fripono

I should add that I could have asked various people to 'cough up' as you are doing (not just on this forum) but am not inclined to do so. I wish you well. :-) Sorry,that was said tongue in cheek, I'll have to use the darned emoticons

It's not my feelings that have been hurt, it's the fripono reputation, previously held very highly for the spot on posts, all 13 of them. (I think I was the very first to applaud the wisdom of signing McLeish) Apology with damages, I suggest £10 contribution direct to VillaTalk.

Well Mr. fripono, you could not have known anything through personal experience about 1959 - you've been found out ... Now what do you have to say? :winkold: Sorry for the delay in replying, I havn't read this thread recently. As the above is blatantly untrue, not to mention very damaging to the credibility of my other (infrequent) postings, I insist that you identify the location of the bogus quote.

Let's face it , the 'any dross but McLeish' brigade will never be won over. I look forward to seeing his own choice of players next season. This year reminds me too much of O'Neill's first year, the one with 17 league draws. This time five years ago we were going through a run of 12 league and cup games without a win. My main concern is I think he has neglected Guzan and Cuellar such that he risks losing two excellent players for peanuts at most.

Unsettled footballers don't usually pick up injuries intentionally. Cause and effect is a lot more subtle and subconscious than that. Nonetheless a long injury list is one symptom of wider issues.

I agree with you . It's the upside of injury that's rarely highlighted. Villa are not going to be relegated so the risks are manageable. We have waited long enough to see Guzan properly tested in the Premier League and the sooner our manager can judge him under pressure now the better. We all can recall his difficulties when the refs and our defence failed to protect him against Blackburn's blatent intimidation in those cup matches. What we forget is that he had perhaps never met those tactics in the USA. . Likewise, Jenas isn't going to feature longterm so if a tweaked Achilles gives another opportunity to, say, Ireland, I shall see the positive. We have a clutch of young players just waiting for squad injuries to strike.

Of course, but in 1959 (year of relegation) Villa did not look as though they would be in division 2 for long. I did not enjoy the football during the long months after Joe Mercer was appointed, prior to relegation, but I was very pleased the following season that he had not been sacked after 14 matches. Today's rampant short-termism, especially amongst people here, is beyond a joke. I agree entirely that we should not be even thinking about relegation.

Yes, the future looked dazzlingly bright in 1960, the year after we were relegated. It's encouraging how quickly things can look up so soon after the depths of despondency.

He's made one very poor choice in his career, and that was to go to work for bosses who were always going to leave him hamstrung. It took him a worryingly long time to accept this, but to his credit he finally made the wise decision. Now working for a club with integrity, he is presently weighed down with two burdens; a fanbase starved of success, permeated by negativity, and a team soaked in the ethos of MON's skill-lite counter-play, incapable of adapting and drained of courage Just watch the injury list mount up. This is the same problem Houllier faced, though I feel McLeish is better equipped to overcome it. Realistically though, I am reconciled to another nine months of VillaTalk mayhem before his own team can express itself. McLeish can't guarantee future success but neither can I pinpoint anyone I would rather have in his place. The usual suspects are currently doing no better than us. As an aside, it is disappointing how much faith so many here have in the tyranny of the majority.

Let's face it, we won't see the best of McLeish until next season, by when he will have been able to assemble his own team, players willing to take responsibility on and off the ball. With the present team we'll do no better than last season. Things are also about to get tougher as stressed players succumb to a run of injuries. Nonetheless, even though McLeish was only my second choice as manager (after Lambert), I think this time next year he will have confounded the doom mongers by building his team around Bannan.

Agree with all of that. The number one attribute for any would-be captain is integrity. Without it he will never command respect. The hair is less vital, though I have long felt that Nobby Stiles would have made a fine England World Cup captain if only he had sported Bobby Moore's blond locks. Of course none of this is to deny Petrov's other compelling attributes.