ferguson1

Hope it is untrue, but anything is possible with Fox! You only have to look at the Adama situation.

Being a retirement home or finding the right players to get us out of the Chamionship are two very different things. I would take Walters, Barry, Barton etc in a heartbeat.

Not having a go at you here, but how would anyone know this? Contracts are very personal, as are the amount someone actually earns. So unless someone from the club, his agent or Amavi confirm this, I for one don't believe it. Moreover, if for any reason it was truth, I would want to know how it has been made public.

Whether it be Pearson or someone else, one thing is for sure that unless we have new owners, the new manager is going to have to work to a budget. Now I have said this many times over, like many others on here, previous Villa managers have talked about having financial restraints, needing to reduce the wage bill etc etc, but the fact is we have bought very poorly over the last five/six years. Players like Ireland, Davies, N'Zogbia to name a few. Players with no sell on value. When we have attempted to buy cheaper from the lower leagues and abroad, we appear to have done that badly. Teams like Leicester, Bournemouth, Southampton, Swansea, Watford etc have had far smaller budgets than ours, but appear to have bought the right mix of players in the main. One example of this is Marc Albrighton - he may not get the star headlines week in week out, but he is willing, a real worker and appears to have the right attitude. I don't particularly care anymore who the manager is, but hope that they can build the right team to firstly gain promotion, maintain a footing in the Premiership, then push for a consistent top ten finish. Not going to be easy this job, but not impossible and a manager needing money to rebuild isn't the answer. A manager that can lead, have respect, is savvy in the market and can coach are the main ingredients required.

I agree to an extent that the team yesterday wasn't great, but we scored two goals away and should have got something. I remember a team that Alex McLeish put out at Spurs away roughly five years ago that still gives me nightmares. Think we played six defenders that day and failed to get a shot on target! So worst team ever seen in the league, no. The quicker Black is removed though the better.

Re the Newcastle game, I personally would much rather play Toner there. At least the fans would get behind him, rather than the other names mentioned above.

To make some sort of sense of it and I don't agree with Black's thinking by the way, was that firstly, the subsitution disrupts play. Secondly, I can only assume that his thinking was that Sinclair would run the channels/corners and act as an out ball. We were inviting pressure, depending ever so deep and simply giving the ball back to them too easily. However, from a coaches point of view, I would have brought on Richards and kept the five across the back. Black said that they had practised this for a few days, so why then make the back line a four after the sending off? Richards may have at least got in the way of some of those crosses! Still scratching my head too to be honest.

Quite simply out of his depth in the Premiership, not helped by a shocking defence in front of him. Wouldn't even be happy keeping him as back up next season. Has to go I'm afraid. Marshall at Cardiff would do us a job next season.

Have already made a similar comment in the Black thread, but if we cannot get a new manager to start next week, I would sack Black now and have Brian Little run the team until the end of the season! I know the same players would no doubt put in the same performances but at least the fans would be fully supportive of Little. The atmosphere alone for the Newcastle game would improve. The longer he stays, Black is seriously causing more damage.

Know absolutely nothing about Grigg but Wells is someone I have mentioned many times in this thread. If we are to persist/keep Gestede, then we need a Defoe type player next to him. Someone that is mobile, has pace and most importantly scores goals. I am happy to keep Gestede next season because we cannot get rid of the whole squad, but we desperately need a reliable goal scorer to get out of the Championship. Replying on Gestede alone to do this would be damaging to our chances in my opinion.

Just realised, he defends similar to how I stretch for the remote!

Aston Villa

If we cannot get a new manager to start next week, I would sack Black within the next hour and have Brian Little run the team until the end of the season!

Losing mentality, weak, lacklustre, brittle, and completely broken club!

Quality, but I actually laughed more at the guy with the glasses bottom of the screen for some season.

West Brom, on lower wages!

I would like to think of him more as "rotund" actually. After all, the guy has been on a two week fitness programme. Bit harsh that!

There are not many footballers that I actually hate but N'Zogbia typifies everything I hate about certain modern footballers. No respect, don't care attitude and to put it simply "a money sucking leach". The type of footballer that sucks the money out of the club and then simply walks away, without a care about whether they have even played. Should be a national bank holiday when he finally walks away! Another that I can't wait to see moved to the "Other football" thread. **edit** fair play if he does make a financial gesture to the people facing redundancy but it still won't change my overall opinion of him.

Jog on Gabby! Oh sorry I forgot you can't, roll out then please.

This. Remember those times well and we did have a good squad, which could have done better. Wasn't it Gregory at the time that said "if only we'd signed Muzzy Izzet, we'd of won the league"? I did quite like him though but bringing him back would be ludicrous.

My opinion of him has not changed one bit! Very much doubt he wrote the piece above and it's too little too late. Thanks for some memories but still hope he is out the door in the summer. Call me cynical but is a new manager on his way in very shortly and someone is attempting to build bridges? Big clear out required, starting with him.

Is he not just misunderstood? Only joking, was bored! Hope we never see him in the shirt again and some Middle Eastern club take him off our hands. One of many to go in the summer i hope.

Believe me Richard he is by far from my first choice, as it would have been Dyche for me but I am just being realistic now. If Pearson can start tomorrow I would bring him in because Black is doing more harm than good at present.

This. His presence at the training ground would be good for morale and no doubt he would bring an air of professionalism but playing first team football is a big step! I would love to see it but think it's very doubtful. Top man for saying his priority is Villa though - refreshing to here amongst all the doom and gloom.

The more I think about it I would take Pearson right now if it meant that he started straightaway and worked with the current squad until the end of the season. As much as I'd want 90% of this squad gone in the summer, it's probably not realistic and someone needs to work out quickly who's worth keeping/working with and who should go. The thought of waiting for a manager until the summer and then they assess the squad during pre-season fills me with dread. Big rebuilding job required and I want a manager to realise this quickly.