[Archived] Next Manager

[Tom]

You seem familiar with mercer for someone who registered yesterday Norbert.

Or were you the previous Norbert and had password issues?

[bluebruce]

You can't blame people for drawing that conclusion though. All evidence pointed that way, and there were a fair few people supposedly connected to the owners suggesting this was the case.

Of course you can blame them. It makes no sense at all. Even for Venkys, that would have been a mind-blowingly illogical business plan. And no evidence pointed that way.

[davulsukur]

Off to bed, let's hope for some good news tomorrow.

[Norbert Rassragr]

You seem familiar with mercer for someone who registered yesterday Norbert.

Or were you the previous Norbert and had password issues?

The latter. I was getting a bit too arsey and miserable so I left for a while. It's a good thing to do when person x, y, and/or z spends a lot of time bickering with you.

[patrickvalery]

Of course you can blame them. It makes no sense at all. Even for Venkys, that would have been a mind-blowingly illogical business plan. And no evidence pointed that way.

How can anyone really predict what they thought. I genuinely think the most truthful words they have uttered in five years was 'we are very confused'.

For me it's always been a case of a family who inherited a vast fortune and the youngest sibling, having grown up with the glitz and glamour of the modern western world, wanting a piece of action. Id bet he convinced the others a football club could be beneficial to the company and for some reason they relented. I think the whole thing is Barry's baby and throughout they've been utterly clueless. However they are essentially good people. They have a conscience. It's just an unfortunate trait that the Indian upper classes don't listen too well. Maybe £130m of debt has made them reconsider. Or maybe Akon is just a big Paul Lambert fan.

[Tom]

The latter. I was getting a bit too arsey and miserable so I left for a while. It's a good thing to do when person x, y, and/or z spends a lot of time bickering with you.

I've done it myself

It's for the best sometimes

[DE.]

Of course you can blame them. It makes no sense at all. Even for Venkys, that would have been a mind-blowingly illogical business plan. And no evidence pointed that way.

The same Venky's who sacked a proven manager, replaced him with Steve Kean and allowed him to relegate us from the most lucrative league in the world? Then didn't sack him, instead "forcing" his resignation and allowing him to take another £1.2m from the club? The same Venky's who thought Shebby f'ing Singh was a good choice as global advisor and allowed him to wreak havoc for months on end? The same Venky's who sacked Berg, refused to pay him the compensation he was owed, dragged the club through an embarrassing court case where they blamed their own MD then allowed him to continue on in his role after we lost said case and ended up paying out anyway?

Yeah, I'd believe that Venky's would go along with such an illogical plan, hoping that one year things would suddenly click and the club would get promoted on the cheap. The hiring of Bowyer, refusal to change the incompetent boardroom and total inaction from that point onwards certainly pointed in that direction.

What they're doing now is completely out of the ordinary in comparison to the last couple of years and suggests something may have changed. But I have to stress the "may" in that sentence because they've made so many insanely stupid decisions in their time here that I still have no faith they'll do the right thing. It's up to them to prove otherwise.

[Alex Rover]

The latter. I was getting a bit too arsey and miserable so I left for a while. It's a good thing to do when person x, y, and/or z spends a lot of time bickering with you.

This is all we need at this time *sigh*

[Guest]

Lambert's time at Villa is interesting as it is towards the end of a long decline since O'Neill. Houllier was pretty poor but McLeish really screwed it up. Perhaps he was the wrong man to come in when Lerner was losing interest and a negative mindset took hold. You can only listen to moaning Brummies for so long before you get depressed too!

Just doing a bit of fact-finding here...

During Lambert's six transfer windows at Villa, he spent a measly £42.6m on players, while recouping an even more measly £8.8m in sales. By all accounts, Villa fans seem to think Lambert had an eye for talent, but couldn't get the best out of them. Sound familiar? Lambert averaged exactly 1 point per game during his time at Villa.

Sherwood, in one transfer window, spent £46m, while recouping £42m in sales. The £32.5m that Liverpool paid for Benteke, who Lambert originally bought for £6m, makes up most of Sherwood's figures. While Villa aren't down by much, going off those figures, their team is certainly the weaker for it. You wouldn't believe he's spent so much, but he actually has! Sherwood averaged 1.14 points per game during his time at Villa, a slightly better average than Lambert, but one that was surely only going to get worse.

I'm actually worried that we might appoint Sherwood. Perhaps it might be a better environment for him down where expectations aren't as high as a club such as Spurs or Villa. But down here, the most important thing you can have isn't quality of players, but quality of tactics. Does he have that? Not in my book! The thought of Sherwood taking us down the leagues with naivete while the Dingles laugh from above is a horrible one. He appears to be an impact manager that quickly burns out. The bloke doesn't have a good track record of spending, and he certainly ain't got a good one with tactics. At least Bowyer had one of those qualities. I think Sherwood would be an expensive mistake for us and I can't see him fitting in, bizarrely. Sadly, I really think his managerial career will die quickly after another couple of lower league failures.

