VillaChris Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 The main worry I've had about Lambert all along is he isn't the greatest organiser of defences. Look at all the previous teams he's managed, even the great job at Norwich and it's clear they never had a watertight defence in any of the divisions they were in. He's very much a manager who builds from the front if you like which after last season is a breath of fresh air but that means we need to sharpen up in front of goal as I don't see that many clean sheets this season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderball Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 He just didn't get the performance from the players this week, we never looked like the side we were against Swansea. Last week possession was chased down in two's and threes, the team was short passing with players always offering themselves as an out for those in possession, today we looked a man short in midfield and didn't chase down when out of possession. Midfield was poor. I would agree to an extent about Benteke, I think we did try and hit him with longer passes typical of a target man. We also gave possession away far too much, lots of careless and thoughtless passing - even Concrete Ron was hoofing it away a la Stevie Staunton rather than playing it out. I am sure we will have a bit of this, but our midfield is desperately short on real quality, breaking down play, holding and creatively, but we just don't have that at the club - we really needed Stan's steady head today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troglodyte Posted September 22, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted September 22, 2012 I agree with that, I think Petrov would have really helped us today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Why do people focus so much on Premier League experience I think thats your problem as mark clearly said top flight experience or experience in this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Why do people focus so much on Premier League experience I think thats your problem as mark clearly said top flight experience or experience in this country.And the Premier League is the top flight in this country. We signed a fair few players from the top flights of other countries and some more players from this country. Four each actually. We just didn't sign any with both of those, but I don't see a problem with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hercs23 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I like the way lambert has made the team close down quickly but today it was to easy for southampton to pass around and then we were out of position far to many times. Also when ireland went off i think we needed a far more expierenced head to hold a lead than westwood. I think if we scored a second that would of been the time to bring westwood on. Hopefully just a bad day at the office and im sure PL will turn it round Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetrov Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 This one game at a time reaction thing does my head in - am I the only one ? Why not give the new Manager, the new Team ,the new approach, a bit longer than a month before all piling in with your expert opinions ? Why ?- people see a game and then give an opinion on how the rest of the season will pan out - seems reasonable to me. I m still not convinced by Clark - and think Dunne will boost that defence if/when he returns. Westwood hasn't found his feet yet imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Why do people focus so much on Premier League experience I think thats your problem as mark clearly said top flight experience or experience in this country.And the Premier League is the top flight in this country. We signed a fair few players from the top flights of other countries and some more players from this country. Four each actually. We just didn't sign any with both of those, but I don't see a problem with that. Thats nice. Don't really see how that shows people are focusing on premier league experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 Why do people focus so much on Premier League experience I think thats your problem as mark clearly said top flight experience or experience in this country.And the Premier League is the top flight in this country. We signed a fair few players from the top flights of other countries and some more players from this country. Four each actually. We just didn't sign any with both of those, but I don't see a problem with that. Thats nice. Don't really see how that shows people are focusing on premier league experience.Well we've signed plenty of players from top flights and plenty from England so clearly Mark was talking about the lack of Premier League experience. He wouldn't be the only one either. There were tons of people moaning about how we didn't sign any Premier League players when the transfer window closed, and it seems like whenever we lose people always start saying things like "oh well what do you expect when you buy lower league players". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 and it seems like whenever we lose people always start saying things like "oh well what do you expect when you buy lower league players". Thats just rubbish. Yesterday was the first time we'd lost since signing lots of players from the lower leagues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCforever1991 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Jeez the overreaction on this Board is madness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chips'ngravy Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 There are ways of getting beaten and there are ways of getting beaten. Yesterday's defeat has really taken the wind out of many people's sails more because of the manner in which we lost than because of the scoreline. The defending was poor, of that there's no doubt, but to make some kind of defence for the defence they were time and again left exposed down the middle by a lack of midfield protection. This was in stark contrast to last week when we saw our midfield doggedly breaking up play on the edge of our box on numerous occasions. So let's hope this aspect is just a blip rather than a trait. More worrying was our inability to string more than a couple of passes together. This was prevalent right throughout the team and more often than not started with the goalkeeper launching it long when there was almost always time to play a simple pass out to a defender. It was panicky stuff at best and brainless to be more damning. I watched the game becoming more and more infuriated with the repetition of long balls to no one or the failure to play the simple and obvious short pass whilst Southampton made nice patterns knocking the ball in triangles around our flat-footed players. The first half had seen us finish with a one goal lead yet the lack of cohesion in our play was already evident. I hoped for a Lambert rollicking at half-time that would see anyone attempting aimless long balls or avoiding the quick short pass scolded from the touchline and hauled off in shame if a repeat offender, but it didn't happen. If we're going to lose let's do so trying to do the right things. Yesterday was worse than McLeish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 The most alarming thing for me is the holes in our midfield and the oceans of space we give the opposition, particularly in front of the full backs. We don't appear to have wide midfielders? Even Swansea on another day would have scored 2 or 3. I always thought a decent team would exploit those gaps but to get butchered by the worst team in the PL is a shock to the system. We need a big response vs WBA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Jeez the overreaction on this Board is madness. You've been here less than a year, so I can forgive the obviousness of your post - welcome to VT mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AValon Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 This is how its going to be this season, ups and downs, positives and negatives. Lambert WILL try things during the course of games and occasionally they will even pay off. But, if the guy really was the new 'chosen one' then he would'nt be at VP. He needs time. A lot of us said pre-season that just survival in the first year, with a Villa side more pleasing on the eye, would be good enough. I think, maybe, we ought to take a step back from the post-Swansea hysteria and see it for what it is......promising, but most definitely a work in progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morpheus Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 It does seem to me that Lambert is still trying to work out a system of play and if that indeed is true then there is reason for concern. Surely when a new manager comes to a club he should already have an idea of how he wants to play and then buys the players to fit that system, not the other way about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Give him time FFS. It's not going to click overnight. and it seems like whenever we lose people always start saying things like "oh well what do you expect when you buy lower league players". Thats just rubbish. Yesterday was the first time we'd lost since signing lots of players from the lower leagues. And yet that still didn't stop people from coming out with the "if you buy lower league players that's where you'll end up" cliche when we lost to West Ham and Everton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leemond2008 Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 my dad is pretty suicidal at the moment by yesterday's result, he is terrified that we will go down and we are not good enough, I keep trying to tell him that it is a work in progress and we had to expect to take a few batterings (maybe not from southampton) but I am not too concerned by yesterday displeased and unhappy with the performance but not concerned yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanky Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 What I'd like to see Lambert do away from home is play 4-5-1 with Gabby as the main striker and two wide players (would probably have to be Holman and N'Zogbia). Then two holding midfielders of KEA and another with Ireland just in front. We are far two open away from home with the diamond formation IMO and this showed yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacbuddies Posted September 23, 2012 Share Posted September 23, 2012 Taken from the OS: Paul Lambert has called on his Villa players to "pick themselves up and go again" after the frustrating 4-1 defeat at Southampton. Lambert was reasonably pleased with the first-half display but called the performance after the break "not good enough." The fact is Lambert should not be reasonably pleased with the first half display because it was absolutely dire and boring and if anyone can look at it and say it was anything other than that then they have a very low personal value of a good footballing standard. Lambert should be angry with the first half display and absolutely mortified by the second half display. He should let the players know, beyond any doubt, that the whole game performance was totally unacceptable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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