Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: andyh on January 12, 2012, 10:53:35 AM
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Anyone else had their email from McCleish ? I think its directed to Season Ticket holders only.
Whilst not wanting to detract from the gesture, it does smack as a little desperate to me.
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Beat me to it. Just received mine.
I am writing firstly to thank you for your continuing, invaluable support of this great Football Club. I understand that investing in a season ticket is a big commitment, especially in these challenging financial times, and I wanted you to know that myself, the playing squad and all of the other staff at Aston Villa really do appreciate your contribution to working for success.
It is now just over six months since I received and was delighted to accept the offer from Randy Lerner to become manager of Villa. Of course I was well aware that my appointment would be controversial and I recognise that in many ways it was a courageous decision by the Chairman to give me this opportunity. Although I knew that some of the Villa fans would find it difficult to accept me given my previous managerial position, I did not have a moment's hesitation in accepting the chance to manage a club with such an illustrious history and with such tremendous potential as Aston Villa.
I can't pretend that the first half of the season has not been without its setbacks and disappointments, all of which have been felt as intensely by myself and the players as I know they have been by Villa’s fans. Having had a relatively short pre-season to get to know and work with the players, I was reasonably satisfied with the start we made. As you know, the team went unbeaten in the first seven games in the Barclays Premier League and I felt we were unfortunate not to secure more than two wins during that period. Since then our form has fluctuated frustratingly with some very good performances away at Bolton, Stoke and, of course, Chelsea but more disappointing displays at home to Manchester United, Liverpool and, in particular, Swansea.
So the mid-term report for myself and the team should perhaps read, “Satisfactory progress, can do better.” Certainly, I think that would be a fair and balanced assessment. For a Premier League club we have a relatively inexperienced first team squad overall but what we lack in experience, I believe, is at least partially compensated for by the quality of our senior players and the potential of the younger players. It is a tribute to Villa’s superb Academy and a source of pride within the club that we have produced such players as Ciaran, Chris, Marc and Barry and I believe there will be more to come.
Our aim is to create players in the mould of the top players we have seen and appreciated at this club over many years and we will also add more quality when the opportunities are there. I am convinced that we have every reason to be optimistic going into the second half of the season. We have a squad with a blend of very experienced international players combined with the exciting potential of the club’s home-grown youngsters. In this transfer window we have added to the squad young Enda Stevens, whom we signed from Shamrock Rovers, and Robbie Keane on a two-months loan from LA Galaxy. Enda is 21 years old, he has experience already of playing in the Europa League and he has potential. Robbie is at the peak of his football playing knowledge, he has leadership qualities which will make him valuable not only on the pitch but also in our dressing room and he has great movement which can hurt opposition defences and create opportunities for himself and others in our team. I am confident therefore that in the coming months my coaching staff and I can continue to work with these players to help them deliver performances and results that Villa fans will enjoy and feel proud of.
I know that some people have sought to perpetuate a myth that I am a naturally defensively-minded manager. However, this is a case of certain people not letting the facts get in the way of a good story. Having played in an Aberdeen team that got used to winning trophies regularly – including the European Cup Winners Cup - and having steered Glasgow Rangers to seven trophies in three seasons, I can assure you that my appetite for attacking, winning football is second to none. I am aware that the myth about me being defensively-minded has concerned some Villa fans who rightly relish seeing their team playing fluent, attacking football. However, please be assured that I share your desire to see Villa play dynamic, exciting football which entertains whilst, of course, securing the results we all want.
I make no apology for declaring that I am an ambitious person with an unquenchable desire for success. That ambition took me from Motherwell and Hibs to Glasgow Rangers followed by a successful period as Scotland boss. I came to the Premier League to compete in the best league in the world and the opportunity to become manager of one of the best clubs in the league in Aston Villa represents one of the greatest honours in my career so far.
We all know that football is an unpredictable business but I would like to think that my time here as manager will be a long and rewarding one. I can guarantee my total commitment to working tirelessly to bring as much success as possible to Aston Villa.
Finally, I thank you again for your dedication to this club and I wish you a very Happy New Year. Let’s work together to ensure that 2012 becomes a year full of wonderful memories for Aston Villa and for you, Villa fans.
Alex.
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I've not had one.
What does it say?
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See above,paulie.
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Fair play, they get stick for not communicating so I think it's only right to appreciate it when they do.
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Fair play, they get stick for not communicating so I think it's only right to appreciate it when they do.
Agreed.
But is doesn't hurt to question the content, context or reasoning though.
I hadn't heard too many clamouring for Alex to give us his innermost thoughts.
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Fair play, can't see much there that would 'upset' anyone. Seemed honest & open enough.
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See above,paulie.
Thanks, Pauline.
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He didn't have to do it so fair play to him. He's honest and frank.
I look forward to this attacking football he refers to.
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Seems reasonable and I think both manager and club should be applauded for being open, honest and addressing the supporters fears and concerns.
I don't doubt that the manager has been anything other than honest in his desire to succeed but I do doubt that he has the ability to achieve both his, and our goals.
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I like the idea of this sort of thing - as said above you cannot say they dont communicate then knock it when they do. I know from a Watford season ticket holding mate that Adie Boothroyd used to sent them an email every week !.
In terms of the email itself I do not think it sounds desperate - actually it sounds more like we may have an actual plan than anything. But I realise everybody will have their own opinions - I hope so otherwise no point us all logging on here to discuss things !!
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Very nice email. I see no issue with anything he says.
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Bloody hell that headline had me choking on my tea.
I thought I was gonna read that he was suggesting a merger with you know who! Well what with the financial shananigins down the road and our parlous finances then that stupid thread about Birmingham in our name, the conspiracy theorist in me wokr up big time.
What a relief.
Anyway, nice to hear from the chap but sounds a bit defensive don't he?
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He didn't have to do it so fair play to him. He's honest and frank.
I look forward to this attacking football he refers to.
Now that we've got the man from North East Cork on board perhaps we'll see it. *wink*
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Fair play on the communication and I can't argue with its content.
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I think a forum with the manager would be a good idea. When you can look them in the eye it makes a big difference. O'Neill tried it but it soon petered out. Maybe, if we can string a few results together, we could do this. I will be booking him for our Lions Club if possible.
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Comes over well. I like how he mentions every job he's had in management apart from Blues.
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Doesn't seen desperate to me. I think it's a nice bit of PR, and also shows he understands specific criticisms: being too defensive, for example.
I don't think a forum with the manager would achieve anything, though!
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I think that's pretty good really, seems honest and genuine enough. You go on other Villa-related websites who've printed this email as well and the comments are just a list of people telling him to fuck off, so you can't please everyone.
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Anyone tried to reply? has he got his out of office message on?
Nice to see the wee man embracing modern technology. He'll be texting us next
"C U on Saturday M8"
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Load of old tosh
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A good read. The man's got balls and is brave enough to face up to both the facts and fiction.
I saw last month an interview with Gordon Strachan talking about McLeish and how mentally strong he is. As Strachan rightly said, after managing the pressures at Ibrox, Villa Park with a few moaners is nothing. He also went on to say how determined and ambitious McLeish is, this coming from somebody that's known him well since their Aberdeen days.
