The end is nigh.

[Small Rodent]

The end is Bill.....

[KevinGage]

I can't remember Randy saying that any of the values he wants to keep/instil at Villa would include hampering the club by limiting his choice of manager.

In England, Moyes and Hodgson, maybe Avram Grant. Possibly one of the younger breed of managers in time, such as Simon Grayson or Paul Lambert. Abroad there's Claudio Ranieri, Felix Magath, Delio Rossi, Gregorio Manzano, Quique Flores, Claude Puel, Ottmar Hitzfeld to name a few who are experienced and would maybe fancy a crack at the Premier League. I also think a few clubs will be looking at how Steve McClaren gets on at Wolfsburg.

Throw in Michael Laudrup to that list as well.

Was the manager the Scandinavian consortium wanted back in 2006, and he was keen on the job then -when the club was in a far worse state.

His background in the game, the way he approached it and the clubs he's represented probably give him a certain idea of how football should be played.

So far in his managerial career he's taken Brondby to the League title and CL qualification in Denmark, got lowly Getafe to a Spanish cup final and the latter stages of the UEFA Cup and managed in Russia with Spartak.

Currently at Mallorca, so will be interesting to see how he does this year.
Not an obvious candidate by any means, but going that route hasn't always served us well in the past.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Always nice to see the fans get behind the team before a new season.

[KevinGage]

With a username like that I'm sure you see the irony.

[old man villa fan]

No I'll be saddened too.Unfortunately I don't think people will realise how lucky we were to have him til he's gone and we've got some muppet in charge

What makes you think that a) those who want him gone aren't fully aware of his capabilites and b) we couldn't get a better manager?

who is available and attainable ??

Depends how you see the Villa. Believing us capable of much more that we're currently achieving, I would say all except maybe two dozen or so in Europe.

Who in your opinion can get us into the top four or further based on our financial position as we think we see it at the present time and is attainable?

Is there anybody in English football?

Who would you say from Europe?

Randy Lerner has set out to build a future based on traditional English values so do you think he would take on a manager from outside England?

Would be interested to read your views.

I can't remember Randy saying that any of the values he wants to keep/instil at Villa would include hampering the club by limiting his choice of manager.

In England, Moyes and Hodgson, maybe Avram Grant. Possibly one of the younger breed of managers in time, such as Simon Grayson or Paul Lambert. Abroad there's Claudio Ranieri, Felix Magath, Delio Rossi, Gregorio Manzano, Quique Flores, Claude Puel, Ottmar Hitzfeld to name a few who are experienced and would maybe fancy a crack at the Premier League. I also think a few clubs will be looking at how Steve McClaren gets on at Wolfsburg.

Thanks for your straight answer, Dave, rather than an answer with a question like some.

Looking back at what I wrote, perhaps I should have said that it looked to me as though Randy was trying to rebuild the club as a traditional English club.

It is very obvious there is a limited number of managers in English football that can take us forward and improve on our current position with what looks like limited financial backing.  Villa like many other PL clubs are stuck with players they cannot shift due to high wages and this is causing a lack of liquidity in the market.

From your UK based managers I would say that Moyes would see us as offering a no better job than the one at Everton.  Hodgson will be a few seasons at Liverpool unless he fails but then would we want a manager that failed at Liverpool and then expect him to succeed at Villa.  Grant may be but I think the fans would not put up with his dour personality.  The younger managers would be too much of a risk at this point in time and this topic is talking about the situation at this point in time.

So that leaves Europe and a string of well qualified managers.  The problem is that it is well known that the PL is a difficult place to manage and I believe that most European managers would want a very good offer to come here.  Not financial like SGE but a club with clout in the transfer market.  Do we have that now, I am starting to doubt it.  Don't get me wrong, I still think we have money to spend but not top four clout.  That then leaves the up and coming young European managers and the risk that they would bring.

So that leaves your final suggestion and it had crossed my mind before.  A good coach but has his management skills improved since his mauling as England manager.  He looks as though he is trying to rebuild his CV away from the English media and looks to be succeeding.  One day he will want to come back to the PL.

The question is hypothetical in my mind anyway as I am sure MON is here for at least another season.  If we stay top 7/8 and he changes the side from last season, I think he will be here for more than this season as well.  Randy Lerner has put a lot of money into the club and I do not see him as a gambler that would risk a lot on changing the manager unless he completely fails.  It is so much easier being an internet supporter.

