El-Reacho

Overrated? I dont know anybody who rates him at all. Apart from MoN of course Paul Faulkner rates him as one of the best LB's in the premier league. He's certainly in the top 20.

James McClean at Sunderland is of similar age, experience, and from the same league as Enda (think he was even cheaper?). He was completely ignored by Bruce, who signed him, and has been thrown into the thick of it by O'Neill. He looks a real prospect and is now being talked up for Ireland's Euro 2012 squad. There's every chance Enda can emulate that.

Those clubs generate ten times the income that Villa do. We're vastly spending beyond the club's means as it is, so if the 'fans' were to take control of Villa and use only the club's generated income to fund the players we'd probably just implode, as we'd have to sell half the current squad to balance the books and then we'd subsequently get relegated. Then our parachute payments would run out and we would have no sky money, and might have 20,000 gates every week in the Championship. We would then have to re-adjust again accordingly selling any of the quality we might have left in our squad until we found our sustainable level. Probably bottom half of Championship - Leeds are pretty much self sustaining at this stage I think.

If things get really dire with McLeish we'll see what Lerner's plans are. As long as he's in the job a takeover is likely, however if RL forks out the £3m or whatever is required to get rid of him it's safe to say he's not interested in selling any time soon.

Just noticed that Carlo Ancelotti seems to have agreed to take the PSG job. Interesting that the guy who started the Villa/QSI takeover rumours on that other forum said one thing that was certain is that Ancelotti would not be involved with Villa if a takeover were to take place. Possibly because he knew he had the PSG job last week? - might give him some cred. I know Ancelotti has been linked with PSG since Leonardo's involvement with the club but Kombuoare's job seemed secure after their last few games. Nothing like keeping yourself entertained with random internet rumours....

Paul Doyle made a good point in the Guardian a few weeks back in that historically when McLeish takes over a side he does well with the previous manager's squad and set-up, but as he starts to settle in and implement his own way of doing things and buying his own players things start to go downhill after a season or two. Don't want to think where that would leave us.....

My only issue with Lerner is his ability to appoint football staff. He has tried to think outside the box with his managerial appointments and it has gone spectacularly wrong both times. Right now I really don't care that Lerner is not investing in the squad because what's the point when McLeish is persevering with the current dross on the pitch. If we spent big money on anyone other than a defender they would be completely marginalised anyway - look at Bent. He won't let anyone whose vaguely attacking play to their strengths. Look at N'Zogbia now too. I wonder if Lerner has learned from how O'Neill's players have failed to gel with subsequent managers and is holding back on investing until he knows he has a manager that is going to be successful enough to be here for more than a year. I wouldn't give McLeish any money to spend right now.

I would have agreed with all your points in September but in December I think: I would take an overseas coach or an unproven PL coach from the lower leagues who has shown they can organise a football team to defend. I think this is all a manager needs to have achieved to date to match what McLeish has managed to date. All Lerner does is give his consultancy an brief when finding a manager - he must now know that he needs to change the brief and look at the likes of proven continental mangers, and Hughes etc. And also mangers in current PL jobs such as Brendan Rodgers. I agree that a manager needs time but McLeish has shown not even the slightest suggestion that he aspires to have Villa playing winning football. In the vast majority of games we've been set up to not conceed rather than to attack. We have a squad filled with players that want to play attacking football on the ground and to take risks in the opposition half but McLeish has them playing defensive roles or has dropped them if they don't adhere to his rules on the pitch. Paul Faulkner raved about how AMcL has rejuvinated Stephen Warnock into one of the best left backs int he PL after GH had sidelined him, and if that's the case then he and Randy can't fail to see the harm that McLeish is having on Darren Bent (their £18m investment) who had a handful of touches tonight, Barry Bannan, Marc Albrighton, Stephen Ireland (£8m?), Charles N'Zogbia etc. These players are becoming worthless under McLeish and the club will have to realise that sooner or later. The only positive thing from tonight and the defeat at WHL is that the mainstream sports media have now jumped on how pathetic Villa have become recently and this will resonate with RL and PF. I think this will only heighten over the Christmas fixtures.

Gave him my full support when he arrived as I didn't care about the BCFC issue and thought with a good squad of players like we currently have he wouldn't go with the negative dross he's renowned for but he's simply a miserable manager and we're now a miserable team that are universally hated. Houllier got the chop after an 8th place finish and that was with an aspiration for actually trying to win games, and a £18m layout for a striker that would keep us up. So hopefully RL will be as cut throat this time and sack him. And will learn from this appointment when searching for our next manager. Have never been so disinterested in PL football in the last 20 years.

Or because the players chose to ignore AMcL's negative boring tactics and came up with their own.

Gabby's ability to go missing for weeks on end will always impact on his value unfortunately. Under McLeish though he's been of more value to us than Bent. As someone mentioned in the match thread yesterday he's becoming reminiscent of Henry at Arsenal this season. Also agree that he's more valuable to us than anyone else - when he gets older he will be an invaluable member of Villa's squad. Hopefully he'll be a one club man.

He's Swansea's 'keeper apparently - is there on emergency loan. Thank God it didn't go to penalties.... (Although we did have Guzan who's no slouch in CC shootouts)

Wee scare will do the youngsters the world of good.

If he's on a free he'll want big wages which if all the rumours are true will rule him out for us. NUFC have transfer listed him - I wonder if they'd take Beye in exchange which would free up some wages.

