WHY

We approached Wigan 9 days ago according to Whelan. On talksport now.

Fuming some of the shit be said about our great club....Whelan thinks Martinez should wait for Barcelona, Real Madrid or Man Utd that silly old clearing in the woods should be sectioned...I am getting annoyed at people slagging us off. Chelsea sacked Carlo ages ago and have no managerin place but they haven't been mentioned in the press.

Martinez is part of the new wave of Manager like Bredan Rodgers....so for the life of me why was Houllier appointed, it just doesn't make sense.

You have to laugh at SSN they have us down for a different manager everyday. It is know wonder they love Dirty Harry he opens up more times than our defence did last season.

For what its worth I can't understand why Randy appointed Houllier for the long term, and then all of a sudden would appoint someone as young as Martinez.

I have a feeling that if Martinez is appointed manager then a DOF will also be brought in.....for the record I have a sneaky feeling Gus Hiddink could be worth a punt...he is the only manager I can think of who would cause Meltdown.

Guys we all love our great club...I have followed us for the last 30 years and would't change a thing, we are in my eyes a top six club. I would love Carlo or Moyes to manage us but if that is not the case then so be it. I haved loved Aston Villa Football Club since I was able to shit on a pot. The only reason I wanted to read as a kid was because of the Villa. I will support our CLUB whoever the manager is.

Well the Guardian reckon Mclaren has got an interview. - Shudder

Apparently he has been practising his American accent.

Rijkaard has done nothing to even be considered for the job of our ladies team, let alone being the main man of our great club. Rijkaard was a great player of this I have no doubt, however this doesn't make him a good manager. Far too often in todays games former greats get jobs at big clubs on name alone. Moyes was my first vote aswell as my second and will be my third as well as my fouth.........

Rijkaard won the Champions League as manager and was voted UEFA Manager of the Year - not too shabby!

To be fair your right.....however my next doors neighbours cat could have managed the best team in the world to the CL... For the record SHA won the Carling Cup this year....

You do realise Barca hadnt won hardly anything in 6-7 years prior to Rijkaard joining?

He was the one that started it all off.. They are where they are today because of Rijkaard..

Thanks for backing me up. WHY, your neighbour's cat sounds incredibly gifted, if this cat is as good as Rijkaard then I'd be happy for Villa Park to be fitted with a golden catflap and a bowl of milk in the dugout. Seriously Rijkaard is noted amongst Barca fans for turning them into the club they are now, promoting the likes of Xavi and Iniesta. I accept he's a risk but one I would take (given that I have an emotional and not that significant financial investment in the club).

Mate anyone who knows anything about football will know it was Johan Cruyff who took the Ajax system to Barca...Rijkaard reaped all the benefits....WHAT has he done since Barca?

Rijkaard has done nothing to even be considered for the job of our ladies team, let alone being the main man of our great club. Rijkaard was a great player of this I have no doubt, however this doesn't make him a good manager. Far too often in todays games former greats get jobs at big clubs on name alone. Moyes was my first vote aswell as my second and will be my third as well as my fouth.........

Rijkaard won the Champions League as manager and was voted UEFA Manager of the Year - not too shabby!

To be fair your right.....however my next doors neighbours cat could have managed the best team in the world to the CL... For the record SHA won the Carling Cup this year....

Rijkaard has done nothing to even be considered for the job of our ladies team, let alone being the main man of our great club. Rijkaard was a great player of this I have no doubt, however this doesn't make him a good manager. Far too often in todays games former greats get jobs at big clubs on name alone. Moyes was my first vote aswell as my second and will be my third as well as my fouth.........

We have to be ruthless and go after Moyes and give him a big summer transfer kitty to get the players he wants in.

doesn't Moyes do better with limited funds.

when he's had money at Everton, hasn't he spent it unwisely?

i'm not sure, thats my impression.

I wouldn't call Cahill, Saha, Arteta etc "unwise".

I don't know if you've missed ender4's point?

Cahill and Arteta cost peanuts. Saha cost more but he's been injured a LOT, so I don't class him as one of Moyes' most successful transfers.

