The dangers of wearing rose-tinted specs around Villa Park at the moment
There’s a mixed bag of opinion about Aston Villa at the moment, ranging from the Lambert and Lerner Out crowd to talk of Lambert getting a new contract and the team being comfortable in mid-table. All of it is wrong to some degree.
Yes, there are some impatient pessimists and they probably send the earnest Villa supporter round the bend with their moaning, but likewise, so do the blind faith fans who trust implicitly everything those who run the club do.
At MOMS we like to pose questions because we still have ambition for the club and consider Aston Villa as a club that used to occasionally challenge for the league, were in the conversation when it came to Europe and were capable of winning the odd cup. Unfortunately, when we look at the facts of recent form and what lays ahead through the eyes of realism, a certain pessimism seems mutually inclusive.
A new contract for an ‘excellent manager’?
The simple answer to whether Lambert can be deemed an ‘excellent manager’ at this level is we don’t know yet. Of course, if you judged him on the results under his reign so far, in light of other club’s sackings, that would be a clear case for his removal. But having to turn this club around, he was expected to make a rocky start (although perhaps not this rocky!) At Norwich, he did well in terms of lower league promotions, but he’s only had two completed seasons in the Premier League. In both he was in building new Premier League teams. Norwich was a championship team transitioning into a Premier League one, while at Villa, he gutted the team from scratch. Those with any patience, know that the real evidence to his ability will lay in his third season. We’ve been told it’s a long-term plan, and into a third season, you’d hope to be seeing some fruits of that. First of all, Lambert has to get to that third season, so before there’s any talk of a new contract, let’s wait until he guarantees Villa will be playing in the Premier League first.
But Villa are currently comfortably mid-table…
Aston Villa being comfortably mid-table is a myth. Villa are NOT safe from relegation at all! The home lose against West Ham put a big dent in that. If Villa had lost against the Baggies, after being 2-0 down, they would currently be 17th place and only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. That’s how close it is and that’s how big that win against the Baggies was.
Home form is relegation form
On current form (the last six games) Villa have the worst home record in the Premier League and the second worst after Fulham, in terms of the whole season. What cannot be stressed enough is, if this form does not pick up, Villa will more than likely drop into the Championship. ‘Oh, but our away form will save us’, I hear you cry. Will it?
Fading away form
Villa’s away form is starting to fade. On current form (last six), Villa have the league’s 11th best away form, which is fine only if your home form is average too. Villa have lost three out of their last six away games. In the first third of the season, our away from was Top 4 standard, but not anymore. Luckily, there are six teams in the league that have lost four to six of their last six away games.
Villa are being run down by the guilt-edge relegation candidates
Sunderland, West Ham and Crystal Palace have all, during the course of the season, been considered dead and buried. Well, those three teams lay 7th, 8th, and 9th in the current form league. All of them are within three points of Villa.
More points needed for survival
This season it’s going to be a real ‘Relegation Battle Royale’, with a lot more than the standard four or five teams involved. Eight teams are currently within four points off the relegation zone and then add to them, the three teams in it. No team has been cut adrift yet, and all are capable of getting points off the top teams, as Norwich and Fulham did against the Manchester clubs this weekend. Potentially more than 40 points will be needed. It’s important for Villa to get as many points in the next three games as possible.
Positive opportunity for Villa
Now, I don’t want to leave you on a downer, so here’s some hopeful news. Villa’s next two opponents Cardiff and Newcastle, are two of the bottom three in the current form table. Then after them, direct relegation rival Norwich and their superstar player Wes Hoolahan, are also below Villa in current form.
If Lambert wants to avoid a relegation battle stress, now is the time to do it. Two wins would be a huge help and leave Villa roughly three more wins from safety. Fingers crossed. UTV
Just re-reading the comments here, and I noticed half of my comment didnt publish for some reason. To continue what I was saying…
Lambert does seem, however, to be able to (aside from the “bombsquad” & for some reason, Lowton) to be able to build a great bond with his players. Delph has finally turned his potential into quality, Guzan is flourishing, and, on his day, Benteke is unplayable. If Lambert does bring that higher level of quality, it would be interesting to see if he could get those better players playing to an even higher level.
I feel the in next few years there is going to be massive changes at Villa Park. Whether its for the better remains to be seen.
So Villa are currently playing the worst footie in the clubs history – that can’t be correct or they would have been knocking on the exit door all season instead of being mid table . As for the the assessment of the players that’s about as valueless as the assumption that they must be crap because they are not top Internationals , as all players have to start some where , & even some top Internationals did not start @ top clubs.
As for no rebuilding going on , just because players have not been bought in durring the window just closed does not mean the squad is not been rebuilt , as the numbers bought in durring the last 2 summers says otherwise even if some fans do not rate the players that have been bought . But then when a new squad is being built from scratch it’s normal to build the skeleton 1st & then flesh it out with quality which is hopefully what will start to happen next summer
As for all this talk of wingers who are they ? Marc has only recently returned to full fitness , very few rate Tonev Zog is still injured , but who are the rest ? And if Villa are to play with wingers there needs to be @ least 2 fit & preferable a sub available . Or could it be that peeps want to see the youngsters humiliated by being started in a team that is not ready to support them ?
