Heretic

Stan wants Pearson first, Moyes second. Not keen on Grayson or Bruce.

To be fair, Collymore's the most entertainment Villa have provided in ages.

Collymore's got nothing left to say.

I feel like I'm eavesdropping on a psychotherapist to the stars.

Dogging!

Listening to Stan, I know how it feels to be a priest.

Doubt Brian Little does if Collymore's blabbing all the gossip. Oh BTW - Stan really is talking about Ulrika. WTF?

When I see some of the comprehension on this site, I cringe.

Because you claim that Pearson is disqualified from managing this club due to his character. Examples have then been furnished to you of people who have been massively successful at other clubs whilst being, to coin a phrase, 'pricks.' Mourinho called Wenger a 'voyeur.' He went on to win a triple with Inter Milan, the first in Italian history. When a journalist asked Ron Saunders if he he felt (with 2 or 3 games to go, IIRC) Villa would go on to win the 1981 title, he said, 'do you want to bet against us?' Bit arrogant, no? Perhaps the kind of comment some posters feel would bring Villa into disrepute? Yet he delivered the title and formed the basis for more. Some posters here give no credit to Pearson and all to Ranieri. Yet when it comes to our own European Cup winning side, they all say that though Tony Barton lifted the cup, it was Saunders who built the team. I find that odd.

At least Villa fans haven't burned any bridges with him. Ahem... (Seeing him back would be 'interesting' to say the least!)

Precisely. Plus - didn't Jose Mourinho poke the eye of Tito Vilanova of Barcelona whilst coach at Madrid? Does that detract from his managerial abilities, a m ole? Does that make him unfit to employ? If rumours are correct, Manchester United don't think so.

Incredibly, you acknowledge that times have changed but you don't think managers can? Clough and Ferguson toned down a bit over the years. Why don't you think Pearson might be a different manager now? Perhaps he's learned a little over his time at Leicester and he might handle the same situations differently if he had his time again. I must admit I can't say. As for Pearson not being a tenth of the manager Clough or Ferguson were - he hasn't won silverware like them it's true, but Pearson was part of building a Leicester team who are on the verge of achieving the virtually impossible. I am staggered at how little credit he gets for his role in Leicester's current success. It's palmed off to his amazing backroom staff and scouts. I'm not denigrating them, but from some posts here you'd think Pearson was a puppet for the real smart guys. Ironically, those same posts then give the credit to Ranieri for Leicester's current success. What I like about Pearson is he's a big personality. I think that's a key characteristic for what we should be looking for. Big Ron, John Gregory (who told HDE he was living in a time warp, there's some guts!) - these big characters really stand out for me in recent Villa history. I think you need that powerful personality to succeed at Villa because of the weight of expectation. But, he's also been part of building an effective squad of players. AND he's got very recent experience of the Championship. He's probably got names from the scouts whom he could still use. I suspect Moyes' list of potential signings are somewhat out of date.

I recall Clough sending a player home from training for missing an easy shot at goal. He also turned up to Trevor Francis' signing holding a squash racket. Alex Ferguson once drove to Aberdeen's training ground and a player passed him in his car. Ferguson fined the player. Are they nutjobs? The hate for Pearson reminds me of the hate for literally every other manager linked with the club. I remember Benitez wasn't good enough (a Champions League winner). He was good enough for Real Madrid though. I like Moyes but he hasn't managed in the lower divisions in ages. Pearson is pretty fresh from the division. Given the TV money, we need to get out of the Championship quickly. If Pearson could do that, you don't have to keep him forever. West Ham booted Allardyce for Bilic and it's worked. Eddie Howe's understanding of the Championship is a reason I like him, but I suspect that this club would end up chewing him into pieces and making him a nervous wreck.

If Garde took 21 points from 27, he could tell me where to go on a regular basis.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2016/apr/16/aston-villa-relegation-randy-lerner An interesting read indeed. Thought some of you might be interested.

Raycisst.

Must be starting against Man Utd.

If true, I wonder why the United fans used to sing 'you've signed the wrong Ronaldo'? When he arrived he was more famous for doing the Riverdance stepovers than anything else. He developed into the superb player he is when he was at United.

The real power in the EU lies with the Commission - an unelected bunch of greasy spooners. I'm not thinking of any benefits of the past - I'm thinking of the future that the kind of people the EU attracts to go and work for it will bring. They want a federal overarching state that makes current legislatures mere provinces. They are well on the way to achieving this and the process doesn't look like reversing. I accept that co-operation with our continenal neighbours is positive, but that doesn't mean I want a European Union. They don't want co-operation - they want top-down coercion. My preference is for Brexit.

Me too. Did you see Ian Taylor play for them? He was terrific when he was there. Who knew he'd go on to star for Villa?

This is literally true. He was an outstanding athlete that the club tried to turn into a footballer. That was how he got his start.

I think a few of our players would improve what they offer the team if we can sign better players around them. I think Ayew would prove to be a better player than he's shown so far if he was given some decent service.

Worked for Sir Alex Ferguson. He found a culture at Man Utd he didn't like. One player at Aberdeen described him as a 'frightening bastard.' He didn't get rid of that culture sitting people down for a chat or by having the aura of a shoe salesman like Garde. He got it (like Clough) of being completely demanding of nothing but the best. If they didn't like it, being dropped/sold or the hairdryer treatment was the order of the day. No messing around. He just had something about him that you knew you wouldn't cross him or you were done for. Of course, our players realise there is no competition for their places so of course it's a team effort - strong manager and a board willing to replace the passengers. To be fair to Garde - the board made it clear he had to make do with what was there - - music to their ears.

That's it. I'm applying for the job if he is. Just some VTers needed to shorten my odds with a few trips to the turf accountant, I'll be budging up next to Sir Brian Little in no time!

Adama crossing it into Gestede is a decent option. Adama will have to find Gestede's head as of course he doesn't actually move.