Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: kippaxvilla2 on March 18, 2016, 04:02:44 PM
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I'm going for Monday 4.25 pm.
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When he turns his phone back on
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Aston Villa P45 Watch.
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When he gets knocked out of the FA Cup in Championship Manager.
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Just after we sign Lionel Messi on his recommendation.
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I thought today for sure. Early next week now is a solid bet though it could still be today with the most recent announcement where his name was conspicuous by its absence.
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Not so sure he's going, to be fair.
So far I have guessed right - Almstadt first, followed by Fox (after probably turning down a commercial position) - and I think Reilly may stay
going for the Trifecta
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Disappointing to see he is going to survive another week.
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Reilly wasn't named on the football board. Where else can he work?!
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Reilly wasn't named on the football board. Where else can he work?!
We're short of a street cleaner in Harborne.
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Paddy R is dead, he is locked in my basement.
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Deadman walking, just letting him sweat and sweat and sweat and.............
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Fox and Almstadt went after Bernstein and Little came in.
Revamping the scouting network I imagine takes a little longer; and Hollis will want Little and Bernstein to see what's there first before considering kicking him out.
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Fox and Almstadt went after Bernstein and Little came in.
Revamping the scouting network I imagine takes a little longer; and Hollis will want Little and Bernstein to see what's there first before considering kicking him out.
Personally think we will see the appointment of a 'Sporting Director' or 'Director of Football' whose remit will include overseeing the scouting. That is when Reilly will go.
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he will be safe
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Fox and Almstadt went after Bernstein and Little came in.
Revamping the scouting network I imagine takes a little longer; and Hollis will want Little and Bernstein to see what's there first before considering kicking him out.
I agree with this. The scouting needs to have a focus and that cannot be defined until the new board have decided their whole strategy and indeed tested whether Reilly can fit into it.
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The thought of Reilly remaining doesn't fill me with hope at all. It needs complete root and branch change, end of. Shift the whole lot out and start again. Also, fuck knows why Krulak is returning - another backward step.
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The worst haircut in football.
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I don't know why I've started to think he might stay but I think he might stay. He can point to the players that he actually recommended from France and Spain and state they were all highly regarded at the time. The English or English based lads he might have signed on recommendation from Sherwood. They might think he can still do a job given the right direction from Little.
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I think he may well stay as chief scout or something.
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I know there has been lots of criticism of the purported Moneyball approach based on stats, but I think this is important as part of a wider scouting method.
Maybe he fills that role.
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I know there has been lots of criticism of the purported Moneyball approach based on stats, but I think this is important as part of a wider scouting method.
Maybe he fills that role.
I agree. The Moneyball/Playstation/X Box barbs are cheapshots engendered by the understandable anger at the shit soup of a season.
Having someone pouring though the myriad spectra of statistics available today is just sensible. Isn't Reilly's official title head of data analysis or similar? Christ it's something Alardyce was being lauded for as a visionary 10 years ago or more.
Where it is a problem is if it's your only means of identifying targets. If the manager turns round and says I need a new right back, as a priority he needs to be able to defend one on one, or help in the air at corners, or whatever he says, the stats man should be able to pull 10-15 players out from around the globe that best fit what the manager's looking for. Then the scouting starts. Alternatively the manager or scout turns round and says "what do you know about player X" and gets the data and scouting films.
The days where a manager, his assistant and a scout could cover everything because there were only 91 clubs in England plus however many were in the the top 2 Scottish divisions are long gone. Unless your name happens to be M. O'Neill.
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VID the thing the stats and data do not show and where at times we have really let ourselves down, is what sort of character is he, any problems from years ago that could flair up again, this sort of thing.
Take a look at Richards, by all accounts a billy big bolloxs at Man City, thought he was better than what he was, then went abroad for a while, where he was probably zoned off as the Brit, comes back with a chip on his shoulders against foreigners and causes shit here with his attitude to the French lads.
Good old fashion digging on the part of a scout is always required, as well as the stats and data, we fall down on both.
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VID the thing the stats and data do not show and where at times we have really let ourselves down, is what sort of character is he, any problems from years ago that could flair up again, this sort of thing.
Take a look at Richards, by all accounts a billy big bolloxs at Man City, thought he was better than what he was, then went abroad for a while, where he was probably zoned off as the Brit, comes back with a chip on his shoulders against foreigners and causes shit here with his attitude to the French lads.
Good old fashion digging on the part of a scout is always required, as well as the stats and data, we fall down on both.
That's why I said, "Then the scouting starts".
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hes safe
the club feels there is a a lot of potential at Villa . they think some of the players he has recommended are good prospects but its not been his decision alone. I think they felt with the experience they would have been ok.
You would have thought with Hutton .,Lescott ,Richards , Richardson , Cissoko , Gabby , Guzan , Clark and even Sanchez , there is enough experience and internationals to have been ok . Its just they have been absolute wank making mistakes after mistakes every week , some of those players have really let us down. They are not good enough .
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This is the thing this season, watching Sunderland / Newcastle yesterday, there was always the chance of a mistake, but that would have been what it was a mistake, when you see some of the things our lot do, you start to think this is on purpose.
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You do have to wonder what was going through Brad Guzan's mind as he was telling players to get out of the box ahead of the free kick and then to launch himself in the way he did was bordering on the insane.
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What's his role?
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You do have to wonder what was going through Brad Guzan's mind as he was telling players to get out of the box ahead of the free kick and then to launch himself in the way he did was bordering on the insane.
Guzan is a f*cking bomb scare. If he ever plays for us again it'll be too soon.
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You do have to wonder what was going through Brad Guzan's mind as he was telling players to get out of the box ahead of the free kick and then to launch himself in the way he did was bordering on the insane.
Guzan is a f*cking bomb scare. If he ever plays for us again it'll be too soon.
Let's not forget that in seasons gone by Guz was as valuable as Benteke at the other end but I can't forgive Saturday. He has to drop him after that clanger, we were well in that game and it was only a defensive fuck up that was going to win it for Swansea. Cissokho tried to chuck it in their favour moments before they scored but Guzan made sure. I'm starting to think he has a vision problem.
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It was a toss up which thread I put this in. Another extraordinary set of alleged chaos.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/03/26/aston-villa-ready-to-part-company-with-remi-garde/
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Unbelievable stuff in that article. Just when you thought you'd heard it all!! Almost deserves its own thread!
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If that's true that's an alarming article. If Garde doesn't want to be here he needs to go. I have sympathy, but we need someone who is commited to the future.
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It was a toss up which thread I put this in. Another extraordinary set of alleged chaos.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/03/26/aston-villa-ready-to-part-company-with-remi-garde/
Oh, dear. What a mess. The only good thing appears to be that Mr Bernstein is sorting things out.
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Most alarming thing was that he was told players didn't want to come but Reiley hasn't even asked them. Fucking joke
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Did the scout emigrate to Australia without them realising?!
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Jesus fucking wept. We never stood a chance, what a fucking circus
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It was a toss up which thread I put this in. Another extraordinary set of alleged chaos.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/03/26/aston-villa-ready-to-part-company-with-remi-garde/
I'm speechless. How can a club in one of the best, if not wealthiest leagues in the world, be such a car crash behind the scenes. All that money and being run so unprofessionally. The only thing that's not surprising is that we have stunk the league out all season.
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I don't blame Garde one bit for haggling over his off, he's been totally fucked over.
As for Reilly, Fox and Almstadt - what an absolute shambles.
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This bit is almost beyond belief.
It is also alleged that Garde was told January targets did not want to move to Villa – only for Garde then to speak to the players directly and discover they had never been contacted.
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Oz have you spotted the scout over there?!
