“We as fans of the club have endured three years of shame under Paul Lambert ... We as fans believe that things will never change under Lambert, and are therefore calling for action.”

As this leading statement from an emerging ‘Remove Paul Lambert’ petition unceremoniously outlines, things aren’t going particularly well for Aston Villa and their increasingly under pressure boss in the 2014/15 Premier League campaign.

The Midlands based club currently sit 15th in the table just three points off the relegation zone, but perhaps even more alarmingly, with only 11 goals scored so for this season. That is a goal tally lower than any other team in the league which, with all due respect to Lambert and his desire to bring the glory days back to Villa Park, is simply not good enough for a team of the Villan’s stature.

In light of such a poor first half of the season, should the Villa Park faithful continue to demand more from their foundering side, or should they simply make do with what they have, and be grateful that they aren’t worse off?

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While staying in the Premier League would most likely be the minimum requirement for some Villa fans, their top-flight status has hardly improved under such lowly ambitions, and the fans therefore deserve better as a result. This is a club that is not only one of the first established major football teams across the land, but also has a history caked in silverware and strong traditions.

Both domestically and in Europe, Aston Villa have developed a reputation as an important club with an important heritage throughout the years. They famously remain one of the few teams never to be relegated from the Premier League, and while that may seem like somewhat of a throwaway comment in today’s game, the magnitude of that statement takes on new meaning when looked at from a historical perspective.

Yes – trophies and silverware have hardly been a common occurrence down at Villa Park in recent seasons, but this doesn’t mean that the fans aren’t aware of where their club could be, and where it actually is in reality.

Even within the current confines of the modern game, where teams who haven’t been taken over by obscenely rich investors can’t consistently compete at the very top, the lack of backing given by Villa chairman, Randy Lerner, during the summer transfer window seemed nothing short of silly. The likes of Joe Cole, Philippe Senderos and Aly Cissokho had all been moved on by Premier League clubs in the recent past for not making the grade, so the fact that they are now being paid by Aston Villa must have come as a shock for fans of Lambert’s struggling side.

Lerner’s apparent desire, yet inability to sell the club has also thrown a few spanners in the works. He may not be the most hated chairman in English football, but his current stance with the club has perhaps left Aston Villa in a transitional state that won’t be easy to rise out of.

Back to matters on the pitch however, and although Christian Benteke’s long-term injury certainly hasn’t helped Villa’s cause, 11 goals from 22 games is concerning to say the very least. The fans have a right to be angry at such a lowly statistic. Football is ultimately meant to be entertaining, and as Leicester City have scored almost double Villa’s total despite languishing at the foot of the table, the Villa park faithful must be wondering just what has gone so wrong this season.

The team just don’t seem to be responding to Paul Lambert’s style, and with the club’s official October goal of the month competition having to be scrapped due a distinct lack of entries, it’s hard to know whether or not this club want to take the rest of the season by the scruff of the neck, or are just simply happy to plod along while aiming for mid-table obscurity.

Whatever becomes of Aston Villa’s fortunes in the next portion of the 2014/15 campaign, hopefully for the fans' sake, something can drastically change at this increasingly stagnant club. More investment, more passion, and perhaps even a change in manager, may all be required if Villa are to truly return to the good old days, and really give their heritage the respect it deserves.

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