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

[Oaks]

When was the last time we've gone into the last day of the season not mathematically safe?

1994-95

We were 2 points ahead of Palace. We drew 1-1 away to Norwich and they lost 3-2 to Newcastle.

I remember watching that in the Holte end on big screens.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I would just like to say I didnt think we would get another point under him this season. I was wrong. I am happy we are safe. Even though it was a lucky one, a point is a point, good job Alex & team.

That said, WHY IS HE STILL HERE? Faulkner and Lerner both have stated what their aims were for this squad, faulkner said Europe this season, Mcliesh laid out better than 9th.

Below Wigan and nearly relegated is a complete failure for a manager who has been given this team and about twenty million quid in spending.

[iancharlie]

When was the last time we've gone into the last day of the season not mathematically safe?

1994-95

We were 2 points ahead of Palace. We drew 1-1 away to Norwich and they lost 3-2 to Newcastle.

I remember watching that in the Holte end on big screens.

i remember that didnt staunton score for us early on. Brian Little sorted us out that summer though!

[Oaks]

When was the last time we've gone into the last day of the season not mathematically safe?

1994-95

We were 2 points ahead of Palace. We drew 1-1 away to Norwich and they lost 3-2 to Newcastle.

I remember watching that in the Holte end on big screens.

i remember that didnt staunton score for us early on. Brian Little sorted us out that summer though!

Yeah it was a bit of a party atmosphere as we knew changes were happening. I can see Sunday being very similar to Blackburn tonight.

[Ponky]

Lerner has taken a massive reputational hit over the past few years, especially with the O'Neill departure a few days before the season and I would suspect that he is concerned that sacking McLeish just days before the end of the season would be regarded as unseemly and I reckon he is reluctant to have too much negative media attention, regardless of how popular it would make him with the fans.

I have no doubt that no decision has been reached yet and Lerner will have a bit of an end of season inquiry, give McLeish a chance to state his case and then make a call. I have no doubt though that it will be a business decision at the end of the day and it will come down to whether the continued reduction of football costs will outweigh the loss of money through season tickets, etc.

Given all the evidence you'd have to say McLeish is dead man walking, but then again his appointment defied all logic in the first place, so we can't be assured of Randy making the logical choice, unfortunately.

[Banger75]

Good post Ponky. As much as I think he deserves a chance, I think that sacking him is the best for the club, and for the chance to start afresh. Mind you, this needs to be done ASAP after next weekend. Could we be so bold as to think that Randy has another candidate already lined up, once Premier League status is assured? Villas Boas? (joking...!)

[MrDuck]

Given all the evidence you'd have to say McLeish is dead man walking, but then again his appointment defied all logic in the first place, so we can't be assured of Randy making the logical choice, unfortunately.

Indeed. Now we're safe I can see McLeish getting another season to prove himself, kick out some dead wood and bring in some (cheap) new players. Which is a horrendous prospect, but I think pretty realistic. Another season of pain and frustration awaits.

Still, just imagine what he could do if he was backed.

[Oaks]

Good post Ponky. As much as I think he deserves a chance, I think that sacking him is the best for the club, and for the chance to start afresh. Mind you, this needs to be done ASAP after next weekend. Could we be so bold as to think that Randy has another candidate already lined up, once Premier League status is assured? Villas Boas? (joking...!)

He's had his chance and failed miserably.

[CI]

More & more journo's are using the word untenable now

Lerner/Faulkner must have watched Blackburn debacle last night & thought that is us next year

I do feel for McLeish though, he never stood a chance here

[ciggiesnbeer]

More & more journo's are using the word untenable now

Lerner/Faulkner must have watched Blackburn debacle last night & thought that is us next year

I do feel for McLeish though, he never stood a chance here

I feel bad for him as a man. But he really did have a good shot. He just didnt seem to have it in him to get even our first 11 playing well or dominating a game. I cant remember a single game this season when we were on top and dictating play, I am hard pressed to remember a game we had more possession.

But we shouldnt talk abut him int he past tense. He is still manager and Lerner has given zero indication he is likely to make a change.

