Who do you believe is at fault for this situation

[parisvilla]

the people voting for MON as the main cause of this shower of shite deserve to be castrated.

signed....

Parisvilla and JuanPabloAngel18

[Corleone]

A person you have omitted from your poll

If only he'd had a better environment in order to fully develop his undoubted footballing talents, I stand here this evening with no doubt in my mind that he would, not only have become a Villa & England legend in the mid 80's right through to the inception of the premier league and beyond.

But we could have built a dynasty on the back of the momentum the club would have inevitably profited from having such a player at their disposal.

Ladies and Gentlemen I give you.........................................................

DARREN LIGGINS

[dudevillaisnice]

Can't believe so few people seem to think the players are to blame as well. I don't care if you don't approve of the manager. You are employed by the club and paying fans fund your wages. You wear the shirt you should do your best for the club.

No need for any club to have a manager then

What? :?

All I'm saying is that regardless of the managerial situation as paid professionals they should always give 100%, something they don't seem to be doing at the moment.

exactly..

if they ran their socks off fair enough, but they werent bothered at all and the manager is to be blamed largely for this but I'm finding it shocking how people think its ok for the players to behave like this, sorry but its unacceptable they take the blame aswell imo.

[CrackpotForeigner]

Randy for listening to the wrong people.

When MON was in charge, his style, the players he bought, the wages he paid average players were criticised. It was felt from the not-very-well educated that with the players we had, if we had another more tactically astute manager who didn't invite pressure for long periods of the game and made time-wasting substitutions at the end of games where we conceded late on that we would be top-4 and would be able to win trophies. MON, it was thought, was standing in the way of us going further.

My belief is that after the wage bill had gotten so high on players that MON never played, Randy and his advisers decided that he didn't really know what he was doing with transfers, and his training methods and playing style were antiquated so they decided to pull the plug by making a few of the decisions for him with transfers and effectively taking his power away to negotiate contracts himself. As this happened, MON decided his position was untenable and walked. I don't believe it was done out of spite, it was simply unfortunate timing.

Now, anyone with a balanced viewpoint could see that the stakes were simply so high for MON during his 3 years here that to really have a crack at the top 4 it needed significant investment and a lot of financial speculation before reaping the rewards later down the line. Players don't want to come to the Midlands to live or play. Even the North-East is seen as a nicer place to be than Birmingham. Therefore, to even get mediocre players they would have to be paid over the odds wages. I believe this was part of the deal that MON and Randy had when he was first brought to the club, and why I believe the relationship starting breaking down, when Randy starting reneging on the deal. He couldn't afford to take a chance on young players he wanted to bring through, he couldn't afford to lose a single game more than he had to.

MON was entirely a pragmatist. Attractive, free-flowing, passing football was discounted in favour of counter-attacking and wing-play. From my own point of view, these are perfectly acceptable tactics for levelling teams. How many times did you see us match the 'big 4', only to be humbled by relegation fodder the next week? Year upon year we saw progress, but with moneybags City turning cheat-mode on and Spurs suddenly seeing their investments come to fruition I think significant investment was required to make the next step, which is what Randy withdrew from.

The point where it needed a fair bit of money thrown at it to make the next step and continue challenging the outside of the top 4, Randy withdrew, after the general viewpoint of the majority of the fans reinforced his own suspicions.

It was then a valiant attempt to use our main asset of youth, and bring in a youth developer such as Houllier to set us up well for the future, but Houllier is not the pragmatist that MON was, he's an idealist. With the right continental flair players his teams will play beautiful football, but in the meantime we will get some hammerings. If MON was still here in this situation we would have had almost no kids in over these months, but we would be in the top half. Sidwell would have featured a lot more, but we would have had a few more 0-0 draws.

So right now, Houllier is trying to be Arsenal with inexperienced players when more experienced, less skilful players would have been more solid.

Sorry for harping on about MON so much in this, but he really knew what he was doing. Randy lost faith too early, took his support away and now we're suffering the consequences.

This is brilliant. The last word IMO.