IIRC, Moyes didn't do much with the money from selling Lescott or Rooney..

(that said, I'd still like him here!)

He never got the money from Lescott!!!

I have just asked the guy why would we wait until the end of June for a manager...he's reply was that Hughes has been the number 1 target from the off and will be sorted before the end of the month????

Love how this ITK info has only surfaced since Ancelotti ruled himself out.

As I pointed out in an earlier post I would have loved Ancelotti, having said that Moyes has always been my first choice.....FFS sake I also stated I was not ITK.

I would have loved Ancelotti but have a feeling he will be the next Spurs manager when candle face goes to be England manager next July.

I have just asked the guy why would we wait until the end of June for a manager...he's reply was that Hughes has been the number 1 target from the off and will be sorted before the end of the month????

Will people ShutTFU about Jol. Here's a list of managerial honors.

Roda JC

KNVB Cup (1): 1996–97

AFC Ajax

KNVB Cup (1): 2009–10

Two tin pot domestic cups. He couldn't win the league with Ajax FFS. I remind you THIS IS ABOUT OUR NEXT MANAGER NOT WHO YOU WANT AS YOUR MATE.

I despair at the amount of numpties we have following us.

ahem, i would contend that there is only 1 numpty here.

I guess you would like Ron Atkinson over Hughes based on your criteria?

Make that two numpties then coz I can't see the whole Jol thing either.

Oh and yes I would give my left arm to see the football we played under Atkinson at Villa Park again

Agrred mate Big Ron's team was the best footballing team I have ever seen at VP....been going down since 1984 how unlucky am I.

Guys I would like to point out I'm not ITK but am posting this as the guy who told me to back Houllier at 16/1 has just text to say.... Get on Hughes 100%. I would like to point out this guy knows a few people at VP but when pushed he clammed up. I will have £200 out of the £800 I got of the Houllier tip off....just got 3.9 on betfair.

But Rafa didn't compete really did he? I mean he was up there in a few seasons but he took a side which won the champions league and took it to 5th in 5 years. And in that time he added a world class striker to the side. liverpool fans bleat on about the board but they don't manage what happens on the pitch. That squad should have easily been able to get champions league. So if he can't get champions league with a side like that how's he going to get it with our's? And then you add into that the fiasco at Inter. He took another champions league winning side and took them to 6th in a sub-standard serie A.

Of course the board manage what happens on the pitch.

When your manager and top players sign contracts on the proviso that they'll soon be joined by more world class players, how can they be expected to stay motivated when it transpires they were lied to?

There reached a point when Liverpool stopped being run by football people and started being run by financiers with the remit to reduce debt whilst making the club as attractive as possible to potential investors/buyers. For the whole of 2010, nobody was interested in what was happening on the pitch. The bank wanted their money back, the owners wanted their profit, the supporters wanted the owners gone and the players wanted to leave.

And in the middle of it all was Rafa.

Don't get me wrong - I'm sure he made mistakes at Liverpool. But there is a mountain of mitigation.

Do you think he would have the hunger and passion to start a long term project again, or do you think the last few years has taken a lot out of him?

I think he needs to be back involved. He's obsessed with football to the point that his wife complains because when they go on holiday, he's always disappearing for a kick-about with the kids.

Give him a supportive board who let him do his job and he'll be in heaven.

Would you have Rafa back yes or no.....why don't you phone a friend!!!

But Rafa didn't compete really did he? I mean he was up there in a few seasons but he took a side which won the champions league and took it to 5th in 5 years. And in that time he added a world class striker to the side. liverpool fans bleat on about the board but they don't manage what happens on the pitch. That squad should have easily been able to get champions league. So if he can't get champions league with a side like that how's he going to get it with our's? And then you add into that the fiasco at Inter. He took another champions league winning side and took them to 6th in a sub-standard serie A.

Of course the board manage what happens on the pitch.

When your manager and top players sign contracts on the proviso that they'll soon be joined by more world class players, how can they be expected to stay motivated when it transpires they were lied to?

