The Boys Are Back In Town

Having those three back gives me a lot more confidence about Saturday.

Absolutely.

Great news ahead of a huge game.

Excellent news

Never thought I would ever be relieved that KEA was fit to play.

Good news that. Makes one hell of a difference to have them back.

I don't really share the optimism - I feel palace will go for the jugular and give us a beating - they are playing well and cock a hoop - we have 4 wins in 18 games and look dreadful.

Billy McBingo wrote:Having those three back gives me a lot more confidence about Saturday.

Me too - I think we'll lose 2-1 now instead of 2-0!

You just don't know with the Villa these days though do you? We could easily lose or win 4-0. Depends on which Aston Villa turn up

B'ham Mail reports about triple fitness boost:

'Paul Lambert has hailed the returns of Fabian Delph, Gabby Agbonlahor and Fabian Delph as a "major boost"...'

I knew Delph was good but is he really worth two men?

ANALYSIS: Oh Eck! Mat Kendrick discovers that Paul Lambert has a worse record at Villa this season than Alex McLeish
Apr 11, 2014 08:53 By Mat Kendrick 3 Comments
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Our Man At Aston Villa looks at how the two Glaswegian gaffers measure up and reveals some startling similarities
Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert looks on
It was supposed to be a statement of intent from Randy Lerner on May 14, 2012.

“We need to be clear and candid with ourselves and with supporters about what we have lacked in recent years.

“Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.

“The most immediate action that we can take is to look carefully at our options in terms of bringing in a new manager who sees the club’s potential and embraces our collective expectations.”

In announcing the sacking of Alex McLeish almost two years ago, Lerner clearly expected his next managerial appointment to be much different.

Paul Lambert succeeded McLeish, but whether he has actually succeeded in moving Villa forward from where Big Eck left them has become the subject of intense debate.

Lambert eventually eclipsed McLeish’s performance by three points with a late recovery last season and has now almost completed his second year in the Villa Park hot-seat.

Here we look at how the two Glaswegian gaffers measure up, comparing the ill-fated McLeish season of 2011-12 with the creaking current campaign under Lambert – and find some startling similarities at the 32-game stage.

RECORD SO FAR

Villa were a point better off under McLeish with six games to go than they are now, although Lambert’s team now sit two places higher, 13th instead of 15th in the table. It suggests that rather than Villa being better, the teams around them are worse.

McLeish’s men were often boring and drawing, with twice as many stalemates as Lambert’s team, who have been losing and confusing, with the occasional, memorable win against the big boys thrown in.

McLeish won two fewer games than Lambert has so far this season, but lost five fewer.

Despite the contrasting perceptions of defence-minded McLeish and attack-focused Lambert, their teams scored the same amount of goals – 35 – by the 32-game stage, but current Villa have conceded four more than 2011-12 Villa.

HOME AND AWAY

Again, the statistics are very similar. Villa’s poor home form has been propped up by an average away record in both seasons. McLeish was two short of the record ten home league defeats Lambert achieved against Fulham last weekend.

SQUAD STRENGTH

McLeish had to sell Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. Brad Friedel and Nigel Reo-Coker also left but he had most of the squad which finished ninth the previous season to work with. Plus, he signed Shay Given, Charles N’Zogbia, Alan Hutton and loanees Jermaine Jenas and Robbie Keane.

Lambert, with the exception of Stiliyan Petrov, who had retired, and Emile Heskey and Carlos Cuellar, whose contracts expired, had virtually the same squad as McLeish to select from initially. He has recruited 15 permanent players and two loanees of his own, albeit mostly on lesser wages than their predecessors and has neglected to use Darren Bent, Shay Given and Alan Hutton.

INJURIES

McLeish lost ten-goal top scorer Bent to a serious ankle injury in late February which ended the star striker’s Euro 2012 England hopes.

Key defender Richard Dunne was out for more than two months from early February with a shoulder problem. Captain Petrov was unavailable from late March after his leukaemia diagnosis. Season-long loanee Jermaine Jenas was injured for virtually the entire campaign.

Lambert has lost 11-goal top scorer Christian Benteke to a serious Achilles injury at the start of April, wrecking the star striker’s Brazil 2014 World Cup hopes with Belgium.

Summer signings Jores Okore and Libor Kozak have missed virtually all and half of the season respectively with a cruciate ligament problem and a broken leg.

Captain Ron Vlaar was missing for five mid-season games.

ATTENDANCES

The average Villa Park attendance for Premier League matches during McLeish’s season in charge was 33,965.

Under Lambert, the average Villa Park attendance from the 17 Premier League home matches so far this term is 36,071. Three of the last four have been below the McLeish average.

