Jimzk5 Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 John carew rumoured to be joining yeovil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 David Platt has left Man City. Probably so he can turn full time to eating. He might return to those Galaxy chocolate adverts 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 King Olof scored today as Villarreal getting closer to promotion back to La Liga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coda Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Darius Vassell was just on 5live. Doing his coaching badges currently, sounded like a nice chap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 (edited) Wow, D-Vass can't be any older than 32/33 and his playing career is already over? I'll never forget him for using a power drill to drain a blister that formed under his big toe, smart guy. Edited May 31, 2013 by Dr_Pangloss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nath182 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 (edited) Djemba x2 is still around. Just signed a contract with Partizan Belgrade:http://sports.yahoo.com/news/soccer-djemba-djemba-joins-partizan-belgrade-172212983.html Edited July 24, 2013 by Nath182 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Paul Mcgrath has been in court after drunken outburst at wedding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Former Aussie Villa youth player Reece Caira has signed for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Lichaj had a great debut for Forrest today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted August 3, 2013 Share Posted August 3, 2013 Lichaj had a great debut for Forrest today Good to hear, think he will have a good career Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanBalaban Posted August 4, 2013 Share Posted August 4, 2013 (edited) Paul Merson cried when he left Villa Good read. Edited August 4, 2013 by StanBalaban Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 5, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted August 5, 2013 Excellent interview, lovely to read. Love that bit about Gregory not knowing the score at half time sometimes Although this bit is a bit inaccurate "Just before I put pen to paper, I was on Question of Sport and was asked: "How many times have Villa won the FA Cup?" I said: "Once?" I didn't know much beforehand. I wasn't too sure. But it's massive. I remember watching the episode where he was asked that question, but it was well after his time with us. In fact the others laughed at him because he'd played for us and he specifically said something like "When we got to the final I thought the reason they made such a big deal about it was because they'd only won it once" so it must have been after he'd played for us. I remember being a little bit annoyed by it Anyway, I'm just being pedantic. Good article nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voinjama Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Another part of that that is inaccurate was the ''they got packed houses at Villa Park every week''. That is not true at all, infact around the 99-2001 period VP was only getting about 33,000 for some games. But yeah it was a good article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandaq Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Carew pretty much confirmed that he will not play professionally anymore last week. Not a surprise really, but sad to see it happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 Alex McLeish did an interview with the daily record yesterday that's mental. I can't c+p on my phone but its worth a read to see how deluded he is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 ALEX McLeish has taken up golf again. He hopes it’s short-lived. Big Eck resigned the game to the bunker nearly 20 years ago when he got into management as he felt guilty spending four or five hours on a course. Every tee-shot and putt niggled McLeish who knew his time would be better spent watching videos of prospective signings or analysis of the opposition. But the 54-year-old can now dig the clubs out without any remorse as he has been away from the management game since leaving Nottingham Forest back in February. That return to the fairways meant McLeish was in decent form for Sir Alex Ferguson’s golf day at The Belfry last week. More importantly, though, it got him an uninterrupted audience with his mentor. A pep talk from Fergie helped Andy Murray make history last weekend as he became the first Brit to win Wimbledon for 77 years. Now McLeish is hoping he can be a success again down south after the Manchester United legend drummed home the message Scots simply can’t fail when they head across the border. In a MailSport exclusive, Big Eck said: “I spoke to the newly-retired Sir Alex last week and he told me it’s important I get a good chairman to work for. “It would be great to have a strong working relationship. I’ve had plenty in the past. “I feel a lot of my time in England has been spent fire-fighting. We finished ninth in the top flight with Birmingham and played some brilliant football. We just lacked a top striker. “We then won the Carling Cup but were relegated a few months later. “A lot of things have to be taken into account for successes and failures. Recruitment is vital. You must have the right people in place and there must be good communication and co-operation between the board and the football department. “It’s not all down to the manager for successes and disappointments. When you are a Scot coming down to work here then you want not to fail. I think that goes for any Scot in any walk of life coming across the border. I