I think it's pretty difficult to argue with what he has to say in the email and it will be interesting to see how the second half of the season pans out.
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Fair play, can't see much there that would 'upset' anyone.
Give it time - I'm sure there are some members of this forum going through it with a magnifying glass right now to find something to have a pop at!
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I've not had one.
What does it say?
My guess is McLeish has been reading this site and hasn't bothered to email you as you're such a drama queen. *winky*
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I think he's a likeable bloke.
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I think he's a likeable bloke.
So do I.
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No mention of Heskey in there?
Sorry, I mean Emile as he is on first name terms!
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Just come out the gym and seen mine. Fair play. They didn't have to do this, it makes a good read. He's saying all the right things. Hopefully this second part of the season we can see what he's been implementing. Attacking fluent football.
The comment about made progress but could do better as the mid season report make me smile. You think someone in the marketing department read the thread on here saying the same thing?
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It really is an excellent piece of communication. No bullshit, honest appraisal, recognises our concerns and doubts and tries to dispel them. Maybe that's why I first found it a bit defensive on his part but I guess he had no choice but to spell it out and defend/promote himself. Impressive.
We will never know how much was written or contrived by the PR team but it doesn't matter. His name is on it.
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Email from Houllier:
You are lucky to have me.
Liverpool are an amazing club.
You'll Never Walk Alone
Ged
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Well I've not received it.
I assume he thinks it was me giving him the bird and chanting "We've got the ginger one" solo at the Swansea game.
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I like him as a bloke too, just the football he is in charge of leaves a lot to be desired.
The club clearly realise there is a problem with the support and image of the manager, this is a step to address this.
I wonder how much input he had in to it or was it all written by that Dougan chap and the PR department?
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Fair play, can't see much there that would 'upset' anyone.
Give it time - I'm sure there are some members of this forum going through it with a magnifying glass right now to find something to have a pop at!
Has BE checked the grammar yet ?
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We will never know how much was written or contrived by the PR team but it doesn't matter. His name is on it.
Judging by some of the crap that comes out from our PR team, I'd say they contributed nothing towards the email.
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It's good to know that he's at least aware of our conerns about his perceived defensive minded approach, and even better to know that he disclaims it and wants to play good football. Hopefully he can come up with the actions to match the words.
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I've got mine nice of him to do that.
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We will never know how much was written or contrived by the PR team but it doesn't matter. His name is on it.
Judging by some of the crap that comes out from our PR team, I'd say they contributed nothing towards the email.
I've long wondered if half the problem with our PR is MON's mate.
Like with others, I think AM is a decent guy, and likable. I'm not convinced on his abilities as a manager just yet, but at the same time I don't believe he's done anything to warrant the sack as of yet. If he gets us playing as we did against Bolton, Arsenal and Chelsea on a consistent basis, then we will be ok.
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At least he's communicating which is more than RL is doing. Be interesting to know if he's done this on his own initiative or if he was 'pushed'.
Can't help but think this might be the prelude to something - good or bad, I'm not sure.
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Tell you what though - he better start putting some attacking football on that pitch because he really has attempted to dispel his negative reputation. We can only wait and see if the footy and the results improve.
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Before Swansea, they had played good attacking football. And I'd class the swansea game as one that was seen on more than one occasion during MON's reign.
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Funny there was no mention of the imminence of the worst run of home results for many a decade. AM stands on the threshold of notoriety. I think we may lose to Everton on Saturday (lets face it they are a better team than Swansea) and that will be 5 losses on the trot and 6/7 home defeats. I can't recall anything that bad in all my years and my first match was 1963.
Maybe he's giving us 'reasons to be cheerful pt 3'.
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What did BFR used to say.......................
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He didn't have to do it so fair play to him. He's honest and frank.
I look forward to this attacking football he refers to.
Is it really written by him or someone in marketing who wants to make fans hear what they need to?
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Funny there was no mention of the imminence of the worst run of home results for many a decade.
There was no need to, really, surely? Isn't that why he's writing the email in the first place?
I think we may lose to Everton on Saturday (lets face it they are a better team than Swansea) and that will be 5 losses on the trot and 6/7 home defeats.
While you're right, we might lose, Everton have been pretty crap this season, and haven't managed to play much football (compared to Swansea), so I think we've got a reasonable chance of getting something from this.
Also, have to say, that we seem to have a track record of getting more from matches against Everton than we deserve.
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More of this sort of thing. Commendable.
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Print off the letter and show it to him as he is walking down the touchline before the game and remind him what he said!!!
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I hope you are right Paulie but I've gone beyond cautious when going into games where we should get something - I think Swansea was the final straw.
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What did BFR used to say.......................
He dribbles a lot and the opposition don't like it - you can see it all over their faces
I never comment on referees and I'm not going to break the habit of a lifetime for that prat.
'Liverpool will think ‘we could have won this 2-2.’'
'Lee Dixon will be up against two South American left-handers tonight.'
'Think of a number between 10 and 11'
'You don't want to be giving away free kicks in the penalty area'
'How are they defensively, attacking-wise?'
'The ball goes down the keeper's throat where it hits him on the knees to say the least'
'He had acres of time there'
'That’s not the type of header you want to see your defender make, with his hand'
'We haven't had a strategic free kick all night. No one's knocked over attackers ad lib'
'He could have done a lot better there, but full marks to the lad.'
"That boy throws a ball further than I go on holiday"
-On Dave Challinor of Tranmere.
'[Phil Neville] was treading on dangerous water there...'
"The keeper should have saved that one but he did"
"The Spaniards have been reduced to aiming aimless balls into the box"
'Jari Litmanen should be made compulsory'
'Scholes is very influential for England at international level.'
'At international level, giving the ball away doesn’t work too often.'
'They've certainly grown, the Japanese. I mean grown in stature, playing-wise.'
'He sliced the ball when he had it on a plate.'
'You half fancied that to go in as it was rising and dipping at the same time.'
'They must go for it now as they have nothing to lose but the match.'
'Woodcock would have scored, but his shot was too perfect.'
"If Glenn Hoddle said one word to his team at half time, it was concentration and focus"
'They've picked their heads up off the ground, and they now have a lot to carry on their shoulders.'
"Carlton Palmer can trap the ball further than I can kick it"
"Ryan Giggs is running long up the backside"
"I would not say David Ginola is the best left winger in the Premiership, but there are none better"
"The Bulgarian players are tried and trusted. Well, I'm not sure they can be trusted"
"I tell you what, if the Cameroons get a goal back here they're literally gonna catch on fire"
"Well, Clive, it's all about the two M's. Movement and positioning"
Suker - first touch like a camel"
"Chelsea look like they've got a couple more gears left in the locker"
"Now Manchester United are 2-1 down on aggregate, they are in a better position than when they started the game at 1-1"
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Dam, I though for a second that was a letter of resignation, I'd already got the acceptance with a note of overwhelming sense of joy on its way, then I read the rest of the stuff.
