thunderball

What do I know, but seems Martinez needs time to develop and we need to kick-on yesterday - doesn't seem a comfortable fit, especially after the season we've just had - if he doesn't pull up trees by Christmas the fans will be have had enough - they have suffered enough. I don't know too much about Martinez, all I do know is having seen Wigan a few times this season, it occurred to me that they have more underrated players than many teams, but they still struggled (didn't we all?). I just haven't been knocked out by Wigan or Martinez, no more than say Coyle, or dare I say it our friend Holloway? I just think after one lost season, and with so many Villa players needing reassurance or they will leave, we need to appoint someone who can knock heads together or have sufficient gravitas that they command respect, I just don't see Martinez in that mould, certainly not at the moment in his career. We need a Ancelotti, Benitez or at the very least Moyes (even though he is a Scottish MON).

What this about Mysteryman posting on H&V?? I feel cheated. My money's still on Ancelotti. Or someone left field, not yet mentioned.

Grow up! He also won the CL and also got to another final and not forgetting the second place finish with an amount of points that would have won the league any other year. Exactly.........won the CL with by far the weakest set of players ever to have won the CL (Baros up front?!). And he finished 2nd in the league with only 2 or 3 really good players in his squad. He surely would be the more likely to take us on to another level than a Hughes or Moyes who would never get us above 6th or 7th? Bring him in, get behind him. Its Benitez for me. Just get over the Liverpool & Barry thing, please. He has an excellent CV with a European reputation, and has performed with big clubs at the right end of the table in England (nearly won the prem), Italy (good spell, difficult to follow Mourinho) and Spain (a winner here), done very well in European competitions, has a wealth of Premiership experience, importantly won at the highest level football offers. I respect Moyes, but Rafa makes him look like novice. Trust me, if you put your petty club v club nonsense away, he is the outstanding candidate by far, everyone else is a distant second. Rafa is as good as we can hope for as a club, and the sooner it happens the better.

For all the anti McLaren and Raffa posts, both are good managers. Raffa in particular would be good for the club. For me, with Ancelotti out of the frame, its Benitez 1st choice, with Jol or Moyes as second choice, and I would risk Rijkaard if none of those three were available. I don't want Martinez, Hughes or McLaren, but I do think McLaren would do a good job for the club. Is Claudio Ranieri available, he has some gravitas and would be popular with the fans?

Sick of his sort to be honest. Epitomises football today and we have a whole load of them at VP. You wait, it'll be Bent next. Randy, sort out the Management situation immediately and get us out of limbo for the third time this season, get rid of the dross, dead wood and mercenaries and set about about pursuing the new project. As for Downing, tell him £18m and you can go if your agent finds another club before 1st July, otherwise knuckle down and shut up because you may be player of the season but that counts for little this season.

The problem is with Ireland: despite his young age he's had loads of chances. The bottom line is he is an idiot with no sense of responsibility and evidently nobody sensible advising him. I'll bet it's no coincidence that he has fallen foul of the Irish FA set up (Trapattoni?), Mancini, Houllier and now Pardew. He has no diplomacy, being at the source of several negative press articles bad mouthing the Irish FA, Man City, Birmingham (the area) etc, and then rubbing his employer's nose in it by lashing it up etc. I reckon if he could shut up and actually put in a shift rather than bemoan his misfortune, he might win some friends and influence people. In any footballl club there is always someone waiting for you to **** up and take your place. I'm sick of the guy and his sort. He needs a serious reality check and start facing up to his responsibilities. Don't want to see this idiot in our shirt again, if he shows any form I will always think he's looking for his ticket out of the club.

Agree. I'm sick of hearing people say give him another chance, give him a pre-season. He's a waster. I hope that goes for GH too There are no parallels between Ireland and GH. None at all, whatever you think of GH's reign.

He's a lost cause, he's arrogant and stupid, and now it seems he's also injury prone. Always dogged by controversy and there is no mystery to that as it usually happens when you cross big ego/reality detachment/mega bucks/low IQ/PL footballer. Like a PLC company that issues a profit warning, cut your losses and dump the stock immediately at whatever cost. File him under "another well-intended mistake". That drawer is getting full now.

Is Moyes another O'Neill - solid but unspectacular, good on a shoestring, wringing the best out of average players? Has he shown he can step up like 'Arry has?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Wanted to see Makoun on for Heskey in the second half, but perhaps just as well it was Gabby. In fairness to Makoun, other than a few stout tackles and one good cross field pass, NRC looked no better than Makoun last week and I felt Makoun could have had more influence in the middle today. Difficult to argue after the win, but my thoughts anyway.

And the best thing is the boy is going to get better. If Houllier plays to his strengths (and sorts our pitiful defence), who knows where we could go. £18m or £25m, it is a bargain, the lad is worth at least £30m today, and more than that to Aston Villa.

No, quite wrong. The sooner these two go the better - Warnock hasn't been good for more than 12 months and is very disrespectful to the club and fans, we are better off without this kind parasite. Ireland: it would cruel to call most people stupid, however with Ireland you are on safe ground. How this boy has what he has is one of life's injustices.

He seemed off the pace today and consequently seemed rushed into sloppiness - he usually knows the pass to make before he receives the ball but today he seemed one step behind. When the understanding with other players comes he will be terrific - he's as quick minded as any player I know.

At least Makoun has got it to start with, that gives him a chance. We won't see his best until next season, it's been stop start for him, but he only has himself to blame for that. If he sorts out his discipline he could be terrific, especially if he gets some quality along side him.

100% this. We looked a unit yesterday. We can do ourselves a power of good if we win against Newcastle and West Ham, but if we lose either we could well be looking at the form of others to save us.

We win...... STAY We draw/lose...... GO! It's a bloody pantomime. What did he do wrong today, shouldn't have played A Young and Bent, someone else might have scored? Pathetic. As the saying goes: "When the Gods wish to punish us they they give us what we pray for". You might just get what you pray for.

HA! Come on, every side is a mixture of quality, but just shows how far ahead Man U & City, Arse, Chelsea and Spurs are. Liverpool have similar problems to us though. Goes to show 6th is about the best we can expect unless Randy doubles his investment. For what it's worth, I think Delph is ready. And Ireland was missed from the lists above. Oh, and why would Young stay?

Forget Houllier, Big names were given a chance tonight, what's does this say about Heskey, Gabby, Fonz? Also I think we know where we stand with Petrov and Bradley after tonight. GH called badly by playing 4-3-3, we stuffed in the centre.

Great debate, but the bottom line is that J2M is going to be a star. Two more like him and we will be Barcelona

The next game must be: Brad (do we have anyone else?) Walker Collins Cuellar Clark Alby Makoun NRC Bradley Young Bent Subs: Heskey, Delfoneso, Bannan, Downing........ Looking forward to Young and Delph coming back.

This. I suppose we shouldn't forget Fulham are no mugs, they properly turned over a good Spurs side last week.

I was looking forward to the rest of this season. Now I just want it over. Friedel, Gabby, Petrov, Downing and Young can all go as far as I am concerned, there must be better out there and have run out of patience, they need new challenges and we need a change.

He's here, he's there He's every **** where Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun He's thin, he's black And never passes back Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun With spi-key hair And a nice line in knitwear Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun He makes more passes Than Hugh Hefner's had lasses Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun He's here to stay Until we win the league some day Jean Makoun, Jean Makoun and so on.....

As long as Jean II Makoun stays in the summer I dont care who leaves. My only regret is that he's not 25 because we could build the team around him. If GH picks up more like Super Makoun, I can't wait.