Manager Paul Lambert

[Big_John_10]

It's taken awhile but Lambert has restored one of the qualities I liked under MON and it's something houllier destroyed straight away.

I like the fact we don't roll over and due when we go behind. I like knowing we can get back into games. It's a quality I like to see in my team.

Edited November 26, 2013 by Big_John_10

[BG_Villa_Fan]

It's taken awhile but Lambert has restored one of the qualities I liked under MON and it's something houllier destroyed straight away.

I like the fact we don't roll over and due when we go behind. I like knowing we can get back into games. It's a quality I like to see in my team.

 

True. That's a very good quality and we're top of the league with 7 points from losing positions. The only problem is that we find ourselves behind way too often - 8 games to only 2 in which we've scored first. 

[villan_007]

It's taken awhile but Lambert has restored one of the qualities I liked under MON and it's something houllier destroyed straight away.

I like the fact we don't roll over and due when we go behind. I like knowing we can get back into games. It's a quality I like to see in my team.

 

I don't care what you say, most evenings you sit there naked caressing your MON calendar, stroking pictures of his face.

[smetrov]

It's taken awhile but Lambert has restored one of the qualities I liked under MON and it's something houllier destroyed straight away.

I like the fact we don't roll over and due when we go behind. I like knowing we can get back into games. It's a quality I like to see in my team.

 

Yes - theres still a lot building to be done. But I sense there is something to build on - that hasn't been the case for a while....

[Morpheus]

 

 

 

 

 

One point alluded to the fact that three of our most influential players last night was nothing to do with Lambert (not Lambert signings) and got the reply 'bollocks.' That response actually made me chuckle as it came from a very well respected source.

No no.

You've added the sentence in brackets there, "not Lambert signings"

That's very different from "nothing to do with Lambert" and wasn't in the original post.

The former is, quite obviously, non disputable fact.

The latter is an opinion. One which is, imo, bollocks. Mods can act on that word if they wish, but I stand by my post.

 

Thats exactly what the poster was implying though and i think you know that Stevo985.

 

Is it? That's certainly not how I read it. Why would I reply as such if I knew that? it's obviously a fact that Lambert didn't sign those players so why would I disagree with it?

And the poster has gone on to back up the fact that that wasn't what he meant (a view which he's perfectly entitled to) in the reactions thread.

 

So no. That's not exactly what he was implying.

 

Had a wee look in the reactions thread and haven't seen anything to suggest i've quoted the poster wrongly and he hasn't corrected my post which you are referring to.

 

Then you're not looking very hard.

 

It's a moot point. I've had this discussion with the poster in the reactions thread and it's run it's course. Nothing more to see here.

 

No I did read it but fairy enough.

[mykeyb]

I do question whether he has spent the money wisely this summer, one or two signings look at this point as though they arent ready and if they are capable to step up.

 

It does make you wonder what Gareth Barry would have added to our midfield which at the moment is woeful.

[Richard]

It's taken awhile but Lambert has restored one of the qualities I liked under MON and it's something houllier destroyed straight away.

I like the fact we don't roll over and due when we go behind. I like knowing we can get back into games. It's a quality I like to see in my team.

I wouldnt disagree but to be fair the never say die all in it together attitude was there in the team from the back end of last season.

[Richard]

I do question whether he has spent the money wisely this summer, one or two signings look at this point as though they arent ready and if they are capable to step up.

 

It does make you wonder what Gareth Barry would have added to our midfield which at the moment is woeful.

And I think we had that last season too with one or two taking more time to settle and that was when they were playing every game,  some of the signings from this summer wont play every game

 

I also think it's par for the course a bit in where we are shopping.  We are in the "up and coming almost made it and will make it with you given game time and training" end of the market.  Not the "already proven and cost a fortune" market

[PaulC]

Bringing in Barry on a loan deal is not planning for the future. Yes we are a bit short in midfield but I like Delph and Westwood and these players will continue improving.

[Jonoridge91]

I do question whether he has spent the money wisely this summer, one or two signings look at this point as though they arent ready and if they are capable to step up.

 

It does make you wonder what Gareth Barry would have added to our midfield which at the moment is woeful.

 

I assume Barry was off the table due to high wages. We've signed a bunch of young players, not all of them are expected to be in the 1st team so I don't really understand your point as it's far to early to say some won't ever make the step up and be good enough. Some people are already moaning about the lack of Helenius and yet Helenius himself has been quoted as saying he's happy with his current development so far and didn't expect to be thrust into the action straight away. When we signed Bowery, Lambert said one for the future and people are writing him off despite the fact that he's featured probably more than everyone expected.

 

Everything is a work in progress at the minute and by the look of each purchases we're building a team to be good in a couple of years, we're not after a quick fix by signing players on high wages.

[Cliffy Biro]

 

West broms midfield was 250k wasnt it? Its never always about the money its about having the eye for a player/deal and lambert has been fairly hit and miss int hat department. Mostly miss i would suggest.

Seriously? The only proper miss he's had is Bennett, whereas Vlaar, Lowton, Westwood, Benteke have all been definite hits (with Bacuna and Lowton looking like they could be going that way too).

 

 

 

Thinking in my ahead without names i thought most of his signings had been poor but if you look at the names as you rightly point out maybe thats incredibly unfair.

