VillaAndLoyal

This is fast becoming the biggest mess I can remember as a Villa fan. As I posted earlier, there is not one single reason why Alex McLeish should even be considered. It's completely illogical, from a football point of view and a financial point of view, not to mention the morale implications. If this happens I will honestly be speechless. They're surely not that stupid? Surely? :?

I beg to differ- I think your viewpoint is unbelievable and I find it highly amusing that you brand supporters of our football club "shameful" when in actual fact - 'if' this is true - it would be the most nonsensical footballing decision made in my lifetime. Give him a chance? Are you crazy? For one - looking purely at his managerial credentials - the bookies should not even have taken a single bet for him. He's won a few trophies in a two-team league, relegated Blues twice in three seasons despite having a fairly decent team, bought the worst player to ever play in the Premier League in Zigic, plays awfully negative football and put together one of the worst managerial league sequences for years when they won something like 6 league games in 50. On this basis alone, he should not be touched with a barge-pole. Then we have the theory about Lerner and his affiliation with the word loyalty. Everybody on this board knows that Villa were thought to be put off Hughes when he quit from his job (fairly) unexpectedly. Why would this situation differ in any way with McLeish? He's walked out on his club, despite the owners buying players of his choice for him, and decided to make the announcement via email. Hardly strikes me as someone loyal to anyone but himself? Lastly, but arguably most importantly, we have the fact that he is the manager who has just won our arch rivals their first major trophy in 130 years - and had the cheek to brag about SHA "closing the gap on us" in the process. Please do not underestimate the feeling between Villa and Blues fans. Nor analyse it and give your opinion about whether it should exist or not. The simple fact is, the Second City rivalry does exist and has risen over the past decade or so to become one of the most heated in British football. A Blues manager in modern times has never left the club to go to Villa, let alone having just taken them down. It would be morale-shattering business suicide if he were to be appointed! Again, whether you like it or not, 7,600 supporters of this football club have joined a protest group over the mere thought in less than 24 hours. That figure is rising by the minute. But we are not just talking spotty kids in Reebok trainers here - we are talking about men, women, young and old, educated and uneducated - all united in one clear belief. Appointing Alex McLeish would be disastrous for this football club. We already know what bad morale at this football club did for Houllier's reign, appointing McLeish would be one hundred times worse. So taking all of this into account, it really perplexes me, despite his "possible" appointment clearly being nonsensical in every sense of the word, that we still have certain fans who state: "I'll support him if it happens", "Give him a chance" and "If Randy appoints him, I'll support it. Villa forever." I'll be honest; I really don't understand these people. Supporting a club, in my book, does not mean giving unwavering support to all and sundry, no matter the decision. I support the Club and the fans - the fans are what makes this football club - without us Villa wouldn't exist. So those who take the viewpoint "I'll support whatever happens" I simply ask, why? Do you think that by supporting everything the club does it makes you a better fan? Or improves the fortunes of the club in the long-run? For the life of me I cannot and will not ever understand that viewpoint, although I acknowledge you are fully entitled to it. Negativity is never a good thing at a football club, and I am certainly not one of these people who moan at everything. But this decision, were it to happen, would be so far removed from anything logical or acceptable that fan unrest would undoubtedly occur. It already is. This, of course, is based on an assumption that I truly hope turns out to be just that.

Am I the only one who **** hates Twitter? They say it's the best way of breaking news nowadays but in reality it's the best way to start off thousands of rumours. This whole thing is doing my head in now, and it's not Villa's fault.

I have to say, as someone who works in the media myself, that I feel utterly, utterly ashamed at this moment in time. That is thanks to the vitriolic bile which has positively been spewing from the fingertips of many a journalist today and for the past week to ten days. I'm just embarrassed that they are allowed to get away with such overtly bias reporting. It has always been an issue where Villa and certain other clubs are concerned but throughout this appointment I feel the hatred towards the Villa has reached another level completely. I find it astounding I really do. They heap shame on the true journalists in the industry.

At last, someone I can fully agree with. UTV Even if the managerial appointment is so non-sensical that it completely defies any logic or belief?

Hiring McLeish would be the equivalent to a rock climber scaling the Rocky Mountains with no safety harness. It would be suicide for both Randy Lerner and the Board as a whole. I still have faith that, between you, a couple of brain cells are present.

It better NOT be that bluenose scumbag! This would be as bad as Lennon deciding to join Rangers. It should not, and will not happen. He'll have to get past me and 40,000+ other Villa fans if he thinks he's setting foot in Villa Park as our manager!!!

YES! YES! YES! YES General! Well **** said! Oliver Holt, John Wragg, Talksport, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Mail, Midlands Today, The Telegraph, The Sun, Every Bookmakers, Any other London Media I missed out......... **** RIGHT OFF! WE are Aston Villa, WE will conduct our business how we see fit, and WE will not bow to the lies and bile spewed by the bias Cockney media! Keep the faith.

