pete165

Count me as one. Houllier had won a fair bit up there as well. those were the days when liverpool were funded man city style - and we had endless pundits discussing the secrets of liverpools success how long ago was his last trophy we don't want \ need a another overhyped ex scouse boss Sorry to do this but when exactly was OUR last trophy?

Are you sure about that? On european cups, 1 each on every other measure? FAIL I hold my hands up there - a bit hyperbolic - but consider the recent history and you can see the point I'm making, I'm sure.

I just can't quite believe the amount of seemingly intelligent villa fans that have become so picky that they wouldn't bite the hand off of a massively successful manager with bucketloads of contacts in the top leagues just because he came to a ignominious end at Liverpool.

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 it means us being successful, sometimes you have to accept change. You can't keep everything as it is, then complain about mediocrity - simple as that.

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?

Sign me up. Just to clarify, I only agreed to shag the donkey during the previous managerial merry-go-round.

My thoughts: Ancelotti - the equivalent of us signing a world class player in his prime - so not realistic, but worth an ask obviously. He's one of the best managers in the world, has won everything and his stock has hardly fallen by coming 2nd. Would be the most high profile manager that the club has had in modern times, by a long long way. Surely impossible, but we can dream. Hughes - not just a 'safe' option - a good young manager who has done well at each club he's been at - don't underestimate his time at Blackburn. To get Fulham 8th was also a really good achievement last season. Can certainly spot a good player (Dembele, Kompany) and would offer a much needed stability. Jol - known for attractive football, he's a smart and likeable guy who I'm sure we'd all warm to. At Ajax, his team scored plenty of goals and he was very poorly treated at Spurs considering the results he got there and the players that he brought through. Mclaren - not the clown that the press make him out to be, but wasn't really deserving of the England job in the first place, given that he was just a 'yes man' to take over from Sven. Some achievement at boro, but bankrolled and let's not forget the moment when Cattermole cried as we beat his lot 4-0 and the fan ran on to rip his Boro season ticket up. Wouldn't be impressed with this one and I'm not jumping on a bandwagon - he's just not a very inspiring choice, despite some success abroad. Martinez - my sneaky pick actually - young, attacking, good football and although he hasn't actually done that well at Wigan, only keeping them up on the last day, he'd have better resources with us and I think he's a smart coach. Benitez - I don't like the man - stubborn, petty, lost it at Liverpool with sarcastic interviews and poor morale. But he's won the Spanish title at a non Madrid/Barca club as well as the Champs League, so you can't really knock his overall record. Possibly a new start is all he needed. Inter Milan wanted him and they're no mugs, so he'd certainly have plenty of contacts. Moyes - like many, my favourite. Good guy, integrity, eye for a player, great dressing room, real intelligence and potential to get even better. Too much class to leave his Everton post, I'd have thought - but ironically it's that character that makes him such a likeable manager. Overall, apart from McClaren, everyone on the list above would improve us - and that's coming from someone that actually thinks Houllier would've cracked it if he'd been given time.

mark hughes keeps getting mentioned but I don't think it will be him, actually.

bookies are wrong, as are pundits. it's not going to be hughes - he's staying at fulham.

Just got home from the Emirates. What a brilliant day out that was! I'd expected very little based on our current form but had a sneaky feeling as I was there when we won 2-0 a few years back. However, on that day I rung 'Call Collymore' to explain that Steve Sidwell was the new Pele, so my 'sneaky feelings' aren't all correct. Anyway, my thoughts on today were that we were excellent first half and especially in the first 20 minutes or so. In the second we held on through a bit of luck and some heroic blocks / Friedel saves / Arsenal misses. On the first half pen shout, I've got to say that I was right in front of it, with a better view than either the ref or the linesman (right behind our goal) and it did look a pen and sending off. Got lucky there and when they hit the post, but hey, you need a bit of luck at the Emirates - let's remember they've beaten both Man Utd and Barcelona in home games this season. So overall we rode our luck and showed that we can be a good team. Bent is priceless and I thought Reo-Coker did magnificently in midfield. Petrov was bit off the pace 2nd half but always leads us well.

