Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: dave.woodhall on November 16, 2011, 12:53:40 PM
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http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/8006/38/
6 November ~ Shortly before Laurence Bassini acquired Watford FC in March it was revealed he had been declared bankrupt in 2007 and had been closely involved in several failed businesses. Unfortunately for Watford fans, a list of his positive achievements proved much harder to find. These revelations begged the obvious question: Why did this man buy Watford, and how was he going to invest in the club’s future? Bassini was expected to shed some long-awaited light on his plans at the annual fans’ forum last week but, shortly before it was due to start, fans were informed he had withdrawn due to ill health.
Many of those who did attend were bitterly disappointed, none more so than Watford’s chairman, Graham Taylor. Responding to an early question on Bassini’s absence, Taylor expressed his own frustration and chose to address the owner directly, saying: "This was a great opportunity for you, Laurence, to sit and answer questions which Watford supporters are very keen to have the answers to."
His outburst sparked a boardroom crisis at Watford, with Taylor now unlikely to continue as chair. Even more worrying, Bassini threatened to withhold £1 million in funds required to ensure Watford can pay its bills unless Taylor apologised. He has since withdrawn that threat but such a spiteful action has hardly endeared him to fans already concerned at his motives for buying the club.
From a PR perspective, Taylor is the one person Bassini should want to keep onside. That is not to say Taylor is infallible; it was unwise to imply Bassini might have been feigning illness. But, given his history and long-term commitment to the club, Watford fans will rightly take his concerns very seriously, and the boardroom row should not distract from the bigger issue.
On the rare occasions fans have heard from Bassini he has talked a good game. He plans to reopen the Red Lion pub outside the ground, re-lay the awful pitch at Vicarage Road, complete the south-west corner of the ground (currently a half-finished office block) and build a new East Stand. It all sounds great, but Watford is a football club that often operates at a loss (excluding revenue from player sales) so how will he finance these plans, as well as investment in the playing squad?
The Watford fansite From the Rookery End is pursuing a campaign to get some answers and has set five questions for Bassini. They are not asking for minute detail but for a basic explanation of Bassini’s motives and his vision for the club – the kind of long-term plan any person buying a business should be able to articulate, providing they have one. Michael Moruzzi @regista_blog
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Sir Graham should have been on our board. Should be on our board. Forever.
If I was in Randy's shoes, knowing Villa needed football men in decision making and advisory positions, I'd have appointed both Taylor and Ron Atkinson to the board.
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Sir Graham should have been on our board. Should be on our board. Forever.
If I was in Randy's shoes, knowing Villa needed football men in decision making and advisory positions, I'd have appointed both Taylor and Ron Atkinson to the board.
The GT bit seems a no brainer to me, especially if he steps down as chairman of watford.
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Another vote for Taylor on the board at Villa from me.
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And from me. Had it not been for GT Villa would have done a Wolves between 1987-1990, IMO.
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Mixed feelings about that idea if I'm honest.
On the one hand- as Chris points out- we could have sunk without trace but for his intervention in 1987.
It seems odd to think about it now, but he was practically taking a backward step in joining us at the time. His stock was high, he was the next big thing (touted for the Man U job before Siralex) and joining us in the Second Division was most definitely a gamble. For him, rather than us.
He should always be welcome back to the club- for that first stint alone. But it's hard to shake the reality that he does still have somewhat of a credibility issue in the wider game, owing to his time with England and that ill advised C4 documentary. The less said about his second stint with us the better too.
The clincher for me though is he was one of the wise men the Board approached post MON walkout. And he recommended GH.
I'd have to say it's a no for me, much as I like the bloke.
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A football man on the board would be a good idea and Sir Graham has a lot of respect in the game. I would love to see him at the club. His second stint was not great but there were a lot of things going on in the background at the time with the previous chairman and the lack of funds etc. It would be a possitive move for me.
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Sir Graham should have been on our board. Should be on our board. Forever.
