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

[Dale]

The board deserve critisism for appointing him too and if the papers are right about us having a £40,000 a week wage cap for new signings then if it isn't this year we go down it will be next season or the season after the way were going.

That is higher than the vast majority of premier league footballers... A decent manager could do very well with a wage budget of that amount. Alex McLeish couldn't but that's a given.

[andyh]

There you go, for all those people on here who don't watch Villa very ofen, here is an article from todays Guardian. You can get all you need from here.

Aston Villa are a sad sight these days – tired, directionless, timid, miserably shambling through another season of nothingness. What enjoyment is to be had on the Villa Park terraces these days? They are a club that seem overworked, huffing and puffing just to tread water in the Premier League, running to stand still. They need to recharge their batteries, to find some momentum, to stop constantly fire-fighting and find a way to move forward as a club.

What better way to do that than with a year or two (or more) in the Championship? Plenty of clubs have found relegation to have a restorative effect. Norwich are probably the best example. Between 2005 and 2009 the Canaries were going nowhere fast, scratching around in the bottom half of the Championship, good enough to stay up but only just. It took relegation to League One in 2009 and the appointment of Paul Lambert after a disastrous start to that season in the third tier to turn the club around.

Instead of grubbing around for points – the club won only 56 league games in four seasons from 2004-05 – they were able to strip things down, start again and build momentum, momentum that stays with them today. If the Canaries had somehow cobbled together enough points to stay up over the final few weeks of the 2008-09 season they would not be in the position they are today. Newcastle are another who have bounced back from the drop in style.

Alex McLeish – who would almost certainly be replaced in the event of relegation, another bonus for Villa fans – has a very young squad at his disposal, a talented one that is not yet in full maturity. Ciaran Clark, Nathan Baker, Chris Herd, Gary Gardner, Samir Carruthers and even Andreas Weimann, Barry Bannan and Marc Albrighton could benefit from finding their feet in the professional game at the lower level, rather than learning the hard way in the top flight. Indeed the suspicion is that the only reason several of those players are not on loan outside the Premier League is the paucity of McLeish's squad.

One step back to take two steps forward? It can be painful but it might just be fun. And Villa fans have not had much of that this season

[GarethRDR]

Relegation will kill this club.

[villaboymatt]

Its going to be too late to change before the end of the season I really think we could go down this season, I know we are 6 points clear but in the next 5 games I can see us only getting 5 points max, if Bolton beat us then we need to panic

[Eames]

The board deserve critisism for appointing him too and if the papers are right about us having a £40,000 a week wage cap for new signings then if it isn't this year we go down it will be next season or the season after the way were going.

What a ridiculous statement that is.

If rumours are correct we are paying £67k a week on Emile.

A high weekly wage doesn't bring you anything if you are paying it to an absolute tosser.

Im 100% confident I could build a team from the PL on players earning >30k a week that would be challenging for a European place.

[Hanky]

That article fails to recognise the countless number of clubs that have gone down and languished around the mid table of the Championship or below.

[Ikantcpell]

Iam not watching another game with villa as long as he is the manager...What are the board thinking ?? do they even watch the games ?

He has to go ASAP!

[Stu_The_Villan]

I've supported the Villa all my life, but I'm the first to admit I watch them very rarely nowadays, so must bow to the superior knowledge of those who follow them on a weekly basis. However, I wish to make the following 3 points:

1. Clearly Lerner thought a premier football club would be a cash cow... and perhaps for him it already is... I don't know... but it most certainly is not a labour of love into which he is prepared to pour his private wealth, as the Villa might be for the rest of us. Incidentally I understand his 'beloved' Cleveland Browns are in an even worse state than are we... or perhaps I'm misinformed

2. I left Brum when I was 4 years old, so I never have to suffer the Blue Brigade. Consequently it was a matter of indifference to me that we picked up their manager. I like McLeish. It was not his fault we lost Milner, Barry, Young and Downing. Until we can hold on to such players mid table mediocrity is the very best we can ever hope for.

3. I can not give chapter and verse on the ability or potential the McLeish team, but I am delighted he is playing the youngsters... this is a policy I have long advocated. Whether or not this particular batch are up to it, who knows... I just hope we stick with both them and McLeish for a few more years yet... otherwise it's 'all back to the starting line' once again... and we will truly never get anywhere.

You have moved away and you don't watch the team play, and you don't know much about the youngsters.?

So, How the **** can you comment on something you clearly know nothing about ?.

Honestly...is there any need for this? Your atrtitude stinks mate. Just because somebody has written a post which doesnt contain the immortal words 'mcleish out' that doesnt give you the right to have a pop at him. Wind your neck in ffs.

[jacketspuds]

Would KMAC or Cowans really do any worse than McLeish? At least they would set the team up to have a go and with a fairly easy run-in (except Spurs) we should be doing just that. None of this CNZ on the bench coming on after 82 minutes bollocks.

McLeish needs to go NOW.

[mykeyb]

Is there anyone that would take relegation this season to get rid of McLeish rather tahn wait another 12 months with him in charge before surely relegating us next season.?

[CI]

That article fails to recognise the countless number of clubs that have gone down and languished around the mid table of the Championship or below.

Sheff Weds

Middlesbrough

Charlton

Leeds

Bradford

Sheff Utd

Ipswich

Forest

[wiggyrichard]

Is there anyone that would take relegation this season to get rid of McLeish rather tahn wait another 12 months with him in charge before surely relegating us next season.?