Oh well, there is always the protest at the Everton game, looks to me like he has wind of it, clever move really.
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What did BFR used to say.......................
Chico beat me to it but I'll raise you..Dean Sarnders, Bang at it, Wide awake club.
Fair play to Alex he's winning me over just stick with Ciaran Clark and Albrighton and we'll start climbing the table in no time.
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Fair play to him.
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Personally I think its rubbish. I dont give a stuff what he did in Scotland or with Scotland. What i care about is Villa and is he good enough for us in the EPL. For me he is a piss poor manager in this league. That letter is all just a bit desperate for my liking. I'm not obsessed that he's come from SHA either. Did his managerial record in the Prem warrant him being offered the Villa job? Lose on Saturday and that's 5 home losses on the bounce. Disregard Saturdays match and weve still lost 4 on the trot at home. That's simply not good enough. I'll accept he's a decent fella but I won't ever accept he is the man for Villa
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We will never know how much was written or contrived by the PR team but it doesn't matter. His name is on it.
Judging by some of the crap that comes out from our PR team, I'd say they contributed nothing towards the email.
Totally agree with Villadelphia. Did you see the shite the PR dept sent to us last summer?
Very good letter and like others I look forward to the actions matching the words. There have been some promising signs lately (excluding the Swansea match) so let's see what happens against Everton.
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Before Swansea, they had played good attacking football. And I'd class the swansea game as one that was seen on more than one occasion during MON's reign.
Yes. Especially some of the home performances against Wigan.
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I hope you are right Paulie but I've gone beyond cautious when going into games where we should get something - I think Swansea was the final straw.
I think you're doing Swansea a diservice. They were bloody good that day, sometimes you get a game where everything just comes together and to their credit, they've been working on their style of football for 5 years. If you're looking for pathetic, non-excusable performances, look no further than the Spurs, Man Utd and Liverpool games.
One thing is being outpassed by a organised Swansea side, it's quite another to drop your trousers and surrender to any club in the top 6.
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It's a very well thought out letter from McLeish. He says a lot of what needed to be said. I want to see some of that desire though from him in press conferences also so that we all get a bit fired up going into a game. But that very minor point aside, I want even more for him to be a success. Let's hope this nonsense being planned for the weekend is nothing to concern ourselves with and that fans really get behind the boys and the manager.
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It's a good letter and welcome as well, I'm pleased about the attacking football bit.
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The manager recognises poor performances and does not call them 'terrific' or 'tremendous'.
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Maybe I'm easily pleased but I think that's a very good read. The one thing that I've admired about McLeish in all of this is that he has handled himself with grace and a good nature despite the negativity of the support. In that respect he is very different to Martin O'Neill, whose reaction to booing and chants of "You don't know what you're doing" would, I'm sure, have been prickly to put it mildly.
Reading this there does seem to be some reference to a plan and philosophy going on behind the scenes, too. I'm delighted to hear he will be showing faith in the Academy - if he supplements this growing young squad with quality additions then I think we will have a lot to look forward to. It's frustrating being a Villa fan at the moment and this is the kind of communication I feel we need in such times - we need to know where we are going and we need to know that club has not given up on competing for and winning top prizes. Let's not forget McLeish took Birmingham to their first major Wembley final and won them a trophy to boot. He must have something about him.
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My only other comment that as much as it is good as a letter to the ST holders, it really should be posted on the OS as an open letter to the fans. Off course the risk with that is that is grabbed and made public by the media, but I suppose that could happen from this site too. It is a good read, and hopefully we will see his plan come to fruition with his own signings and out brilliant kids coming through in the next 12-18 months.
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I hope you are right Paulie but I've gone beyond cautious when going into games where we should get something - I think Swansea was the final straw.
I think you're doing Swansea a diservice. They were bloody good that day, sometimes you get a game where everything just comes together and to their credit, they've been working on their style of football for 5 years. If you're looking for pathetic, non-excusable performances, look no further than the Spurs, Man Utd and Liverpool games.
One thing is being outpassed by a organised Swansea side, it's quite another to drop your trousers and surrender to any club in the top 6.
We bemoaned the media reaction to our win at Chelsea, where all they could talk about was their problems and ignored how good we were on the day. And then did the exact same thing when Swansea beat us.
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I hope you are right Paulie but I've gone beyond cautious when going into games where we should get something - I think Swansea was the final straw.
I think you're doing Swansea a diservice. They were bloody good that day, sometimes you get a game where everything just comes together and to their credit, they've been working on their style of football for 5 years. If you're looking for pathetic, non-excusable performances, look no further than the Spurs, Man Utd and Liverpool games.
One thing is being outpassed by a organised Swansea side, it's quite another to drop your trousers and surrender to any club in the top 6.
We bemoaned the media reaction to our win at Chelsea, where all they could talk about was their problems and ignored how good we were on the day. And then did the exact same thing when Swansea beat us.
Although the media are supposed to be relatively unbiased. We're all extremely biased, so it's natural.
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I got an e-mail as well. Fair paly to Eck and the Club for providing some communcation at long last.
Lets hope he does play this attacking football he has been referring to in the letter
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Great to hear from the club and Alex, but I am a little surprised he knew my name.
UTV
The Doc
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Not got one.
Gutted.
Signed
Disgruntled season ticket holder.
McLeish out ! ;)
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My only email today was from a Nigerian prince who wanted me to send him my bank account details so as he could transfer £200,000,000. Fantastic, as soon as it's cleared i'm buying the club!
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My only email today was from a Nigerian prince who wanted me to send him my bank account details so as he could transfer £200,000,000. Fantastic, as soon as it's cleared i'm buying the club!
Drinks are on you
;D
Western union transfer, was it?
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I didn't get an e-mail, however, I am very impressed with this. I just hope he can deliver what he says....
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To be a bit cynical...
Demonstration planned for Saturday
Club signs a player on Thursday
Manager sends out letter on Same day as signing
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To be a bit cynical...
Demonstration planned for Saturday
Club signs a player on Thursday
Manager sends out letter on Same day as signing
The Keane signing has been rumoured long before the demonstration was known of. And if I'm honest I hardly think they'd be concerned enough about it to release this - I know I'm not, anyway!
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To be a bit cynical...
Demonstration planned for Saturday
Club signs a player on Thursday
Manager sends out letter on Same day as signing
To be equally cynical, club doesn't sign a player on Thursday certain supporters criticise, manager doesn't communicate with fans same have an issue for him keeping quiet.
In short; damned if you do, damned if you don't.
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To be a bit cynical...
Demonstration planned for Saturday
Club signs a player on Thursday
Manager sends out letter on Same day as signing
You're not suggesting the Bedsheet Four have... no of course you're not. That would be almost as silly as their protest.
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To be a bit cynical...
Demonstration planned for Saturday
Club signs a player on Thursday
Manager sends out letter on Same day as signing
It's hardly the most high profile demo, is it, though?
I had no idea it was going to happen until someone mentioned it in passing on here, and i think the vast majority of season ticket holders will also have had no idea it was going to happen.
