Manager Paul Lambert

[kevangrealish]

VillaCas i dont see the problems with McLeish's signings at all. Holman was a decent signing, El Ahmadi hasnt been up to scratch but he was cheap + he was on about getting in Sigurdsson ( Whom may i say has been poor this season when he has got a chance ) who is also a class player. He got put in a situation without stuart downing or Ashley young and was very unlucky in my opinion. The pressure was always on but at least he got proven players into the team which lambert hasn't done at all this season.

[AVFCforever1991]

Hutton and CNZ.

Edited January 14, 2013 by AVFCforever1991

[kevangrealish]

Hutton and CNZ.

Hutton is a regular scottish right back and was also decent at tottenham. Just horrendous when he came to us... N'Zogbia was on fire for wigan before he left but got the 'stephen ireland syndrome' and became lazy and has never stood up to the task. Mcleish's hoof ball tactics didnt help either :/

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Starting to think that VillaCas actually is Paul Lambert.

It kinda makes sense if Paul Lambert is spending all his time arguing a hopeless point on an internet forum instead of managing the team. That would explain why we are now worse than under McLeish in every aspect of the game.

I think VillaCas puts together a sound and well reasoned argument. I don't always agree, but it's nice to see. I don't think you're being very fair there.

[chappy]

It really does not matter who he signs,because with tactics like this we have no chance at all, I am talking about.....

We are 0-1 down to Southampton and we need a goal desperately to salvage a point or 2 goals to get all 3 points, so who does he bring on ?................Bowery

while Bent is nowhere in sight.

Good tactics, good thinking.

Bent is injured.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Hutton is a regular scottish right back and was also decent at tottenham. Just horrendous when he came to us... N'Zogbia was on fire for wigan before he left but got the 'stephen ireland syndrome' and became lazy and has never stood up to the task. Mcleish's hoof ball tactics didnt help either :/

Jenas?

El Ahmadi was signed by Lambert.

So, Holman. That's what he gave us. Brett Holman, who is passable. Oh, 6 games of Robbie Keane too.

Yeah, cheers Eck.

[sne]

I think VillaCas puts together a sound and well reasoned argument. I don't always agree, but it's nice to see. I don't think you're being very fair there.

Well it was obviously a joke, my fault for not adding a smiley or something like that

Edit: Thou i do feel we are worse in every aspect of the game than under McLeish

Edited January 14, 2013 by sne

[choffer]

Worrying tweet from ex Alvechurch and Arsenal player,Alan Smith (@skyalansmith) who interviewed PL this morning:

"I think Aston Villa fans need to remember Paul Lambert,he likes to groom kids."

(Sorry, can't link on my iPad)

[dudevillaisnice]

To be honest with you I would say the corners coming in most of this season have been poor from the numerous amount of different players have taken them. We have not had a decent crosser of the ball since Young and Milner left, Downing had his moments too.

Westwood should be taking them.

]but what I can tell you is we need to strengthen this squad alot more first and some more reinforcements before we worry about playing fancy football and worrying about set pieces etc. as no matter how much you practice them they are not going to have any effect when the current team is nakered and in need of a rest, injury struck combined with players on big wages not giving a **** along with young inexperienced players what chance did you think we had! I am glad set pieces is all we need.

Sure but fancy football isn't really what i'm getting at, a different dimension to open play is set pieces.. it's common sense. You don't need the best players in the world to get set pieces to work.

It requires a system, a decent system.. even terrible players should be able to make most of their set pieces it has nothing to do fancy football.

A struggling team should work on the set pieces and when you have Baker and Benteke etc in the team it's almost criminal how many set pieces we waste.

]Randy.. put the cheque book away and bollocks to the cost cutting - it's set pieces we need to get us out this storm so get out there and look for the best set-piece coach you can find and we will be fine.

I think your being ridiculous here, I never said it will get "us out of this storm" it's a different dimension to attacking directly from open play.. you don't need the "best set piece coach" as I said it requires a system which if the manager had any knowledge of should be able to coach onto the players.. you don't need "the best set piece coach" talk about being extreme.

]Maybe it's more coach's we need then and not players?

Maybe it's both but that doesn't take away the fact we are wasting so many attacking chances from set pieces.

]Maybe to accomodate injuries and inexperience in other areas of the team to avoid us getting humped 5-8 nill every game!

Whilst that is true playing 3 at the back is NOT and has never been the answer - this is him making it worst by doing so.

]At times this season we have and at times it has worked and at times it hasn't but again when your using limited resources then you have a limited amount of tactics to choose from.

