The end is nigh.

[Risso]

Too right I'm cantankerous, I'm fed up to the back teeth.

If someone had suggested that our 4th season would see us finishing above Liverpool, reaching the FA Cup semi-final and the League Cup final, they woudnt have been believed. People ike to portray it as a symptom of liverpool being unusually poor last season but 64 points and good cup runs was exactly what was needed to catch up with the traditional Sky4.

If you'd told me that after four years, we'd still be playing central defenders at right back, and would have Emile Heskey on £60K a week, I wouldn't have believed you either.

[boboonthecorner]

Good post andrew 08 , yes the Moscow debacle was where it began to go wrong for mon- a shocking mistake having played so many games to get that far and toss it away like that.

Things haven't been quite the same since then. That's when my opinion of MON took a knock.

However, I think he's a good manager and there's no point calling for him to be sacked when we have finished top six three seasons in a row.

Don't get me wrong, he frustrates me the majority of the time, I just think he needs another season. I'd hate to think he'd leave us and finally 'crack it' at another premiership club. I'd rather he 'cracked it' with us.

However, he needs to overcome his obsession with wing play, buying UK and Ireland based players and to learn to make our tactics adapt more to different types of games.

He's one of the stubbornest men involved in football and at 58 I don't think theres any chance of change.

I tend to agree. However, he has brought us to three top six finishes, would another top six finish this season be such a bad thing? I think he should go if we finish outside the top six this season.
That would represent regression and prove , as many suspect, that he's just not going to take us to the next level.

I was hoping he would freshen things up a bit more in the window but there's another month for him to do that I guess.

I appreciate the league position but there is nothing to suggest we can do any better than sixth. People can try and dress up the football all they want but it really isn't very entertaining.........

[Concrete John]

Our focus should be on what has been delivered, as in league position, cups progress and Euro qualification, and not how he's gone about doing it.

I know it won't be, but it should.

[pauliewalnuts]

Does anyone really think those people DCF is talking about have formed that opinion after one pre season friendly?

I'm imagining not.

Well, I heard O'Neill's name sang very loudly during the Feyenoord game. Perhaps these people went home.

I'd also like to counter his "12 people around our table" by saying that out of everyone who goes to the Villa with me, I'm probably one of the least happy with O'Neill and I'm far from wanting him out.

I'm not drawing any conclusions from what he said, or making any comment about whether the majority of fans there want the manager out, not at all.

I'm just pointing out - in reply to the people talking about "people wanting him out after one pre-season friendly" - that those people who do want him out, regardless of whether they're right or wrong or we agree with them or not, are hardly likely to have decided that on the basis of one pre-season game.

[dave.woodhall]

If someone had suggested that our 4th season would see us finishing above Liverpool, reaching the FA Cup semi-final and the League Cup final, they woudnt have been believed. People ike to portray it as a symptom of liverpool being unusually poor last season but 64 points and good cup runs was exactly what was needed to catch up with the traditional Sky4.

Except that four years ago people were talking about us challenging for the Champions League in this timescale. Not challenging for qualification, challenging to win it, so your attempt at re-writing history has failed again. And instead of your irrelevant 'finishing above Liverpool' and the even more irrelevant 'we got more points' how about another one? What would the same mythical people have said about finishing three places above Birmingham City?

[BannedUserIAT]

I'd be interested to see the results of a poll asking "Are you excited by the Villa?" I think there'd be a fair few in the 'NO' section.

I absolutely love the start of a new season but not this year. Almost regardless of who we buy or who we sell, it'll be utterly predictable stuff. 4-4-2, CB at RB, RB at LB get the ball to Ashley Young, get the ball to Ashley Young, get the ball to Ashley Young, Petrov knackered after 70 mins, Heskey on at 72 mins to turn the game around, where's plan 'B', Oh, there is no plan 'B'.......

[pauliewalnuts]

I tend to agree. However, he has brought us to three top six finishes, would another top six finish this season be such a bad thing? I think he should go if we finish outside the top six this season.

I actually disagree.

There's really not a whole heap of difference between finishing 6th and 7th or 8th.

In fact, I would swap 6th for 8th right now if I thought we could play a bit of football next season.

As it happens, I suspect what will happen is that we'll swap 6th for 8th or so (it is going to be harder this season) but play exactly the same sort of football as we have the last two eyars.

[Mazrim]

Except that four years ago people were talking about us challenging for the Champions League in this timescale. Not challenging for qualification, challenging to win it,

Who said that?

[dave.woodhall]

Except that four years ago people were talking about us challenging for the Champions League in this timescale. Not challenging for qualification, challenging to win it,

Who said that?

Just about everyone. If I remember right IMG were going to sign us the players to make it happen.

[PaulWinch again]

I think as many have said here at the time M'ON was the right man and I think he has reached his glass ceiling with us now. I don't know if someone else could do better, but I'd like to see if they could. I'm just kind of jaded in terms of the predictability of the football, the lack of ability to change tactics and the extremely narrow minded approach to transfers. I just think it's time for a change.

[darren woolley]

I say stick with him because we are progressing season on season he will get it right in the end.

[JUAN PABLO]

I say stick with him because we are progressing season on season he will get it right in the end.

hes not going to get the funds he had before now, and I must admit the footballs got worse..

[ajmant]

Although MON frustrates the hell out of me at times, and I can't understand some of his decisions such as who plays RB, we have made progress each season since he came.

What worries me is what would happen if he left. Which players would go  with him, and who would come in as a replacement manager? There are plenty of managers who I'd hate to see arrive who might just want to come!

[Brend'Watkins]

Anybody over the centuries who have proclaimed that "The End is Nigh" have all been wrong.

[dave.woodhall]

Although MON frustrates the hell out of me at times, and I can't understand some of his decisions such as who plays RB, we have made progress each season since he came.

What worries me is what would happen if he left. Which players would go  with him, and who would come in as a replacement manager? There are plenty of managers who I'd hate to see arrive who might just want to come!

I don't think there's any player who we'd want to keep but would rather follow Martin, not least because he would never get a better job than Villa.