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If that's true that's an alarming article. If Garde doesn't want to be here he needs to go. I have sympathy, but we need someone who is commited to the future.
I agree, but if as alleged he was lied to about players being asked if they wanted to come, I have every sympathy for him demanding every penny he's due before he does go.
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Sweet baby Jesus and the orphans, that is incredible, just incredible.
What kind of detached moron is Lerner to have allowed this kind of clusterfuck to have developed.
I genuinely would never have guessed things were that bad
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I have posted on here before. My friend is a scout for a PL club. He has never met a AV scout.
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Staggering article.
Our inflated wage bill dosen't just include the players, all these jokers are getting a little slice of the pie aswell.
I think a big problem really is a lack of professionalism at the club and people wanting to fight and battle for this club, we don't see it on the pitch and looks like it's the same outside if we're just cutting corners and giving jobs out to unqualified people who aren't exactly dedicated to the requirements of the job.
Very very disappointing, let's hope Bernstein can get a hold of this and appoint some qualified football people over the summer.
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My worry is becoming more obvious every day that our problems run very deep within the club on virtually every level. This is going to take a long time to turn around.
This is what is really scaring the shit out of me.
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Did the scout emigrate to Australia without them realising?!
Or even noticing?
I've described the club in the recent past as a rotting corpse, and a twitching zombie. Then thought they were intemperate words, solely borne out of anger and frustration, and perhaps I should reconsider.
Nah, I was spot on.
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I just find it incredible that things have been allowed to get to this point.
A head scout who has emigrated to Australia? A Spain and Portugal scout who is a journalism student at university?
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The thing is it's hard to imagine this being made up so far fetched would the allegations be in this instance.
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Wouldn't be surprised to learn that that the head scout was Scoutmaster at Warmignton on Sea to be honest.
Maybe would should have signed Northfield's own Private Pike and played him in the hole.
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It is genuinely staggering what a fucking pig shit mess the place is behind the scenes.
The only saving grace is Lerner clearly, and finally, worked this out, putting his faith in Hollis to sort the shit heap out and make it better. Hollis, having peeked behind the curtain, thought oh bollocks I need some bloody help here, and has somehow managed to get 2-3 of the most respected people in their fields (ie finance, football administration and Villa fans!) to join him and help. As such, as awful as this season, and these stories are, I am genuinely a lot less concerned about the future than I was the day Hollis was announced.
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Most alarming thing was that he was told players didn't want to come but Reiley hasn't even asked them. Fucking joke
Exactly. Mindbogglingly amateurish and unbelievable.
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I really hope this new board results in the end of this shite. Randy is to blame for a lot of things but I do feel for him when he employs people, and pays them well, to do jobs and they seem totally incompetent. Now I know he hired them in the first place but there seems a few that take the piss and nowhere near earn the money they are paid. Just like some of the players there seems a basic lack of professional pride behind the scenes.
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It is genuinely staggering what a fucking pig shit mess the place is behind the scenes.
The only saving grace is Lerner clearly, and finally, worked this out, putting his faith in Hollis to sort the shit heap out and make it better. Hollis, having peeked behind the curtain, thought oh bollocks I need some bloody help here, and has somehow managed to get 2-3 of the most respected people in their fields (ie finance, football administration and Villa fans!) to join him and help. As such, as awful as this season, and these stories are, I am genuinely a lot less concerned about the future than I was the day Hollis was announced.
It's staggering that Lerner didn't make this move much sooner though. It's taken six scrapes with relegation and the final inevitable plunge for action to be taken. It's one thing to be absent, it's another to be absent and leave such a poor structure behind and to not act sooner when it's obvious something is really wrong.
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I have posted on here before. My friend is a scout for a PL club. He has never met a AV scout.
I remember you posting this Steffo. Seems that there might be a job opening at Villa, ask your mate if he's interested!
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Even if you thought of the most ridiculous story regarding our 'scouting' you would never have come up with something quite so unbelievable.
Lerner Fox et al, hang your head in shame for being in charge while this load of shit took place.
My favourite gem was "It is also alleged that Garde was told January targets did not want to move to Villa – only for Garde then to speak to the players directly and discover they had never been contacted." Normally youd dismiss this straight away but I can only think it's got more than a hint of truth.
I drove past the ground today and as I looked over it still fills me with pride to think that this is my club. Only reading that tonight just emphasizes what a bunch of amateurs we have in charge of our great institution.
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Staggering yet somehow entirely believable.
As an aside, a well placed source is clearly briefing John Percy.
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The one things that fills me with hope, for next season and longer term is the new people that have come in. They don't seem to be messing and are finding a lot of the problems.
Bernstein has admitted changes are necessary as the club prepare for inevitable relegation to the Championship.
“I think up to now there’s been a surprising lack of football expertise at board level,” he said. “It will be for us to look at the structures we’ve got here and just get things into shape. Like with any organisation, we need to look at the whole thing from top to bottom in terms of personnel.
“We’ve got to get a bit of a move on because we’ve got this period until the end of the season, we’ve got the close season, we don’t want to leave any of these things or decisions late.”
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Staggering yet somehow entirely believable.
As an aside, a well placed source is clearly briefing John Percy.
Except that a lot of what he says is wrong.
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Hollis has quickly become our most significant signing for many many seasons.
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Then the club need to come out with a strong rebuttal then given the nature of the allegations. I bet they don't.
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Which part/parts are wrong Dave?
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Well when you read that article it goes a long way to understanding how alarmingly terrible we have become. We have been quite poor for a while but when you think it could not have got any worse after Lambert left we have nose dived at an incredible rate.
I get the impression Garde has been handed a complete raw deal, probably Sherwood too. Although the I'm not too sure the later quite understood the real depth to our problems.
Thank fuck we appointed Hollis and co when we have. If this would have gone any longer we would surely free fall for longer. I'm not saying we won't but at least the truth and real issues are being uncovered.
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That's the last thing they should do.
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Why? If this article is bullshit then they need to say so. How many times have we had to take guff like this from local and national media alike only to standby and let it happen? Not that I think it is all crap of course.
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Why? If this article is bullshit then they need to say so. How many times have we had to take guff like this from local and national media alike only to standby and let it happen? Not that I think it is all crap of course.
Equally, how many clubs deny bullshit/exaggerated stories?
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Potential buyers this says http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/aston-villa-deadlock-boss-remi-7636558
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There probably is some bullshit in that story, however there's probably also a lot of truth, hence the obvious problems being witnessed every game.
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Why? If this article is bullshit then they need to say so. How many times have we had to take guff like this from local and national media alike only to standby and let it happen? Not that I think it is all crap of course.
Equally, how many clubs deny bullshit/exaggerated stories?
How many clubs have as much negative press as we have this season? Almost seems like open season on us, would be nice for the club to fire back occasionally.
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Why? If this article is bullshit then they need to say so. How many times have we had to take guff like this from local and national media alike only to standby and let it happen? Not that I think it is all crap of course.
This season, last season, every season. Our media relations are dreadful but again, other clubs don't seem to bother denying stuff either.
Equally, how many clubs deny bullshit/exaggerated stories?
How many clubs have as much negative press as we have this season? Almost seems like open season on us, would be nice for the club to fire back occasionally.
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Why? If this article is bullshit then they need to say so. How many times have we had to take guff like this from local and national media alike only to standby and let it happen? Not that I think it is all crap of course.
Equally, how many clubs deny bullshit/exaggerated stories?
How many clubs have as much negative press as we have this season? Almost seems like open season on us, would be nice for the club to fire back occasionally.
Much like the team we meekly roll over.
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There are certain things that have to be kept to a degree in-house. You start responding to one thing then you have to reply to everything because the first time you don't it will be interpreted negatively. Its counter-productive. The fact that we have the right people investigating what the bloody hell is going on is a major boost and it does feel invigourated behind the scenes. But real questions must be asked of randy Lerner in taking so long to even try and deal with the problems behind the scenes.