Rumours back then was it were Stephen Hunt and Robbie Keane :| At the time I remember hearing it was the then Reading clique of Hunt, Doyle, and Shane Long. Stephen Hunt subsequntly went on to Ryan Tubridy's show and pretty much admitted to this thinking it was a hilarious story, and then said there would be blue murder if SI came back into the Irish setup (in the context of ROI managing to qualify for Euro 2008). Shows the total lack of any discipline in Staunton's ROI set-up.

why is it always the club that is 100% responsible? if downing wants wants champions league and trophies so much why hasnt he put in the performances to help us get there. he came into a team with a solid keeper and defence, with a midfield of milner, young and petrov and with gabby and carew upfront back when they were both playing really well. we had come so close the year before and then spent big in the summer (including on downing) to ensure the same didnt happen the next year. it was the perfect platform for him to succeed - no pressure on him, other quality attackers who would create space for him etc. yes he was injured for the first few months, but even when fully fit he was crap. he wants a cup - he played in a cup final with us and was annonymous. if he was so desperate to win a cup maybe he could have worked his backside off and put in a matchwinning performance. even last season where he was better, he still wasnt outstanding. a decent amount of goals and assists but nothing special. marc albrighton in his first ever prem season nearly got as many, and in much less minutes played. at least barry and young put in a shift and really tried to help us get somewhere before leaving. and along with milner they all were able to dominate games and win them for us on their own. they had the ability to singlehandedly get key results for us. imo downing has not shown that, he has never dominated a match for us like those 3. its what annoys me the most about footballers. they seem to expect success handed to them on a plate and they take no responsibility themselves for lack of success. thats despite the fact that at the end of the day it is they who go out on the pitch and are ultimately responsible for results Summed up nicely. If Downing was determined to play for a CL team only why did he sign a lucrative contract with us, and not hold out for one of the big four. The answer is obviously that if he'd done that he'd still be playing Championship football for Middlesborough. They're a cynical bunch and unless we can get a bunch of players like Gaby (can't really think of any others) this will continue happening. We're hoping N'Zogbia signs but if he has a successful two seasons here it will be the same with him - and he's probably thinking that himself at this stage.

He was a far more logical player to play in the hole than Ashley was last season, except he was a bit of an arsehole. He's fallen out with so many of his mangers that hopefully the penny will drop with him - I have a big contract with Villa so should really make an effort to get on with the new manager. Him playing in the hole behind Bent with Downing alongside him would replicate that Ireland/Elano/Robinho trio that was so successful for City for a while a few seasons back.

I agree. I mentioned this earlier. Bottom line is, McLeish has done nothing wrong in what has turned into the sorry states of affairs that were widely reported by the media. As much as it pains me to say, Moxley was bang on!! Complete and utter shambles. I agree that PF has to go. I have given the guy credit in the past, but it obviously quite clear to anyone outside of Villa Park that he has no football knowledge and personally I think he is becoming more of a hindrance than an asset. But it will be very hard to shift him from the furniture of the Villa board, as he has RL very much in his pocket. So would that mean getting rid of Randy as well. Well, be careful what you wish for. I've learnt that lesson from wanting Houllier out for the last season.....

Why? Chelsea sacked Ancelotti a week before we sacked Houllier and they came out this morning and said they hoped to appoint a new manager within the next two weeks. Chelsea have a rebuilding job to do too. Why aren't the press telling Roman to 'hang his head in shame' for taking so long to appoint a new manager? I'm happy to wait as long is it takes, even if it's mid July. If Randy appoints McLeish now just to get it done, and then Hughes ends up at some mid table team in the near future I'll be pissed off.

If that's the case we should have held onto Houllier. If the only issue was his health then KMac or GMac are there anyway, and that seems to be the standard we're going to end up with. Was glad Houllier went - what a difference a couple of weeks makes.

Just a thought but what would people think if we'd appointed McLeish from Rangers when he'd just beaten O'Neill's Celtic to the title on the last day (was it 2004?) with pretty much the same resources as O'Neill had if not less. I'm not on the wind up here - just trying to see something positive in this appointment if it happens.

Must be a diversion or a smokescreen. If the rumours of Randy calling off a meeting with McLaren due to the fans reaction on these sites then he's not going to subsequently go and appoint someone who'll antagonise the fans even more. The General has shot from the hip before and got himself in trouble for it - he'd not do something like this after that, particularly when RL and PF have gone out of their way to be so secretive. Am I just clutching at straws?

Arguably there was nothing between him and O'Neill in the SPL given their respective resources. He'd organise our defence and probably get on better with the players than Houllier. Would be thoroughly underwhelmed though. Still think Lerner has something better up his sleeve.

They simply have nothing to write about so are coming out with this stuff. If Lerner was more like Whelan or Redknapp - giving them good quote to write about our managerial and player targets then Villa would be loved by the media and there wouldn't be any rubbish like this. I guess it's over to Randy to silence them..... would you not agree that the whole Martinez saga was an embarrassment, so it's ok saying our board do it all behind closed door and in the meantime the public image of our club is damaged, unless he pulls an ace form his sleeve in the next few weeks, some serious questions need to be asked and god forbid answered by the board Whelan obviously has done us over on the PR front. It doesn't look great to us or to the media, but I'd say insiders like agents etc and most importantly the managers that RL and PF are trying to get will know that Martinez had already signed a new contract long before Whelan's deadline on Friday and he never had any intention of joining us. I'm not bothered about how we appear to be dealing with this appointment. I'll be gutted if we end up with Grayson or McLeish but I'm confident the club has things under control. Proof will be in the pudding though.

They simply have nothing to write about so are coming out with this stuff. If Lerner was more like Whelan or Redknapp - giving them good quote to write about our managerial and player targets then Villa would be loved by the media and there wouldn't be any rubbish like this. I guess it's over to Randy to silence them.....