The, he's finally GONE! Tell us your thoughts Thread

[dukes]

I dont think McCleish is doing too badly all things considered, i just think he needs more time.

There isnt a manager on the planet who can take over a team who have just lost their 2 best players and improve them instantly without major investment back into the squad.

I think a better manager would be doing alot better in the league than McLeish; he would be able to

a) attract a better class of player

have retained the services of Downing as Downing would have wanted to stay.

c) tactically be more astute.

d) be able to motivate the players better

and we wouldn’t have lost to Bolton.

But its all a moot point, as we couldn’t get a better manager because RL & PF didn’t have a clue.

I'm sorry, I have to disagree with the first points.

a) Better players with no money ? AND reducing the wage bill ?

retain a player who supports Liverpool, and had refused to sign a new contract all of last season, and then made it clear he wanted to sign for liverpool, I don't think so.

regarding Tactics, I think a lot of it is down to the limitations of the players, particularly in defence, Dunne and Collins are very limited when in possession of the ball, their constant long balls from defence put the team under pressure. I don't believe this is a tactic of the manager, just a lack of ability.

Motivation is a different thing, but unlike last season I have seen nothing that suggests the players don't want to play for the manager, actually it's been the opposite for me.

[barry'sboots]

My one plea is that we all have a common cause, the Villa. Could we try to stop all the squabbling and in fighting and get behind OUR club.

I think many of us would argue that we are supporting the club by trying to get rid of McLeish asap. Whilst he is here we are going nowhere but backwards. Other managers MAY not do any better but at least we might have some hope and a bit of entertainment/excitement rather than the consistent crap that McLeish has served up during his time in England.

[Houlston]

My one plea is that we all have a common cause, the Villa. Could we try to stop all the squabbling and in fighting and get behind OUR club.

I think many of us would argue that we are supporting the club by trying to get rid of McLeish asap. Whilst he is here we are going nowhere but backwards. Other managers MAY not do any better but at least we might have some hope and a bit of entertainment/excitement rather than the consistent crap that McLeish has served up during his time in England.

So you are thinking of Villa over the long term but judging McLeish over the short term and yet we still sit 9th.

Lets say McLeish is as bad as you think, we still wont go down and the worst that happens at the end of the season is we finish near those dreaded places. Where are we then? Have we fallen further behind? Not really as we'll still have the same players who people think should be doing much better. Has it been a wasted season, well yes but its only one season and stuff like this happens in football.

However it may be that McLeish isnt as bad as you think and things start to click and we do much better than you thought we would.

My point is what Eastendvillan said why not just back the club and see what happens over a longer period of time rather than the few games that have taken place or in some peoples case not giving the guy any sort of chance from word go.

Believing you are supporting the club by trying to oust McLeish is hoping to see failure in oder to see a manager that sits better with your own view point. It really isnt positive or productive.

Like you say McLeish might be shit but just give him the season little will be so bad that it isnt rectifiable.

[Wainy316]

The right manager for Aston Villa will be at the game the weekend and i would pull out all the stops to get him.

Agreed!

I assume you mean Lambert?

[Villarocker]

I'll third it and throw in Warnock as well whilst you're at it!

Arguably our best player so far? :?

If he's our best player then we are totally ****. This guy alone makes me question whether or not to renew my season ticket. I am sick of sitting on his side of the pitch and watching him lose player after player in the box.

Well as a season ticket holder, if you cant see that Stephen Warnock has played well in some games this season, then you have absolutely no idea what your talking about.

He has played better, but it's not hard to better what he was doing before is it?

Against Man City I commented on how he looked better, then he went and slipped trying to hook the ball away and the ball was in the back of the net a few second later! That was just typical of Warnock.

[LancsVillan]

The right manager for Aston Villa will be at the game the weekend and i would pull out all the stops to get him.

Agreed!

I assume you mean Lambert?

Would rather we re-employ Graham Turner than have MO'N MK2 anywhere near the club.

[Mantis]

The right manager for Aston Villa will be at the game the weekend and i would pull out all the stops to get him.

Agreed!

I assume you mean Lambert?

Would rather we re-employ Graham Turner than have MO'N MK2 anywhere near the club.

Same. Lambert is massively overrated on here and I expect some of the reason (not all of it) is his resemblance to MON.

[dudevillaisnice]

The right manager for Aston Villa will be at the game the weekend and i would pull out all the stops to get him.

Agreed!

I assume you mean Lambert?

Would rather we re-employ Graham Turner than have MO'N MK2 anywhere near the club.