We're now in a bit of a paradox. We get Lerner to sell up and the new buyer will want to bring his own people in and we've seen how that's worked. Stick with Lerner and we have a better chance of getting right with the current set-up.
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Not defending the players here but when you see the club behind the scenes in such disarray then is it wonder it makes it down to every other area of the club? I'm sure Hollis, King and Bernstein are walking the corridors of Villa Park every so often shaking their heads and saying "fucking hell" under their breath at the newest discovery. Some intern scurrying behind hastily making notes.
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For the first time in a long time I can almost see a ray of sunshine.
Shocking news today, but if the truth, all the truth, comes out, whether it be by carefully placed leaks or club statements then I can see bridges being built betwixt fans and club.
It's an opportunity for the hierarchy to put behind them obfuscation, papering over the cracks and silence. (Listening Randy?)
Overstating perhaps, but almost like the Truth and Reconciliation exercise in South Africa, where cards are put on the table, an acceptance that we've hit rock bottom and the rebuilding can commence in an open and honest manner.
Ask any alcoholic, rock bottom is a great place to build solid foundations.
I can see an opportunity to begin the long trek back to where we belong. Just an opportunity. That's all it is.
Just a thought........
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Unbelievable, what a shambles our club has become. Hollies has his work cut out to stop the rot. yes Lerner does seem culpable but the guys he hired were just taking the piss
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Just by casting an eye over it he'll be stopping a lot of it. When nobody takes notice a lot of weeds grow. Now that everyone there knows there is someone in charge paying attention to details many of the little things will go away. He'll also appoint (as he has been) additional staff to pay attention to it and turf those who have been asleep at the wheel if they can't cut the new order.
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It just shows how incompetent Lerner has been, he may be a nice bloke but jesus wept how many errors of judgement can one man make. The money Lerner has laid out we should be challenging the top sides not facing certain relegation, continually putting people in positions far above their capabilities has been the hallmark of his ownership. I feel sorry for Garde he came with the best intentions but has been hung out to dry by those that should have been supporting him, but I don't want the players to get off scot free either.
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PR was labelled useless at Liverpool wasn't he? Seems that he was way way out his depth and to an extent blagging his job role (if the latest media reports are accurate)
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I would administer an enema to all of them for every point lost between now and May. No one emerges from this season with any real credit other than Garde.
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That Telegraph article strikes me as the peddling of an agenda by somebody inside or very close to the club. It is all too black and white and cut and dried to ring true. It reminds me of the closing scene of a Columbo/Poirot where the Suspects are all lined up and the guilty parties exposed.
I have always been a supporter of Remi Garde but I seriously question that the January balls up was all Reilly's fault. I also doubt that Garde has actually said that it was all Reilly's fault. If Garde did not speak to potential targets until after the window closed he is equally at fault. When you want to do something important - buy a house, apply for a job, choose a school for your kids and a third party stalls you, you get involved personally before final decisions are made.
The dialogue should go - Reilly) Remi, .........says he does not want to come. Garde) Let me talk to him, see if I can change his mind.
The big picture for years at Villa Park has been one of mice playing in the absence of the cat. I welcome the fresh pragmatism of Steve Hollis but no amount of new broomery excuses unfair blame being shuffled around to settle scores and defend positions.
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Too many people have been taking the piss for way too long. Let the heads roll this week.
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Unbelievable, what a shambles our club has become. Hollies has his work cut out to stop the rot. yes Lerner does seem culpable but the guys he hired were just taking the piss
Just one look, that's all it took.
Just one look.
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A student as chief scout in Spain and Portugal haha. Luna and Crespo, how I'd be pissing myself if these stories were about other clubs.
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Never mind sacking them, we should be taking legal action against these idiots.
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When Steve Hollis has finished his investigations I would not be at all surprised to see Gordon Cowans leave the club.
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The portfolio of players PR has scouted you would be over the moon.
All over ruled by Fox and Almstadt .
maybe thats why he is still here.
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The portfolio of players PR has scouted you would be over the moon.
All over ruled by Fox and Almstadt .
maybe thats why he is still here.
Exactly my thoughts as well.
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The portfolio of players PR has scouted you would be over the moon.
All over ruled by Fox and Almstadt .
maybe thats why he is still here.
Yeah but why were they overruled.?If it was fee's and/or wages then it wasn't Fox or Almstadt doing the overruling.
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The same players he scouted for Liverpool and there over the moon with the players he got in. oh yes I forgot the last two managers he helped get in . As I have said before that's what you get when you get the bloke who did the Friday night quiz and counted corners and throw ins under Oneil buying players
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I wonder if the club will wait until they appoint a new Manager before they decide to sack Reilly? Will they ask the new Manager if they want to use Reilly as scout or will they choose their own players through their own network?
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Watching the game in TV yesterday, it was noticeable that he was sat next to Bevington when it panned to the board in the first half, but the seat appeared to be empty when it showed them in the second half.
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Watching the game in TV yesterday, it was noticeable that he was sat next to Bevington when it panned to the board in the first half, but the seat appeared to be empty when it showed them in the second half.
Obviously more intelligent than we give him credit for.
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Watching the game in TV yesterday, it was noticeable that he was sat next to Bevington when it panned to the board in the first half, but the seat appeared to be empty when it showed them in the second half.
Obviously more intelligent than we give him credit for.
Probably sneaked off to steal the biscuits in the VIP area.
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Not now Reggie Kray has gone and Jack The Hat McVitie is Director of Biscuits.
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He always has the same coat on. I suspect it is made of Teflon.
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As he was sat with the circle of trust on Saturday I take it that he's staying. It's been like a scene out of goodfellas for the last few weeks with directors getting whacked in the north stand carpark on a daily basis if Reilly was a marked man, Hollis and King would have given the order by now.
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But maybe it's also like the scene in Goodfellas where the hit is set-up only to be called off because he made the Don laugh. Only to be whacked eventually anyway.
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Maybe he himself is actually a decent scout, found some decent players, but the ones the manager bought have been useless and as such he escapes the axe. You never know. Or they are waiting to get this "head of football operations" post recruited too then will look at Reilly.
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Maybe he himself is actually a decent scout, found some decent players, but the ones the manager bought have been useless and as such he escapes the axe. You never know. Or they are waiting to get this "head of football operations" post recruited too then will look at Reilly.
He clearly recruited to a given brief. And I'd be very happy to keep Adama, Amavi, Veretout and Ayew; players who could be decent with the right support around them, rather than the useless English chaff which Reilly had nothing to do with.
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I cannot believe he enjoys sitting there in the director's box feeling particularly comfortable seeing the players he has scouted/delivered performing as they have. Then again he is probably just counting the £ knowing his career at the top level is all but over.
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I think once the club make the final addition to the football board Reilly's future will be addressed. Really might argue he sought players based on the direction of the club, so he might still have value. Or the new bloke might have a totally different view. And off course the new manager will have his own opinions too. It has to be concerning for Reilly that Sir Brian has been watching Championship games and there has been nothing to suggest that our Chief Scout has too.
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Still there....
Maybe there's a clause in his contract that he gets no pay off if/when we get relegated?
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Surely player recruitment will form part of the new managers team so until he is in place it will be on hold
That said of all the players recruited in the summer they are certainly not in the main the weakest players. And it was Garde who brought the Awful Cissoku back
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Why does everyone call him Reilly?
It's Riley isn't it?
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Surely player recruitment will form part of the new managers team so until he is in place it will be on hold
That said of all the players recruited in the summer they are certainly not in the main the weakest players. And it was Garde who brought the Awful Cissoku back
I would hardly hold that over him considering Amavi was out and the other "option" was Richardson who amazingly makes Cissokho look competent.
