Archie Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I have never been a fan of AML, but I reckon that in the last three games he has changed his attitude and vision of football acknowledging the fans' demands. Today the team selection, with Super Mark, Zog and Cjaran in the starting XI, was for 10/11 fine, included Cuellar for Hutton as RB. After the first 20 minutes of the second half, when we were crushed in our box he played a second striker instead of the 5th defender (as many feared, I suppose) and a creative midfielder like Barry Bannan. It's the third game in a row that the team try and play a passing football instead of the long balls of the beginning. AML is changed, and if he keeps to make the team to play a positive, entertaining, passing football, we must change our attitude and support him without reserve, imo. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bred Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 You just jynxed it. Hoofball vs Swansea now. Thanks bro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted December 31, 2011 Moderator Share Posted December 31, 2011 Despite misgivings about this and that, i've never been on his back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I've always felt Eck would come good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claret75 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Sack the c***! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummybloke Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 ? oh my goodness, people have judged AM on his entire footballing manging skills and you want to tear it all up because of 1 game? several years of dire dull turgid anti football doesnt get magically fogotten because of a good performance if you play heskey enough he will score a goal, doesnt mean he is any good. i am taking the result and performance in isolation and if in the next 10 games things improve then mabye it would be slightly more appropriate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P3te Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 if he continues to make the kind of decisions he has been making, and encouraging attempts at playing the kind of football we've been trying lately, then there's absolutely no need to get rid of him yet. this is the biggest job he's ever had, so perhaps it was understandable it would take him a little time to find his feet. conversely, the players also need to get used to him and how he's approaching the game. we don't know what's going on behind the scenes, but let's for a moment just cut some slack and assume that the early season performances were a combination of mcleish trying to find a system that suited the club, and the players trying to figure out how to play for him. assuming there's no return to those spineless displays, and we continue to show the kind of improvement and willingness to actually attack then, shock horror, mcleish might actually surprise a few people and actually accomplish something conversely, the last few games may well turn out to be a blip, and we'll revert to type again with the mindless negative crap for now, the signs are encouraging at last, so let's see how he continues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LambStockmix Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Why would anyone drastically change their opinion based solely on one game? Of course, however, no one should be stubborn enough to discount today. True judgement can only be passed at the end of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claret75 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Didn't see the 1st half but Irelands 2nd half performance was the key to the result today, we haven't had that sort of performance for a long time. McCleish has had no link from defence to attack and that made a big difference today...that and lampards great defence splitting pass haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodytom Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I have never been a fan of AML, but I reckon that in the last three games he has changed his attitude and vision of football acknowledging the fans' demands. Today the team selection, with Super Mark, Zog and Cjaran in the starting XI, was for 10/11 fine, included Cuellar for Hutton as RB. After the first 20 minutes of the second half, when we were crushed in our box he played a second striker instead of the 5th defender (as many feared, I suppose) and a creative midfielder like Barry Bannan. It's the third game in a row that the team try and play a passing football instead of the long balls of the beginning. AML is changed, and if he keeps to make the team to play a positive, entertaining, passing football, we must change our attitude and support him without reserve, imo. Thoughts? I think its interesting how recently Mcliesh has been saying were looking like a team hes trying to coach. Maybe hes been trying since he started, and its just not come off? Maybe.