Sunday Supplement Today

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I am as let down as by the manager walking out on us five days before the season, it was very ill thought out we deserved better.  But that still doesn't mean that your overall view should change.  For me the guy has always come accross as a very charming, likeable guy who has done more good than bad for Villa, and one mistake cannot change that.

Ill thought out? I'd say it was completely vindictive on his part.
Obviously MON had his good points, he can be charming and together with Randy Lerner, he certainly helped stablise the club and team. There were some great games, not many but there were some. Often when you're rebuilding, you will reach a stage when despite your effort, you can take it no further as you're not personally equipped to finish the job. MON has certainly put the foundations in and built on them but he's not the man to do the interior design.

Maybe if his relationship with his labourers, Robertson and Walford was not so strong, he could have subcontracted the interior designer himself and finished the job. We'll never know. But now he's gone, downed tools and taken everybody with him. He's left the architect with a big headache but fortunately he's determined to see the project finished. Nothing has changed there. We still need to get rid of some of the shoddy materials and expensive plant hire equipment Martin bought early on for the project and we may end up selling them very cheaply but the project will go on and hopefully will be completed by somebody that really knows what they're doing.

[Villa'Zawg]

I am as let down as by the manager walking out on us five days before the season, it was very ill thought out we deserved better.  But that still doesn't mean that your overall view should change.  For me the guy has always come accross as a very charming, likeable guy who has done more good than bad for Villa, and one mistake cannot change that.

Ill thought out? I'd say it was completely vindictive on his part.
Obviously MON had his good points, he can be charming and together with Randy Lerner, he certainly helped stablise the club and team. There were some great games, not many but there were some. Often when you're rebuilding, you will reach a stage when despite your effort, you can take it no further as you're not personally equipped to finish the job. MON has certainly put the foundations in and built on them but he's not the man to do the interior design.

Maybe if his relationship with his labourers, Robertson and Walford was not so strong, he could have subcontracted the interior designer himself and finished the job. We'll never know. But now he's gone, downed tools and taken everybody with him. He's left the architect with a big headache but fortunately he's determined to see the project finished. Nothing has changed there. We still need to get rid of some of the shoddy materials and expensive plant hire equipment Martin bought early on for the project and we may end up selling them very cheaply but the project will go on and hopefully will be completed by somebody that really knows what they're doing.

Sooner or later you're going to realise the bank have pulled the plug on the developers. Some money will probably be spent on draught excluders and emulsion but your interior designers have had their contract cancelled.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

You wish! A 10 tonne mixer full of ready made excuses to hide the shoddy workmanship.

[brian green]

The drift of this thread has become an assertion by some that many of us have turned on Martin O'Neill entirely and exclusively because he walked out on the club in an act of premeditated spite.   That is far from the case.   My view on Martin O'Neill has been constant for over two years.   I believe his ability is overrated.   I think he is an opportunist.   I think he cultivated the media spin with regard to the Brian Clough connection and have never seen any real or proven similarity between O'Neill and Clough.

The magnetic north to which the O'Neill compass will always be drawn is the question could what he has done for Villa have been done by any competent manager given the change of ownership after the Ellis years and the massive financial investment by the new owner?  If you consider top six finishes by teams on their knees in the last weeks of the season, a League Cup final and an FA Cup semi final a rich harvest by a football genius, go up the Holt end.   If you think is is little better than one might expect come up this end with Mr Woodhall and the substantial numbers of us for whom the timing and the manner of the diva's departure was no more than the final proof of General Krulak's observation that Martin O'Neill thought he was too good for us.   Hadn't his friends in the media always told him so?

[eamonn]

No I was asked to name examples of us playing well, not to name every game we played well in.  Surely the fact we were competive in most matches against the big four, and had a great team sprit thoughout his reign is another positive. 

I just don't get what more people expected in four seasons, I don't see anyone saying Moyles has done an evenge job at Everton, he's been there longer and with the execption of the one year they finished fourth Everton have done no better than us in that time.

You were asked for examples of us playing well at home - three of the five you mentioned were away, counter-attacking successes. You're right about the Arsenal home game in Dec '07, possibly our finest performance under O'Neill in fact, but why couldn't we play with that purpose and fluidity on a consistent basis at Villa Park under MON?

As regards Everton, didn't they pip us to 5th a couple of times? They also got to the final of the FA Cup, which trumps our Carling Cup final appearance.

[django]

whatever good he did will always have to be judged against the way he left us.

Bit harsh, he is free to do whatever he likes and i don't see how that changes his achievements. I am grateful for his efforts even if i'm not sorry he's left.
He couldn't achieve the levels we wanted but it would have been an amazing achievement if he had so as i see it there's no shame in that. He seems like an honourable bloke, i can only imagine things got on top of him and he no longer felt the stresses and challenges involved were worth it. Seems fair enough to me. We move on, good luck to him.

[Mazrim]

Can we get back to insulting that Cock mitten Oliver Holt please?

[Hookeysmith]

Agreed

Holt is a tosser of the highest order - i get to see the press a lot at VP and i cannot remember a time when he was actually at the ground - but that can be said for a lot of so called football writers

[brian green]

I have always though Holt's mother is a rubbish actress.   I think that is about as fair and relevant as his criticism of us in general and the General in particular.

[Mazrim]

So his mum is Emily Bishop from Coronation Street?
Wow, cool...

Tosser.

[pauliewalnuts]

Well Wigan away second half two years ago, we were outstanding in the wins at Liverpool and Man Utd, played very well in the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in December 2007, and the thrashing of the blues also.

So, that's two excellent home performances in two years, and one of those was against the knuckledraggers.

[Brend'Watkins]

So his mum is Emily Bishop from Coronation Street?
Wow, cool...

Tosser.

You would think that with KM having the nick name "Albert" after Albert Tatlock.  Albert Tatlock being related to Ken or Deirdre, I'm not sure which.... and with Emily Bishop up the arse of Ken and Deirdre that Holt might be a bit more "Is there anything I can do to help" rather than this anti Villa stance he appears to be taking.

[Concrete John]

Here's a question; is our profile with the media, or lack thereof, damaging to the club?

I'm always concerned that player recruitment can be hindered by the prevailing view of Villa that they put out, as players will be influeneced by this.

[Mazrim]

I'd hope that players were a bit smarter than to buy into what some hacks dream up.

[Concrete John]

I'd hope that players were a bit smarter than to buy into what some hacks dream up.

I think I can spot a flaw in your argument....