It's the utter apathy of the past couple of years that has grated, as our slide into mediocrity has been met with total silence and a lack of action from the owners.

Call me a pessimist, but if you'd have said that we'd slide into mediocrity three years ago, I would've bitten your hand off. The alternative felt far more real at that point!

[DE.]

Call me a pessimist, but if you'd have said that we'd slide into mediocrity three years ago, I would've bitten your hand off. The alternative felt far more real at that point!

We've began tumbling towards said alternative. That's why Venky's need to make the right decision now, because this may be their last chance to salvage things before we really do hit the skids.

[patrickvalery]

Jesus. Did lambert really spend that much?! I didn't realise it was anywhere near that. That puts a slightly different slant on things.

[Guest]

We've began tumbling towards said alternative. That's why Venky's need to make the right decision now, because this may be their last chance to salvage things before we really do hit the skids.

I agree with that. Bowyer had to go, as things weren't only going stagnant, but were worsening.

Jesus. Did lambert really spend that much?! I didn't realise it was anywhere near that. That puts a slightly different slant on things.

£7m per transfer window isn't a lot, really. Lambert had absolutely no assets to sell, and Lerner wasn't prepared to spend big. The only time when those fruits came to bear was when Sherwood was gifted a whopping transfer budget, thanks to Lambert.

[patrickvalery]

Phil, your twisting my melon man.

Sod it, let's go for Dave Jones.

[tomphil]

Jesus. Did lambert really spend that much?! I didn't realise it was anywhere near that. That puts a slightly different slant on things.

Not really as obviously Lamberts main strengths seem to be outside the Prem and working with what he has which is just what we need. Spending millions is irrelevant to us and let's face it people like Hughes and Sam seem to work better with limited budgets, it brings the best out of some gaffers that way.

[patrickvalery]

Your not helping Tom.

[unsall]

In January 2011, Norwich refused to allow Burnley permission to try to secure Lambert as their new manager, following the dismissal of Brian Laws.[33] The Norwich statement read, in part, "The club will fight tooth and nail to retain the services of Paul Lambert and his team during this critical period of the season and whilst they remain employed under a long-term contract".[33] On 2 May Lambert and Norwich secured promotion to the Premier League after a win over Portsmouth, taking the second automatic spot with one game to spare. Lambert signed a new contract keeping him at the club during the summer. He was inducted into the Norwich City Hall of Fame on 20 March 2012, along with players Wes Hoolahan, Grant Holt and Adam Drury.[citation needed].

Didn't realise Dingles tried to sign him in 2011..........

[Guest]

Spending millions is irrelevant to us and let's face it people like Hughes and Sam seem to work better with limited budgets, it brings the best out of some gaffers that way.

At this moment in time, perhaps, but don't forget who managed to spend £20m on utter crap during his first transfer window in the Premier League! Being optimistic for a change, spending millions will matter in the near future, hopefully. Bugger... getting too excited too soon. Somebody mentioned melons.

[den]

Jesus. Did lambert really spend that much?! I didn't realise it was anywhere near that. That puts a slightly different slant on things.

Not really Patrick. A managers previous - or track record - only stands him so far. He took Norwich to two (was it two?) promotions. So what does that mean to us? It only means two things in my mind.

Firstly, if he had the same squad of players here and now, he might be able to do it again.

And secondly it means that given the right squad of players he's proven that we know he "can" mould them into a promotion side. It doesn't mean that he "will" do it, but he has demonstrated that he's capable.

That's where going for a manager with some kind of track record makes sense. Doing what we've done for the past five years - just going out on a limb and completely taking a blind punt at a coach or inexperienced newcomer to management, especially when executed by the likes of the Raos or Shebby Singh - is just sailing in the wind.

[tomphil]

Sometimes though it's a bit different spending money building a club up and putting together your own jigsaw rather than throwing cash on big signings at a big club with over inflated expectations. Plenty examples of that about in the Prem, including us at times, bigger more experienced names have blown more than Lambert did. Kenny spent 20 mill on Andy Carroll

[JHRover]

The way I remember it was that following the disastrous spells of Houllier and McLeish, Lambert went into Villa and had a huge job on his hands. He took over a sinking ship with an owner looking to slash costs and a need to overhaul the aging remnants of Martin O'Neill's squad.

With limited funds he set about building a young side (in his first season they finished 15th with the youngest team in the league).

Things started to come off the rails in his third season when he started to sign older players like Joe Cole and Senderos which upset the apple cart.

But compared to Houllier, McLeish and Sherwood he did a good job. Infact to survive at any club for 3 years these days suggests he must have done something right there.