 

Bennett, Tonev, Bowery and possibly Helenius could be counted as miss at the moment although helenius is only there because he hasn't had a chance yet, to be fair though i dont think signings like KEA and Sylla can exactly because described as a hit either.

[smetrov]

Bringing in Barry on a loan deal is not planning for the future. Yes we are a bit short in midfield but I like Delph and Westwood and these players will continue improving.

 

What future are you talking about though ? - to me in July, the future is the following season. Football is very much the here and now - these vague promises of Jam Tommorow rarley come to fruition. I would expect the bulk of those players to perform at round about the level they are now.....true some will shift up a gear (Delph) - whilst others will flounder (Lowton). Expecting steady season on season improvement across the squad generally doesn't happen - good as this theory sounds

[BOF]

IMHO we're not in danger of going down and I think it's fair to say we're not in 'danger' of challenging the CL places. So what Barry would likely have done is move us a few spots up the league. He might be the difference between 8th and 10th. Woopdee doo. In the meantime, the player whose place he takes in the side (Westwood? Delph?) loses out in the short term development that Lambert is trying so hard to achieve. We would have had a better midfielder in a side that won't achieve success this season with or without him in it. It could be argued that having Barry around the training ground would have helped to develop the likes of Westwood and Delph but then that also assumes we could pay him, which we probably couldn't.

Either way, there are reasons for and against having him here. The positives are hypothetical. He might have moved us up the mediocrity league table, he might have been a positive influence on the youth, he might not have asked for a fortune in wages. But the negative, for me, isn't hypothetical. He would have taken a place in our midfield away from one of our players. If I thought he was the difference between European football or none, or if I thought he was the difference between Premier League football and Championship football next season then yes, but as it is, I think we're probably better off in the mid to long term without him.

[Chap of Steel]

 

It's taken awhile but Lambert has restored one of the qualities I liked under MON and it's something houllier destroyed straight away.

I like the fact we don't roll over and due when we go behind. I like knowing we can get back into games. It's a quality I like to see in my team.

I wouldnt disagree but to be fair the never say die all in it together attitude was there in the team from the back end of last season.

 

 

I think the last time we came back from 2 down was this bizarre match:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16714062

[Isa]

It's taken awhile but Lambert has restored one of the qualities I liked under MON and it's something houllier destroyed straight away.

I like the fact we don't roll over and due when we go behind. I like knowing we can get back into games. It's a quality I like to see in my team.

I wouldnt disagree but to be fair the never say die all in it together attitude was there in the team from the back end of last season.

 

I think the last time we came back from 2 down was this bizarre match:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16714062

We had 70% possession in that game too!

[Chap of Steel]

The madness of football. Look how much BOTH those squads have changed.

[Zatman]

 

 

 

It's taken awhile but Lambert has restored one of the qualities I liked under MON and it's something houllier destroyed straight away.

I like the fact we don't roll over and due when we go behind. I like knowing we can get back into games. It's a quality I like to see in my team.

I wouldnt disagree but to be fair the never say die all in it together attitude was there in the team from the back end of last season.

 

I think the last time we came back from 2 down was this bizarre match:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/16714062

We had 70% possession in that game too!

 

 

and people called big Eck defensive 

[terrytini]

More than a year now since any club outside the Big 4 beat us away from home. Some record that is.

[dudevillaisnice]

More than a year now since any club outside the Big 4 beat us away from home. Some record that is.

 

Interesting, how many of them are draws?

 

Good stat though.

Edited November 26, 2013 by dudevillaisnice

[TJVillan]

Not Lambert's finest hour last night. But we pretty much saw everything bad and everything good he brings.

 

Bizarre tactics. I looked at that team and went "2 big men up front away from home with no width - that is never going to work, we won't create anything and we'll be overrun in midfield". And to nobody's surprise exactly that happened. We won against Cardiff starting the game like that, but did he forget we were awful in that one until he brought on Lowton and changed the formation?! Strange that he thought it would achieve success, there was nothing at all to suggest it would.

 

Inexperienced players. You don't really need me to run through this one, but it was clear all over the pitch. Defensive mistakes, inability to keep the ball, poor decision making in attack and generally panicking.

 

Hoofball. Play 2 big men up front with no midfield outlet and that is what you are going to get. McAuley and Olsson absolutely loved it.

 

Starting slowly. We've conceded the first goal most of any premier league team this season. It makes it so difficult.

 

Character. We were shocking, we went 2-0 down, but we did not give up when we could have crumbled. We fought back and stole a point we didn't deserve.

 

Work rate and pace up front. We can frighten any defence when we get it right. Though Kozak and Benteke worked pretty hard, they didn't cause them many problems. Weimann and Gabby came on and though they weren't great technically or beating several players, having them sprinting at the West Brom backline made things happen. They lifted the team, we piled players forward, the balls were raining into their box and we got the goals.

 

Picking up points when playing badly. A very nice thing we've started this season. Norwich - not great, won. Man City - awful for most of the game, won. Hull - not great, got a point. West Ham - pathetic, got a point. Cardiff - poor, won. West Brom - woeful for an hour, got a point. If we can start winning the games we play well, we'll be challenging for the title! 

 

A LOT to work on in the coming weeks. Lambert's tactics have to improve as well. But after all that we are level with 10th -  we play the bottom team at home this weekend whilst West Brom and Newcastle play each other, Swansea go to Man City and Southampton go to Chelsea. A real chance to make some ground in the mid table battle.