It's my birthday, new year and Xmas rolled into one!!!!!

[FXBlade]

I hope it's not a troll like Nigel Pearson!

[Kirk]

I've no idea how he lasted so long. I can't remember a Premier League team worse than Villa have been this season. 

[FXBlade]

It's been a bad few seasons.

Mcleish wasn't much better before.

15th in the last 2 seasons.

5 wins, 3 of those came in the first 4 games of the season. 12 goals scored, that's just under 1 every two games.

And what did we do? We gave him a new contract in October because of the good start after 4 games, so at least the guy got a decent pay off right?

I honestly don't know how we're going to get out of this one

[Adam Wrong]

Wrong time to sack a manager.

No transfer window, only real move they can make are loan recalls. New manager will see villa down.

Fulham had the same thing last season

[Rob]

I actually thought the exact thing as Adam when I saw the news. I think in terms of a good time to sack a manager, Palace should be locked at. Warnock was gone and Pardew was in before the window opened properly so he had the time to make the transfers and improve the squad where needed.

What can the new Villa boss do except change the tactics? I mean Benteke is probably going to end up being a one-season wonder like a few others have been but he should be on the pitch playing to be in with a chance of scoring but how else can that be changed right now? Best time to do it would be let Lambert see out the remaining 12/13/14 games and then find a new boss, even if you do go down. And as you say he signed a new contract in October... the cost of cutting the contract is going to be big. That money should've been spent in the window.

[Adam Wrong]

The players out on loan can be recalled if they didn't pay for the loan so Bent, Luna, Bennett, Sylla, Tonev etc could be recalled. Hardly brilliant but could make the change

[Hondo]

No idea what any of that means, but I'm happy for you Blade.

[FXBlade]

No idea what any of that means, but I'm happy for you Blade.

Thanks!!  If it were a Kentucky team, you would understand?


Anyway....

I dont see it as the wrong time.  When ever is the right time to sack a manager, there is always a transfer window, there is always X amount of games left.

Dont get me wrong, I didnt dislike Lambert, but I felt he couldnt do anything for the club.

O'neill was the last manager we had who actually achieved something, and then he lubed his hand up and fucked us sideways. I will give him personal problems, but in this case he didnt leave due to that.  He left because the club wouldnt adhere to his transfer requests, and after spending 24million on bent, their funds were dry.

That is here nor there, as Houllier and Mcleish also found out there was no transfer kitty, and Lambert stll took the job.

Do I blame Lambert?  No I dont.

Are the club to blame as well?  Damn right they are.  But that still never says that Lambert was the right man for the job.

Ticket sales help revenue right?

Leicester vs Hull - £28-48
Derby vs Sheff wed - £22.50
Burton Albion - £18

Villa
vs Leicester - £12-25
vs stoke/WBA - £25 -£35

and that is the most expensive seats.

A top end seated ticket at the half way line against liverpool/utd/chelsea/city will cost £42...

Some clubs charge £42 as their base price.

Did lambert have funds avalable?  Yes he did. 

Was it alot?  Maybe not.

We could have sacked him in december, and it still would have been the same outcome.

However, what funds he did have.... did he spend them wisely?

No!

We invested in championship/league one, La Ligue 1, and the primevera BBV (Or whatever) bottom half clubs.

Where are those players now?  Sat on the bench or on loan, or no longer here.

So having a new manager 4 weeks ago, IMO would have meant pretty much the same.  No transfer window, money wasted.

My point is still, was Lambert ever the right man for the job?  No he wasn't.  And Norwich lucked out because we also paid them off for his services.

its not like he had 10 bad games and then sacked him.

try 1-23

[Cory]

hindsight is 20/20....but maybe should have cashed out on Benteke if anyone would have bought him during his injury downtime.

[FXBlade]

hindsight is 20/20....but maybe should have cashed out on Benteke if anyone would have bought him during his injury downtime.

Maybe we should have.  What 20m to Spurs? They were the highest bidder at 1 point.

Would that 20m have gone on transfers? No.

Remember we sold young and Downing for 30m +

Where was that money? It paid off bent.

[Kirk]

Get Roy Keane back.