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I am writing firstly to thank you for your continuing, invaluable support of this great Football Club. I understand that investing in a season ticket is a big commitment.......
I got the e-mail and at this point went into panic mode thinking the club was starting early for next seasons wedge of my cash.
Anyway, good for him. Tell me how many e-mails you ever got from Saunders in the whole time he was in charge ?
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More proof he's a thoroughly decent man. I really want him to succeed here. We're so inconsistent at home at the moment though it's hard to see where it will end. He has my backing purely for getting the Arsenal and Chelsea performances out of the team - it shows he (and the team) is capable. Those saying it's a PR bluff - no chance, they'd have spoken about how we were doing financially or something. That is all McLeish.
Thanks for posting it on here too by the way.
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Yes, thanks for posting it. I'm still waiting for my copy. Hey-ho.
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Thanks for that Alex.
At least he bothers to e-mail me. I'm still waiting for a response to the 37,000 e-mails I've sent to a certain female Midlands Today presenter. Other than "stop trying to contact me or I'll call the police" but I assumed that was just a little joke.
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Me too, which considering I've only missed one match of his rein is really not good enough!
Other than that, looks to be a good, honest and open communication.
(Refers to Legion's post).
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Thanks for that Alex.
At least he bothers to e-mail me. I'm still waiting for a response to the 37,000 e-mails I've sent to a certain female Midlands Today presenter. Other than "stop trying to contact me or I'll call the police" but I assumed that was just a little joke.
Hahaha. Made me laugh.
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Nice gesture, and yes he probably is a nice bloke.
Still think he's hugely out of his depth though. It means absolutely nothing if we lose at home yet again on Saturday. If the second half of the season is as bad as the first and he stays there is no way I am renewing no matter how many emails I get from him, Randy or anyone else at the club.
On a plus note it is better written than the other recent communications from the club like the one that pre-empted his appointment or the Fergie loving nonsense from Randy Lerner.
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I havent got one .
Yes Im not a season ticket holder anymore , but If he wants me down VP more often , then I expect an Email NOW!!!!
Good stuff , fair play to him . He doesn't mention why Heskey keeps getting games which I would like to know but we need more of this .
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It reads like an answer to an assignment given to an 'A' level student. "Imagine you are Alex McCleish and you need to write a letter to..."
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It's nice to see but as much as he wants to say things like this it's hard to take a lot of it seriously. He commends the academy after a season of only giving most of them game time when there were injuries.
He comments on attacking football after we've all seen a large number of games with 0,1 or 2 shots at goal all game.
It's a nice gesture, and yet another sign that he is a nice guy, but we don't want a nice guy, we want a good manager, this does nothing to address the concerns that he isn't the latter.
I want him to be a success because if he is then so are the club but until he starts translating these thoughts and ideas into something measurable on the pitch it's all a bit pointless.
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What we have discovered about him is that language and communication is his strong suit. He is as surefooted as Houllier was gaffe prone and O'Neill was linguistically vain.
However, it makes all the more puzzling why we have had reports that players have not acted on his instructions. If he can communicate with us clearly, why not with the players?
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What we have discovered about him is that language and communication is his strong suit. He is as surefooted as Houllier was gaffe prone and O'Neill was linguistically vain.
However, it makes all the more puzzling why we have had reports that players have not acted on his instructions. If he can communicate with us clearly, why not with the players?
Seriously would you be inspired by AM standing in front of you asking for your all in the heat of battle?
Not me, be a bit like like being growled at by a bear in season.
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His surname is McLeish, by the way.
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What we have discovered about him is that language and communication is his strong suit. He is as surefooted as Houllier was gaffe prone and O'Neill was linguistically vain.
However, it makes all the more puzzling why we have had reports that players have not acted on his instructions. If he can communicate with us clearly, why not with the players?
because he had a lot of convincing to do and even the best communicators can come unstuck against stubborn players. I'm sure Ferguson gave his lot the hairdryer treatment after they lost on his birthday to Blackburn. They went out and promptly got battered at Newcastle.
McLeish has had to deal with the controversy of his appointment and take on a set of players that with his signings aside, now have their 4th manager since last summer. Most of the players are from MON's era and a number will still be loyal to him. Only Bent and Makoun would have any kind of loyalty to Houllier, and Makoun's not here. So he's trying to convince them to do things they may not be able to do, or in some cases may not want to do. But as time goes by, they either buy into it, and we have seen some evidence of that, or they will be replaced.
I just don't think 6 months is enough time to make that judgement.
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His surname is McLeish, by the way.
And there was me thinking it was something entirely different....hey ho!!!!
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Excellent letter. A thorough, honest and fair assessment of the season so far, I'd say. The club didn't have to send it out, and it's certainly a far better read than the usual whitewashed PR guff on the OS. Sounds like AM had a big say in the wording - another argument in favour of the "Alex McLeish - very decent bloke" thesis.
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Nice sentiments certainly, but ultimately a load of old bollocks. He IS a defensive manager, and being manager of Rangers and only having to beat Celtic more times than they beat you isn't any kind of recommendation. He played awful, sterile football at Blues and he's doing the same here.
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Exactly and elegantly put toronto.
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Received this from the club:
I have noticed a couple of comments on the threads from supporters who have not received today's email from Alex McLeish. Just to clarify the email was only sent to season ticket holders. If any of your members are current season ticket holders and did not receive the email, then we either don't have an email address registered for them or have they have previously unsubscribed from emails from the club. If this is the case, and any season ticket holder wants to register their email address with the club then they can simply call Consumer Sales on 0800 612 0970 and we will update their contact details.
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Thanks for that Dave, but:
1. I am a ST holder
2. I have not received the E-Mail
3. I have a registered E-Mail address with them that I get plenty of communications sent to
4. I have never unsubscribed
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Thanks for that Dave, but:
1. I am a ST holder
2. I have not received the E-Mail
3. I have a registered E-Mail address with them that I get plenty of communications sent to
4. I have never unsubscribed
5: You are Legion, are you really surprised something went wrong? Mr £2 booking fee!
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I don't doubt he's a decent bloke, and it is good of him to write. I also think it is right season ticket holders got this before the arm chair/pub watchers like me.
However, talk is cheap. Our home record over the past four season has been dreadful and as a new manager coming into the club the first thing he should have done was put this right to get the fans on his side knowing his recent managerial history. (Not that it bothers me where he came from by the way)
He hasn't, the football we've played and the way we have given up before a ball is kicked in some games was no different to what Houllier did at Man City.
Good to communicate - yes, but as his boss Randy Lerner said when he came in, "Show me, not tell me"
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Fair play to him i think. At least he confronted some of our complaints about his style head on. Not sure what "Robbie is at the peak of his football playing knowledge" means though.
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Not sure what "Robbie is at the peak of his football playing knowledge" means though.
It does read as a somewhat half-hearted attempt at justifying signing a player who is obviously past his best.
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Not sure what "Robbie is at the peak of his football playing knowledge" means though.
"Old".
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He's 31. Younger than the tumbling bear.
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Experienced?
