Terry Jones offers the following for debate. I really wish others would contribute, but there you go;
I’ve just been looking at the fixture list for the rest of the season and there is a possible 66 points up for grabs.
But who realisticaly thinks we are going to get a decent percentage of those with what we are witnessing from this so-called young hungry team who do not have a clue where the goal mouth is let alone put the ball in the back of the net?
Let’s have your predictions as I am thinking we will be lucky to get anywhere near a third of that unless things change drastically either by the way of RL giving Lambert more money in January to try and avoid another relegation fight or Lambert seeing the light and changing tactics.
The latter won’t happen as Lambert is to wrapped up in his own ego.
As for more money, maybe; or is it going to be a case of wait and see where we finish before RL does something?
Three managers have been dimissed already and two of those were at clubs that are in a better position than we are.
You can look at the teams below us, but who is worse? Only Crystal Palace in my opinion and they had no chance to start with.
And yet we sit in eleventh place at the moment although we keep breaking records for all the wrong reasons.
We are not a club that is improving and the fixtures over the festive season will determine our season.
No wins over this period and that is it another relegation battle coming up.
Four in a row, what a bloody record to break.
So is this going to be the year RL grows a pair, sacks lambert and brings in his own choice for manager from abroad?
Come on lads your thoughts please.
Lambert won’t be sacked, I don’t see Lerner changing anything, at least not until the summer and even then I don’t think he will act. IMO we’ll finish in the bottom 5 but I think we’ll scrape together enough points away from home to stay up, at VP forget it.
I personally think Lambert will walk at end of season, he’s not the kind of guy that takes criticism well and I can see fan pressure starting to get to him.
He isn’t the saviour we hoped for but given the budgets at AVFC who is? None of the fancy names would touch us without significant funding.
The way I see it is Lambert isn’t a particularly good manager but the root cause of Villa’s problems is Randy Lerner and until you tackle that cause, everything else isn’t going to make a major impact. Its Lerner that needs to grow a pair in every sense.
Lerner really can’t win with some people. 40m net spend in 2 summers and 1 January and he’s the problem. He gets who he wants, the guy gets sick, he then goes for someone he thinks could be right as does someone else, he sacks him because he was a failure and the fans hated him, listens to the “intelligent fans”, appoints someone they want, these “intelligent fans” smarten up and finally figure out he’s not good enough, they want him sacked and still claim Lerner’s the problem, can’t win that way either. I’m fascinated that Lerner’s supposedly some large problem when he’s backed every manager we’ve had under him, including the one a large part of a large fan base was calling for, and he’s still supposedly the problem. I guess it doesn’t help when Lambert claims there’s no money, even though he’s spent a total of close to 50m in just a year and a half, with Villa making not even 10m in transfers and some people continue to buy into that.
Now onto the article. I agree, I do think we can get a third of those points, however it’ll be a continued defensive effort to do it. We’re linked to a lot of players and I do think Lambert will have around 10ish million to spend in January. Lambert’s had a relatively large budget to work with for the most part and he hasn’t done well enough with it, so personally I feel he should be sacked, but then you have to give him money if he’s not sacked as we clearly need help. James Nursery claimed we’re in for a quality midfielder, Pocognoli’s being heavily linked for the LB spot. Okore’s supposedly going to be back earlier than usual so I can see things going a bit better overall.
I am very concerned some really bad stats have been put out, the football is piss poor quality, this season. I feel we have taken two steps backwards. Our only tactic seems to be to hoof it upto Benteke we seem to slow on the counter and everyone looks a bit out of sorts.
Why on earth does KEA get picked everygame, yes he works hard, yes he can put players under pressure to lose the ball but he gives the ball away way too often and is too similar to Westwood whom i feel is the better player.
On a positive note i think we have a good team spirit the players seem to all get on and i feel we play better with Lowton in the team, he is good at going forward and is very good at zonal marking and defending, (something our left side has lacked since Bouma.). I rate Westwood he is good at picking up loose balls and spreading the ball around in front of the opposing defence.
We lack a player who gels it all together and adds a bit of flare to the style of play and the depth of the squad in regards to quality is not very good. I still feel if we sacked Lambert at this moment it would be the wrong thing to do. However improvements need to be made right accross the club because it wont be long before that opinion is changed,
Andrew, no Lambert hasn’t had a big budget, imo.
