heystally!

If we wanted Gary McCallister as a manager at any point, why would we have not kept him on when Houllier was let go, rather than go across to Small Heath and get their manager? No chance of that happening.

My money is on Paul Merson.

That's the kind of vibrancy that this club needs!

If we wanted Gary McCallister as a manager at any point, why would we have not kept him on when Houllier was let go, rather than go across to Small Heath and get their manager? No chance of that happening.

My money is on Paul Merson.

The last time Randy Lerner flew into mainland Europe in his personal plane his actions caused a bit of a rumpus.

Now, if he was planning on coming over again any time soon he could possibly use an alternative vehicle for getting here thus preventing eagle eyed Villa fans from spotting his plane and journalists tracking his whereabouts.

He certainly has enough $'s to do it so it is a possibility that he is still coming over. Whether this would have anything to do with OGS or someone else is another matter and anyone's guess.

Rumour has it he's coming in by submarine.

That may have been me. I think it was reported (or assumed) that he was on about £3m per year. We sacked him with 2 years of his contract left. So that'd indicate £6m to cover his wages for the remainder of the contract. Don't think it'd be any less than his remaining wages, as he clearly didn't want to leave but was pushed.

Stay up.

Play sexy.

Get wanked off in the toilets.

Proud history, bright future.

New season new kit

A symbol of a fresh start

I'll get "Ole 1"

If I am honest, I'd prefer Villa not to sack McLeish. If I am honest, what I'd really like is for McLeish to turn us around and make us a winning team, taking us to cup finals and into Europe on a career with us lasting decades.

Of course that'd be amazing. I just don't think anyone sees it happening with this manager.

I'd be happy if he made ten changes to the team against Swansea, as I'm not bothered about the FA Cup this season. Far more interested in not being relegated.

Even if MON and McLeish have similar styles, there is a distinct difference. Under MON we were used to winning games, or at least being competitive. We're seeing that far less often under McLeish.

You can argue that MON had more time to get to that stage, but I think MON started with a worse squad than McLeish has now. If MON had this squad and got these results at the start of his reign I'd be equally critical of the results.

Are we not able to buy the club as supporters, and then elect a chairman to make decisions on a termly-basis, a la Barcelona and Madrid?

If collectively as supporters we have a spare £150M plus additional funds to strengthen the team then in theory yes, it's unlikely though i think.

I'm sure Tom Hanks could help out.

I don't think we're looking at one season of transition here. I think more likely we're looking at two or three.

Two or three seasons to get some of the high earners off the books, to establish some of the younger players as fully-fledged first teamers by giving them extended runs in the first team, and more importantly, two or three years of very limited spending so that the football club is more sustainable or even making a tiny bit of profit.

Randy has obvously taken a financial hit over the last two years. And things like that don't just turn around in a year unless you strike oil or something.

So I wouldn't be surprised to see Heskey, Cuellar, Beye, Guzan and Marshall leave at the end of the season. We have Delfouneso and Weimann as back up strikers, and Siegriest into the first-team squad as back up goalkeeper. Then we may buy a cheap central defender to replace Cuellar, maybe a cheap right back too, but that'd be it.

Then the following season I think would be Petrov's last for Villa as his contract will be up. Might also see some of the defenders like Dunne, Collins and Warnock moved on that point.

So that'd be two seasons of little spending, so that by summer 2014 we can start spending a bit of money to replace the defence. Then players like Albrighton, Bannan, Delph, Herd, Delfouneso will have had more regular experience in the Premier League, so we can look at just improving the squad rather than replacing.

Ok, I dont agree, but I dont want to turn this into a money arguement.

However, I do have a question.

D. Bent and A. Mcliesh - two people not performing for numerous reasons.

Imo, (and you maybe different). Alex Mcliesh is trying his best. His best isnt good enough, but I believe hes doing his best. Darren Bent isnt doing his best, his best is good enough (we all know that) but he isnt giving his all.

Why are people a lot more patient with Darren bent?

You may say Darren Bents performance relys on Mcliesh's and Id agree, but surely its the same vice verser.

You may also say that the manager must take responsibility more than Bent. Id agree also.

But, is the difference in responsibility so great that it warrants the difference in patience shown to each person?

I think the reason Bent gets more of a free pass from supporters (myself included) doesn't just come down to effort but also quality and what they offer us.

Looking at two potential situations, that being Bent at Villa under a new manager, or McLeish at Villa with a new striker, which is going to offer us the best chance of success? For me it'd be Bent with a new manager.

McLeish hasn't had a good start to his Villa career. I don't think people would be as bothered if a) he hadn't come from Blues, or (more importantly) his negative tactics and approached hadn't got Blues relegated last season. If we'd hired Martinez for example, and he'd got 23 points from 20 games, more people would be asking to give him time. But McLeish did send Blues down through negative football, and I fear we could go the same way.

If we were to sack McLeish, I believe that Villa can either attract a better manager, or maybe an equally talented manager but one who is younger and looks to play more positive football.

Bent too has had a poor season. He has had niggling injuries the last month, but he could have done more for us if he'd put more effort in. I'm not forgiving him for that entirely.

But if we were to get rid of him, I don't believe we could replace him with a player who will be better for the club. I don't think McLeish could attract them, we evidently don't have the money to attract them, and I don't think the club has enough pull for players as it once did a few years ago.

So in my opinion, if we were to replace Bent, we couldn't get an equal or better. If we were to replace McLeish, I believe we could. And that's why I give Bent less of a hard time.

I would say that Bent could have done more to get himself more goals.

But if the two best creative players in the team were sold, and a manager comes in who just employs a hoof ball tactic all the time, I probably wouldn't give a shit either.