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Why does everyone call him Reilly?
It's Riley isn't it?
Really?
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Riley Ace of Spies (Cough, cough)
Gabby Ace of Pies
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Why does everyone call him Reilly?
It's Riley isn't it?
Really?
O
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So last night people were told about redundancies at villa park. I hope your proud of yourself Reilly you bought this team. I hope you can look people in the eye at bodymoor heath today. if you had any balls you would resign.
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So last night people were told about redundancies at villa park. I hope your proud of yourself Reilly you bought this team. I hope you can look people in the eye at bodymoor heath today. if you had any balls you would resign.
It's a bit much to suggest that the redundancies are down to the signings Reilly suggested (not made, as the final sign-off would have been down to Sherwood, Fox, Lerner or a mixture of those three). It's taken five years of mismanagement at every level to have reached this stage.
Also, as has been pointed out before - Ayew, Amavi, Veretout, Gana have been some of the better players this season (faint praise I know). It's largely the previous signings and the British based ones that have let us down.
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If you want to single one individual out for our shit signings then come on down Mr Paul Lambert.
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So last night people were told about redundancies at villa park. I hope your proud of yourself Reilly you bought this team. I hope you can look people in the eye at bodymoor heath today. if you had any balls you would resign.
The only players with any resale value are the ones Reilly found.
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The only players with any resale value are the ones Reilly found.
It was Lescott replacing Vlaar, and Gestede replacing Benteke, and Gana replacing Delph, and Bunn replacing Given (leaving us with Guzan in goal) that caused the problems. Reilly was only responsible for Gana on that list.
Amavi replaced Bennett and was a definite upgrade, Ayew replaced Weimann and has been better, Veretout should be competing with Westwood and is better than him. I think we overpaid, but his signings are far from the worst made this season.
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The only players with any resale value are the ones Reilly found.
It was Lescott replacing Vlaar, and Gestede replacing Benteke, and Gana replacing Delph, and Bunn replacing Given (leaving us with Guzan in goal) that caused the problems. Reilly was only responsible for Gana on that list.
Amavi replaced Bennett and was a definite upgrade, Ayew replaced Weimann and has been better, Veretout should be competing with Westwood and is better than him. I think we overpaid, but his signings are far from the worst made this season.
A big issue is consistency between what the club is striving for, what the manager wants to go for and what Reilly identifies. There was no cohesion in our signings. It was a bizarre hodgepodge (as it has been in the last few windows).
Reilly needs to go though. We need a completely new direction and fresh start on all fronts.
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Ok we will see . wait until Sherwood can talk about what went on. He was part of the team that has built the shitest team in our history. he was part of the team that got in our last 2 managers.
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I'll take what Sherwood says about it with a pinch of salt. He selected Rudy as the Benteke replacement, Richards as a centre half which he's never been and a past it Lescott. Oh and didn't identify a goalkeeper other than the unrealistic Begovic.
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Patrick 'Paddy' Reilly (born October 18, 1939 in Dublin) is an Irish folk singer and guitarist. He is one of Ireland's most famous balladeers and is best known for his renditions of "The Fields of Athenry" and "The Town I Loved So Well". Reilly released his version of The Fields of Athenry in 1983; it was the most successful version of this song, remaining in the Irish charts for 72 weeks.[1]
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Head of recruitment Paddy Riley escapes the sack at Aston Villa
Paddy Riley
No exit: Paddy Riley has been given a stay of execution
John Percy, midlands football correspondent
23 APRIL 2016 • 10:40PM
Aston Villa’s much maligned head of recruitment Paddy Riley has been given a stay of execution in a move which will infuriate supporters.
Riley’s job is safe – for now – despite a ruthless cull which has seen Remi Garde, Tom Fox and Hendrik Almstadt leave the crisis club as part of an extensive review into Villa’s nightmare season.
Telegraph Sport can reveal that Riley has even been involved in discussions over the new manager and his future is unlikely to be decided until an appointment is made.
Riley has emerged as a target for frustrated fans as he was heavily involved in Villa’s £55million spending spree last summer, which has proven such a contentious issue.
Many of those 12 signings have flopped spectacularly, while Riley’s scouting network was pinpointed as a major problem by former director David Bernstein, who sensationally quit on Monday.
Yet Riley is known to be close with owner Randy Lerner, leading to suggestions that his position is secure until a new manager comes in.
He has been watching Championship games this month as Villa prepare for next season in the second tier, following their first relegation since 1987.
Villa are stepping up their attempts to sell the club this summer, with chairman Steve Hollis thought to be considering three bids.
Lerner will accept around £75million for the relegated club – half the initial asking price – and Hollis is using London-based law firm Squire Patton Boggs to assist in the sale.
Villa also expect to conclude their investigation into striker Gabriel Agbonlahor this week, after he was pictured with laughing gas canisters on the night the club’s relegation was officially confirmed.
Agbonlahor was suspended for the second time and is likely to be fined, ahead of his departure this summer. The 29-year-old is understood to have an offer on the table from a club in the Middle East.
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The shouting network may be a problem but sherwood signed the rotten apples not Reilly. I think the bigger problem is not the players he signed but the overall strategy in terms of what we needed and the personality research of the players coming in. I don't mind him staying if he is managed well in a clear structure.
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Who has Reilly 'signed' that has been any good?
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Ayew, Amavi? Better than Richards Lescott etc that Sherwood bought.
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Ayew, Amavi? Better than Richards Lescott etc that Sherwood bought.
Amavi looks good going forward but bottles tackles, a work in progress. Ayew, decent in spells, another work in progress. Not for the amount of money we've paid. There's no denying Sherwood's picks were tripe but Reilly's weren't much better. £50m down the shitter.
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I don't think the signings were the problem, it's how they've been managed and coached that is. That said, if Riley stays on I want it to be because it's thought, rightly or wrongly, that he's the best man for the job right now. Not because he's Randy's mate.
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what has to be factored in is how the players we signed, and very specifically the non British ones were integrated when they joined the club? And what influence from the very start did the likes of Richards or Gabby have on alienating them and creating a massive divide in the dressing room that never closed. By the time Garde arrived the damaged was done. I'm convinced that those players are much better than they have shown, and not only that we'll be talking about how good they look when they are playing for their next team.
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I have no problem with having players brought using stats and information. The problem for me is that these give no indication of attitude and personality which could affect how they fit in with their team mates and settle in the area. If there was a way to get an indication of these then I'm sure it would be a very useful recruitment tool.
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There's a couple of articles on Newsnow stating that 0'Reilly is staying, for the time being at least. If you can believe it, he's been involved
in the new manager search.
Words fail me.
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Reilly staying 'for now' may only mean until any sale is finalised. With no Lerner at the top Reilly would have no backing.
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Not sure what to make of Reilly. On one hand he's recommended a lot of players clearly not good enough/ready for the Premiership. On the other hand, if your remit is "bring in a Benteke/Delpth/Cleverley replacement for half the going rate and half the wages", then any scout is going to struggle
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There's a couple of articles on Newsnow stating that 0'Reilly is staying, for the time being at least. If you can believe it, he's been involved
in the new manager search.
Words fail me.
Does Championship manager have a database of Manager statistics?
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If I took over AVFC after disposing of the over-paid half-wits in the first team sqaud Reilly would be next on my list for the axe. His recruitment skills make David Brent look competent.
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For all you chaps slagging off Reilly,
they will probably make a film about him in 10 years time detailing how he masterminded a rise from the chamionship to European glory whilst all around him thought he was a giant bellend
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I'm not sure if its on here anywhere but I'm sure I read that he is married to someone who works in Finance at Villa Park.
