Manager Paul Lambert

[PussEKatt]

Last year we hung around the 15th to 17th position for most of the season.

This year after Lambert has had 2 transfer windows and nearly a whole season we are around the 17th to 18 th position.

FFS after all this time he has managed to drop us 1 position ????

Are you being serious?

If you are then let me explain.

He took a side on the decline. A side that were hovering around the drop zone but were only ever going in one direction. They were on the decline. They were old. They were overpaid and they were shit. Hutton can hardly get his game for the worst team in the Primera Liga (Mallorca), Warnock has dropped into the league he was trying to drag us into (Leeds). Collins has admittedly had a good season for West Ham and Dunne; while he has been missed on occasion; has not been mourned by the Villa faithful. Even the previously-mercurial Bent has had to make way for the best strikeforce and the best striker to come Villa's way since probably the days of Saunders and Atkinson.

We now have a side who are in a similar position to last year's one, but this is while they are learning their Premier League trade. This Villa side are as good as the other one but with 10 years in hand. We're on the up and we are doing it the right way. If you are intent to contain your opinions to simple glances at the league table without looking at what he's trying to do and how he's trying to do it then that's your prerogative but you're missing the point. We will be in this league next season and we'll be in a helluva better shape than we've been in a long long time.

IMO he is NOT buying the right players.

Why do we have to be "the youngest and the cheapest team " in the PL ?

[Stevo985]

Put it another way then.

Are we moving in the right direction after nearly a whole season ?

Yes.

[Keyblade]

Why do we have to be "the youngest and the cheapest team " in the PL ?

 

Why not? It's the attitude that favors the opposite that got us into this mess in the first place.

Edited April 9, 2013 by Keyblade

[PussEKatt]

Put it another way then.

Are we moving in the right direction after nearly a whole season ?

Yes.

That answer could come back to bite you where the sun dont shine come may ?!

[PieFacE]

 

Last year we hung around the 15th to 17th position for most of the season.

This year after Lambert has had 2 transfer windows and nearly a whole season we are around the 17th to 18 th position.

FFS after all this time he has managed to drop us 1 position ????

Are you being serious?

If you are then let me explain.

He took a side on the decline. A side that were hovering around the drop zone but were only ever going in one direction. They were on the decline. They were old. They were overpaid and they were shit. Hutton can hardly get his game for the worst team in the Primera Liga (Mallorca), Warnock has dropped into the league he was trying to drag us into (Leeds). Collins has admittedly had a good season for West Ham and Dunne; while he has been missed on occasion; has not been mourned by the Villa faithful. Even the previously-mercurial Bent has had to make way for the best strikeforce and the best striker to come Villa's way since probably the days of Saunders and Atkinson.

We now have a side who are in a similar position to last year's one, but this is while they are learning their Premier League trade. This Villa side are as good as the other one but with 10 years in hand. We're on the up and we are doing it the right way. If you are intent to contain your opinions to simple glances at the league table without looking at what he's trying to do and how he's trying to do it then that's your prerogative but you're missing the point. We will be in this league next season and we'll be in a helluva better shape than we've been in a long long time.

IMO he is NOT buying the right players.

Why do we have to be "the youngest and the cheapest team " in the PL ?

I find it all quite exciting really. I think it will help the team spirit as well if they are all young and they go through the motions together, there will always be a sense of unity there. 

[BOF]

IMO he is NOT buying the right players.

Why do we have to be "the youngest and the cheapest team " in the PL ?

We don't have to be. That's just where he saw this part of his project. It's where he saw the value this season. It is your opinion that he's not buying the right players but you've just told us your opinions on what he's doing are based on a 2d view of the league table. It may be objective but it's lacking a certain something, so we'll agree to disagree on this point.

[Stevo985]

 

Put it another way then.

Are we moving in the right direction after nearly a whole season ?

Yes.

That answer could come back to bite you where the sun dont shine come may ?!

Of course it could.

 

Although I'd say there'd have been more chance of that if I'd answered "No"

[PussEKatt]

Why do we have to be "the youngest and the cheapest team " in the PL ?

 

Why not? It's the attitude that favors the opposite that got us into this mess in the first place.

