Coaching set up for next season

[WarszaVillan]

McDonald should already be gone.

Not sure about that. I know he was bloody awful in his caretaker games and his selections were woeful but as always he was thrust into a role he probably didn't particularly want to be doing. He does a good enough job with the U-21's and he should be left there to do it.

Does he, though? I don't care if the underage teams go unbeaten throughout a season, if they don't progress to the first team then it's nothing but a failure.

To be honest, with a new owner and manager I wouldn't be overly-disappointed to see wholesale coaching changes at all levels.

Players have progressed to the first team though (and should really have been given even more opportunities).
Though I do agree that if the new board sees fit to do a complete clean sweep then I'm not adverse but I think our youth set up is one of the few positives. It's been our managers who have failed to fully utlitize the potential though, by wasting first team spots on complete toss like Bacuna when we have an academy that should, and has, been producing much better quality than a lot of what we've signed.

I think that this idea we have a great youth set up is a bit of myth nowadays. I can't remember the last really good player to come through. Grealish has potential perhaps but other than that?

[cdbearsfan]

Our under-21s are in the second tier of their competition too. We haven't been close in the Youth Cup for years.

In the last twenty years we've produced precisely zero superstars, and very few players good enough for the Premier League/top half of the Championship.

You also suspect if we found a budding genius but he happened to be foreign, MacDonald would punt him in favour of British dross, given his shameful first team selections.

Get rid.

[Hookeysmith]

Our under-21s are in the second tier of their competition too. We haven't been close in the Youth Cup for years.

In the last twenty years we've produced precisely zero superstars, and very few players good enough for the Premier League/top half of the Championship.

You also suspect if we found a budding genius but he happened to be foreign, MacDonald would punt him in favour of British dross, given his shameful first team selections.

Get rid.

If you consider one of our "own" being a player here since a kid then

Barry - pretty damn good premiership career
Davis - very established in Southampton and trophy winner in Scotland
Cahill - Top Premiership player
Gardener - played for 3 different premiership clubs (Albeit 2 are scum)
Gabby - for all his faults (and there are many) premiership player all his career

All of them had decent game time with us before moving onto better things and I am sure there are others
Its not a bad return - its just that none of them really did anything whilst with us

[WarszaVillan]

And all made their debut at least a decade ago

[HolmesyVilla]

And all made their debut at least a decade ago

And also to be fair,our yoof for these last ten years have been a case of right place at the wrong time, how were any of our young guns supposed to breakthrough while we been purchasing superstars like Habib Beye, Nicky Shorey, Milan Baros and Marlon fuckin Harewood.

[PaulWinch again]

Our under-21s are in the second tier of their competition too. We haven't been close in the Youth Cup for years.

In the last twenty years we've produced precisely zero superstars, and very few players good enough for the Premier League/top half of the Championship.

You also suspect if we found a budding genius but he happened to be foreign, MacDonald would punt him in favour of British dross, given his shameful first team selections.

Get rid.

If you consider one of our "own" being a player here since a kid then

Barry - pretty damn good premiership career
Davis - very established in Southampton and trophy winner in Scotland
Cahill - Top Premiership player
Gardener - played for 3 different premiership clubs (Albeit 2 are scum)
Gabby - for all his faults (and there are many) premiership player all his career

All of them had decent game time with us before moving onto better things and I am sure there are others
Its not a bad return - its just that none of them really did anything whilst with us

Albrighton - League winner.

But I still think McDonald should go.

[HolmesyVilla]

But I still think McDonald should go.

Sounds like Yoda talking to Gabby

[mattjpa]

I would get in the GK Coach from united that was credited with De Gea's rise in his first season and I would search the world over for the best sports psycologists that can stop our players turning into eeyor from winnie the pooh everytime we concede a goal.

[aj2k77]

Get rid of Kmac. We haven't produced fuck all for years, he's another on a cushy number. We need a rethink from the very top to the very bottom.

[chrisw1]

Basing this on bookies favourite Pearson getting the gig and knowing if so his previous back room team would not be joining. What set up would you like

GK coach - Parkes has to go - no coincidence that Guzan went from FPOTS to clown with Bunn no better - wonder where Spinksy is nowadays?