He may well have at face level and while I think 40-50 mill might be more than what we’ve spent, I won’t argue the point.
What’s way more important is the wages you pay.
And we aren’t cutting it mate, by a long chalk.
You pay peanuts, you get monkeys; that’s inescapable in my experience.
Tbh, I’m getting a bit fed up of hearing that we’re spending.
The fact is we really aren’t, imo.
Top players will not even think about the 20-30k a week that we’re offering mate. In fact they’ll probably piss themselves laughing, which is exactly what I woud do, if I was being offered half of what many Prem players get.
And that’s why we’ve signed the shit that we have.
It’s all hit and hope and the truth is, it just isn’t good enough.
And as much as Lerner thinks he might be doing the Prem a favour, he’s totally misguided.
Is that all we’re offering though? That’s really the big question. I have no doubt most of our starters are on more than that and yes the back up’s on that little, but that’s what they are, back up. I feel it’s more the eye for talent isn’t there and Lambert likes the way he’s going.
Exactly Bager123, people have to think the problem at Villa Park also is our backroom coaching. We all went with the idea that its time to stop runaway wages to players, its not working player’s will not come to Villa, we will go backwards now if we don’t put some kind of system into player’s wages, He’s gone with the idea of grooming young hopeful footballer’s and its going wrong. We first needed old heads, never got it, we could see him making bad decisions in the game, other teams knew how to play us. Our coaching is inept they don’t have the knowledge enough in the game, Lembert don’t know much about the game of football to take us forward, Lerner has been taken with wanting a English football team by trusting dopes. I never thought that a city as large as Birmingham would end up with two shit clubs.
Agreed Andrew, I would understand if Lerner washed his hands of the club and sold up. The guy has spent, invested in different managers. Took a gamble with the MON policy. He’s taken bad advice at times from those around him and had his fingers burnt. He is still learning as a Premier League chairman and I genuinely believe he has the good of the club at heart, fans that wish he would leave should be very careful what they wish for, there’s a growing number of clubs in England finding out the hard way that the grass is not always greener. As for Lambert, my worry is not the long term goal or the youth policy, it’s the lack of quality in our performances, especially at Villa park where we are playing like the away side. Most fans I speak to understand the need for patience, but they like me also want to see a performance each week, we want our opponents to know that they are in for a shock when they turn up at Villa Park expecting a nice easy 3 points. VTID
Well lads & ANDREW i would like to think as many fans do that we can take at least 22 points from the remaining games even more.But look at it this way we all know the type of players we need to bring in but if we did get these players and Lambert is not or willing to change the style of play or tactics it will be pointless bringing them to VP and yet more money will be wasted.These hit and run tactics Lambert is employing can only lead to one thing relegation battle every season and he cannot say Randy Lerner as not backed him.Does anybody really think anyother owner would put up with this i don;t think so Sir Deadly would have had his head on the block end of last season.What we need as a continental manager Lamberts tactics are out of date with the modern game.Hoping for 50% points from remaining games.
Sadly I think we are going nowhere under Lambert. I really thought he was building something last season, but the tactics and team selection this season have been dreadful.
Lerner wont get rid of Lambert unless we have a string of terrible results, which forces his hand. Another waste of a season.
Im dreading the festive fixtures so thinking ahead of that i find very difficult,piss poor performances equate to yet another struggle to the end.i wish i could be more positive but i just carn’t find it in me.stoke next shite.
Good morning lads just been looking at the fixtures over the rest of this month up to the end of January.We have four home games and three away and IMO if there is not significant changes are made and our home form improves it;s going to be very slim pickings indeed.Lambert must change tack as it;s not weather Lerner gives him money in Jan as none of the players we have been linked with will materialise just pie in the sky.Another thing i have been mulling over in my mind is Lerner wanting Lambert to fail and put us in yet another dog fight as he was the fans choice and not his.Look at it this way Lerner as spent more money bringing players in than we have made on selling more have gone from the club on free transfers or out on loan than we have sold bringing money into the club.
