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Author Topic: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)  (Read 4777 times)

Offline Legion

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Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« on: August 19, 2017, 10:44:43 AM »
From the Bruce Out thread.

Who is/are your worst Villa manager(s)? Plus for the sake of balance the same applies to your best one(s). Stating reasons why is optional but welcome. Caretaker and temporary custodians are included.

Worst: O'Leary, O'Neill, McNeill, Turner, Black

Best: Saunders, Barton, Sir GT, Little, Atkinson



Offline AV5nobs

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #1 on: August 19, 2017, 10:52:10 AM »
Best: Big Ron.

Worst. MON

Offline ASHTONVILLA

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #2 on: August 19, 2017, 10:52:56 AM »
Worst: Garde, McNeill, Turner, Venglos

Best: Saunders, Taylor, Little, MON


Offline Monty

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #3 on: August 19, 2017, 10:53:30 AM »
I'm not old enough to remember Saunders, GT Mk I or even Big Ron, so I don't have a best Villa manager really. Well OK, Sir Brian.

Worst, Sherwood.

As an aside, it's going to be fun seeing MON coming up frequently on both sides of the aisle here. I'm going to put him down as Biggest Underachiever.

Offline Meanwood Villa

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #4 on: August 19, 2017, 10:58:11 AM »
Best: Little

Worst: O'Leary or Lambert

Offline itbrvilla

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #5 on: August 19, 2017, 11:00:07 AM »
Best: Little, Gregory

Worst: O'Leary, Lambert, Black and Bruce

Offline passport1

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #6 on: August 19, 2017, 11:06:04 AM »
Best,Saunders,Little,MON.

Worst,the list alas is too long.

Offline cdbearsfan

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #7 on: August 19, 2017, 11:18:35 AM »
Best:

If you count him as a "manager", it has to be Ramsay, considering the ludicrous number of trophies we won while he was here.

Ron Saunders took us from the Second Division to the verge of being Champions of Europe. He's clearly our best manager in the modern day sense of what a "manager" does.

Graham Taylor takes third place, with honourable mentions for Atkinson, Little, Barton and Crowe.

Worst:

Billy McNeill. We've had plenty of other shite managers, but they have all, at least,.tried. McNeill gave the impression of not giving a shit, and finished bottom with a team far better than our most recent relegation exponents.

There's a whole host in contention for second place. I haven't read too much of our history in the disastrous campaigns of 1958-59 and the late sixties to know how much blame the managers of the day should receive.

Turner was pretty shite, albeit before my time.

In my time watching us, and excluding caretakers, we were probably worse than we have ever been before under Garde. However, he was given a virtually impossible task by Sherwood, who started well but fell victim to his own vanity with some suicidal team selections which mean I struggle to remember the joy of the previous cup run and escape as much as I should.

Lambert was a great "what if". Every time we seemed poised to turn the corner, he would change the tactics, with disastrous results. He might well do okay elsewhere, but his part in our decline can't be overlooked. I find it difficult to summon up too much hate for McLeish. When he was appointed we all pretty much knew that the football would be shit, we'd probably stay up, and he'd be required to trim the wage bill. He "achieved" all three and, at least, always seems to speak well of our club and fans when it would be easy for him to stick the knife in.

O'Leary's results weren't actually that awful, with the exception of his last season. However, it's hard to imagine an incumbent going out of his way like he did to annoy the fans. He spent the first season mentioning Leeds at every opportunity, and when results  turned against him he couldn't wait to blame us for being "fickle". He can fuck off.

Di Matteo was a poor manager but also unlucky. The number of jammy deflections and last minute equalisers must count partly against the manager, but were also down to poor fortune. I still believe he used up all his luck with the Chavs' unbelievably fortuitous European Cup win. I could, at least, see the logic behind most of his signings, even if most of them haven't exactly set the World alight.

While he's still here, it's too early to claim Bruce as being among the worst. I think his days are numbered but would, obviously, prefer it if we won seven-nil today to start a glorious fifty game unbeaten run that proves me wrong.
« Last Edit: August 20, 2017, 11:56:19 AM by cdbullyweefan »

Offline oldham_villa

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #8 on: August 19, 2017, 01:45:17 PM »
For achievements, you have to go with Ron Saunders and then Tony Barton

From my memory as being a fan, i loved the highs of Ron Atkinson's team, more than any other.....but i hated the lows of the ageing team not giving a shit.
Brian Little's highs were great also; good football, coupled with likeable players.
Graham Taylor of course.

Looking at my least favourite managers

Graham Turner and Billy McNeil - both horrific managers
Eric Black is also up there, and Steve Bruce is not far away from this i'm afraid.

Offline Simon Page

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #9 on: August 20, 2017, 12:33:02 PM »
Best: Saunders
Favourite: Little
Worst: McNeill
Least favourite: O'Leary

Offline ADVILLAFAN

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #10 on: August 20, 2017, 01:12:13 PM »
In my time as a season ticket holder:-

Best: MON

Worst: DOL

Online dave.woodhall

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #11 on: August 20, 2017, 01:17:26 PM »
Best: Saunders
Favourite: Little
Worst: McNeill
Least favourite: O'Leary

I train my staff well.

Offline dave shelley

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #12 on: August 20, 2017, 03:24:02 PM »
In my time of watching the Villa my opinion on the best manager is Ron Saunders because he delivered and his teams were at many times exciting to watch.

I agree with a few of the above suggestions having watched teams managed by BFR, SGT and SBL but it's Ron for me.

An honourable mention to Joe Mercer who showed us what could be achieved using young, prodigious talent.

So far as bad managers go, it has to be Eric Black for me although I'm not really sure he qualifies as a manager, if not then Billy McNeill wins.

Offline Rotterdam

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #13 on: August 20, 2017, 03:35:38 PM »
Best: Saunders
Favourite: BFR or MON
Worst: Sherwood
Least favourite: O'Leary

Online Deano's Mullet

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Re: Your Best and Worst Villa Manager(s)
« Reply #14 on: August 20, 2017, 10:30:30 PM »
Best - Little
Favourite - BFR or Little.
Worst - Lambert
Least favourite - Lambert

 


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