Manager Paul Lambert

[CarewsEyebrowDesigner]

I would like nothing better than for Lambert to keep us up and turn us into a competitive team once again. I'd say most of us wanted it and probably predicted a tough season as the team goes through a transition. This we prepared for. However, a team in transition usually shows some signs of improvement, or change, and problems with the squad get fixed and players learn from their mistakes. This isn't happening, save the change in playing style: instead of defending for 90 minutes we play football for 45 and defend for 45, instead of long balls from the defence into the channels we pass in our own half a few hundred times then punt it into the channels. A slender improvement? The results say otherwise.

 

What we have is a team that has got incrementally worse with no indication that problems with the squad will get adressed during the remainder of the transfer window.

 

How much of this is Lambert accountable for? I'd argue the major issue right now, the results on the pitch, or perhaps more pertinently, the performances of the players (as bad results I can handle, poor performances are inexcusable at this level of football) are down to the manager. His reliance on reserve team and lower league players and the ostracising of experienced players, the failure to rectify the blatant inability to defend from set-pieces, and the poor in-game decisions that lead to poor second half performances, have left the fans questioning his ability to keep us in the league and improve us in the long-term. He, in my opinion, needs to prove to us that he deserves the job beyond the immediate future, rather than expecting fans to wait patiently for things to turn around. He has brought this change in mentality from the fans upon himself.

Edited January 26, 2013 by CarewsEyebrowDesigner

[villaajax]

Yeah the whole 'young and hungry' doesn't seem to be posted much anymore.

It's now a case of 'inexperienced and hurting.'

[R.Bear]

If I hear one more Villa fan say "we need stability" I may just go insane.

 

We dont need stability, we need to avoid relegation at all costs and by any means necessary.

[Mantis]

Just wondering where all those posters are now who stated that our form in the cups (particularly against Man City) would influence our form in the league?

I don't really know what you're getting at here? Of course cup form can have an effect on league form and I think we'll see that on Tuesday night with an even more inept showing.

Yup Villa fans will give a manager time, but only when the team is doing well.

This is simply wrong. We haven't been doing well all season yet most fans (myself included) were willing to give Lambert time. Even after the Chelsea and Spurs debacles he still got a lot of support. The problem is that we've gone from being inconsistent to consistently shit. The same mistakes are being made every game and it's clear to all that we're getting worse and worse.

If we have tostep back from the limelight for a while to come back hopefully stronger and more "prepared", then so be it.

The problem here is that we will be in the limelight, very much so. Villa going down would be massive and all eyes would be on us. If we hit the ground running then it will die down a bit but if we don't then we'll be in the spotlight even more than we are now.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Mantis

[Daniel]

Mat Kendrick @MatKendrick

Q: How disappointed do you think the fans will be after coming out in big numbers again to watch that? A: Blankety blank #avfc

 

I thought the question might be abit offensive, but it was a genuine question about what the fans have to watch every week.

Edited January 26, 2013 by Daniel

[PieFacE]

The really frustrating thing for me, is that I really do believe we are a couple of players away from being half decent. We're just so bad in crucial areas of the pitch. Another commanding center back and a defensive midfielder would see us through this IMO. Yes it's something Lambert should have purchased in the Summer, but I assume he thought that KEA would be that DM we need, but it hasn't worked out. 

[supernova26]

I agree the formation is causing us problems the 5-3-2 is really exposing Lowton and Bennett as complete mugs. We lost against Bradford due to Bennett being mauled at every given opportunity. It's a difficult one as we all want attacking football (and for all our faults we are a very attacking team nobody can say otherwise) but we can't carry on with it as we will go down. This isn't an assessment but a fact. Lambert should really change it up and play a much more defensive formation until our leaky defense is sorted. Again it's difficult as it goes completely against his ethos. I would be tempted to go 4-4-1-1 with N'Zog playing as the number 10 feeding Benteke. The other 8 players just stay back and revert to hoofs if we have to > Benteke knocking it down for N'Zog.

 

Our midfield and defense simply aren't good enough for us to play an attacking formation. We aren't Barca, Juventus or Dortmund yet Paul, as much as I admire your ethos. 

Edited January 26, 2013 by supernova26

[Big_John_10]

What must be remembered is that we beat Villa last night with our two

best strikers having left the club. Keogh was off form and Marquis is a

lad still learning his trade. We weren't great last night but Villa

were, by a distance, the worst team we have played down there all

season. 30 horizontal passes, then backwards, then lose the ball.

Repeatedly. A real shame as they are a great club and should be

looking at a top six Prem place each season. Based on last night's

showing they are a long way from the type of performance that will keep

them up this season.

Just read this in the reactions thread.

A perfect description of us under Paul Lambert this season and they only had to watch us once.

