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

[MMFy]

Not competing. That is it for me.

I doubt it says anywhere in McSpazhole's contract that it is OK to not even compete.

If this is acceptable, we won't be a mid table club, we will become perennial relegation strugglers.

I am not seeing any ambition from the club to be anymore than this as long as McSpazhole keeps his job...

[stanthemanisgod]

Prove to me with something more substantial than opinion that he's giving up against these teams and I'll completely conceed the point.

For what it's worth I was embarrased watching the Liverpool and Spurs games, didn't see the Utd game but understand it was much of the same, but on what basis do we sack him? What terms of his contract has he breached?

[stanthemanisgod]

I mean he didn't pull a McCarthy and put his reserves out because we had a game he though we could win on Wednesday. He'll argue til he's blue in the face that he picked the most competetive side he could, and to be honest bar the odd tweek it pretty much was, and set it up in a way he thought could get a result.

Now we all think differently, but at which point can it be proven that a manager went into a game setting his team up to loose, because that;s what you want the board to do in order to legitimately sack him.

[Keyblade]

it's obvious from the performances. put it this way, he certainly isn't setting his team up to win.

[Mantis]

He's setting up the team to draw by the looks of it but when we do inevitably go behind he makes no effort to get anything from the game. We've already had 3 games in the space of a month where we haven't tried against a top 6 team. If it happens tonight then even the most ardent McLeish fan has no defence.

[darrenm]

But no-one can physically absolutely prove that can they? To me it looks like the players really tried against all of those teams, just that they weren't very good. But that doesn't even come into it. As stanthemanisgod has rightly said above, the facts are we're 10th, stable and people are still coming to the games. The natural reaction to poor football and no effort from the players is that people won't go to the games, and when that happens, the owner will have no choice but to take action. Until then, being tactically naive and the players having a lack of effort is not a metric by which McLeish could be dismissed.

Randy: "Sorry Alex, I'm letting you go"

Eck: "But what have I done wrong, boss?"

Randy: "The team isn't playing well and we're losing too many games"

Eck: "But the team finished 9th last season and since then the 2 best players have been sold"

Randy: "Well, the team aren't even trying against top teams"

Eck: "I keep telling them to try, give them a rollicking every half-time and at the end of games. Not sure what else I can do?"

Randy: "OK, then your tactics aren't very good"

Eck: "I pick the best 11 players each match and I'm an experienced coach who *you* employed to make the decisions. Are you saying you know more than me?"

Randy: "Err, we'll review your contract in the summer."

[Keyblade]

just watched his post-match interview. i'm almost speechless. absolutely no ambition to win.

[OnlyOne]

We can prove that.

In the Tottenham game he put out 6 defenders despite having a full squad to choose from. There was no injuries.

We were 2-0 down near the start and no changes were made until the 60th odd min. He didn't even take off Hutton who kept being turned over by Bale.

There has been similar instances against Man Utd and Liverpool as well. In the Man Utd game the wingers were playing fullback roles and the Liverpool game there was still times where we parked the bus defending the 2-0 despite the Liverpool finding it insanely easy to still take chances with hiting the woodwork twice etc.

[Mantis]

Of course there's proof. All you need to do is just watch the games.

[TheDrums]

He should be sacked for the amount of crap he regularly talks.

[Djemba_Villan]

Personally, I'm as despondant over Villa as anyone else (and associate a lot if this to McLeish)

HOWEVER

I think its more constructive to look at the bigger picture:-

He has been in charge for a very short period of time

He inherited an addmitedly decent (not brilliant) squad who didn't know where they were - having played under 4 managers in a year

He has had no option but to work on the dicipline of the squad

He has had no option but to try to instil some bite to the squad

He HAS been let down massively by some of our bigger players

He seems as fed up as us with the poor passing - I don't personally blame him for Warnock's, Delph's, N'Zogs, Albrighton and Bannan's terrible passing on Sunday

With the current squad we're a league below Liverpool/Ars/Man U.Man C/Chelsea/Spurs, so playing toe to toe WILL lead to disaster

Our natural league position currently I would say is 9th-12th

He does - in fairness have SOME dynamicism (no hoofing vs Liverpool),(Backs against walls when needed),(Several tried formations)

He isn't QUITE as negative as made out, though he is no Martinez. I see glimmers of hope that he has tried to integrate flair, though the role Bent is playing is not suited to a goalscorer, his movement is creating space for Gabby - hence why Gabby seems a new player.

It looks like im a McLeish fan...but I just try not to get swept away with bandwaggons either good or bad.

Id rather another manager if Im honest, but he isnt the antithesis of football, the guy seems genuine, I like his honesty if I'm honest, I think that is a god virtue to have. Im a realist...I dont want him slating individual players, but he does seem open, I THINK he is intellegent (albeit used to managing dross like SHA). Maybe it helps that I'm not anti-blues, I really don't care about them, Im from the Walsall area, so don't encounter any really.

Basically...lets save any protests until the end of the (probably crap) season, nothing will happen in the short term, it was an unambitious appointment - but we are in an unambitious phase, I'd like to think we're at the bottom right now.

[NowDoINotLikeThat]

The Tottenham team selection alone was one of the worst managerial displays i have ever seen.

