Manager Paul Lambert

[AstonMartin82]

Every season we go through a patch where we play badly and lose a few games in a row. If this run comes during mid-season then it disguises any issues that may be in the team. It is conceivable that this run is coming at the beginning of the season.

Amo, yes January will a much better point in time to start making a judgement on the team.

[Amo69]

The same people two weeks ago were talking about top 10 finishes and Europa League (with one guy saying we could push for CL).

Are they the same people?

I don't remember anybody talking about top 10 finishes.

[AstonMartin82]

The same people two weeks ago were talking about top 10 finishes and Europa League (with one guy saying we could push for CL).

Are they the same people?

The mood gauge on VT swings massively from one week to another suggesting (over) reactions to situations.

I understand your point though if you look holistically you will conclude there being an overreaction.

[AstonMartin82]

The same people two weeks ago were talking about top 10 finishes and Europa League (with one guy saying we could push for CL).

Are they the same people?

I don't remember anybody talking about top 10 finishes.

Here

[R.Bear]

We're two games in so I'm not packing yet. But we have played two games where we should have got something from. Dont give me the "Everton beat United" rubbish. We normally do well against them. What DOES concern me is that watching yesterday, it could have been a McLeish team out there. We have had the same problems for many years. We cant keep possession, we don't create enough chances from open play. Against well organised defences we struggle massively. We find it hard to sustain pressure on the oppo. It's very worrying.

If Lambert didnt know the extent of the job he has here, he does now. We are missing pace (Gabby) and some kind of crossing ability (Albrighton) but there can be no excuses. We dont have a style of play or have strengths that we try and tap into because I'm not sure what they are.

[Archie]

I don't think that yesterday the team could be a AML team. Vilal played an awful first half, but they tried to play football. Passing football, not long balls. The problem is that after the second goal, due to an individual mitake of Given, the team liquefied like snow under the sun.

Even if yesterday has committed some unusual mistakes (Delfouneso for Weimann in the Starting XI; the position of Herd and N'Zog; Holman in the bench), I am absolutey confident tht PL is the right man for the job.

The problem is that Shay Given is getting old (the 50% of the great keeper that he was) and that too many Academy players that were very promising in the beginning of their carreer now showed to have huge limits. Bannan, and Delfouneso seem not to be good enough for the Premier League. Clark is a good player, but he is probably better as defensive midfielder that as central defender. Baker has many limits too.

We should need a huge investment, one player for department.

But what in my opinion is for sure is that we should back Paul Lambert that after ages is trying to make the Villa to play an entertaining passing football.

[lexicon]

We're two games in so I'm not packing yet. But we have played two games where we should have got something from. Dont give me the "Everton beat United" rubbish.

Why? Because it's a valid argument that you can't really say anything against? Everton are on great form and discounting that and their convincing win against Man Utd (which was only a boost in confidence/morale/team spirit) just because it doesn't suit your argument is pathetic.

We normally do well against them.

That has nothing to do with anything.

If Lambert didnt know the extent of the job he has here, he does now. We are missing pace (Gabby) and some kind of crossing ability (Albrighton) but there can be no excuses. We dont have a style of play or have strengths that we try and tap into because I'm not sure what they are.

Lambert hasn't offered any excuses :?

We're trying to create a style of play and forge a new team, these things take time - why do you have to be so impatient?

[R.Bear]

Are you kidding me? I'm not getting at Lambert at all or being impatient :? I'm always saying exactly what you did about things taking time etc.

I'm saying there can be no excuses from the players for their performances so far. Or mistakes from Given for example.

[Dr_Pangloss]

Naturally Lambert needs to take some blame for his selection. I don't know why Delph was dropped, Delfouneso didn't really work either. I also don't think Baker should be allowed anywhere near left back, Lichaj should be there.

I think it's clear that it'll take some time for Lambert to work out his best team and how to implement the things he did at Norwich (squad rotation, tactical changes etc).

Bottom line though, we really do need a couple of players to come into our immediate first team. I'm sure the club have been and continue to work on that.

[Houlston]

Well its clear the squad needs additions but Lambert didnt really help our cause yesterday.

Fonz starting is just wrong.

Herd on the wing was painful, it was up there with Hutton there at Spurs last season.

Bannan is a squad player and shouldnt be starting ahead of Delph who did little wrong at West Ham.

Baker for all his effort isnt a LB, not sure what Lichaq has done wrong.

Baker is a better CB than Clark, have we ever won a game with Clark at CB? He is very often lauded on here but I dont get why, he is technically good but thats pretty much where it ends. He cant jump, he is weak, his positioning is questionable and he has a lack of pace to recover.

On the plus side KEA looks the part, I quite like the look of Lowton and at the end with Weimann on we looked almost dangerous.

[AndyM3000]

Tactics were just completely wrong. We needed to match Everton in midfield so playing 4-4-2 with Bannan in there was never going to work for me. Needed to keep it tight early on then attack them, the game against Utd took a lot out of them so late on we would have noticed that.

Fonz is awful, I always said this and he offered nothing, him and Bent are the most laziest strikers in the entire league. We had no movement up front, I dont think Bent offers us enough and we need someone with a higher work rate, Kevin Doyle is a decent example of someone who wont stop running and can work the flanks when the ball is going forward.

I dont know why we persist with playing players out of position, Herd is DM/CM/CD, if he was there to stop Baines it didn't work and as much as I hate Warnock hes still our best LB so if we are resorting to Baker just play Warnock IMO.

[Paul33]

Fonz is awful, I always said this and he offered nothing, him and Bent are the most laziest strikers in the entire league. We had no movement up front, I dont think Bent offers us enough and we need someone with a higher work rate, Kevin Doyle is a decent example of someone who wont stop running and can work the flanks when the ball is going forward.

