Drop lambert? Wake up

[Itchen_block4]

I actually think we'd be better without Lambert. He's too influential in my book and that highlights his shortcomings. I love the guy, but the team must come first. My strategy would be to part ways in the summer and spend pre-season working on another way round. It amazes me how many people would have us settle in a 442 or have us try to jackhammer him into the free role that Gaston is very good at just to get him in the team. It's not healthy for a player to be that big, especially when he has limits. I worry that he's not quick enough or clever enough off the ball to really thrive as a PL striker in a system like ours. In a 4231 system like the one we want to play, the striker is the man who gets on the end of stuff, not the guy who pulls the strings.

 

Right now we have staying up to worry about, but it's something we should look at in the summer to take us to the next level. If West Ham or Newcastle offer him a fat paypacket then good luck to him. Call me heartless, but that's football.

[The Kraken]

I actually think we'd be better without Lambert. He's too influential in my book and that highlights his shortcomings. I love the guy, but the team must come first. My strategy would be to part ways in the summer and spend pre-season working on another way round. It amazes me how many people would have us settle in a 442 or have us try to jackhammer him into the free role that Gaston is very good at just to get him in the team. It's not healthy for a player to be that big, especially when he has limits. I worry that he's not quick enough or clever enough off the ball to really thrive as a PL striker in a system like ours. In a 4231 system like the one we want to play, the striker is the man who gets on the end of stuff, not the guy who pulls the strings.

 

Right now we have staying up to worry about, but it's something we should look at in the summer to take us to the next level. If West Ham or Newcastle offer him a fat paypacket then good luck to him. Call me heartless, but that's football.

 

Its an entirely fair point. We all know the ambitions of the chairman, and its not to scratch around the relegation zone. The ambition is to be a top ten Premier League club, and you have to ask if Rickie Lambert (as great as he has been for us) is the man to take us there. I don't think he's quite there, although he's clearly proved he is of Premier League quality. And saying that, I'd love it if he'd stay with us come what may, as there would surely be a role for him if not starting every week. But sadly I don't see it, I think he'll be gone in the summer. Rodriguez was supposed to be the replacement this summer but that hasn't worked out, so next time we'll have to get it spot on.

[old_southy]

Lambert represents everything positive this club has done over the last couple of seasons. He is the rebirth of our team and is the reason we have Gaston and a few extra thousand in attendance every week. He is our team's confidence and talisman, without him and Lallana I wouldn't recognise this Saints team.

 

 

He is an important part of our history and club.

 

Rickie Lambert is 31 in feb. We won't become a top side overnight so he has still a job to and is currently above Tevez, Rooney, Carzola, Mata and level with Aguero in the goal charts.

[Roger]

I actually think we'd be better without Lambert. He's too influential in my book and that highlights his shortcomings. I love the guy, but the team must come first. My strategy would be to part ways in the summer and spend pre-season working on another way round. It amazes me how many people would have us settle in a 442 or have us try to jackhammer him into the free role that Gaston is very good at just to get him in the team. It's not healthy for a player to be that big, especially when he has limits. I worry that he's not quick enough or clever enough off the ball to really thrive as a PL striker in a system like ours. In a 4231 system like the one we want to play, the striker is the man who gets on the end of stuff, not the guy who pulls the strings.

 

Right now we have staying up to worry about, but it's something we should look at in the summer to take us to the next level. If West Ham or Newcastle offer him a fat paypacket then good luck to him. Call me heartless, but that's football.

 

Clueless.

[The Kraken]

Clueless.

 

I wouldn't say you're clueless, Rog. Just thoroughly over-protective of a good player.

[Itchen_block4]

Its an entirely fair point. We all know the ambitions of the chairman, and its not to scratch around the relegation zone. The ambition is to be a top ten Premier League club, and you have to ask if Rickie Lambert (as great as he has been for us) is the man to take us there. I don't think he's quite there, although he's clearly proved he is of Premier League quality. And saying that, I'd love it if he'd stay with us come what may, as there would surely be a role for him if not starting every week. But sadly I don't see it, I think he'll be gone in the summer. Rodriguez was supposed to be the replacement this summer but that hasn't worked out, so next time we'll have to get it spot on.

 

Too early to say surely? He's only played down the middle without Lambert a couple of times this season. He's not as influential as Lambert, but that's not what we really need from a striker. If Rodriguez had the game time in the central berth that Lambert has had, he'd have more than 2 league goals. Don't be too quick to dismiss Rodriguez, because he will come into his own when Lambert does move on. £7m might seem a lot now, but it sure won't when we have a 23/24 year old English striker banging them in next season.

[SaintSteve]

I actually think we'd be better without Lambert. He's too influential in my book and that highlights his shortcomings. I love the guy, but the team must come first. My strategy would be to part ways in the summer and spend pre-season working on another way round. It amazes me how many people would have us settle in a 442 or have us try to jackhammer him into the free role that Gaston is very good at just to get him in the team. It's not healthy for a player to be that big, especially when he has limits. I worry that he's not quick enough or clever enough off the ball to really thrive as a PL striker in a system like ours. In a 4231 system like the one we want to play, the striker is the man who gets on the end of stuff, not the guy who pulls the strings.

 

Right now we have staying up to worry about, but it's something we should look at in the summer to take us to the next level. If West Ham or Newcastle offer him a fat paypacket then good luck to him. Call me heartless, but that's football.

 

Thankfully you are in the minority... how do you know Lambert wants to play in a 4231 formation ?

We are a team fighting for survival and are lucky to have Lambert still here as it is.

 

You obviously cannot go to watch Saints OR you know nothing about football.

[The Kraken]

Too early to say surely? He's only played down the middle without Lambert a couple of times this season. He's not as influential as Lambert, but that's not what we really need from a striker. If Rodriguez had the game time in the central berth that Lambert has had, he'd have more than 2 league goals. Don't be too quick to dismiss Rodriguez, because he will come into his own when Lambert does move on. £7m might seem a lot now, but it sure won't when we have a 23/24 year old English striker banging them in next season.

 

Not really, no. Rodriguez was bought in the summer, and the more I hear about it the more I'm sure it was as a direct replacement for Lambert. Such was the priority placed on his signature. Lambert was being offered around for transfer out of the club in the summer, and from what I hear it got fairly close to him going. He still hasn't got the contract he wants, and I'm absolutely sure he won't be here next season if things stay as they are right now.

 

I'm not dismissing Rodriguez; I'm saying he's not turned out as the signing he was intended to be. And he certainly hasn't turned out to be the signing we needed for this season IMO.

[Itchen_block4]

Thankfully you are in the minority... how do you know Lambert wants to play in a 4231 formation ?

We are a team fighting for survival and are lucky to have Lambert still here as it is.

 

You obviously cannot go to watch Saints OR you know nothing about football.

 

I have a season ticket and I like to think I know a fair bit about football. I have no idea how or where Lambert wants to play, I haven't asked him that. Not that it's of much consequence anyway as he's not the manager. For the record, I'd keep him until the summer to see out our relegation battle. I thought that was quite clear?