The next manager of Aston Villa

[Adam2003]

19 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

There won't be a McLeish like reaction for Gerrard. There won't be protests at the ground.

Agreed, Gerrard is an unproven manager, McLeish was a proven bad manager!

[useless]

I'm pretty sure that I read that Sky no longer own Sky Bet, so this idea that they run news stories to manipulate the betting odds is a bit of a myth. Either way, I don't think they're very reliable in as a source.

[YouUnastanFren]

1 minute ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

I will be absolutely astonished if he got the Liverpool job after a few good months with us. For one, Liverpool currently have a manager.

Whose contract ends in a few years, has said he definitely won't renew and already has a track record of a period of massive achievement followed by an awful season when the entire squad is burnt out. If that happens at Liverpool like it did at Dortmund Gerrard would be sending his CV if he'd been with us a year, a month or even 10 minutes. We'd literally be a stop gap in his eyes.

[Peter Griffin]

2 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

I will be absolutely astonished if he got the Liverpool job after a few good months with us. For one, Liverpool currently have a manager.

I agree, I think Liverpool would love Gerrard to come to Villa now. Imo they would like to see him have ab out 3 years in the PL and prove himself before getting the Liverpool job. Replacing Klopp is going to be very difficult whenever the time comes

[WakefieldVillan]

End of the day whoever we appoint there will be an element of risk attached to it so I think we have to just trust our owners / CEO to make the right choice and when that choice is made we all back the new manager 100% and give him time to stamp his authority.

Of the unlikely "big" name managers, I'd obviously go for the likes of Ten Hag, Favre, Poch, Simeone, Mancini ETC - But realistically I can't see us attracting any of them, possibly Favre but the others are out of our league.  I'd still hope we we're trying for that kind of calibre though.

Of the more likelier names (top of the "betting") I definitely wouldn't want Terry, Lampard, Hassenhuttl, Nuno, Frank or (definitely not) Martinez. I am unsure of the likes of Fonseca, Hjulmand (know little about them) and AVB.

So that leaves Potter and Gerrard who I would be more than happy with - though on paper you could argue that neither are a huge upgrade on Smith. 

I like what Potter has done at Brighton and although they aren't winning lots of football matches (the reason why we are in this manager search now!) he has them playing some very pleasing football on the eye and more often than not they just miss the killer finish (the game where we drew 0-0 at their place was basically them in a nutshell, they bossed us for 90 minutes doing everything but score). But every time I've watched them (whoever the opponent) they have been good to watch. I like Potter as a person, he comes across well, also got the Villa link but that wouldn't be the reason I would want him - He is a good age and I think he would do a decent job here if appointed. He find him and Smith are on a similar par TBH. It's a safer option than Gerrard I feel. 

Gerrard (Stevie G to his friends ) on the other hand, well, when his name was first mentioned I was immediately all for it - which is surprising because I have hated him all the way through his playing days. The slippy G moment was one of my footballing highlights (yes, I'm a child  ) but yes, never liked him one bit as a player, the screamers he scored past us, the dodgy freekick that he won himself, the red card tackle on Boateng, though spoiling his birthday cup final celebrations was one of the nicer moments! Buuuuuuut all that aside....

...I think (not sure why) he would be a good manager here. I think he has done a decent job at Rangers (hard to judge I know - "crAp league" "Celtic implosion" ETC) But there is a huge pressure up there and I think from what I have seen / heard he has handled it all very well, going a whole season unbeaten is a great accolade regardless of what league you are in, he's done coaching at Anfield too so he's progressed the right way. It's definitely a gamble if we were to appoint him, based on his managerial experience but then you look at what he achieved as a player and the winning mentality that he has, the effect he could have on our (young) players and I think it could be immense. Of course as a person he may not win over a lot of our fanbase, I get that, but I never thought Terry would yet he did. I think Gerrard would see Villa as a massive club (bit like Carragher, Neville ETC) I think he would act with respect and dignity, like Terry did and who knows what he would achieve. Maybe we need that bit of nastiness on the sideline, maybe it will help us with the VAR crap and poor refereeing decisions, who knows. Unpopular on here so it seems but I'm for it. But whoever it is will have my full support for at least two matches

[Peter Griffin]

2 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Saved me a post.

Extremely dramatic.

Also, Purslows job isn't to be " One of us ", it's to try and make sure the Cub is as successful as possible for the " One of us's ".

