CVByrne

Nonsense. You have no way of knowing that regardless, but I disagree entirely anyway. I son't think there's anyway in the world he'd take that. I think you are letting your desire for Jol and dislike of Houllier cloud your judgement of how things actually are. Sounds about right, so many have made up their own stories to fit their arguements that Houllier is rubbish just because he isn't the cnadidate that they wanted. i think he will be a breath of fresh air to the club and I can see us moving forward again. Probably not top 4 but certainly consolidating 6th if not pushing 5th. What I can't stand on these forums is people making up things that others are supposed to have said. I have never said Houllier was rubbish, you are simply being lazy or outright lying. I've said he's a good manager and the best of the ones available but I have worries about his abilities in the transfer market. I've said for weeks we should get someone in who we can get rid of next summer if we can get a better manager. So my opinions on this have been consistent for weeks. Long before Houllier emerged as the fav.

Nonsense. You have no way of knowing that regardless, but I disagree entirely anyway. I son't think there's anyway in the world he'd take that. I think you are letting your desire for Jol and dislike of Houllier cloud your judgement of how things actually are. My dislike for Houllier cloud my judgement? I've been saying we should get Sven for a year weeks ago. He'd jump at the chance to repair his rep in a season with us where if he did well he'd get an extension. He took over Ivory Coast for the World Cup. That was totally temporary. I think it's far from nonsense. I'm glad if Houllier is getting only 2 years. That means we can still go for a younger manager next summer without much pay off required to Houllier.

Sven would take that job in a heartbeat under those circumstances. He has a decent club record to boot. If there is a similar plan afoot with Houllier I'd be very happy and have muchos respect for Lerner. Signing a 2 year contract means paying him off for the remaining year if the season doesn't go well would hardly be costly. And I'm sure Houllier, being a very nice man in his 60's wouldn't be too bothered if he didn't have it anymore.

What I'm hoping for is that it's a trial period for Houllier. That at the end of the season we can all reassess the season we had. That There can be an amicable split if it's not working out with say half the remaining contract being paid up. Then someone else can be approached. Maybe the club realise that there isn't any way the can get a manager they really want at the beginning of a season like this, and Houllier has the potential to be either a success or failure.

Can people please read all my posts rather than just one random one from a conversation and reply to just that. I have said, appoint a permanent manager who knows he has to prove himself this season to keep the job ie 3 year contract with the option of his contract being cancelled in May with a nominal pay off of say 1mil. While at the same time line up Jol or someone else in March to take over in the summer in the likely event the manager isn't good enough.

He was successful at Spurs, Hamburg and is doing well at Ajax. So basically he's a successful manager. Trophies are not simply the measure of how good a manager is. For me league placement is the real proof of the pudding, cup runs require luck, a full league season requires consistency. So would you rather we finished 5th this season without a cup, or 10th with winning a cup? I know which I would prefer... I didn't say that at all did I? I said the measure of a manager is not simply down to the silverware he has won. A manager can do a great job with a team that's not good enough to win silverware and a poor manager can win silverware with a good team. How well he's done with Ajax last season has been very impressive. He's done well in the league for Spurs, Hamburg and Ajax and he will win silverware in his career. Remember he only got his forst real job in 2004 with Spurs.

We could have got a manager in on a "2 year contract" but who knows it's a 1 year with an option for another. A manager who can accept that and try earn that extension. But we line up Jol, Moyes etc.. for next May. So we have a permanent manager, players will have to respect and then t can be sorted out in May if he does an excellent job we keep him, if it's average or poor we get in the man we want.

He would be the best option for the temporary role in my opinion. He's a good manager who's only major flaw in my eyes are his transfer record. So a season as manager with no activity in January would be the best option. Then Jol, Moyes or Hughes to take over in May. But I'm sure Houllier will get the full 2 years and be given money to spend next summer.

He was successful at Spurs, Hamburg and is doing well at Ajax. So basically he's a successful manager. Trophies are not simply the measure of how good a manager is. For me league placement is the real proof of the pudding, cup runs require luck, a full league season requires consistency.

That's very risky, Jol only entertained Fulham in order to get some transfer funds out of the Ajax board, we could spend a year courting him with one of the three clowns you mentioned buggering up the club only for Jol to either be not interested or accept a better job offer come May. What we need most of all is the stability that comes with the appointment of a proper manager else we'd end up with all our good players putting in transfer requests come January 1st. I think it would be easy to find out if he wanted to come to Villa. By all accounts he wanted to go to Fulham and Ajax simply refused. Also we could see if Moyes or Hughes were interested in coming. A full year gives us plenty of time to get one of them. I want someone who can be here for 4/5 years at least and make their mark, someone who is ambituous and young. We could appoint Sven who has done good work at club level for the year. Make out it's permanent and let him get on with the job. No instability, no players leaving as no big signings happen in January.