Your opening comment sums up your stupidity. “sitting in mid table”. You are on drugs if you consider 3 points away from relegation mid table comfort. The players i listed as crap are crap because they are shit players. Delph is not an international but has been pure class. Nothing to do with internationals or not, just based on talent.
You all seem to be forgetting that under Lambert, Aston Villa have played some of the worst football in its History. That is unacceptable. Have you forgotten matches like Fulham, Sunderland, West Ham away, Southampton etc etc. Benteke was a great signing but the rest are average or terrible.
Giving him a new contract is certain to get us relegated if we dont go down this year. £7million spent on a striker when we needed a midfielder? Sylla was bought from a second divison french club says it all. El Ahmadi for the most part is awful. The playing of Clark and Baker has led to goals being scored so early in the game it gives us no chance. Westwood is average at best as is Lowton. We needed another quality center back and a quality midfielder. Instead we got Grant Holt.
There is no rebuilding going on. Most of Those players are simply not good enough.
You cannot continue to flirt with relegation every season, as it will catch you sooner or later.
I am completely divided over Lambert to be perfectly honest. Its hard to know what to think. Obviously, when he came in, he was told to gut the club of the high earners, which he has done, and bought some decent players (Well, Vlaar and Benteke, maybe Bacuna too) but made some horrific buys too. I think at times he tries to be too tactical. The players dont seem to be able to just play. When we did, in the derby, the tactics went out the window and we actually went all out for the win! We had no other choice but to go for it, and we did it! All too often the tea seems stifled by the setup/tactics. We have some very effective wingers that can whip great balls into Benteke and co, but he refuses to utilise them! We can play with width in the team, but in nearly every game he wants it played narrow so he can have the players pump the ball into the channels. Other teams are wising up to his seemingly only tactic. Also, why he insists to play 5-3-2 is baffling to say the least! It never seems to work for us.
PL lacks any technical ability what so ever. When we go a goal down or a goal up he doesn’t have a clue what to do. This season we have played the worst football in many years that I have seen.
People say give him time, I don’t! – If we do give him time we will be doing a Wolves’ and could find ourselves on a steep drop. We moan about player’s wages now and having to cut the bill. What will happen if we do go down?
In the transfer window PL is terrible, he buys players that don’t play or perform. He has to look at player that no one knows because no one wants to play for him. The young Europeans come thinking they will get spotted by a bigger club, like Sunderland, Stoke, Newcastle! Isn’t it sad when those type of clubs are seen a better option than ours!
The only reason he isn’t being sacked is because Lambert has replaced the whole squad and Lerner doesn’t want to have to bring in another manager and replace the whole squad again. Lerner’s hands are tied into following this “plan” Lambert keeps banging on about. It is cheaper to offer him a new contract than to bring in somebody else and buy more players. That’s how I see it anyway…
Ah those tactics that ?seemingly have been a disaster for the younger players in the squad , but have they been a disaster ? And if so why would anybody want to inflict such a disaster, if that is what they are on even younger players ? To me that seems a conflict of interest . I agree some of the tactics have not worked , but why is that ? It’s easy to look @ the problems that have resulted from them . But why have they been used in the 1st place ? Is it because of the injuries or could it be that if the squad is to work effectively all it’s members need to be integrated ? Personally I think it’s a combination of both & that problems have occurred because players have been slotted into gaps they do not fit into . And yes it’s easy to make excuses , and it’s even easier to blame poor tactics for bad results after all the same thing happened last season . But last season the team came good & could it possibly be that the team could come good & finish on a high this season ?
without vlaar we are going down,,, lets hope he gets back for the next 2 games
he allows lambert to play slightly less negative
against cardiff we have a chance,,, because they lost the derby they will be up for it so should
be quite attacking leaving space at the back for us to exploit
lets hope the forwards turn up this week,,
against the geordies we also have a chance, they have lost form and have some unrest
and we have had some results there recently, but we will have to be at our best to win
as to lambert getting a new contract i feel like its playing russian roullette,,,,
yes he has had a very hard task in getting rid of the deadwood and the injuries to okore
nzogbia and constant vlaar niggles,,, and total lack of form from some players but
he had every chance to get players in on loan or buy and failed,,,
and at times we have played some great attacking football but its been too little due to tactics brought on by injuries and form loss
we are lucky we have a slight points advantage and 4 points from the next two games will settle the nerves for a week ot two
one thing to add is lamberts tactics i feel have been disasterous for our kids, the ones who have come through have had their confidences battered,,,, and when was the last time one of the younger kids got a chance,,,,,
for me there are better managers out there, and you only have to look at southampton to see what can be acheived
but he will be given more time,,, i just pray he can turn it around
If results were the only criteria that would be so ! But clearly there are other criteria being applied by Randy & co ?
A clear case for sacking ? name one club which has virtually replaced it’s whole squad ?
It says – ‘if you judged him on the results under his reign so far, in light of other club’s sackings’. Keep within the context. ‘Results’ and ‘if’ are the key words here.
And look at Fulham – they sacked a manager, who had more wins than Lambert in the period he was manager, not to mention beat Villa 2-0.