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Author Topic: The Centre Cannot Hold  (Read 20931 times)

Offline AsTallAsLions

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The Centre Cannot Hold
« on: June 03, 2011, 10:37:40 AM »
Houllier gone. Reo-Coker and Carew gone. Friedel gone. Young and Downing fairly likely to go, the former being almost certain. Bent being potentially restless (already) as a result.

Some might argue that those already departed are of no great importance to the club's future, and that the others are simply speculation for the moment.

But really, given that appointing a manager is likely to take another couple of weeks - and the fact that even if all our players had decided to stay, we'd still be needing to add fresh faces after a poor season - how likely is it that we'll be ready for next season?

It's going to be an interesting one, and a massive massive challenge for the incoming manager, IMO. It's by no means guaranteed that we'll have a better year than this one has been.

Online AV82EC

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2011, 10:40:37 AM »
If you're that depressed two weeks after the end of the season I'd end it all now mate.

Offline pablopicasso_10

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2011, 10:41:28 AM »
big changes ahead...

depending on who comes in as manager, it could be a very exciting summer...

Offline hilts_coolerking

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #3 on: June 03, 2011, 10:45:01 AM »
Last season ended less than a fortnight ago.  There's plenty of time to get a new manager in, do some transfer business and have a good pre-season with the new look squad.

Offline Phil from the upper holte

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #4 on: June 03, 2011, 10:47:27 AM »
Most players are on holiday as well, Not a lot is going to happen transfer wise for now but I think change is good

Offline CJ

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #5 on: June 03, 2011, 10:47:46 AM »
This is one of the biggest disappointments about Houllier leaving. I think he had all his ducks pretty much lined up with who'd be going, who'd be staying, and who he wanted to bring in, and we'd have seen a pretty much reformed squad ready for a full pre-season together.  Whoever comes in it's fairly nailed on that some of those identified by Houllier to stay/go will change, and a new manager will need time to assess where the gaps in the squad are, very much defined by the style he wants to play.  Another period of transition until at least January I fear, and probably until next summer.

Edit: Unless of course GMac is to be manager
*screams*
« Last Edit: June 03, 2011, 10:51:16 AM by CJ »

Offline AsTallAsLions

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2011, 10:48:20 AM »
Last season ended less than a fortnight ago.  There's plenty of time to get a new manager in, do some transfer business and have a good pre-season with the new look squad.

Sure, maybe. But if in two weeks' time there's been no manager announced, and Young is off to United, and Downing is starting negotiations with other clubs, this place will be chaos.

Offline jembob

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #7 on: June 03, 2011, 10:50:54 AM »
I think the club is showing any potential new manager that they will HAVE to spend a load of money of the summer and that will be very tempting for many. Houllier inherited a bit of a mess from MON that needed cleaning up this time last year so the exit of players  is well overdue. We still have a core of very good players and a decent manager will easily identify what we will need and where. Rather than looking at the shedding of players in a negative way, think of this as an opportunity for the club to completely refresh things with better players and almost certainly a better style of football. These will be exciting times.

Just imagine how the Knuckledraggers are feeling at the moment - they've lost their top players but stand no chance of replacing them with ones as good and seem doomed to mid table mediocrity in the Championship. If they spend in total what we will spend on one player over the summer then I would be amazed!

Offline Tom_Mc9?

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #8 on: June 03, 2011, 10:51:27 AM »
Shouldn't this be in the 'Fans worried about Villa future' thread? An opportunity missed.

Offline Chris Smith

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #9 on: June 03, 2011, 10:51:32 AM »
Some people see problems, others see opportunities.


Offline darren woolley

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2011, 10:52:41 AM »
There is going to be some changes at Villa but hopefully it will be of benefit to us in the long run I think this time next year we will be saying what where we worried about.

Offline garyshawsknee

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #11 on: June 03, 2011, 10:58:28 AM »
I wouldn't get the razor blades out just yet. We all know Young will go,for that reason I think Downing won't be sold. Friedel should be replaced,we may get someone better than NRC,the rest won't be missed.

Whoever the new boss is,he'll have some money to spend so I don't think its time to piss our pants just yet.

Offline pauliewalnuts

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #12 on: June 03, 2011, 11:04:30 AM »
Sure, maybe. But if in two weeks' time there's been no manager announced, and Young is off to United, and Downing is starting negotiations with other clubs, this place will be chaos.

It's a bit extreme to start worrying - based on those quotes last week - that Downing is going to start negotiations with other clubs.

I agree that there is an awful lot of work to do, but they've at least started quickly

Eight or nine days after the end of the season, we binned Houllier. That's pretty fucking fast movement.

Not only did we bin him, we binned - at considerable expense to ourselves - a manager who was backed handsomely in the January transfer window, and who had a clean bill of health and wanted to stay.

That to me suggests...

1. They've decided what they want to do.
2. They're going to do it very quickly and without worrying too much about expense.

Give them a chance to do it.

Offline AsTallAsLions

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #13 on: June 03, 2011, 11:04:35 AM »
I wouldn't get the razor blades out just yet. We all know Young will go,for that reason I think Downing won't be sold. Friedel should be replaced,we may get someone better than NRC,the rest won't be missed.

Whoever the new boss is,he'll have some money to spend so I don't think its time to piss our pants just yet.

Right, there are ways to say that without being so arrogantly dismissive.

There is as good a chance that we'll come out of this situation worse off (i.e. if somebody like McClaren takes over as manager - or last season's second choice, Curbishley) than we were before. The usual unflinching optimism is doing the rounds here, as happens every time there's change, but it's never been rewarded on the pitch, not even under MON who couldn't bring any honours to the club. I'm just tempering that enthusiasm because it usually leads to, as you say, the 'razor blades' coming out. I don't think that's happening just yet. I'm suggesting that - shock horror - perhaps all will not be well. Which, given past experience, is probably a pretty bloody good bet.

Online dave.woodhall

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Re: The Centre Cannot Hold
« Reply #14 on: June 03, 2011, 11:06:58 AM »
The usual unflinching optimism is doing the rounds here, as happens every time there's change, but it's never been rewarded on the pitch,

I must have dreamt it then.

 


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