Chap of Steel Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Eddie Howe? Would he leave though? Bournemouth could be in the Premier League next season the rate they're going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Not being relegated in his first two seasons, with a shit team and a shit budget (both transfers and more so wages) is good enough for me. We will always be fighting relegation under the current regime and id rather stick with someone who proved he can keep us in the league two seasons running. You 'Lambert out brigade' who want the club to be great again have to look at the way the club is run. Yes we may need a better manager to make that push, but with the current structures, id rather keep a manager who has a proven track record of keeping us in the league than someone who doesnt. Felix Magath anyone? Not really sure I get this. Surely 3 years down the line you expect more than just surviving. Its the total lack of any improvement or progress that see many wanting him gone. To show no real improvement on McLeish (who we all wanted rid of) after this long is incredibly poor. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrackpotForeigner Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Out of all the Players Lambert signed at the start of last season, only one of those players has kicked a ball for us this season, the rest have all been buys that have not worked out and half of them are no longer here now, but again the manager can only use a budget that is handed to him, and with so many positions to strengthen there is only so far he can go in stretching the funds. The only ones that haven't been ill or injured that I can think of are Luna and Tonev. Combined cost of four or five million. Nobody has a 100% success rate with three million pound players in the Premier League. (I'm not disagreeing with what you're saying btw, unless you think the bolded bit is an indictment of Lambert) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 One question. With the budget, could Lambert have taken Southampton to the dizzy heights of top 4 as Koeman has. My guess is not a chance. But then that may be the same as guessing no manager could do a better job here??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 'Injury crisis'http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php Who said we were in an injury crisis right now? That said, I don't think we've had particularly good luck with injuries since the start of the season. It's not so much the number of injuries but who gets injured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted November 5, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted November 5, 2014 (edited) One question. With the budget, could Lambert have taken Southampton to the dizzy heights of top 4 as Koeman has. My guess is not a chance. But then that may be the same as guessing no manager could do a better job here??? This seems a completely pointless question. Koeman hasn't taken Southampton to the top 4. If you're crediting him with that at this stage then Lambert deserves credit for having us there after 4 games. Southampton finished 8th last season. Koeman deserves a lot of credit for what he's doing at the moment, but it's hardly the same situation as Lambert has been in is it? I'm just not sure what point you're trying to make here. Is Lambert better than Koeman? Edited November 5, 2014 by Stevo985 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itdoesntmatterwhatthissay Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I just don't know, I always believe managers should be given time but I look at the way we've performed, the tactics employed and the choices in players at key points in the game and I sigh with confusion. We started well but we also played horrible counter attacking football and didn't really consistently control any games. When we play well we look unified and dangerous but the smallest change in fortunes has us going into our shell and choosing to settle in games rather than push the opposition, it's too easy to blame the players and in my experience and expectation it's the managers job to change the emphasis with either motivation or a plan B/C or D.....I don't believe I've seen enough of that from Lambert and I don't think he's on the road to providing it. Signing wise I think he's done well enough, we've not spent big and when we have we've done okay out of it, but again I think it's about foresight, for example Bertrand was £7million but how much has Luna, Bennet, Aly really cost us in terms of wages/fee's/league places when a solid option could have existed, he certainly fitted the bill when we had him. It's fine to gamble on cheap Championship players but what about medium priced ones who seem to have potential, Clyne for example, it was obvious to the majority of Championship watchers that he was a talent. No strong criticism though, signings wise he's done fine, it's hard enough in the market without even considering your clubs finances. I just wish we looked like a club who wanted to win and weren't scared of losing, I feel the manager has to take a large portion of responsibility for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Curtis Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 All the harping on about tough run of fixtures is being overplayed. Look at our performances in those games. Did we compete for 90 minutes? No. We haven't done that for a very long time, even in the few games that we have won. It is time for change. