We have an interesting post today from the Mail’s Mat Kendrick – LINK
Now whilst I like the sentiment behind what he says I have to say how can any fan group hope to represent the majority views of fans. On any forum, down the pub, at the ground there are several different views. These are
– Lerner’s fault has to go (my view and if this happens Lambert is gone)
– Lambert’s fault has to go but Lerner can stay
– MON’s fault
– Everyone’s fault
– Fan’s fault
– No-one’s fault
Unlike in the Anti-Eliis days when I truly felt we were in the majority (despite what Ellis ever said) I feel there is no majority at all now for a single position.
There are no fans group around, the Villa Trust has no shares and last I heard only about 100 members. Does anyone want to start one up again, thought not !!
So Mat knows this, he reads the forums, he is a Villa fan (used to write for H&V) and after months of being non critical towards the club I find this piece very interesting. It is like he is reaching out to find views, have the club asked him to do this ?
I would like him to ask one simple question and get a proper answer.
What is the project ?
Most full on supporters who were once with Lambert are starting to question his abilities.But as my mate at work who supports Man U says “What has Lambert got to play with?”. This is a major stumbling block for me the lack of investment onto the pitch from Randy Lerner.The lack of investment on quality players speaks volumes for me.Are we really progressing?No I do not think we are.Lambert is he a good manager?Many of my friends who don’t support AVFC you’ve got Man U,Liverpool,Spurs & The Baggies supporters say it’s Lerner and not Lambert as Lamberts record speaks for itself.We are a club in demise losing our credibility via an owner who tried once & now refuses to try again,penny pinching his investment back any which way he can.If we drop he bins us off.If we stay in the Prem he gets the TV money and try’s to invest as little as possible via tin pot schemes and bogus project plans that only intend to save Lerner from properly spending again.As for Mat Kendrick’s reasons I can’t say…….UTV
Kendrick has been given a brief by tge club he’s to scared for his job to do otherwise. What ur mates don’t get is lambert bought the players, not Lerner. He plays them but has the tactical nous of a water melon. If you think about it we have Guzman, vlaar, gabby, Westwood, albrighton, benteke Delph and Bertrand. All decent prem players. That’s 8 players who are at least mid table or above in quality so it has to be lamberks fault.
i don’t believe lamberts a bad manager ~ we are a bad team we were in a worst state b4 he came. we love aston villa, we love a scapegoat and lamberts our fall guy. but like many of us realize we can’t compete money wise. our wages were far 2 high for players no better than wot we av now.
we are better than last year, just strikers are below par weimann and benteke and not performing to any were like they can. hence why we are struggling again .defence is miles better midfield slightly.
we have the games that we can win at home, if benteke wants a big move, then he needs 2 show he can score in premier, that hes not a one season wonder
“i don’t believe lamberts a bad manager ~ we are a bad team” ?????
His team, his signings, his tactics (or lack thereof) = His fault.
why is someone a bad manager aving reduced wages, sofar met his abjectives ~ reducing wages, changing the whole squad isn’t a simple as u think. easy i guess on ur ps4.
simply give example of another manager, thats changed a squad maybe like di canio how long did he last ~ i can’t think of one give me a name someone to compare lambert situation. our squad was full of high earners defenders and bad players
i thought of one …. QPR didn’t they spend spend and bought every player last year changing a squad ~ and were are they ~ if we stay up and its a IF lamberts met his objective again
QPR are a rare breed that overspent massively on poor players. You’ve brought up a team, I’ve brought up multiple teams that spend less/on par with Villa who are doing far better.
Can’t beat Bradford, Millwall and Sheffield W? One of the worst home scoring records in all 92 league teams?
bradford and sheff utd both knock out other premier shit teams ~ u make good points by slagging off other teams like we should just turn up and beat these teams.
when villa have to break down teams, cos we are so called the better side, they struggle its down to the players, young inexperience lacking in creativity.question is when did aston villa play good expansive football. counter attacking football as been our dish for such a long time
Baa bas fella, I wouldn’t have a Scooby how to turn a ps on.
By your text I guess we’re of different generation’s but I can safely say my views are from watching, playing, reading, sleeping, eating and shitting football for over forty years.
If you want to buy into this project bollox, well good on you but backing a three legged nag in the national every year simply don’t appeal to me.