Fitness coach - I would keep Gurverne (sp) we may be shit but we are a hell of a lot fitter than when we started the season

1st teams coach - Close the door Mr Black and the nonentity you brought in - I like the system that Little had previously with critical areas having their own  specialised coaches like a GK coach

Defending coach - Pearson should be ok with this

Midfield coach - maybe the perfect role for Stan?  if not then not sure if Ian Taylor has badges

Forward coach - Ideal for someone like Dean Saunders

Reserves - leave with Cowans based on results

at least gives us something else to discuss 

What is the obsession with ex-Villa players.  I just want damn good coaches and couldn't give a stuff where they come from.

[brentastonb6]

I want fitness coaches who do what it says on the tin- Get the players fit , or maybe Royal Marine Commando PT instructors- Let's have a fit strong team! Is it just me that thinks every team we play is fitter and stronger than us ? We always look lightweight , lethargic and weak.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

Basing this on bookies favourite Pearson getting the gig and knowing if so his previous back room team would not be joining. What set up would you like

GK coach - Parkes has to go - no coincidence that Guzan went from FPOTS to clown with Bunn no better - wonder where Spinksy is nowadays?

Fitness coach - I would keep Gurverne (sp) we may be shit but we are a hell of a lot fitter than when we started the season

1st teams coach - Close the door Mr Black and the nonentity you brought in - I like the system that Little had previously with critical areas having their own  specialised coaches like a GK coach

Defending coach - Pearson should be ok with this

Midfield coach - maybe the perfect role for Stan?  if not then not sure if Ian Taylor has badges

Forward coach - Ideal for someone like Dean Saunders

Reserves - leave with Cowans based on results

at least gives us something else to discuss 

any coach associated with the first team should be fucked off

as for fitness i dont think ive seen an unfitter team in 40 years, so one paced and ponderous

half of leicesters success is down to their fitness

[supertom]

To be fair we've not given enough players a chance and we've bought players in who aren't as good as what we've brought through our youth set up in the past 10 years. Tonev??? Sylla?? Luna?? Surely we must be producing better than them. Surely we've had better forward in our youths than Bowery. We've wasted good money, albeit on squad fillers, where we might have given some of our youngsters a chance. We haven't bought sensibly enough. We haven't bought reliable senior players who could have helped players like Bannan.

I don't think the sign of a successful youth set up is how many of your players end up playing top 6 in the Premiership. What is successful is how many players you bring through who could play in the top 2 divisions in this country, and perhaps, with the right development, play regularly in the Prem. I think Gardner could. I think Johnson could. Johnson we let go and he's looking like a good player. Delfouneso and Bannan weren't given the right guidance, or enough of a chance (certainly in Fonz's case). Fonz fell by the wayside. Bannan has found his footing.

What of the next batch? Toner has looked okay. Lyden too. Green and Hepburn-Murphy have potential. But we have to play them. Of course you don't play them all at once, but you keep giving them chances. If they have the chance to go out on loan at a good level and play, give them that chance, and give it to them early. Rashford has been given his chance at Utd. We may not have anyone quite that good, but we should have players who could work at our level.
What have dross like Richardson offered? They've not even been a calming influence. Their experience has been of no use. Perhaps some youthful exuberance, and energy would have been more beneficial.

Grealish has had injurys yes, but he's been frozen out this season. And I appreciate he hasn't entirely helped himself, but he's a player who represents our future. We need to be building around the likes of him. He's lost a whole season and we've cut off our nose to spite our face as far as he's concerned. Since he returned from injury he should have started every game. Who is in the side who is worthy of keeping their place over him? No one. Again...we're failing as a club to utilise talent at our disposal. If our under-21's are performing well and winning games, then 5-6 of these players should be getting groomed into the side over the course of the season. It's been happening, but not quite enough. Next season is an ideal time to do that because we should have 5-6 kids who could look good in the Championship and that will only develop them for our return to the top flight.

We don't need to sign 12-13 players. We've had summer windows under Lamberk and Sherwood where we've blown a lot of money on garbage. There tends to be 3-4 reasonable players among a shower of dross (in some cases, vastly overpaid). We need to look at quality over quantity, and then supplement good signings by bringing through our youngsters. Toner, and indeed Clark and possibly Baker would benefit from a solid, experience CH coming in to lead the backline, whereas last summer Richards and Lescott were poor signings. Richards couldn't play CH and Lescott was done for. And both have poor attitudes.

Lets get it right. But our youth set up is good enough. It can of course get better, and perhaps new investment will see improvements, but we've got to make the most of our boys now.