Marka Ragnos

You're, like, so wrong. The TV money will allow Lerner to make a profit and still buy in football talent from other parts of Europe, which is what everyone will be doing now. Our squad is decent enough, and any manager will enjoy a honeymoon phase with the fans. We are about the most attractive proposition going for any currently unemployed manager. Thank you for helping me to patch up my little corner of this ship of fools. Onward we sail! It's very hard to keep thinking positively if you're not careful, that's for sure.

Journalists don't reveal their sources, rather their reputations are based on the eventual validity of what they report. Stuart James is a good journalist. If you like that sort of thing, I'm sure he's fab. I find it pretty execrable.

The more I read this thread, the more I fear we're going down, down, down. I guess a big part of me is beginning to see that the long-term lack of investment by Lerner is simply coming home to roost, and the lack of real credible choices for manager right now is a function of less of a bad manager market as a desperate lack of pull on our part, We're just not very attractive, and there's no money, and the owner wants out. We're sunk. Please, someone, tell me how wrong I am! My assumptions are all off, right? Rafa wants to jump the Napoli ship and come save us really, right? Because "we're a big club" and all that, right?

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/feb/12/tim-sherwood-aston-villa-manager English football journalism, such a flippin' joke ... not one SINGLE SOURCE identified, not one. It's all "Villa think" this and "the feeling is" -- yeah, really? Since when do football clubs think?

I suppose this is stating the obvious, but the harder I study it, the more I think the manager issue is a very serious problem and there just are NO obvious candidates who a) are able to come to Villa Park; want to come; c) would ever be asked. Regarding Klinsmann ... I have seen absolutely ZERO credible information to suggest concretely that there is a snowball's chance that Klinsmann would come to Villa. Can someone show me the evidence otherwise, apart from bookies' guesses? Am I missing something? Serving as chief of the US National squad, unless I'm mistaken, probably would pay more, esp. when you consider various endorsement deals, etc etc., depending on what kind deal he could get with Lerner. He currently makes £1.5 million as head coach of US soccer -- I think that's about $1m more a year than Lambert was making this year.

No news yet. I imagine that Tom Fox is still meticulously reading through each and every entry on this thread. I reckon he's up to, say, Post #43 by now?

Adebayor and Benteke seem SO different to me as players and as personalities. I don't see much in common between them at all. Benteke seems truly to be suffering a crisis of confidence. He used to be so precise and graceful. To me, Adebayor is less cerebral, less sensitive.

Very interested in the historical perspective ... For those of you who have been on VillaTalk a long time, is this thread's apparent lack of unanimity -- I mean, it's all over the place in terms of names -- typical with a manager sacking? Was there more unanimity when Lambert was hired? MON? Macleish? Are we being especially far-ranging in tossing names around this time?

Who did he murder? Aston Villa Football Club Not by a LOOOOONG chalk. I don't like Randy Lerner much as an owner, I would like him to sell up. But to say he has "murdered" the club is hyperbole in its extreme. ... hyperbole in extreme? Isn't that kind of like extreme extremism?

Time for a poll! A really really long one with 20 top choices!

Careful. You get warning points for that comment. I presume this is a reference to the post that got deleted where you accused me of being on a wind-up for daring to praise Lambert. I think there's a bit of a difference. (Help this American: "wind-up"is British for "troll," right? Thank you!)

... and goals ... and points ... and grace ... and sun-kissed Barcelona skin. Uh.hem. Right ... there are a tiny minority of posters who are being very serious and thoughtful and earnest here, but the others (including several who seem to be very much pub-based) are so much more entertaining.

Why on earth would Allardyce ever leave a rising, in-form, high-ranked, London-based Premier League club with a huge new stadium for Villa? Can't see it. Cus he is from Dudlaaay! Chance to move back to the land of the faggot munchers. As an American, I understand if you are probably very confused about I just said?! Bostin!!! Bet it tastes noice!

Why on earth would Allardyce ever leave a rising, in-form, high-ranked, London-based Premier League club with a huge new stadium for Villa? Can't see it. Cus he is from Dudlaaay! Chance to move back to the land of the faggot munchers. As an American, I understand if you are probably very confused about I just said?! Haha. No, I loik all that, mate. I know I may seem arf soaked, but I have actually been training myself in yammy Black Country speak for the last few years.

I don't have any problems with big Sam, but I also don't see his particular set of skills as the ones needed to get Villa going, especially our horrible forwards situation. I wish we could get someone who is a good organizer like Sam apparently is but also more into athletic discipline and able to "parent" and inspire his squad -- like Pulis, actually.

Wasn't the fans singing for Paul Lambert back in 2012 one of the reasons why they hired him in the first place? I think we're a long way from singing for anyone! Ah, to reflect on the utter inanity of the early Lambert-related rhetoric days at Villa. Remember when Bent and Lambert had a budding bromance? Seems so long ago! Embarrassing.

Why on earth would Allardyce ever leave a rising, in-form, high-ranked, London-based Premier League club with a huge new stadium for Villa? Can't see it.

All this excited chatter on VillaTalk almost allows me to pretend that Tom Fox and co. actually give a rat's bottom about what any of us have to say about the new manager question. It's a pleasant delusion!

No to Laudrup. Please. He has a very mediocre record all in all, and he plays in a quick-pass, wingy style that isn't well suited to the problems Villa faces ATM.

Lerner would run from him in terror. There are a few things even Lerner has an accurate perception of.

... that was 20 pages ago, mate. It's gone downhill from there ...

I think this thread and reality parted ways about 50 pages ago lol. Agree on Klins but I don't see it happening.

What about that dude whose Brazil got a hiding from Germany? He's got a great mustache -- or did before being sent probably to some Brazilian witness protection program.

Any?

Klopp's rep isn't what it was. Agree -- no sherwood.