John_Lerwill

A nice article, Lancs, though I'd take issue with the line that says he's entitled to do what he likes as the owner of the club (paraphrase). Though that's technically true, he himself said that he arrived as a "steward" of the club. To me that infers a lot of care and (I would have thought) sensible management. The major problem is that I don't think he's been sensible often enough. But I like your final 3 (er, 4!) points.

Good summing up, Pilchard. But perhaps it also says that leadership in the dressing room and on the pitch (Petrov's verbal contribution) appears to be lacking, I think.

Just how do we interpret this report from the Dail Telegraph(?): Link

Like your optimism ...( Particularly as Bolton have already won at VP this season! :cry:

There's been some talk of RL and PF being in Paris to meet QIA people or summat. Maybe there's a new financing/sponsorship to take place - some rumour was going that news of somehting like this would come up about now.

Arsenal away = loss Bolton home = draw Chelsea home = draw Fulham home = draw Liverplop away = loss Manure away = loss Norwich away = draw Stoke home = draw Monderland home = loss Spurts home = loss Boggies away = loss 5 draws = 5 points. Perhaps a surprise win against someone instead of one of those draws.

Harry, please send that to the chairman (cc Faulkner) and ask him to frame it and put it on his wall!

Doomed.

The McLeish affair, Richard, seems to me to be (just) one big mistake the owner's made. I feel sure that if there's sufficient protest and lack of ST sales for next season he will have to see sense. If he doesn't, then I'd have to use the "d" word.

Waste of time. They couldn't care less. They'd have to!! I can't see the owner wanting a virtually deserted ground next season.

QPR will not be relegated. Wolves have given themselves a chance and are have fight which we haven't shown. Wigan leave it to the last every season - again they have the fight. I don't think we will win anther game his season. Where are our points coming from? It'll happen on the last day of the season after playing for a draw at Norwich just to complete the carbon copy of McLeish's previous season. The point is, Pichard, that the bottom 3 are a long way behind Villa in terms of points, and even Villa will at least pick up some draws over the next 11 matches. Hence 33 or (perhaps) 35 points to finish with. That will be good (or bad!) enough for this season.

Well said, Villarocker. Assuming McLeish stays after this season, I believe a strong protest needs to be sent to the chairman.

As Villa are performing at the mo, I agree. Perhaps 35. Whatever, that number of points would very often see Villa relegated. This season we're probably lucky.

Pilchard, I can't see more than 1 of the bottom 5 overtaking Villa.

I have just read EIGHT pages of postings on this thread since I left my PC last evening. Pretty well everyone is frustrated - and justifiably so. A couple seem to be trying to see a good side of McLeish or just accepting that he's staying so we may as well just accept him and his foibles. I'll try to summarise some facts ... 1. Blackburn gave Villa too much room in the first half. They made Villa look good. 2. Villa finished the match with a reported 37% possession. 3. If Villa fail to win against Fulham next week then the club record of 8 home games without a win (set 1920/21) will be equalled. 4. Villa's squad is as good as Albion's, Swansea's or Norwich's. 5. Villa's main lack of strength is in midfield, yet yesterday's starting selection was i.m.o. the best fielded this season - on paper at least. 6. The man who McLeish seemed loathe to play - Quellar - seems capable of ahowing McLeish just how good he is. Plus: It is strongly rumoured (but could be just idle talk) that McLeish's orders at h-t were to close up and break away when possible. Villa should be nowhere near the position they are at. In fact, all it would take is 3 wins and Villa would be where Albion now is (9th). But the problem now lies that Villa (till last week) showed more chance of winning away - but all we got was 2 draws against relegation-zone teams. The future of Villa now lies in whether they can start winning at home again. And they need to win the next two (Fulham, Bolton) to steer completely away from threat and to placate the fans. Failure to so so will most likely see Villa finishing in 15th or even 16th when the season comes to an end. So, having survived, is McLeish going to be able to change his spots after his years at Blews (and if-fy record in Scotland) when he buys in his own players? Of course not. Just what did he achieve at Blews? Mr. Faulkner's expectations of "an exciting season" have produced a season of negative excitement, and the "... Bright Future" pronouncement of 5 years ago is looking anything but.

In fact I'm told (I'm only following text) that Villa should have been 3-up at h-t!!

To try to put some balance into this ... It is clear that the board had to do something about the finances. The fact that the finances were not controlled properly before is of course relevant, but once it's done it's done - you then have to put in corrective measures. They then needed to appoint a manager who would work with little team investment for at least one season ... but as other managers they may have approached were not interested in the 'little financial help' scenario it appears that McLeish was the Hobson's Choice. Now if the board decide to continue with McLeish for next season is the critical point here. The omens seem to suggest that McLeish will stay, otherwise yet another payout will be due from Randy. I can only see that an appropriate letter to Randy (with plenty of counter-signatures) is going to be the only way out for a change of course after this season.

I'm just worried there will be a 1 in front of that thus 1666 pages, as I'm deeply worried he will be here next season There are, of course, some Villa fans out there that think that AM-not just needs to be given more time - that he'll turn it round once he's brought in his own players (his Bosman signings presumably). Discuss. :shock:

You have the same thoughts as me but they're too much like commonsense for the board to understand, mate. Your duty, it seems, is to go and get behind the team no matter what decisions they make and the playing tactics that are used. Reminds me of "Into the Valley of Death rode the 600..."

Absolutely 100%. Steve Stride would also not come back to be Faulkner's assistant and Lerner would not rid himself of Faulkner to employ Steve. Well, the mention of GT was more about his structural skills, not his abilities a team manager. And the article was suggesting PF as well as Stride, not instead of - i.e. PF purely for his business skills - with Stride presumably alongside. It is true that PF being CEO would create a difficulty. However, maybe you guys push me to re-think the point that if it had been set up that way in 2006 it might have worked. Maybe bringing in those fellers now is not appropriate - though the overall idea surely stands good, just different names needed.

Neil Moxley (Daily Mail) has written the following article which, I have to say, makes total sense to me ... Link here

Even Cardiff City, one division down.

With one mostly in another time zone and the others counting the remaining pennies, I'm not sure they know what a PPF is, Denis!!

Good post. Agreed .... but the chances are that 3 of the current bottom 5 will go down. The worry is that if Villa stay up the board might think that AM has done a good job.

Villa has been through at least as bad situations before in the club's existence, but I doubt (unless great changes are made in the board and in the management) that the situation this time will be as rectifiable. In 1968, the situation was changed by a revolution, but unless I'm mistaken I cannot see another of that type occurring or Randy selling up. On the playing front, Keane has gone, Bent is broken and Dunne is done for the rest of the season. On top of that we are told that Gabby is being held back by an injury (to be sorted in the summer), Clark is out and Petrov was also missing yesterday. Nzog and Ireland look as though they are being treated as sinners. And then there's the question of AM-not's tactics - simply to play to not lose and grab a win if possible. Being rid of AM-not is one thing, but the big question - now being accepted by more and more fans as the weeks roll by - is, "does the board need a make-over?" I think a lot of people would be happy for Lerner to stay, but it's the question of the kind of decisions that have been made at the board level that seem to have caused the club's current situation. I hear that Ian Taylor would be very happy to play a role on the board. However, whether Ian Taylor would be enough to redress the balance on the board is a moot point. Perhaps Graham Taylor is needed as well - in fact as many Taylors as are needed to mend things!! Jokes aside, the imbalance on the Villa board is frightening i.m.o. and does need addressing. Perhaps it needs a polite letter with plenty of signatures to be addressed to the owner?