[C4rvillan]

I think all of them have to take a bite of the shit sandwich that we have been served.

[AValon]

A group effort sadly.

Mon certainly started the rot off by walking away and that is unforgiveable in the light of this seasons inept showing (a decision which very possibly does haunt him). But Randy Lerner has to shoulder the lions share of the blame because he has shown a considerable lack of understanding about the game and how it works. He's already the owner of one major outfit, surely he ought to know its a case of serious pay-out for very little return?

Houllier, I'm afraid, is'nt the answer to our problems. Fanciful ideas, poor application and you can't instigate radical changes with players who are totally set in their ways. We should have gone for someone with more passion and belief in Aston Villa, not their own past.

And last, but certainly not least, the players themselves have to stand up and be counted. When that whistle goes, they are in command of their own destiny and whatever the outcome shall be. They might have issues with the manager, but ultimately their responsibility is to the club and its legions of supporters who blindly follow them, to great personal expense in each case. You expect desire, effort and emotion........which is why its hard to watch individuals coming up short. If WE hurt, I expect them to hurt too and I suspect there are those who do not?

[Harry]

Houllier, he is the man in charge of training tactics and team selection. The tactics are non-existent, we no longer play to our strength, which is pace. Now we make 5 passes when 1 will do. We pass it acrooss the back foUr to the fullback , pass it up thE wing , go forward 10 yards turn back, give it back to the fullback pass across the back four and do the same up the other wing. Rubbish

Exactly! At times I thought MON's tactics and selection were bad. Clearly I knew nothing.

[MrMoseley]

The buck stops with RL for me, he gave MON the cash and anyone with half a brain could see what MON was doing was a sh*t or bust strategy, so he must of backed it. MoN's idea IMO was to buy safe, unspectacular, proven premier league performers and add a bit of 'class' in a Milner or 'genius' in A.Young to open teams up. Rather than building a team/squad around footballing principles of any type you care to mention. Problem is with MON's approach is when you start selling your class-act/genuis and replacing him with a mad Irishman who's hardly played for two seasons, the plan starts to backfire. The MON plan was one dimensional, yes, but if you are going to allow someone to build your entire squad around that idea but then decide you want to sell the very 'class-act' that your team revolves around, what you will be left with is a disfunctional mess. A team without direction plodding through games hoping the ball will drop for them kindly rather than making their own chances through their inter play and inventivness that is so obviously missing.

RL is to blame for the current malaise, though if this is the first step in a different direction, one that builds a team that plays the game the right way, then I'm all for it. Things may unfortunately get worse before they get better, but in the long term we should have a view of how we want to play and stick to it.

[TheWizzler]

Every Single one on that poll are to blame.

[Harry]

A group effort sadly.

Mon certainly started the rot off by walking away and that is unforgiveable in the light of this seasons inept showing (a decision which very possibly does haunt him). But Randy Lerner has to shoulder the lions share of the blame because he has shown a considerable lack of understanding about the game and how it works. He's already the owner of one major outfit, surely he ought to know its a case of serious pay-out for very little return?

Houllier, I'm afraid, is'nt the answer to our problems. Fanciful ideas, poor application and you can't instigate radical changes with players who are totally set in their ways. We should have gone for someone with more passion and belief in Aston Villa, not their own past.

And last, but certainly not least, the players themselves have to stand up and be counted. When that whistle goes, they are in command of their own destiny and whatever the outcome shall be. They might have issues with the manager, but ultimately their responsibility is to the club and its legions of supporters who blindly follow them, to great personal expense in each case. You expect desire, effort and emotion........which is why its hard to watch individuals coming up short. If WE hurt, I expect them to hurt too and I suspect there are those who do not?

Fantastic post Avalon, I think that sums up how we all feel.

[alexo]

Randy for listening to the wrong people.

When MON was in charge, his style, the players he bought, the wages he paid average players were criticised. It was felt from the not-very-well educated that with the players we had, if we had another more tactically astute manager who didn't invite pressure for long periods of the game and made time-wasting substitutions at the end of games where we conceded late on that we would be top-4 and would be able to win trophies. MON, it was thought, was standing in the way of us going further.

