VillaCas

Five years ago I had enormous optimism and a real faith in what we could achieve - I don't have any real hope for the next five years Do you think we are any closer to a CL spot as we stand today? Managerless, our support in disarray and our best players leaving - hardly progress in my mind

I very much doubt whether Alex McLeish has ever been to Corsica in his life. He was in Corsica on holidays. It was all over the papers, before Randy went to Corsica. I thought he was in Sardinia??

AM is not a terrible manager but he is not good enough for Villa What's the best we could hope for under McLeish - 7th? Whoopie!! What's the worst - Relegation he's got the track record. My realistic expectation would be 10th-12th. Worst appointment since Billy McNeill IMO Villa Till I Die (but do you have to make it so hard FFS)

It's important to remember what we are angry about - I could care less that AM is ex-SHA, my concern is that he is not good enough I have been a big supporter of RL in up to this point but if McLeish comes in then I would like Randy to come out and state his ambitions (or lack of) for the next five years Pround History Bright Future was a five year plan which arguably has left us worse off at the end than we were are the start. Plans for a CL spot were scuppered by injections of money at Man City and now Liverpool and by Spurs unexpected resurgence. IF RANDY HAS DECIDED THAT ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO COME OUT AND SAY SO If we couldn't get Moyes I'd have preferred taking a gamble on someone like Poyet - I really think he couldn't be a worse appointment than McLEish and could be massively better Sad times, with such lack of ambition no wonder all the kids support MU or Chelsea or Barcelona FFS Proud History No Future

This is quite unbeleivable I'm really struggling to see any positives I was all for giving Houllier a chance even though I didn't rate him but this is beyond the pale What credentials does McLeish bring? Relegated twice FFS. I couldnt care less that he is ex-SMA but he's simply not good enough for Villa If he does come then RL's ambitions for Villa come into very stark focus Please, please, please make it not true

