Boateng: Fans should back Lambert

The Scot has come under fire after a run of four successive Barclays Premier League defeats, albeit at the hands of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton, after collecting 10 of the first 12 points contested.

However, Boateng, who spent three seasons at Villa Park and is now manager of Malaysian side Kelantan FA, believes Lambert should be given credit for the work he has done on a budget, and urged the players to take more responsibility.

He told the Birmingham Mail: "I think Paul Lambert is a good manager and people should try to understand how difficult it is for him. Every manager wants to buy great players and build a winning team, but you can clearly see that his hands have been tied in the past.

"I feel for him because you need great players to be a successful manager. As a manager myself, its the first thing that I stare at everyday. I think to myself 'Do I have good enough players?'

"This is why I think the fans should support him because it then breathes confidence into the players.

"The problem is not the manager because he can only affect the players so much. They also have to take a lot more responsibility because at the end of the day, the manager can't do it for them once they cross the white line."

However, Boateng cannot understand why proven Premier League goalscorer Darren Bent has played such a peripheral role at the club.

He said: "There are not many things that I would do different if I was boss. But there's one thing that stands out for me, and that involves Bent.

"I would have maybe tried to find a way to get more out of him because he is a good goalscorer and proven at Premier league level.

"I don't know the ins and outs of the situation, but I would have still found a way to get the most out of him."