Randy Lerner attacks Manchester City - Interview from today

[Mister E]

Listened to Pat Murphy and Gobby Cabbage on 5L yesterday: they are both in mourning about MON's departure and think the club have been foolish in the extreme.
Let's be clear: MON did a brilliant job for us when we needed a messiah to follow; no question. However, the team's performances of the last quarter of last season, the dodgy team selections he made, the body language and the increasingly morose interviews that he has done in the last few weeks convinced me that the time to change was coming. Basically, I think he was mentally spent!
So, we've got to move on ... let's hope the journos do too, but in the meantime who cares what they think?!

And as for the Citeh fans, I suspect they'll lose a manager within the next 6-8 months.

[villa `cross the mersey]

If I was Randy I would send MON a video of the game yesterday and a note attached quoting Jim Bowen -

" and here`s what you could have won"!

[avfcpg]

Was nice for a change to hear sense on Sky yesterday with Geoff and the Boys. After Merse and Thompson talked garbage, Le Tiss and Nicholas were pretty damning of MON, especially Nicholas. Something along the lines of he left Celtic with a big wage bill with players that were never in with a shout yet that he signed and that he threw his toys out the pram when he didn't get his own way....as he said, what does that say about MON after the way he has been back by Randy...

[The Man With A Stick]

Listened to Pat Murphy and Gobby Cabbage on 5L yesterday: they are both in mourning about MON's departure and think the club have been foolish in the extreme.

Lily is one of his old players and Murphy (who was virtually calling Lerner a liar on R5 yesterday morning) always seemed very pally with O'Neill, so I wouldn't lose too much sleep over what they think.

[nechells]

As I see it,the clueless press are playing into our hands-Let them write us off & then anything we achieve will be a bonus.

No pressure on Villa-We're just a selling club who want a "yes" man as manager.

Just nod & politely smile-The longer they have this perception,the better.

[The Man With A Stick]

The press are frustrated because they haven't a clue who the new gaffer's going to be, and probably won't until the press conference starts.  I've got a hunch that we're going to pull someone out of the bag that will take them all by surprise.

[Mister E]

Listened to Pat Murphy and Gobby Cabbage on 5L yesterday: they are both in mourning about MON's departure and think the club have been foolish in the extreme.

Lily is one of his old players and Murphy (who was virtually calling Lerner a liar on R5 yesterday morning) always seemed very pally with O'Neill, so I wouldn't lose too much sleep over what they think.

Yeah I know the heritage of both. Ain't losing sleep over anything. Just thought I'd provide some perspective on the commentary we're getting from journo-land.
Calm down, old timer!

[Toronto Villa]

Listened to Pat Murphy and Gobby Cabbage on 5L yesterday: they are both in mourning about MON's departure and think the club have been foolish in the extreme.

Lily is one of his old players and Murphy (who was virtually calling Lerner a liar on R5 yesterday morning) always seemed very pally with O'Neill, so I wouldn't lose too much sleep over what they think.

A lot of the media can't get close to RL, so it causes them to create stories based on what they perceive him to be and of the situation at the club. It might have helped Randy to have been more open over the past 4 years, but it's not his style. However, this overriding feeling of MON's Aston Villa is something that will take time to get rid of, and his loyal followers won't believe a word against him in that time. I appreciate a lot of what MON did in the 4 years he was here, but WE got our club back yesterday.

[pauliewalnuts]

Listened to Pat Murphy and Gobby Cabbage on 5L yesterday: they are both in mourning about MON's departure and think the club have been foolish in the extreme.

Lily is one of his old players and Murphy (who was virtually calling Lerner a liar on R5 yesterday morning) always seemed very pally with O'Neill, so I wouldn't lose too much sleep over what they think.

A lot of the media can't get close to RL, so it causes them to create stories based on what they perceive him to be and of the situation at the club. It might have helped Randy to have been more open over the past 4 years, but it's not his style. However, this overriding feeling of MON's Aston Villa is something that will take time to get rid of, and his loyal followers won't believe a word against him in that time. I appreciate a lot of what MON did in the 4 years he was here, but WE got our club back yesterday.

Interesting point, t_v.

Pat Murphy has said - and, in fairness, I think he had a point - several times in the past that Randy should speak more to the media, that he has a duty as the custodian of the club to do so.

I think he's too professional to let his opinion of the club be entirely guided by his annoyance at Lerner's reticence, but I do wonder if it may be playing a part.