The teams that qualify for europe year after year are usually the biggest spenders.

The teams that fight the drop are usually the smallest spenders.

There are exceptions to the rule like Everton and QPR but usually it is like I said, so which catagory do we fit into ?

[BOF]

That's a Lerner discussion, not a Lambert one. Do you really not realise that yet PussEKatt? You really think Lambert has decided he doesn't want to spend countless millions by choice?

[Morpheus]

So as far as pre-season is concerned are you then implying that it has nothing to do with setting out a system your going to be playing in league games. Its just really to formulate ideas? Ever thought about working for the F.A.?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where have i said that managers don't make mistakes? Of course they do but is it wrong to highlight those mistakes, or, should we just ignore them especially when they have such a detrimental affect on the team's performance. You criticise me for being over critical yet wish to ignore several mistakes by a manager who is threatening to get us relegated.

 

If i am over critical then you are certainly blinkered.

 

Was Collins involved in that drunken brawl or did he actually try to stop it? Allegations of Collins being pissed. Are you referring to the same incident or has there been others. Can't say i've seen any.

 

Rows with club coaches. When did this happen. I am aware that several of the senior players weren't happy with GH but whats that got to do with Lambert? Your making a lot of unfounded allegations directed at one player to prove your argument without a shred of proof.

 

You also mention that Lambert wants to play football and thats why Collins was sold yet if Dunne hadn't been injured you feel Lambert would have used him. Don't think Dunne is renowned for his footballing skills either so that really contradicts some of your reasoning on why Collins was sold. Collins seemingly isn't doing a bad job at spam at the moment is he and nothing about drunken brawls in the papers.

 

Again i have none of your insight into what has gone on concerning the conduct of players or why certain players were sold but i have reason to question why an experienced Premiership defence was dismantled in one window and replaced by inexperienced defenders due to the performance of that new defence being nothing short of abysmal.

 

Actually discussing the CM issue isn't irrelevant at all. I'm sure you'd like it to be as it is another area where Lambert has failed. If you have read some of the other posters comments on here they have rightly identified the lack of a quality DM as another reason for our defensive frailty. Lambert had options on a free but chose to spend money on KEA.

 

Not really being short sighted either. Just really commenting on the facts of our season so far rather than hearsay.

 

Save your petulant and sarcastic remarks for someone else mucka. I was merely suggesting that the plans and ideas he came up with in pre season cannot be tested to the same extremes as playing premiership football. Ofcourse it gives an indication and he made the decision that what he came up with in pre season would work. It didnt, and he moved on. His got the initial call wrong.

 

Where have I said ignore them? Its right to discuss them certainly, its point of this fan board to discuss good and the bad of Villa. I merely suggested your being overly critical. To suggest im blinkered given the fact on numerous occasions I have said he has made mistakes makes no sense at all. When you criticise I feel your being overly critical.

 

If you believe Collins was a professional and a angel then go ahead and believe that. Everything else indicates he was not a good influence within the dressing room. The repeated sights of him being drunk were from friends, a family member and separate to the alleged fight. Not just allegations, Dunne and Collins were both involved and were disciplined. Try to keep up with your club ey.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/15/richard-dunne-james-collins-aston-villa

 

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/aston-villa-richard-dunne-and-james-150207

 

Dunne for a start is no where near as bad as Collins for hoofing,regardless of that though just because Lambert wants to play football doesnt mean he is going to immediately ship every non footballer out. footballing ability aside, Dunne has relatively no resale value as his contract expired at the end of this season, Collins however we could recoup some of the money we spent on him, it was logical for him and not Dunne to leave. If Dunne was available, going by interviews Lambert had when he was asked about Dunne, I would think he could of had a part to play in certain games.

 

Cuellar already was already gone, as discussed. Two huge cancers and shite players told to leave in the form of Hutton and Warnock. Are you kicking up a fuss over Hutton and Warnock leaving ? and Collins leaves. Like I said I would of liked Lambert to bring in one more CB, thats a criticism of mine. That defense was shite anyway and in a team which tries to play football it would be more suicidal than the current one and would not be capable of developing the style of football he is aiming to do. (Try and see the bigger picture please.)

