On January 1st, Sheffield United went down 2-1 at Walsall. The Blades, playing a physical, organised game took the lead in the game. However, Walsall responded and started to move the ball about, stretching United with width and crisp passing. Their superior passing game overwhelmed United and the Saddlers won the game.
On January 4th, Sheffield United travelled to Villa Park. This time, their physical, long ball game was matched by their Premiership hosts. Despite the gap of two divisions, it was a match up of two similar-quality sides, playing similar-style football. How surprised they must have been by encountering a Premiership side of less quality than the team they faced three days before!
Ultimately, it wasn't 'Premiership quality' that won the day. United had the extra incentive by the fact they were backed by 6000 vociferous fans, at a Premiership ground. Yes, the only difference between these two hard-working, long ball sides was motivation.
This brings me to a theory I've had about Paul Lambert. At Norwich, Lambert built a hard-working, resilient League 1 outfit. Momentum bred confidence and vice versa. Momentum, confidence and a team used to winning games also swept through the Championship and the vibrancy this created, led to Lambert's team avoiding relegation in the Premiership.
A great achievement on the face of it but in reality, just as there are 8-9 very poor teams in the Premiership this season, there were 8-9 very poor teams in the league two years ago aswell. Statistically, like Villa that season under McLeish, Norwich were 'likely' to survive, as only three of those very poor teams could disappear.
So, here is the point I am suggesting. Villa under Lambert are hard-working and quite resilient (nobody has thrashed them this season). But the 18 players Lambert has brought in are, on the whole, of poor quality. Furthermore, the football the team is playing is by Premiership standards, atrocious. The team struggles to string a handful of passes together and retain possession. The long ball tactics bypass the midfield and on the whole, it's boring and depressing watching Villa. But they are resilient and they are hard-working.
So here's my theory: Lambert is adept at building hard-working, resilient League 1 teams. He has managed to turn Villa into a hard-working, resilient League 1 team. He's also actually spent well over £30m NET to achieve this.
Should he go? Undoubtedly, yes. Will Lerner pull the trigger? No, Lambert is bullet-proof as far as Lerner is concerned. There is nothing more depressing than being a Villa fan at the moment. Walsall aren't too far away though!
Hard-working, resilient League 1 standard
posted on 5/1/14
Nope. We had 62% of the game. It wasn't similar style football. Blades came here with a well-thought out plan which was basically defend in depth and rely on counter-attacks, which OK was not unlike how we've played away some of the time. But today we had lots of possession. While we weren't brilliant in what we did with it, there were some things OK, like Albrighton's performance on the wing, producing some great crosses. If our forwards weren't running around like headless chickens, Helenius apart, then we could actually have scored some more goals.
There is undoubtedly a problem, a big one. And a strange one. I think we were playing better football last season. I think we were playing more adventurous football last season. I can only guess at what's happened, and that is that the defence as a whole is so set on keeping a clean sheet, so set on avoiding last season's miserable defeats, that the attacking aspect is being held back, so that hoof rather than pass becomes the only option. Whether this is down to the players who instinctively fall into this mode, or whether it's down to Lambert having become somewhat cautious, who knows. But it's down to him to sort it.
From what I saw of Okore he was not afraid to pass the ball. Maybe with Vlaar and Okore in defence we wouldn't have the problem. But we don't have Okore, and Vlaar only some of the time. We need a new, quality defender who can take charge. I'd go for Lescott if we can get him. It looks like Delfour is in the frame and could be a great midfield signing. And I wouldn't rule out Houlahan because he knows how to make things happen. If we don't get players like these I think we'll survive, but it won't be pretty.