[CI]

I do wonder, what he would do differently if he could wind the clock back

Would he ship out the rotten apples in week 1

I'm pretty sure he would not have signed NZogbia or Jenas

[thetrees]

It's great that we've survived obviously, because after the Bolton debacle it didnt seem likely. However the fact that we may not even get to 40 points is embarrassing and a disgrace. It doesnt matter about home records, goals scored, draws, its points. And 38 after 37 games is laughable.

McLeish will resign though, he wont wait to be sacked.

He won't resign, he'll lose his pay off if he does.

I think that we have recent history of a manager 'resigning' and receiving a payoff, so nothing set in stone there.

Different though, he claimed based on his job being made impossible, not on his actual resignation.

That's news to me. I understood that there were no details released of that particular dispute, just the outcome.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I do wonder, what he would do differently if he could wind the clock back

Would he ship out the rotten apples in week 1

I'm pretty sure he would not have signed NZogbia or Jenas

To be fair to him NZogbia was a signing most of us were celebrating. I dont think McLiesh has done that bad a job with his signings. Its how he has set the team up which has been terrible.

[Valhalla]

It's great that we've survived obviously, because after the Bolton debacle it didnt seem likely. However the fact that we may not even get to 40 points is embarrassing and a disgrace. It doesnt matter about home records, goals scored, draws, its points. And 38 after 37 games is laughable.

McLeish will resign though, he wont wait to be sacked.

He won't resign, he'll lose his pay off if he does.

I think that we have recent history of a manager 'resigning' and receiving a payoff, so nothing set in stone there.

Different though, he claimed based on his job being made impossible, not on his actual resignation.

That's news to me. I understood that there were no details released of that particular dispute, just the outcome.

Indeed, its amazing the amount of conjecture that goes into o`neill conversations.

If you want to take anything from what we actually know about that, ie the outcome, it was obviously not as black and white as o`neill "throwing his toys out of the pram and dropping us in it."

[Paul33]

If lambert is a genuine target, I imagine Lerner will test the water with Delia this Sunday in the directors box

Is that a euphemism :shock: ?!!!

[Super-Villan]

I do wonder, what he would do differently if he could wind the clock back

Would he ship out the rotten apples in week 1

I'm pretty sure he would not have signed NZogbia or Jenas

To be fair to him NZogbia was a signing most of us were celebrating. I dont think McLiesh has done that bad a job with his signings. Its how he has set the team up which has been terrible.

You can't judge a manager on whether the fans think a signing was a good idea. He's the one who's had him scouted, he's the one who has personally spoken to the player...he doesn't get a free pass on signing shit.

[VillaDave]

I do wonder, what he would do differently if he could wind the clock back

Thats the thing - he would not do anything differently at all.

This season has been a mirror of his last season at the Blues. He seems NOT to have learned anything.

The style of football is the same (arguably even worse, as at least 'they' had a go).

And he's signed the very same players he tried to sign whilst he was at Blues (N'Zog, Hutton).

The man has learned nothing. Nothing.

[Paul33]

A good manager is always one who gets more out of a team than the sum total of its parts. A poor manager is one who gets less out of a team than the sum total of its parts.

The likes of Ireland, N'Zogbia, Agbonlahor, Albrighton, Dunne, Collins (and more) are playing worse now than they were at their peaks in the past ...... he has failed to get the best out of any player and that, for me, should be the only criteria Lerner should be judging him by.

What is the point in giving him funds to buy another exciting player because you can gaurantee he will drain any flare or talent from them and process them through the Eck Convertor machine to produce yet another hesitant, defensive and sterile player to add to the roster.

[Demitri_C]

if we had at leats tried and played better football then people would not have bene so harsh on mcleish

but he has failed on both

[Stevo985]

It's not the style of football that annoys me, so much.

If we wer eplaying this style and winning matches, then I'd be more than happy. No it wouldn't be pretty, but I hate this notion of "the right way to play". It's bullshit. The right way to play is the way that gets results. Stoke play the right way, because it maximises what the team is capable of. If they started to play like Barcelona they wouldn't win matches.

The reason I hate McLeish's style of football is because of the results it leads to. I'd rather play bad football and win, than good football and lose.

Unfortunately McLeish is doing neither.

As Paulo Bandini said on Football Weekly this week (I'll paraphrase)

"Villa are abominable under McLeish. They came to the Emirates and were one of the worst teams I've ever seen play there. The fact that they are staying up is a travesty when you look at the teams around them"