If only Paul Lambert was half the man Brendan Rodgers is..

[STAN 29]

then just maybe he wouldn''t be getting so much stick..

“I would love to return one day. Genuinely, I would love to,” said Rodgers, who joined Swansea in July 2010.

“I want to go down the Mumbles with a walking stick and for people to shake my hand.

“I didn’t quite complete the job I set out to do. Only a unique opportunity has taken me away from that.

“I love the people, I love the area. I wanted publicity for Wales as a nation, not knowing much about it before I arrived, but now it is always in my heart.

“There’s been lots of emotion, lots of tears, lots of thinking, but the professional challenge of managing Liverpool was too great to turn down and, hopefully, in time that will be recognised.”

“Being at Swansea has given me the best professional memories of my life, and the best memories for my family.

“That’s why it was so difficult, so sad, to leave.”

Liverpool had to pay Swansea £5m to secure Rodgers’ services after a compensation agreement was inserted in the contract he signed in January.

I also wanted to reward Swansea City with that sum because of what they’ve given me, to thank them for opportunity.

But Rodgers admitted part of the compensation deal thrashed out stops him swooping.

“It is part of the contract,” said Rodgers.

“There’s no doubt a host of players there that can play for a big club.

“But I don’t want to destroy a brilliant time and a brilliant rapport that I have with Huw.

[morty 0]

Thats what hurts most.All we have heard from Lambert anytime recently was his hollow words on Sky Sports talking about not wanting to leave.If he had said even half of what was said above he would have left with my best wishes.

[Mister Chops 7]

Yeah, I''m sure that patronising nonsense will warm many a Swansea heart.Actions speak louder than words, as the old cliche goes.  And don''t kid yourself.  If he went for a walk around Mumbles tonight, he would end up in A&E.

[Yobocop 1,099]

That''s one thing I actually admire about Lambert, he tells it how it is, doesn''t sugar coat it like Rodgers has....

Unfortunately for us, he is a very honest man...

[whoareyou? 0]

I''m afraid Paul Lambert always puts himself first regardless. Villa will find that out one day too.

[Phillip J Fry 0]

Rodgers sounds like a right tw@t. Lambert was brought into to do a job, I don''t care how loyal he was, is or could be. He''s been here, hes done his job hes f**ked off. I don''t care about him anymore, he''s just some bloke now.

[STAN 29]

Well yes Mr Chops Swansea fans are hurting as much as us.

But as Rodgers says:

"the professional challenge of managing Liverpool was too great to turn down and, hopefully, in time that will be recognised.”

[AJ 0]

How nice of him to say a that when he''s just quadrupled his wage! Ha

He''ll probably be back there sooner than expected knowing how fickle the Liverpool supporters are

I''ll give him til Christmas at best

[STAN 29]

Gareth it''s called respect. Thanking the club and it''s fans.

"I also wanted to reward Swansea City with that sum because of what they’ve given me, to thank them for opportunity"

tbh you sound like the tw@t!!!

[morty 0]

So folks would rather Paul Lambert actually said "Hey Norwich fans, I don''t give a crap about your feelings in this, I''m off for the cash"Because thats what his silence is implying.I fully expect a too little, too late version of what the OP posted within the next few days though.

[Making Plans 936]

It''s absolutely clear that he no longer gives a toss about us, and probably never has. He has simply used us to achieve his long term objectives. All that hand waving when we sang "there''s only one Paul Lambert" and all that "I love it here" crap was simply a an acknowledgement that we were raising his profile in the eyes of the wider football World.  I doubt if he''ll ever mention NCFC again, no explanation and no thank you''s to the Club, the players or the fans. We''re history. 

[Thisisbabyish 0]

If only Paul Lambert was half the man Brendan Rodgers is.....we''d still be in league one!

[Yobocop 1,099]

Disagree with you here Morty....

If you look at the time scales here, Rodgers was appointed by Liverpool what was it 2 days ago? So judging by this time frame I''m sure Lambert will have something to say, but just don''t expect it to be as sugar coated as Rodgers has.

Football management is just a job at the end of the day, a job Lambert has performed admirably in.

[morty 0]

[quote user="Give Peas a Chance "]Disagree with you here Morty....

If you look at the time scales here, Rodgers was appointed by Liverpool what was it 2 days ago? So judging by this time frame I''m sure Lambert will have something to say, but just don''t expect it to be as sugar coated as Rodgers has.

Football management is just a job at the end of the day, a job Lambert has performed admirably in.[/quote]Words cost nothing.And his "special relationship with the fans" crap he came out with just rubs salt into it all.The first average Premiership club comes sniffing and he goes running. As has been said, if it had been Liverpool people could have understood a bit better.

[Mr. Bump 0]

I''m not sure about that but I don''t think Brendan would have gone to Villa or even Liverpool if he wasn''t their number one target, I wish that Lambert also decided that instead of going to a club where he was third choice.

