Villa have made no progress under Lambert and he needs a miracle to save his job



They're one of seven ever-present clubs in the Premier League and have had nearly 26 consecutive years in the top flight, but mediocrity has been Aston Villa's only consistent theme in recent years.

The feeling after the 2-1 defeat by Fulham on Saturday was more of familiarity than shock, more of continued misery than knee-jerk anger. It is now extremely difficult to argue Paul Lambert's side are making progress.

By many Villa fans' reckoning, he has until December at the latest to produce a miracle and save his job.



VIDEO: Scroll down to see Paul Lambert's reaction to the Fulham defeat



Looking forward: Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is hoping to have money to spend this summer

Defining moment: Fulham striker Hugo Rodallega (far right) heads home their winner at Aston Villa in 2-1 victory

Not good enough: The defeat was Villa's 10th at home already this season

It is in vogue to plead for faith and time in a manager but patience comes with signs of progress. For lack of these signs, Lambert's reign will be over soon, but only after the formalities of a 'three-year plan' are completed. That is, give the man two-and-a-half years.

Villa should be safe for this term - they may do it with fewer than 40 points. For the first time in their 140-year history they have lost 10 home games in a season. Last term they clocked up nine. Many other managers would have been axed with such a record.

Lambert's young side do not feel at home in the second city, and from front to back show a frantic nervousness you don't expect to see in the Premier League.

No place like home: Villa's home form over the past two seasons has been abysmal

No entertainment: The fans do not want to watch cautious, one-dimensional football at Villa Park

The high standards inside Villa Park do not help, but the groans represent a frustration present since Martin O'Neill abruptly left five days before the start of the 2010-11 season having attempted to lift Villa from mid-table to fourth with a big kitty.

Much of the blame has been directed towards the club's quiet, vigilant owner Randy Lerner, the easiest of targets. Fans feel the American has not helped Villa out when they need it most. The opposite is true.

The club cannot offer hefty wages, haven't spent over £8million on a player since 2011 and are forced to buy cheap. This much is true.



But Lerner is attempting to make Villa sustainable, self-sufficient, and more importantly, is not rewarding failure with cash. An old-fashioned yet commendable way of running a football club. In today's age of quick fixes, this was never going to sit well.



Criticism should be reserved. Recent accounts show how the American waived £90.1m of loans to keep the club moving along, a price to pay for his monetary faith in O'Neill between 2006 and 2010.

No conviction: Villa's away form has been mid-table standard, but when the onus is on them they struggle

Backing: Villa owner Randy Lerner (left) is keeping faith with his manager Lambert

With £120m spent in four years, huge wage bills and no Champions League football to show for it during O'Neill's tenure (they were five points clear of Arsenal in March 2009 with a game in hand) Villa are still suffering from a big swing and an even bigger miss.

NO HOME COMFORTS

Villa have lost 10 home games in a season for the first time in their 140-year history

The accounts also indicate that if Villa were to be relegated, huge financial trouble could be just around the corner. Depending on which side you are on, this either justifies Lerner's budget cuts, or represents the huge risk he is taking.

CEO Paul Faulkner has also taken some hefty criticism, but that comes with the territory being the club's only spokesman on the board when the discontent from the stands reaches a crescendo.



Whichever view you take, faith should be put in Lerner to rebuild the team with investment when this period of recovery is over. That time will come, but the right manager is needed.



Kitty: Martin O'Neill spent £80million net attempting to get Villa into the Champions League Bottled: Villa's best chance came in 2009, but they fell away despite a healthy advantage over Arsenal

For the fans, the belief in Lambert has deteriorated. For every hit signing there have been two misses, somewhat forgiven on such a budget. But his tactics are glaringly deficient.

The away form should be of no concern. Sitting 10th in the travelling table this term and eighth last, Villa are almost entertaining outside Birmingham.

They use the ball in short bursts, moving at speed and hitting hard. But no team built a good season on away form alone, just ask Manchester United.

At home is where Lambert shows himself up. The Scot shows little variation in tactics from home and away, and his side look stumped when the ball is at their feet and the onus is on building an attack rather than counter attacking.

One step forward, two back: Lambert brought in Benteke, but for every hit signing there have been two misses

Back then: Lambert had a fantastic end to last season, but Benteke carried the team more than once

The result is bundles of possession but no edge. Side-to-side, a phobia of the final third and a fondness for the easy option, just what the fans don't want to see.

The shoestring budget excuse cannot constantly be used to explain away this tactical incapability.



Lambert spent £6.1m on Libor Kozak in the summer, a decent yet limited forward at a time Villa were crying out for creativity. They have suffered without it.

You can can count on one hand how many times they have outplayed their visitors in the last two seasons. The backbone is there; Brad Guzan, Ron Vlaar, Fabian Delph and the powerful, if sometimes hit-and-miss, Christian Benteke. But the belief, man-management and quality of those surrounding it is not.

Claim: Lambert said after the win over Liverpool in 2012 that he could have Villa in Europe in three years

Seen enough: The Villa fans flood for the exits after another home defeat, this time by Stoke

So, who is to blame? The budget players? An owner who is quite literally paying for previous ambition? Or a manager who has had little to work with but does even less to help himself?



Fans face this dilemma: back Lambert wholeheartedly in an age of rash sackings, or call for his head. You can ask Manchester United how that feels, too.

The owner has the same conundrum. Lambert had a three-year plan, but after almost two years of mediocrity, he has done little to suggest he will take Villa to anywhere near Europe in the coming years. On December 15, 2012, after beating Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield, he said he would.

A decent top-half finish next season may save his job. The odds are stacked against him even reaching that target.



No sign of progress: Lambert may not have much longer to prove he can take the club forward