The Next Villa Manager Part 3

[Kiwivillan]

As regards the claimed "Generals Post on FB"

If it was a private message leaked by Jon fear 2 things

1) Shame on Him

2) Why does it call him Richard

I think we need to all calm the F*** down

Sorry, don't know how to do links but if you go to the new manager thread on vitalvilla between pages 46-50 you'll see how it panned out for real. Richard is the name of a poster on the site who is also a facebook friend on the "Chuck Krulak" fb page. If you check out his friends list, there is indeed a richard with a surname similar to the posters user name.

Whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you. If it's a fake I doff my hat to whoever wrote it cos it's a bloody good'un.

If your info is correct then fine, I have no problem with the message being real or not and if Jon Fear had no involvement then my appologies to him.

That doesn't change the fact that

Somebody gets a "PRIVATE MESSAGE" from The General and decides to be Billy big bollox and post it for the world to see

For me that is very very poor form regardless of circumstances

HE DIDN'T

It was a wall post. Obviously GK didn't realise that friends of wall poster would see response. Other Villa fans chimed in. OP deleted post when he realised but it was too late. It had already gone viral.

[villa4europe]

Look at it this way, our search has been no different than Chelsea's imo.

We've released exactly two statements, two!

yep chelsea have just released more or less the same statement as the general did last week, will take their time will be a couple of weeks etc

where are their yellow bar mishaps? where is their week straight talksport phone in? there isnt one, why? because their fans arent biting

all our lot are doing are feeding the flames, the only potential silver lining to this mccleish story is that they cant top it, when this gets denied or dies down they wont out do it

[diehardvillan]

So what the hell is going on then? Since last night, is there anything to report?

[Villafied]

Look at it this way, our search has been no different than Chelsea's imo.

We've released exactly two statements, two!

Every single other bit of info has come from the media and other sources, nothing to do with Aston Villa but certainly with more agendas than doing the best for Villa.

Randy has always tried his best for Villa.

Sky went from saying we were in for Rafa to an hour later saying we weren't, thats just a shambles to start with!

Reporters claiming 'fans' not being respected when really they are annoying at not getting fed anything, if they were getting their usual info i'm sure the fans would have been perfectly respected and not such a big deal.

At the end of the day we are easy targets for the media.

The boards continued improvement of the club over the past 6 years has raised expectations. Coupled with the instant gratification generation we have at the moment, means the press know they have half of us on our knees waiting for more, what ever they print.

But just appointing anyone, will mean more similar pain at about Xmas when things are gong shit. RL take your time, get it right

[JohnJohn2]

So what the hell is going on then? Since last night, is there anything to report?

Yes we will buy Ridgewell and Gardner as well as our new manager is McLeish...

[beasley14]

So what the hell is going on then? Since last night, is there anything to report?

No just a lot of screaming and stamping of feet!

[Eames]

HE DIDN'T

It was a wall post. Obviously GK didn't realise that friends of wall poster would see response. Other Villa fans chimed in. OP deleted post when he realised but it was too late. It had already gone viral.

Dont buy this for one minute. "He didn't realise..." Rubbish. The clubs media people for one would have made damn sure he new.

And again, the only way you can delete on FB is if it is your post OR on your wall. So we really have no way of knowing who deleted what.

Its all too slick to be believable I'm afraid.

That said, the "fact" that the club are considering AM doesn't mean they will appoint him. I for example and considering doing Scarlett Johansen up the wrong 'un later.......

[Cjamesk]

So what the hell is going on then? Since last night, is there anything to report?

More press speculation filling the void of silence, "alleged" FB posts from General K and the press hammering Villa and Fans biting the bait and phoning Talk Radio stations.

So just the same as last week in all honesty.

[lucky7della]

Look at it this way, our search has been no different than Chelseahere here!!

[Big_John_10]

Big John, the only fact in what you've said here is that Martinez turned down the chance to talk to us about the job.

The rest is speculation and you've chosen to frame it in a way that fits your view.

You don't think we look shambolic in the press and you don't think we're interested in Mcleish?

[Kiwivillan]

HE DIDN'T

It was a wall post. Obviously GK didn't realise that friends of wall poster would see response. Other Villa fans chimed in. OP deleted post when he realised but it was too late. It had already gone viral.

Dont buy this for one minute. "He didn't realise..." Rubbish. The clubs media people for one would have made damn sure he new.

And again, the only way you can delete on FB is if it is your post OR on your wall. So we really have no way of knowing who deleted what.

Its all too slick to be believable I'm afraid.

That said, the "fact" that the club are considering AM doesn't mean they will appoint him. I for example and considering doing Scarlett Johansen up the wrong 'un later.......

Yes. It was his post on GKs FB page. When other Villa fans posted on it he saw what was happening and deleted but it was already C+Pedto several other websites.

Don't shoot the messenger who asked a legitimate question and GK reponded how he did.

[spacehead]

Look at it this way, our search has been no different than Chelsea's imo.

We've released exactly two statements, two!

yep chelsea have just released more or less the same statement as the general did last week, will take their time will be a couple of weeks etc

where are their yellow bar mishaps? where is their week straight talksport phone in? there isnt one, why? because their fans arent biting

all our lot are doing are feeding the flames, the only potential silver lining to this mccleish story is that they cant top it, when this gets denied or dies down they wont out do it

The Chelsea situation is different. They have a well known plan to get Hiddink and the delay is all down to negotiating with the Turkish FA.

We appear not to have a plan.

A wall of silence from the club is fine by me but when you do that, good PR dictates that you have off the record conversations with trusted journos, to ensure that the message is managed appropriately rather than the free for all that we have here.

[sparey16]

Randys plane flew back to the UK today...empty apparently.

[jim]

For those (few) that say AM was not at fault for the first relegation,he took over at the end of November and had 25 games to sort it out, I would say it was!

[wiganvillain]

Big John, the only fact in what you've said here is that Martinez turned down the chance to talk to us about the job.

The rest is speculation and you've chosen to frame it in a way that fits your view.

You don't think we look shambolic in the press and you don't think we're interested in Mcleish?

Forget McLeish, that will sort itself as the others have.

As for the press, do you really give a shit about how we appear in the gutter press we have in this country who print total bollocks and call it "insider info"

Get real

[VillaCas]

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.

[islingtonclaret]

Randys plane flew back to the UK today...empty apparently.

I've just read this.

My God I hope he knows what he's doing.

[villa4europe]

Big John, the only fact in what you've said here is that Martinez turned down the chance to talk to us about the job.

The rest is speculation and you've chosen to frame it in a way that fits your view.

You don't think we look shambolic in the press and you don't think we're interested in Mcleish?

i dont think the club does, as makouns grin said we havent actually done anything that chelsea havent, the difference is our fans IMO have really let themselves down by taking the bait

and no i dont believe we are after mcleish

[diehardvillan]

So what the hell is going on then? Since last night, is there anything to report?

Yes we will buy Ridgewell and Gardner as well as our new manager is McLeish...

Well that gives us hope then.

[barryod11]

ya randys plane arrives just over an hour ago....

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