 

I never said discussing the DM issue was irrelevant. I pointed out that Lambert identified the DM issue in pre season. He believed KEA was the answer. He was wrong, managers buy flops. Great managers, good managers, shite managers. Every single one of them buys a flop, no one intends to but it happens. In this case it happened to be in a position we really needed a bit of quality. It was a  bad call to sign him, not bad that he missed out on Diame, just a bad call he chose KEA.

Middle of page 530 and i quote you saying "He brought in KEA it didn't work out. Because it didn't work out it forced our hand into looking for a new DM. As you have no inclination if we did indeed go for him discussing that is completely irrelevant."

 

Thats the problem with making long posts mate. If you don't remember what you said you end up looking foolish.

 

Also i never said Collins was an angel. I said i wasn't aware of all of his previous behaviour. You have enlightened me on that and thats fair enough.

 

You keep banging on about me being over critical. I tend to think that a team breaking records for all the wrong reasons due to decisions made by the the manager is deserving of personal criticism of the manager especially when we've spent quite some time in the bottom three and are still some way from securing our Premiership safety.

[PussEKatt]

That's a Lerner discussion, not a Lambert one. Do you really not realise that yet PussEKatt? You really think Lambert has decided he doesn't want to spend countless millions by choice?

I would say that Lambert has his owne plan.I think he does want to have the youngest and cheapest team in the PL and he is trying to prove that it can be done.As far as the Lerner bit goes, do you really think that the situation was not explained to Lambert before he took the job ?

Lerner would say something like " we have to cut costs and I dont want to $pend too much "

Lamberts reply would be along the lines of " I am sure I can get the youngest and cheapest team in the Pl "

[BOF]

I think he does want to have the youngest and cheapest team in the PL and he is trying to prove that it can be done.

Right, well as you've just entered the land of speculation, I'm going to disembark at this stop and walk the rest of the way

[Super Jonno]

 

So as far as pre-season is concerned are you then implying that it has nothing to do with setting out a system your going to be playing in league games. Its just really to formulate ideas? Ever thought about working for the F.A.?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where have i said that managers don't make mistakes? Of course they do but is it wrong to highlight those mistakes, or, should we just ignore them especially when they have such a detrimental affect on the team's performance. You criticise me for being over critical yet wish to ignore several mistakes by a manager who is threatening to get us relegated.

 

If i am over critical then you are certainly blinkered.

 

Was Collins involved in that drunken brawl or did he actually try to stop it? Allegations of Collins being pissed. Are you referring to the same incident or has there been others. Can't say i've seen any.

 

Rows with club coaches. When did this happen. I am aware that several of the senior players weren't happy with GH but whats that got to do with Lambert? Your making a lot of unfounded allegations directed at one player to prove your argument without a shred of proof.

 

You also mention that Lambert wants to play football and thats why Collins was sold yet if Dunne hadn't been injured you feel Lambert would have used him. Don't think Dunne is renowned for his footballing skills either so that really contradicts some of your reasoning on why Collins was sold. Collins seemingly isn't doing a bad job at spam at the moment is he and nothing about drunken brawls in the papers.

 

Again i have none of your insight into what has gone on concerning the conduct of players or why certain players were sold but i have reason to question why an experienced Premiership defence was dismantled in one window and replaced by inexperienced defenders due to the performance of that new defence being nothing short of abysmal.

 

Actually discussing the CM issue isn't irrelevant at all. I'm sure you'd like it to be as it is another area where Lambert has failed. If you have read some of the other posters comments on here they have rightly identified the lack of a quality DM as another reason for our defensive frailty. Lambert had options on a free but chose to spend money on KEA.

 

Not really being short sighted either. Just really commenting on the facts of our season so far rather than hearsay.

 

Save your petulant and sarcastic remarks for someone else mucka. I was merely suggesting that the plans and ideas he came up with in pre season cannot be tested to the same extremes as playing premiership football. Ofcourse it gives an indication and he made the decision that what he came up with in pre season would work. It didnt, and he moved on. His got the initial call wrong.

