thejoker

Does seem strange to leave Everton for Championship bound West Ham. Watch this space...

Gotta love Bent!!! My only criticism (and its not really that) is that he needs to score in front of the Holte!!!

Hi General, Think it's safe for you to come back now Great win/performance today, just shows what this squad could achieve, just got to wonder why we haven't played like this more often...

Benitez, no one else's CV (that we could realistically get) comes close.

Out of morbid curiosity. What would you be happy with ? 6th/7th ? Were you content with that under O'Neill or did you want/expect more ? I doubt we'll EVER finish in the top 4 again. So i've just accepted that and realised I don't actually care. As long as we 'try' to aim high i'm ok with falling short I've never thought of the top 4 as some great triumph anyway. Winning something yes, finishing 4/3/2 = Not really that bothered Spurs have proved that it can be done. It's just about getting the right manager and the right players. Spurs don't spend more than us on wages or transfer fees - I think we just need to be better in the transfer market.

He won the Champions League as a player, so I'm sure he knows how top players behave.

I wouldn't be too dissapointed with Mark Hughes. He has a solid track record (Got Wales into top 30 in world I believe, got Blackburn to the edge of the European places consistantly, Almost got City into top 4 but wasn't given time, and has Fulham playing nice stuff and in the top half). He has no failures on his CV and is willing to sign from abroad (Santa Cruz) - we could do a lot worse.

Hi General, I just wanted to point out what a terrific job Roy Hodgson has done at West Brom since he took over a couple of months ago. I would also like you to consider the fact that he hasn't made a single signing (as he arrived after the transfer window closed) and he has led West Brom to one defeat in 10 games - they were previously in freefall. Now, not for one minute am I suggesting we should try and get Roy Hodgson to Villa. I just want you to compare the job he has done at West Brom to the one that Gerard Houllier and Gary MacAllister have done with us (taking into account we have spent around £30m and are no better). The right appointment at Villa will galvanise the team and major spending will be avoided. I just have a fear Randy will throw a load more money Gerard's way in the summer and we'll be no better off next season.

I don't think you can say if he was good enough Liverpool would have kept him, there's more to it than that - the fact he didn't get on with the owners for a start. And Chelsea sacked Mourinho, that doesn't mean he wouldn't be good enough for us. I agree about Moyes, I think he could do a fine job at Villa, but I think Benitez would instantly improve our profile and send a message out to other teams than we mean business.

I really do not want another Liverpool reject. If he is not good enough for Liverpool he is not good enough for Villa. Given all the stick he has taken from the Holte End being a fat Spanish waiter, I think he would face the same sort of problems as Houllier. It has to be Moyes or Hughes for me. Seeing Sidwell set up Fulham's second goal yesterday made me think that Hughes has given him the confidence that our managers never could. So, your saying that Benitez (who has won a European Cup and a Spanish title with Valencia) isn't good enough for us, but Moyes and Hughes (who have won nothing between them in a combined 20 years in management) are good enough??

But we're not safe. IF we lose to Wigan, they will be 3 points behind us with 2 left to play (and we've got Arsenal and Liverpool which = 0 points for us!!).

Thing is he has managed bigger clubs than villa. He has very little experience of managing meduim sized clubs. Thats part of the difficulty of appointing a villa manager - we are neither big nor small. If your a Bolton, WBA, Wolves, Blackpool - you know you aren't going to be cutting massive deals & and if you are Manu Man C - picking up bargain basement players isn't a high priority - where as villa you need to be able to manage the big time charlies - yet sign the odd £3m gem from the chapionship. Thats why, despite his decorated CV benitez would IMO fail at Villa. IMO Moyes and Hughes have the skills we need. I can understand your argument, but we are a big club, we just signed a striker for £24m, not many other clubs could do that. MON spent a lot of money, not Randys fault he spent it on crap...

I'm actually warming to the idea of Benitez, as long as he doesn't see us as a stepping stone back to Anfield or Spain. I think his comments about buying into a "plan" and the "academy" is very much aimed at Randy. There's not any other European Cup winning managers that are likely to come to Villa any time soon.

I've said No because he clearly isn't fit enough to do the job. We can't rely on him being here week to week, let alone season to season. We need a fresh start in the summer.

I guess ticket sales will have a lot to do with it. If there is "meh" attitude from the fans over the summer and season ticket sales aren't up to scratch then I guess Randy wouldn't be left with much choice..

Not really going to say anything else though was he. We still have a manager, the season still has a month to run, and Kenwright hasn't sold Rodwell yet!

I doubt they would do something like that when we still currently have a manager. And it doesn't sound like a great idea to me, the players would want an easy life and would choose a manager as such, not necessarily the best manager.

I'm not so sure we will go foreign again. Villa have only had 2 foreign managers and neither has been a success (Houllier could change this obviously if he returns). I think Villa is a club that just fits a British manager better.

I'm sure Bent would have been given assurances of our ambition or he wouldn't have signed.

I wouldn't mind Big Sam (ducks for cover) Joker by name.............. :winkold: Haha, I seriously wasn't joking. I think he could do great at a big club given money and time. The football might be a bit dull, but did anyone really care when we were shit (to watch) under MON and winning?? 40k fans every week tells me not...

I wouldn't mind Big Sam (ducks for cover)

From the slight outsiders, I'd like to see Steve McClaren given the job. He won the dutch league with a small club and won the league cup at Boro (and got them to UEFA final - and look at them now!). England was a shambles, but which England manager in the past 10 years could you say has done a good job?

Superb header today. Not many other strikers that could have scored that!

I'm a Oui voter (and definately not a nose). There's definately signs of better football and I'm happy to give him the summer to ship out the trouble makers and sign his own players.

Would be a disaster IMO, hasn't really cut it anywhere since leaving Chelsea