My belief is that after the wage bill had gotten so high on players that MON never played, Randy and his advisers decided that he didn't really know what he was doing with transfers, and his training methods and playing style were antiquated so they decided to pull the plug by making a few of the decisions for him with transfers and effectively taking his power away to negotiate contracts himself. As this happened, MON decided his position was untenable and walked. I don't believe it was done out of spite, it was simply unfortunate timing.

Now, anyone with a balanced viewpoint could see that the stakes were simply so high for MON during his 3 years here that to really have a crack at the top 4 it needed significant investment and a lot of financial speculation before reaping the rewards later down the line. Players don't want to come to the Midlands to live or play. Even the North-East is seen as a nicer place to be than Birmingham. Therefore, to even get mediocre players they would have to be paid over the odds wages. I believe this was part of the deal that MON and Randy had when he was first brought to the club, and why I believe the relationship starting breaking down, when Randy starting reneging on the deal. He couldn't afford to take a chance on young players he wanted to bring through, he couldn't afford to lose a single game more than he had to.

MON was entirely a pragmatist. Attractive, free-flowing, passing football was discounted in favour of counter-attacking and wing-play. From my own point of view, these are perfectly acceptable tactics for levelling teams. How many times did you see us match the 'big 4', only to be humbled by relegation fodder the next week? Year upon year we saw progress, but with moneybags City turning cheat-mode on and Spurs suddenly seeing their investments come to fruition I think significant investment was required to make the next step, which is what Randy withdrew from.

The point where it needed a fair bit of money thrown at it to make the next step and continue challenging the outside of the top 4, Randy withdrew, after the general viewpoint of the majority of the fans reinforced his own suspicions.

It was then a valiant attempt to use our main asset of youth, and bring in a youth developer such as Houllier to set us up well for the future, but Houllier is not the pragmatist that MON was, he's an idealist. With the right continental flair players his teams will play beautiful football, but in the meantime we will get some hammerings. If MON was still here in this situation we would have had almost no kids in over these months, but we would be in the top half. Sidwell would have featured a lot more, but we would have had a few more 0-0 draws.

So right now, Houllier is trying to be Arsenal with inexperienced players when more experienced, less skilful players would have been more solid.

Sorry for harping on about MON so much in this, but he really knew what he was doing. Randy lost faith too early, took his support away and now we're suffering the consequences.

100 per cent in agreement.

[ChrisNichollsToe]

I think Randy is about to get a lot of questions asked........

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/oliver-holt/Oliver-Holt-column-Why-Aston-Villa-dramatic-decline-is-down-to-lack-of-investment-rather-than-Gerard-Houllier-article659285.html

[sellyoakvilla]

MON

Walked out and left us in the shit too close to the season with too many players the wrong side of 30 and average players on ridiculous wages

[Mark8691]

MON

The players can go and f*ck themselves too. Paid so much, fans spend a fortune to watch them and they couldnt give a shit. F*ck football.

Also agree that all hold some blame.

Was concerned when the General said before the season, that our squad could accomplish 'great' things. I do worry that the board think our squad is a lot better than it actually is.. Hopefully they've got the point now!

[steven]

dirk1978 spot on. I can't see how MON can be blamed for the team getting worse.

Last season we had one if not the strongest back 4 up and down the country. Now with the same team we struggle to keep a clean sheet.

MON was loyal to us, until we stabbed him in the back. Never slagged the team even when we played at our worst. Not a bad word spoken even when he left. He had the opportunity to have his own cheap dig in a press release/statement, but nothing...remained a true gentleman keeping his loyalty and dignity.

As a fan you can't deny under MON we was climbing. From the likes of seeing Ridgewell, Lee Hendry, Mark Delaney, Jay Lloyd Samuel, Thomas Sørensen and Gavin McCann week in week out.

We became a fresh looking squad, the ground, the kits, sponsors all started to look up. Not taking anything away from RL, he has been a massive part to the 5 year master plan. But it was the football we played that made us exciting...looking back to Youngs late winner against Everton. That goal had MON all over it. The fans now known as a 12th man across the country. Seeing Wembeley carpeted in claret and blue.