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He's 31. Younger than the tumbling bear.
Ah yes, Mr Heskey. Not to let the facts get in the way of a good story or anything, but playing him in midfield doesn't really add much to his claims of being all for attractive football.
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Not in the slightest.
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The first few paragraphs resemble the kind of email a CEO would send a week before announcing half the workforce is being made redundant.
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Thanks for that Dave, but:
1. I am a ST holder
2. I have not received the E-Mail
3. I have a registered E-Mail address with them that I get plenty of communications sent to
4. I have never unsubscribed
Exactly the same for me, too!
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Experienced?
I like the fact he's basically said he's a mouthy git who'll say what he thinks.
We're such a nice bunch of wetters. We never seem to have ever had a nasty streak.
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If McLeish has composed this email - a similar amount of time spent at Bodymoor Heath
sorting out our defence & offense at set plays might see an improvement -
As others have commented - correspondence from Randy Lerner wouldn't go amiss either -
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If McLeish has composed this email - a similar amount of time spent at Bodymoor Heath
sorting out our defence & offense at set plays might see an improvement -
As others have commented - correspondence from Randy Lerner wouldn't go amiss either -
There’s only so much a manager can do. Some of the rrors are so fundamental, you cannot blame the manager. Take the last three we’ve conceded.
Warnock, Carlos and Dunne all want shooting.
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Received this from the club:
I have noticed a couple of comments on the threads from supporters who have not received today's email from Alex McLeish. Just to clarify the email was only sent to season ticket holders. If any of your members are current season ticket holders and did not receive the email, then we either don't have an email address registered for them or have they have previously unsubscribed from emails from the club. If this is the case, and any season ticket holder wants to register their email address with the club then they can simply call Consumer Sales on 0800 612 0970 and we will update their contact details.
Not being cynical but AM sends out an email that answers just about all of the points raised on here over the past few months in great detail and then you receive a communication from the club noting that some ST have not received the email. Clearly the club have been monitoring this website to gauge reaction. It looks to me as though it is a club PR job.
Sentiment of the content is good and it says all the right things but as a few others have said, the words need to be put into action. It is easy to talk a good game, even I can do that (well I think so anyway!) but putting those words into action and getting the players to believe them and react to them is a different matter.
The jury is still out for me and I do not believe in kangaroo courts (unlike the participants in any marches/demonstrations) so will revisit my views at the end of the season.
I was interested in the comment about having a short pre-season. He had 2 months almost to the day. We must be the only club not to get a positive reaction (in results) after appointing a new manager.
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Experienced?
I like the fact he's basically said he's a mouthy git who'll say what he thinks.
We're such a nice bunch of wetters. We never seem to have ever had a nasty streak.
For me the very worst kind of boss (in any walk of life) are the sort who are mouthy and vociferous, but are crap at what they do. Staff never respect them, and they get crap results. That's basically how I see McLeish.
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Not being cynical but AM sends out an email that answers just about all of the points raised on here over the past few months in great detail and then you receive a communication from the club noting that some ST have not received the email. Clearly the club have been monitoring this website to gauge reaction. It looks to me as though it is a club PR job.
Of course it's a PR job, and as that's what a lot of complaints have been about, then good for them for addressing one issue at least. And if they want to gauge opinions on one site, this is the one to look at.
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Not being cynical but AM sends out an email that answers just about all of the points raised on here over the past few months in great detail and then you receive a communication from the club noting that some ST have not received the email. Clearly the club have been monitoring this website to gauge reaction. It looks to me as though it is a club PR job.
Of course it's a PR job, and as that's what a lot of complaints have been about, then good for them for addressing one issue at least. And if they want to gauge opinions on one site, this is the one to look at.
Exactly.
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well it is a PR job but i don't think the club have been sneaky about it. All it says is AM basically acknowledges things have gone wrong in some areas and makes us aware that he's aware of our grumbles. Bottom line is if we have a crap 2nd half of the season no-one will take any notice of this E-mail, good PR or not.
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Have Villa got email addresses for all ST Holders? I doubt it.
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Not being cynical but AM sends out an email that answers just about all of the points raised on here over the past few months in great detail and then you receive a communication from the club noting that some ST have not received the email. Clearly the club have been monitoring this website to gauge reaction. It looks to me as though it is a club PR job.
Of course it's a PR job, and as that's what a lot of complaints have been about, then good for them for addressing one issue at least. And if they want to gauge opinions on one site, this is the one to look at.
You're right about this site, the most diverse in opinions but generally the most civilised in putting them over.
The problem for me with the PR stuff is that I want to hear about the future for the club which revolves around the finances and the club strategy, not the so called thoughts of the manager on the playing side when it only states the obvious that all can see for their own eyes. If he wants to communicate about playing matters, I want to hear why we cannot defend set-pieces, why he cannot get his points over to the team, why he keeps playing Heskey etc.
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Experienced?
I like the fact he's basically said he's a mouthy git who'll say what he thinks.
We're such a nice bunch of wetters. We never seem to have ever had a nasty streak.
For me the very worst kind of boss (in any walk of life) are the sort who are mouthy and vociferous, but are crap at what they do. Staff never respect them, and they get crap results. That's basically how I see McLeish.
Eh?
I was talking about Mcliesh’ description of Keane.
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Thanks for that Dave, but:
1. I am a ST holder
2. I have not received the E-Mail
3. I have a registered E-Mail address with them that I get plenty of communications sent to
4. I have never unsubscribed
Same as me.
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Not being cynical but AM sends out an email that answers just about all of the points raised on here over the past few months in great detail and then you receive a communication from the club noting that some ST have not received the email. Clearly the club have been monitoring this website to gauge reaction. It looks to me as though it is a club PR job.
Of course it's a PR job, and as that's what a lot of complaints have been about, then good for them for addressing one issue at least. And if they want to gauge opinions on one site, this is the one to look at.
You're right about this site, the most diverse in opinions but generally the most civilised in putting them over.
The problem for me with the PR stuff is that I want to hear about the future for the club which revolves around the finances and the club strategy, not the so called thoughts of the manager on the playing side when it only states the obvious that all can see for their own eyes. If he wants to communicate about playing matters, I want to hear why we cannot defend set-pieces, why he cannot get his points over to the team, why he keeps playing Heskey etc.
To be fair no manager is going to comment on the financial matters becuase its not his mandate unless he's being given the nod by the chairman. Likewise he can't say "we're crap at set-pieces because we've got crap defenders" because he has to work with them for the rest of the season. Could have answered the Heskey question though, just to rule out blackmail or insanity
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Thanks for that Dave, but:
1. I am a ST holder
2. I have not received the E-Mail
3. I have a registered E-Mail address with them that I get plenty of communications sent to
4. I have never unsubscribed
Same as me.
Might be doing a batch at a time. Lerner has probably scaled down the hardware on the mail relay server
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If big brother is watching the message boards,does that mean that they have been watching for
a while or just to gauge response to the e mail?
If so I wonder do they know about the "protest",and with the timing are they linked?
Not a season ticket holder though appreciated the sentiment and does seem genuine.
