Hottest ticket in management lurches in the wrong direction

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Right now our former captain, Paul Lambert, is one of the hottest tickets in football management so it’s no surprised that Norwich City have been unable to hold onto him.  Inside three years he transformed the club from one that lost 1-7 to Colchester United (then managed by Paul) to one of the most improved teams in Europe, earning two consecutive promotions and a mid-table finish in the FA Premier League.

If Lambert ended up at Liverpool, or even Chelsea, you would not have been surprised.  Instead, he’s set to go to Aston Villa.  During their Martin O’Neill era Villa splurged cash they ultimately realised they couldn’t afford.  Martin walked out days before the start of the season in August 2010.  Since then they pitched Gerard Houllier at the job before poaching Alex McLeish from relegated city rivals Birmingham.

In short, Villa looks like a club without the vision to build stable progress.  Unlike Norwich, who seem to know exactly what they are doing.  They even coped with the loss of Neil Doncaster, who left the club a few months before the arrival of Lambert.

Norwich City is the better job.

I’m on Radio Scotland with Jim Spence around 16:15 today, talking about social media and football, square sliced, the price of milk and lawn care.

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  1. Don’t know if any others from EK have said yet,

     

    in the absence of Jobo, cloudy iin EK this morning, light breeze but pleasantly warm

     

     

    and a podium place

  2. Steinreignedsupreme on

    Paul67 –

     

     

    Norwich have coped admirably since Doncaster’s departure – let’s hope Scottish football will be doing so as well … real soon.

  3. Big Kirk just cant help himself after getting his car towed away things go from bad to worse,you could.nt trust this fool to boil an egg

     

     

    IBROX defender Kirk Broadfoot fell foul of the law when he had his flashy car towed away outside the wedding.

     

     

    Broadfoot abandoned his £70,000 Audi Q7 on zig-zag lines by a school because he and partner Jennifer Goldie were running late.

     

     

    And when he emerged, he looked horrified to be told the car had been towed to the pound.

     

     

    One guest said: “When he came out the church and saw his car was gone, he was like a wee boy who’d had his sweeties taken away.

     

     

    “He got a lift to the pound and got the car back. He’ll have to be a bit more careful about where he parks his car.”

     

     

    Broadfoot was fined £60 by police and had to pay a further £140 to get the car out of the pound. When he arrived there, it was still on the low-loader which had removed it.

     

     

    After settling the bill, the couple then got in the car and sped off – the wrong way along a one-way street.

     

     

    They were believed to be making their way to the wedding reception

  4. Paul67

     

    geez a shout out on the radio, wullye ?

     

    and a request….Cliff Richard, “summer holidays”

     

    ah’ll shout ye back, when am on there next

     

    haha

     

    :)

  5. kitalba on 2 June, 2012 at 11:13 said:

     

    >>>

     

    En masse,the knuckledraggers are collectively,altogether,each and every one,clinically insane,bonkers,mad as rats on hallucinogenics. Furthermore,they are not very well.

  6. starry plough, thanks.

     

     

    Kitalba, wise words.

     

     

    Bennybhoy, no news, sorry.

     

     

    Steinreignedsupreme, that’s an interesting idea.

     

     

    whitecrook tim, that’s what we’re there to discuss.

     

     

    Parkheadcumslaford, I think we might take a break from those issues today.

     

     

    TC, :-)

  7. Jeg er Neil Lennon-Greeninbingley on

    Auld Neil Lennon heid on 2 June, 2012 at 11:18 said:

     

    Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon on 2 June, 2012 at 11:12 said:

     

     

    The SFA cannot do a deal, they have been told by CoS to apply the sanctions under their rules.

     

     

     

    Don’t tell me the Church of Scotland are wading in now as well….

  8. Ghuys,

     

     

    Missed the news for a few days, what are D£D playing at?

     

     

    Courts appear to be saying there is no flexibility when interpretating the rules , SFA panel appear to have operated reasonably within the ranges of the punishments available to them.

     

     

    If you take the Courts judgement literally then the SFA would be required to detail every possible outcome and combinations of options that could be handed own to errant clubs.

     

     

    UEFA entirely correct . as this takes football laws down a track where “tariffs” are set for “specific” crimes. If the SFA wish to have more flexibility written into the rules to allow the circumstances of each case to be considered on its merits then as long as the process conforms / provides natural justice …. It should be good enough for the member clubs.

     

     

    Next step, the SFA judicial panel meet to review the Shame taking the SFA to court and as this is a step too far, given the previous punishment , further sanctions will be required.

     

     

    I believe that if the Shame were under a permanent mgt team then there would be expulsion from the league, however some slack will be cut which will require the following options to be considered:

     

     

    – 5 to 10 year ban from the Scottish Cup

     

    – original transfer embargo extended to 2 years

     

    – suspension of membership which will only be enacted if the Shame take the SFA to court in the next 2 years (same timeline as the transfer embargo)

     

     

    There will be no backing down on this one. Is Keith Jackson not the worst reporter / purveyor of utter tosh currently working in football, and you have to be extra special to reach these dizzy heights.