Neil "I just make things up" Moxley's Daily Mail article I’m going to borrow a phrase from my esteemed colleague, Richard Littlejohn, to introduce the theme of this week's column. Aston Villa’s managerial situation… you couldn’t make it up, could you? (WELL YES BECAUSE YOU’RE JUST ABOUT TO) It’s now 55 days and counting since Gerard Houllier suffered his heart scare. (SO WHAT??) And, if anything, the club is now in a bigger mess than when the former France boss was admitted to hospital. (FINISHING 9TH IN THE BEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD – HARDLY A DISASTER) I’m struggling to think of a more haphazard, fragmented and amateurish managerial appointment process. It’s has been handled appallingly. (BUT YOU’VE NO CLUE AT ALL WHAT IS GOING MOXLEY YOU PLUM) Right from the moment that the prognosis was delivered on Houllier’s problems, the writing was on the wall that a new manager would be on his way. (YES, AND….) And now we are here. Two sets of supporters in Birmingham at each others’ throats and Villa fans in open revolt over the imminent arrival of Alex McLeish. (DRIVEN ENTIRELY BY THE PRESS) It didn’t have to come to this. (TO WHAT????) I don’t see Fulham’s supporters out on the streets of SW6 following Mark Hughes’ exit. (COULD CARE LESS) Never mind 48 days, their decision-makers needed about 48 hours to bag their man. (GOOD FOR THEM) I have applauded Villa owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner plenty of times in this column. I admire their respect for the club’s values and traditions. I think the re-building of the Holte pub was a grand gesture. The gold-leaf mosaic on the back of the Holte End a nice touch. Villa’s corporate entertaining? Excellent. (AND OLD BOSS TOLD ME EVERYTHING BEFORE BUT IS BULLSHIT….HERE IT COMES) But they have tarnished this good work by their actions over the past week. Where are the strong, clear lines of thought? Let’s take it back a few stages, right back to April when news seeped out that Houllier had been admitted to hospital. Within 48 hours of that happening, inquisitive hacks had been given the prognosis and asked a couple of friendly medics what it meant. Answer? It was clear to us (MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS!!!!) that at the age of 63, Houllier would be best advised to steer away from employment, let alone a high-pressure job such as management in the Barclays Premier League. (WHILST LERNER HAD THE BENEFIT OF DISCUSSING THE SITUATION WITH HOULLIER AND THE ACTUAL MEDICS INVOLVED RATHER THAN THE QUACKS YOU SPOKE TO) That being the case, I think it is fair to assume that Lerner and Faulkner would have had an idea of what should happen next - irrespective of the fact that Houllier should have been binned after the home game against Sunderland. Lerner has a duty of care to both his employee and the football club and, as such, had to terminate Houllier’s employment. Fairly simple, you might think. Oh no. We are treated to the unedifying example of Gary McAllister re-inforcing Houllier’s position by trotting out: ‘Gerard will be back,’ in quasi-parrot fashion, flagrantly ignoring the medical evidence in front of him. (And us.) (LOYALTY TO HIS BOSS – THE SHAME OF IT) Villa’s dynamic duo - still wrestling with Martin O’Neill - decide that issue is far more important than the here and now. So they concentrate their efforts on settling with the Irishman, rather than sorting out Houllier. (EXCEPT YOU DON’T KNOW THAT – PERHAPS LERNER AND FAULKNER ARE ABLE TO DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE?) (Personally, I’d have postponed O’Neill. He would have had to wait for his day.) But here comes the tricky part. Instead of having a friendly chat with Mr Houllier - or an unfriendly one, come to that - and telling him that due to a duty of care to the club, his employment would have to be terminated, Villa make two major mistakes. And their whole world comes crashing down around them. First, they don’t have the above talk. If they did and it became mired in legality as Houllier is protected by a nonsensically-large pay-off clause, then they would have another battle on their hands. (The Frenchman would have settled eventually, he wouldn’t have wanted to go through all the strife of that, believe me.) (SORRY NOT SURE WHAT YOUR POINT IS HERE???) Secondly, why didn’t Villa draw up a shortlist for the vacant job in the meantime and carry out their due diligence on the quiet? (….THEY DID!!!) Why is it that Fulham were able to line up Martin Jol effectively within 48 hours? (‘COS THEY WANTED JOL AND HE WAS AVAILABLE) Villa have had the best part of two months - and still they fumble about like a teenager groping in the dark for a bra-strap. (NOT HAD TWO MONTHS AT ALL – WANTED TO SEE HOW HOULLIER SITUATION PANNED OUT) Just to take you through the events of the last seven days…it’s painful, but bear with me because it underlines the magnitude of the errors. (YOU HAVN’T HIGHLIGHTED ANY YET?) We’ve seen Villa distancing themselves from the outstanding candidate by a country mile - Mark Hughes - because, we are told, of some personal relationship that Lerner has with Mohamed Al Fayed. (YOU DON’T KNOW WHETHER WE’VE DISTANCED OURSELVES OR NOT) Then, they miss out on another name on the shortlist (I THOUGHT THERE WASN’T A SHORT LIST???) - Jol - because, presumably, of chronic indecision. David Moyes doesn’t want to come, either, apparently because he can read the signs from Merseyside that he is better-placed staying put. (AGAIN YOU DON’T KNOW THAT) Next, they offer Steve McClaren an interview - then refuse to carry through with it because of adverse criticism on web-site message boards. (AGAIN YOU HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF THAT) Third, they write to Wigan and ask for permission to speak to Roberto Martinez, who turns them down. (MARTINEZ WHO MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SPOKEN TO AND WHO MAY WELL ALREADY HAVE SIGNED A 5 YEAR CONTRACT) (Since when has the manager of Wigan Athletic turned down the chance to be Aston Villa’s next boss? Incredible.) (SINCE HE HAD A NEW FIVE YEQAR CONTRACT) Next, we understand that Alex McLeish has resigned three miles away at St Andrew’s, initiating the mother of all supporter backlashes. (SO……) Notwithstanding that, somehow Birmingham City now have the high ground. (WTF!!!!LMFAO!!!) Let’s face it, if McLeish turns up at Villa Park, not only will it fly in the face of web-site message board anger (see Martinez above) but it also smashes their lofty moral position of ‘doing things by the book’ into one million tiny pieces. (IF….) So, Lerner won’t risk upsetting his big pal Al Fayed over Hughes but will risk the wrath of half of the Second City in England by chasing McLeish? (YOU’RE MAKING IT UP NOW ARN’T YOU) (I’m not even getting into an argument about whether McLeish is a fit manager for Aston Villa, although the evidence of two relegations in three seasons in the Barclays Premier League suggests he shouldn‘t be, irrespective of a Carling Cup triumph.) (AS HE’S NOT COMING THAT MOOT) Wigan owner Dave Whelan has heaped further scorn on those at B6 by admitting he was surprised that Villa didn’t go for Steve McClaren - as he would have - in the event of Martinez’s exit. (RANDOM!!!!) And all the while in the background, Mark Hughes is jumping up and down, screaming, ‘Take me, take me.’ (IS HE???? I’VE NOT SEEN IT) I ask again: Why not? It’s a sorry mess. And I have to say it’s been symptomatic of everything that has gone wrong with the football side since H.D. Ellis and Steve Stride relinquished control. (HAHAHAHAHAHA) Off the field, the corporate areas are fantastic. But it’s on the field where Villa are struggling. (6TH, 6TH,6TH AND 9TH IN THE TOUGHEST LEAGUE IN THE WORLD…HARDLY STRUGGLING) Too much money has been wasted by too many bad choices. Player contracts, in particular, are way in excess of what they should be. You know, the media who enquired were told that the reason why a couple of chief executives left the club (Michael Cunnah, Richard Fitzgerald) was because Lerner knew how to run a sporting organisation. That may be true as far as Cleveland Browns are concerned. But don’t try to tell me he couldn’t have had better value for his £200m investment. I’m sorry, I don’t believe it. No matter how this turns out from now on, it looks like a botch job. (YOU WISH…..LERNER NOT PUT A FOOT WRONG YET…YOUR MATE DAVE WHELAN SAID IF EVERY CLUB OPERATED LIKE VILLA THE LEAGUE WOULD BE A BETTER PLACE) As for McLeish, Villa’s owners have put themselves in a needlessly difficult position and a rightly coming under increasing criticism for the thoroughly unprofessional manner in which this whole episode has been handled. (WE’VE GOT NO INFLUENCE OVER WHAT MCLEISH DOES AND HAVEN’T EVER COMMENTED ON HIS SITUATION) Charles Krulak’s role within the organisation seems to be the guardian of the message boards. (GOOD, PITY MORE CLUBS DON’T COMMUNICATE WITH THEIR SUPPORTERS) Here’s one for you Charles: Randy and Paul have messed up - massive time. (MESSED UP “MASSIVE TIME”…IS THAT EVEN ENGLISH??? Given the length of time they have had to sort out the managerial situation, the amount of money that’s been thrown at it and the inherent quality of a club like Aston Villa, there is only one question remaining. (RL WILL APPOINT THE RIGHT MAN AT THE RIGHT TIME) Can the mess get any worse? (WHAT MESS???) I sincerely hope not. (REALLY???) WHAT A clearing in the woods YOU ARE!!!!!! But then, given the events of the past few days, I’m not holding my breath.

