MON stay or go

[Malachite]

MON really has to stay if you think about it, the squad is looking good, it turns out the players he got in during the summer are better than most of us imagined, not only that these players have bonded friggin remarkably fast even for players that have been playing in the same league for years its still be very fast, best buds after a couple of games, collins looks immense IMO and Dunne looks as though he's stepped up a huge step just coming under MON's influence, teams doing well, Gabby's is fast becoming a very top Premiership player, Ash Young, who I'd thought had faded, we are seeing a new side to his game, snapping at everybody, Petrov looks like he's on a crusade, my only concern is Carew, for me he's just a little relaxed, you have to say MON is working his magic, long may it continue.

[shaft69]

Hate these shit surveys all crap,stay or go!! which tit bought this up we doing well and all this crap comes up!!

[TheSufferingVilla]

Hate these shit surveys all crap,stay or go!! which tit bought this up we doing well and all this crap comes up!!

:shock: Post of the Decade!

[MaxVillan]

I voted go the last time and i am voting go this time. Just don't think we play the type of football that should grace Villa Park. I don't think we will gain the success we all crave playing the Martin O'Neill way and he has wasted millions on transfers. He has taken 4 years to build a solid defence and we still lack creativity in midfield and that 20 goals a season striker. Even when such a striker becomes available, he refuses to buy him. Bent's success at Sunderland should be giving O'Neill nightmares and that very player might jump up and bite O'Neill in the arse!

I want to see the type of football that 'Big Ron's' 90s team played and gained success with it. 'Big Ron' had an eye for the player who could do that something extra and win matches. Martin O'Neill views that type of player with suspicion and although we have gained some very creditable results and league finishes, i do believe with a more forward thinking manager at the helm, we would as far as quality of squad and Cup success is concerned, be much further forward.

I hope i have to eat a huge lump of humble pie at some stage inside the next year which will end the 'five year plan.' However, i sincerely doubt it and i believe O'Neill has taken us as far as he can!

Let's get this right, you'd prefer tippy tappy relegation football like west broms, over mons top 6 style football?

I personally couldn't care less about how we play, rather than how many points we get. Who would you get in, Mourinho? Who plays the same style.

Trust someone to pick West Brom instead of Arsenal, Spurs, Man U, or indeed even Wigan under their new manager. :x

What im saying is that with our style of football at the moment, can you see us being successful in Cup competitions, winning the Premiership or even gaining success in Europe? Nope, i didn't think so. I'm sick and tired of watching the likes of Wigan out playing us, yet you seem quite happy to see this. We need a manager who will buy technically gifted players to play in a way which will gain success for our club and fans. We at he moment play hoofball and are just too predicable!

The point is, with our set of players, they don't suit 'tippy tappy' football. It would take a whole squad overhaul, with a new manager who then needs to be good enough in the first place.

Would take a few seasons to assemble a squad + manager of playing 'nice football'.

I'll stick with MON thanks. Chelsea and Liverpool do alright playing like we do.

[wans13]

Can we stop doing these now then?

[tomav84]

93% positive atm...would love to have seen this poll after the wigan game when we hadnt really signed any players

[sting]

Seemed to have stirred a hornet's nest here. I make no apologies for my opinion on O'Neill. If a manager in any other walk of life had taken four years to get the correct staff for one part of his department and spent millions on doing it, he would have been given the sack long ago! I also believe someone said something about building a tipy tappy team on the cheap. Well, i never once suggested that we do that. What i was trying to get at was that we should sign technically gifted players to play in a more technical way, to be able to be less predicable where our threat is coming from. We suffered greatly in the last third of last season because teams just started to double team Ashley Young, thereby nullifying our main creative force. I just think with the money spent we should have better players in our midfield than Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Petrov and Gardner! We should also have better players up front to support and challenge Gabby.

I therefore can't see any success coming our way any time soon, particularly in the Cups, as apart from Ashley Young, we do not have any other player who can change a game with an outstanding piece of skill. To win a Cup, you need that extra creativity, or a very lucky draw throughout any Cup competition, which we never seem to get! I think it is generally agreed in this forum, that our team at the moment lacks creativity and has lacked that creativity since O'Neill became manager. Wenger commented in the run in last season that he didn't think we would finish in the top four due to our lack of attacking players and he was proven right. We must change our style to become successful and to change our style of play we must have the right players to do it. O'Neill has struggled to sign such players as he prefers to buy british, rather than also look abroad. His narow mindness will stop success coming to Villa Park until we get a more progressive manager who will make us more creative and less predicable!

[terrytini]

Stay. For a long long time, as we will get better the longer he is here.

Each to their own - some don't like our style of football - fair enough. Personally I love it. In watching reruns of Saturdays game I found the most enjoyable part was the contribution of people like Milner up the front, on the left, on the right, through the middle, back defending. Brilliant. And our counterattacking style is similar to Man Utd 10 years or so ago - thrilling. Never mind this set play bolox either, goals will come from allover in time.

