk is pissed off after tonight and that is acceptable.

For me its the results of December and the team displays over the last 7 games that have now made your pint glasses overflow and out pours all the frustration that's built up in this time. It is natural.

There is a reason why Lambert is going to be one of the top managers in this league and now whilst in the thick of it is not the time to drive him out.

As a certain chairman of a football club said to the fans: WHERE ARE YOU?.. WHERE ARE YOU?.. LET'S BE A'VIN YOU!!

It's not raw emotion, it's been half a season of moving backwards. We have two youth teams and a reserve team, only half a first team.

Long term I'm with you, but Lambert needs to swallow his pride and bring back some of the mercenaries.

He has tried and failed, making massive changes too quickly, he needs to man up and get the job done with what he has.

Yes we need new players, but he needs to "manage" the squad he has got. Focusing on the squads individual strengths, then he can play with the revolution once we are safe (40pts)

[AndyM3000]

I have backed Lambert but it is his fault and you cant blame the age of the squad.

I was fully behind him and I am still am, but this is a results business and if the fans aren't happy and turn he will know about. The time is starting to tick..

[villianusa]

It seems we had some good chances early on and if we had scored those then things could of been different, that is down to the players and they have to face up for that. The Bent miss was one of a player out of sorts that comes down to the manager and the player. Their keeper pulled off some good saves, well done to him.

As this thread is about Lambert I will get back to him. He looks a dead man walking or should I say sitting. I only watched the 2nd half but he has the same face he had over the majority of the Christmas break. That face would be "I don't have a clue face." He is so tactically inept going into the game and hasn't got a clue when things are going wrong.

I remember last year when McCleish sat in the dugout he was blasted all over the place that he didn't know what he was doing, he was hiding, etc... So I ask, what is the difference between the two?

I know 100% if McCleish was still manager there is not one person on this site who would be supporting him. Where Lambert has taken us over the last month is way more than embarrasing. He has made the team a laughing stock and blown the confidence of the young players who he bought to take us forward. His tactics have caused a lot of the problems along with his team selection. The players are so scared to make mistakes they make more mistakes. He was right today, defending was piss poor but alot of it comes down to the confidence of the players.

The young player got through a run of games early on with youthful endeavor and a large amount of luck. The one good result against Liverpool could have been so much different if they had taken there chances early on. Now the youthful endeavor and luck have gone the players don't have a clue. We have no leaders on the field but more of a worry we don't have a leader on the side lines. I'm sure over the next day or two a player will come out and say how strong the confidence is in the squad and it's only a matter of time before they turn it around. This has happened all season but sadly time is running out, not for just Aston Villa but I feel Lambert also.

Wasn't my first choice but backed him and continue to hope he will turn it around like most on here but I think a loss to Southampton and going out of the cup and I could see him walk or get a slight nudge out the door. Saying that he has a chance to save it and this is how I feel he can do it.

1. Get a formation that benefits our best players and stick to it.

2. Have a back up plan for when things go wrong, because they will.

3. Buy a new CD, DCM and AM by Saturday. I don't care if they are young or old, experience or not but they need to make an impact from day one. Go a broad and bring in the best we can get with the money we have. You scouts have been working for their money I hope, so go use them.

4. Use the experinence we have, even if it means bringing players in from the cold. Yes, I'm talking about Warnock, Bent, Ireland and possibly even Hutton. They will grind out results what these younger players can't right now. They need to be taken out of the firing line and given a rest.

5. Go ask for help. I'm sure Sir Alex would take a call, Moyes even, they aren't going to tell him how to do his job but from what I hear they will give some advice. He is a fish out of water right now and he is starting to drown. Someone out there will give him a life line.

Saying that I hope he can change it round and we goto Wembley and stay in the divsion but on recent performances it isn't looking likely.

[maqroll]

Lerner stuck with McGash till the very end last year, he'll do the same with Lambert. I'm still behind Lambert, but he's got to bring in the right players, soon, and they need to hit the ground running.

2-0 at home against Bradford will see us through and will provide a lift, and I'm pretty sure we can manage that result, despite how awful we are right now.

Crashing out of the Cup to Bradford is bad, relegation is simply unthinkable.

The league has to be the priority.