Same. Lambert is massively overrated on here and I expect some of the reason (not all of iit) is his resemblance to MON.

Yep me too.

[steaknchips]

I dont get why you would want a manager with so little scope on the huge stage? Lambert would be a decent choice if we were still playing football in 1980. But since the game has gone massively global, the best manager would be a man that is also pretty clued up on the big global stage. The 1st and foremost criteria the club should look for is European experience. Champions League as a manager if possible, rather than just premiership or UK experience. Also he would need huge knowledge of the personnel on the coaching, scouting and playing side, who also need to be global and not stuck in one small pond..We need a manager that can tap into the world market, not just the UK market. Ron Saunders, Brian Clough would be lost in today's game. Lambert and MON would probably win the league if football was still the same as it was in the 70's and 80's, where the majority of the English league consisted of home grown players..But our top flight(especially our top teams) consist of global players and you would need vast knowledge of this if you want to compete at that same level.

[Wainy316]

I dont get why you would want a manager with so little scope on the huge stage? Lambert would be a decent choice if we were still playing football in 1980. But since the game has gone massively global, the best manager would be a man that is also pretty clued up on the big global stage. The 1st and foremost criteria the club should look for is European experience (Champions League as both a manager and player if possible),rather than just premiership or UK experience. Also would need huge knowledge of the personnel on the coaching, scouting and playing side, who also need to be global and not stuck in one small pond..We need a manager that can tap into the world market, not just the UK market. Ron Saunders, Brian Clough would be lost in today's game. Lambert and MON would win the league if football was still the same as it was in the 70's and 80's where the majority of the English leahue consisted of home grown players..But our top flight(especially our top teams) consist of global players and you need knowledge of this to compete.

Oh my god, you just totally accurately described this guy...

[juanpabloangel18]

Credit where credit's due: Paul Lambert took Norwich single handedly from League 1 to the Prem in 2 years. He's got them playing nice football too.

Also, he did win the Champions League in 1997 as a player with Dortmund... so probably harsh to write him off as some small-time, U.K-centric bloke.

I think he's a good manager.

[PieFacE]

The right manager for Aston Villa will be at the game the weekend and i would pull out all the stops to get him.

Agreed!

I assume you mean Lambert?

Would rather we re-employ Graham Turner than have MO'N MK2 anywhere near the club.

What? Have you ever watched a Norwich team play? Nothing like MON at all. I cant stand MON and his style of "football" ... He's really quite brilliant tactically, sets his teams up very well. IMO of course...

[makouns_grin]

The right manager for Aston Villa will be at the game the weekend and i would pull out all the stops to get him.

Agreed!

I assume you mean Lambert?

Would rather we re-employ Graham Turner than have MO'N MK2 anywhere near the club.

What? Have you ever watched a Norwich team play? Nothing like MON at all. I cant stand MON and his style of "football" ... He's really quite brilliant tactically, sets his teams up very well. IMO of course...

Lambert is so O'Neill MK2 is unbelievable and for that reason i wouldn't want him anywhere near our club.

[Richard]

I dont get why you would want a manager with so little scope on the huge stage? Lambert would be a decent choice if we were still playing football in 1980. But since the game has gone massively global, the best manager would be a man that is also pretty clued up on the big global stage. The 1st and foremost criteria the club should look for is European experience. Champions League as a manager if possible, rather than just premiership or UK experience. Also he would need huge knowledge of the personnel on the coaching, scouting and playing side, who also need to be global and not stuck in one small pond..We need a manager that can tap into the world market, not just the UK market. Ron Saunders, Brian Clough would be lost in today's game. Lambert and MON would probably win the league if football was still the same as it was in the 70's and 80's, where the majority of the English league consisted of home grown players..But our top flight(especially our top teams) consist of global players and you would need vast knowledge of this if you want to compete at that same level.

and completely ignore the fact that we are not an attractive club on the stage you mention any more and that managers would have to want to come here. We coudln't even persuade Martinez FFS

[AshVilla]

Lambert takes average players and gets them punching above their weight

We have a hell of alot of average players

Seven of norwich's players played none league at some point his team battle for points and play a decent counter attacking style as well most of it along the ground which would suit us as we have alot of pace unlike the current shite served up so far with the ball flying over the players head 90% of the time

Considering the austerity measures at hand as well he's possibly the best we could hope for and would work at a budget he's worked on a shoestring and done wonders for Norwich

[steaknchips]