As others have said though the proof of the pudding is in the eating and we should be higher in
the table and playing better football with the players we have.As OMVF stated it is only fair to wait for the end of the season to judge.
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If big brother is watching the message boards,does that mean that they have been watching for
a while or just to gauge response to the e mail?
If so I wonder do they know about the "protest",and with the timing are they linked?
Not a season ticket holder though appreciated the sentiment and does seem genuine.
As others have said though the proof of the pudding is in the eating and we should be higher in
the table and playing better football with the players we have.As OMVF stated it is only fair to wait for the end of the season to judge.
to judge.
They've been watching the message boards since the day they arrived and if they're taking one iota of notice of that protest they're a lot dafter than I give them credit for.
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Not being cynical but AM sends out an email that answers just about all of the points raised on here over the past few months in great detail and then you receive a communication from the club noting that some ST have not received the email. Clearly the club have been monitoring this website to gauge reaction. It looks to me as though it is a club PR job.
Of course it's a PR job, and as that's what a lot of complaints have been about, then good for them for addressing one issue at least. And if they want to gauge opinions on one site, this is the one to look at.
You're right about this site, the most diverse in opinions but generally the most civilised in putting them over.
The problem for me with the PR stuff is that I want to hear about the future for the club which revolves around the finances and the club strategy, not the so called thoughts of the manager on the playing side when it only states the obvious that all can see for their own eyes. If he wants to communicate about playing matters, I want to hear why we cannot defend set-pieces, why he cannot get his points over to the team, why he keeps playing Heskey etc.
To be fair no manager is going to comment on the financial matters becuase its not his mandate unless he's being given the nod by the chairman. Likewise he can't say "we're crap at set-pieces because we've got crap defenders" because he has to work with them for the rest of the season. Could have answered the Heskey question though, just to rule out blackmail or insanity
I know it is not up to him to comment on the financial matters and obviously he cannot comment on the playing matters that I mentioned because, as you rightly say, it would be management suicide. So therefore I would rather he said nothing and just got on with managing the team and let results do the talking.
IMO there are too many hollow words spoken in football these days just to sell TV, radio, newspapers etc. Pehaps I am just 'old school' and want to form my own views on what I see on the pitch.
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Fair point and I also hope they realise that they are a small minority of idiots.
Though any PR dept would surely be concerned about a protest and how it could be perceived?
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Not being cynical but AM sends out an email that answers just about all of the points raised on here over the past few months in great detail and then you receive a communication from the club noting that some ST have not received the email. Clearly the club have been monitoring this website to gauge reaction. It looks to me as though it is a club PR job.
Of course it's a PR job, and as that's what a lot of complaints have been about, then good for them for addressing one issue at least. And if they want to gauge opinions on one site, this is the one to look at.
You're right about this site, the most diverse in opinions but generally the most civilised in putting them over.
The problem for me with the PR stuff is that I want to hear about the future for the club which revolves around the finances and the club strategy, not the so called thoughts of the manager on the playing side when it only states the obvious that all can see for their own eyes. If he wants to communicate about playing matters, I want to hear why we cannot defend set-pieces, why he cannot get his points over to the team, why he keeps playing Heskey etc.
To be fair no manager is going to comment on the financial matters becuase its not his mandate unless he's being given the nod by the chairman. Likewise he can't say "we're crap at set-pieces because we've got crap defenders" because he has to work with them for the rest of the season. Could have answered the Heskey question though, just to rule out blackmail or insanity
I know it is not up to him to comment on the financial matters and obviously he cannot comment on the playing matters that I mentioned because, as you rightly say, it would be management suicide. So therefore I would rather he said nothing and just got on with managing the team and let results do the talking.
IMO there are too many hollow words spoken in football these days just to sell TV, radio, newspapers etc. Pehaps I am just 'old school' and want to form my own views on what I see on the pitch.
I think the club just meant it as a half-season review. A queens speech as you were - "this is what happened, I realise your not happy with all of it etc., this is what i hope to do" I don't see the problem really as it seems sincere. Now its up to him.
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This feels wrong to type but...
Spot on Greg, totally agree on why they've put this out, the difference is I personally don't see any value to it as there's nothing ground breaking in what he's saying and it means nothing if the performance on the pitch doesn't match up.
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Now its up to him.
It always has been and always will be. The manager is paid to get the best out of the resources available to him. No excuses, no platitudes, just get on with the job in hand.
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IMO there are too many hollow words spoken in football these days just to sell TV, radio, newspapers etc. Pehaps I am just 'old school' and want to form my own views on what I see on the pitch.
Because old school managers such as Messrs Clough, Shankly & Atkinson never said a word...
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What is good about it is that, unlike the pre-season letter to season ticket holders, it is effective and well judged in the message that it is trying to get across. Hopefully, it demonstrates what he plans to do in the second half of the season and that the improved performances we saw before the Swansea match are more what we are going to see rather than a blip.
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This feels wrong to type but...
Spot on Greg, totally agree on why they've put this out, the difference is I personally don't see any value to it as there's nothing ground breaking in what he's saying and it means nothing if the performance on the pitch doesn't match up.
well yeah its a gesture, nothing more. He's just said he is an attack minded manager so he'll have to prove it. But at least he's claiming he is one, which is better than just ignoring the criticism surely
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I personally don't see any value to it as there's nothing ground breaking in what he's saying
It's not ground breaking, but it's a good PR move as McLeish once again comes across as a decent person who has genuine respect for the club and it's fans. Even though I'm among those who doubt that he's a good enough manager for Aston Villa, I think his decency should count for something.
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Fair play, can't see much there that would 'upset' anyone. Seemed honest & open enough.
2nd para: 'given my previous managerial position'..... will be enough to still upset some.
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IMO there are too many hollow words spoken in football these days just to sell TV, radio, newspapers etc. Pehaps I am just 'old school' and want to form my own views on what I see on the pitch.
Because old school managers such as Messrs Clough, Shankly & Atkinson never said a word...
I always thought the first two said what they wanted to say not what the supporters wanted to hear. BFR less so but I would put that down to football becoming an entertainment business.
Today we have rent-a-quote managers, where everything seems stage managed. Some people's cup of tea but not mine and I certainly would not criticise others for what they want.
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IMO there are too many hollow words spoken in football these days just to sell TV, radio, newspapers etc. Pehaps I am just 'old school' and want to form my own views on what I see on the pitch.
Because old school managers such as Messrs Clough, Shankly & Atkinson never said a word...
I always thought the first two said what they wanted to say not what the supporters wanted to hear. BFR less so but I would put that down to football becoming an entertainment business.
Today we have rent-a-quote managers, where everything seems stage managed. Some people's cup of tea but not mine and I certainly would not criticise others for what they want.
I'd say the first two said exactly what their supporters wanted to hear - Shankly certainly did. I'd say there were more showman managers years ago than there are now.
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As I said before, you can say what you like if you have the ability and results to back it up. McLeish's football and results in the Premier League have been mostly awful, so he should keep a dignified bit of schtum until his league record is something to shout about.