Baa baa Saunders, Clough, Busby, Chapman, Shankley, Ramsey, Ferguson. Will that do for starters?
my txt is good NOT, iam also off older generation also trying 2 keep up . wot was the 3legged tip 4 national i am looking 4 a tip
p.s typing words properly takes time. buttons so small i am sorry i will try to type or press button better scouts honour
But then a large change in tactics are the reason behind all of that, no? Lack of attack, means Weimann and Benteke can’t do what they do, can they? Yes Benteke’s missed a few chances he should be taking and would’ve taken, but other than that, Benteke was getting chance after chance last season. Villa were playing a possession game. Villa now allow every team, top from bottom, home or away, to play that game against them, much like McLeish but he’s even worse. Defense is miles better, as it was under O’Neill when Villa played the same way and had Collins and Dunne clearing everything with Friedel in goal and Warnock almost as a 3 CB most of the time. Midfield slightly better? Maybe. Ahmadi’s proven he can be a huge hassle to midfields, though Delph’s basically shown time and time again that the average of midfields can get by him with ease. Sylla’s yet to be played correctly. Westwood was quality in a possession-type game, because he’s a possession type player. Keeps it simple as he knows his range is limited but does that job well and much like at Swansea with Britton, who did really well their first season up, as did Westwood because that’s what he does. Swansea changed under Laudrup and Britton’s not near the player he was, Lambert’s MASSIVELY changed the team and Westwood’s not the player he was. First half at Newcastle, Villa had a go for the most part, Westwood looked really good. Not really hard to figure these things out but Lambert seemingly can’t. The attackers aren’t performing because they can’t, aren’t given the tools too, and that’s ALL down to Lambert.
in my opinion benteke is taking the piss ~ its like a player with a cup final on the horizon, (world cup) they don’t wanna get injured, he has not played one game this except the anfield game,
tactic are carried out by players, poorer players limit ur tactics. also if ur playing teams like swansea ~ arsenal ~ southampton ~ these teams enjoy possession against most sides. lamberts tactics of allowing teams the ball and countering. this was done under oneil and mcliesh all the time.
against norwich we will av the ball more. will we use it THATS the question ~ maybe the reason we play counter attacking
You’re right, poorer players limit your tactics.
So explain why the tactics drastically changed from having a go at teams, to being completely defensive against teams, be it Swansea, Southampton, Arsenal… Or teams like Fulham, West Ham.
How is it… That Villa lose NOT ONE STARTER, Not one single starter from an attacking team last season, not one, not a single one. We even improved the squad and improved the squad depth drastically, and yet… Tactics are changed? The team didn’t get poorer. You’re right, poor players limit tactics, but Villa are squad for squad far better off than last season. So why is it Villa don’t give it a go? Why is it Villa are a 1 half-team? Hell, a few games a 0-half team? Why is is that Villa can no longer have a go at teams? The drastic change in tactics has ruined the attacking players. You can’t go from a pass and move, get it to Weimann and Gabby who will set up Benteke on multiple occasions to giving Benteke 2-3 okay chances, really poor crosses which he still somehow wins but can’t do anything with them because they’re not good enough.
I keep reading our squad is poor, but it’s not. Our squad isn’t weaker than last seasons, Villa only improved on it with depth and a few positions, quality. So how is it that our best players last season (Benteke, Gabby, Weimann, Westwood, Lowton) are no longer good enough this season? I’d get it if it was just 1 player, but its now 5.
And this squad was bought by Lambert. So his tactics revolve around poor players as you so like to call them. So poor tactics… Poor signings. But I can see why you put up baseless arguments that the tactics are poor because the players are poor, when we lost no one from last season that looked quite good in the 2nd half of the season and the drastic defensive tactic change.
And you’re right, we saw these tactics under O’Neill and McLeish. Villa fans typically HATED these tactics. Oi…
no you make loads of good points, all i can say is before this season i was not worried about another scare of relegation. 1 year on they should have improved. but its not a given and some players suffer badly. second season syndrome.
lambetts usually adopts different formations and tactics depending on the opposition,ask norwich fans, i agree we seem 2 have been to defensive in many games . this is a vaild point, west ham game was one, but u could argue he was trying not to lose the game and keep collecting the points
norwich game you can bet ur life on both teams trying to win. norwich are weak at the back and will come to villa for all 3 points / we need to play and its a game for a striker who will be up for it , grant holt
Norwich are a team we should be attacking and can easily put 3 past… If Villa don’t win this game, its really hit the fan and if Villa aren’t attacking them, Lambert’s gonna and rightfully so, get booed out of the stadium.
I still don’t think we’ll get relegated. Only fans I know who think Villa will get relegated are Villa fans, and of course Brummies, Birmingham City fans and the lot but that’s bias… So… I do have to say, didn’t Lambert get a defensive coach in over the summer? It has done wonders for Vlaar and Baker (who I still rate highly), but that’s not enough. Needs a major overhaul, if not Lambert, then the coaching staff.
How can u say we are better than last year when we are on about the same points. Yes defensively and gd wise we are but let’s face it it want possible it could get worse. Lamberk is an embarrassment giving us one unwanted record after the other
Oohah, mate I don’t think he’s / she’s as old as us and remembers when we ruled the world.
How far the mighty have fallen.
So true BWS
I ask one simple question why is it that we seen to be the poorest club in the prem…we always seen not able to compete when other seem ok to spend…clubs that are smaller than us have more money,,,why.
This is my point, whenever it is raised that lerner is not spending enough all of a sudden you are accused of wanting an oil rich oligarch and looking at paying out on players like Aguero or Rooney.
