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LOOKING AT THE POSITIVES

After taking over from Alex McLeish in the summer, a lot of positive football was expected from Paul Lambert at Aston Villa. However, his team have struggled throughout the season and they are currently in a relegation zone. They have just 21 points from the 25 matches played so far this campaign. The manager has admitted for the first time that it is a horrible experience to be in charge of a club like Aston Villa in this position. He has said that the only chance of Villa staying in the Premier league this season is to win ugly from here on in.

After taking over in the summer, Lambert has been extremely keen on introducing young players to the team. This has resulted in Villa having the lowest average age of the squad in several weekends of the Premier league. This has consequently resulted in lower experience amongst the players, which has been evident in several matches. Villa came extremely close to snatching three points during this weekend as well in the match against Everton. They were leading the match 3-1 in the second half only to concede two goals in the final few minutes to draw the match. As a result, they continue to sit on the relegation zone.

“It is horrible. We’re in a fight and we have to drive ourselves out of it. We had a chat the other day and they know what they have to do. The effort they are giving is there in abundance. I believe they can do it and they do themselves. We spoke about things and they’ve been pretty positive. Winning covers a multitude of sins; it always does, and if you play poor and win, you’d take it,” said the manager. Villa have not managed a single win in the last eight matches.

WEMBLEY DREAMS

Aston Villa last reached the Wembley stage under the management of Martin O’Neill, but they have the opportunity to do the same ones again under the current manager Paul Lambert. The former Norwich city man has said that it would be extremely delightful if Villa managed to reach the final of the Capital One Cup. The club are currently in the semi-final stage of the competition and will be playing against lower league opposition in the form of Bradford city. Hence, Villa are the firm favourites to the final of the competitions where they will face either Chelsea or Swansea.

Lambert has the experience of any major trophies including the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund during his playing days, but he is yet to replicate this achievement with a major trophy like the FA Cup or the League cup as a manager. Even though Villa have been struggling for form and consistency in the league, Lambert has said that reaching the final of the competition will be a major achievement for the club. Even though Bradford managed to knockout Arsenal in the previous stage, they are unlikely to give a lot of trouble to Aston Villa. Villa recently progressed to the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Ipswich.

“I never look at it like that on my own behalf. It’s for the players and fans. I never look at myself and think: ‘I’m going to do that,’ because it’s irrelevant. The most important thing is the club and the players and for us to get to Wembley again would be extraordinary. In a one-off game there you never know what might happen. I think every player would tell you that to get there would be phenomenal,” said Lambert. This club will be playing against Bradford on Wednesday night.

LAMBERT WILL SPOIL PARTY

The Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has said that he will be looking to spoil the party ahead of the first home game of the season for QPR with Harry Redknapp as the manager. The former Tottenham manager was recently appointed as the replacement for Mark Hughes, and he started his QPR career with a draw against Sunderland. The 0-0 draw away from home has given the team enough confidence to take on the Aston Villa team, who are on a good run of form, according to Harry Redknapp. However, Lambert has said that his team will be looking to gatecrash the party atmosphere at Loftus Road by taking three points from this encounter.

Aston Villa come into the match after having struggled for most of the season with relegation trouble. However, the last few weeks have been good for the Midlanders given that they have taken two victories in the last five matches, which have helped them to get out of the relegation zone. Lambert will be taking his Aston Villa team who will be high on confidence on the back of the 1-0 win over Reading in the midweek action. Lambert has praised Redknapp by saying that he is one of the best managers in the world, but since they are playing well at the moment he is confident of getting a result at Loftus Road.

“Harry going in there will automatically give them a big lift because he is a brilliant manager. Everyone knows what Harry can do from the clubs he has been at during his career. QPR have an abundance of really good players, the crowd will be buoyant and will get behind him. You wish him well – but after tomorrow. The pressure is on QPR to make the running but we are definitely a threat, that’s for sure,” said Lambert.

LAMBERT WILL OVERCOME POOR START

The Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has said that he is confident that the team can overcome the poor start in that they have made to the new season and comfortably avoided relegation. Aston Villa were recently held 1-1 by Paul Lambert’s former club Norwich city at Villa Park. This poor result once again meant that Aston Villa are no closer to improving than they were under Alex McLeish. Despite the ongoing troubles, the manager Lambert has backed the players to deliver the performance in the upcoming matches. He has said that Aston Villa will get enough results to get them out of the relegation trouble.

It was only a few years ago that Aston Villa were challenging in the European spot under the former manager Martin O’Neill. However, the tightening of the purse by the owner Randy Lerner has subsequently resulted in the team’s quality decreasing considerably over the years. Despite this, Lambert reckons that he has a good squad at his disposal. Christian Benteke scored the opening goal for Aston Villa, but they were held to a draw following the equaliser from Norwich city. Norwich then could have easily gone on to win the match had it not been for the narrow escapes.

“I know the stats. We have to try to win games. But I have a real faith and trust in these players. I have great belief in them. I’ll stick with them. They will be fine. I’ve not been long here and we just need to keep building and building and keep doing our best. In terms of the league, there is nothing in it (points-wise). If the lads keep the effort and commitment going, then they will be fine,” said Lambert after the match. Chris Hughton was delighted with the first point away from home after a long time.

LAMBERT HAS TOUGH JOB

The Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has said that he has a tough job on his hands when it comes to making Aston Villa successful once again. Aston Villa spent a lot of money under the regime of Martin O’Neill in the efforts to qualify for the Champions League. However, that dream never materialised and Martin O’Neill left the job soon afterwards due to the lack of support from the board. Aston Villa have since cut their investment in players and wages due to the spiralling debts caused by the regime of Martin O’Neill. It has also subsequently been reflected in the league position in the last couple of seasons.

Paul Lambert was recently appointed as a replacement for Alex McLeish, who had a very disappointing season with Aston Villa last season. Many were expecting the former Norwich city manager to instantly make an impact at the club. However, Aston Villa have made a slow start to the season and Paul Lambert has acknowledged that it is certainly not going to be easy for the club to be challenging for the top honours once again. He has said that there is a massive rebuilding job ahead of him if they are to return to the glory days.

“I know the job is huge and we’re trying everything we can to sort it. It’s a massive club. The fans were willing us to do really well, but we just never did it. That’s my problem. Owner Randy Lerner, myself and chief executive Paul Faulkner will sit and see what’s going to happen. If something comes available and I think it’s worthwhile, then you can look at it. It’s a really young side and sometimes you need a little bit of help,” said Paul Lambert after the 3-1 defeat at the hands of Everton.

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