If I was in Randy's shoes, knowing Villa needed football men in decision making and advisory positions, I'd have appointed both Taylor and Ron Atkinson to the board.
BFR in charge of engagement with the local community? Sorry, the bloke has no credibility now and it would be a PR disaster to appoint him. Sir Graham on the other hand would be great.
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Sir Graham all the time, Atkinson, no chance.
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I'd have SGT and Steve Stride back. Unrivalled experience and know-how on tap with those two.
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I'd love to see SGT back, a true Prince among men. It could rub McLeish up the wrong way having a well regarded ex Villa manager overseeing him, so all in all its a big thumbs up from me.
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I'd love to see SGT back, a true Prince among men. It could rub McLeish up the wrong way having a well regarded ex Villa manager overseeing him, so all in all its a big thumbs up from me.
And how would our present manager being 'rubbed up the wrong way' benefit the club?
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Sir Graham should have been on our board. Should be on our board. Forever.
If I was in Randy's shoes, knowing Villa needed football men in decision making and advisory positions, I'd have appointed both Taylor and Ron Atkinson to the board.
BFR in charge of engagement with the local community? Sorry, the bloke has no credibility now and it would be a PR disaster to appoint him. Sir Graham on the other hand would be great.
I still love him despite his faux pas. He knows football inside out and that's all I care about really.
Not that I think it would ever happen anyway.
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What a boost it would give the club to have Graham Taylor on the board. I think he would get on well with AM.
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Not for me.
His 2nd stint was nothing short of a disaster and again he reccomended GH.
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Sir Graham should have been on our board. Should be on our board. Forever.
If I was in Randy's shoes, knowing Villa needed football men in decision making and advisory positions, I'd have appointed both Taylor and Ron Atkinson to the board.
The GT bit seems a no brainer to me, especially if he steps down as chairman of watford.
Definately a yes from me for Sir Graham.
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If there were more people in the game like Sir Graham, football would be a lot better off for it.
It's a yes from me.
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I think we should have Big Ron, Sir Graham Taylor, and Brian Little on board that three different view and a former player ideally Sir Dennis Mortimer.
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Another vote for Sir GT.
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Another vote for Sir GT.
And me.
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cant remember ever listning to SGT and not agreeing with him on everything he said
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The thing which sets Sir Graham head and shoulders above the so called elder statesmen of contemporary football is the unswerving dignity with which he dealt with all the media ridicule and vilification generated by the very badly advised documentary and the inability to get England success in an era of piss poor players.
He has taken everything and not let it make him bitter or vengeful. He is a great credit to the game. Whether he would make a big difference on the Villa board I doubt. These are days of duckers and divers, Gucci shod geezers and corporate knives in undefended backs. If Villa is to get going again we need Arry clones not gentlemen. Source of great regret but I feel that is the way football has been driven.
I am looking forward to the Brad Pitt movie Moneyball which I am told deals with these kind of issues in sport.
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Can I bore you all senseless again with the story of the letter he sent me?
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His 2nd stint was nothing short of a disaster
His first stint was nothing short of fantastic management.
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Can I bore you all senseless again with the story of the letter he sent me?
Yes, please do. I don't remember hearing the story.
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Not for me.
His 2nd stint was nothing short of a disaster and again he reccomended GH.
Which is like judging the Beatles by Free as a Bird.
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After he was roundly booed at VP when he made an on-pitch announcement at the end of the season, I was so incensed at the way he was disrespectfully treated that I wrote a letter to the Express and Star which got published. I sent him a copy. I got an appreciative reply (which I still have) in which he thanked me for the support. It was signed and dated on the day he handed in his resignation.
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After he was roundly booed at VP when he made an on-pitch announcement at the end of the season, I was so incensed at the way he was disrespectfully treated that I wrote a letter to the Express and Star which got published. I sent him a copy. I got an appreciative reply (which I still have) in which he thanked me for the support. It was signed and dated on the day he handed in his resignation.
Nice story, and typical of the man he seems to be.