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IMO there are too many hollow words spoken in football these days just to sell TV, radio, newspapers etc. Pehaps I am just 'old school' and want to form my own views on what I see on the pitch.
Because old school managers such as Messrs Clough, Shankly & Atkinson never said a word...
I always thought the first two said what they wanted to say not what the supporters wanted to hear. BFR less so but I would put that down to football becoming an entertainment business.
Today we have rent-a-quote managers, where everything seems stage managed. Some people's cup of tea but not mine and I certainly would not criticise others for what they want.
I'd say the first two said exactly what their supporters wanted to hear - Shankly certainly did. I'd say there were more showman managers years ago than there are now.
As they were both very successful I suppose what they said and what the supporters wanted to hear went hand in hand. There were showman managers years ago but they were by and large successful. Today, far less so. Let's face it, would the press/radio be putting forward Neil Warnock's views 30-40 years ago and if they did, would anybody want to listen to them. To say there were more showman managers then, I do not think so.
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As I said before, you can say what you like if you have the ability and results to back it up. McLeish's football and results in the Premier League have been mostly awful, so he should keep a dignified bit of schtum until his league record is something to shout about.
heh. well he's hardly bragging is he? More like "I know we're mainly shit but it will get better" Seeing we're in a better league position than i thought we would be by now then it looks unlikely he'll get the push, so he had nothing much to gain really from this e-mail apart from a bit of good PR. And that will evaporate if we lose the next game
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As I said before, you can say what you like if you have the ability and results to back it up. McLeish's football and results in the Premier League have been mostly awful, so he should keep a dignified bit of schtum until his league record is something to shout about.
I'm one of the bigger critics of the bloke, but that's unbelievably harsh.
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As I said before, you can say what you like if you have the ability and results to back it up. McLeish's football and results in the Premier League have been mostly awful, so he should keep a dignified bit of schtum until his league record is something to shout about.
I'm one of the bigger critics of the bloke, but that's unbelievably harsh.
Why is it? His football was dire at Blues, and he got them relegated twice. Thus far at Villa it's been the same old story. Crap football and very few goals scored. I don't care if he thinks the season has been "satisfactory" so far, I don't think it has at all.
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As I said before, you can say what you like if you have the ability and results to back it up. McLeish's football and results in the Premier League have been mostly awful, so he should keep a dignified bit of schtum until his league record is something to shout about.
I'm one of the bigger critics of the bloke, but that's unbelievably harsh.
Why is it? His football was dire at Blues, and he got them relegated twice. Thus far at Villa it's been the same old story. Crap football and very few goals scored. I don't care if he thinks the season has been "satisfactory" so far, I don't think it has at all.
He's telling us what he's trying to do, he's hardly shouting about anything.
if he continues to fail to deliver it, then there's your stick to beat him with.
On the positive side, it at least shows he's aware of the criticisms he's getting - not just that he's being criticised, but what it is about - and is saying he's trying to do something about it.
I hope he manages to do it, and quick, or I'm going to slowly pass away of terminal boredom at one of our games some time soon, but to suggest he's shouting about anything seems somewhat harsh.
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He's telling us what he's trying to do, he's hardly shouting about anything.
if he continues to fail to deliver it, then there's your stick to beat him with.
On the positive side, it at least shows he's aware of the criticisms he's getting - not just that he's being criticised, but what it is about - and is saying he's trying to do something about it.
I would suggest a 900 carefully worded email is 'shouting' something and he is certainly beating his own drum if he did actually write it, which I doubt very much.
Do you believe Alex McLeish visits this site to gauge the fans reaction because just about every point that is covered in the email is in response to items raised on this site over the past few months. Coincidence, I don't think so.
I want Villa to be successful and if it is with AM, so much the better as it will mean that it will be achieved sooner rather than later but I am not that gullible to believe that this is his personal heartfelt message to the fans.
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Unbelievable. The club, manager, whoever, somebody at Aston Villa tries to reach out to supporters and people want to hammer them. They don't talk to us, they get criticized. It's amazing that whatever direction they turn there's someone in the grass ready to jump out and blast them. They are trying to accept some responsibility, and the manager is saying he understands our frustration and wants to address them despite only being here a short time and yet some people just want to crush him regardless. It has gotten to a point that whatever he does he'll never be accepted by some. That people want him to fail because it fuels their own dislike of him and justifies their anger.
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We all know that the Club monitors these supporter sites and thank God they do. The E mail also proves that after summarising the genaral mood they are prepared to respond to it.
The E mail was a clever piece of PR, addressed the issues and also gave the Manager a forum to present his case and (I hope) his football philosophy. Now it is truly up to him to prove it. Brave.
It is because the Club reads our comments that I am against any silly protest at this time. They know exactly what supporters think.
I am also glad that this site is obviously and deservedly recognised as being the most mature and intelligent forum.
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Once again I agree with you toronto villa.
We live in an age where anger rules. Everybody has to have something to be mad about and the tower of babel created by instant electronic communication enables people to lash out in any and every direction.
Over the years we have had infinitely worse managers than Alex McLeish and infinitely worse owners than Randy Lerner but they screwed up the Villa when the penny post reigned supreme and so were able to escape unscathed by popular opinion.
The man has communicated. The content of that communication is appropriate. Whoever the author and whatever the motivation, accept it at face value or ignore it, do not use it to perpetuate the concept of Aston Villa season ticket holders as victims.
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Unbelievable. The club, manager, whoever, somebody at Aston Villa tries to reach out to supporters and people want to hammer them. They don't talk to us, they get criticized. It's amazing that whatever direction they turn there's someone in the grass ready to jump out and blast them. They are trying to accept some responsibility, and the manager is saying he understands our frustration and wants to address them despite only being here a short time and yet some people just want to crush him regardless. It has gotten to a point that whatever he does he'll never be accepted by some. That people want him to fail because it fuels their own dislike of him and justifies their anger.
I don't dislike him at all, I just don't think he's a good manager, and I also don't think he really understands the problems as proved by all the rubbish he writes about him not being a defensive minded manager. He is, he proved it at Blues and he's proving it here. Rubbish football, few goals scored and 13th in the table. Load of crap, satisfactory my arse.
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I think the club just meant it as a half-season review. A queens speech as you were - "this is what happened, I realise your not happy with all of it etc., this is what i hope to do" I don't see the problem really as it seems sincere. Now its up to him.
I agree too. No problem with that. It's like an extended manager's notes from a match program.
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I don't get the hand wringing over this. Its a decent gesture, attempts to address the criticisms they have had of late and acknowledges where we need to improve.
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I don't get the hand wringing over this. Its a decent gesture, attempts to address the criticisms they have had of late and acknowledges where we need to improve.
If anything, it is quite brave, as he's given everyone something to point at and say "hang on, what was it you said you wanted to do" if things continue to be shite for any great length of time. The rope to hang him with, as it were.
The proof of the pudding is going to be what we see on the pitch, though - as someone else said, don't tell us, show us.