Why is everyone saying that we're safe? Wolves win tomorrow and Wigan would be SIX behind us with SIX to play for. If we got thumped against EITHER Liverpool or Arsenal we'd go down on goal difference.

I didn't see the game but surely the performance can't have been that bad, given that we only drew? Safe now I think. Roll on next season. 1) It was that bad 2) We're not safe.

could still go down. easily. only need a wolves win at home tomorrow to leave us only 6 ahead of wigan, who'd be 3rd bottom. considering they'd have west ham at home next and us arsenal away, it's by no mean guaranteed we'll stay up. worst performance today that i've seen in a long long time.

If we don't score win this afternoon, there is still a real possibility of us going down. Just did the BBC predictor and it's not over.

maybe we need to SUPPORT the team rather than damn it after 10 minutes. Come on villa - you can do this!!!!!

disappointing start but let's not give up just yet blimey some people's reactions are so over the top it's worrying - are you guys really that depressed?

we've lost today but it's not the end of the world, people. Yes, a disappointing season. But calm down some of you. If your entire weekend is ruined by Villa losing, there's a bigger problem in your life. Have some **** perspective.

Some thoughts: -You can't judge the performance / quality of our football on today - Stoke's gameplan is unique, defensive and direct, which really does a lot to stop their opposition's fluidity. We aren't the first decent team to look dreadful against them. Yes, there are some very fine teams who can still beat them and beat them well - but we looked average in that department today. Need far more movement and creativity in midfield, more drive and energy - never was James Milner missed more than today. -Individuals did ok, Collins and Dunne did fine really considering the pressure that Jones puts on them with every clearance, long throw etc. -Albrighton brought some much needed energy, would like to see Gabby start next time out at home too. -Luke Young, while doing ok, is all right foot and that slowed any possibly pacey build up down the left with his constant cutting inside. No real running at the defence from Young either. -Bent was the reason we didn't lose this game 1-0. We created almost nothing in 90 minutes and you couldn't even call his goal a chance. It was out of completely nothing and, in that sense, it's a point gained. -In the context of other results today (which looked dodgy when Wolves and Wigan were ahead!), it's just one of those where you have to look forward to the next game, where West Brom will play football and so will we! To sum up everyone's thoughts....... MEH. Just MEH.

Quite simply the bold, big signing that has saved our season. I really believe that he's kept us up. The way he took our goals against Everton, Man City and West Ham were priceless. Credit to Houllier for being bold enough in having the ambition to sign someone of this calibre when his team were near the bottom of the league.

they've been pretty poor, but we look SO nervous it's untrue, both at the back and going forwards. No real fluency and I can see them scoring a couple, not through their great play but through our nervousness. Really worry every time it comes down their left. Am so glad we've scored - but we must play better than this. Nowhere near as good as we were at Everton. We really could do with going 4-3-3 . Gabby has been a passenger in truth and I think some proper width would be useful. With the amount we're lumping, the other option is Heskey for Gabby.

I bet he doesn't. Petrov's a good player and will come to the fore today, I guarantee it.

Petrov's not been great this season. But he's a good player with quality and considering he'll be fresh and pumped up, I'm more than happy to see him in the team. NRC is handy, especially away from home, but it's a positive side, no question. We need to win our home games and I'm pleased at the amount of players in that team capable of scoring a goal. If we need to tighten up, NRC can come on, if we need a goal, Albrighton, Pires and Heskey are good options, no doubt. Sneaky feeling Gabby will come good today. COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There's a lot of nonsense being written on here recently - more so than I've ever noticed before. I put it down to the panic in people. I put a lot of the team's problems at the moment down to the same nervousness. We need a couple of wins to get the confidence back and that's why they call it a dogfight. But I still sincerely believe we'll have enough and that we'll win 2 out of the last four home games.

if ever we needed a performance from Ashley Young it is today. In the summer I don't care if he heads off, as long as he scores a couple today and gets us to 36 points.

Our bench of Petrov, Pires, Cuellar, Delph, Albrighton, Heskey is something most sides outside the top 6 would kill to have. We really do deserve to go down if we can't get another 10 points with that bench each week from now on. I can understand some of the results this season when Hogg, Baker etc were playing. But really, the squad as it stands isn't bad at all. COME ONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!