Relegation wouldnt get rid of him. But yes, if it meant he goes straight away, i would take the drop.

[Houlston]

That article fails to recognise the countless number of clubs that have gone down and languished around the mid table of the Championship or below.

4 of the bottom 6 in the championship have all been in the premiership.

[CI]

With the parachute payments, IF you can bounce straight back its ok

Its if you dont that you have a massive problem

[Pelle]

Haven't read the last 10-15 pages, but if the players dislikes AML that much, why don't they write a letter to Lerner? Where's Tomas Sörensen when you need him? If the whole squad got behind such a letter surely Lerner has to listen. I'm not at all for player revolts, but at times like these there migh be an exception.

I've been willing to give AML some time, but now he's gotsome time he's just showed that it's not working. We're a game or two away from disaster. We might survive this season, but there's no sign of us surviving the next one. The pundits over here have all said the same thing about us. We don't seem to have a game plan and the players doesn't seem to believe in what they're doing.

AML has to go and that has to be sooner rather than later. Even with Kmac as caretaker would probably be better. He **** it up against Newcastle but he got us playing very good against a poor wham. And we've just got average or poor teams left to play. A more positive tactic used against them by someone who's got the players respect might give us a few victories at the end of the season. And then we can go on and search for a new manager, and they can start now.

[A.J.Rimmer]

Wow! I sometimes like to stir the pot in 'off topic', but this was quite unexpected. I thank all of you for your comments and am delighted we all feel so passionate.

As for who is a better supporter, who can say? In some ways I'm pretty good, in others I'm piss poor... a definition which would fit many of us. But whatever my failings as a Villa fan, and however crappy the team may be, believe me... I really love Aston Villa.

However, leaving the youngsters aside for a moment, and acknowledging that I do not have to suffer watching them play every week... the very worst thing I can think of is having to start afresh all over again.

I never liked Taylor and O'Leary, but I loved BFR, Little Brian, Gregory and, along with the rest of us, I was over the moon when MON arrived... but it all

ended up in the same old same old... 2 or 3 years followed by having to start all over again.

One can hardly compare us with Man Utd, but am I not right in thinking that Ferguson was seriously under threat when his team finally came good. Yet if Moyses, who everyone acclaims as a great manager, was at Villa Park, we'd have canned him long ago.

I just think it's time we did something long term and radical by going off in a wholly different direction... and I'm open to suggestions.

[b6bloke]

Is there anyone that would take relegation this season to get rid of McLeish rather tahn wait another 12 months with him in charge before surely relegating us next season.?

Yes would rather get it out of the way now than suffer another year of waiting to go down.

[Mantis]

The problem with this situation is that while we are pretty much all very United on this, we all disagree on what course of action to take. Some want him gone but don't think we should protest, others think we should protest but then there are disagreements on when and how this should be done.

Protests shouldn't even be necessary though. I'm pretty sure the club hierarchy know exactly how it feel but it seems they're not taking any notice.

However, leaving the youngsters aside for a moment, and acknowledging that I do not have to suffer watching them play every week... the very worst thing I can think of is having to start afresh all over again.

I never liked Taylor and O'Leary, but I loved BFR, Little Brian, Gregory and, along with the rest of us, I was over the moon when MON arrived... but it all

ended up in the same old same old... 2 or 3 years followed by having to start all over again.

One can hardly compare us with Man Utd, but am I not right in thinking that Ferguson was seriously under threat when his team finally came good. Yet if Moyses, who everyone acclaims as a great manager, was at Villa Park, we'd have canned him long ago.

I just think it's time we did something long term and radical by going off in a wholly different direction... and I'm open to suggestions.

I really don't understand this view point. Yes it's bad to keep on changing managers but sometimes it is clear as day that the manager will not work. McLeish has done almost the absolute worst job possible. Why does he deserve more time?

[Keyblade]

Wow! I sometimes like to stir the pot in 'off topic', but this was quite unexpected. I thank all of you for your comments and am delighted we all feel so passionate.

As for who is a better supporter, who can say? In some ways I'm pretty good, in others I'm piss poor... a definition which would fit many of us. But whatever my failings as a Villa fan, and however crappy the team may be, believe me... I really love Aston Villa.

However, leaving the youngsters aside for a moment, and acknowledging that I do not have to suffer watching them play every week... the very worst thing I can think of is having to start afresh all over again.

I never liked Taylor and O'Leary, but I loved BFR, Little Brian, Gregory and, along with the rest of us, I was over the moon when MON arrived... but it all

ended up in the same old same old... 2 or 3 years followed by having to start all over again.

One can hardly compare us with Man Utd, but am I not right in thinking that Ferguson was seriously under threat when his team finally came good. Yet if Moyses, who everyone acclaims as a great manager, was at Villa Park, we'd have canned him long ago.

I just think it's time we did something long term and radical by going off in a wholly different direction... and I'm open to suggestions.

Since you haven't seen the team play, let me tell you that we're going to have to start our refresh by getting rid of McLeish.

[Eames]

Is there anyone that would take relegation this season to get rid of McLeish rather tahn wait another 12 months with him in charge before surely relegating us next season.?

Yes would rather get it out of the way now than suffer another year of waiting to go down.

Take it? I'd rip your **** arms off.

We may even win a few games down there........