 

Where have I said ignore them? Its right to discuss them certainly, its point of this fan board to discuss good and the bad of Villa. I merely suggested your being overly critical. To suggest im blinkered given the fact on numerous occasions I have said he has made mistakes makes no sense at all. When you criticise I feel your being overly critical.

 

If you believe Collins was a professional and a angel then go ahead and believe that. Everything else indicates he was not a good influence within the dressing room. The repeated sights of him being drunk were from friends, a family member and separate to the alleged fight. Not just allegations, Dunne and Collins were both involved and were disciplined. Try to keep up with your club ey.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/mar/15/richard-dunne-james-collins-aston-villa

 

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/aston-villa-richard-dunne-and-james-150207

 

Dunne for a start is no where near as bad as Collins for hoofing,regardless of that though just because Lambert wants to play football doesnt mean he is going to immediately ship every non footballer out. footballing ability aside, Dunne has relatively no resale value as his contract expired at the end of this season, Collins however we could recoup some of the money we spent on him, it was logical for him and not Dunne to leave. If Dunne was available, going by interviews Lambert had when he was asked about Dunne, I would think he could of had a part to play in certain games.

 

Cuellar already was already gone, as discussed. Two huge cancers and shite players told to leave in the form of Hutton and Warnock. Are you kicking up a fuss over Hutton and Warnock leaving ? and Collins leaves. Like I said I would of liked Lambert to bring in one more CB, thats a criticism of mine. That defense was shite anyway and in a team which tries to play football it would be more suicidal than the current one and would not be capable of developing the style of football he is aiming to do. (Try and see the bigger picture please.)

 

I never said discussing the DM issue was irrelevant. I pointed out that Lambert identified the DM issue in pre season. He believed KEA was the answer. He was wrong, managers buy flops. Great managers, good managers, shite managers. Every single one of them buys a flop, no one intends to but it happens. In this case it happened to be in a position we really needed a bit of quality. It was a  bad call to sign him, not bad that he missed out on Diame, just a bad call he chose KEA.

Middle of page 530 and i quote you saying "He brought in KEA it didn't work out. Because it didn't work out it forced our hand into looking for a new DM. As you have no inclination if we did indeed go for him discussing that is completely irrelevant."

 

Thats the problem with making long posts mate. If you don't remember what you said you end up looking foolish.

 

Also i never said Collins was an angel. I said i wasn't aware of all of his previous behaviour. You have enlightened me on that and thats fair enough.

 

You keep banging on about me being over critical. I tend to think that a team breaking records for all the wrong reasons due to decisions made by the the manager is deserving of personal criticism of the manager especially when we've spent quite some time in the bottom three and are still some way from securing our Premiership safety.

 

Discussing Diame was completely irrelevant. Sorry if that wasnt clear. Bringing the issue of a DM up was more than fair and an accurate assessment of what we needed.

 

So I dont look foolish, a matter of miscommunication and error on my behalf.  

 

Nor do I brag about such records, but I dont remember, prior to Lambert taking over, certainly in my life time the club being in such a bad shape on and off the field.

 

EDIT: Actually im pretty sure its easy enough to work out I was referring to DIame and not the issue of a DM. Not sure if i am the one looking foolish.

Edited April 9, 2013 by SuperJonno

[PussEKatt]

I think he does want to have the youngest and cheapest team in the PL and he is trying to prove that it can be done.

Right, well as you've just entered the land of speculation, I'm going to disembark at this stop and walk the rest of the way

In that case, I might as well go to bed.

Night all.

[BOF]

Night!

[KjParton]

night night

[praisedmambo]

Last year we hung around the 15th to 17th position for most of the season.

This year after Lambert has had 2 transfer windows and nearly a whole season we are around the 17th to 18 th position.

FFS after all this time he has managed to drop us 1 position ????

Are you being serious?

If you are then let me explain.

He took a side on the decline. A side that were hovering around the drop zone but were only ever going in one direction. They were on the decline. They were old. They were overpaid and they were shit. Hutton can hardly get his game for the worst team in the Primera Liga (Mallorca), Warnock has dropped into the league he was trying to drag us into (Leeds). Collins has admittedly had a good season for West Ham and Dunne; while he has been missed on occasion; has not been mourned by the Villa faithful. Even the previously-mercurial Bent has had to make way for the best strikeforce and the best striker to come Villa's way since probably the days of Saunders and Atkinson.

