11/02/2015. The day Paul Lambert finally ‘parted company’ with Aston Villa.
That’s the polite version, of course. In reality, he was sacked after a season of such incompetence that even the staunchest supporter of his was starting to see that change was desperately needed, before Villa swapped the top division in the country, arguably the world, for the Championship.
Questions will be asked as to why the situation was allowed to get as bad as it was- a goal return of 12 goals in February is quite frankly remarkable, especially as recent seasons have indicated a drop in the defensive quality in the league. Regardless, the straw that broke the camel’s back was a 2-0 away defeat to Hull City, a game which is almost not worth going back to look at. The Lambert era was epitomised with the baffling selection of ‘safe’ players like Andi Wiemann, despite all evidence of performances showing a change of system or personnel was needed, particularly up front. The result, as expected, was negative.
Onwards and upwards will be the rallying call from fans and players alike now, but in reality the club is in limbo. Will there be that aforementioned change of personnel? Will Jack Grealish or indeed any promising youngster be given a chance to show their credentials for the first team? Who replaces Paul Lambert? And most importantly, will Aston Villa avoid the drop?
Answers to all those questions and more, remain to be seen…