I dont get why you would want a manager with so little scope on the huge stage? Lambert would be a decent choice if we were still playing football in 1980. But since the game has gone massively global, the best manager would be a man that is also pretty clued up on the big global stage. The 1st and foremost criteria the club should look for is European experience. Champions League as a manager if possible, rather than just premiership or UK experience. Also he would need huge knowledge of the personnel on the coaching, scouting and playing side, who also need to be global and not stuck in one small pond..We need a manager that can tap into the world market, not just the UK market. Ron Saunders, Brian Clough would be lost in today's game. Lambert and MON would probably win the league if football was still the same as it was in the 70's and 80's, where the majority of the English league consisted of home grown players..But our top flight(especially our top teams) consist of global players and you would need vast knowledge of this if you want to compete at that same level.

and completely ignore the fact that we are not an attractive club on the stage you mention any more and that managers would have to want to come here. We coudln't even persuade Martinez FFS

Martinez isnt good enough..He wouldnt do it at Villa because he isnt attractive enough for the global market to want to sign for...Players like Cabaye for instance, wouldnt sign for Martinez(unless we offer stupid wages) but WOULD sign for Villa under the right coach. Deschamps could easily attract Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Tiote for Villa ahead of Newcastle United... Its who you employ to take the role as manager thats important.. Yes Martinez and Lambert play nice football but are limited when it comes to knowledge of finding cheap talented players on the global stage and attracting them to work under their guidance. Why would a hungry, good talented young player on the continent want to sign for some Scottish bloke that won a European medal for a German club in the ancient times? Or some Spainish guy that spent his life in Wales? They are bottom end managers for bottom end clubs.

Is Villa attractive enough to sign a bigger named manager? YES

Aston Villa is massive..Its a sleeping giant just waiting to be awoken.. We have not employed the right manager under Lerner's ownership. Houllier 20 years younger would have been perfect. Wenger 10 years younger would be perfect.. The modern day Wenger(which is the best way of descibing it) is Deschamps. = He is English, Italian and French trained "IN THE MODERN ERA OF FOOTBALL". He has seen and worked with the most up to date techniques at this time. He is at the heart of European competition learning, seeing the standards his team/squad will need to be the best. He is by no means the finished article in the world of management, but he is learning at a FAR faster rate than McLeish/Lambert = who are still stuck in the UK pond. I mean all the Right Backs in the world we could chose from for 4m quid and we sign Hutton, I ask you...Did we really show scope in getting such a signiture? Did this really show we have a manager that's one step ahead and up with the times of this modern global game? For 4m quid we could have signed a RB that could hold his own on the world stage under the right management. But because we have a limited guy, its another 4m quid down the drain.

[stanthemanisgod]

SnC,

I think you missed his point.

He was trying to say, I think, that if we cannot even tempt Martinez (who you have stated is not good enough) from Wigan, how on earth are we going to attract the person you describe in your previous post?

[Zatman]

Deschamps could easily attract Cabaye, Ben Arfa, Tiote for Villa

Deschamps is being slaughtered by his own board for being rubbish and he wouldnt attract Ben Arfa as he kicked him out of Marseille

[Stevo985]

I'd take Lambert in a heartbeat.

I don't care if he's "overrated on here". I think he's a good manager. Yes he's failed to prove himself on the big stage yet, but I'd rather take a chance on him than stay with mcLeish.

I wanted us to get him when Houllier left (but never thought it would happen) and still want him now.

I don't think he'd move from Norwich anytime soon, but in my opinion he's about the most exciting manager that we could attract right now.

[steaknchips]

SnC,

I think you missed his point.

He was trying to say, I think, that if we cannot even tempt Martinez (who you have stated is not good enough) from Wigan, how on earth are we going to attract the person you describe in your previous post?

Hi Stan,

Well Zatman has kinda answered that question above.. Getting the right manager is about being in the right place at the right time..Deschamps has taken a club (like Villa) that were sleeping giants onto the European stage, Marseille had won pretty much nothing in the modern day (again just like Villa) until he came along and re built the club and style. If the Marseille board are unhappy with recent results(even though it looks like they are now back on track)and lack the patience, then it could be a great opportunity to bring him into the Premiership as our manager..The English players have abilities you will not find on the continent, mix that up with continental flair/coaching and you can create a side that would be playing better football than Barcelona. Remember all Arsenal's past success, was build on a mix of Wenger's continental flair mixed with English fight and leadership in Adams and co'? Deschamps has the experience to understand that mix/blend to produce such a style/team.

Martinez already explained why he never joined Villa..It was because he couldnt let down a chairman that has always stuck by and believed in him. Not because Villa are an unattractive proposition!