Aston Villa v. Norwich Match Thread ( Unofficial.)

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

I''m really up for this match now. Some would be critical and say that it should be treated as just another game, but my angst was resurrected when Paul Lambert decided to sue my Club.

 

The Club that plucked him from a spell of possible mediocrity at lowly Colchester and gave him the opportunity to manage in the Premier League. Well that''s how I see it anyhow.

 

Joking apart (and I was please note) I feel that yesterday''s results make this game even more significant. 

 

Whilst we have the possibility of a turning point in the fortunes of Hughton''s City being established by getting a result there, it appears to be becoming a bit of a ''make or break'' fixture for Lambert in terms of his own relationship with the increasingly disallusioned inhabitants of the Holte End. He''s there for the duration that''s for sure, but losing against us would be a massive dent in his own self-aggrandisement, would input grave doubts about him amongst their faithful and would likely herald a season of struggle and stress. They had such high hopes of the man after all and smugly dismissed us as a ''little club'' unworthy of his talents.

 

They looked a bad side yesterday, toothless up front and a bit dishevelled in defence. There was none of the fight characteristic of a PL side as we knew them.

 

Yesterday we overhauled them in the points tally (and we had begun to think things were bad,) let''s keep it that way. They are genuine rivals down there after all.

 

On MotD last night ''Arry said that the bottom three this season would likely come from the six or seven sides already down there. One team usualIy rises effortlessly from the mire at some stage in the season. I had genuinely thought that this team would be Villa and that eventually Lambert''s magic would work. After yesterday it could just as likely be us.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

Apologies Grantham. I hadn''t noticed your post on this fixture.

[Mister Chops 7]

I note your "joke" but there will be some who would say we "gave him the opportunity to manage in the Premier League".  I would say he earned the right to manage in the Premier League by leading us there over two fantastic seasons.I would further say his achievements, and those of the players and management team, saved our club from financial meltdown.So

I won''t be booing him or asking "Judas what''s the score", I''ll just be

sad about the way it ended and wish him all the best for the future.And hoping we beat them, of course. And if the Holte End want to boo their own team off at the end, who am I to argue?

[Mr Brownstone 0]

There are two sides to every story...

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

Not intending to bump my own post, but I forgot to mention the extra significance to Villa of next week''s game due to their fixtures after playing us:

 

Sunderland (A)

Man. U (H)

Man. C (A)

Arsenal (H)

 

and that they have yet to meet either of the Manchester sides this season, nor Chelsea nor Arsenal. Compare that with our own fixtures and the fact that we now have more points than they have is even more significant. They are in more trouble than I thought. A defeat next week would be disastrous for them all-round. They could be bottom by December.

[First Wizard 0]

[quote user="BroadstairsR"]

Not intending to bump my own post, but I forgot to mention the extra significance to Villa of next week''s game due to their fixtures after playing us:

 

Sunderland (A)

Man. U (H)

Man. C (A)

Arsenal (H)

 

and that they have yet to meet either of the Manchester sides this season, nor Chelsea nor Arsenal. Compare that with our own fixtures and the fact that we now have more points than they have is even more significant. They are in more trouble than I thought. A defeat next week would be disastrous for them all-round. They could be bottom by December.

[/quote]

 

A tad bitter mate?

 

Go on admit it, you can taste the revenge can''t you?

 

You should be more kindly like moi..............I want him to get the sack from there![;)]

[RvWs 4 year contract 0]

Fully agree with the OP and BroadstairsR on the whole.Yes PL did a lot of good here but for me, most of that was wiped out with the way he walked out and his behaviour afterwards.Mon you yellas!

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

"A tad bitter mate?"

 

 

You bet. I''ve struck off 1p5wich and Villa are now next on my hex list. Oops!

[Rudolph Hucker 0]

Paul Lambert''s tenure gave me my three most memorable years supporting City.

 

The Club was saved financially and pride was restored.

 

But some managers suit Clubs and definately do not suit others. Paul Lambert suited Norwich and vice versa and I suspect a large part of that was because of Ian Culverhouse.

 

The Villa situation has changed for me; they are relegation rivals and it is a matter of points and results against peer sides.