I genuinely think some people would have been ok with with us getting relegated due to sentiment. the message would then have been " He's the only man to bring us back " etc. ( FYI, I don't think we would have been relegated, just making the point, based on the fact that it is clear alot of people have removed " Head " from some of these expressions and are 100 percent heart at the moment ).

Issue is, you can imagine that any guy who now comes in, will be slated from the word go if things aren't going perfectly from the get off.

Great, we now have a new Fan faction division League ffs.

In my heart, I didn't want Dean to go, but my common sense head could clearly see why he probably should/could have!

Nice post

[Zatman]

2 minutes ago, Adam2003 said:

Agreed, Gerrard is an unproven manager, McLeish was a proven bad manager!

He did much more in Scotland

[TrentVilla]

5 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

I wouldn't have a problem with a young, ambitious manager joining us, and doing such a good job they leave to one of Europe's top sides within a few short years.

It's just that Gerrard is an absolute word removed. 

I'm not his biggest fan and I'm not massively in favor of us appointing him but I'd argue with a degree of validity I think that we as a club are too nice and have been for a long time. I mean on and off the pitch, Paul Faulkner being a prime example.

Purslow for all the external optics isn't too nice, he is pretty harsh I suspect. Has he been cut throat with Smith? Absolutely, regardless of it turns out to be right or not the club needs a bit of that. Soft clubs don't succeed. There is much I don't like about Purslow such as his liking for a camera but soft he is not and that is what we need in the boardroom and in the dugout.

I think Smith was too nice to ever make the top, you need more of an edge. That isn't a criticism of Smith as I'm not one for being critical of people being nice but to manage a bunch of egotistical players, stand up to agents and even your own directors you need to have an edge.

So while I'm not Gerrard's biggest fan him being a bit of a word removed, a lot likey with Terry is a tick in the plus column in a lot of ways not in the negative.

[YouUnastanFren]

3 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Derby literally gambled the clubs future on getting promoted. That isn’t on Lampard. 

Part of the gamble was hiring a manager who had his eyes firmly set on another job before he even joined them and would 100% certainly jump as soon as possible. If they'd had a manager that would stick around after that season they'd have been far better off imho

[Davkaus]

2 minutes ago, useless said:

I'm pretty sure that I read that Sky no longer own Sky Bet, so this idea that they run news stories to manipulate the betting odds is a bit of a myth. Either way, I don't think they're very reliable in as a source.

You're correct, they sold it years ago, they don't make up rumours to drive betting, it's a lot more simple, they just want to keep viewers watching, and you don't do that by having nothing to talk about

[villabromsgrove]

Dean was sacked for a reason. Our owners will have a list of things that they want the new manager to improve on. This will define who makes the interview shortlist.

Those of us posting on VT can speculate all we like, but we don't know the order of their most pressing reasons for sacking Smith.

Was the standard and intensity of his coaching becoming a major concern?

Were players becoming too comfortable, less fit and putting less effort in?

Was he just too nice to the point where he was a father figure and players had just stopped listening to him?

Were tactics, team selection, team shape and in game management less than acceptable?

Etc. Etc.

Edens, Sawiris and Purslow will have had many conversations behind the scenes about the character and qualities of the manager they want next, and the interview shortlist should reflect this.

How ambitious are NSWE, and what kind of money are they willing to spend to attract the best manager they can get to fill this absolute key role at AVFC going forward? The contract offered must reflect where they want Villa to be in three years time. 

I've read everything I can find  about the names mentioned in the last 24 hours (and before). There are some interesting managers included, and while some share certain attributes they each have different strengths and weaknesses. 

I haven't got a clue who will be appointed, and not being privy to the day to day squad life at BMH haven't got the knowledge to bang the gong for any particular candidate.

I will watch and read with interest.

[Vive_La_Villa]

Just now, Zatman said:

He did much more in Scotland

Didnt he come third with Rangers ?  That takes some doing. 

[TRO]

22 hours ago, KentVillan said:

Smith beat Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Leicester, Everton, and West Ham in his 2-and-a-bit seasons in the PL.

yes and great results they was....but moments is not enough, if you think it is, I suggest you are missing the big picture.

do you just ignore the 11 wins in the last calendar year?, do you just ignore the grim individual stats that we are presiding over, do you just ignore the alarming slump in play, that even a novice spectator could identify with . 27 wins in 80 odd games, do I need to go on.

but more pertinently, why do you force me, to defend Purlows Decision as being correct, when like everone else, I am bitterly disappointed it turned out like this.