don’t think I’ve failed. I’ve had a few successes. “Hopefully I have more to come. When I watched Andy Murray at Wimbledon, it whetted my appetite even more. “There is a fear factor of not doing well and that’s what has driven so many Scots on. I know Sir Alex thinks that way and drums in ‘we can’t fail in England’. “I’d love longevity in my next job. Had I been given a wee bit more latitude at Birmingham we could still be there and still be in the Premier League. “I sincerely believe I could’ve done a job that Davie Moyes performed at Everton. “It’s tough to leave big clubs because it’s not easy to get a job. So many of my colleagues are out work, guys with more experience than me. “I don’t have any doubts about my managerial skills.” McLeish looked refreshed when he met MailSport near his home in Stratford-upon-Avon. In Shakespeare country, Big Eck has his own interesting story to tell. After the brilliant achievement of winning the League Cup with Birmingham in 2011 he quit just four months later when City were relegated. He then joined bitter rivals Aston Villa, a move that caused outraged in the city. With the benefit of hindsight McLeish now realises it might have been better left alone. Speaking for the first time about that episode, he said: “I’m a conscientious guy, it’s in my genes. It stems from my da’. “He was a gaffer and a shop steward in the Govan Shipyards and used to come home moaning about the young boys under his charge – about their apathy and lack of commitment. Maybe those guys could see the writing on the wall, the shipyards were in trouble. “Villa was too good a challenge not to accept. But I felt guilty about not staying at Birmingham and getting them back up to the Premiership. However, there was also a thought that I might not get the support I needed inside Birmingham and that I could disappear into oblivion. “I went away on holiday but was still working. We recruited three or four players but I came home early because things weren’t right. I knew we were struggling financially. Other clubs were scavenging and I thought we were going to be decimated. “Eventually, I was backed into such a corner that I couldn’t stay. Mentally, I was in a really bad place. I spoke to the LMA about my situation, told them I had to resign and they backed me. A couple of days later Villa phoned and asked if I fancied it. I took counsel from people I trusted and I would have been crazy not to take the job. “It was tough to cross the city divide and a couple of hundred fans made their feelings known. I thought I could live with that and would be able to change their minds. “For the first half of the season the doubters were reasonably silent but after the New Year we got one injury after another and then we got the terrible illness to Stan Petrov. Morale was difficult after that. “Villa’s owner, Randy Lerner, held a meeting and said we still had our destiny in our own hands but some people don’t have that luxury. He was referring to the captain (Petrov). It was good words. “I understand the frustrations the Villa fans had as they feel their club should be in the top six. But when I left I said it would be difficult for Paul Lambert to get into the top six. He had a difficult season but didn’t have that faction of vitriol against him. When there is a bad atmosphere it makes if difficult for players to relax.” McLeish lasted just a couple of months at his next club, quitting after Forest changed their strategy, but surely that won’t be his last high-profile post. Eck has a good eye for a player and his record stands up – he just needs the phone to ring. He said: “Forest was short-lived. Certain things we agreed on when we first met didn’t materialise. I decided to go as I didn’t want another fire-fighting challenge. “It was disappointing because it is a huge club. I thought about what it would be like to restore its former glories, albeit not winning European Cups but getting back into the Premiership. “My track record is pretty decent and I’d hope a chairman will recognise that. But I wouldn’t rule out working abroad.” http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/alex-mcleish-eager-find-new-2052887 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 6, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted August 6, 2013 "His record stands up" Not in the premier league it doesn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 “There is a fear factor of not doing well and that’s what has driven so many Scots on. fear factor. the thing to describe McLeish teams Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 Vitriol is a strong word to describe the reaction he got from the fans, other than the you don't know what your doing chants at Wigan where again he set us up for a 0-0 win, he got the McLeish out chants when it looked like we were going down after the defeat at home to Bolton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cizzler Posted August 6, 2013 Share Posted August 6, 2013 “For the first half of the season the doubters were reasonably silent but after the New Year we got one injury after another and then we got the terrible illness to Stan Petrov. Morale was difficult after that. Petrov was diagnosed after 30 games. We were 15th with 33 points. We ultimately finished 16th with 38 points (after 5 more draws). It's so disappointing to hear Petrov's illness as any justification for the results of that season. The football was consistently utterly depressing and I don't believe injuries, or Petrov's illness, affected how painful and unimaginative McCleish actually was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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