[Mister Chops 7]

[quote user="Nicholls"]Well yes Mr Chops Swansea fans are hurting as much as us.

But as Rodgers says:

"the professional challenge of managing Liverpool was too great to turn down and, hopefully, in time that will be recognised.”[/quote]But you can''t say that about Villa, can you?  And why would Lambert say "it was all about money and the next step on the ladder"? - so he''s better off saying nothing.

[BankontheBarclay 0]

its very simple - managers and players maximise their earning potential by moving to better paymasters when their stock is high -only supporters remain loyal to one club.

When has it ever been different since Sky money, foreign owners, and the language that is commonly used is about "the product"and "revenue streams"

At least Lambert has been honest enough not to patronise supporters with a lot of claptrap about tears in his eyes when he left.

[Phillip J Fry 0]

[quote user="Nicholls"]Gareth it''s called respect. Thanking the club and it''s fans.

"I also wanted to reward Swansea City with that sum because of what they’ve given me, to thank them for opportunity"

tbh you sound like the tw@t!!![/quote]

He can be as respectful as he likes, he still left Swansea after denying any interest in the Liverpool job. And how did he ''reward'' Swansea with anything? The only reason they got such a high sum was because of his contract, nothing else. He didn''t say to Liverpool ''unless you give Swansea 7 million I ain''t going''. Lambert didn''t sugar coat anything, I''d rather Lambert act like the cold b**tard he is, then hear Rodger''s talk about how much he still loves Swansea, but not enough to stay.

[Officer Tillys small Willies (Nigel,lappy) 0]

Its going to be heart breaking to hear Lambert saying '''' oh its a massive club with a huge fanbase'''' which in its own way i will feel is being aimed directly at us personally

[ricardo 7,395]

After 3 great seasons Lambert is cashing in while his stock is high and nobody should blame him for that. A 4th season of success was by no means guaranteed so from his point of view he would be mad not to strike while the iron was hot. The fact that his reign has ended on a sour note is neither here nor there and thinking back to how we got him in the first place it should be no surprise. What goes around, comes around.Far too many fans are expecting players and managers to love the club in the same way that we fans do. Its a job to them and they are are only in it for a short while so we shouldn''t be surprised if they want to make the best of it while they are able.When I was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2010 I thought I would never live to see us in the Premier League again but Lambert made all my dreams come true. Be happy, PL gave us 3 wonderful years that not even the most yellow and green eyed optimist could have expected in those dark days of 2009. Our hero''s come and flicker brightly on our stage for a short time and then they are gone. Only the Club goes on forever.Here''s to the future, OTBC.[;)]

[Officer Tillys small Willies (Nigel,lappy) 0]

[quote user="ricardo"]After 3 great seasons Lambert is cashing in while his stock is high and nobody should blame him for that. A 4th season of success was by no means guaranteed so from his point of view he would be mad not to strike while the iron was hot. The fact that his reign has ended on a sour note is neither here nor there and thinking back to how we got him in the first place it should be no surprise. What goes around, comes around.

Far too many fans are expecting players and managers to love the club in the same way that we fans do. Its a job to them and they are are only in it for a short while so we shouldn''t be surprised if they want to make the best of it while they are able.

When I was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2010 I thought I would never live to see us in the Premier League again but Lambert made all my dreams come true. Be happy, PL gave us 3 wonderful years that not even the most yellow and green eyed optimist could have expected in those dark days of 2009. Our hero''s come and flicker brightly on our stage for a short time and then they are gone. Only the Club goes on forever.

Here''s to the future, OTBC.[;)]


[/quote] What a fantastic post Ricardo and that certainly puts things into perspective pal

[Lambo 0]

Ricardo once again the voice of reason on this forum. Top post sir!

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Spot on, Ricardo!

The sooner we move on and look forwards the better but Lambert the professional manager left a great legacy so let''s not tarnish that.

Norwich City has a poor record dealing with success. This time let''s hope it will be different as we look to manage the challenges.

[Yobocop 1,099]

Top post ricardo....if there were forum awards surely that would be up there as amongst the most reasoned and best...

We lost dad in 2009, 3 months into Lamberts reign as Norwich manager...he always said Lambert would take us back to the Premiership, of course I never believed him but look what he''s done.

I''ll always be thankful of what he has done for our football club and don''t buy into this bitterness, of course I''m unhappy but we move on...tomorrow is another day and next season is another season, a new season, a new era

A new era for NCFC.

[morty 0]

[quote user="ricardo"]After 3 great seasons Lambert is cashing in while his stock is high and nobody should blame him for that. A 4th season of success was by no means guaranteed so from his point of view he would be mad not to strike while the iron was hot. The fact that his reign has ended on a sour note is neither here nor there and thinking back to how we got him in the first place it should be no surprise. What goes around, comes around.Far too many fans are expecting players and managers to love the club in the same way that we fans do. Its a job to them and they are are only in it for a short while so we shouldn''t be surprised if they want to make the best of it while they are able.When I was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2010 I thought I would never live to see us in the Premier League again but Lambert made all my dreams come true. Be happy, PL gave us 3 wonderful years that not even the most yellow and green eyed optimist could have expected in those dark days of 2009. Our hero''s come and flicker brightly on our stage for a short time and then they are gone. Only the Club goes on forever.Here''s to the future, OTBC.[;)]

[/quote]Do you think it was handled well?