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An absolute no brainer for me in having SGT back on the board. As to him getting stick for recommending GH - his reasoning was more abotu hiring a manager who would revolutionise the scouting and youth acquiring abroad. For this reaosn alone GH looked like a fantastic candidate. Personally I think GH givne time and support would have been a success at Villa.
As fro Sir Brian Little - I;d have him back as Manager tomorrow. My favourite ever Manager after The Lord Ron Saunders.
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Attributes for a manager and a director are completely different and therefore what he achieved/did not achieve as a manager here should not influence his appropriateness as a director.
GT's two stints as manager were under differing circumstances and he was almost in a no win situation the second time around.
As a well respected football person with a great knowledge of the game and a level headed approach to the modern game, I think he would be an ideal person to have as an addition to management of the club.
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After he was roundly booed at VP when he made an on-pitch announcement at the end of the season, I was so incensed at the way he was disrespectfully treated that I wrote a letter to the Express and Star which got published. I sent him a copy. I got an appreciative reply (which I still have) in which he thanked me for the support. It was signed and dated on the day he handed in his resignation.
What a contrast to that great day at Goodison Park in 1990. I'll never forget that and I doubt Sir Graham will either.
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And from me. Had it not been for GT Villa would have done a Wolves between 1987-1990, IMO.
We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to Sir Graham for what he did during his first stint as manager.
Along with Saunders, Barton & Brian I can't think of a latter day Villa man who is held in such high esteem. Forget his second stint, the guy is a Villa legend.
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What a contrast to that great day at Goodison Park in 1990. I'll never forget that and I doubt Sir Graham will either.
21 years on and still one of by favourite ever Villa supporting experiences.
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Sir Graham should have been on our board. Should be on our board. Forever.
If I was in Randy's shoes, knowing Villa needed football men in decision making and advisory positions, I'd have appointed both Taylor and Ron Atkinson to the board.
Totally agree and not as a nominal figurehead only. He knows the English game and it's pitfalls.
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What a contrast to that great day at Goodison Park in 1990. I'll never forget that and I doubt Sir Graham will either.
21 years on and still one of by favourite ever Villa supporting experiences.
And mine.
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The thing is, how would it have worked if he'd have been on the board in the last few years? Our problems have stemmed from the fact that O'Neill was given too much control over transfers, and there's no way he'd have given up any power to either a full director of football or even a quasi one. Even if Taylor had suggested to Lerner that Heskey shouldn't be given a three year contract at his age, do you think O'Neill would have stood for that? Much as I love Taylor, it's also not like his record on transfers in his second stint was any good. I know he didn't have a lot to spend, but the players he brought in were all atrocious.
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The thing is, how would it have worked if he'd have been on the board in the last few years? Our problems have stemmed from the fact that O'Neill was given too much control over transfers, and there's no way he'd have given up any power to either a full director of football or even a quasi one. Even if Taylor had suggested to Lerner that Heskey shouldn't be given a three year contract at his age, do you think O'Neill would have stood for that? Much as I love Taylor, it's also not like his record on transfers in his second stint was any good. I know he didn't have a lot to spend, but the players he brought in were all atrocious.
are you havin a laugh, McGrath, Platt, Yorke all atrocious ?
quick edit, just noticed the 'second stint' bit, apolagies
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Yep, fancy SGT buying a young Peter Crouch, what a dud of a career he ended up having.
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The thing is, how would it have worked if he'd have been on the board in the last few years? Our problems have stemmed from the fact that O'Neill was given too much control over transfers, and there's no way he'd have given up any power to either a full director of football or even a quasi one. Even if Taylor had suggested to Lerner that Heskey shouldn't be given a three year contract at his age, do you think O'Neill would have stood for that? Much as I love Taylor, it's also not like his record on transfers in his second stint was any good. I know he didn't have a lot to spend, but the players he brought in were all atrocious.
are you havin a laugh, McGrath, Platt, Yorke all atrocious ?
quick edit, just noticed the 'second stint' bit, apolagies
Yes he did say second stint, but has there ever been a better lot of business done anywhere anytime than McGrath, Platt, Yorke and Sid - all Villa legends and bought for less than 1m quid combined.
