Who Should be Aston Villa Manager ? Now with new, revised poll

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Appointing Hughes just says: "We are a club with limited ambition. We are happy to just bob around mid-table, have the odd cup run and avoid relegation."

Isn't that the reality of the situation though?
Young going and Downing with one eye on the exit door doesn't help.

The proud history, bright future line was a load of marketing bollocks anyway.

Four years ago the champions league was a realistic ambition , now though with the money at man city , and the gates at utd, arsenal and chelseas cash it is only a pipedream and unrealistic without massive investment to expect anything other than europa league at best.

Yep.
I think we had our best chances in the three 6th seasons under MON, but blew it every time.

[Oscar Arce]

Hughes was desperate to get the job last time, his assistant Bowen, who comes with him everywhere, still lives in Solihull and he's available.
I hope Randy will not take this easy option.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Hughes was desperate to get the job last time, his assistant Bowen, who comes with him everywhere, still lives in Solihull and he's available.
I hope Randy will not take this easy option.

Bowen who was second in command at The Dog shit.

[Jimbo]

I understand the stability argument with Hughes, but he'd be joining us after less than a year at Fulham. So, if he's wildly successful at Villa, why does anyone think he'd be likely to stay with us if a bigger club came knocking? The answer probably lies in the 'wildly successful' bit. He probably won't be. So, stability, mediocrity, call it what you like - that's what we'd probably have to look forward to with Hughes.

Not so sure.  We're in that '2nd tier' of clubs, along with Everton, Spurs and now Liverpool, chasing the CL places.  If one of those jobs comes available he won't be in the reckoning, like for instance he's not been talked about in relation to Chelsea.  Similar to MON, he, and Moyes for that matter, wouldn't get a bigger club, so I wouldn't fear him walking.   

I think the point I'm trying to make is that we'd get stability without the hope of any great achievement. We know he isn't going to crash the Champions League, or win the domestic cup double, and therefore we know nobody bigger will be busting a gut to sign him. We could be heading for a period of stability with no troughs, but no peaks either. This may be where the club is happy to be, but will the fans be happy with that? Judging by the responses on here, as usual, some would be and some wouldn't. 

[mazrimsbruv]

Put yourselves in the shoes of Randy right now

I'm in Randy's shoes right now (they're quite comfy actually)...I'm going for David Moyes or Carlo Ancellotti

[saunders_heroes]

What has Hughes ever done a a manager to warrant us chasing him? This next appointment is a statement of intent from Villa. It's not like Houllier's appointment when we were landed in the lurch by O'Neil, we knew this one was coming the moment Houllier became ill. If in all this time Hughes is the only name they could come up with, then God help us - it's mid table mediocrity for the foreseeable future under Lerner.
I just don't get this infatuation with Mark Hughes. The man has done nothing as a manager.

[mazrimsbruv]

The proud history, bright future line was a load of marketing bollocks anyway.

Was it?


Oh...

[saunders_heroes]

Put yourselves in the shoes of Randy right now

I'm in Randy's shoes right now (they're quite comfy actually)...I'm going for David Moyes or Carlo Ancellotti

Agreed!

[dave.woodhall]

I think Moyes will go for the O'Neill at Leicester approach and turn down offers he thinks aren't good enough for him, thereby building up this persona of the king in waiting for THE job.

[NeilH]

We’ve been football’s Ken Barlow as long as most of us have been fans, barring a wonderful blip from ’77 to ’82. I see no evidence to suggest we are going to alter that right now by speculating on Ancelotti and I would not blame the board for doing it. Sure some of our fans will be spitting chips if Hughes comes in and they will tear of their renewal forms in protest, but I suspect most will shrug their shoulders, accept that this is how it is with Villa and hand over the credit card for another year. Come next season we’ll have some high moments and probably around Xmas a view low points, but we’ll end up somewhere between 6th and 10th place and we’ll all still be here.

[mazrimsbruv]

BUT there's no way Mark Hughes would see a move to Villa as 'bobbing along' and avoiding relegation. It would be the big job he's craved since City dumped on him. He's fiercely ambitious and he'd have bigger plans for us than treading water. There's no way he'd walk in through the door and claim 'Villa belong 8th-12th in the PL', as GH did when he arrived. He'd be targeting top six - and up.

My post was a reflection of Aston Villa's ambition if Hughes is appointed, not the ambition of Mark Hughes. I couldn't give a toss what his ambitions are or might be. He might believe Villa belong in the top six, he might have bigger plans for us than 8th to 12th, (he might have plans for his missus and the Au Pair to deep-throat him every morning before he goes to work), but what he will achieve with us is 8th to 12th place.

And what is all this gubbins about him being able to attract players? It was money that attracted big name signings to Wastelands, not Mark Hughes. I just don't see this appointment inspiring anyone - fans, players, sponsors - anyone.

[Irreverent ad]

We’ve been football’s Ken Barlow as long as most of us have been fans, barring a wonderful blip from ’77 to ’82. I see no evidence to suggest we are going to alter that right now by speculating on Ancelotti and I would not blame the board for doing it. Sure some of our fans will be spitting chips if Hughes comes in and they will tear of their renewal forms in protest, but I suspect most will shrug their shoulders, accept that this is how it is with Villa and hand over the credit card for another year. Come next season we’ll have some high moments and probably around Xmas a view low points, but we’ll end up somewhere between 6th and 10th place and we’ll all still be here.

Genius!

[eastie]

I think Moyes will go for the O'Neill at Leicester approach and turn down offers he thinks aren't good enough for him, thereby building up this persona of the king in waiting for THE job.

Maybe dave but i think he will be dissappointed if he thinks oldtrafford will come calling , there are are far bigger and more successful managers who would be ahead of him when fergie retires, and id expect united to go for a top name experienced manager with plenty of champions league success.

[midnite]

We need a man that can build structure to the club. Reform the players and build up from the bottom. A manager that wants to involve the youth academy. Has a way of developing football.

The more I think about it I'm not sure ancelloti is the answer. He's not that type of manager. This is a bit of a u turn for me as I even voted for him on the above poll. Houllier is the right type of man for the job that's ahead. So if he isn't able to continue we need someone from a similar mold. Hughes also isn't that man. Martinez or moyes are more the type of managers for that kind of role we need at the club. Is Martinez up for such a big step up in management and the expectation around villa park? I don't know. I probably isn't quite yet but he's smart and will learn quick. Moyes could come in do a steadying of the ship straight away, get things pointing in the right direction and then build upon things from there. Moyes seems to have a good eye for talent and not afraid to blood the youngsters.  he has worked really well on limited resources at everton and maybe can open up more with bigger and better facilities.

It's a hard job for the board. I don't envy them in the slightest. That is of course if houllier is leaving.

[mazrimsbruv]

As a general comment why has everyone thrown the towel in on getting into the top four? The gap from 5th to 4th (which 5 years ago was about 20 points and shed load of goal difference) is now smaller than it's been for a decade or more.

You can't just give up. We didn't know 2 years ago that Arsenal were going to falter, but we were in a position to profit from it when they did.

I don't like to hold Redknapp up as an example (God knows, I can't stand the dog-faced gimp) but he's right when he says you have to go for the top four every season if you're a club like Tottenham, otherwise what are you playing at? Spurs are no bigger than Villa, so the same appiles to us.

You can't just keep letting your best players leave and making 'safe' managerial appointments.

And if you think we can't be relegated under Mark Hughes then you're wrong.