Ray Wilkins joins us

[trevor fisher]

we  only found out wilkins had a drink problem via a court case. What else was going on behind the scenes in a season when the villa fell apart?

Clubs do not perform a badly as we did because there are a few people not up to the job- it has to have been a total mess, and has the new administration got what it takes? Di Matteo has started well. But are the team around him his choices? What about the guy coming from Southampton? Will he replace the people who picked the wrong players last summer all by himself? Reilly is still in place.

[brian green]

I have lost three business associates to alcoholism and the one thing they all had in common was that the drink did not impair their business abilities in any way.  Men and women who drive themselves to excel are particularly vulnerable. 

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

He was happy enough to take a pay packet from us without doing much for it except call us out after he'd left.

I was never an admirer and I'm still not.

[SoccerHQ]

He was happy enough to take a pay packet from us without doing much for it except call us out after he'd left.

I was never an admirer and I'm still not.

Pretty much me plus I hate the way he would just spout random cliches on radio so would imagine he was just saying that in the dressing room aswell.

Big one for me was that monumental double substitution fcuk up at Leicester when 2 up. As an experienced football man he should've been in Sherwood's ear telling him it wasn't a particularly clever idea.

[Dante Lavelli]

I have lost three business associates to alcoholism and the one thing they all had in common was that the drink did not impair their business abilities in any way.  Men and women who drive themselves to excel are particularly vulnerable. 

Wise words Brian but I suspect Ray's desire to excel was as a player, I'd guess that, at best, coaching/commentary was a relatively convenient gravy train rather than a genuine passion [typed having drunk maybe 7 pints tonight so a tad hypocritical ...]

[TimTheVillain]

TS couldn't have been aware of his problem, surely.

Often seen at the Belfry with a glass of wine in hand as soon as he walked in, so no great surprise, but he must have been at Villa under the influence, and not in a Paul McGrath way !

Last season truly was a disaster.

[VILLA MOLE]

Old Butch seems to be re writing the History of the England team on talk sport , apparently we  seemed  to have a lot of world class players in that golden generation

[wittonwarrior]

Old Butch seems to be re writing the History of the England team on talk sport , apparently we  seemed  to have a lot of world class players in that golden generation

The likes of him, Gerry Francis.   He typified the defensive type of game that was encouraged at the time