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This would be the Graham Taylor in stint two that threw a fair chunk of his meagre transfer budget at sorting out our academy and youth development?
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This would be the Graham Taylor in stint two that threw a fair chunk of his meagre transfer budget at sorting out our academy and youth development?
Did he? Can you expand on that please Cheltenhamlion, for example what did he do, what impact do you think these changes are having today? I have always thought of GT as a football manager/coach but not the visionary type that could set up an entire club.
If he is, then I definitely think he would be good on the board, whereas previously I thought he would (only) be good as a form of ambassador and to advise Faulkner on football related issues.
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Yep, fancy SGT buying a young Peter Crouch, what a dud of a career he ended up having.
I know, what a clown eh? Still, at least his successor was clever enough to mug Southampton for a mind boggling £2m.
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Yep, fancy SGT buying a young Peter Crouch, what a dud of a career he ended up having.
I know, what a clown eh? Still, at least his successor was clever enough to mug Southampton for a mind boggling £2m.
Crouch was poor for us. Not as bad as the likes of UDLC, Allback, Postma, Leonhardsen and Kinsella, but pretty awful nonetheless. I don't remember many dissenting voices when he was loaned out to Norwich then sold cheaply to Southampton.
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What a contrast to that great day at Goodison Park in 1990. I'll never forget that and I doubt Sir Graham will either.
21 years on and still one of by favourite ever Villa supporting experiences.
And mine.
X 3.
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Yep, fancy SGT buying a young Peter Crouch, what a dud of a career he ended up having.
I know, what a clown eh? Still, at least his successor was clever enough to mug Southampton for a mind boggling £2m.
Crouch was poor for us. Not as bad as the likes of UDLC, Allback, Postma, Leonhardsen and Kinsella, but pretty awful nonetheless. I don't remember many dissenting voices when he was loaned out to Norwich then sold cheaply to Southampton.
Funny, I remember many people thinking both Crouch and Allback should have been given runs in the team. But given the career Crouch has had and the amount of money he later moved for, you have to except that your claim that "players he brought in were all atrocious" is incorrect.
UDLC (about £1m) was nowhere near as bad as the people who made him their scapegoat made out. Postma cost about £1m so was worth it as a backup keeper. Leonhardsen (free) and Kinsella (another one who was about £1m) were about all we could afford at the time.
He bought in cheap experience which we needed and was all we could afford. And tried cheap overseas players like Postma and Gudjonsson, the very thing we slated MON for not doing.
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The clincher for me though is he was one of the wise men the Board approached post MON walkout. And he recommended GH.
I'd have to say it's a no for me, much as I like the bloke.
But he didn't 'just' recommend GH. He suggested that no one man ought never be able to control the club in the way that MON* did; he thought GH would be a good guy to oversee a new system where the 1st team coach was empowered and the DF would work with him for the benefit of the club.
The problem was that RL & PF only heard "Houlier" and went from there.
*I'm a MON fan, but have a general problem with the concept revolving autocracy.
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The thing which sets Sir Graham head and shoulders above the so called elder statesmen of contemporary football is the unswerving dignity with which he dealt with all the media ridicule and vilification generated by the very badly advised documentary and the inability to get England success in an era of piss poor players.
He has taken everything and not let it make him bitter or vengeful.
I have met Sir Graham a couple of times and the man just oozes dignity and class.
I am ashamed to say I remember reading the Sun and thinking the 'turnip' jibes were funny. I just wish I had the balls to apologise to him when I had the chance.
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Can I bore you all senseless again with the story of the letter he sent me?
Yes, please do. I don't remember hearing the story.
Can I bore you with the story of meeting him the day we beat Chelski?
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Yep, fancy SGT buying a young Peter Crouch, what a dud of a career he ended up having.
I know, what a clown eh? Still, at least his successor was clever enough to mug Southampton for a mind boggling £2m.