Surely a conflict of interests.
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For all you chaps slagging off Reilly,
they will probably make a film about him in 10 years time detailing how he masterminded a rise from the chamionship to European glory whilst all around him thought he was a giant bellend
Reillyball. I bloody hope so.
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I'm not sure if its on here anywhere but I'm sure I read that he is married to someone who works in Finance at Villa Park.
Surely a conflict of interests.
How?
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Who has Reilly 'signed' that has been any good?
The ones that came from France look reasonable for the money we paid for them and the wages compared with what we could have got elsewhere.
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Most companies, when you spend £50 of their money on goods, services etc, require you to justify the expenditure.
But waste fifty fucking million quid?
And he's still employed by the same company?
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Who has Reilly 'signed' that has been any good?
The ones that came from France look reasonable for the money we paid for them and the wages compared with what we could have got elsewhere.
I think they've all been poor considering the money they cost. Amavi looked good, but nobody else has pulled up any trees. Gana has been the best, Veretout the worst.
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Who has Reilly 'signed' that has been any good?
The ones that came from France look reasonable for the money we paid for them and the wages compared with what we could have got elsewhere.
My definition of what I consider reasonable for £30m+ is considerably different to yours. That is some very serious money.
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Who has Reilly 'signed' that has been any good?
The ones that came from France look reasonable for the money we paid for them and the wages compared with what we could have got elsewhere.
My definition of what I consider reasonable for £30m+ is considerably different to yours. That is some very serious money.
But not good enough to keep us in the premiership which is why they were bought
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Who has Reilly 'signed' that has been any good?
The ones that came from France look reasonable for the money we paid for them and the wages compared with what we could have got elsewhere.
My definition of what I consider reasonable for £30m+ is considerably different to yours. That is some very serious money.
But not good enough to keep us in the premiership which is why they were bought
I know it's a big-looking figure, but in today's market, and given the dross that was left once you subtracted Cleverley, Delph, Benteke and Vlaar, 30+ million honestly isn't worth that much, unless the person spending it is a magician in the transfer market. Even so, I'm not sure it's all down to the players - I can't help but feel that if we had been the ones to sign Kante, we'd be in the exact same position as we are now, and Villa fans all over the place would basically be classifying him as a great athlete, but unmitigatingly shit at football.
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I like Veretout but he's not worth the money we paid yet. He might be one day if fulfils his potential.
Ayew is very good, again probably not quite worth the money we paid though unless he's here for longer and progressed with us and we sell at a profit.
With any of the new signings last summer I don't see much profit, if any if we'll sell this summer.
I do wonder if we had a half decent squad before they arrived these players might have looked much better than they have though.
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I think he will go when the new manager comes in and forms his own back room staff etc
Being kept on to give a scouting handover before leaving (leaving his list of targets on FM16)
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The Football Manager / Playstation thing is becoming almost as old as the 'moneyball' myth. Especially as every club in the league use a version of their database, Everton having done so since 2008.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/11025724/Football-Manager-player-database-to-be-used-by-Premier-League-clubs-after-deal-with-Prozone-Sports.html
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As well as the on field performances of our French players due consideration should be given to the treatment they received when they came to us. The Secret Santa video beamed in living colour from the VP screens complete with laughing hyenas soundtrack without a single French player included, followed by the French players being excluded from the players Christmas party after the Newcastle game, alone tell you how excluded the French players felt. Is it any surprise they have not been pulling up trees for the team?
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As well as the on field performances of our French players due consideration should be given to the treatment they received when they came to us. The Secret Santa video beamed in living colour from the VP screens complete with laughing hyenas soundtrack without a single French player included, followed by the French players being excluded from the players Christmas party after the Newcastle game, alone tell you how excluded the French players felt. Is it any surprise they have not been pulling up trees for the team?
Utter disgrace. No doubt Richards and Gabby were involved.
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If he was just an analyst, I'd say that he may well be doing his job within his remit and others are culpable.
But he's Head of Recruitment and he has some degree of decision making power. And the bottom line is we spent £50 million quid last summer and got relegated in spectacular style. The players he brought in might not have been the worst culprits but they have not been worth the money paid and are unlikely to be resold for a profit or even what we paid. Therefore he has failed on every measure and should go.
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The players he brought in might not have been the worst culprits but they have not been worth the money paid and are unlikely to be resold for a profit or even what we paid. Therefore he has failed on every measure and should go.
If you're judging players on 9 months in a toxic environment then yes.
If you had asked whether Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo, Stilian Petrov and others were successful signings 9 months in, the answer would have been no. (And no, I'm not comparing the quality). The whole point of the players last summer was that they had potential.
Our failure was in the players who we brought in 'for now' - Richards, Lescott, Gestede and the players we should have brought in 'for now' - no new GK, no Benteke replacement.
Veretout, Amavi, Traore, even Gana and Ayew clearly have the potential to be very good players. It's not Reilly's fault that the managers they have had have failed to bring that out of them so far. Whether they will be with us next year is debatable, but I think 1-2 years down the line two or three of them will be seen as top players.
I also think we'd/we'll get back what we paid on most of those named. We'll probably find out quite soon!
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Well we all see things differently.
I don't think any of them would be Premier League starters at most of the other 19 clubs. Amavi is very good going forwards but has serious defensive deficiences - he can probably do a good job in the Championship and I would like to see us keep him. Veretout has ability on the ball, but is too slow and powder puff to be influential in the English game, he'll struggle again next season. Ayew might get 10-12 goals at Championship level but no more, although I will concede he has improved the most and might continue to do so and surprise me. Gana can't pass the salt. 3 managers have shied away from playing Traore, I suspect because he's a half trick pony.
That's just my opinion but we have 16 points for a reason and it's not just down to the English tossers plus the grinning idiot, there's plenty of blame to go round. I don't blame any of the above but they're just not good enough for the job they were hired to do and that's down to Riley.
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That's just my opinion but we have 16 points for a reason and it's not just down to the English tossers plus the grinning idiot, there's plenty of blame to go round. I don't blame any of the above but they're just not good enough for the job they were hired to do and that's down to Riley.
You're quick enough to share the blame around for having 16 pts, but then go on to put 100% of the blame for hiring the players on Riley.
First of all, the hires weren't Riley's decision alone, so it's not just down to Riley in any case. But what I'm saying is that perhaps the problem wasn't the recruitment, but the integration and training. Look at Albrighton - here he was a bit part player, at Leicester he's a league winner and an integral part of the side. That doesn't mean he 'wasn't good enough for the job' at Villa, but that he wasn't used to his potential.
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Those who believe our summer spending was "£50 million down the shitter" should ask two questions.
1. Which of the French players if sold would go to better teams than Aston Villa?
The correct answer is - all of them.
2. If you answered Q1 correctly, say whose fault it is that their value has dropped while at Aston Villa. The players themselves or the club?
If £50 million has gone down the shitter the players did not do it. They had it done to them.
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Those who believe our summer spending was "£50 million down the shitter" should ask two questions.
1. Which of the French players if sold would go to better teams than Aston Villa?
The correct answer is - all of them.
2. If you answered Q1 correctly, say whose fault it is that their value has dropped while at Aston Villa. The players themselves or the club?
If £50 million has gone down the shitter the players did not do it. They had it done to them.
In terms of question 1, it's difficult to say what is a better team. Ayew will go somewhere like West Ham if he's lucky. It would pain me to call them a better side than us, but of course this year they're a country mile better than us.
Gana I suspect will end up back in the French league, as will Veretout. Probably a middling side and that would probably see them in a championship quality side, so hardly a step up. The French league is improving somewhat but it's still shite.