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Correct. Though Mcleish is now favorite on the bookies, with no information in the public domain to explain why. I personally feel it is because of the twitter feed regarding the "ginger scotsman". Free money on BetFair if you wish to lay Mcleish. Can you help me out please mate - never laid someone on Betfair before and it's confusing me somewhat. Firstly why are there three columns on every manager with different odds? Don't get that at all, surely they are offering one price? Then when you click on a manager - McLeish for example - why does the 'Backer's odds' arrow allow you to change the odds? Also, what is that 'Payout' and 'Liability' option about? And lastly, if you aren't already tearing your hair out, why when I stick £25 against Owen Coyle to be manager does it say returns £312.50 - that seems far too high. Surely if McLeish is more of a favourite at present his lay odds would be higher than someone like Coyle? Thanks in advance VAL Bump. FAO VillaLi0n.

Correct. Though Mcleish is now favorite on the bookies, with no information in the public domain to explain why. I personally feel it is because of the twitter feed regarding the "ginger scotsman". Free money on BetFair if you wish to lay Mcleish. Can you help me out please mate - never laid someone on Betfair before and it's confusing me somewhat. Firstly why are there three columns on every manager with different odds? Don't get that at all, surely they are offering one price? Then when you click on a manager - McLeish for example - why does the 'Backer's odds' arrow allow you to change the odds? Also, what is that 'Payout' and 'Liability' option about? And lastly, if you aren't already tearing your hair out, why when I stick £25 against Owen Coyle to be manager does it say returns £312.50 - that seems far too high. Surely if McLeish is more of a favourite at present his lay odds would be higher than someone like Coyle? Thanks in advance VAL

I have absolutely no idea what you are going on about. It is however, probably somehow slating one of the best clubs and boards in the world. Wind-up bluenoses aren't welcome here. Go crawl back under your rock. I don't think he's a bluenose mate, just genuinely thick. Which in that case, 'could' make him a bluenose. The plot thickens...

I hope we never appoint a manager so this thread carries on, personally. I've become dependant on it :shock:

£8m for Jerome? :shock: What the ****? The world has gone mad! I wouldn't take him if THEY paid us £8 million.

I still think it will be Marcel Desailly.

All last night and this morning was constant speculation that Martinez had spoke to us and was going to turn us down. You can't seriously think we look good at the moment. The biggest media outlets in the country are taking the piss and IMO this could have been prevented. I guess it just depends on how much you care what other people think. Personally, I don't care and I know managers/players understand the media and won't think anything of it. Well we'll see who we end up with and what players stay before we can claim players and managers don't care. You might not care but surely you can see why some fans do. Once again it's a randy is untouchable thing. The biggest media outlets are taking the piss and having a field day. We still need to protect the image of the club and it wouldn't take much to make us look less shambolic than we currently do. Even if we do go out and get a wow manager in the end, all this could have been prevented. I do understand where you're coming from - in the sense that Aston Villa don't look great at the moment. But the bit I'd question you on is, how is that Randy's fault? He has kept very quiet, professional and dignified throughout. He can't be held responsible for the national media taking umbridge with the lack of information coming out of the Club so they start making up complete rumours, can he? I'd rather an appointment be handled like this than for all and sundry to know about it - providing he gets the right man eventually of course. Untill an appointment has been made no-one can really analyse whether this has been a successful process or not. If we appoint someone like Coyle or Gary Mac then I might well have a different opinion. I am a little disappointed that a decision wasn't made by today, as was rumoured (yes, that word again) to be the case. But I'm willing to hold fire and not start pointing any blame untill the process has been completed. The media hate us, and always have, so this week is part and parcel really. If we sign Ancelotti tomorrow there will still be those in the media who would find a way of twisting it into a negative - such as: VILLA'S CARLO BRIBE! or CARLO DECIDES TO DOWNGRADE

Happy Birthday Carlo .Hancelotti!

I can provide the noose?

Nut'in blud. You are Gabby and I claim my £5! You honestly think Gabby knows how to turn on a computer?

Nut'in blud.

You almost made me spit a mouthful of Frosties over my laptop screen

I wish they'd just come out and tell us it's Ancelotti, this waiting is like someone sticking a Blues shirt on me without consent - torturous!

Close the thread. Mantis has guessed it. Harry Redknob is our new manager :shock:

No it wasn't a joke... I just get the impression he's no longer bothered so much about a full time managers job that's all. Fair enough. I'd understand that impression you formed if he was currently a DOF elsewhere but he isn't, he's the coach of Turkey.

Why on earth would a world-class manager like Gus Hiddink choose to be an understudy to an unproven Wigan manager? That's got to be a joke, no?