It was all a big dream...we are back to reality, we have even replaced our out dated Patrik Berger for a new spring chicken...Pires.

MON done more in a month than this French Terry Wogan we have as a manager. I wonder if the money we got for Milner balances the books as we clutch on to the premier league.

[1974Centenary]

The players first and then o'neil,nobody else.

[briny_ear]

Incredible really that a third of people blame a manager who is no longer here and can have no influence whatsoever on our results.

Equally incredible that only a third blame the manager who was appointed to lead the team and who should take full responsibility for our results.

Talk about burying your heads in the sand.

BTW, I voted for Lerner - he hasn't invested squish all in the club for over a year, imposed a ridiculous sell-to-buy policy on MON and then appointed an incompetent manager to take his place.

[CBGB]

Half of the people think it's Martin O'Neill's fault :shock: :?

[andym]

dirk1978 spot on. I can't see how MON can be blamed for the team getting worse.

Last season we had one if not the strongest back 4 up and down the country. Now with the same team we struggle to keep a clean sheet.

MON was loyal to us, until we stabbed him in the back. Never slagged the team even when we played at our worst. Not a bad word spoken even when he left. He had the opportunity to have his own cheap dig in a press release/statement, but nothing...remained a true gentleman keeping his loyalty and dignity.

As a fan you can't deny under MON we was climbing. From the likes of seeing Ridgewell, Lee Hendry, Mark Delaney, Jay Lloyd Samuel, Thomas Sørensen and Gavin McCann week in week out.

We became a fresh looking squad, the ground, the kits, sponsors all started to look up. Not taking anything away from RL, he has been a massive part to the 5 year master plan. But it was the football we played that made us exciting...looking back to Youngs late winner against Everton. That goal had MON all over it. The fans now known as a 12th man across the country. Seeing Wembeley carpeted in claret and blue.

It was all a big dream...we are back to reality, we have even replaced our out dated Patrik Berger for a new spring chicken...Pires.

MON done more in a month than this French Terry Wogan we have as a manager. I wonder if the money we got for Milner balances the books as we clutch on to the premier league.

MON loyal, us stabbing him in the back? lol the guy quit the first time he didnt get his own way, at a time designed to cause maximum disruption.

yeah the first couple of season under MON were good- exciting counter attacking football, we looked like we were on the up. but then teams got wise-play tight and we had nothing. the football became crap. we could get wins but that was because we had players like ash, gabby, milner getting goals out of nothing.

the 08/09 season we were 3rd at xmas. a perfect time to get 1 key player who can ensure we get 4th. MON decides the one key player is heskey (and arsenal go and get arshavin). a few months later after MON decides to chuck away europe we bottle it against Stoke and its all down hill. the first 11 which has been run into the ground burn out and we somehow finish 6th, behind everton who were miles behind only a few months earlier.

after that season MON goes to Randy, i need to improve the squad so we dont burn out and fall short next year. Randy gives him the funds he wants. that season we throw away europe again, and MON again runs the 1st 11 into the ground. while this is happening players on large wages, who he wanted are not being played and sitting on the bench not contributing.

Randy quite rightly questions MON when again in the summer he wants large funds, MON gets the huff and walks. and as Celtic and Leicester fans warned he left us with lots of aging, average players on large wages.

MON did a lot of good, but in his 4 seasons he spent a lot and yet what have we got to show? we bottled 4th from an unbelievably good position, im pretty sure that no team before had been top 3 at xmas and failed to get champs league. we threw away europe every year. and 1 final and semi final in which we lost isnt very good for domestic cup competitions.

he left us some very good young players, but he left us some right shite and, expensive shite at that.

of course, Houllier takes a lot of responsibility, any manager should be able to get our team higher than they are at the moment. But MON doesnt get a free pass at all

[jasethevillain]

Houllier, every day of the week, Houllier.

Get out of the club you fat French clearing in the woods.