There reached a point when Liverpool stopped being run by football people and started being run by financiers with the remit to reduce debt whilst making the club as attractive as possible to potential investors/buyers. For the whole of 2010, nobody was interested in what was happening on the pitch. The bank wanted their money back, the owners wanted their profit, the supporters wanted the owners gone and the players wanted to leave.

And in the middle of it all was Rafa.

Don't get me wrong - I'm sure he made mistakes at Liverpool. But there is a mountain of mitigation.

So you would have Rafa back?

I wanted Moyes....but if Randy gets Carlo in....I will write to the Queen...Arise Sir Randoplh!!!

Rafa's legacy my arse....the only reason the fat spanish clearing in the woods never got the bullet earlier, was that you had to pay off all his mates ...BTW how many of Rafa's legacy are still employed.

It doesn't matter to me whether Rafa is your next manager or not.

I'm just giving you my interpretation so you can make an informed judgment.

Take it or leave it.

For the record, none of Rafa's mates are at Liverpool anymore and neither is the management team that sacked them.

So are you saying you would have Rafa back?

I know that it's only a bit of recent betting, but if it IS Benitez, there's something that some people on here need to contemplate. In Rafa's words - THE FACTS!

-He's a dour man at times, stubborn and sarcastic at his worst - but he WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE and got to another final.

-Some don't like his defensive side and zonal marking, squad rotations etc but he WON TWO LA LIGA TITLES

-He's not the flavour of the month after his Liverpool showing, but the last club that wanted him were at the time EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS

-He's not going to be as popular as Ancelotti on here, but IN COMPARISON WITH OUR PREVIOUS BOSSES, HE'S ACTUALLY IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE RESULTS-WISE!

I'm not his greatest fan, but you have to consider the 'facts' that he has won more in his career than Aston Villa have in their history. We could do worse, no?

Ps. I didn't even have to mention the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA cups, etc did I?

You are aware that if the FSW is our manager he will bring his own team in....thus dispensing of our youth academy staff..he did at Liverpool.

Considering how well your academy is doing, my guess is he'd leave it well alone.

He fought for control of the Liverpool academy for years - not because he was on a power trip but because it wasn't producing any quality.

Finally, he got his way in 2009 - appointed Borrell and Segura (ex La Masia) to run the show and now the youngsters are emerging.

This current crop of kids coming through at Liverpool is Rafa's legacy.

Rafa's legacy my arse....the only reason the fat spanish clearing in the woods never got the bullet earlier, was that you had to pay off all his mates ...BTW how many of Rafa's legacy are still employed.

I know that it's only a bit of recent betting, but if it IS Benitez, there's something that some people on here need to contemplate. In Rafa's words - THE FACTS!

-He's a dour man at times, stubborn and sarcastic at his worst - but he WON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE and got to another final.

-Some don't like his defensive side and zonal marking, squad rotations etc but he WON TWO LA LIGA TITLES

-He's not the flavour of the month after his Liverpool showing, but the last club that wanted him were at the time EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS

-He's not going to be as popular as Ancelotti on here, but IN COMPARISON WITH OUR PREVIOUS BOSSES, HE'S ACTUALLY IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE RESULTS-WISE!

I'm not his greatest fan, but you have to consider the 'facts' that he has won more in his career than Aston Villa have in their history. We could do worse, no?

Ps. I didn't even have to mention the FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA cups, etc did I?

You are aware that if the FSW is our manager he will bring his own team in....thus dispensing of our youth academy staff..he did at Liverpool.

If McClaren is appointed I will happily punch Randolph Lerner on the nose!!!

I've had 25-1 on drawing at half time and England winning at 90 mins. With Milner and Walcott starting maybe i'm in with a shout after all

Not a bad shout mate but I think we will smash them 3/4-0 with DB9 scoring first.

Neither Downing or Young in the England team which I find surprising....maybe Capello has decided they need bringing down a peg or two. Either that or he thinks their heads are not in the right frame of mind?

very surprising, but quite amusing

To be fair how can Milner be picked infront of either of tham having hardly kicked a ball for Man City....Walcott has he showed against us has been poor for most of the season...but maybe its because they don't play for a top 4 team.