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What has happened to Lambert?


Glasgow_Saint

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Lambert is good and effiecent for the team as long as he gets the ball on his feets in open space with time on his hand.

 

Unfortunately you dont get too much of that anymore in this league and opponents also know that if they close him down early he´s not the same threat.

 

I also see a problem about his movement and that is that his teammates really have to put the pass on his feets for him to get it, if it´s just a yard off his feet are planted and he wont reach the pass instead of being able to move that yard and gather the ball.

 

Yeah what has been deserting him recently is his normally reliable first touch, ball control and his passing ability, he has in the recent games made some pretty poor passes and not got control of the ball in time to make his move. It does seem as if he has got some off field issue, injury niggle or lost some faith in himself since his call up, all is not right for him mentally, but I hope it isn't something serious. He still has the same talent he had last year and always had and the start of this season, just hope he can get over what ever it is soon.

 

If it was a physical age issue, then he would not be able to cope with MP's double training and our physical evaluation team would have picked up on it and flagged it up. He wouldn't be playing as much as he is, hence imho it is mental.

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Grant Holt syndrome? Or just out of form? Or disinterested because he's aware his move to West Ham may be off with Cortese gone? Or worn out after 20+ games of MoPo's high intensity pressing game? Who knows! Only thing clear is that maybe a chance to recharge his batteries by sitting out the Cup game will help, with Osvaldo in need of a game after his ban.

 

If it's true he does want to go to West Ham, maybe it's better we do let him go, if his hearts not in it any more. But, for me, I reckon it's a combination of a bit of poor form and the cumulative effects of the pressing game we play on an ageing striker.

 

Good summary.

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While I don't think it's the reason for his lack of current form, I think he has completed his ambitions. He has no chance of going to Brazil, and the England call-up would have been the last tick on any bucket list he may have had.

 

I don't mean any disrespect to him at all, but since the England call-up, the only way is down for him given his age. Maybe he has realised this deep down, and it could be affecting him subliminally.

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Well for me RL has done miracles for us the last few seasons but he no longer looks to be enjoying himself.

 

Even the best can have dips in form but with Rickie the smile has gone as well, the guy looks seriously miserable. Whether it is because of his form or something else only he will know but my guess is that this season he has not necessarily been our first choice CF which has hit him hard and his form.

 

Agreed I hope it isn't his happiness here and it is off the field issue, he has been brilliant and still got more to give IMO. His shots on target show that, but unlike before he isn't finishing them off.

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While I don't think it's the reason for his lack of current form, I think he has completed his ambitions. He has no chance of going to Brazil, and the England call-up would have been the last tick on any bucket list he may have had.

 

I don't mean any disrespect to him at all, but since the England call-up, the only way is down for him given his age. Maybe he has realised this deep down, and it could be affecting him subliminally.

 

That's just not credible. A man breaks into the England team in the twilight of a career spent mostly in the lower leagues and just 12 months before a World Cup Finals, makes an impact......and the he decides to give up. And my old man said be a Pompey fan. Pull the other one.

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I recall he played with an injury all the end of last season, maybe this injury is back or it is a chronic condition. Can't remember if his problem was knee or lower back.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

It is his hips. Quite common for any sportsmen to have hip problems, including footballers, but you are right - we have had to nurse Lambert through the second half of most seasons he has been with us.

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He's been getting gradually worse for nearly a year now, I don't bother commenting usually, but the stats speak for themselves, he's already not first choice when Osvaldo is fit and available against the top sides, and he may not even be getting starts by the end of the season, depending of course on our ongoing level of investment...

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Well he's very effective playing from the left. Interesting that many felt he was being shoe horned there when he first joined , turns out to be his best position.

 

Indeed, personally I think it helps him to me more effective. A lone striker will always get a fair amount of defensive attention where as playing a little further back allows you to break a bit later and find pockets of space. All things J Rod is doing v well right now

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Grant Holt syndrome? Or just out of form? Or disinterested because he's aware his move to West Ham may be off with Cortese gone? Or worn out after 20+ games of MoPo's high intensity pressing game? Who knows! Only thing clear is that maybe a chance to recharge his batteries by sitting out the Cup game will help, with Osvaldo in need of a game after his ban.

 

If it's true he does want to go to West Ham, maybe it's better we do let him go, if his hearts not in it any more. But, for me, I reckon it's a combination of a bit of poor form and the cumulative effects of the pressing game we play on an ageing striker.

 

Good post mate...

 

But you forgot to mention the body language, the "experts" in this field will be letting you know;)

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To answer the question, "What has happened to Lambert?" isn't it obvious that the Father Time problem gets to every player and that for most the turning point is around 30? Defenders generally play on longer as do some midfield players, but where speed matters most, which is up front, the rot tends to set in sooner. It is slow and insidious but inevitable. Rickie is still a great player but maybe not quite as great as he was or great for shorter periods and next season he'll be less great, however hard he works to ward off the ravages of time. He's been brilliant for the Saints but just as we had to come to terms with the decline of MLT, Rickie's day is passing but like MLT, even at the end, a moment of magic can still see the ball in the net. Its just that such moments become less frequent until its better to replace the aging player with a player who is in his prime. RL can see that Osvaldo is first choice now so either he must settle for less playing time or move on, but when he does, he has a place ion Saints' history absolutely assured.