It's hard to argue with much that he's written there though isn't it? On the contrary - its garbage. Just opinion and conjecture! not a single fact in the whole article. 2nd rate story from a 3rd rate journo

SPOT ON FELLA!!!!!

Troll alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was it, taken from H&V but the original post itself has been removed from the alleged FB page: Ahhhhh!! it must be genuine then if we can't locate the source!!!

Not sure whether this is genuine from MM - where's the link back to him saying this?

A. No one can show that that is a genuine post B. Even if true, all it says is that the General (decent bloke that he is) thinks AM is not as bad a manager as people might think ....but it's not a genuine post from the general anyway - if he had something to say he would post on his thread

Yes I'm sure you know much more than Billionaire businessmen and Top ranked, highly trained military men taking advice from top football insiders and professionals. When RL has got something to announce he will do - until then chill out!!

Excellent post. If ever there had been a statement released without using words it is this. This potential appointment cries out **** Champions League, **** the fans, I'm happy with mid-table mediocre... and mid-table is what we will get if we are lucky. If we end up with him, Lerner will have a vote of no confidence from me. I will however always go to VP, as we are bigger than any manager. No not an excellent post!! Nothing to suggest we will be appointting AM except random press speculation. Moyes or Hughes

http://tinyurl.com/5vgp2rk I didnt even know Parker was a journo On the basis of this article i think we can safely say he's not Poyet please!!