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post markavfc40 Posted November 5, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 5, 2014 (edited) I have been on holiday so haven’t posted since pre QPR. I think to sum up my mood now is one of huge disappointment. I have stated numerous times that I was over the moon when Lambert arrived as he was one of my top choices to manage us as far back as when Houllier was here. It has therefore always been with a heavy heart when I have criticized him and I have always had a nagging feeling that just maybe he is still the man who can, even on a limited budget, do well here. I think it is time I and the rest of those of us who still have a soft spot for Lambert faced what is staring us in the face though and stop kidding ourselves. He simply isn’t up to the task of managing us. As drat stated in an earlier post it has been one excuse trotted out after another as to why things have been so dire but the reality is that many of them are either problems of Lamberts own making or simply part and parcel of football. Injuries to players are never ideal but they are part of the game. Perhaps they could also be seen as a more viable excuse if it were not for the fact that even with our best 11 out, or something close to it, we have more often than not had poor results and served up dire football. The terrible run we had in the second half of last season was by some put down to the backroom staff issues. The bottom line though is that they were Lamberts men just as Keane is now Lamberts choice. I had often excused the poor results, dire performances and terrible runs of form of the past two seasons down to us having a lack of experience and nous in the side. I did however feel that with the signings made over the summer, the reintroduction into the squad of Hutton, Nzogbia and Bent along with the fact that the likes of Westwood, Baker, Weimann, Lowton, Clark could no longer be considered rookies that we now had the necessary wherewithal to grind out results and bring an end to runs of poor results. I couldn’t have been more wrong could I. Six defeats on the spin, regardless of opposition, is terrible and again shows a lack of a backbone and an ability to grind out a result to quickly halt a poor run. The bottom line is that I can no longer come up with any excuses for Lambert. I acknowledge that he hasn’t been dealt a good hand in terms of finances but he has nowhere near gotten the best out of enough of either the many players he has signed or those he inherited. We now for me have a half decent squad and one that should be capable of staying out of trouble and certainly one that has enough about it to not be facing a seventh defeat on the spin. Lambert arrived almost two and a half years ago. In that time there has been a big turnover of players and changes in backroom staff but no improvement in terms of results and performances. The one constant in that time has been Lambert and even though I still hold a soft spot for the guy it is now time for him to go. I was wrong about him. I hoped he would have a similar impact to Graham Taylor and could revamp this great club from top to bottom and even on a limited budget turn things around. Sadly I now think Lambert is more in the same ilk as a Paul Jewell, Owen Coyle or Ian Holloway who all did remarkable things at smaller clubs for a time but could never sustain it or make the step up to clubs where expectations were much higher. Edited November 5, 2014 by markavfc40 21 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Curtis Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 It was meant to be a pun involving his name but nvm No text speak please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeyAnty Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Not being relegated in his first two seasons, with a shit team and a shit budget (both transfers and more so wages) is good enough for me. We will always be fighting relegation under the current regime and id rather stick with someone who proved he can keep us in the league two seasons running. You 'Lambert out brigade' who want the club to be great again have to look at the way the club is run. Yes we may need a better manager to make that push, but with the current structures, id rather keep a manager who has a proven track record of keeping us in the league than someone who doesnt. Felix Magath anyone? Not really sure I get this. Surely 3 years down the line you expect more than just surviving. Its the total lack of any improvement or progress that see many wanting him gone. To show no real improvement on McLeish (who we all wanted rid of) after this long is incredibly poor. I really dont expect anymore than surviving every year and after 6 years id say the same. There are 20 clubs in the premiership. 10 of them aren't trying to survive each year. The other 10 are, unfortunately we are one of them. Out of them top 10 teams, tell me a team who hasnt spent serious money and large wages at their disposal. Football as it stands is fundamentally flawed, bit like the housing crash in 2008. Until we either get an owner who is a bottomless pit such as City or Chelsea, or an owner who is reckless such as Risdale was at Leeds then we are treading water for the foreseeable future. Sad i know but thats the reality of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DelboyVilla Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Double like Mark's really honest post!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntrimBlack Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Not being relegated in his first two seasons, with a shit team and a shit budget (both transfers and more so wages) is good enough for me. We will always be fighting relegation under the current regime and id rather stick with someone who proved he can keep us in the league two seasons running. You 'Lambert out brigade' who want the club to be great again have to look at the way the club is run. Yes we may need a better manager to make that push, but with the current structures, id rather keep a manager who has a proven track record of keeping us in the league than someone who doesnt. Felix Magath anyone? If you are constantly fighting relegation, you will eventually go down. We need comfortable mid-table finishes for several seasons to re-establish ourselves before we can push a bit higher. I do not think Lambert can give us this. And note that I said `comfortable', not flirting with the relegation zone most of the season and eventually finishing mid table. