Super-Villan

If Man City are out of the title race, I've no doubt QPR could get a draw there at least on the last day. Much much crazier results have already happened this season. And 4 points would be all they need it we lose both our next two games.

(I think the odds are right in that we are currently much less likely than other teams to go down, but you watch those odds switch up if QPR and Bolton win their games and we go into the last day of the season still in the running to drop.)

As much as I want McLeish to not be our manager any more - and I want it reeeeeeeeeal bad, believe me - I see no reason why he should resign and miss out on what he was contractually obliged to. If he did that, I wouldn't have more respect for him, I'd think he was a little daft. Let him go, but pay him off. If the club didn't want to pay him off, they shouldn't have appointed him on the contract they did. (Which of course thay shouldn't, but never mind.)

If we go into the last day of the season not safe, then ANYTHING can still happen. There have been some crazy last days of the season over the years, and nothing should be ruled out.

If he hasn't walked, and they haven't sacked him - protest. Simple. I genuinely don't believe anything can make our home form any worse than it has been already this season. An ambiguous statement shouldn't be enough to stop people voicing their concerns again, because there's still the chance they could decide to keep him, and another season with McLeish would drag our club further into the mire.

The fact that some Villa fans might have wanted a players is neither here nor there. It's the manager's responsibility to sign them, then to get the best out of them. That we wanted them too doesn't excuse McLeish from buying players then getting nothing from them.

If you protest after the season finishes, it won't be nearly so effective, you won't get nearly so many people involved. I'm sure Randy is counting on this.

I don't think getting behind the team has worked so far this season, so I don't see what's to lose results-wise from protesting as loudly as possible for the next three games.

I am hearing rumours that the Holman deal isn't as watertight as we are lead to beleive. No pre contract has been signed - obviously the announcement of this deal - lead us all to beleive that AM would be here next season. If as it now seems this was just an informal agreement - it wouldn't appear to secure Mcleishs position at all.

We can only hope.

I certainly don't think he's be playing for us if we were relegated. No pre-contract signed at all would be incredibly poor stuff though, I think even our board is smarter than that. Surely.

Taken in isolation the Man U result/performance wouldn't be that bad. Taken in context, it's another steaming turd plopping into our sewer of a season.

The result was'nt the thing that mattered because Utd are flying. It was the manner of the defeat that rankles a lot of people, from the management to the last man on the pitch.

Flying, coming right off the back of a defeat to Wigan...

Taken in isolation the Man U result/performance wouldn't be that bad. Taken in context, it's another steaming turd plopping into our sewer of a season.

The teams below just have to close the gap by another 4 points over the next 4 games. Then we'd go into the last game of the season in a situation where anything could happen. And I wouldn't bet on us in those circumstances.

I'm guessing Hutton in right midfield, as McLiesh has already done that once this season, and things not working out doesn't seem to stop him doing them again.

Serves no point? How about bringing in a manager with a less negative approach for the last 7 games, which with this squad might well be all that's needed to get the points to stay up. How about giving the fans a boost, and uniting them behind the team for the run in. How about giving the players a boost, letting them off the leash, not to mention the ones who are unhappy with him personally.

I don't think it could get worse with him gone. So I want him gone now. It's never too late to change.

I don't think there's a chance in the world that Cole will come to us with McLeish as manager.

I didn't want him when it was rumoured in the summer as I wasn't sure he was good enough. Now we'd kill for a player of his quality (thought we'd no doubt misuse him even if we had him, so...)

I'm not a fan of GKs being captains in general, but would still much prefer Given had it than Gabby. The choice was limited though, and it won't be the difference between us going down or staying up, so meh.

Oh, and:

3. I think it would help the fans provide better support over the run-in too.

I would sack him and put K-Mac in charge for the last 7 games because:

1. We would at least start approaching games in a more positive manner, and I believe that if we do that then the points are there to be won, even with a less experienced manager.

2. It would shake the players up a bit, and hopefully make them fight for their future.

I don't think doing this could make things any worse, but it could make things better.

Well, we have one point less, and probably will do still after the next game. I think we probably have gone backwards, or we certainly haven't moved forwards. And that's bearing in mind how horribly we underperformed last season anyway.

"2 ahead of bolton, 3 ahead of qpr and blackburn"

It would only need to get to about that stage by the last game of the season to make it incredibly uncomfortable for us. And you've got there in just a couple of games. Considering I think a draw against Stoke is better than we can currently hope for, your post has actually left me more worried than I was before.

Let's think of the positives if we get relegated. I reckon Delph would do well for a year in the Championship, and would be a better player afterwards for it.

Replacement for McTw at?

Paolo Di Canio. /thread

Well done for finding the one person I'd like in charge with us even less than McLeish.

When you think about it Randy Lerner really did want to see us succeed. He hired MON and gave MON quite a bit of money to spend. Lerner was expecting to be making money by spending money. He thought MON could get us Champs league which would bring a lot of money into the club. MON continued to sign players and give them silly wages but he never got us into champs league. We did get Europa league but MON consistently failed at European football. So Lerner was making little money instead he was losing it. Lerner got sick and tired of paying all these useless players millions and needed to cut the wages. He hired Houllier which was excited about but it didn't pan out. It wasn't until this year when I started thinking Lerner no longer gives a ****.

He gave MON enough to give us a shot at Chmps League, he certainly didn't give him enough to make it likely. Look at the base that the teams around us were at before MON even started, and the amount they also spent around that time.

I bet it's not hard to work out a scenario now where we go into the last day of the season with a mathematical chance of going down.

nor is it to work out a scenario where we go into may safe

Of course not. That's really not even close to being a positive though. And my point was that the side below don't have to gain on us that much more over the next 7 games to make it a very very tense and potentially disastrous last day of the season.

I bet it's not hard to work out a scenario now where we go into the last day of the season with a mathematical chance of going down.

I'd be off like a shot if I was him. The US isn't such a football backwater anymore either, and if he plays well for a year or two he could do his career a world of good in the long term.

I think next season if McLeish stays and Bent stays, we could still go down.

If McLeish goes and we get a decent manager in but Bent goes too...I think we would have more chance of staying up, even if less than half of the Bent money got reinvested in a new striker.