[hilts_coolerking]

However, this overriding feeling of MON's Aston Villa is something that will take time to get rid of, and his loyal followers won't believe a word against him in that time. I appreciate a lot of what MON did in the 4 years he was here, but WE got our club back yesterday.

You were one of those loyal followers TV.  When you did you realise he wasn't the right man for us?

[paul_e]

In fairness I was one of the people who defended him right up until he left, my reason being that we were improving as a team and a squad in terms of results and football is a results business.  That said as soon as I heard he'd left my mind start going on who to replace him with and what effect it would have on the team.  It was only a few hours later that I realised I wasn't particularly bothered by him leaving, only the timing of it.  I also wouldn't have been upset if he'd stayed.  As many have said, he was the right appointment when he joined and whilst he might have been the wrong man for villa in 2010 the finishing positions for the previous 3 years earned him the right to give it a go, within the restrictions set by the chairman (which I personally back 100%, having a rich guy running the club is ok, but being in the position where his money is irrelevant to the club is better, then it's a case of 'xxx is available so here's £x million to buy him and pay his wages for 4 years').

I'd guess there's a fair few people on here in the same boat, most of whom would've been termed monette's or happy clappers by various anti-mon members of the site.

[pauliewalnuts]

In fairness I was one of the people who defended him right up until he left, my reason being that we were improving as a team and a squad in terms of results and football is a results business.  That said as soon as I heard he'd left my mind start going on who to replace him with and what effect it would have on the team.  It was only a few hours later that I realised I wasn't particularly bothered by him leaving, only the timing of it.  I also wouldn't have been upset if he'd stayed.  As many have said, he was the right appointment when he joined and whilst he might have been the wrong man for villa in 2010 the finishing positions for the previous 3 years earned him the right to give it a go, within the restrictions set by the chairman (which I personally back 100%, having a rich guy running the club is ok, but being in the position where his money is irrelevant to the club is better, then it's a case of 'xxx is available so here's £x million to buy him and pay his wages for 4 years').

I'd guess there's a fair few people on here in the same boat, most of whom would've been termed monette's or happy clappers by various anti-mon members of the site.

The odd thing is, I've never been termed a happy clapper or a monette (unsurprisingly), but bar the first sentence, your post actually describes my standpoint entirely.

I hated the football, but there was no way you could say at any point that he should have been sacked.

[peter w]

They were breathtaking in their ignorance.  But then what would you expect from Oliver Holt, whose paper The Mirror is to football reporting what Gold and Sullivan are to running a football club.

There again, Brian Reade's coloumn in Saturday's Mirror was very anti-MON and saying that he wasmore of a Keegan figure than a Clough mark 2 and was pro the board's stance.

[Pongos hat2]

In fairness I was one of the people who defended him right up until he left, my reason being that we were improving as a team and a squad in terms of results and football is a results business.  That said as soon as I heard he'd left my mind start going on who to replace him with and what effect it would have on the team.  It was only a few hours later that I realised I wasn't particularly bothered by him leaving, only the timing of it.  I also wouldn't have been upset if he'd stayed.  As many have said, he was the right appointment when he joined and whilst he might have been the wrong man for villa in 2010 the finishing positions for the previous 3 years earned him the right to give it a go, within the restrictions set by the chairman (which I personally back 100%, having a rich guy running the club is ok, but being in the position where his money is irrelevant to the club is better, then it's a case of 'xxx is available so here's £x million to buy him and pay his wages for 4 years').

I'd guess there's a fair few people on here in the same boat, most of whom would've been termed monette's or happy clappers by various anti-mon members of the site.

MON's tactical masterplan hit the ceiling 2 years ago. For the last 2 years ago we've been repeatedly banging our heads against an invisible ceiling, at great cost to. 4 years in and the style of play was just as rudimentary and one dimensional as when he first arrived. I said quite a while ago that i hoped he got the Liverpool job because there would be no hiding place for him then from the media spotlight.

If this stuff about him apparently ignoring the calls to cut the wage bill etc is true then what can you say other than he should of been sacked. But then i suspect there would of been outrage which i'm sure he would of been very aware of. Anyway very glad he's gone.

[hawkeye]

However, this overriding feeling of MON's Aston Villa is something that will take time to get rid of, and his loyal followers won't believe a word against him in that time. I appreciate a lot of what MON did in the 4 years he was here, but WE got our club back yesterday.

You were one of those loyal followers TV.  When you did you realise he wasn't the right man for us?

When every body else said so