 

Villa and Lambert need to win next week, nothing else will do. As has been said, their upcoming fixtures could begin to cut them adrift. Norwich need not to lose but had best approach the game seeking to win, there is no fear in this fixture for us, we can relax, the pressure is all on Paul Lambert.

 

Lambert had a great record in local derbies but this was him feeding off the supporters desires. We are the club slighted by Lambert and Villa so maybe that vibe will not be there for him. That said, he had a great record with us of beating the sides around us. I suspect the sanguine style of Chris Hughton, giving PL nothing to push against will confound him. In this respect Hughton must lead going into the game and the board and players need to bottle it up.

 

Our success was not built on one man. The supporters stuck wholesale with the Club thus providing the finance. 1p5wich are a good example of diminishing returns. McNally, Foulger, Holt, Hoolahan have been key figures on and off the pitch and so for me PL was part of the perfect storm which eventually broke up, but which was contained by the retention of key characters. An example of the opposite is our loss of key characters under Worthy upon promotion.

 

So, will it be the PL overwhelmed by playing his idols or the PL driven by facing his rivals?  This is one fascinating prospect.

 

I hope above all else our marvellous travelling fans save their breath with Lambert, give him nothing to rile against, and instead just back their own side and in the midst of whining brummies show PL what he left behind.

[whoareyou? 0]

Read this:Complaining. moaning, don''t blame the manager! [:D]http://www.heroesandvillains.info/forumv3/index.php?board=2.0

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 2,035]

The natives a certainly getting restless according to this thread...http://www.villatalk.com/index.php/topic/7084-the-paul-lambert-thread/page__st__1020

it should be a huge concern for them that after a bad start to the season and the difficult run of fixtures we''ve had we are STILL above them when they haven''t really played anyone yet and their tough fixtures are coming up in November.

I''ve rarely ever wanted to win a match so much as this one coming up....my god do I hope we can stick the boot in. 

[Baldyboy 1]

it would be even better if we keep a clean sheet there wouldn''t it?

[morty 0]

I really struggle to understand what Paul Lambert was thinking about, taking the job at this "sleeping giant" (and actually start to buy into the theory he was more pushed than jumped)With us, he basically started with a clean slate and clear sense of direction. We only had one way to go, we had hit rock bottom. The board supported him, and the relationship flourished. Surely Lambert must have talked to Martin Oneill, to gauge what the managers relationship with the owners was likely to be? Given what he has at his disposal he''s probably making the most of the situation, but I think the club is in serious trouble.It all could have been so different Paul....

[GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary 2,035]

[quote user="morty"]I really struggle to understand what Paul Lambert was thinking about, taking the job at this "sleeping giant" (and actually start to buy into the theory he was more pushed than jumped)With us, he basically started with a clean slate and clear sense of direction. We only had one way to go, we had hit rock bottom. The board supported him, and the relationship flourished. Surely Lambert must have talked to Martin Oneill, to gauge what the managers relationship with the owners was likely to be? Given what he has at his disposal he''s probably making the most of the situation, but I think the club is in serious trouble.It all could have been so different Paul.... [/quote]

whats interesting too is looking at these Villa threads ,they are seriously questioning Lamberts policy of buying from the lower leagues.

We knew the financial situation here and accepted that this was the policy that we needed to adopt but this was always going to be a risk at Villa because their fans believe that their club is bigger than buying from the lower leagues. If he was going to to go to Villa and do his shopping from the likes of SheffUtd,Crewe,Middlesbro and Chesterfield as he has done there ,he may aswell have just stayed here and done that?!?

[morty 0]

[quote user="GJL Mid-Norfolk Canary"]

[quote user="morty"]I really struggle to understand what Paul Lambert was thinking about, taking the job at this "sleeping giant" (and actually start to buy into the theory he was more pushed than jumped)With us, he basically started with a clean slate and clear sense of direction. We only had one way to go, we had hit rock bottom. The board supported him, and the relationship flourished. Surely Lambert must have talked to Martin Oneill, to gauge what the managers relationship with the owners was likely to be? Given what he has at his disposal he''s probably making the most of the situation, but I think the club is in serious trouble.It all could have been so different Paul.... [/quote]

whats interesting too is looking at these Villa threads ,they are seriously questioning Lamberts policy of buying from the lower leagues.