Man U , Liverpool - utter dire - as we have been all season.

Only a big upset in next few coming games and has road to damascus conversion would change my mind over this curmudgeon frankly almost fraudulent manager . A manager who'd make Gary Megson blush he is so negative.

He also talks utter crap and lies - which does not help.

[Ads]

Hyperbole, hyperbole, hyperbole.

[heystally!]

Anyone think McLeish is going to get sacked for not trying to compete against the top teams in the league?

Of course not. Results determine whether he gets sacked or not. At the moment, we're mid-table. Considering our finances, I'm pretty sure the board will be delighted with how progress is going.

[OnlyOne]

Bad with the academy - Check

Plays negative football - Check

Hardly any support due to where he came from - Check

Bad Premier League record - Check

Isn't cheap (Compensation) - Check

Doesn't back up what he says in the interview - Check

Cannot fix the defence - Check

Tactically naive with subs - Check

Hardly any fight or passion - Check

Too stubborn/scared to change players below form - Check

Terrible in the transfer market - Check

Oh good job AM, you're hired. :evil:

[kayarcee]

Personally, I'm as despondant over Villa as anyone else (and associate a lot if this to McLeish)

HOWEVER

I think its more constructive to look at the bigger picture:-

He has been in charge for a very short period of time

He inherited an addmitedly decent (not brilliant) squad who didn't know where they were - having played under 4 managers in a year

He has had no option but to work on the dicipline of the squad

He has had no option but to try to instil some bite to the squad

He HAS been let down massively by some of our bigger players

He seems as fed up as us with the poor passing - I don't personally blame him for Warnock's, Delph's, N'Zogs, Albrighton and Bannan's terrible passing on Sunday

With the current squad we're a league below Liverpool/Ars/Man U.Man C/Chelsea/Spurs, so playing toe to toe WILL lead to disaster

Our natural league position currently I would say is 9th-12th

He does - in fairness have SOME dynamicism (no hoofing vs Liverpool),(Backs against walls when needed),(Several tried formations)

He isn't QUITE as negative as made out, though he is no Martinez. I see glimmers of hope that he has tried to integrate flair, though the role Bent is playing is not suited to a goalscorer, his movement is creating space for Gabby - hence why Gabby seems a new player.

Every bit of this.

[Mantis]

I like his honesty if I'm honest, I think that is a god virtue to have.

What honesty? This is the man that consistently talks about how we played well when in actual fact we did the exact opposite. This is the man that said he was going to sort out the defence months ago but still hasn't. The list goes on and on. McLeish is a nasty liar.

[NowDoINotLikeThat]

Agreed.

With Mantis.

I was originally under the impression McLeish was fairly straight up and honest bloke when joined us but he actually talks utter crap and lies.

[OnlyOne]

The board are liars as well. I still laugh to this day "just think what AM could do if he was backed". He hasn't been backed (well not properly anyway) and we know what he is capable of when he isn't backed. Smart move board. Makes perfect sense.

[heystally!]

Personally, I'm as despondant over Villa as anyone else (and associate a lot if this to McLeish)

HOWEVER

I think its more constructive to look at the bigger picture:-

He has been in charge for a very short period of time

He inherited an addmitedly decent (not brilliant) squad who didn't know where they were - having played under 4 managers in a year

He has had no option but to work on the dicipline of the squad

He has had no option but to try to instil some bite to the squad

He HAS been let down massively by some of our bigger players

He seems as fed up as us with the poor passing - I don't personally blame him for Warnock's, Delph's, N'Zogs, Albrighton and Bannan's terrible passing on Sunday

With the current squad we're a league below Liverpool/Ars/Man U.Man C/Chelsea/Spurs, so playing toe to toe WILL lead to disaster

Our natural league position currently I would say is 9th-12th

He does - in fairness have SOME dynamicism (no hoofing vs Liverpool),(Backs against walls when needed),(Several tried formations)

He isn't QUITE as negative as made out, though he is no Martinez. I see glimmers of hope that he has tried to integrate flair, though the role Bent is playing is not suited to a goalscorer, his movement is creating space for Gabby - hence why Gabby seems a new player.

Whilst having some optimism is obviously a good thing, there are a few points there I would challenge:

He seems as fed up as us with the poor passing - I don't personally blame him for Warnock's, Delph's, N'Zogs, Albrighton and Bannan's terrible passing on Sunday

Although some of the passes were just bad mistakes that anyone should be able to make, it's unsurprising that we weren't that good as a passing team when we've playing long-ball football season - and that is McLeish's fault.

Our natural league position currently I would say is 9th-12th

Although it is, we're at mid-table with a ridiculously difficult Xmas schedule - I think we'll actually be lower than 12th after the Chelsea game. And we've dropped points against sides that really we should be beating. Also the league this year is pretty misleading, considering we're just 6 points from the relegation zone.

He does - in fairness have SOME dynamicism (no hoofing vs Liverpool),(Backs against walls when needed),(Several tried formations)

No hoofing vs Liverpool, but the first time we try and play some passing, our best finisher is not even on the pitch. Bent would relish some balls into the channels but when he's playing we just start hoofing. We were also 2-0 down at the time, so neat football with no purpose was just ridiculous to watch.