Lambert Needs To Make Own Luck In Villa Fight


Lambert Needs To Make Own Luck In Villa Fight

They say it’s unlucky to cross the path of a black cat, and never has that been better illustrated by the news of Libor Kozak’s leg break hours after Aston Villa’s win over Sunderland. Many Villa fans would claim that if Villa didn’t have bad luck, they’d have no luck at all, but that isn’t strictly true. Both Gabriel Agbonlahor’s goal and the hosts’ chalked-off equaliser had elements of good fortune, but neither of them is worth a long-term injury in karmic retribution.

In fact, it’s probably a good job that what goes around doesn’t come around, because otherwise Villa Park would be the place to be if you fancy an FA Cup giantkilling, based on the stories surrounding Villa boss Paul Lambert this week. Those angry about his supposed ditching of the FA Cup have obviously never understood the art of the leading question; the BBC quotes Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp making basically the same point but buries them somewhere under the hyperbole.

But even though Lambert isn’t claiming to be ignoring the cup, if his focus is on Premier League survival, then luck has to take a back seat and smart decisions have to take priority. Last season, his bare-bones squad was battling on three fronts, and suffered humiliation at the hands of Bradford City and Millwall, and the club’s response was to bring in one loan player and a midfielder from Ligue 2.

That Aston Villa fought their way into survival form following the League Cup debacle was a miracle of a kind, but thankfully the manager has been making the right noises about recognising the shortcomings of his squad this time around. Talk of experience and being active in the transfer market needs to be more than just bluff.

What Villa fans crave more than anything from Lambert is a conscious recognition that the football we’re watching has been at best, slapdash. These are not the complaints of a comfortably mid-table side relying on one-nil wins: the losses in December came about because Aston Villa played poorly and without any discernable tactical awareness.

Paul Lambert can go a long way to securing the trust of Villa fans by being shrewd with whatever funds owner Randy Lerner gives him. Last January, we were baffled by the reaction to the squad’s rock-bottom confidence. This season, the minimum necessary is a senior player for midfield and defence, and probably a replacement for Kozak.

Aston Villa fans have been waiting for fifty-seven years for an FA Cup win, but the cruel fact is that it’ll only mean anything to managers once the roadshow moves to Wembley. So understand Paul Lambert’s prime focus on preparing us well for the second half of the league season. Wigan Athletic found out last season that a weak squad can only put out so many fires. You need a little bit of luck to win a cup, but for the league, you make your own.

Chris Stanley

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