Other thoughts. At least Helenius knows where the net is; wonder if he'll get more game time. And Benteke is hopeless at the moment; I'd bring him off the bench, not start him.
posted on 5/1/14
posted on 5/1/14
I was at yesterday's game and we were awful. It seemed players were half hearted going into the match on the back of Lambert's comments about the FA Cup. I find it strange that he did not start Albrighton considering that Tonev has turned into possibly the worst signing since Balaban. What he sees in him I will never know. Weimann has been very poor this season, yet he kept him in the side? Why not give Helenius a start? We rely on the counter attack at home which is really quite sad. Sadder still was, SUFC sat deep and got 10 men behind the ball, pressed us in defence and effetively nullified out counter attacking football. What do the players do at Bodymoor from Mon- Fri? It certainly is not passing practice.
Benteke seems disinterested. This puzzles me in the lead up to the WC. Westwood is a League One standard player. I am sorry to be so pessimistic, but this is the worst Villa team I have seen and I have supported this club for nearly 25 years or so. Lambert seems void of ideas, his selections are strange. He has been backed by Lerner well. The problem is though, for every Benteke there is been a Bennett, Tonev and Westwood.
posted on 5/1/14
Completely agree with aussievillan.- I went to my first Villa game in 1994 I think and I never remember a side as lacking in quality as the current one. Other than a handful of decent players (Okore, Vlaar, Guzan, N'Zogbia, Agbonlahor) plus our best player Benteke, we are League 1 standard. Of those players mentioned one of them (Benteke) is seriously out of form due to either lack of confidence or not caring any more, possibly both. Of the others, N'Zogbia and Okore are out possibly for the season and Vlaar keeps getting niggles.
You mention Westwood - he is an awful player. Really don't know what he does and he's a regular in our side. He didn't even stand out in League 2 for Crewe. Of our other central midfielders, none of them stand out for being anything more than average. El Ahmadi, Sylla, Delph We have no creativity and in fact our whole midfield is dire. No wonder it's bypassed every game.
Our strongest areas are central defence and attack, but whilst our two first choice centre backs are very good, they have barely played together all season. And in attack we have Benteke currently not scoring which has been going on for ages and Kozak, who is not exactly my favourite player but was at least scoring a few goals in Benteke's absence, is now out for the season.
I would be extremely surprised if Lambert's contract is not terminated at the end of the season, if not before. We are currently the most pointless club in the PL and possibly the butt of most team's jokes, yet even we under the silly yank Lerner cannot entertain another season under Lerner's utter incompetence. There seems to be absolutely no plan and no progress. We are playing some of the worst stuff I've ever seen at Villa, and even when we had the bulk of possession against lower league sides we don't know what to do with it. Whether we have the ball or not, we're dire to watch. We also don't get results playing this way and we also have an overabundance of average and mediocre players that the next manager is going to find so hard to shift it doesn't bear thinking about. Under MON we didn't keep the ball but at least results were decent and we had some good midfielders when we did use them (Milner, Young, Petrov, Barry). Under Houllier we struggled with results but at least passed the ball and he bought or loaned good quality (Walker, Bradley, Makoun, Bent) and would have signed other good quality players - linked to Cabaye and Rami. McLeish's football was dire but we probably kept the ball better than Lambert's team.
Just miserable about what's going on at Villa. This season was supposed to be the season we made progress and although we're midtable, we're only marginally better off points wise than last year and were actually trying to play last year. The only consolation is the goal difference is better. Generally, PL has been backed financially and could have spent the money he has buying quality instead of quantity. Westwood was not better than what we have, likewise with El Ahmadi, Sylla, Bennett, Lowton, Bowery. The few decent signings he has made are injured or out of form.
Not sure how long Villa fans will continue to back this guy to be honest - we are far bigger than his and Lerner's small mentality and fans are getting more and more frustrated with every passing week.
posted on 6/1/14
It annoys me when fans say that Lerner has not backed Lambert. He has, as much as can possibly be expected, and Lambert has turned Villa into a League 1 quality squad, in the process.
Villa1987, I can not agree more with you. I can easily accept losing games if the quality is there, but it isn't. The football we play is atrocious and all of Lambert's midfield buys are of League 1 quality. How people can actually rate Westwood is beyond me.