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Unbelievable. The club, manager, whoever, somebody at Aston Villa tries to reach out to supporters and people want to hammer them. They don't talk to us, they get criticized. It's amazing that whatever direction they turn there's someone in the grass ready to jump out and blast them. They are trying to accept some responsibility, and the manager is saying he understands our frustration and wants to address them despite only being here a short time and yet some people just want to crush him regardless. It has gotten to a point that whatever he does he'll never be accepted by some. That people want him to fail because it fuels their own dislike of him and justifies their anger.
I don't dislike him at all, I just don't think he's a good manager, and I also don't think he really understands the problems as proved by all the rubbish he writes about him not being a defensive minded manager. He is, he proved it at Blues and he's proving it here. Rubbish football, few goals scored and 13th in the table. Load of crap, satisfactory my arse.
Well we were in the bottom 3 this time last season with Young and Downing in the side so it's a bit more satisfactory than that.I'm optimistic that we will have a better second half to the season,like the last one
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It's a decent message to send to us and shows what a decent man he is. Ok, he may not be the best manager, but as has been said before, he had the courage to take this on, and we really should give him the chance to do what he can.
I am amzed by how some people expect us to turn into Barcelona overnight!
Lets put cynicism to one side and say well done for addressing the concerns of the fans, and not making any outlandish promises other than he will do his best.
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I don't dislike him at all, I just don't think he's a good manager, and I also don't think he really understands the problems as proved by all the rubbish he writes about him not being a defensive minded manager. He is, he proved it at Blues and he's proving it here. Rubbish football, few goals scored and 13th in the table. Load of crap, satisfactory my arse.
I'd agree 13th isn't satisfactory, but given our realistic ceiling is 7th right now, then it's not a million miles from where we should be.
However, I'd imagine your argument is more to do with the style of football than results, which is obviously more subjective. Since Bolton away we've improved, other than Liverpool and Swansea, so I'm willing to let him get one with it and see how many performances for the rest of the season are like Arsenal at home as oposed to Spurs away.
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Unbelievable. The club, manager, whoever, somebody at Aston Villa tries to reach out to supporters and people want to hammer them.
Unbelievable? Typical I would have thought. *shrug*
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I admire the gesture and, as many have said before, he seems like a nice sort of guy.
As regards the content, most of it is understandably bland, though my biggest bone of contention has not been answered: I don't doubt that he intends to be as attacking as he says - I just question whether or not, like MON, he knows how to do it.
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As I said before, you can say what you like if you have the ability and results to back it up. McLeish's football and results in the Premier League have been mostly awful, so he should keep a dignified bit of schtum until his league record is something to shout about.
I'm one of the bigger critics of the bloke, but that's unbelievably harsh.
Why is it? His football was dire at Blues, and he got them relegated twice. Thus far at Villa it's been the same old story. Crap football and very few goals scored. I don't care if he thinks the season has been "satisfactory" so far, I don't think it has at all.
The email wasn't addressed to you anyway.
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As I said before, you can say what you like if you have the ability and results to back it up. McLeish's football and results in the Premier League have been mostly awful, so he should keep a dignified bit of schtum until his league record is something to shout about.
I'm one of the bigger critics of the bloke, but that's unbelievably harsh.
Why is it? His football was dire at Blues, and he got them relegated twice. Thus far at Villa it's been the same old story. Crap football and very few goals scored. I don't care if he thinks the season has been "satisfactory" so far, I don't think it has at all.
The email wasn't addressed to you anyway.
Sorry Mr Bestest Fan In The World Ever, I didn't realise I needed your permission to discuss things on here.
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As I said before, you can say what you like if you have the ability and results to back it up. McLeish's football and results in the Premier League have been mostly awful, so he should keep a dignified bit of schtum until his league record is something to shout about.
I'm one of the bigger critics of the bloke, but that's unbelievably harsh.
Why is it? His football was dire at Blues, and he got them relegated twice. Thus far at Villa it's been the same old story. Crap football and very few goals scored. I don't care if he thinks the season has been "satisfactory" so far, I don't think it has at all.
The email wasn't addressed to you anyway.
Sorry Mr Bestest Fan In The World Ever, I didn't realise I needed your permission to discuss things on here.
Apology accepted.
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Apology not intended.
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Actually, I've just checked again and the email was addressed to me, so you can all butt out. This is between me and Alex. (I would have said Alex and I, but that sounded poncy).
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Actually, I've just checked again and the email was addressed to me, so you can all butt out. This is between me and Alex. (I would have said Alex and I, but that sounded poncy).
Sorry jimmy, but it was definitely addressed to me as it started - Dear Pauline. Unless, of course, your feminine side comes out with certain email senders. *very tongue in cheek comment*
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I will thank Alex for my personal email if I bump into him in the pub tonight. If he says ' I dinna ken what the f**k ye are talking aboot' I will report back.
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Still waiting...
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Between me and Alex is perfect english Jimmy's Mash. Between Alex and I is not poncy, just Bad English.
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Still waiting...
I haven't had one.What a shit manager he is.
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Between me and Alex is perfect english Jimmy's Mash. Between Alex and I is not poncy, just Bad English.
Better have a word with our number 1 fan's Granny then... all this "My Husband and I" bollocks.
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That e mail is a joke. Not once does he mention the Deloitte Financial top 20, no talk of profit margins, does this guy even look at the balance sheet.
If he thinks we can be fooled by all this talk of actual football, then he is deluded.
Come on Randy, we want to hear about how much money we are going to make as a franchise, It's a disgrace. Why doesnt he tell us how profitable he made his previous clubs instead of talking about trophies. He must think we know nothing about the modern game.
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Does McLeish honestly think that the letter is going to make us change our minds? It's an insult to every Villa season ticket holder to have that dropped on your door step. The bloke is taking the piss.
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Dazzy - has your letter from McLeish landed on your doorstep yet?
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Does McLeish honestly think that the letter is going to make us change our minds? It's an insult to every Villa season ticket holder to have that dropped on your door step. The bloke is taking the piss.
Well, it seems to have made you stop doing ".................." in your posts, so that alone is a feat worth giving him a new contract for.
And you be insulted if you like, but don't think you speak for everyone as most seemed to appreciate it. I did.
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Does McLeish honestly think that the letter is going to make us change our minds? It's an insult to every Villa season ticket holder to have that dropped on your door step. The bloke is taking the piss.
Change your mind about what? I thought you weren't going again so you shouldn't be concerned. Put it in the bin with all your other spam.
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I've still not had this letter. I reckon you've all imagined it!
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Does McLeish honestly think that the letter is going to make us change our minds? It's an insult to every Villa season ticket holder to have that dropped on your door step. The bloke is taking the piss.
So I take it you haven't had it? As it's an email not a letter it's unlikely to be dropping on your door step, perhaps you're lying about your £620 season ticket too?
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Called the ticket office yesterday afternoon to book Wigan away tickets and when the lady queried whether the email address they had for me on their records was correct (it was) I mentioned that I'd never had the email from AM. She apologised and within half-an-hour it had been emailed to me.
Many thanks 'Sue'; that's great customer service. :)
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Did you not tell her you'd read it on here anyway?