^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

[terrytini]

Must admit to being very dissappointed.

Not at the results, but having watched a lot of PL sides, not just last year, I was really happy to see him here.

But yesterday I didn't see an attacking side, or a passing side, or a counter attacking side, or a long ball side, and I didn't see astute tactical changes. I was really quite shocked to see what looked like a fairly clueless unbalanced approach, the last thing I expected.

Now I know he doesn't have an awful lot to work with but there is as much as there was at Norwich !

Moyes has been working on Everton for a long while now, so there was no shame in losing, but the absence of any real clear plan of how to play, and how to change it, has alarmed me.

(And hopefully he saw what a diffrence we were with Baker at Centre Back yesterday !)

[StanBalaban]

Naturally Lambert needs to take some blame for his selection. I don't know why Delph was dropped, Delfouneso didn't really work either. I also don't think Baker should be allowed anywhere near left back, Lichaj should be there.

I think it's clear that it'll take some time for Lambert to work out his best team and how to implement the things he did at Norwich (squad rotation, tactical changes etc).

Bottom line though, we really do need a couple of players to come into our immediate first team. I'm sure the club have been and continue to work on that.

Viewing players in pre season and training is very different to viewing them in competition. This is especially so for Lambert as the whole team is new to him.

Just a theory, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lambert has used the firt two matches almost as sacrificial lambs in the hope of testing the merits of certain players whilst the window is still open.

No other reason I can think of for not choosing a similar team to West Ham other than to observe players like Delf, Bannan, Herd over Weimann, Ireland and Delph.

Off the back of this, expect PL to be very clear about what he needs to add to the squad.

(answer: a lot)

[Skruff]

We'll have to be very patient.

PL has an immense job to do, and I think he's still very much in the process of assessing the squad.

As things stand now I don't expect to see much more then losses and draws, if we get a few more players in we might scrape in a few wins. Come second half of the season I think we'll see a Villa team starting to gel and settle to the new way of playing as well as our new players are adapting to the league and taking their game to a new level and eventually we'll go from losses and draws to draws and wins. This season will be more about laying the foundations to truly build the next summer.

[smetrov]

Every season we go through a patch where we play badly and lose a few games in a row. If this run comes during mid-season then it disguises any issues that may be in the team. It is conceivable that this run is coming at the beginning of the season.

Amo, yes January will a much better point in time to start making a judgement on the team.

I disagree. Our poor runs in the last 2 seasons have come when we have had a glut of injuries - and have been forced to play the academy players.

This season the squad is so threadbare that the kids are now starting by default. Sadly the results are the same. Whenever we pack the team with academy products we loose matches.

We need to be fielding a team of season professionals - if we don't IMO we will be relegated.

[CI]

You could argue, getting the crap results out of the way now is the best time to do it. We could have ground out 2 draws for example, and the board would have thought all is ok.

This way we will at least know Lerners intentions come midnight on Friday.

[hawkinsk11]

Naturally Lambert needs to take some blame for his selection. I don't know why Delph was dropped, Delfouneso didn't really work either. I also don't think Baker should be allowed anywhere near left back, Lichaj should be there.

I think it's clear that it'll take some time for Lambert to work out his best team and how to implement the things he did at Norwich (squad rotation, tactical changes etc).

Bottom line though, we really do need a couple of players to come into our immediate first team. I'm sure the club have been and continue to work on that.

Viewing players in pre season and training is very different to viewing them in competition. This is especially so for Lambert as the whole team is new to him.

Just a theory, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lambert has used the firt two matches almost as sacrificial lambs in the hope of testing the merits of certain players whilst the window is still open.

No other reason I can think of for not choosing a similar team to West Ham other than to observe players like Delf, Bannan, Herd over Weimann, Ireland and Delph.

Off the back of this, expect PL to be very clear about what he needs to add to the squad.

(answer: a lot)

To be honest if its not this then the team selection yesterday was absolute maddness and very worrying

[AstonMartin82]

Every season we go through a patch where we play badly and lose a few games in a row. If this run comes during mid-season then it disguises any issues that may be in the team. It is conceivable that this run is coming at the beginning of the season.

Amo, yes January will a much better point in time to start making a judgement on the team.

I disagree. Our poor runs in the last 2 seasons have come when we have had a glut of injuries - and have been forced to play the academy players.

This season the squad is so threadbare that the kids are now starting by default. Sadly the results are the same. Whenever we pack the team with academy products we loose matches.

We need to be fielding a team of season professionals - if we don't IMO we will be relegated.

Every team has poor spells during the season whether you are Man Utd or Aston Villa.

After Friday, if we haven't signed the seasoned professionals that you write about, you should put some money on us going down... you'll get incredibly good odds - much better than odds on which is what you believe is reality.

[Bazdavies79]

I see various threads having a go at x or y player, most legitimate. However...

I don't think there is any point in laying into individuals after that game, I really don't. Whether you choose to lay into N'Zogbia, Bannan, Clark whoever (ok maybe Clark), the problem v Everton was that the team didn't know what they were doing as a unit.

We have some weak players, but the overriding factor was a lack of understanding, that will come - hopefully. Lambert has his job cut out.

1. He really needs Dunne back asap. I don't think he's a great defender, but he has the experience to help the others in the back 4.

2. He needs Gabby and Albrighton back, to give us a bit more going forward.

3. He needs to get in a LB asap.

4. He needs to sort out CM, and probably buy an experienced midfielder.

5. And most important, he needs to get them playing as a unit, front to back. The problems were all over, no understanding at the back, no closing down in midfield, no fluency in attack.

Quite a lot of work to do, and a bit of money to be spent.