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 (edited) Which sides that finish mid table do not flirt with the bottom three places at some point in the season? Point is there is a top 7 that should really be a top 7: Chelsea, Citeh, Arsenal, Plop, Manure, Spuds, Evernot. Then Im guessing "comfortable" mid table is 8-13 ? Finishing in one of those places can be through one of two routes really. a) Youve flirted with the top 7 at some point and you're not quite good enough so youve finished just short . Never going to be us at the minute you can have the debate as to why and i'm guessing some of our expectations are in this category still and some of the disappointment over the fact we are not, either way this I'm thinking is really the crux of our problem and what our debate should be about. Youve flirted with positions lower than 13th and have finished well or within expectation. Point is surely at some point the teams 11 and below have at least flirted with places lower than that during the season? Edited November 5, 2014 by Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Top post Mark. I'm ALMOST in the same boat. I'm 99% with you, I really am. My problem is, apart from Moyes, who I don't think would come here under the Lerner restrictions, I can't think of anyone who could come and do a better job in the long term. Sure, someone like Pulis would come in and we'd win a couple, but would he be a good commitment for us to make and offer him a 3/4 year deal? Not for me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Mark well reasoned and put together post, and I know you have formulated this opinion and the grounds on which you have done it are perfectly reasonable, unlike some others it is fairly made and without an agenda. I also know that you will not take exception when I tell you I do not hold the same opinion and that I disagree with your final outcome if not the way in which you have got there and that this will not affect the respectful way in which we respond to each others posts and that is how it should be. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeyAnty Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Not being relegated in his first two seasons, with a shit team and a shit budget (both transfers and more so wages) is good enough for me. We will always be fighting relegation under the current regime and id rather stick with someone who proved he can keep us in the league two seasons running. You 'Lambert out brigade' who want the club to be great again have to look at the way the club is run. Yes we may need a better manager to make that push, but with the current structures, id rather keep a manager who has a proven track record of keeping us in the league than someone who doesnt. Felix Magath anyone? If you are constantly fighting relegation, you will eventually go down. We need comfortable mid-table finishes for several seasons to re-establish ourselves before we can push a bit higher. I do not think Lambert can give us this. And note that I said `comfortable', not flirting with the relegation zone most of the season and eventually finishing mid table. I dont think there is such a thing as comfortable mid table anymore. Out of the 10 teams i mentioned in the second tier of the premiership, the highest team last year finished on 45pts and the season before that was 44pts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Mark. Again. Perfectly put. Welcome back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulC Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 I think I would have more respect for Lambert if he had of stuck to his guns with the likes of Bent and Hutton but the fact he has re-introduced them makes me think he doesn't really know what he's doing. I was all for the young hungry players policy, because I thought there was a chance of progress season by season but now whats left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted November 5, 2014 Share Posted November 5, 2014 Not being relegated in his first two seasons, with a shit team and a shit budget (both transfers and more so wages) is good enough for me. We will always be fighting relegation under the current regime and id rather stick with someone who proved he can keep us in the league two seasons running. You 'Lambert out brigade' who want the club to be great again have to look at the way the club is run. Yes we may need a better manager to make that push, but with the current structures, id rather keep a manager who has a proven track record of keeping us in the league than someone who doesnt. Felix Magath anyone?Not really sure I get this. Surely 3 years down the line you expect more than just surviving. Its the total lack of any improvement or progress that see many wanting him gone. To show no real improvement on McLeish (who we all wanted rid of) after this long is incredibly poor. I really dont expect anymore than surviving every year and after 6 years id say the same. There are 20 clubs in the premiership. 10 of them aren't trying to survive each year. The other 10 are, unfortunately we are one of them. Out of them top 10 teams, tell me a team who hasnt spent serious money and large wages at their disposal. Football as it stands is fundamentally flawed, bit like the housing crash in 2008. Until we either get an owner who is a bottomless pit such as City or Chelsea, or an owner who is reckless such as Risdale was at Leeds then we are treading water for the foreseeable future. Sad i know but thats the reality of it. I disagree. There's plenty of clubs trying to improve and push on who aren't owned by the richest men in the world. We've done nothing to improve under Lambert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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