Amavi is the best of the bunch. Had he played all season I think he'd have done well and I think he'd be looking at potentially clubs like Arsenal.
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Those who believe our summer spending was "£50 million down the shitter" should ask two questions.
1. Which of the French players if sold would go to better teams than Aston Villa?
The correct answer is - all of them.
2. If you answered Q1 correctly, say whose fault it is that their value has dropped while at Aston Villa. The players themselves or the club?
If £50 million has gone down the shitter the players did not do it. They had it done to them.
The correct answer to 1. is - you don't know yet and neither do I. You think they will. I think they won't.
2. It's the club's fault because we should never have paid that much for them in the first place.
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I like all the players we brought in from Ligue 1 and I wouldn't attach too much blame to any of them for our demise . They never seemed to be accepted by Sherwood or many of the British/established players, they were thrust into a massively dysfunctional, disinterested and sub-standard squad, and began with a manager who was tactically beyond clueless. They lacked a leader out on the pitch and they were fighting an uphill battle from day 1. I wasn't aware of the Christmas party and secret santa stuff but if they were being excluded in that way it's no wonder they haven't performed that well. And yet, at least to me, they have still looked the best of a bad bunch, and I'd include Veretout in that. Sure they have flaws and Amavi defensive abilities looked questionable at times. But so did Gareth Bale once upon a time, and he didn't turn out too bad when converted to left midfield, which to my mind is where Amavi should be playing. I reckon if you'd dropped that lot into, say, the Everton, Southampton or Stoke, a team with a bit of spirit, confidence, ability, leadership and postiive attitude, they'd all have looked decent. I don't think you could say the same about the likes of Bacuna, Richards, Richardson, Guzan, Lescott, Westwood and Gabby. We wouldn't miss any of the latter and I hope they all feck off and the Ligue 1 players are supplemented by some decent additions.
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Maybe the club realise that they were largely at fault for the recruitment and that's why Reilly is still here. A good example is Benteke's replacements. The club bank 32m and yet in Gestade and Ayew we spent reportedly 14m replacing him. So obviously a lot of that money was spent on other areas. You then look at whether there was a disagreement between Sherwood and the club about who they wanted which resulted in the rather bad compromise of both the club and the manager getting "their" players and splitting the 14m, when some would argue its not even enough to get you a proven premiership striker. Then you wonder if reilly was asked to tick the club's boxes for potential buys - Cheap, check, lowish wages, check, young with resale value, check. Presumably if Sherwood didn't want these french players, then someone was pulling the strings in who they went for?
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That's just my opinion but we have 16 points for a reason and it's not just down to the English tossers plus the grinning idiot, there's plenty of blame to go round. I don't blame any of the above but they're just not good enough for the job they were hired to do and that's down to Riley.
You're quick enough to share the blame around for having 16 pts, but then go on to put 100% of the blame for hiring the players on Riley.
First of all, the hires weren't Riley's decision alone, so it's not just down to Riley in any case. But what I'm saying is that perhaps the problem wasn't the recruitment, but the integration and training. Look at Albrighton - here he was a bit part player, at Leicester he's a league winner and an integral part of the side. That doesn't mean he 'wasn't good enough for the job' at Villa, but that he wasn't used to his potential.
It's not 100% down to Riley but everybody else involved has been fired, and he is the Head of Recruitment.
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That's just my opinion but we have 16 points for a reason and it's not just down to the English tossers plus the grinning idiot, there's plenty of blame to go round. I don't blame any of the above but they're just not good enough for the job they were hired to do and that's down to Riley.
You're quick enough to share the blame around for having 16 pts, but then go on to put 100% of the blame for hiring the players on Riley.
First of all, the hires weren't Riley's decision alone, so it's not just down to Riley in any case. But what I'm saying is that perhaps the problem wasn't the recruitment, but the integration and training. Look at Albrighton - here he was a bit part player, at Leicester he's a league winner and an integral part of the side. That doesn't mean he 'wasn't good enough for the job' at Villa, but that he wasn't used to his potential.
It's not 100% down to Riley but everybody else involved has been fired, and he is the Head of Recruitment.
110% he has to go.
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Regardless of exactly what proportion of the blame for our predicament lies with him he is irretrievably tainted by the failure of which he has been a part and that ought to make his position untenable.
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We need a complete clear out if we're truly looking to rebuild.
That means all the fitness analysts, physios etc, everyone who has let standards slip.
...and that includes Mr Reilly.
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Once Lerner has gone, all of his merry men will. It's how it goes. Bide your time, people.
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I like all the players we brought in from Ligue 1 and I wouldn't attach too much blame to any of them for our demise . They never seemed to be accepted by Sherwood or many of the British/established players, they were thrust into a massively dysfunctional, disinterested and sub-standard squad, and began with a manager who was tactically beyond clueless. They lacked a leader out on the pitch and they were fighting an uphill battle from day 1. I wasn't aware of the Christmas party and secret santa stuff but if they were being excluded in that way it's no wonder they haven't performed that well. And yet, at least to me, they have still looked the best of a bad bunch, and I'd include Veretout in that. Sure they have flaws and Amavi defensive abilities looked questionable at times. But so did Gareth Bale once upon a time, and he didn't turn out too bad when converted to left midfield, which to my mind is where Amavi should be playing. I reckon if you'd dropped that lot into, say, the Everton, Southampton or Stoke, a team with a bit of spirit, confidence, ability, leadership and postiive attitude, they'd all have looked decent. I don't think you could say the same about the likes of Bacuna, Richards, Richardson, Guzan, Lescott, Westwood and Gabby. We wouldn't miss any of the latter and I hope they all feck off and the Ligue 1 players are supplemented by some decent additions.
Largely agree with this.
For me, they've showed enough to suggest that in a decent system and disciplined environment they'd do well. Of all, Gana would be the one struggles most.
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I like all the players we brought in from Ligue 1 and I wouldn't attach too much blame to any of them for our demise . They never seemed to be accepted by Sherwood or many of the British/established players, they were thrust into a massively dysfunctional, disinterested and sub-standard squad, and began with a manager who was tactically beyond clueless. They lacked a leader out on the pitch and they were fighting an uphill battle from day 1. I wasn't aware of the Christmas party and secret santa stuff but if they were being excluded in that way it's no wonder they haven't performed that well. And yet, at least to me, they have still looked the best of a bad bunch, and I'd include Veretout in that. Sure they have flaws and Amavi defensive abilities looked questionable at times. But so did Gareth Bale once upon a time, and he didn't turn out too bad when converted to left midfield, which to my mind is where Amavi should be playing. I reckon if you'd dropped that lot into, say, the Everton, Southampton or Stoke, a team with a bit of spirit, confidence, ability, leadership and postiive attitude, they'd all have looked decent. I don't think you could say the same about the likes of Bacuna, Richards, Richardson, Guzan, Lescott, Westwood and Gabby. We wouldn't miss any of the latter and I hope they all feck off and the Ligue 1 players are supplemented by some decent additions.
That's the point. Although I would question the desire of some of them, the foreign players have probably been the better performers. Where I would blame Reilly is that they were not positions we really needed (except for LB). We lost the spine of the team in the summer and failed to properly replace any of them. The decent money should have been spent bringing in solid options at CB, CM and ST.
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One of the worst things I heard was a report from a meeting held between fans and Fox (can't remember which). He said that the mistake they made pre-season was not making preparations to integrate the new players that came from abroad properly and that they weren't prepared properly when the season began. Surely a Premier League club these days would have systems in place whereby this would happen automatically. The whole thing smacked of unprofessionalism and I've never seen a team so unprepared for a season, both in terms of fitness and looking like a coherent team.