If you think I am a Villa fan, that just sits by and watches my team disappear in to the mist, you are wrong. I have always fought for change, when I think change was necessary, even when Doug Ellis went, and he wasn't all bad...Had a tighter rein on club discipline than Lerner or Xia.

by the way Dean never beat West Ham in his 2 and a bit seasons, your response is flaky and clutching at straws.

I am not suggesting for one second, we didn't have good times under Dean, of that we had some great games, The liverpool game will go down in folklore...but a semblance of consistency eluded him....even you can't deny that.

 

 

 

Edited November 9, 2021 by TRO

[M_Afro]

1 minute ago, Davkaus said:

I wouldn't have a problem with a young, ambitious manager joining us, and doing such a good job they leave to one of Europe's top sides within a few short years.

It's just that Gerrard is an absolute word removed. 

Why do people think that Gerrard is such a bad person? Is it because of the way he was on the pitch? If so, I don’t see the problem. He was an absolute winner, knew when to be nasty and absolutely would do anything to win. If ever a club needed a bit of that, it’s us.

Is it off the field antics? I remember one unsavoury altercation but I thought that he was found not guilty. Also, we don’t really know all of the details, people do make terrible mistakes at times and it was a long time ago. I know that in his time at Liverpool and Rangers he has been involved in lots of good community work so if we are going to focus on the bad, it’s only fair that we should take a balanced view on all aspects of his character.

Genuinely interested in the reasons that people see him as such a nasty piece of work. I’ve always thought he was ok.

[Vive_La_Villa]

2 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

I'm not his biggest fan and I'm not massively in favor of us appointing him but I'd argue with a degree of validity I think that we as a club are too nice and have been for a long time.

I think Smith was too nice to ever make the top, you need more of an edge. That isn't a criticism of Smith as I'm not one for being critical of people being nice but to manage a bunch of egotistical players, stand up to agents and even your own directors you need to have an edge.

So while I'm not Gerrard's biggest fan him being a bit of a word removed, a lot likey with Terry is a tick in the plus column in a lot of ways not in the negative.

Exactly. The 3 best managers in the league are words removed. Conte has joined them and he doesn’t come across as the nicest guy either. 

[dubliner]

1 minute ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Didnt he come third with Rangers ?  That takes some doing. 

That deserves a knighthood. 

[Zatman]

1 minute ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Didnt he come third with Rangers ?  That takes some doing. 

He did but that season he also got Rangers out of the groups in Champions Leqgue, first Scottish team to do that. He also beat a top Celtic team to titles. McLeish also finished 2nd with Motherwell

[TrentVilla]

Just now, Vive_La_Villa said:

Exactly. The 3 best managers in the league are words removed. Conte has joined them and he doesn’t come across as the nicest guy either. 

Show me a nice manager and I'll show you an average manager (at best).

[Vive_La_Villa]

Just now, Zatman said:

He did but that season he also got Rangers out of the groups in Champions Leqgue, first Scottish team to do that. He also beat a top Celtic team to titles. McLeish also finished 2nd with Motherwell

Fair enough.

[AntrimBlack]

21 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

'We' didn't sack him, Purslow did. I no longer consider him one of 'us'. Sacking a manager the first time you hit a major bad run is utterly, utterly stupid. Dean was the most intelligent and astute manager in the Premier League, and had nowhere near reached his ceiling. We were in a post-Grealish period of transition, just starting integrate new players and new tactics, in the middle of an injury and illness crisis. We'd beaten Manchester United at Old Trafford. We had young players coming in and learning their trade. There was no need whatsoever to disrupt the season and the club. 

Frankly, I don't give a shit who the next manager on the Doug Ellis Memorial Merry-go-round is, the club has already blundered and undone three years' good work at a stroke. **** you, Purslow. 

Dean Smith's Claret and Blue Army. 

Disagree with both of these points. He had clearly reached his ceiling.

And it is not the first bad run. There have been others; some performances have been worrying for some time.

There have been a number of things that have indicated that Smith was out of ideas and out of his depth. Smith would have taken us down.

Purslow had no choice, and acted correctly.