Crouch was poor for us. Not as bad as the likes of UDLC, Allback, Postma, Leonhardsen and Kinsella, but pretty awful nonetheless. I don't remember many dissenting voices when he was loaned out to Norwich then sold cheaply to Southampton.
Funny, I remember many people thinking both Crouch and Allback should have been given runs in the team. But given the career Crouch has had and the amount of money he later moved for, you have to except that your claim that "players he brought in were all atrocious" is incorrect.
Very selective memory there. Most people at the time were unhappy that Crouch was being played ahead of Angel. And I couldn't care less what a player has gone on to do, in the context of Aston Villa, Crouch was poor. I similarly don't care that Heskey once scored 20 goals for Liverpool in a season. And if you don't think that UDLC was "that bad" then there really is no hope for you. He could trap a ball further than a lot of players could pass it. Lovely bloke, shit footballer.
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After he was roundly booed at VP when he made an on-pitch announcement at the end of the season, I was so incensed at the way he was disrespectfully treated that I wrote a letter to the Express and Star which got published.
I cannot begin to tell you how angry I was that day. To hear our own fans boo Sir Graham was a particularly low point for me. I have nothing for the utmost respect for the man and always will do. I loved him for declaring our club a shambles when he arrived to the car crash of Billy McNeill. I loved him even more for getting us straight back up. Words can’t even describe how I felt about him when we were challenging for the title.
I had the pleasure of often meeting him when I was working in my gap year at Texas Homecare in Sutton Coldfield. He knew I was a huge Villa fan and always took the time to chat to me. A genuinely nice guy and I very much doubt that many modern managers or players would be as approachable is Sir Graham.
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Can I bore you all senseless again with the story of the letter he sent me?
Yes, please do. I don't remember hearing the story.
Can I bore you with the story of meeting him the day we beat Chelski?
Please do Fergal - spill the beans.
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Yep, fancy SGT buying a young Peter Crouch, what a dud of a career he ended up having.
I know, what a clown eh? Still, at least his successor was clever enough to mug Southampton for a mind boggling £2m.
Crouch was poor for us. Not as bad as the likes of UDLC, Allback, Postma, Leonhardsen and Kinsella, but pretty awful nonetheless. I don't remember many dissenting voices when he was loaned out to Norwich then sold cheaply to Southampton.
Well you weren't listening to me then Risso. He came back from Norwich a different player, and was unfortunate in that it happened to be the same sixth months that JPA found his best form, and we were cost cutting.
And those 5 players cost us a whopping £5.5 million, which was pretty much what we'd got in for Boateng.
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After he was roundly booed at VP when he made an on-pitch announcement at the end of the season, I was so incensed at the way he was disrespectfully treated that I wrote a letter to the Express and Star which got published.
I cannot begin to tell you how angry I was that day. To hear our own fans boo Sir Graham was a particularly low point for me. I have nothing for the utmost respect for the man and always will do. I loved him for declaring our club a shambles when he arrived to the car crash of Billy McNeill. I loved him even more for getting us straight back up. Words can’t even describe how I felt about him when we were challenging for the title.
I had the pleasure of often meeting him when I was working in my gap year at Texas Homecare in Sutton Coldfield. He knew I was a huge Villa fan and always took the time to chat to me. A genuinely nice guy and I very much doubt that many modern managers or players would be as approachable is Sir Graham.
It was the day when a little bit of the romance of being a Villa fan, feeling proud to be part of a collective tribe, died for me.
I stood there, nearly crying, thinking that a great many of my fellow supporters were utter wankers.
A real low point.
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A few months after the Sunderland game I spoke to him. Almost his first question was "How do you think we're doing?" I can't imagine many of our other ex-managers saying 'we' regardless of how they left.
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A few months after the Sunderland game I spoke to him. Almost his first question was "How do you think we're doing?" I can't imagine many of our other ex-managers saying 'we' regardless of how they left.
I bet Brian Little and John Gregory would. David O'Leary and Martin O'Neill I'd say possibly not!