We now have a side who are in a similar position to last year's one, but this is while they are learning their Premier League trade. This Villa side are as good as the other one but with 10 years in hand. We're on the up and we are doing it the right way. If you are intent to contain your opinions to simple glances at the league table without looking at what he's trying to do and how he's trying to do it then that's your prerogative but you're missing the point. We will be in this league next season and we'll be in a helluva better shape than we've been in a long long time.

 

Well put sir. This is the oft mentioned bigger picture that some don't seem capable of grasping. It might look like we're in a similar position to last year but now we have the potential to be sustainable and build, to not be losing £50million a year (which PussEkat, is money we could be spending on improving the squad and not on past it players)—our young players who are improving will increase in value, bringing more money in, as opposed to 90% of the transfers that have happened over the last 6 years, where we have lost money.

 

Finally we are building sensibly, and admirably. It is the ONLY way we can do it without Abu Dhabi or somesuch coming in and spending billions on top of the incredible amount of money Lerner has already put in. 

 

Why can't some people see this! 

Edited April 9, 2013 by praisedmambo

[Morpheus]

Lambert had options on a free but chose to spend money on KEA.

 

Why can you not accept the fact we couldn't afford Diames wages? This is the same reason Cuellar wasn't resigned, 45k a week.

 

Please please stop banging on about Collins - just because you weren't around or didn't read it for whatever reason, it's true. He was constantly causing trouble. Respected posters on here with 100% insight have confirmed this. He was a cancer. He had to go.

 

I've had this debate with many posters and none have answered it. You criticize Lambert for putting this defence together. He put it together with the money he was given and the wage limit he had. Who should he have gone for? and none of them are on more than 25k. Premiership footballers don't come to clubs for 25k - hence why he shopped abroad and in the lower leagues.

 

Also, mostly a defence is made up of 4 players, he signed 3 and wasn't given money for a fourth. He admitted in January he had targets but we couldn't afford the wages. Maybe with another CB he wanted things would have been better.

 

You seem to constantly beat him with this transfer stick - he really didn't have any other options with what he had to spend.

How do you know we couldn't afford Diame's wages? If we couldn't afford the wages of Diame why did we place a bid for Dempsey? We paid how much for KEA and then his wages yet you say we couldn't afford Diame on a free plus his wages. Sorry that simply doesn't wash with me.

 

I criticise Lambert for the quality of defence he has built not how much it cost and how the feck do you know what our wage structure is especially when Lambert has already stated that the chairman made funding available for more established players  but he choose not to go down that route in the summer.

 

Of course he had other options. He could have purchased better players than KEA, Bowery, Bennett, Lowton and Vlaar. Benteke is a quality signing. How much wages is he on? How much are we paying Westwood. That proves the point that he could have purchased better quality but instead has built a defence on poor quality players and we've seen that all season with Guzan having to be MOTM on several occasions.

 

I wish several posters on here would look at stats of this season and where we currently are before trying to defend a manager that could still relegate us. 

[P3te]

That's a Lerner discussion, not a Lambert one. Do you really not realise that yet PussEKatt? You really think Lambert has decided he doesn't want to spend countless millions by choice?

I would say that Lambert has his owne plan.I think he does want to have the youngest and cheapest team in the PL and he is trying to prove that it can be done.As far as the Lerner bit goes, do you really think that the situation was not explained to Lambert before he took the job ?

Lerner would say something like " we have to cut costs and I dont want to $pend too much "

Lamberts reply would be along the lines of " I am sure I can get the youngest and cheapest team in the Pl "

You sound like a 12 year old. Christ almighty

[Morpheus]

 

 

 

 

 

 

People claim they understand giving a manager time, but they really dont.