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claret75 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 I have never been a fan of AML, but I reckon that in the last three games he has changed his attitude and vision of football acknowledging the fans' demands. Today the team selection, with Super Mark, Zog and Cjaran in the starting XI, was for 10/11 fine, included Cuellar for Hutton as RB. After the first 20 minutes of the second half, when we were crushed in our box he played a second striker instead of the 5th defender (as many feared, I suppose) and a creative midfielder like Barry Bannan. It's the third game in a row that the team try and play a passing football instead of the long balls of the beginning. AML is changed, and if he keeps to make the team to play a positive, entertaining, passing football, we must change our attitude and support him without reserve, imo. Thoughts? I think its interesting how recently Mcliesh has been saying were looking like a team hes trying to coach. Maybe hes been trying since he started, and its just not come off? Maybe.............. I think he's been trying to build a solid team that can hit on the break but hasn't had an in form Ireland or someone else to make things work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowDoINotLikeThat Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 He got pretty much everything right today. His best day as manger with us. The Arsenal game was marked improvement as well but today McLeish actually tactically outdid a manager. Lets hope its something he can build from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 all those who said that AMC being manager would mean it was guaranteed Villa would be in the relegation zone by January.... i'm waiting for them to comment now we've reached January in 9th position. (i've been annoyed over the last 3 months at the amount of 'end of the world' doom posts on VT). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Despite misgivings about this and that, i've never been on his back exactly the same here. If people didn't overreact in the first place, then they wouldn't have to change their opinion now. Like most managers, he's not the best & not the worst, despite some people thinking he's the devil incarnate. He hasn't got any better by beating Chelsea, and he wasn't any worse when we were awful in other matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Perhaps it was "could" and not "would" big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Perhaps it was "could" and not "would" big difference. NO. There were at least 50 VT'ers who were guaranteeing that we WOULD be in the relegation zone. some were ranting so much, that we would have been relegated in January (even though thats not possible). As i've said in another thread, this Chelsea result doesn't make him a good or better manager, and the awful games doesn't make him the worst manager in the world either. He below average, and probaby always willl be, and this result doesn't change that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStan Posted December 31, 2011 Share Posted December 31, 2011 Today was a masterclass in tactical planning for a specific game and a set of players who stuck to the plan and ran themselves into the ground, to a man,to achieve an outstanding and magnificent (and don't let anyone kid you that this result was because Chelsea were poor) result. Alex has not laways achieved this this season. But today it was cear that the players are playing as one and for the manager. Ther have been assive improvements in attitude, performance and application in the last three years suggesting the Manager might just deserve some time. I know have posted this before. Many of us might not have wanted him. But for the sake of the Club - Get behind the Manager and the Team. And three more things:- 1) Happy New Year VT'ers 2) Congratulations Sir Doug! 3) Stephen Ireland you were magnificent today Sir. Keep it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteStan Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 In my earlier post. Sorry for years read improvement over last three games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanO Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 I still don't trust him, does anyone think if Heskey had of been fit Ireland would have played? That said I have slagged him off when he has got it wrong but starting with the Arsenal game he appears to have found "something" long may it continue. So it's only right that I say well done when he gets it right. I think most of us can't understand how Hutton was ever in the team, we have better options in the under 15's! so I'm pleased that he put CC at right back. With Heskey injured he had to make a choice and Ireland really stepped up. He must now use this as a stepping board and no revert to type as this squad has players who are capable of finishing in the top half and giving every team a hard game, he must remember this when the likes of Heskey are once again fit. Well done to Mcleish and the team, here's to a better year ahead, Happy New Year all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laivasse Posted January 1, 2012 Share Posted January 1, 2012 He definitely deserves credit for this excellent result. He brought in Cuellar (over Hutton) and Clark as DM to strengthen the defense. He dropped Heskey, gave Ireland a deserved chance as a deep, playmaking striker, he played positively, and he showed some real balls to drop Bent from the starting line up. There are some problems though. The most glaring is that many of us have been calling for at least some of these decisions to be made for, what, 16 games already? Not only that but there was a period upon which the match result hinged, in which we played very negatively. From about the 65th-80th minutes, at 1-1, we played for the draw instead of the win; we sat deep as hell, allowed Chelsea chance after chance and nearly froze our best attacking performers out of the game. We could easily have lost despite deserving to win. Call me begrudging, but I saw McLeish's natural mentality coming to the fore in that period. In fact I think we only managed to avoid succumbing because some players (Ireland, Petrov) went beyond tactics and just played out of their skin. This was a great win and I consider us much safer from relegation (which was my main fear this season). But on a longer scale I am still worried and, unfortunately, underwhelmed, considering the other performances we've given and how they resonate with our most negative passage against Chelsea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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