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My only gripe about GT has nothing to do with his times with us: some fo his "expert comments" on TV and radio5L really are naff!
But his credentials as a "football man" are surely not in question? - he'd grace the Boardroom at B6, IMHO.
Oh, and in time Crouch would have come good for Villa; he just needed a little time (which Dolly wasn't prepared to give).
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Yes he did say second stint, but has there ever been a better lot of business done anywhere anytime than McGrath, Platt, Yorke and Sid - all Villa legends and bought for less than 1m quid combined.
cannot argue with that one at all, what a great shout!
as for a board member howabout Paul Merson?
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Yep, fancy SGT buying a young Peter Crouch, what a dud of a career he ended up having.
I know, what a clown eh? Still, at least his successor was clever enough to mug Southampton for a mind boggling £2m.
Crouch was poor for us. Not as bad as the likes of UDLC, Allback, Postma, Leonhardsen and Kinsella, but pretty awful nonetheless. I don't remember many dissenting voices when he was loaned out to Norwich then sold cheaply to Southampton.
Funny, I remember many people thinking both Crouch and Allback should have been given runs in the team. But given the career Crouch has had and the amount of money he later moved for, you have to except that your claim that "players he brought in were all atrocious" is incorrect.
Very selective memory there. Most people at the time were unhappy that Crouch was being played ahead of Angel. And I couldn't care less what a player has gone on to do, in the context of Aston Villa, Crouch was poor. I similarly don't care that Heskey once scored 20 goals for Liverpool in a season. And if you don't think that UDLC was "that bad" then there really is no hope for you. He could trap a ball further than a lot of players could pass it. Lovely bloke, shit footballer.
And this would be the JPA who scored 1 league goal in 02/03? As I said, many people I know and spoke to at the time (rather than try and claim to know what 30,000 i've never met were thinking *winky*) wanted to see both Crouch and Allback have a 6-10 game run in the team to see what they could do.
And you may well choose to ignore what he did afterwards as it suits your argument, but the fact he had the ability to do it shows that SGT saw that in him and as such, wasn't an atrocious signing.
As for UDLC, he cost £1M, what were you expecting for that, Roberto Carlos? UDLC was an average player who cost peanuts.
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I admire the above but wouldn't Sir Graham be a bit of a PR stunt as a Director, I couldn't see him having much sway with the American and YTS Mafia.
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Crouch would have come good if Sir Graham had stayed on. He turned Ormondroyd into an effective player for us.
Maybe in hindsight he should'nt have come back second time round but he deserves respect for doing so.
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I remember when he came back for his 2nd stint as manager when we played chelsea, the love and respect for him that day was fantastic.Compare that to our manager now. As things were not working out in his 2nd spell he (for me) acted with diginity and honour and stepped aside, something DOL did not do, and i could not imagine him dropping the club in it like MON did.
He would be a fantastic chairman for Aston Villa.
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UDLC (about £1m) was nowhere near as bad as the people who made him their scapegoat made out. Postma cost about £1m so was worth it as a backup keeper. Leonhardsen (free) and Kinsella (another one who was about £1m) were about all we could afford at the time.
He bought in cheap experience which we needed and was all we could afford. And tried cheap overseas players like Postma and Gudjonsson, the very thing we slated MON for not doing.
I thought De La Cruz, Postma and Kinsella were all well below a million each (I'm thinking £250 - 500k each) but my mind might be playing tricks. That aside I agree with this quote.
As for people being unhappy about not playing Angel, that would always be the case from the blinkered ones given that it was perceived that it was the fans poundsign protests that made the deal happen.
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UDLC (about £1m) was nowhere near as bad as the people who made him their scapegoat made out. Postma cost about £1m so was worth it as a backup keeper. Leonhardsen (free) and Kinsella (another one who was about £1m) were about all we could afford at the time.
He bought in cheap experience which we needed and was all we could afford. And tried cheap overseas players like Postma and Gudjonsson, the very thing we slated MON for not doing.