 

Nail on the head. A few months is not giving time. I appreciate if the manager is not good enough, its just not working out or if results are truly appalling then you have to call time. But with Lambert he had to deal with a huge amount of issues, coupled with him trying to play football with a team who lack experience, quality in a number of positions and importantly, the Villa players from the previous season had a season of playing completely different football ( if i can call it that ).

 

If we go down, I wont shift the blame to much on Lambert. Certainly mistakes have been made hear and there which have cost us a few points but alot of the points thrown away he cant legislate for, its just our team panicking, put it down to experience put it down to the situation at the time, but I have always understood how were progressing under him and i can recognise where he wants to take us. For that reason, I am more than happy to give him time. 

'Trying to play football with a team who lack experience' eh? Who purchased that lack of experience in the first place when there was already inexperience trying to break into the first team?

 

"Progressing under him?" That progression has seen us battling relegation for the best part of the season and breaking records no manager would want on his CV.

 

Did he have much choice considering the positions that needed filling ? Was it viable with the financial restrictions and wage reduction were going through at the moment to go and find a older player with more experience ? probably not, because they would want more money and if they didnt then Id question their quality. He brought in Westwood, Lowton, Bennet and Benteke who are young. Benteke is our player of the season and Lowton and Westwood have been good enough but both showing promise. Only Bennet can really questioned out of Lamberts "inexperienced" signings.

 

The likes of Delph, Weimann, Bannan, Baker and Clarke were all at the club already and are hardly seasoned pro's. I dont like it when people make out he went crazy on youth when he didnt, but given the circumstances we found ourselves in, and the amount of players we needed to bring in players who perhaps lacked a little experience were likely to come in.

 

Do you see everything so black and white ? It is undoubtedly clear that he is installing a philosophy of football in this club, of progressive football. Football that can push clubs on and ultimately be succesfull. We have gone from god awful football, that never wins you games to developing a style of play, which in time and with better players will put us in fantastic stead to push on. Thats progression. Anyone who thought we wouldnt be involved in a relegation scrap ( admiteddly not this much of one ) was naive. It takes more than a season to sort this pish out. 

 

He has made mistakes, I dont deny that but keeping a manager who installs belief and confidence in players like he does, coupled with the way he tries to play football is important.

No i don't see everything black and white. In previous posts i have commended Lambert for actually changing the system and have been one of the very few posters lately who have continually stated that we would stay up if Lambert persisted with correct system.

 

I also recognise that both manager and team may be finally showing signs of growing together in the right direction but that does not exclude Lambert from criticism, criticism which is warranted for his decisions on team selection and tactics for almost three quarters of the season which has resulted in a relegation dogfight that we're still not free from yet.

 

You also cannot ignore the present state of our defence which has been rebuilt by Lambert. I have seen time and time again the excuse that he had limited funding which to replace outgoing players of experience. Did he have to get rid of both Collins and Cuellar immediately? Could there not have been a 'progression' of changing our defence over two to three seasons instead of introducing players without any Premiership experience to form a new defence. That alone invited problems and weaknesses which are still there. Someone posted that it was Lambert's decision to go with youth and thats why he got the job and i would tend to believe that as Lambert has previously stated that the chairman did make funding available for more established Premiership footballers before the season started. You remember the bid for Dempsey.

 

He also had the opportunity to address our weakness at DM with the possible purchase of Diame on a free who went to West Ham. He purchased KEA and the less said about that the better.

 

Just because we now have had a few decent results against some very poor teams shouldn't convince any fan of our club that  Lambert has become a very good manager literally over night. He hasn't, but hopefully he will have learnt a lot this season from his mistakes and won't make the same again next season when hopefully we are still in the Premiership.

 

You missed my point in regards to the black and white comment I think. With him, there is a clear philosophy of the kind of football we play, its one which doesnt have a low ceiling. That kind of football, will give you success. The better players we get in, the better that football becomes and so on. I was making a comment about the attacking / football philosophy of the coach rather than a specific formation he implements.

 

I wouldnt dream of saying Lambert doesnt deserve criticism. That would be daft, and would make me look like a mug. I completely appreciate he has made mistakes, that being said I feel your being overly critical of him. He was trying to find a system, I cant knock him for trying 4-4-2 diamond and 3-5-2. Progressive thinkers should not be dashed aside, but i appreciate a few games were lost on those decisions. He who dares wins and all that, things change in football and I get the impression Lambert is one who likes to be infront of the pack rather than chasing and playing catch up.