So let me get this straight?

Your happy with our striker, who takes 70,000 of our money each week not being arsed, based on the fact that things arent quite going his way?

I'm not happy with it, but I understand why it happens.

Yes we all want players to do their best 100% of the time regardless of circumstances, but that just doesn't happen.

Compare it to a workplace: if you get certain perks taken away, do you really think every person would continue to give 100% despite seeing no improvement in conditions or the prospect of better things to come?

Of course not, and it's the same with footballers. Regardless of the money they earn or their line of work, they're people like you and me.

If they get pissed off with things, it affects their performance. And whilst they shoulder part of that responsibility turn it around, so does their employer or boss, in this case the manager.

McLeish should be doing everything possible to benefit Aston Villa. Yet he's taking a very good player and giving him no service and no support. It seems ridiculous not to consider how this might affect Bent.

I would say that Bent could have done more to get himself more goals.

But if the two best creative players in the team were sold, and a manager comes in who just employs a hoof ball tactic all the time, I probably wouldn't give a shit either.

In the league, twice. He probably would have last year if he'd had a full-settled season (i.e. stayed at Sunderland all year or moved to Villa in the summer).

He's into his prime now. This is his real chance to show that he is a top top goalscorer. And we're doing nothing about it.

If it is true that "Bent can't play in a McLeish team" then one of two things has got to happen:

1) McLeish has got to sell Bent and get in players who will fit his style (which I'm assuming is long-ball, physical football).

2) McLeish has got to change his approach towards managing a football team, and start playing to the strengths of a player who can guarantee you 20-goals-a-season when you give him the service he needs.

Considering McLeish's style got Blues relegated last season, I know which one of those two options I'd be voting for given a choice.

But he doesnt guarantee you 20 goals a season.

Fair play if its Messi, you look to the manager to go to all ends to fit the player in. Not with Darren Bent Im afraid.

His goalscoring record speaks for himself. Over the last five seasons he's up there with Rooney and Drogba, two of the best strikers in the world.

The before last with Sunderland he scored 24 league goals.

At the end of last season he played 16 games and scored 9 goals. That sort of form over a whole season gets you 20 goals minimum.

Yet this season he has so far he's got 6 from 16 games. He's also had less touches in the Premier League than any other player.

He's the best natural goalscorer we've had since Dwight Yorke and he's being absolutely wasted.

Then someone's got to poison him.

Are we not able to buy the club as supporters, and then elect a chairman to make decisions on a termly-basis, a la Barcelona and Madrid?

If it is true that "Bent can't play in a McLeish team" then one of two things has got to happen:

1) McLeish has got to sell Bent and get in players who will fit his style (which I'm assuming is long-ball, physical football).

2) McLeish has got to change his approach towards managing a football team, and start playing to the strengths of a player who can guarantee you 20-goals-a-season when you give him the service he needs.

Considering McLeish's style got Blues relegated last season, I know which one of those two options I'd be voting for given a choice.

There are teams in the league who are on less wage budgets and have less finances than us who are doing better in terms of performances and results.

Swansea are a key example of that.

If they can play decent football without spending as much as us, then why can't we reduce the wage bill and be competitive?

The key thing for me is the manager. Ultimately we could do well even when reducing our spending. But not with Alex McLeish as manager.

I might just write a letter to Randy Lerner and Paul Faulkner, trying to convince them to give me the Villa job.

Yep, getting two language experts from one of the countries leading universities is obviously going to end in getting people who don't know what they're talking about.

McLaren is apparently on his way back to FC Twente.

It's got to the stage that I'd actually take Steve McLaren as Villa manager now.

'kin' hell

Hope he realised the boos weren't for him. I thought he was one of our better players today and I just cannot believe he got subbed. Why?

He knew the boos weren't for him. He was applauding the fans as he left, and after the boos he got a standing ovation.

Also the chants towards the manager of "You don't know what you're doing!" might have given it away too.

McLeish said he took Ireland off to go 4-4-2, but to remain solid in the middle with Clark and Petrov. Which is just bizarre. At 0-2 down, he still cared about defending against Swansea's midfielders rather than going all out to win. He also took off the only player who looked like creating something. And Bent had spent most of the game isolated up front, so what we needed was more creativity, not a second striker to be equally isolated up front.

Just bizarre thinking really.

Come on folks, this is the first time in I don't know how many years that we've all been united in our opinion of the manager

I do not think that is true

There are still some fans that support Mcleish and wish to give him more time.

In addition I would just add, get rid of Mcleish then brilliant, he has to go. But the main problem would still be at the club

Both have to go for me

At this moment in time I'd guess about 98% of Villa fans want him gone. When have Villa fans ever been that united on a manager?

98%? or is that a figure you are making up?

The last poll on here had 87% saying they definitely wanted him out. The rest said keep or give more time

The fact that the transfer window has now opened and we have beaten Chelsea and picked up other points (or had "better perfroamces" as some feel - not I I may add) recently I would guess that it may still be around 87% or in fact could actually be lower

Yeah but that was before the Liverpool game. I honestly believe that if you polled 100 Villa fans at VP on match-day about 5 at most would say they didn't want McLeish out.

So 5%, not the 1 or 2% you said.

This testimony is changing more often than Luis Suarez's. The racist.

By the way, did anyone else notice how Match Of The Day complete glossed over any issue of Villa's performance or problems? They didn't even show the Stephen Ireland substitution, or discuss our overall performance other than the mistakes.

Taking the LMAs advice I think. Less focus on managers losing their jobs, more focus on the football. Unfortunately, our football is shit mainly because of the manager.