[Daniel]

I agree the formation is causing us problems the 5-3-2 is really exposing Lowton and Bennett as complete mugs. We lost against Bradford due to Bennett being mauled at every given opportunity. It's a difficult one as we all want attacking football (and for all our faults we are a very attacking team nobody can say otherwise) but we can't carry on with it as we will go down. This isn't an assessment but a fact. Lambert should really change it up and play a much more defensive formation until our leaky defense is sorted. Again it's difficult as it goes completely against his ethos. I would be tempted to go 4-4-1-1 with N'Zog playing as the number 10 feeding Benteke. The other 8 players just stay back and revert to hoofs > Benteke knocking it down for N'Zog in the instances we have to.

That's how i see it about the 5-3-2/ 3-5-2 formation. He tells Lowton and Bennett to bomb forward and when they get caught out we're exposed. We have no proper wingers so both players have no support with our narrow tactics.

[ClaretFondu]

The Milwall game; the result didnt bother me at all.

But the lack of confidence and going forward has my kaking my pants.

[foreveryoung]

SSN are careful to not disrespect any manager, but listening to Merson and Thomson they cannot understand why the experienced players have been left out for so long by Lambert. Also said it was more Lambert flapping in the second half against Bradford leaving the players wondering what to do. Certainly looked this way. Charlie Nicholas stating its the fans who will drive him out!!

[Raymond]

I agree we are shit, and it might be time for Lambert to go simply because we need something to change.

The real question, however, is how many more managers are we going to blame before we realize the players just are not good enough?

Edited January 26, 2013 by Raymond

[CI]

Mat Kendrick @MatKendrick

Q: How disappointed do you think the fans will be after coming out in big numbers again to watch that? A: Blankety blank #avfc

 

I thought the question might be abit offensive, but it was a genuine question about what the fans have to watch every week.

Perfectly reasonable question . The manager needs to be answering that

[Nabby]

That's how i see it about the 5-3-2/ 3-5-2 formation. He tells Lowton and Bennett to bomb forward and when they get caught out we're exposed. We have no proper wingers so both players have no support with our narrow tactics.

 

100% the formation is not working.The FB are being hung out to dry every match.We end up with no width and play balls square and back to the keeper.

[VillaForever1970]

Perfectly reasonable question . The manager needs to be answering that

What would he say? He could say anything and still get dogs abuse, probably fed up of it.

The reason he didn't answer it rightly or wrongly was the 'watch that' bit.

[VillakevBromsgrove]

If i am honest I thought the liverpool match was a turning point where after being battered we started to play well, confidence grew and we won, The worst thing that could have happened afetr that was we got battered by Chelsea, not just beat but embarrased to the point players questioned themselves and their colleagues.

We simply have not recovered and things have spiralled out of control, there is so much negativity at the club that I think there is no way back.

I have listened to the interview of Mr Duggan and can see both points of view, yes Randy has backed the managers in the past and also PL in the summer, that goes without doubt.

My problem and alot of others feel the same is that with the way the confidence levels are we need to change things, to spend 10 million now could and should change the situation, to bring in a couple of players to help and guide the young players on the pitch, this may be cost effective if we stay up, yes I can understand if we get relegated then we have to keep paying these players, yes it is a risk, but get the right players and minimalise the risk. show the players here that we will not accept relegation and we are ambitious,

To do nothing is to show that we have accepted relegation and this is cascading down to the players, 

Take the fans, we think Rl has given up, We think PL is out of his depth, we think the players are not good enough, the gates are falling, the crowd (apart from the semi) is showing nervousness / apprehension and this will turn even worse as the team get worse.

Confidence is a fragile thing and we had little to start with after the last couple of years.

Spending money on a couple of players could be proved a wise move to gee up the other players, show ambition and give them a different approach.

Yes RL has spent money in the past but we did not spend wisely and got rid of alot of these players for a loss, RL should draw a line under this and move on, he must say players we have must improve the team and be financially viable, then hold the manager responsible for his choices.

Things may turn around for us but it may be too late by then,

[CI]

What would he say? He could say anything and still get dogs abuse, probably fed up of it.The reason he didn't answer it rightly or wrongly was the 'watch that' bit.

It's an answer he should be making, it's not difficult, he should be saying along the lines, it's not good enough, the support has been brilliant and they deserve better.

[Big_John_10]

I agree we are shit, and it might be time for Lambert to go simply because we need something to change.

The real question, however, is how many more managers are we going to blame before we realize the players just are not good enough?

Aren't good enough for what?

Because they kept us up last year under a manager who is widely regarded as the worst managers we've ever had.

[Mantis]

McLeish is tactically smarter than Lambert.

 

Just let that sink in for a moment.

[andyh]

SSN are careful to not disrespect any manager, but listening to Merson and Thomson they cannot understand why the experienced players have been left out for so long by Lambert. Also said it was more Lambert flapping in the second half against Bradford leaving the players wondering what to do. Certainly looked this way. Charlie Nicholas stating its the fans who will drive him out!!

**** Charlie Nicholas.

They were spouting the shame shit last year about us driving out Mcleish.

It's just the old boys network talking each othernup, who cares what he thinks.