We dont compete with anyone in this league on any scale and neither do we compete with most of the championship, our squad is full of League one players, I wish fans would wake up and see it all for what it really is.
Lerner and Faulkner are clueless.
Are they Morgan? Or are they shamelessly exploiting ‘brand loyalty’ safe in the knowledge the fans allegiance will keep them coming through the turnstiles regardless of the quality of the product?
Kendrick is just writing what he’s told to write by the club. If he wrote what he really thought he would be banned from bmh
Pretty much. Lambert last season “banned” him for a couple weeks didn’t he? Lambert also shunned the media at Norwich for a couple weeks there too. The man can’t take criticism, work under stress, answer the hard questions.
Ridiculous article no doubt paid to plug mom who are Lerners social mouthpiece. If not the club have dictated this article to Kendrick who is a no more than a club puppet. Next he’ll be telling us to buy season tickets. And what’s all this bollox about not using social media. Just coz he’s only allowed to read the OS and believe it dosnt mean we have to Ffs
Of course this has gone off on a tangent from the article 🙂
However the discussion shows just how disunited the fans are and why Lerner is comfortable with his plans, whatever they are
I dunno, I think a lot would agree with Howard Hodgson’s report if they read it. Kendrick’s article was incredibly tame, but arguably had to be.
Well only answer is talk with your feet, Ian you know it worked years ago so why not now. Anyway in a nutshell Kendrick is a media sniveling crawler to Our football club will say and do what they want.
Listening to Franks and Frogget on WM and they are using that old chestnut about winning a cup and being relegated, well it’s a myth.
Only 3 teams have ever won a cup and been relegated in the same season Wigan 2013, Blues 2011 and Norwich 1985.
Show me the Silverware!
Lambert has had money and spent it on dross.
He could of bought 3 players to create a spine, a solid spine and put them on reasonable wages for the same cost or less even. Then start buying the “young & hungry” players to fit around that spine.
We’re awful to watch and are going nowhere under this plan. Lerner is to blame for a lot, but he has given Lambert in the region of 40mil and the dross we see attempting to play football every week and the absolute lack of tactics falls squarly at the feet of Lambert.
oohah ur not giving double standards are u ???? you have said on more than one occassion concrete ron more like paper ron , guzan before lambert came was all but a cup player, and released,westwood was in div 2 and 1 before last year.delph has really played 1 game in 6 months.bertrand played a european cup final in midfield and really gets a game .benteke a one season wonder as genk how loyal he is .albrighton and gabby are good players
Lol fair point but to be fa it Vlaar has to be the most improved defender in the prem this year and let’s face it he was shite last year. Westwood did have a good game on sun and may have turned a corner. On their day the players above are mid table quality which I’m sure most agree. Benteke has proved me right so far though I reckon he is deliberately playing shit to drive his price down in the summer IMO of course
well at least ur man enough to admit what you said and how you was wrong on this season performances . i hate to agree but your 100000000% right on benteke, he took a pay rise knowing he wasn’t gonna bother to turn up
Never understood why we bought Kozak, we dont have the wingers to supply him, that £7m would have been better spent on a couple of decent midfielders, I say this without taking his injury into consideration.
i think he was a direct replacement for benteke but spurs went for saldado
Albrighton on the right, Grealish on the left, BINGO! Hopefully. I like Kozak, such a shame he’s out injured. Wieman behind him, Helenius behind him, Gabby next to him in a 4-4-2, all those combos we’re not going to see this season. Having said that, if Benteke goes (if anyone can be arsed to come in for him after this season)…
We saw the exact reason Kozak was bought. Exact reason… Benteke was injured. We had Bowery who would’ve been first choice and Helenius as 2nd. Kozak was an absolute must and for the first time, we have striker depth, something we haven’t had in ages.
guys this conspiracy theory that benteke is playing shit to get a move/drive his price down for a move is absolute nonsense, its a world cup year! Belgium have a great side this year with some great players, getting into that squad and the starting 11 is going to be very hard, lots of competition and as it stands on this seasons form lukaku and miralis will be way ahead of benteke in the pecking order. benteke is not going to play shite on purpose when he’s got the opportunity of a life time to shine this year is he? that makes no sense at all.
just have to face face he’s playing absolute gash so far since those early games before his injury.
the tactics are not helping him though, when villa are in possession put both CB’s on benteke and wait for the long air ball to him, simples.
points taken about the conspiracy
but BIG facts are he has been gash, against newcastle he was given good positions to attack, second half he had ball at feet with gabby free on right and weimann free on left and he fluffed the pass . can we afford to wait for him to find form. holt will give more problems sunday. ???????? wot do the fans wants holt or benteke sunday
benteke is on form is vital to our game plans, since the injury against norwich i think he hasn’t held ball up hasn’t attacked down the channels infact i can’t remember much only the pass to set gabby free down the left against pool and his header which was a howler mistake by pool defender and goalie