I'd love Poyet - mark my words he will turn out to be a top top manager

General - If you haven't already considered him please take a look at Brighton's manager Gus Poyet. He has experience as a player with Chelsea and Tottenham, was then first team coach with Totenham and has got Brighton promotion in his first season as Manager. He is perhaps more of a gamble than some of the other more recognised names out there but many in football expect him to be a top manager of a top club in the very near future Good luck with your search for the right man - whoever you choose will get my full support

I think Villa would be massively attractive to Poyet. Villa are one of the top 20 sides in the world (Probably 20th lol!) and would be a brilliant stepping stone for someone who wants to manage at the top level Are you really saying that a manager who has just moved from League 1 to the championship would not relish the chance of becoming Villa manager - I think he'd leap at the chance. Yes. As mentioned, he'd be out of his depth and he knows it. I wouldn't have thought so - Played for 2 top six sides, Repected international, won top honours as a player, player of the tournament when winning Copa America, first team coach a Tottenham, Promotion in his first full season, voted league one manager of the year - sounds crap doesnt he!!!! He will be managing a top class side within the next couple of years - I hope it's us

I think Villa would be massively attractive to Poyet. Villa are one of the top 20 sides in the world (Probably 20th lol!) and would be a brilliant stepping stone for someone who wants to manage at the top level Are you really saying that a manager who has just moved from League 1 to the championship would not relish the chance of becoming Villa manager - I think he'd leap at the chance.

It won't be McLeish - RL has shown that he does things above board and McLeish's resignation does not fit with that The fact that the bookies odds are swinging so wildly shows that no-one has a clue whats going on. I've still got massive faith in Randy (although I really would like him to pull his finger out to give the new manager time to work in the transfer market) Personally I think it will be Moyes or Hughes although I would love it if they gave Poyet a chance - I worked down in Brighton for a few months and the guy is the messiah down there. I think he will turn out to be a top, top manager and is exactly the type we should go for - young, ambitious, played at the top level, ultra-professional, well-respected in the game and maybe could unearth a few gems from the lower divisions

So Friedel's booking for mouthing off to the referee isn't justified, but Collin's booking for mouthing off at the referee is? For me only Petrov and Ferreira should have been booked in that first half. It's unclear whether Collins was booked for his challenge or his dissent or a combination of both. You're nuts if you don't think Clark should have been booked for his two wild challenges. Dissent - he pulled at the ref All our bookings fair enough except perhaps Gabby's Essien should be off though for the pen and then the later trip Come on boys - please lets win this My missus keeps telling me off for shouting lol COOOOME OOOOONNNN VILLAAAAA!!!

Baros was swapped with Carew. Carew has a much better goal record than Baros did for us, and does more in the game. That is why the deal was far better for us IMO. Houllier let Carew go 'cos he had Benzema and wanted to play him. Also we don't know that there wern't other issues with Carew similar to those which caused a fall out here a while ago

I got told something yesterday that's apparantly ITK (although it sounds like bullshit to me).. A mate told me that his mate knows the Dad of someone in the reserve team who told him that if MON had lowered the wage bill then he would have been given money to spend, apparantly in the region of £30m. (It sounds like BS to me because I don't think we would have needed to splash £30m this window) I heard exactly the same thing from someone who works at the club - that MON was told he could spend the Milner money only after he had reduced the wage bill by a certain amount - I understand that MON had originally agreed to this but then wanted to buy before he sold - sounds a reasonable explanation of affairs! TBH I could care less about MON anymore and just want to look forward to life under GH

I would have prefered Moyes or Jol but they didn't want to leave their respective clubs GH is a vastly experienced and successful manager (with a much superior record to MON!) - we are lucky to get him I disliked Phil Thompson as a player, coach and pundit but accept that he has been hugely successful - three CLs and 7 league titles. I can put my dislike for him aside and hope that he can get Villa to the next phase An analogy would be that I hate Tim Cahill (a man who has never made a challenge that wasnt a foul) but would be delighted if we signed him To be honest - I hope MacDonald goes back to managing the kids 'cos he was brilliant at it. Not entirely sure what he would add to first team affairs and would leave a gap to be filled GH will have my full support until the end of the season, once he's had time to shape the team, ship out the dead wood (Sidwell, Beye, Davies etc), replace players reaching their sell-by (Friedel, Carew) and buy a few first teamers (striker and defensive midfielder please) and squad players This season is a bit of a write-off - if we do something in one of the cups it would be a bonus. If we finish 6th again GH will be a miracle worker - we need to build for 2011-12 now

Yes he was so poor at Lyon that they won the French League back-to-back