mikeyp102 Posted September 7, 2016 Author Share Posted September 7, 2016 Right decision for me. Hadn't appeared good enough as a coach. Sure will always be welcomed back as a fan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Love the way Dr Tony suddenly seems very much at arms' length from the club and its decision-making when a potentially unpopular move like this happens. Unlike the previous impression that he was running the club single-handed. A smart operator. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubliner Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Would love to see him given a role similar to Ian Taylor if possible. Be a shame to lose someone who cares about the club so much 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post omariqy Posted September 7, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2016 Didn't really want to go through this on here but as some of you know I do a fair bit of work in football advising players on their finances. Through this I have met numerous people involved in academies and the England set up including scouts etc. I've heard from numerous people of high ranking and reputation that Villa's academy has been in need of a complete overhaul for about 3 years. We were once considered the very best and apparently we have become very complacent. It coincided with Brian Jones leaving I think. Pretty much everyone involved in academy football has said we should be the best purely because of our size and the area we have to choose from for players. I could go in to a lot of detail of what's gone wrong but I won't. Sid Cowans will always be a Villa legend and not sure many love the club as much as him. 17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted September 7, 2016 Moderator Share Posted September 7, 2016 Well not to try and defend Tony but, most of his previous interactions revolved around an area where he had a part in the process. Namely the signing of cheques for transfers. This here is an area which would very much begin and end with the new technical director regardless of whether it was Steve or Sid who initiated it. So Tony is probably rightly not committing on something he may not have been directly involved with. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick76 Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 4 minutes ago, briny_ear said: Love the way Dr Tony suddenly seems very much at arms' length from the club and its decision-making when a potentially unpopular move like this happens. Unlike the previous impression that he was running the club single-handed. A smart operator. Wow that's a negative way of looking at it. I can see a possibility of that but one of a number of ways of looking at it and hard for me to see it that way. If a trend starts happening like this then ok but first one I'm going to let it slide without a thought. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Dodgyknees Posted September 7, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2016 (edited) The man is a legend and a hero, but that doesn't mean he is right for our club. We've been failing for years and need fresh input, so whilst I am sad that he is going, I hope that by bringing new fresh ideas in we can push forwards again. Thanks for everything Sid! Edited September 7, 2016 by DK82 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 43 minutes ago, nick76 said: Wow that's a negative way of looking at it. I can see a possibility of that but one of a number of ways of looking at it and hard for me to see it that way. If a trend starts happening like this then ok but first one I'm going to let it slide without a thought. "Negative" or not, if this is the start of a pattern - the owner recognising the proper areas of decision making and influence for his management team - I will be pleased and see that as a positive development. On the actual issue of Cowans leaving, while it is obviously true that our youth system has increasingly been failing quite badly over the past 10 years or so, it would be easy (but probably flawed) to see the solution as simply sacking the staff who have been involved. The decline in our youth system has gone hand in hand with the decline of the club and it's a much deeper problem than the competence of the people who have been running it on the footballing side. Cowans's departure will only make sense if we see a more fundamental restructuring of the youth system and a concerted effort to reposition it once again as one of the leading academies. So I wait to hear the new narrative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted September 7, 2016 Moderator Share Posted September 7, 2016 10 minutes ago, briny_ear said: Cowans's departure will only make sense if we see a more fundamental restructuring of the youth system and a concerted effort to reposition it once again as one of the leading academies. So I wait to hear the new narrative. I think the hiring of a new technical director and the interview he gave about new technologies pretty much guarantees that you will see a restructuring. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dont_do_it_doug. Posted September 7, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2016 I might be unique in this scenario in that I'm pleased he has moved on. Our academy has been in the khazi for a while. In the last decade or so we've produced a few very average players and Jack Grealish. That's not good enough. Good luck and thanks for the service of course. And UTV. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Let's hope so. Parting company with the existing guys in the job is the easy bit (painful though it is to see Cowans go). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matteyp Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 My fave player as a kid. But that doesn't mean he is cut out for player development now, things have probably moved on. He doesn't seem to have the same out-going enthusiasm as Taylor and Hendrie so there probably wasn't a role for him. It's an over-used word but Sid is a true legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrytini Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 1 hour ago, briny_ear said: Love the way Dr Tony suddenly seems very much at arms' length from the club and its decision-making when a potentially unpopular move like this happens. Unlike the previous impression that he was running the club single-handed. A smart operator. I can't tell from this whether that is a sarcastic comment or not !! Anyway, either would be merited. For me I am genuinely pleased that is the case. I am more than happy for him to dead bat anything he wants to when he wants to, and comment on other stuff as he pleases. As long as Wyness and the rest ar ecomfortable with such an approach I see no reason not to be . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddywhack Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 I went to Petrov's charity match in Halesowen a few years ago and Sid was playing. He came over near to I was stood to take a throw-in and so I got my phone out to take a photo. The bloke in front of me said 'come on, sid, get in the game'. At which point Sid turned round and looked straight at me, he thought I'd said it. He took a few steps towards me and said "I'm fifty fkin four!". He was well pissed off. I've got the photo somewhere. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meme Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 I'm okay with Cowans going as long as this paves the way for a modern, forward-thinking replacement. Our academy has been stone-age for years now, and i'm sure we'll see a few more key academy staff leave in the coming weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dAVe80 Posted September 7, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2016 I love Sid, and always will, so I'm not going to comment on the rights or wrongs of him leaving his job at the academy. I will instead focus on my memories of him as a player, a clubman, a hero, and from the few times I've met him a nice bloke. Those too young to remember him (and I admit I am myself, when talking about his first spell), I can honestly say I can't remember ever seeing a better midfielder at the club, and there aren't that many I can recall being better in English football. If he'd played for Liverpool, or Man United, or a more fashionable side (plus been a bit luckier with his big injury), he'd have played for England many more times than he did. An absolute master of his craft, who could land a ball on a sixpence. The season we finished runners up to Liverpool, I've never seen a player create so many goal scoring chances (especially for Platt). What a footballer. SID! SID! SID! SID! 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limpid Posted September 7, 2016 Administrator Share Posted September 7, 2016 @Grasshopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turnbull Posted September 7, 2016 Share Posted September 7, 2016 Yeah, but his corners were well crap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mandy Lifeboats Posted September 7, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted September 7, 2016 He's given so much to Villa tha I hope his departure hasn't left him with a sour taste in his mouth. He was a legend yesterday, he's a legend today and he'll still be a legend tomorrow. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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