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One of the worst things I heard was a report from a meeting held between fans and Fox (can't remember which). He said that the mistake they made pre-season was not making preparations to integrate the new players that came from abroad properly and that they weren't prepared properly when the season began. Surely a Premier League club these days would have systems in place whereby this would happen automatically. The whole thing smacked of unprofessionalism and I've never seen a team so unprepared for a season, both in terms of fitness and looking like a coherent team.
One of the problems we have faced since Lerner came in is we always leave it late bringing new players in. It has always felt as though he wanted to save a months wages. I can't think of many players that we have brought in at the beginning of a transfer window, only NRC springs to mind. Other clubs have players lined up and all but signed before the window actually opens. Add to this, the Benteke and Delph sagas and you can see why we were totally unprepared.
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One of the worst things I heard was a report from a meeting held between fans and Fox (can't remember which). He said that the mistake they made pre-season was not making preparations to integrate the new players that came from abroad properly and that they weren't prepared properly when the season began. Surely a Premier League club these days would have systems in place whereby this would happen automatically. The whole thing smacked of unprofessionalism and I've never seen a team so unprepared for a season, both in terms of fitness and looking like a coherent team.
One of the problems we have faced since Lerner came in is we always leave it late bringing new players in. It has always felt as though he wanted to save a months wages. I can't think of many players that we have brought in at the beginning of a transfer window, only NRC springs to mind. Other clubs have players lined up and all but signed before the window actually opens. Add to this, the Benteke and Delph sagas and you can see why we were totally unprepared.
Also, it has seemed for every summer since goodness knows when, we haven't ended a season with a settled side. We've needed pretty major surgery every summer rather than just adding a couple of players to an already pretty solid outfit. The money we have spent has been on the whole on poor players meaning we've been in the same situation every summer.
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One of the worst things I heard was a report from a meeting held between fans and Fox (can't remember which). He said that the mistake they made pre-season was not making preparations to integrate the new players that came from abroad properly and that they weren't prepared properly when the season began. Surely a Premier League club these days would have systems in place whereby this would happen automatically. The whole thing smacked of unprofessionalism and I've never seen a team so unprepared for a season, both in terms of fitness and looking like a coherent team.
One of the problems we have faced since Lerner came in is we always leave it late bringing new players in. It has always felt as though he wanted to save a months wages. I can't think of many players that we have brought in at the beginning of a transfer window, only NRC springs to mind. Other clubs have players lined up and all but signed before the window actually opens. Add to this, the Benteke and Delph sagas and you can see why we were totally unprepared.
Also, it has seemed for every summer since goodness knows when, we haven't ended a season with a settled side. We've needed pretty major surgery every summer rather than just adding a couple of players to an already pretty solid outfit. The money we have spent has been on the whole on poor players meaning we've been in the same situation every summer.
On the signing players late, it was definitely a problem in the early years, though I suspect that had more to do with the idiosyncrasies of a former manager.
I thought last summer there was pretty much a steady flow over the summer and I think Lambert's second summer too?
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Regardless of exactly what proportion of the blame for our predicament lies with him he is irretrievably tainted by the failure of which he has been a part and that ought to make his position untenable.
It wouldn't surprise me if the fuckwits at VP give the useless chancer a 4-year contract extension!
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As regards Reilly, surely it's not just signing players, as head of recruitment surely it's in his remit to construct a decent network of scouts based around europe and South America (I doubt we have one unless John Blackwell does it on a part time basis- that's one for our older readers on here!).
And yet I read stuff like one went to live in Australia, another is a university student, it dosen't strike of striving for the best does it.
I also read that Lerner and Reilly get on and he's married to someone in the finance department so looks like that's why he hasn't gone yet.
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Riley.
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The anger towards Riley is a great example of how much we (as football fans) work on guess-work and assumption. We've absolutely no idea on what his brief has been in terms of scouting players, or even how involved he's been with the players that we've actually signed.
A few years ago we all thought he'd unearthed Benteke and was a genius, and now we all thing he's responsible for how horribly unbalanced our squad it and he's a useless C**t.
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Its a collective failure and he's played his shoddy part in it. How much of it is his fault doesn't really matter, we're going down watching the worst Villa side since 1874.
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I cheer myself up when reading the title of this thread and imagining it's Riley from Countdown and the question as a sexual air of inevitability about it. Sorry, as you were...
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If Ryelee is behind the structure of our scouting involving having scouts in Oz then yes he should f**k off. On the players front I think the french lads will be alright (wherever that may be) and Sherwoods picks are the really shit ones. Royleigh should have told him to 0121. He's below Timmy in the culpability stakes for me anyway. Faint praise and all that.
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Director of scouting and player recruitment.
That's his job title. Therefore having a student and a beach bum as our scouts is his fault and he should be fired before we even get in to paying £50m for the dross we got.
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I cheer myself up when reading the title of this thread and imagining it's Riley from Countdown and the question as a sexual air of inevitability about it. Sorry, as you were...
Yes Riley when will it happen...surely someone has a sex tape of her somewhere??!
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It's nearly time.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paddy-riley-set-aston-villa-11376499?
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It's nearly time.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paddy-riley-set-aston-villa-11376499?
Who will replace him?
If the changing room photo with the names on the back of the shirts was genuine, there is one that has not been mentioned in recent comments. It looked like Cook. Could it be Garry Cook, ex Man City.
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It's nearly time.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paddy-riley-set-aston-villa-11376499?
Who will replace him?
If the changing room photo with the names on the back of the shirts was genuine, there is one that has not been mentioned in recent comments. It looked like Cook. Could it be Garry Cook, ex Man City.
He wasn't a scout though was he?
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It's nearly time.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paddy-riley-set-aston-villa-11376499?
Who will replace him?
If the changing room photo with the names on the back of the shirts was genuine, there is one that has not been mentioned in recent comments. It looked like Cook. Could it be Garry Cook, ex Man City.
He wasn't a scout though was he?
I thought he headed up player recruitment.
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from a games console?
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Director of player recruitment and scouting.
It all falls under his remit.
A scout who's a student at school and one who's on the beach in Australia... his finger must have been on the pulse.
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We want him out, Paddy Riley out
I just don't think you understand..
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It's nearly time.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paddy-riley-set-aston-villa-11376499?
Who will replace him?
If the changing room photo with the names on the back of the shirts was genuine, there is one that has not been mentioned in recent comments. It looked like Cook. Could it be Garry Cook, ex Man City.
He wasn't a scout though was he?
I thought he headed up player recruitment.
I thought he was CEO. He came to Man City from Nike and went to UFC, so I doubt he's a scout for either of those.
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It's nearly time.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/paddy-riley-set-aston-villa-11376499?
Who will replace him?
If the changing room photo with the names on the back of the shirts was genuine, there is one that has not been mentioned in recent comments. It looked like Cook. Could it be Garry Cook, ex Man City.
He wasn't a scout though was he?
I thought he headed up player recruitment.
I thought he was CEO. He came to Man City from Nike and went to UFC, so I doubt he's a scout for either of those.
He was definitely from a commercial background and had no scouting involvement at Man City. We got hospitality tickets through him when we played up there a few years back, he's an old school friend of a good mate of mine. I know his public persona isn't great but he seemed alright to me.
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Yes Cook was certainly CEO at Man. City.
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Torygraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/05/24/aston-villa-new-owner-lines-up-roberto-di-matteo-and-prepares-to/)
Aston Villa new owner lines up Roberto Di Matteo and prepares to sack scouting staff
Neil Connor, in Beijing
24 May 2016 • 10:13pm
Aston Villa’s deeply unpopular scouting team are to be the first casualties of sweeping changes at the relegated club, incoming owner Tony Xia said, as he outlined why Roberto Di Matteo has the credentials to take the team forward.
