I felt that Lambert was running out of steam (and ideas) at the end of our first PL year. He's pretty much done the same each year at Villa, in spite of some good starts each year. It'll be interesting to watch what happens at Villa this year.
I think that whether Villa are doomed or not depends if the club is sold and who, if anyone buys it and invests. To me, bringing in Keane, spells the end for Lambert. A bad start and Lambert is sacked and replaced by Keane, simples.