We are signing another unknown from Bulgaria, Slavchev
Why sign now there will be millions in January,
Known as the Bulgarian Lampard, 20 years old and has an average of a goal every other game.
Speaking of Bulgarians why does he put Tonev in the middle of the park he is useless there when he played him on the wing he looked as if he had a cecent cross on him, unlike his shooting which is dreadful
We’re top six in terms of net spending under Lambert so I don’t know how Lerner is to blame.
How many players have been refused ? Any ?
We’ve had some decent results and I see us finishing around where we are at the moment. The football is dross though.
Gardner returning. Would you play him? Could be a bit of creativity in the misfield once fit.
Would definitely throw him in Darren, would be a real difference for us in that area, he’s obviously got a lot of quality. We need to try something.
Up until now the only thing that has improved ths season is the defence, or more specifically Vlaar, he could be massive for us this year. Without him our defence is almost non-exitence and the left hand side is overly worrying, anyone who saw the Manure game will pick up on this and teams will start to play this against us week-in week-out.
The other thing which is worrying is the fact that this season we seem to havve ahd a little bit (a lot) of lady luck on our side (bar a couple of decisions, notably Fulham). This WILL run out and then we be really exposed for what the team actually is, a group of try-hards with minimal quality and no direction or tactical awareness.
There is no way will reach anywhere near the 66 points mentioned under PL. Or any other replacement managerial with this team. We lack so much it’s scary. No CH partnership, hopefully Okore will remedy that. No entire left hand side. No solid DM, no creative AM and currently not even a strikeforce as Benteke imo was brought back in well too early, and the ‘cherry on top’ a manager with no direction (atm) and seemigly very limited tactical knowledge. We’re fortunate to have done so well up until now, I predict a difficult christmas again and a tough run-in, we’ll be in anther scrap I’m certain.
I have the liked the look of Gardner since his days in the youth side.
There is a really talented footballer in there, we have to be realistic about his opportunity to attain his full ability against the injuries he has suffered.
Wish the lad well though, and would love to see him in the side.
OGS favorite for the WBA job
MARKDRAPERNUMBER8 OGS at the time turned us down now favorite for WBA yet again we are missing out on a player turned manager that played more top flight football than Lambert thus IMO making a far better tactition than Lambert can ever dream of being and we are all witnessing Lambert,s tactics absolute crap not a clue.
Tel i asked this question a few days back OGS turned us down for family reasons didn’t want to uproot the kids etc mind you i expect fatty faulkner was dealing with matters.the baggies obviously are more of an attractable option than us well that to me speaks fucking volumes mate.
If they get OGS and he does well then a lot of us would be very angry. If of course they got him and he flops a lot of others will think back 18 months and laugh at us !
I really don’t know why we all care about ogs I never wanted him he was another overhyped ex utd player built up an recommended by fergie Ffs. He would only have used us as a stepping stone to utd as he will do at WBA. He is totally unproven at a higher level the Norway league is shit.
that is the type of manager we have to look at, we will not get a so called top one now so have to take risks. Been Lerner’s style since MON, whether someone who was unfit, someone reviled by teh fans or Lambert, unproven.
I suppose so I remember you got all excited about ogs last year but I couldn’t see the attraction at all and glad we did t get him esp as fergie recommended him Ffs
I would agree the tactics are rubbish and not working but to say OGS is a better manager because he played more top football is just desperate.
Mourinho, wenger, ferguson and rogers would probably disagree.
Maybe shearer, gullit, ince robson, south gate, souness would like that to be the case
Franz Beckenbauer, Vicente del Bosque, Aimé Jacquet, Alf Ramsey, Mário Zagallo all decent players and world cup winners as managers, cuts both ways.
Slavchev eh ,are we plucking him out of that massive queue at dover
Poor results against Stoke, Palace and Swansea and I believe it’ll be beginning of the end for Lambert.
The crowd will turn, his overinflated ego will kick in and he’ll walk.
Maybe we need to go down a couple of leagues, get in a hungry new manager who will rebuild the team and bring it back to the PL, then sack him for a foreign manager, chuck £30 million at him for some choice signings and then build on everything from there. It seems to me this is what Lerner is trying to do without actually having to go down. Would everyone be happy if we were winning and beating everyone, just not in the Premier League?