I thought De La Cruz, Postma and Kinsella were all well below a million each (I'm thinking £250 - 500k each) but my mind might be playing tricks. That aside I agree with this quote.
As for people being unhappy about not playing Angel, that would always be the case from the blinkered ones given that it was perceived that it was the fans poundsign protests that made the deal happen.
I think Postma was the most expensive of the cheap buys, but can't swear exactly how much any of them cost as my memory for fees that far back is a tad ropey. So I used £1M as a guide price as that was probably the max we paid for any of them.
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You're more or less right there mate, Kinsella cost £750k, I think Postma £1.5, UDLC £1m and Leonhardsen was a freebie.
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I remember being at Blackburn when UDLC, Solano and JPA all played; and played well! At the time, there was a sense that this south american trio would be the start of something really good ...
... now, Citeh can boast £n millions of Argentinian 'intagnible assets' and it ain't really that big a deal.
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I have nothing but respect for GT, GTII doesn't taint that whatsoever.
I finally got to see the "Do I Not Like That" documentary this week (I was off work with a bad back and was very bored).
Phil Neale looked the numptie in the documentary not GT.
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I remember when he came back for his 2nd stint as manager when we played chelsea, the love and respect for him that day was fantastic.Compare that to our manager now. As things were not working out in his 2nd spell he (for me) acted with diginity and honour and stepped aside, something DOL did not do, and i could not imagine him dropping the club in it like MON did.
He would be a fantastic chairman for Aston Villa.
The way I heard it (not that I'm disputing his dignity or decency) is that he asked Herbert for some pretty substantial funds to rebuild a side that had narrowly avoided relegation- starting with David Dunn.
Herbert refused- GT walked.
GT also said later in the following season that if he had remained having not been given the tools to give the side the overhaul it needed, he feared his reputation would have taken a hammering. In short, he didn't want to risk it. At least he was honest.
Despite the later shortcomings that became all to apparent, it illustrates the good job DOL did to get virtually that same side to 6th.
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I remember when he came back for his 2nd stint as manager when we played chelsea, the love and respect for him that day was fantastic.Compare that to our manager now. As things were not working out in his 2nd spell he (for me) acted with diginity and honour and stepped aside, something DOL did not do, and i could not imagine him dropping the club in it like MON did.
He would be a fantastic chairman for Aston Villa.
The way I heard it (not that I'm disputing his dignity or decency) is that he asked Herbert for some pretty substantial funds to rebuild a side that had narrowly avoided relegation- starting with David Dunn.
Herbert refused- GT walked.
GT also said later in the following season that if he had remained having not been given the tools to give the side the overhaul it needed, he feared his reputation would have taken a hammering. In short, he didn't want to risk it. At least he was honest.
Despite the later shortcomings that became all to apparent, it illustrates the good job DOL did to get virtually that same side to 6th.
There's part of me that thinks DOL is actually a good manager, who undermines this by being a wanker.
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I remember when he came back for his 2nd stint as manager when we played chelsea, the love and respect for him that day was fantastic.Compare that to our manager now. As things were not working out in his 2nd spell he (for me) acted with diginity and honour and stepped aside, something DOL did not do, and i could not imagine him dropping the club in it like MON did.
He would be a fantastic chairman for Aston Villa.
The way I heard it (not that I'm disputing his dignity or decency) is that he asked Herbert for some pretty substantial funds to rebuild a side that had narrowly avoided relegation- starting with David Dunn.
Herbert refused- GT walked.
GT also said later in the following season that if he had remained having not been given the tools to give the side the overhaul it needed, he feared his reputation would have taken a hammering. In short, he didn't want to risk it. At least he was honest.
Despite the later shortcomings that became all to apparent, it illustrates the good job DOL did to get virtually that same side to 6th.
There's part of me that thinks DOL is actually a good manager, who undermines this by being a wanker.
O'Leary's biggest problem was that we were a rebound - he never got over Leeds and he never got over not being asked to go back there.