 

Alot of our losses / points thrown away have come down to silly individual errors, ones they shouldnt make and although Lambert has to take criticism for some games I dont think its fair to blame him for 3/4 poor performance. We have been playing well enough since January, could be so different if we didnt concede last minute against Swansea ( although we didnt deserve the win ) and held onto 2 goal leads against WBA and Everton. I know thats all IFS and BUTS, but the point remains I feel people have been overly critical of him.

 

Collins yes, he did. He and the club want players who want to play for Villa, who have the right attitude and hunger to suceed. Things had gone sour with Collins and you have to recognise that. He was a disruptive influence on the team and that cannot be tolerated in high performance sport. Did Cuellars contract not expire ? Diame would of been lovely, its all very well in hindsight isnt it ( although I believe you mentioned it preseason ? ), but why didnt all the other clubs go for him ? How do you know we didnt. You make it sound simple.

KEA hasnt been the player we all thought and hoped. He recognised the problem though and tried to address it, ultimately it didnt work out but you cant knock him to much as he tried to address it, and all managers have flops in their history.

 

I have been saying this for longer than the last 5 games, I watched him closely at Norwich. He is a progressive manager who I want here long term. 

He had plenty of time to find a system in pre-season had he not? He has taken far too long to find the correct system to suit the players available and thats why we are currently in a relegation battle. Also remember how many players he purchased in the summer. Good managers buy players to fit the system not the other way about and Lambert not only failed to do that but also failed at how best to use the players already at the club. You are trying to excuse an elementary mistake which the vast majority of good managers wouldn't have made so i do not think i'm being over critical at all!

 

Your saying that Collins was a disruptive influence within the team. Can you actually prove that or is that just your opinion?

 

Cuellar was out of contract but could Lambert not have retained his services in the same way he did with Guzan?

 

No i'm not party to information to determine whether we ever were interested in Diame but we should have been and he probably would have been on a lot less wages than Sissoko who we were interested in.

 

Lambert may indeed be a progressive manager who likes to play attacking football but that alone won't make him into a good manager as we've already seen this season.

 

What an absolute load of nonsense

 

Lambert inherited a complete mess and had to build a team from scratch with limited resources using bargain buys and youngsters whilst weeding out the overpaid crap that had accumulated at the club under previous regimes - no wonder it took some time to find the correct formula. Lambert himself said this would be a long job not a quick fix

 

Collins was clearly a disruptive influence - that was well known. Cuellar was a injury-risk and has hardly done the trick at Sunderland

 

You continue to persist in your fantasy football view of transfers. Picking a particular player like Diame, who you have no idea about availabilty, wages or willingness to come to Villa and then criticising Lambert for not signing him is ridiculous. Even if we were interested in him I doubt we had the finances to afford his wages. Also we were only "interested" in Sissoko until we heard what he wanted in wages.

 

Lambert has made mistakes but anyone would given the circumstances. A win against Fulham and we can begin to relax and look forward to next season

Been very quiet of late 'VillaCas.' Wonder why that is? Your prediction of climbing the table something to do with that?

 

A win against Fulham will not relax anyone and we certainly need more than three more points to do that.

 

I see your still spouting the same old rubbish. Lambert had to build a team from scratch had he? So we had no players at the club at all before lambert arrived. Yet another stupid excuse from someone who should know better by now and i see you're now stating that although Lambert had a full pre-season to appraise what was at the club and to buy players to fit into his chosen system he then needed a further three quarters of a season to finally stumble upon the right system for the payers available to him. Really excellent stuff 'VillaCas.'

 

Not indulging in your idea of fantasy football at all. Just stating that we were crying out for a DM. One became available on a free and signed for the mighty West Ham while Lambert paid a fee for KEA.

 

Yes we know what wages Sissoko is on but he also commanded a fee did he not. Diame was on a free and while i don't know what his wage demands were i would hazzard a guess that they fall some way short of parity with the wage of Sissoko.