Lambert needs to keep a cool head as heat builds

It must be almost impossible for Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert to focus fully on football right now.

There’s been nothing but controversy off the park at Aston Villa in the past week.

The club suspended two key members of his coaching staff when assistant manager Ian Culverhouse and Head of Football Operations Gary Karsa were banished from the training ground.

And, on top of that, there has been further speculation in regard to a possible summer takeover, with American billionaires rumoured to be well down the road with a deal to buy the club from Randy Lerner.

My own information is the suspensions were supported by Lambert, rather than the decision being made without his consent. In fact, it might even have been the manager who initiated the process.

From the outside looking in, I’d reckon something must have occurred last weekend at Crystal Palace. The players looked flat and I’ve heard supporters suggest Culverhouse looked disinterested in the dug-out.

As a manager, if you feel you aren’t being fully supported by the very people you should be able to trust 100%, then you have a major problem. And there is only one way to solve it.

I know this is now a legal matter, but I’m convinced Culverhouse and Karsa will not work again at Aston Villa.

And I don’t think they will ever work again with Lambert if and when he moves club.

The noises coming out of Villa Park in recent days is that Lambert has been a lot more hands-on during training sessions and the players have been buzzing. That would lead me to suspect the players actually had a problem with the two guys suspended.

Will we ever know the exact reasons? I doubt it.

What usually happens is that these matters are dealt with out of court and a settlement is reached. But Villa wouldn’t have suspended the pair if they didn’t believe there were good grounds to do so.

And Lambert wouldn’t have accepted that either if he didn’t think it was right. He’s too strong an individual to allow that to happen if he didn’t agree and I’m sure he would have walked if that had been the case.

But Villa really are in a right mess just now. They have the potential be to a massive club but they don’t spend enough money on transfer fees and wages to sign good enough players and that’s the problem.

Lambert can’t afford to look too far ahead, but he needs to be given tools to do the job. He needs money to spend on players.

If Lerner isn’t going to give his manager the funds, then he has to sell-up and allow new owners to come in and take it forward.

I’m sure Lambert wouldn’t be too unhappy if that was the case.