We knew the financial situation here and accepted that this was the policy that we needed to adopt but this was always going to be a risk at Villa because their fans believe that their club is bigger than buying from the lower leagues. If he was going to to go to Villa and do his shopping from the likes of SheffUtd,Crewe,Middlesbro and Chesterfield as he has done there ,he may aswell have just stayed here and done that?!?

[/quote]Agree, Villa fans suffer from the same problem Ipswich fans do, "We used to be a big club" and are frankly going to be disappointed with anything less than top four. Its insane that they almost had it with Oneill and the board let him slip away. If you thread called "managers called Paul" or something like that, you can see that they genuinely see this as a step back, and fear relegation, I think their fears are very justified (and that is trying to look at it without post Lambert bitterness)Lambert and Norwich were the right fit, at the right time. But I do still wonder if McNally saw chinks in the armour, and he was more pushed than jumped.

[Highland Canary 78]

As a young manager you know it pays to quit while you''re ahead. Look where Coyle is now. We were never going to finish 12th this season even under Lambert. I absolutely understand the move to a significantly bigger club. Assuming he keeps them up - which I think he will - Lambert will have to deliver real progress the following year. If he fails much of the blame will attach to Lerner. But the reputation that will attach to Lambert if he succeeds could never have been earned at Norwich. Success implies a chance of getting a top 6 side for him in a few years time. Just remember for most players and managers the club they''re at is simply their employer.

[Monty13 2,736]

whoareyou? to me their boards look eerily similar to here before yesterdays result, with dare I say it, a lot less hysterical posters agreeing to the spouting of doom and gloom.

Mind you that''s probably not fair, its only a few on here, its just they post so much its like there are more of them.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

Got this from (AV) Footymad. The penny is dropping.

 

"re: Its Not Working Is It ?

Totally agree, Too many youngsters out there, we look powder puff!!!
I just think that maybe we should have kept with Warnock and Co instead of shipping them out without a proper look?
Guzan should not be our number 1?
Lowton looks light weight
Bennett looks lost and out of his depth
Vlaar is being exposed making up for the whole defence
No set midfield.
forwards not doing it (was gabby on the pitch today?)

We have a monster pressure game against Norwich which in years gone by would be a ''given'' 3 pts

after that we have some tough looking games which I think our youngsters may find too much for them?

We need Dunne back to partner Vlaar, Ireland to give us some big performances and Gabby and Bent to finally look menacing!

Most teams look for 20pts by christmas, we have 5 now from 8 games can we get 14 pts from the next 9? if not we are in deep sh!t.

 

 14 points from 9?  With the fixtures they have lined up after we''ve beaten them?

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

Failing anything official, I am bumping my own thread.

 

I enjoy a bit of ongoing chat.

 

Boy am I nervous about this one.

 

OTBC

[Redders Right Foot 22]

COYY!

not sure what lamberts thinking, leaving bent on the bench, but I''m not complaining.

[Mr Brownstone 0]

Not surprised at all about Bent, one thing we know about Lambert us he won''t accept less than 100% from his players, and that certainly isn''t Bent.

[BroadstairsR 2,273]

[quote user="Across The Pond Yellow"]COYY! not sure what lamberts thinking, leaving bent on the bench, but I''m not complaining.[/quote]

 

"All is not right in the State of Aston," Quote Bill Shakespeare c. 1600 and from his best-seller, ''Omlettte''.

 

Let''s hope we take advantage.

 

OTBC

[PurpleCanary 6,378]

The last time (apparently) we won at Villa Park was in 1992. I was at that game, and we were helped by a comical goalkeeping performance from Nigel Spink.

[Norfolk Mustard 106]

Paul McVeigh just said on Radio Norfolk the Villa midfield are 15-20 yards off closing our players down. Doesn''t sound very workmanlike as Paul Lambert advocates does it?

 

[Bws Cat 0]

A weak penalty shout for us, haven''t seen it.

[Bws Cat 0]

What a chance for Hoolahan!

[Redders Right Foot 22]

Hoop! so close.

good play, more of that please!

[Bws Cat 0]

Oh for fucks sake

[Nexus_Canary 1,206]

Oh f*ck off :(

[Twitchy 0]

1 down from nothing FFS