Now Beye in bust up....

[Villa'Zawg]

And while we're at it, how about using a more revelant number for Today's Fabulous Fact, namely the ages of the players O'Neill used prior to running away rather than distorting it with the new breed?

I was responding to Malcolm's assertion that he left us with an ageing squad, not that he had a tendency to use his more experienced players. Feel free to make your own point.

The average age of his first team squad was a lot older than you say it was. Your Fab Facts are as misleading as ever.

That's a new one. Even though that 1st team squad average age table is entirely relevant in relation to the point I was making to Malcolm, my "Fab Facts" are misleading because they didn't answer the question that you've since chosen to pose.

[dave.woodhall]

That's a new one. Even though that 1st team squad average age table is entirely relevant in relation to the point I was making to Malcolm, my "Fab Facts" are misleading because they didn't answer the question that you've since chosen to pose.

No, it's a very old and tedious one. In yet another attempt to defend you-know-who, you picked one figure in isolation and ignored everything else.

He's gone. Left you. He doesn't love you anymore. Get over it - you'll feel a lot happier. 

[Villa'Zawg]

That's a new one. Even though that 1st team squad average age table is entirely relevant in relation to the point I was making to Malcolm, my "Fab Facts" are misleading because they didn't answer the question that you've since chosen to pose.

No, it's a very old and tedious one. In yet another attempt to defend you-know-who, you picked one figure in isolation and ignored everything else.

He's gone. Left you. He doesn't love you anymore. Get over it - you'll feel a lot happier. 

Leaving aside your schoolgirl taunts for moment. The sooner the likes of you and Malcolm stop trying to rewrite history, the sooner I'll be able to stop putting you right.

Malcolm made 3 points.
Useless players? well fuck off with that subjective and offensive nonsense.
Expensive contracts? it's been done to death but our wages are approx half of what the average is for the rest of last seasons top six, so that's bollocks as well.
Ageing players? I didn't know if that was right so I did a google search and posted the table because I thought maybe some others might have been under the same misapprehension as Malcolm

We've gone from one of our best seasons in 20 years to a worse start than the last time we were relegated. The primary reason for that in my opinion isn't the manager, it's that the board decided to not  invest any further in the squad during 2010 and sold our best player, thereby destroying our momentum. Perhaps if you weren't so far up their arse you'd be able to take a more objective and less simplistic view on things.

[eastie]

Villadawg how can you say no Blackburn manager has had the money that they have now- they bought the title under dalglish and spent a fortune on players , shearer, Sutton, batty , sherwood etc!

O neill has gone and good riddance- forget him and give houllier a chance .

[Villa'Zawg]

Villadawg how can you say no Blackburn manager has had the money that they have now- they bought the title under dalglish and spent a fortune on players , shearer, Sutton, batty , sherwood etc!

O neill has gone and good riddance- forget him and give houllier a chance .

I was making a general point that PL managers in the last five years have had more to spend than at any other time, so the argument that O'Neill spent more than any other Villa manager is true but is of no relevance except in relation to what other managers have been spending.

I guess I should have known better than to use Blackburn as an example even though their peak spending at the time was £8m, £2.5m and £12m according to Soccerbase.

My only interest in O'Neill is that we get back to and then improve upon the results he was able to achieve.

[Legion]

I no longer have any interest in O'Neill. I am 110% behind Houllier and firmly believe that he will do better, given tme.

[eamonn]

That's a new one. Even though that 1st team squad average age table is entirely relevant in relation to the point I was making to Malcolm, my "Fab Facts" are misleading because they didn't answer the question that you've since chosen to pose.

No, it's a very old and tedious one. In yet another attempt to defend you-know-who, you picked one figure in isolation and ignored everything else.

He's gone. Left you. He doesn't love you anymore. Get over it - you'll feel a lot happier. 

Leaving aside your schoolgirl taunts for moment. The sooner the likes of you and Malcolm stop trying to rewrite history, the sooner I'll be able to stop putting you right.

Malcolm made 3 points.
Useless players? well fuck off with that subjective and offensive nonsense.
Expensive contracts? it's been done to death but our wages are approx half of what the average is for the rest of last seasons top six, so that's bollocks as well.

Hadn't we established that we've spent more on wages than Spurs in recent times or are we still at daggers drawn over balance sheet entries and where the ''true'' figure is reflected?

[Clampy]

Villadawg how can you say no Blackburn manager has had the money that they have now- they bought the title under dalglish and spent a fortune on players , shearer, Sutton, batty , sherwood etc!

O neill has gone and good riddance- forget him and give houllier a chance .

I no longer have any interest in O'Neill.

It's just a pity a few more did'nt think this way.

[dave.woodhall]

That's a new one. Even though that 1st team squad average age table is entirely relevant in relation to the point I was making to Malcolm, my nullFab Factsnull are misleading because they didn't answer the question that you've since chosen to pose.

No, it's a very old and tedious one. In yet another attempt to defend you-know-who, you picked one figure in isolation and ignored everything else.

He's gone. Left you. He doesn't love you anymore. Get over it - you'll feel a lot happier. 

Leaving aside your schoolgirl taunts for moment. The sooner the likes of you and Malcolm stop trying to rewrite history, the sooner I'll be able to stop putting you right.