So is that the answer then? hoof is the only tactic due to limited resources? you can't be that naive to think so.

]I am not saying he is totally innocent but again the bigger picture is where this club is currently at and not another manager with fancy tactics could make any difference with the current budget and players available to him than what we have seen so far...

Again i'm really not sure your grasping the concept i'm trying to get across here - it has nothing to do with fancy tactics.

It's just different dimension of play and set pieces are used by almost every club in the premier league yet we seem to be the worst at it despite having quite good height in our team.

[Big_John_10]

I think VillaCas puts together a sound and well reasoned argument. I don't always agree, but it's nice to see. I don't think you're being very fair there.

I don't think suggesting no one could do any better is a sound or reasoned argument. I also don't think telling fans that they can't be unhappy with any signings unless they can put forward names of other potential signings is not sound or reasoned.

I personally don't see how anyone can argue that the manager should take no blame when his team is currently the worst team in the entire league.

Edited January 14, 2013 by Big_John_10

[pacbuddies]

"I think Aston Villa fans need to remember Paul Lambert,he likes to groom kids."

Not another Jimmy Saville.

Does it never stop!!!!!

[dudevillaisnice]

I personally don't see how anyone can argue that the manager should take no blame when his team is currently the worst team in the entire league.

Agree, some of his decisions have put us in this position, he needs to shoulder some blame.

[lexicon]

Agree, some of his decisions have put us in this position, he needs to shoulder some blame.

He does though - he has said many times that he takes full responsibility for the team when we lose.

[CrackpotForeigner]

I don't think it's all RL's fault

There plenty of blame to go around

- MON - wasted a lot of money, left us in the lurch

- RL - didn't control finances well enough

- RL - odd appt in Houiller

- RL - terrible appt in McLeish

- McL - poor signings, dire tactics, allowed poor culture to develop amongst senior pros

- RL - trying to fix financial problems to quickly (although to be fair I don't know enough about the finances to know why the panic)

- Throughout there has and continues to be poor communication from the club

I am not of the opinion the RL should pump limitless funds into the club or that he is taking money out of the club. I think he has invested a substantial amount. I also think he is a decent, genuine guy but his inexperience in football matters shows

Why don't I blame Lambert - because he has been here five minutes, because we had problems well before he was here, because he is working to a tiny budget and I suspect restrictions on which players he can choose (I also think that he knew this before he signed up)

Do I think he's perfect - far from it. I'm sure he makes mistakes on a regular basis - i'd be surprised if he didn't but I think he is a very decent manager easily capable of steering us to mid-table and above. I think he could easily have walked and would have garnered very little criticsim in the media but I admire him for staying and fighting

It is easy to snipe but I've decided that I'm going to take the opposite view and defend a guy who I think (and from what I hear) is sweating blood to try and improve my club

Great post VC.

[lexicon]

Great post VC.

I also agree.

[Big_John_10]

Do I think he's perfect - far from it. I'm sure he makes mistakes on a regular basis

So why are you arguing with anyone who points out those mistakes?

[briny_ear]

Straw man argument from Villacas, not a great post at all.

No-one except maybe a handful of posters think it's "all RL's fault". Even a cursory reading of the threads on this site would show a very broad analysis of the causes of our decline. So it's obviously easy (though a bit pointless) to knock down that argument.

The key point is that Lambert is the man at the helm right now - he took on the job so has responsibility for our results now. He is making a series of tactical and selection mistakes and has overseen some very poor performances and results indeed. He and he alone can put this right and he is not showing too much grasp of how he will do it. His main hope seems to be that if we go on playing with spirit, we will come good. But I can cite you many spirited teams who sank from the premier league without trace.

Anyway, that's the way it is right now and endless talk about how it's all the "fault" of others won't alter the fact that he's got to get us out of it.

[lexicon]

So why are you arguing with anyone who points out those mistakes?

Because people like you lack any sort of balance or reasoning - it's not as black and white as you try to claim it is.

[Big_John_10]

Because people like you lack any sort of balance or reasoning - it's not as black and white as you try to claim it is.

People like me?

How do I lack reasoning or balance? Please tell me. And even if I did I haven't been far wrong with my opinions have I?

When people criticise the owner, you defend him. When people criticise the manager you defend him, when people criticise players, you defend them. According to your arguments there's nothing wrong at the club. Is that balanced and reasoned?

[lexicon]

How on earth have you managed to draw that conclusion?

We clearly have issues, yes, but I don't buy into the whole doom and gloom, 'we're totally ****' viewpoint. Just because I don't buy into those, doesn't mean I'm saying that there's nothing wrong or things are good.