     

     

    Gardencallscfc

     

     

  9. Paul67:

     

     

    Who knows what is going through Paul Lambert’s mind if he is contemplating taking over the Villa job. However, if does want the job and if he is offered the job, I believe he can succeed where others have failed as he has proved he can succeed at Clubs who have less money than Villa.

     

     

    Good luck this afternoon, tell them how there is a strong smell of liquid on the social media side…

     

     

    Keep the Faith!

     

     

    Hail Hail!

  10. miki67:

     

     

    For the want of a clinical classification the urban dictionary has decreed it hun-flu.

  11. South Of Tunis on

    Italian National Radio station quotes Mario Balotelli stating that he “will leave the pitch and go home ” if he is subjected to racist abuse during the soon come Euros.

     

     

    DJ couldn’t resist adding- ” that might explain his disappearance last night ”

     

     

    A reference to Super Mario’s far from super performance in last night’s- Italy 0 — Russia 3 . He wasn’t alone . Italy were dire.

  12. Anyone in Edinburgh today, pop down to the Cowgate. wreath laying and commemoration of Edinburgh born Socialist and Irish Republican James Connolly.

     

     

    Ceremony is at the Connolly Plaque in the Cowgate under George IV bridge arch. Starts at 14:30.

  13. The Honest Cover-up on

    Gordon J

     

     

    I’m not sure a mid table finish would make Lambert a hero at Villa at all. O’Neill isn’t seen as a hero down there and he had them on the cusp of a top four finish. Would be amazed if Lambert could match that. Villa fans are a strange bunch too. Very odd choice for Paul. Especially considering the presumably negative feedback his mentor O’Neill would have given him about the job.

     

    Norwich is a cracking wee club. Disappointed he isn’t staying there till a truly great club came in for him.

     

    Would like to hear what’s going on behind the scenes at Norwich mind you, with Lambert’s fall out and Grant Holt’s dispute with the club.

  14. Any transfer rumours today bhoys?

     

     

    Paul lambert has something about him.

     

    A year at villa with Darren Bent back to full fitness will prove the only way that team will go going is up.

     

     

    Tictalker talking tic

  15. If the panel look again at the punishments available to them and decide that suspension is the only way to go, do they have the remit to suspend the suspension or would that be venturing outside the rules again?

     

    If they do suspend the suspension, would that not be seen as too light a punishment? In fact, surely it would be no punishment at all unless a further charge of taking the SFA to court precipitates the previously suspended suspension.

     

     

    beginthebeginCSC

  16. Oh I was talking to a friend that’s a villa fan

     

     

    He still thinks Ron Atkinson walks on water

     

     

    I just can’t get my head around that.( English Jimmy Calderwood)

     

     

     

    Tictalker talking tic

  17. The Narrowbhoat Tim on

    Don’t know if anyone has post this but this is another shiny example of how stunned that manky lot in Govan are. After shouting for the last few months that they “don’t do walking away” Gordon (I blame Catholic Schools) Smith came out with this gem in the Scotsman today.

     

     

    “Smith was one of the first victims of the Ibrox club’s plunge into administration. He has since stressed that he had no knowledge of the extent to which Rangers’ finances were unravelling. He complained of being isolated by Whyte and “undermined” when it came to the subject of transfer targets, which was meant to be a major part of his portfolio. He is one of the few people to have recently spent time in Govan not included in the club’s list of creditors.

     

     

    “I could have gone in as a creditor because my contract was not paid up,” he explains. “But I didn’t bother. I just wanted to walk away. I love the club.”

     

     

    So they do do “Walking Away” (was that too many dos?)

     

     

    I might be wrong and I am sure someone will correct me but isn’t Smiths name on the list of creditors?

  18. Estadio Nacional on

    A backwards move but maybe he thinks his management can turn them around, did well with not a lot of resources at Norwich.

     

     

    Blantyretim 11:33

     

     

    Haha, had a few chicken ‘samoosas’ this morning stuck in a hut in the middle of the desert. Its no the same.

     

     

    Only 76 sleeps to Roll n Sausage Day….

     

     

     

    EN

  19. prestonpans bhoys on

    Paul

     

     

    When you are on radio shortbread this evening can so ask when a shy became a throw in. It’s a burning issue affecting the whole of the scottish game and needs to be addressed.

     

     

    Thanks in advance :)

  20. garcia lorca on

    Good performance required from you today Paul ( as ever ).Good luck.

     

    Please refrain from mentions of square sausages.I live in Central London and am denied such luxuries as a roll and sausage ( brown sauce )!!!!!!

     

    Gordon-if you are tuned in – Chris has gone to Seville today to take in the Spain match tonight.he has cut the grass and is stocking up for you.Stay away from those very angry people in Glasgow walking the Queen’s highway.

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