[bluebruce]

The same Venky's who sacked a proven manager, replaced him with Steve Kean and allowed him to relegate us from the most lucrative league in the world? Then didn't sack him, instead "forcing" his resignation and allowing him to take another £1.2m from the club? The same Venky's who thought Shebby f'ing Singh was a good choice as global advisor and allowed him to wreak havoc for months on end? The same Venky's who sacked Berg, refused to pay him the compensation he was owed, dragged the club through an embarrassing court case where they blamed their own MD then allowed him to continue on in his role after we lost said case and ended up paying out anyway?

Yeah, I'd believe that Venky's would go along with such an illogical plan, hoping that one year things would suddenly click and the club would get promoted on the cheap. The hiring of Bowyer, refusal to change the incompetent boardroom and total inaction from that point onwards certainly pointed in that direction.

What they're doing now is completely out of the ordinary in comparison to the last couple of years and suggests something may have changed. But I have to stress the "may" in that sentence because they've made so many insanely stupid decisions in their time here that I still have no faith they'll do the right thing. It's up to them to prove otherwise.

There's a difference between sheer ineptitude in a sport you don't understand and following the corrupt schemes of others that you idiotically trust, and being wrong in your opinions of people, compared with having a business plan that even on paper is just going to show that you will definitely make year-on-year losses of rather large proportions. They're useless at this managing a football club business, and I would argue a bit dim in general, but they couldn't have amassed the fortune they have if their general business acumen was one that looked at clear, colossal and consistent losses and went 'yep, good idea'. Remember that the contention seemed to be that they were willingly staying in the Championship and looking to sell players to beat the losses and debt (which even a cursory glance at a balance sheet and asset values would tell them was impossible).

I think their stupidity leant in a different direction - they genuinely thought this was the right approach and the right man, until recently, to get us back to the promised land. We'd have seen fire sales instead of refusing to budge on Rhodes if the plan was that we could tread water at this level and sell players to fix the financial catastrophe.

A bit more on topic. It will be interesting to see how much chance the new man is given. Venkys seem to either give someone bugger all time at all (Berg, Appleton), or chuffing ages whether they're up to it or not (Bowyer, He Who Shall Not Be Named). If the new manager can last more than a few months he will probably get a couple of years.

[old darwen blue]

good to see an ex rover that's still very respected in the game praising Lambert and sharing the same opinions as most of us fans, makes a changed from the crap washed up has beens that achieved nothing after they retired from playing like Garner and Gallacher come out with.

washed up has beens that achieved nothing after they retired from playing like Garner

Did you really post that?

Wow

Incoming!!!!!

[Pete1981]

Ian Abrahams (Moose) ‏@BroadcastMoose 1h1 hour ago

My sources tell me @onerovers will confirm Paul Lambert and Alan Irvine as their new management team today

[chaddyrovers]

Looks like Lambert to Rovers is almost done according to @reluctantnicko https://t.co/JcsWbvqHW1

Lambert has been told he can sign the players he wants. Hopefully a right back, striker and pacey winger.

Would be really pleased if we get Lambert as manager. Great coup for the club and one I didnt think we could attract to the club.

Venkys are doing something right for once. So well done to them on this.

[Pedro]

Just doing a bit of fact-finding here...

During Lambert's six transfer windows at Villa, he spent a measly £42.6m on players, while recouping an even more measly £8.8m in sales. By all accounts, Villa fans seem to think Lambert had an eye for talent, but couldn't get the best out of them. Sound familiar? Lambert averaged exactly 1 point per game during his time at Villa.

Sherwood, in one transfer window, spent £46m, while recouping £42m in sales. The £32.5m that Liverpool paid for Benteke, who Lambert originally bought for £6m, makes up most of Sherwood's figures. While Villa aren't down by much, going off those figures, their team is certainly the weaker for it. You wouldn't believe he's spent so much, but he actually has! Sherwood averaged 1.14 points per game during his time at Villa, a slightly better average than Lambert, but one that was surely only going to get worse.

I'm actually worried that we might appoint Sherwood. Perhaps it might be a better environment for him down where expectations aren't as high as a club such as Spurs or Villa. But down here, the most important thing you can have isn't quality of players, but quality of tactics. Does he have that? Not in my book! The thought of Sherwood taking us down the leagues with naivete while the Dingles laugh from above is a horrible one. He appears to be an impact manager that quickly burns out. The bloke doesn't have a good track record of spending, and he certainly ain't got a good one with tactics. At least Bowyer had one of those qualities. I think Sherwood would be an expensive mistake for us and I can't see him fitting in, bizarrely. Sadly, I really think his managerial career will die quickly after another couple of lower league failures.

Call me a pessimist, but if you'd have said that we'd slide into mediocrity three years ago, I would've bitten your hand off. The alternative felt far more real at that point!