Apart from a couple of misses MON has bought well, and within our means. We are now genuinely giving very good sides a game - and indeed winning most. He has forged a great spirit, we will have learnt from last year (and have a stronger squad) and will really push top 4. We may not do it, but it wouldn't be a shock if we did.

Unlike those who think he lacks in tactics my impression is he is closer to a sort of pseudo Dutch model, with everyone expected to be everywhere when needed, and players having the intelligence ,with him guiding from the touchlines, to go where needed.

I loved him from the start and have seen nothing at all to change my view he is the best thing to happen to this club since Ron Saunders.

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

Seemed to have stirred a hornet's nest here. I make no apologies for my opinion on O'Neill. If a manager in any other walk of life had taken four years to get the correct staff for one part of his department and spent millions on doing it he would have been given the sack long ago!!

But that's not true and even if it was true, surely most managers would of been sacked?

for example, how long has Benitez had to add strength to the squad and still hasn't done it? how long did it take United to re-create a midfield of title winning quality once the likes of Keane had gone?

Arsenal's defence etc..

If our defence was as bad as you say, we wouldn't have finished where we have the last 3 years would we? Our defence was fine in the 07-08 season and for the most part in the 08-09 problem, in fact there wouldn't even be this debate if Laursen hadn't of retired.

Although having your opinion of O'Neill, what posesses you to say GO? as in sack him now, who would you bring in that would leave their club, No international manager would leave with a world cup coming up and as for managers in general, well yeah I don't know anyone.

[MaxVillan]

Seemed to have stirred a hornet's nest here. I make no apologies for my opinion on O'Neill. If a manager in any other walk of life had taken four years to get the correct staff for one part of his department and spent millions on doing it, he would have been given the sack long ago! I also believe someone said something about building a tipy tappy team on the cheap. Well, i never once suggested that we do that. What i was trying to get at was that we should sign technically gifted players to play in a more technical way, to be able to be less predicable where our threat is coming from. We suffered greatly in the last third of last season because teams just started to double team Ashley Young, thereby nullifying our main creative force. I just think with the money spent we should have better players in our midfield than Sidwell, Reo-Coker, Petrov and Gardner! We should also have better players up front to support and challenge Gabby.

I therefore can't see any success coming our way any time soon, particularly in the Cups, as apart from Ashley Young, we do not have any other player who can change a game with an outstanding piece of skill. To win a Cup, you need that extra creativity, or a very lucky draw throughout any Cup competition, which we never seem to get! I think it is generally agreed in this forum, that our team at the moment lacks creativity and has lacked that creativity since O'Neill became manager. Wenger commented in the run in last season that he didn't think we would finish in the top four due to our lack of attacking players and he was proven right. We must change our style to become successful and to change our style of play we must have the right players to do it. O'Neill has struggled to sign such players as he prefers to buy british, rather than also look abroad. His narow mindness will stop success coming to Villa Park until we get a more progressive manager who will make us more creative and less predicable!

He's spent millions assembling a team to play his style of football. What a waste of time it would be to sack him now and bring in bloody tony mowbray.

Let's see what downing does before slating mon for being too predictable.

[chrisp65]

Southgate becoming available should put a very different slant on this poll.

is my medicine ready yet?

[dappadan]

I don't think you see where we came from though Sting, before MON we were relegation candidates he has had to completely overhaul a whole squad, it is plain for anyone to see this would take time.

In the space of 4 years while building the squad we have finished 6th twice maybe now we are back amongst the big boys as it were, maybe we can start to look for that real quality signing, because they certainly would not have joined us 2-3 years ago.

I may be wrong but I think 93% of people wanting him to stay, says it might well be your narrow mindedness holding you back from something, which a LOT of us are enjoying.

[terrytini]

We must change our style to become successful and to change our style of play we must have the right players to do it. O'Neill has struggled to sign such players as he prefers to buy british, rather than also look abroad. His narow mindness will stop success coming to Villa Park

For the most part I just accept you have a different view to mine - although I totally disagree with it.

But this quote is the type of thing that really pisses me off.

You don't know we need to change our style.

You certainly don't know who MON has or hasn't struggled to buy!

And if he has struggled, you don't know why or whether anyone else would.

And you are in no position to know the narrowness or otherwise of his mind.

[Risso]

I don't think you see where we came from though Sting, before MON we were relegation candidates he has had to completely overhaul a whole squad, it is plain for anyone to see this would take time.

In the space of 4 years while building the squad we have finished 6th twice maybe now we are back amongst the big boys as it were, maybe we can start to look for that real quality signing, because they certainly would not have joined us 2-3 years ago.

I may be wrong but I think 93% of people wanting him to stay, says it might well be your narrow mindedness holding you back from something, which a LOT of us are enjoying.

He's also had to overhaul some of his own squad, due to a large proportion of the players he's bought being not good enough. The Chelsea match was excellent of course, but then so were the games against Arsenal last season, and we still fell short in the final analysis. It was the defence that cost us last year, I think it'll be the attack that puts the mockers on things this year.