Malcolm made 3 points.
Useless players? well fuck off with that subjective and offensive nonsense.
Expensive contracts? it's been done to death but our wages are approx half of what the average is for the rest of last seasons top six, so that's bollocks as well.
Ageing players? I didn't know if that was right so I did a google search and posted the table because I thought maybe some others might have been under the same misapprehension as Malcolm

We've gone from one of our best seasons in 20 years to a worse start than the last time we were relegated. The primary reason for that in my opinion isn't the manager, it's that the board decided to not  invest any further in the squad during 2010 and sold our best player, thereby destroying our momentum. Perhaps if you weren't so far up their arse you'd be able to take a more objective and less simplistic view on things.

And you talk about re-writing history.

I'll support anyone who is working for the good of Aston Villa, which the board continues to do. It's a pity you can't do the same and continue to act like a lovesick teenager who's been dumped by her first boyfriend.

[Lizz]

I no longer have any interest in O'Neill. I am 110% behind Houllier and firmly believe that he will do better, given tme.

That's almost how I feel, apart from an extremely vague curiosity about what MON's doing/going to do. He's gone, he's history.

[BannedUserIAT]

Having someone of MoN's vast footballing experience convincing a group of people with next to no footballing experience would have been, for him, like shooting fish in a barrel. How easy would it have been to wax lyrical about a potential signings technical abilities and how he can be moulded into something worth much to the club and many times it's value in the future. Piece of piss.

As I've said before, Randy's biggest mistake is not having an experienced football man between the manager and the board; someone who would have called into question the amount of money that was spent on players. I'm sure that that someone wouldn't have particularly stopped the signing of, in this instance, Beye, but would certainly have raised alarm bells on the salary on offer.

[hawkeye]

Having someone of MoN's vast footballing experience convincing a group of people with next to no footballing experience would have been, for him, like shooting fish in a barrel. How easy would it have been to wax lyrical about a potential signings technical abilities and how he can be moulded into something worth much to the club and many times it's value in the future. Piece of piss.

As I've said before, Randy's biggest mistake is not having an experienced football man between the manager and the board; someone who would have called into question the amount of money that was spent on players. I'm sure that that someone wouldn't have particularly stopped the signing of, in this instance, Beye, but would certainly have raised alarm bells on the salary on offer.

Troy another sensible post, Randy did make a mistake he trusted MON and the guy shat on him, as DW said above some want to twist the truth to support an arguement that holds no water, Spurs have achieved a lot more with a lower wage structure this has been proved beyond any reasonable doubt and then there is Villadawg

[Dave]

Having someone of MoN's vast footballing experience convincing a group of people with next to no footballing experience would have been, for him, like shooting fish in a barrel. How easy would it have been to wax lyrical about a potential signings technical abilities and how he can be moulded into something worth much to the club and many times it's value in the future. Piece of piss.

But when he turned his first major signing in Ashley Young into a player who did exactly as you outline above, why would they have any reason to doubt him? At least for the next few times, anyway. Considering the impact he and Carew had the season after they signed, I would probably have trusted him as well.

If I gave my financial advisor £1,000 which he turned into £3,000 inside a year I'd probably keep giving him a bit more on the assumption he'd do it again. I'd probably need to get burned a few times before I then thought it was a fluke.

[Villa'Zawg]

That's a new one. Even though that 1st team squad average age table is entirely relevant in relation to the point I was making to Malcolm, my nullFab Factsnull are misleading because they didn't answer the question that you've since chosen to pose.

No, it's a very old and tedious one. In yet another attempt to defend you-know-who, you picked one figure in isolation and ignored everything else.

He's gone. Left you. He doesn't love you anymore. Get over it - you'll feel a lot happier. 

Leaving aside your schoolgirl taunts for moment. The sooner the likes of you and Malcolm stop trying to rewrite history, the sooner I'll be able to stop putting you right.

Malcolm made 3 points.
Useless players? well fuck off with that subjective and offensive nonsense.
Expensive contracts? it's been done to death but our wages are approx half of what the average is for the rest of last seasons top six, so that's bollocks as well.
Ageing players? I didn't know if that was right so I did a google search and posted the table because I thought maybe some others might have been under the same misapprehension as Malcolm

We've gone from one of our best seasons in 20 years to a worse start than the last time we were relegated. The primary reason for that in my opinion isn't the manager, it's that the board decided to not  invest any further in the squad during 2010 and sold our best player, thereby destroying our momentum. Perhaps if you weren't so far up their arse you'd be able to take a more objective and less simplistic view on things.

And you talk about re-writing history.

I'll support anyone who is working for the good of Aston Villa, which the board continues to do. It's a pity you can't do the same and continue to act like a lovesick teenager who's been dumped by her first boyfriend.

I don’t need lessons from you in support or loyalty towards employees and officers of the club thanks. Working for the good of Aston Villa is the minimum requirement and doesn’t preclude having an opinion that they’ve made mistakes or could have done better.

I disagree with the notion that O’Neill is the primary cause of the problems we are facing right now. I think he did a very good job with the resources available and relative to the resources of the clubs we were attempting to compete with. When I read the overly simplistic and often downright incorrect ramblings from one or two of the posters on here, such as Malcolm’s ageing squad – useless players – expensive contracts nonsense, I sometimes feel compelled to put their observations into context.

[dave.woodhall]

If working for the good of Aston Villa is the minimum requirement why do you continue to blindly defend a man who did more damage to the club in one act than anyone else ever has?

I gave up after the start of your second pararaph. Not even you could possibly believe that.