[peter w]

Avram Grant was a very good shout and was unlucky at Chelsea and had the rug pulled from under his feet at Portsmouth.

But alternatively maybe we should also be looking at coaches? Steve Clarke is one is is always talked about highly by anyone within the game.

But as for managers in England its hard to say because those at the top won't go down, those on our level won't necessarily see it attractive to move sideways so it doesn't leave a lot.

[dave.woodhall]

I think David Moyes would jump at the chance to take on a club like us, without the financial problems he has at Everton. I also think there's a  lot of top European managers who would welcome a Premier League club on their CV, even before the daft wages they'd pick up.

But as OMVF said, it's all hypothetical for the moment because there doesn't seem much chance of Martin leaving.

[LeeB]

I think David Moyes would jump at the chance to take on a club like us, without the financial problems he has at Everton. I also think there's a  lot of top European managers who would welcome a Premier League club on their CV, even before the daft wages they'd pick up.

But as OMVF said, it's all hypothetical for the moment because there doesn't seem much chance of Martin leaving.

I can't agree with that Dave. Moyes is biding his time for the Man Utd job, no doubt, and a move to a club that have been a graveyard for managers with good reputations would be very risky.

[KevinGage]

If you look at the route Arsenal took with Wenger, and the success they've had it doesn't always pay to go the obvious route.

Even United selecting Fergie was a bold choice at the time, he'd never played or managed in England and had only managed smallish sides in Scotland (with some pretty spectacular success in Europe admittedly).

I hope that any search would be extensive, not just throwing up the same names (Not suggesting Dave was doing that BTW).

[dave.woodhall]

I think David Moyes would jump at the chance to take on a club like us, without the financial problems he has at Everton. I also think there's a  lot of top European managers who would welcome a Premier League club on their CV, even before the daft wages they'd pick up.

But as OMVF said, it's all hypothetical for the moment because there doesn't seem much chance of Martin leaving.

I can't agree with that Dave. Moyes is biding his time for the Man Utd job, no doubt, and a move to a club that have been a graveyard for managers with good reputations would be very risky.

Ain't no way they'll go for an English-based manager and especially not one with little European experience.

Mangers with good reputations? The only one I can think of who arrived here with a reputation he didn't enhance was O'Numpty. McNeill arguably, but he'd done nothing in England before then.

[Leighton]

Ain't no way they'll go for an English-based manager and especially not one with little European experience..

It’s a good enough point Dave but I will turn it on its head and say the words “Pep” and “Guardiola”. Though I do think that he is the exception to the rule.

[dave.woodhall]

Ain't no way they'll go for an English-based manager and especially not one with little European experience..

It’s a good enough point Dave but I will turn it on its head and say the words “Pep” and “Guardiola”. Though I do think that he is the exception to the rule.

Manchester United are too arrogant to accept that there's anything or anyone in England that they could possible want or need. And a Scouser in charge?

[Leighton]

There are just a few managers of clubs in the world who would possible turn us down.

A handful of the elite in England, the two giants of Spain, the two Milan clubs, Juventus, AS Roma perhaps, and then Bayern Munich.

Any other club's managers from across Europe and the rest of the world would all be attracted of taking over at a club like Villa in what’s so commonly viewed as the best league in the world. And it’s not as if we don’t have the financial backing to back it up with nowadays.

Quiet simply I find it an insult when some fans ask whom else could we attract. We have nearly the world to pick from.

[pauliewalnuts]

Quiet simply I find it an insult when some fans ask whom else could we attract. We have nearly the world to pick from.

The irony is that quite frequently the very same people who spend most of the time telling us that the manager has done a great job, and the club has improved beyond all recognition over the last four years then tell us that, should we look to replace MON, we'd be poking around the Curbishleys of this world.

That doesn't quite stack up.

[dave.woodhall]

Quiet simply I find it an insult when some fans ask whom else could we attract. We have nearly the world to pick from.

The irony is that quite frequently the very same people who spend most of the time telling us that the manager has done a great job, and the club has improved beyond all recognition over the last four years then tell us that, should we look to replace MON, we'd be poking around the Curbishleys of this world.

That doesn't quite stack up.

It's like when the people who think sixth is an achievement call those of us who think we can do better the negative ones.