Straygoat

I'd sooner Martinez over Rafa, McClaren et al., but he is a bit of a wildcard...I like the type of football he strives for, but am worried that he is a bit soft - doesn't strike me as the sort of person who can deal with egos and in-house spats. Similar to Zola in that sense. Owen Coyle would be the better option - impressed with what he's done with limited resources at Bolton.

Sorry, forgot to add the quote in that - it was about Rafa, obviously.

My reasons for not wanting him are simple - I think he wasted a hell of a lot of money on some shoddy players and I don't like the way his teams play. I can't say I have much time for Liverpool, but the way he had them set up was a disgrace to their traditions. I didn't like watching our direct counter attacking under MON and fear it would be a return to that under Rafa. And God help us if he introduced zonal marking - like we don't leak enough goals already.

Same here. Not one of the names on that list seem like a good long-term option to me. Ancelotti - always going to be looking for C.L and bigger clubs Jol - Did okay with Spurs but should have done better if you ask me. Not convinced. McClaren - Had he done well at Wolfsburg, then fine. But he was a disaster. I also don't think he is strong enough to deal with some of the off the pitch antics that go on at our club. Rafa - dismal anti-football, spent a fortune on some real duds, known to have a tantrum...the worst possible choice. Martinez - I kind of like him, but not sure if he is strong enough to deal with bigger players (and their egos).

I think a move to Newcastle would be best for him. For whatever reason, he's not settled or proved himself at Villa and at 60k+ a week, he's probably a risk we can do without. A shame, because he has real attacking quality, but you just get the impression that unless he can get his head right, he will always be a shadow of his former self. If we are going to try and keep Young, we need him to be our highest earner and that must surely mean ditching high risk, high earners like Ireland. I'd rather we cut our losses and developed Bannan for that role.

He played well, but tired. Understandable given the break in France. I thought he looked good - kept the ball a lot, even when under pressure. Good first time passing and lots of energy. When he went off, we lost momentum and Wigan came back into the game.

Looked much better, and nice to know that Makoun will add to the side. Albrighton worked his ba....er...socks off - must be in with a shout of an England call up. Backs to the wall a bit in the second half, but held out well. Best I've seen our defence play this season.

I thought the price was absurd when I first heard the news, but having thought about it, it is realistic. Louis Suarez is being touted about at 17m and he has had what, 1 or 2 good seasons in the Dutch league and a half decent world cup? That's 17m for a player who may not cut the mustard in a top league. Bent gives you guaranteed goals at premiership level, even when he's in and out of the team. 18m plus bonuses is what he is worth (at least). Pavlyuchenko was 14m wasn't he? And he's only an average Prem striker at best. Getting Bent for under 25m is good business.

Fonz has got to start unless we buy another striker. We looked a consistent threat when he came on. I said it after the Newcastle shambles and I'll say it again - Carew should not play for us again. He gives us no movement up front, isn't as good at holding it up as he used to be, and seems to have lost at least a yard of pace. We may as well put a shire horse up front. Gabby looks lost out on the wing, but perhaps GH is trying to get him to remember how to play facing the defence instead of with his back to them? Gabby seems to have turned himself into a target man...he doesn't look dangerous doing that. Maybe that is a downfall of him only having Carew and Heskey as 'elder statesmen' to learn from in training. I agree with the comment about Petrov and NRC too - they can't boss the midfield and it costs us. Hopefully, Makoun will adjust to the pace quickly and we can have him with one other and it'll make a difference. I'd have no problem with us letting NRC and Petrov go in the summer.

Agreed. He's committed and has a good engine, but he's not good enough on the ball.

I can't, in the second half alone 3 chances came from him being in terrible positions, yes he scored but that doesn't change what was a pretty poor performance. He's not a left back but that much is obvious. I agree. When we were under the cosh, we looked most exposed at left back. BUT it will only be of benefit for Clark to experience other positions as he is a versatile player anyway. He's still rough around the edges, but showing signs of being a top CB/DM for the future. We probably can't afford to play him at LB too often while we are still in the dogfight at the bottom, but we're not exactly spoilt for choice at the moment. Glad to see GH say he is a 'good footballer' after the game...I always thought Clark would end up being another Cahill for us.

The warning signs were starting to show towards the end of last season. Unfortunately, age is catching up with him. He is still a decent number 1, but on a downward curve now. Not sure what has happened with Young, but his form has been erratic to say the least. Not at his best and suffering from lightweight midfield right in front of him. Shocking. Hasn't looked fit or sharp all season. You've got to question his professionalism when he looks like he's been on the wedding cake a day diet. Now Warnock is one player I think just doesn't want to play for Houllier for whatever reason. I'd swap him for Johnson any day of the week. Has done well this year though. You what? Outplayed? Not in the game I saw. Far too pedestrian. No, he is class. But the doubts over his future must be affecting him, even though he's been playing quite well. Missed most of pre-season. Hard to get back to peak form after that. When you consider all of the above, do you really think they'd 'walk' into other teams? No manager would put up with Dunne's weight or attitude, Warnock's apparent disinterest, or Young's yo-yo form. Most teams have a keeper as good as Friedel if not better and I don't think Petrov would get in most teams' midfield either.

I think it's important we don't judge GH too soon. These are not 'his' players and we've been hit by bad injuries. Give him time to buy some players who are good enough to play 'his' way and see how we go next season. If we are struggling this time next year, then fair enough, look at something else. I just think it will take time and money to get the players who can fulfil his vision. Given time, I think GH WILL get it right...I've more confidence in his philosophy than MON's.

I agree. The kids need guidance from the senior players, but the old heads haven't stepped up to the plate at all. I hope we can bring in about 3 good players in Jan to steady the ship, then have a bit of a clear out next summer (hopefully still in the prem - we are in big trouble if we keep playing like this). We MUST get a striker and a 'thou shalt not pass' midfielder in Jan.

I think what he is saying is not that we are shit, but that we are just outside being a regular top 6 team. Don't forget that he is probably thinking about Villa when he was at Liverpool and the DOL years etc. Prior to Lerner taking over, we were in a downward spiral and I honestly think we would have been relegated if Lerner and MON hadn't stepped in. So if you consider Mr H's comments are based on the last 15-20 years, his assessment isn't that far off. During that period, we have made it into Europe, but not regularly.