I think that you're not appreciating that if a bigger company comes in with a better offer for you, as an employee, you are going to want to consider it. No matter how rosy your current job is. Lambert is too ambitious not to. Some people like being happy in their job and don't care when someone says "oh, it's a dead-end job, you're going nowhere". They don't care, they're happy. Lambert is not like that- he is highly ambitious and restless. No matter how content he is in a job, he will always want to improve and be the best. If he senses that he can do it elsewhere, he will move. He wants to hear what the Villa board have to say. I should explain further the nature of companies, I hope it's not too patronising. Norwich is a quite large company with a set of directors who owe that company duties. McNally is obviously one of them- the most important, as is/was Lambert. Norwich is not some joke toy run by a multi-millionaire who can do what he wants and disregard the company. McNally has some very serious and onerous legal obligations that he owes to the club. This means that he acts in the club's best interests. It is impossible that they have "fallen out". There may be disagreements, but we are not talking about Mourinho vs Abramovich. This is Director A of large company disagreeing with Director B of large company. In other words, their relationships are not personal (though of course they may be as well), they are professional. Lambert is both an employee and a director of the company. He has the opportunity to be an employee/director at another company where the rewards are potentially greater and his career-ambitions may have a better chance of being met. I appreciate that this is an emotional issue for all of us because football clubs are all too often not run like proper companies, but you have to separate your emotions here and understand that McNally et al are highly professional. They do not love the club. If there was any serious dispute, McNally would have accepted the resignation (because it would be in the company's best interests). Maybe this seems hard to understand, but I can assure you FTSE 250 directors move around all the time- this is no different. You have to trust me on this. I listen to you on a lot of areas where I'm no expert- but we're talking here about legal advising for high-net-worth employees of medium/large companies. Lambert will have consulted heavily with lawyers about this, and negotiated with the Norwich board. This is not some idle toys-out-the-pram Bernie Ecclestone at QPR moment.
Ok look, I get the point you are making, but the one I am making is that I don't think Lambert is just interested in hearing what Villa have to offer; I think he is more interested in taking the Villa job itself.
Oh I'm sure he is very interested, I quite agree. Otherwise as you say he wouldn't have tendered a resignation. All I was saying is that it's possible to be both very interested in the Villa job and love the Norwich job. Similarly it's possible to love a job and want to leave it because of a better offer. As I said earlier- I think we were arguing slightly different things. I was just pretty ****ed off that you told me I was seriously ****ing deluded. This was out of order when this is the one part of football that I know inside out.
Whilst that comment wasn't aimed at you personally, I was pretty ****ed off that people feel the need to make excuses for Paul Lambert. At the end of the day he is almost certainly leaving us with money likely being the sole motivation. It may not be as nice as an explanation as a protest against the club not letting him hear out Villa, but I can't see what else Villa have to offer.
Fine, I see you're not willing to back down on this one. Your post was out of order whatever the context. Let me just point out I was not making excuses for Lambert. The fact is he has not signed yet for Villa. If he does, it will be because the terms of the contract (which we will never know, but depending on the transfer he does with Villa may get a good idea) and everything else are acceptable for his ambitions. This will not be a decision taken lightly. I'm sure it is part of the "protest" as you hyperbolically put it, that he is interested in the wages- but as we've seen from OGS and Martinez (who were doubtless offered higher wage packages, but turned it down) this is not the only thing in mind. If he does leave for the money, you can call him a greedy ****er (I certainly will), but ultimately he has every right to try and earn as much as he likes- it's his reputation he is risking.
I don't think he has a choice but to sign for Villa now. Either that or not have a job with a Premier League club. He certainly won't be able to just waltz back into Norwich like nothing has happened.
Wrong. That is exactly what could happen- Lambert tendered his resignation under the clause in his contract that allows him to leave by mutual consent. Norwich did not consent. Ergo, Lambert still has a job. Technically, Lambert could quite easily reject Villa talks and come back to manage here. He would almost certainly have to re-tender his resignation in those circumstances because I doubt the board are allowed to accept a previously rejected resignation. Again, this happens all the time in business. Whether Lambert considers his position untenable is a different question, given that the club's clients are Norwich fans and too many may be unhappy. We shall see.
Well, I certainly don't think our fans welcome him back if he he doesn't get the Villa job. I can't blame them really, I don't want our club just to be his Plan B.
Fair enough if that's how you feel. I for one, if he turns around and says "I'm glad I looked at the Villa opportunity and now it's quite clear that my best option is to remain at Norwich", which is not entirely unfeasible in the circ.s, will welcome him back. Likewise with Holt.
Are we really a plan B if he listens to Villa and then decides us again? That sounds like we're his plan A to me. What would you think in those circumstances Vectis? As I said, fair enough when it's something we all feel quite strongly about and it does seem like a real slight handing in a resignation, but I honestly think we can be mature about it if he decides to stay, because ultimately it will have been his decision that we are the best option. That would please me to know that Lambert would rate us higher than Villa, having actually considered his options
Like I said in an earlier post, what happens when there's a managerial vacancy three months in to the new season. What if he does the same again? We need a certain amount of stability in what is going to be a very difficult season.
I want him gone now to be honest. If he behaves like this when a club like Villa come in I'd hate to of seen his behaviour had it been Liverpool or a top 4 club. TBH regardless of what anyone else says - I'm grateful for what he has done for the club but I clearly overestimated the intelligence and morals of the man so off he goes. Come on Hughton or Poyet.
Well if he does now stay I imagine his favoured 12 month rolling contract will be a cast iron VERY long contract
Unfortunately for you mate that isn't the case. Football is a very small part of my life and I'm sure I will cope just fine. Bring in Hughton now please.
Agree irdan if the only thing I had to worry about was Lambert leaving NCFC, I'd be absolutely delighted.
Exactly i'm going on holiday Saturday morning, not abroad sadly but a week at Flamingoland resort with the kids so sod the footy!!!
Lambert's initial job was to get us out of league one. He's done rather more than that! In three short years he has, on the playing side of the club, been a very big part of undoing 20 years of mis-management. We've more than had our money's worth out of him. In fact, it remains one of the best bits of business the club's ever done. Given the events of the last 24 hours, it seems we may have little reason to hear from you again Mike, so one last time, thanks for all Col U have done for us in these last few years. We're very grateful.