[Ian "Wolfie" Trumps]

I view the problem with Villa is a real lack of investment from the foreign owner. I am not sure if this sounds like a terrible stereotype, but seems to me American owners for the most part try and run EPL teams like an American franchise, biggest problem is we dont have caps for salaries and you got to pay for players...ie trading aint happening.

We had the same problem with Man Utd, the Glaziers have certainly bitten off more than they can chew and although we now are spending big on transfers I think Moyes was more limited than we first thought on who he could sign.

Lambert isnt a bad manager, he was just in a tough situation. Limited cash to spend and in my opinion a boss who doesnt understand the vast differences between revenue accurred from the EPL vs American sports and the outgoings associated with the EPL vs American Sports.

[Kirk]

Tim Sherwood. Merry Christmas.

[FXBlade]

Tim Sherwood. Merry Christmas.

Still not sold on this one, but everyone needs a break into management right?  He didnt do badly with spurs, but they didnt want him.  He works well with the youth, which is what Villa has a good set up with, so hopefully he can bring some inspiration to the team....


With that said...

vs leicester today, the first half we were awful. No confidence, no attacking football, no sparks... Just Shay given with a save that any keeper in the world would be proud of...

Then apparently, Sherwood disappears to the dressing room at half time, has a few words... Maybe 'lads, your P45s are coming on monday morning if you dont pull your socks up' and then

BAM!!!

The second half, for most of it, they looked a different team.  It wasnt great, but atleast its something to build on.  They attacked.  They put in challenges that showed heart, the inclusion of sinclair showed they have options, he could still be sat on  a bench at city, but comes to us and sits on the bench... But when he got the ball he attacked.

There were signs of improvement and heads were up, but when we got the 2 goal cushion, the heads went down.  It shpoudl have been 3 minutes and injury time of ease, but thats where we lack confidence.  Leicester got the goal and fortunately we were just as bad as them, because they couldnt get the end product.

Anyone else apart from leicester who are having the same problems and we would have had a game over situation at half time.


Anwyay, I hope Sherwood, steps up and I think he will.  We need to stay up, relegation an a good cup run isnt the answer.  Lets see what he can do with a full season.

I view the problem with Villa is a real lack of investment from the foreign owner. I am not sure if this sounds like a terrible stereotype, but seems to me American owners for the most part try and run EPL teams like an American franchise, biggest problem is we dont have caps for salaries and you got to pay for players...ie trading aint happening.

We had the same problem with Man Utd, the Glaziers have certainly bitten off more than they can chew and although we now are spending big on transfers I think Moyes was more limited than we first thought on who he could sign.

Lambert isnt a bad manager, he was just in a tough situation. Limited cash to spend and in my opinion a boss who doesnt understand the vast differences between revenue accurred from the EPL vs American sports and the outgoings associated with the EPL vs American Sports.

I agree with that, and Lerner has a long way to go.  Hell, he even put us up for sale in the summer, and then nothing.

They are investing in youth, but there is only so much that that can gain you.  Ok, UTD did that years ago, but the youth we have brought through the system (delfanouso, albrighton to name a few) have all gone because they didnt make the cut.  Although I thought albrighton was the future, but something happened, whether is be his injury or a fall out, but he lost that spark and now sits on the bench at leicester.

As adam said, yeah we can recall loan signings, but this is where lambert failed.  They never fitted into his plans, but he always went back on the situation.  Hutton was outlawed for 2 seasons, but this season he was first choice.  Bent can p-lay, but he was never given anything more than 20 minutes a game.

Lerner isnt interested in the club, and I dont want to  think a foreign owner with bags full of cash is going to be the answer.  But it makes you look back and think that maybe the days under Doug Ellis werent that bad!

[FXBlade]

7 goals in 5 games.

12 in the previous XXXXX

Yes, 2 of those were FA Cup, and fuck the FA cup run.  Those fans pissed me off.  I am happy I didnt take my 5 year old to see that because we would have been on the front row of the Holte End.  There is no way that half of those were real fans.

Anwyay, Tim Sherwood?

All I will say at the moment is, It shows Lambert didnt get the best out of the players.

Were coming for you Palace! lol


EDIT


And I stand corrected!!!! 3 goals away from home!!!! laughing!!