CROWD REACTION

McLeish was grudgingly welcomed by the Villa fans at first, but frustrations eventually rose to the surface with abusive chants in a bland February draw at Wigan. It didn’t really come to a head until the 35th game when most of Villa Park called for his head after a home loss to Bolton in late April. He was openly mocked throughout his final match, a loss at Norwich on the last day of the season, with Villa fans also chanting for Lambert.

Aston Villa fans make their feelings plain  
Lambert has been able to rely on much more patience and goodwill than his compatriot.

However, like with McLeish there has been a rise in ‘Lambert out’ feeling on messageboards, social media and phone-ins and the manager and his team have been subjected to boos after most of their Villa Park defeats, but so far there has been only mild dissent towards him during matches.

RELEGATION FEARS

After 32 games, McLeish’s draw specialists had just drawn 1-1 at home to Stoke. It left them six points above the bottom three. There were real concerns of the drop as Villa were only picking up points in nones or ones.

They were never in relegation zone all season and never dropped below 15th until final day when they slipped to 16th.

After losing to Fulham, Lambert’s team are seven points above the bottom three but there does not seem to be the same level of panic – at least not yet, possibly because there is a larger cluster of teams below them. Since the table started to take shape after the opening weeks, they have been no lower than their current position of 13th. Also, statistically, Lambert’s team are slightly more likely to get wins than McLeish’s.

WHAT HAPPENED/HAPPENS NEXT?

With McLeish Villa took three points from their final six games, surviving in installments with draws against Sunderland, West Brom and Tottenham and defeats to Manchester United, Bolton and Lambert’s Norwich. They finished with 38 points, which ultimately left them two points clear of the drop zone, with Bolton, Blackburn and Wolves relegated with 36 points or less. Villa’s safety was all but confirmed on the penultimate weekend. McLeish was sacked the morning after the final game at Norwich.

Under Lambert Villa have six matches to get the three points they need for safety, four to match McLeish’s total, or six or more to equal or eclipse last season’s 41-point tally.

There is talk of Lambert being offered a bumper new extension. McLeish’s contract was terminated with the words “The club has been disappointed with this season’s results, performances and the general message these have sent to our fans.

“The board wishes to assure supporters that we are conscious in every sense that Villa expects and deserves more and we will strive to deliver this.”

PODCAST - Listen to Mat's thoughts as he explains why Paul Lambert doesn't deserve a new contract.

Mat Kendrick: Paul Lambert doesn't deserve a new contract at Aston Villa



Record at the 32-game stage

Alex: 35 points.

Position: 15th.

Won 7, Drawn 14, Lost 11.

Goals for 35, against 44.

Goal difference: -9.

Home form: 16 games – Won 4, Drawn 5, Lost 7.

Points 17.

Goals for 18, against 22.

Goals difference: -4.

Away form: 16 games – Won 3, Drawn 9, Lost 4.

Points 18.

Goals for 17, against 22.

Goal difference -5.

Record at the 32-game stage

Paul: 34 points.

Position: 13th.

Won 9, Drawn 7, Lost 16

Goals for 35, against 48.

Goal difference: -13.

Home form: 17 games – Won 5, Drawn 2, Lost 10.

Points 17.

Goals for 19, against 28.

Goal difference -9.

Away form: 15 games –  Won 4, Drawn 5, Lost 6.

Points 17.

Goals for 16, against 20.

Goal difference -4.

The interesting thing now is whether Lambert's position is safer than before the takeover story broke. There is no sense in Lerner sacking him unless he has a very highly rated manager waiting to step in, similar to how O'Neill (who we thought was good) came in prior to Lerner getting here.
The article demonstrates that Lambert is no more meeting Lerner's criteria than Alex McLeish was deemed to. If I was Lambert, I would not be expecting to be on the pre-season tour in the summer.

I think he will get the push after the last game away at Spurs.
A new contract is a silly idea. He has improved nothing in his time with us at all.

Thinman wrote:Never thought I would ever be relieved that KEA was fit to play.

That occurred to me also.

Lambert has made McLeish's record look almost good.

How thoroughly depressing a read that was. Thanks for posting it but now I think I need some crystal meth to deal with it.  

Interesting that Lambert was all set for a new contract and now that's gone (thankfully) quiet.

Chris Harte wrote:

Thinman wrote:Never thought I would ever be relieved that KEA was fit to play.

That occurred to me also.

He is the new version of Petrov. It's taken a while for him to get to grips with this league but I have a feeling that in the right formation he'll be one hell of a player.

Isn't he already one of the top few players as far as tackling stats go?