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I think he needs a rest for a couple of weeks. Maybe MP realises this, but it's difficult when Osvaldo is busy getting injured or suspended. Osvaldo hasn't really done a lot when he has played to suggest he is first choice. Hopefully he will be raring to go having had a nice break over the festive season

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  • 1 month later...

for a while now, is general performances have been utterly terrible

 

last season he dominated kompany, vidic, ferdinand, terry etc

 

now, he is awful and offers nothing really as a target man

good when dropping into the hole but that wont get him to the WC, I feel

 

I can see why we went out to get a top striker to replace him, just a shame he is a loon

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1 season too many at this level in my eyes, he's always had to manage himself and that was always going to get harder the older he got.

 

For me though, he's my favorite player we've had in the last 10 years. Probably in the top 2 of recent times.

 

There was always going to be a time where we had to evolve his position, It looks like NC had the right idea in January, as we'll never get £8m again for him.

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IMHO he is injured!!

 

If this was the case then the ideal time to rest him and give him a break would have been last weekend. Rather than resting the 32 year old 'injured' striker the manager decided to rest players a lot younger and fitter than lambert.

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I was slaughtered on here when we signed Osvaldo for daring to suggest that he would replace Lambert in the first team and that in the future he would be a less significant player for us. This was impossible , Rickie was brilliant and irreplaceable if Rodriguez was to be dropped so they could play together this was fine, but there was no way Lambert would become squad player. We're all now seeing why Osvaldo was signed and okay that didn't work out but the fact remains MP and a few of us on here saw this scenario unfolding and were lamblasted for suggesting it.

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I was slaughtered on here when we signed Osvaldo for daring to suggest that he would replace Lambert in the first team and that in the future he would be a less significant player for us. This was impossible , Rickie was brilliant and irreplaceable if Rodriguez was to be dropped so they could play together this was fine, but there was no way Lambert would become squad player. We're all now seeing why Osvaldo was signed and okay that didn't work out but the fact remains MP and a few of us on here saw this scenario unfolding and were lamblasted for suggesting it.

 

Is this a template post for regular usage?

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Lamberts form dipped when NA left and MP arrived NA played to Lamberts strengths MP not so much Lambert hasn't just become **** over night he just isn't best suited to MPs style. Worth holding onto him and until we see if MP is staying in the summer I still reckon another manager could get more out of Lambert.

Having said that he's hardly our only player wasting chances Jrod and Lallana have been pretty guilty of spurning plenty of good chances recently. As for Osvaldo despite being so great he scored less goals than Fonte and Lovern and never looked like scoring as many as Lambert or J-rod

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Lamberts form dipped when NA left and MP arrived NA played to Lamberts strengths MP not so much Lambert hasn't just become **** over night he just isn't best suited to MPs style. Worth holding onto him and until we see if MP is staying in the summer I still reckon another manager could get more out of Lambert.

Having said that he's hardly our only player wasting chances Jrod and Lallana have been pretty guilty of spurning plenty of good chances recently. As for Osvaldo despite being so great he scored less goals than Fonte and Lovern and never looked like scoring as many as Lambert or J-rod

 

Its more this then anything

 

Plsy gallagher or tweak the tactics to utilise Lambert more IMO, either way another striker is vital in the summer

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I think you'll find in the big games when both were available Osvaldo usually started ahead of him.

 

Yeah I know we went through all this before! The point had merit but so did the fact that Lambert had played in every league game this season. I weren't in the original debate in the summer, I'm being the judge & I'm saying you're not getting the decision! I think in fact Lambert outlasting Osvaldo gives the Lambo fans a TKO and will show as a loss on ur record

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Yeah I know we went through all this before! The point had merit but so did the fact that Lambert had played in every league game this season. I weren't in the original debate in the summer, I'm being the judge & I'm saying you're not getting the decision! I think in fact Lambert outlasting Osvaldo gives the Lambo fans a TKO and will show as a loss on ur record

 

As I said in my OP on this thread, Osvaldo didn't work out but it was pretty evident what the intention was and this was backed up by Osvaldo being picked ahead of him for big games when both were available. Had Osvaldo been what he was meant I be then lambert would have been a much more peripheral figure this season.

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As I said in my OP on this thread, Osvaldo didn't work out but it was pretty evident what the intention was and this was backed up by Osvaldo being picked ahead of him for big games when both were available. Had Osvaldo been what he was meant I be then lambert would have been a much more peripheral figure this season.

 

if ossie turned out as hoped, lambert would have been playing for WH yesterday. IMO

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