Why are the irish the one's who are kicking off the most? Because he was the worst manager in Irish football history and resulted in many of the most shambolic performances ever witnessed by an Irish team.

If you were Randy who would YOU be hiring then? Over the course of today I've only seen you criticise what the club have done (and apologies if I've missed an important post to the contrary) so I'd be interested to know what you'd have done in the Randy's shoes. No Irish person will forget how useless Staunton was. Hammered 5-2 by Cyprus. Steven Ireland won't be best pleased either. As for management I've posted 100 times what I think we should do. Apologies for missing those 100 posts then. That said I've looked through back to page 378 and not found any of them. I've seen you say what we SHOULD'NT do, but sadly I've missed the ones that say what you'd be doing in Randy's shoes. Any chance you can do me a favour and tell me where I can find them? You haven't looked very hard at all. In my discussion with BOF I said we should appoint a manager until May (Sven, Curbs or Southgate would jump at the chance) and spend the year trying to get Jol lined up for then. Jol wanted to joining Fulham so he'd be interested in coming here. We should not accept the best of whats available, we should wait until we get the right manager and Jol has done a good job at Spurs, Hamburg and Ajax. That was what I think we should do.

According to a poster about an hour or two ago he was mentioned on Sky Sports News as possibly being reserve manager at Villa, while instead of Thompson has been convinced to stay with Sky. So you have no frame of reference here, Donny. You're like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants to know... (TM The Big Lebowski)

I agree with you Cracker old boy. All that aruging over Thommo seems a bit wasted now doesn't it? Not wanting him because he gave some opinions on Villa people didn;t like was a stupid reason to begin with. I remember he took over when Houllier was ill and he did an excellent job. Always respected him after that. Would be worried who Houllier has as his no2 now with the Staunton rumours. I'd like KMac if he was Houlliers choice and not the boards.

Steve **** Staunton?! What an impressive coaching pedigree he has.... Ireland - failed Leeds - failed Darlington - failed Can anybody point to anything that he's got going for him? OK he played for Villa, but is that really enough to get him on the coaching payroll? To say he failed with Ireland is giving him too much credit. He was the worst manager we've ever had. 5-2 we were beaten by Cyprus, injury time winner needed to beat the Fraroe Isles. Shocking.

If you were Randy who would YOU be hiring then? Over the course of today I've only seen you criticise what the club have done (and apologies if I've missed an important post to the contrary) so I'd be interested to know what you'd have done in the Randy's shoes. No Irish person will forget how useless Staunton was. Hammered 5-2 by Cyprus. Steven Ireland won't be best pleased either. As for management I've posted 100 times what I think we should do.

Like it. Although to mention Alexandra Burke and not Jeff Buckley in reference to that song is just a little bit criminal! I was thinking the same thing.

Please not Staunton. I can't have him, not after what he did as manager of Ireland. We'll never forgive him for that.

if Kmac is assistant, is that Houlliers hand being forced or his own choice do you think?

So he resigned from Sky for nothing? Do you think it was all some sort of practical joke played on him? Stelling ringing him up and putting on a fake french accent, perhaps, "Oh, Phil, would you like to come back in to management with me at Villa? Okay you are in but you need to resign from Sky first." I think he's taking Jeff's spot on countdown.

So would I. I actually thought that was the best of part of the Houllier appointment.. I agree, Thompson would be good to have barking orders to the players. If we were to get Houllier I think we should have got him too. Just because he was paid to express his opinion on Sky Sports doesn't mean he would be bad as an assistant manager.

I need to avoid this message board. People's opinions are so completely bonkers it has me pulling my hair out. So now O'Neill's signings were terrible? Despite our entire first team bar Gabby being his signings. For what 60mil net? He built our squd for 60mil and he was shit at signing players??? Why are peoples opinions of O'Neill twisted by the manner of his departure? He was shit because he left. Oh grow up you lot.

I really don't care if you think he was a clearing in the woods, he was a success for this club. Plain and simple and his time here will be viewed as such. Especially outside the twisted opinions of eternally bitter fans. he wont go down as a great Villa manager as he never won anything for the club and in 50 years will just be a footnote like DOL The fact you compare him to DOL is a dsgrace. You are such a bitter petty person. O'Neill fixed what was broken by DOL. We should all remember that.

Seriously what was wrong with Knight? He was brought in to do a job and did it well enough. We then sold him for a profit. I can't see how people consider Knight such a failure. maybe switch Davies for Knight I do love how people used O'Neills no playing of Davies as a reason to slag him off, then when Davies has a few shockers this season they switch it to Davies was a rubbish signing. Davies was good when played with a dominant defensive partner like Laursen up until his injury this time last year. Who knows maybe he'll regain form he showed at times, he's still young.

I really don't care if you think he was a clearing in the woods, he was a success for this club. Plain and simple and his time here will be viewed as such. Especially outside the twisted opinions of eternally bitter fans.