The Mind of a Manager

[john robsons sideburns]

Football managers are paid a shed load of money to have their team prepared, fit and ready to plan with a clear definition of what is expected of them in their respective roles.  The manager has to pick a side, his best XI, with his best available player in each position and vary the tactics of his side according to the opposition.  Obviously there's a lot more besides that, but those are the basics, agreed?

So why oh why do Aston Villa managers seem so incapable of doing this?  There must be some 20,000 or so posters and readers of this forum, and another 30,000 odd that turn up for home games, all of which can see the blindingly obvious which is:-

1.)  Carlos Cuellar is a cracking good centre-half, but cannot play at full-back. He cannot control the ball, he cannot cross the ball, he has no positional sense, he cannot pass the ball well, all attributes that a full-back needs.

2.)  Habib Beye is a capable yet average right full back, who cannot kick the ball with his left foot.   He can fill in at centre-half, heck, he could probably do a job at right midfield if asked, just don't ask him to do anything with his left foot.  So clearly he should not play anywhere on the left hand side of the pitch.

3.)  Nigel Reo-Coker is strong lad, with a great will to win, he can run all day, tackle (although admittedly mistimed quite often!), he can do a lot of things, but playing right wing is not one of them

4.)  Nathan Delfouneso is the brightest young English prospect around, he has just scored plenty of goals for the National Under 19 side, and scored some golas, showing great promise as a striker last season.  He is always likely to score a goal if we put the ball in the right place.......he is not a right winger.

5.)  Curtis Davies is prone to errors and rushes of blood, played as a right side centre half with an experienced player besides him, he excels, without that, he is a liability.

6.)  Stan Petrov is a bloody good player, he can pass, has great vision, but gets tired after an hour.  He needs someone alongside him who can tackle, run, and give him the ball, he does not need another player who is not fit and cannot tackle

7.)  Emile Heskey, wiling participant in any game, cannot control a ball, is scared of running at defender (which would scare them....how about that for an idea Emile?), who's second touch is always a tackle, is not a centre forward that is going to enable us to win games and score goals.  He has scored 5 goals is 48 games, a strike rate comparable to Richard Dunne.  (Yes I know he scored last night, but let's be honest the ball hit him, if he'd tried to direct it then it would have gone wide or over)

8.)  When defending corners I have lost count of the amount of times little Alan Wright, Chrissie Price used to clear off the line, Ash Young and Downing saved us a few times last year, so when defending corners, with a goalkeeper that flaps like a pair of 70's bell bottoms in the wind, and is petrified of crosses, maybe a man on the posts would be a good idea.

I'm sure that I've missed plenty out, and the list above can be added to.

Is it just me, or are the things above not clearly apparent to anyone who has watch even 20-minutes of Villa playing over the past year.  So why, oh why, oh why, oh why, can the men who have been in charge of Aston Villa during this period not see this.  How can 50,000 fans see this, and the man that matters not.?  I mean how can it happen?  What do they know, what have they seen that gives them such a contrasting opinion?  Are they so professionally trained that they know something that we don't? What the fuck is it, because I wish they'd fucking tell us.  TELL US KEV MAC, TELL US MON, because it's doing my bloody head in

[darren woolley]

Good post i could'nt agree more.

[jembob]

Top rant jrs. We used to have this same conversation after nearly every home game last season.
 
MON's tame journalists refer to him as a brilliant manager and highly intelligent man, but he failed to accept the obvious points which you've identified above and therefore learned nothing. He also failed to spot the tactics of the opposition and respond accordingly. Hardly the actions of an intelligent man.

Kev has obviously been told to carry on where MON left off.

Truly baffling.

[BILL DE VALL]

ahh
little Wrighty clearing off the line
brings back memories..
I've never seen a smaller man win so many headers
he had a leap like a salmon

i have been saying the same about playing players out of position-it's not rocket science is it?
but it keeps happening

[Cuz]

Couldn't have put it better, what the Fook is going on? if we can see it why can't the management coaches etc, Come on Randy sort it out or i can see us in the shit

[john robsons sideburns]

Amazingly enough, Sunday comes along and.....

1.)  Cuellar doesn't play right back - we won and a right back scores a goal - coincidence?
2.)  A left back, plays at left back - we won - coincidence?
3.)  Reo-Coker plays in his correct position, not right wing - we won - coincidence?
4.)  Fonz wasn't involved so cant comment
5.)  Curtis Davies never played - we won - coincidence?
6.)  Stan Petrov has Reo-Cokes playing alongside him to help and do his running - we won - coincidence?
7.)  Emile Heskey isn't involved for any more than 5 minutes - we won - coincidence?
8.)  We have a man on the line for corners, Everton have 17 of them, and we keep a clean sheet - we won - coincidence?

A lot of coincidences, or maybe just a manager doing exactly what 50,000 Villa fans have been asking for 12-months?!

[Chris Smith]

Amazingly enough, Sunday comes along and.....

1.)  Cuellar doesn't play right back - we won and a right back scores a goal - coincidence?
2.)  A left back, plays at left back - we won - coincidence?
3.)  Reo-Coker plays in his correct position, not right wing - we won - coincidence?
4.)  Fonz wasn't involved so cant comment
5.)  Curtis Davies never played - we won - coincidence?
6.)  Stan Petrov has Reo-Cokes playing alongside him to help and do his running - we won - coincidence?
7.)  Emile Heskey isn't involved for any more than 5 minutes - we won - coincidence?
8.)  We have a man on the line for corners, Everton have 17 of them, and we keep a clean sheet - we won - coincidence?

A lot of coincidences, or maybe just a manager doing exactly what 50,000 Villa fans have been asking for 12-months?!

Although we didn't exactly play them off the park, did we?

[Sister of Top Cat]

Amazingly enough, Sunday comes along and.....

1.)  Cuellar doesn't play right back - we won and a right back scores a goal - coincidence?
2.)  A left back, plays at left back - we won - coincidence?
3.)  Reo-Coker plays in his correct position, not right wing - we won - coincidence?
4.)  Fonz wasn't involved so cant comment
5.)  Curtis Davies never played - we won - coincidence?
6.)  Stan Petrov has Reo-Cokes playing alongside him to help and do his running - we won - coincidence?
7.)  Emile Heskey isn't involved for any more than 5 minutes - we won - coincidence?
8.)  We have a man on the line for corners, Everton have 17 of them, and we keep a clean sheet - we won - coincidence?

A lot of coincidences, or maybe just a manager doing exactly what 50,000 Villa fans have been asking for 12-months?!

Although we didn't exactly play them off the park, did we?

And Reo Coker only played because Ireland was injured in the warm up.