[MaxVillan]

I don't think you see where we came from though Sting, before MON we were relegation candidates he has had to completely overhaul a whole squad, it is plain for anyone to see this would take time.

In the space of 4 years while building the squad we have finished 6th twice maybe now we are back amongst the big boys as it were, maybe we can start to look for that real quality signing, because they certainly would not have joined us 2-3 years ago.

I may be wrong but I think 93% of people wanting him to stay, says it might well be your narrow mindedness holding you back from something, which a LOT of us are enjoying.

He's also had to overhaul some of his own squad, due to a large proportion of the players he's bought being not good enough. The Chelsea match was excellent of course, but then so were the games against Arsenal last season, and we still fell short in the final analysis. It was the defence that cost us last year, I think it'll be the attack that puts the mockers on things this year.

We where 16th and relegation candidates when he took over. Who did you expect him to sign? Ronaldo?

[terrytini]

I don't know but I think he had to build incrementally. Unless we'd paid silly money and wages I don't think we'd have attracted Downing, Dunne, and Warnock, for example, in his first year or two. We are surely becoming a more appealing club to join ?

And we really weren't that far away last year - swap 2 of Arsenals wins for defeats and vice versa. So I think there is good reason to think we will get close again.

[commander]

Quite simply he's the best thing to happen to us in a decade.

No, that was quite clearly Learner.

I also voted No - but I only get rid once there is someone better available. I can't forget the shambles last season (where no alternatives were tried -we just persisted with the same old garbage tactics and personnel) and I am expecting the same kind of thing this season until he learns how to use substitutues and understands the importnace of tactics.

Before we hear all the tired nonsense that's normally bought up - it's unforgivable to go 2 seasons without a recognised rightback - it could have cost us - we had the money and could've bought an interim solution, but to have nothing is ridiculous. Could've got young for less than half the price a year earlier and that'd have meant we could have seen Ollie and Martin in tandem - just imagine how stromg we'd have been with Bouma on the left... I digress

I said after the Rapid home game it will take an awful lot to chnage my mind over O'Neill and whilst victories over Chelsea and Liverpool are amazing, losses against 10-man Blackburn and Wigan at home can't easily be dismissed.

[Si.]

What a stupid thread.

[AVFC-Prideofbrum]

I don't think you see where we came from though Sting, before MON we were relegation candidates he has had to completely overhaul a whole squad, it is plain for anyone to see this would take time.

In the space of 4 years while building the squad we have finished 6th twice maybe now we are back amongst the big boys as it were, maybe we can start to look for that real quality signing, because they certainly would not have joined us 2-3 years ago.

I may be wrong but I think 93% of people wanting him to stay, says it might well be your narrow mindedness holding you back from something, which a LOT of us are enjoying.

He's also had to overhaul some of his own squad, due to a large proportion of the players he's bought being not good enough. The Chelsea match was excellent of course, but then so were the games against Arsenal last season, and we still fell short in the final analysis. It was the defence that cost us last year, I think it'll be the attack that puts the mockers on things this year.

How about overhauling his own squad because He's come along way also, the likes of Zat Knight had been brought on the back of finishing 11th, now deemed not good enough, he's sold on etc..obviously he's made some shit signings as has EVERY SINGLE MANAGER, but on the whole we've done well.

When you consider Man City have spent £200 million ish in the last 3 years and and also think of the players that they can attract, the likes of Adebayor, Toure, key players of other top 4 clubs and yet they are still not even favourites to finish in the top 4 above any other top 4 clubs then it shows how hard it really is to break into that. I mean we can't attract the players Man City can and even some of the players Tottenham attract, yes we might of spent money but can't attract as good of players as the top 4 and Man City can attract. I'm not sure what your expecting, because your saying fall short but fall short of what? because there is in fact no reasons to state we should be finishing in the top 4, or even top 5 or 6 for that matter.

[b6bloke]

I voted go the last time and i am voting go this time. Just don't think we play the type of football that should grace Villa Park. I don't think we will gain the success we all crave playing the Martin O'Neill way and he has wasted millions on transfers. He has taken 4 years to build a solid defence and we still lack creativity in midfield and that 20 goals a season striker. Even when such a striker becomes available, he refuses to buy him. Bent's success at Sunderland should be giving O'Neill nightmares and that very player might jump up and bite O'Neill in the arse!

I want to see the type of football that 'Big Ron's' 90s team played and gained success with it. 'Big Ron' had an eye for the player who could do that something extra and win matches. Martin O'Neill views that type of player with suspicion and although we have gained some very creditable results and league finishes, i do believe with a more forward thinking manager at the helm, we would as far as quality of squad and Cup success is concerned, be much further forward.

I hope i have to eat a huge lump of humble pie at some stage inside the next year which will end the 'five year plan.' However, i sincerely doubt it and i believe O'Neill has taken us as far as he can!