[ricardo 7,395]

[quote user="morty"][quote user="ricardo"]After 3 great seasons Lambert is cashing in while his stock is high and nobody should blame him for that. A 4th season of success was by no means guaranteed so from his point of view he would be mad not to strike while the iron was hot. The fact that his reign has ended on a sour note is neither here nor there and thinking back to how we got him in the first place it should be no surprise. What goes around, comes around.Far too many fans are expecting players and managers to love the club in the same way that we fans do. Its a job to them and they are are only in it for a short while so we shouldn''t be surprised if they want to make the best of it while they are able.When I was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2010 I thought I would never live to see us in the Premier League again but Lambert made all my dreams come true. Be happy, PL gave us 3 wonderful years that not even the most yellow and green eyed optimist could have expected in those dark days of 2009. Our hero''s come and flicker brightly on our stage for a short time and then they are gone. Only the Club goes on forever.Here''s to the future, OTBC.[;)]

[/quote]

Do you think it was handled well?[/quote]Not being in on events as they happened Morty, it''s very hard to say for sure. I suspect PL had made the decision long before McNally told him of Villa''s approach. We will never know for certain but it seems a pretty good bet that he had a few irons in the fire. City obviously wanted to keep him but rejecting Villa''s advances left them open to charges of thwarting his ambition.In any event it''s all done and dusted now so we need to move on. The past is forever another country.

[morty 0]

[quote user="ricardo"][quote user="morty"][quote user="ricardo"]After 3 great seasons Lambert is cashing in while his stock is high and nobody should blame him for that. A 4th season of success was by no means guaranteed so from his point of view he would be mad not to strike while the iron was hot. The fact that his reign has ended on a sour note is neither here nor there and thinking back to how we got him in the first place it should be no surprise. What goes around, comes around.Far too many fans are expecting players and managers to love the club in the same way that we fans do. Its a job to them and they are are only in it for a short while so we shouldn''t be surprised if they want to make the best of it while they are able.When I was diagnosed with Lymphoma in 2010 I thought I would never live to see us in the Premier League again but Lambert made all my dreams come true. Be happy, PL gave us 3 wonderful years that not even the most yellow and green eyed optimist could have expected in those dark days of 2009. Our hero''s come and flicker brightly on our stage for a short time and then they are gone. Only the Club goes on forever.Here''s to the future, OTBC.[;)]

[/quote]

Do you think it was handled well?[/quote]Not being in on events as they happened Morty, it''s very hard to say for sure. I suspect PL had made the decision long before McNally told him of Villa''s approach. We will never know for certain but it seems a pretty good bet that he had a few irons in the fire. City obviously wanted to keep him but rejecting Villa''s advances left them open to charges of thwarting his ambition.In any event it''s all done and dusted now so we need to move on. The past is forever another country.[/quote]Aye, onwards and upwards and all that.But no, it really wasn''t handled well, in my opinion.

[Jacko 0]

As others have said earlier the really interesting part would be if Whitbread resurfaced with Lambert at Villa. That would raise some very difficult and awkward questions potentially.

[STAN 29]

Gareth you''re wrong. After the Reading debacle he learnt his lesson. When Rodgers re-negotiated his contract in January he asked for a 5 million compo fee to be part of his contract. This on the basis that he was only going to leave Swansea if one of the big teams came calling Or he was sacked. Fair play to bloke, it''s very rare in football you get anyone asking for a bigger get out clause.

He''d have been mad to turn down the Liverpool job.

[Phillip J Fry 0]

[quote user="Nicholls"]Gareth you''re wrong. After the Reading debacle he learnt his lesson. When Rodgers re-negotiated his contract in January he asked for a 5 million compo fee to be part of his contract. This on the basis that he was only going to leave Swansea if one of the big teams came calling Or he was sacked. Fair play to bloke, it''s very rare in football you get anyone asking for a bigger get out clause.

He''d have been mad to turn down the Liverpool job.[/quote]

Yeah I remember something along those lines. Fair play, little harsh to call him a tw@t on my part, I actually quite like the bloke, comes across as a decent guy. I just think that he shouldn''t have gone all romantic with some of the stuff he said, maybe it''s just me but a simple I loved my time at Swansea and wish them all the best for the future would suffice (are you listening Lambert? [;)]). I honestly hope he does well at Liverpool, not because I like Liverpool by any stretch of the imagination, but because the I like seeing managers like him (those who''ve been knocked down in their early career) being successful. Still think he might struggle though, trying to convince Carragher to pass out of the back will be a hell of a job.