Di Matteo is widely expected to be named the new Villa manager before the end of the week, but while Xia spoke of how the Italian was the ideal man for the job, he refused to say whether a deal had already been agreed.
He was more direct, however, on the subject of Villa’s head of recruitment, Paddy Riley, and his scouting team, who have been widely blamed for a dismal season which saw only three games won by the Premier League’s bottom club.
“I think a lot of Villa fans will agree that one thing we have to make much stronger is the scouting team,” he said.
“I think, more or less, the scouting team they had before, they have to take a lot of responsibility.” Asked whether the Villa Park scouts would be dismissed, he replied that there would be “new ones”. Xia also said that he had no plans to rename Villa Park, and strongly denied reports that he was to name it after one of his companies.
He also spoke about how Di Matteo had emerged as the strongest candidate for the managerial position after David Moyes withdrew from the race on Monday.
Former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson and Di Matteo were both being considered because they had experience gaining promotion from the Championship, Xia said.
Di Matteo had emerged as the favourite as he had more experience in the Premier League. More importantly, the Champions League-winning manager could also help the Chinese businessman achieve his dream of raising Villa’s international profile
“That is maybe the reason that a lot of people say that I am favouring Di Matteo,” he said.
Xia, who was speaking at the head office of his Recon Group business empire in Beijing, said he was also looking forward to taking formal control at Villa.
He said there was “no reason” that he would fail a 'directors’ test’ currently being undertaken by the Premier League and the Football League. “I think there is no way, and not any excuse, that they should turn me down because I am a person who is doing everything legally,” he said.
“I am enthusiastic for the club and I will devote myself to it and I am responsible to take it over. There is no reason they will disapprove of that.”
Xia’s background had come under scrutiny after he was named as the prospective owner for Villa, particularly over allegations that he had fabricated his academic record.
But the Harvard graduate said it was “insane” that such accusations were made.
He said the episode, which blew up in the Chinese media several years ago, had caused him to maintain his privacy – and was one of the reasons why his wealth is not as visible as many of China’s business elite.
Xia occasionally revealed a shy, edgy side as he repeatedly refused to put a figure on how much he is worth, saying the only thing that was important was that he is wealthy enough to be a “responsible” owner for Villa.
He had also attracted attention in the media over his political connections, which he said he developed by advising scores of city mayors across China on planning projects.
“I do have a very good personal connections with all the government officials,” he said.
“But one thing for me, I never get too close with the politics or politicians. I get all my business just by very healthy and legal ways.”
Despite his apparent unease with the media, the 41-year-old said he agreed to speak to the press in recent days as he understands Villa fans and the football world want to know about his plans, which include wanting to replicate Villa’s 1982 European Cup success.
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Yes Cook was certainly CEO at Man. City.
Didn't they fall out with him after he allegedly sent Nedum Onuha's mom offensive emails about her cancer?
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Torygraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/05/24/aston-villa-new-owner-lines-up-roberto-di-matteo-and-prepares-to/)
Aston Villa new owner lines up Roberto Di Matteo and prepares to sack scouting staff
Neil Connor, in Beijing
24 May 2016 • 10:13pm
Aston Villa’s deeply unpopular scouting team are to be the first casualties of sweeping changes at the relegated club, incoming owner Tony Xia said, as he outlined why Roberto Di Matteo has the credentials to take the team forward.
Di Matteo is widely expected to be named the new Villa manager before the end of the week, but while Xia spoke of how the Italian was the ideal man for the job, he refused to say whether a deal had already been agreed.
He was more direct, however, on the subject of Villa’s head of recruitment, Paddy Riley, and his scouting team, who have been widely blamed for a dismal season which saw only three games won by the Premier League’s bottom club.
“I think a lot of Villa fans will agree that one thing we have to make much stronger is the scouting team,” he said.
“I think, more or less, the scouting team they had before, they have to take a lot of responsibility.” Asked whether the Villa Park scouts would be dismissed, he replied that there would be “new ones”. Xia also said that he had no plans to rename Villa Park, and strongly denied reports that he was to name it after one of his companies.
He also spoke about how Di Matteo had emerged as the strongest candidate for the managerial position after David Moyes withdrew from the race on Monday.
Former Leicester manager Nigel Pearson and Di Matteo were both being considered because they had experience gaining promotion from the Championship, Xia said.
Di Matteo had emerged as the favourite as he had more experience in the Premier League. More importantly, the Champions League-winning manager could also help the Chinese businessman achieve his dream of raising Villa’s international profile
“That is maybe the reason that a lot of people say that I am favouring Di Matteo,” he said.
Xia, who was speaking at the head office of his Recon Group business empire in Beijing, said he was also looking forward to taking formal control at Villa.
He said there was “no reason” that he would fail a 'directors’ test’ currently being undertaken by the Premier League and the Football League. “I think there is no way, and not any excuse, that they should turn me down because I am a person who is doing everything legally,” he said.
“I am enthusiastic for the club and I will devote myself to it and I am responsible to take it over. There is no reason they will disapprove of that.”
Xia’s background had come under scrutiny after he was named as the prospective owner for Villa, particularly over allegations that he had fabricated his academic record.
But the Harvard graduate said it was “insane” that such accusations were made.
He said the episode, which blew up in the Chinese media several years ago, had caused him to maintain his privacy – and was one of the reasons why his wealth is not as visible as many of China’s business elite.
Xia occasionally revealed a shy, edgy side as he repeatedly refused to put a figure on how much he is worth, saying the only thing that was important was that he is wealthy enough to be a “responsible” owner for Villa.
He had also attracted attention in the media over his political connections, which he said he developed by advising scores of city mayors across China on planning projects.
“I do have a very good personal connections with all the government officials,” he said.
“But one thing for me, I never get too close with the politics or politicians. I get all my business just by very healthy and legal ways.”
Despite his apparent unease with the media, the 41-year-old said he agreed to speak to the press in recent days as he understands Villa fans and the football world want to know about his plans, which include wanting to replicate Villa’s 1982 European Cup success.
I totally understand his wish for privacy and not all in public.
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Not sure if it is the same Neil Connor reporting that used to work for the Meaning Evil in Brum but if it is, he is a big Villa fan and moved to China a few years ago, there can't be that many out there.
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Good article, and the Torygraph changing it's tune somewhat!
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Not sure if it is the same Neil Connor reporting that used to work for the Meaning Evil in Brum but if it is, he is a big Villa fan and moved to China a few years ago, there can't be that many out there.
I just checked and it is him, he might even be a lurker on here!
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Well I'm going to give our Tone a fair crack of the whip. Let's see what he can do.
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Soon. Very soon.
Before 5.6.16.
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Soon. Very soon.
Before 5.6.16.
That's a bit cryptic
What is?
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Soon. Very soon.
Before 5.6.16.
That's a bit cryptic
What is?
Riley going. Gone before next Friday is my guess.
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Soon. Very soon.
Before 5.6.16.
That's a bit cryptic
What is?
Riley going. Gone before next Friday is my guess.
Hallo, Neil!
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Neill ?????
That's not my name !!!
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Ooops
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is he still with us?
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is he still with us?
Not showing on the O?S Who's Who for a while now?
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I feel sorry for Paddy if he is loosing his job - he's just pre-ordered next year's edition of Championship Manager.
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It's a clock that is just ticking down to 0. He'll be gone soon enough.
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Perhaps the doc will give him a Chinese Burn
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Is he still there?
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Probably responsible for bringing the largest amount of transfer failures to the club evoh. How many of them made ANY impression? They weren't even comically bad, just anonymous Even Ayew is looking piss poor now..
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I fully expect Riley to weasel his way into some other unfortunate club when his hook is finally slung from VP. If Cack can walk straight into an assistant manager's job at Southampton - then anything's possible. ::)