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There's definitely a good coach/ foootballing brain in there somewhere. And if nothing else, he did introduce the likes of Laursen, Bouma and Milner to the club. But he's probably the first manager I can recall who always gave off a vibe that he was doing us a favour just by being at the Villa, and that we were a stepping stone.
You can't always expect professionals who have had long associations with other clubs to fall in love with the Villa - but some of his comments in that last season were disgraceful. I got the bigging up of rival clubs-even clubs on smaller budgets and with inferior players to us. That was just his piss poor attempt at reverse psychology.
But his dismissive nature about our history -and I'm not talking about the ancient stuff either- was breathtaking. I think it was mentioned on here -or elsewhere- that someone was talking to Roy Aitkin pre player statement, asking if DOL was sticking around. Aitkin's response was that Ellis wouldn't pay him off. Not that he wanted to stay and turn it around, that he knew the problem areas to address and was keen to get motoring et.c. Just that Ellis wouldn't pay him off. So effectively he was happy to remain and go through the motions. Wouldn't surprise me at all TBH.
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SGT.....anytime he wants to be involved with the Villa....I'd welcome him here
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There's definitely a good coach/ foootballing brain in there somewhere. And if nothing else, he did introduce the likes of Laursen, Bouma and Milner to the club. But he's probably the first manager I can recall who always gave off a vibe that he was doing us a favour just by being at the Villa, and that we were a stepping stone.
You can't always expect professionals who have had long associations with other clubs to fall in love with the Villa - but some of his comments in that last season were disgraceful. I got the bigging up of rival clubs-even clubs on smaller budgets and with inferior players to us. That was just his piss poor attempt at reverse psychology.
But his dismissive nature about our history -and I'm not talking about the ancient stuff either- was breathtaking. I think it was mentioned on here -or elsewhere- that someone was talking to Roy Aitkin pre player statement, asking if DOL was sticking around. Aitkin's response was that Ellis wouldn't pay him off. Not that he wanted to stay and turn it around, that he knew the problem areas to address and was keen to get motoring et.c. Just that Ellis wouldn't pay him off. So effectively he was happy to remain and go through the motions. Wouldn't surprise me at all TBH.
The thing I could never understand is that given the situation of the time all he had to do was keep his gob shut, say a few platitudes about wonderful fans and big club, and he would have had us firmly behind him and blaming Doug. Instead he went out of his way to alienate press, supporters, board and players.
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I think he just had a really inflated sense of worth, combined with a bad case of Foot in Mouth.
There are reports that he was unpopular in the game long before he game to Villa, telling Irish players on international duty that the only reason George Graham wasn't picking him at Arsenal was because he had a bigger house than Gorgeous George. And not meaning it as banter either.
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Sir Graham would be a superb appointment to our board, he knows a million times more about football than anyone else on the board and has a real love for the club.
I've had the pleasure of meeting him away from football and he oozes class, his feelings for Aston Villa are unquestionable. If he wanted to work at Villa in any board type position Randy Lerner would be stupid to not take Graham up on that opportunity.
I'd seriously consider Brian Little also.
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Well he's just appeared on the start of Strictly Come Dancing.
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From the original WSC article: "His outburst sparked a boardroom crisis at Watford, with Taylor now unlikely to continue as chair."
Does anyone know if he has actually stepped down?
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Well he's just appeared on the start of Strictly Come Dancing.
Not his first appearance either I might add
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Would love him as part of the club and to me he could do no wrong. His win percentage compared to the others in the England job wasn't bad either.
Met him at a Watford Dinner once(was working the bar) and he told me the attection he had for Villa and the fans.
When Watford came up the first time he kept the players on Championship wages with a bonus if they stayed up that way if they went down again(which they did) they wouldn't be left with a wage bill that was too high.
All round a good guy and a real football man
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What a contrast to that great day at Goodison Park in 1990. I'll never forget that and I doubt Sir Graham will either.
21 years on and still one of by favourite ever Villa supporting experiences.
And mine.
Amen to all of that. An unforgettable day.