I could have understood it for a top six club or even one in the next strata like Everton or Sunderland. To leave for Villa though as their third choice means only one thing to me,that Lambert sees it as a stepping stone.I think that as a Villa fan I would be cautious too because if he is successful there it just means he will get the move on,and if he isn't..well he isn't. All in all I think he has done a wonderful job for us but this move could be worse for him than it is for us.
Sunderland fan here mate (as you know, we like you lot!) I'm staggered if he goes to Villa, genuinely. Without disrespect, he will go on to bigger things, as he did as a player, he is superb mentally, but this is a crazy move for him. Villa IS a massive club, but it's ****ed. Norwich is a steady, progressive club, and he comfortably kept you up, from League 1 2 years back (seems to get overlooked, it's a phenomenal achievement). Villa are in terminal decline, Lerner will not spend big, and they have an ageing squad with only a couple of young lads looking anything above average, Norwich are buoyant, well ran, and despite the Holt issues, looking in a great place to kick on (same as Swansea, who are having similar turmoil). You are right, why he wasn't in the Liverpool running is baffling, his record is way superior to Rodgers, and to an extent Martinez. I wish you guys well, and if he goes, I hope you get Poyet, to carry on the task. He's likely to take Holt with him as well, which is a bit of a ****er for you lads.
Lambert has definately made an odd choice. If it were Everton or even Sunderland then who would blame him, but Villa?!?! He does seem to like choosing the club in decline though.
I think Lambert saw us aaa a stepping stone initially but we have progressed so much over the last 3 years so he stuck with us. Had we not been doing so well last season he may have moved on to Burnley, but fortunately that wasn't the case.
its definitely a stepping stone. if things go well for him the best he can realistically achieve is 6th place. then he's back in the shop window. i think he's going to get a surprise or two at villa park. from what i've read and heard from people in that area, this has been a steady decline which has been on the cards and there is no easy way out of it. you could say the same was the case with norwich when he took over but he won't have any time to get things right if he starts badly. i still maintain he didn't really want the villa job - it just sort of happened. he feels stale and stifled at norwich and needed to move to get that freshness back. villa is where he had little choice but to go after the liverpool move never materialised
Glad it's over now and the speculation linking him with every future vacancy would soon become boring so glad it's done and dusted.
It makes you wonder if Villa have just offered loads of money.It's puzzling because as our Mackem friend observes thay are not a club in a good place at the moment.If he does get them into the top six then I think he desreves any job going.
. Mikey Billericay Town Old Ladies Zimmer Frame second XI are a bigger club that the Tescoes but we don't come on your Board and rib you about it ....
heavens Mikey if that how u describe us how on earth can we describe Col Who........... cant think of anything that small lol
Maybe he's beginning to thrive in this role of 'troubleshooter'? After all, for Villa now, and NCFC 3 years ago as the (crap) song goes, "the only way is up".
About a week ago Lambert was denying that he wanted to leave CR. It seems to me that he was lying. The fact that he is leaving does not shock me , but the way he leaving does. He has accepted praise from adoring fans and has thrown it in their face. We could have probably accepted his desire to leave for lowly Aston Villa had he made a public statement as to why he wants to leave. With Holt wanting to leave as well - the most likely reason is for more money, then this double blow will need some very careful handling. In a few years time we will be saying "Paul who?" As fans we need to be aware that our adoration is likely to be scorned both those we put on pedestals.
Taken time off from my own woes about Rodgers to wish you guys well. Know exactly how you feel. Anyway, I wish you good luck and hope that both our teams show our ex managers what they missed out on next season. I guess the new guys are going to be crucial for both of us but I don't like who we seem to be getting at the moment. Hope you can do better!
All Norwich and Swansea fans are even closer together than before, as we are both being betrayed by those we thought loyal to us (Rodgers, Lambert, Holt). Let's hope that Liverpool fail to qualify for Europe, and Villa get relegated. That would make young ambitious managers look twice before jumping ship!
If Lambert has a cracking season at Villa, let's say top 8, he'll be snapped up by a bigger club. Perhaps Villa know this and that's why he was 3rd choice for them? I can't see Villa/Lambert as a long term relationship. I think Lambert may have been hoping Liverpool would approach him. For the record, I think Liverpool have dropped the ball by not approaching him.
Yes,that was my point really it's a no win situation for Villa.If Lambert turns them around too he is going to walk into a top six team.
I have to agree with CanaryF1, Lambert is on to a winner. He has had 3 years of success, he could struggle to better himself with another season with Norwich, with the top 6/7 positions already locked down in the league, he will never break in to that with Norwich and that pains me to say as a fan. You can see with how tight it was from 7th downwards in the league, it was anyone's for the taking. That's why for Lambert this move makes sense, Villa survived on goal difference last season, anything more than that next year and he will be seen as doing a good job. He's making the right decision for himself and you can't blame him for trying to better himself, granted the way he went about it is unsavory, but that's what success brings in football. Lets all move on, get a new man in with new ideas and we'll get over this as a club. OTBC
