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

[luke95]

Mediocre?

For the past 80 years or so yes.

Club Honours

Yep I stand by my quote , weve been mediocre for the best part of 80 years.

1 league Championship & 1 FACup in the last 80 years.

Sorry if my opinion doesnt sit well but thats how i see Aston Villa . 

You missed a few League Cups and the small matter of a European Cup and Super Cup.

Mediocre?

For the past 80 years or so yes.

Club Honours

Yep I stand by my quote , weve been mediocre for the best part of 80 years.

1 league Championship & 1 FACup in the last 80 years.

Sorry if my opinion doesnt sit well but thats how i see Aston Villa . 

You missed a few League Cups and the small matter of a European Cup and Super Cup.

Man Utd
Liverpool
Arsenal
Chelsea
Spurs
Everton
Man City

Have all won more than us in the last 80 yrs ... Including our Euro Cup & League Cups thankfully otherwise it couldve been more.

I'm not rubbishing what weve won, just stating weve been pretty mediocre since the 1910-20's . over 80 years ago     

[Greg N'Ash]

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet...

Hughes had an open chequebook whilst at Man City, and signed Shaun Wright Phillips and Roque Santa Cruz.

heh! aye. god knows what bobbins he'd line up for us.

[LeeB]

I don't want him, but Hughes keeps reminding me of Ron Saunders for some unfathomable reason. The supporters didn't want him, either.

I can't stand him Dave, but I have to concede I've watched Fulham play a bit this season and every time I've been impressed.

I'd like us to play that way, and I think with better players and a bigger budget Hughes could do a good job.

The dirty, moaning, bitter bastard.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Agreed jonc73! At least on the Moyes/hungry manager thing.
I'd like to see Moyes come to us, if only because I think he'd make the most of what we've already got and have faith in the younger players....it's no good having one of the best academies and not playing them while they're champing at the bit!
Martinez would be good for exactly the reason you say and might bring N'Zogbia with him!
Not McLaren...PLEASE!

[Legion]

So that's 7 teams ahead of us (in your opinion) out of the 92+ and you class us as mediocre?

[Dante Lavelli]

dante

I can't work out whether you are serious, sarcastic or a mixture of the two.

However, I actually think you may have hit on the answer. I am not saying Southgate, although it wouldn't harm.

But if you had Ancelotti as you say as coach, why not do exactly that.

Ancelotti would obviously bring in his own coaching team, so why not Gerard be kept on to do that, with a younger guy - maybe Cowans, maybe McDonald to take it over once they feel comfortable.

I don't admit to knowing a lot about Barca, but when I watched the CL final, isn't that basically how guardiola came up , through the ranks , starting with the youth team, setting out his long term plan, setting up networks where he got the likes of Messi from Argentina, Alves for Brazil etc.. then eventually all progressed together to first team and the rest was history.

And whilst that was going on behind the scenes, barca employed coaches to win in the here and now.

DOn't know the names , but the formula sounds correct

What I have written is what I would like.  The reason I called Southgate an overlord rather than a director of football is that the term Director of Football has negative connotations for most british football fans and so the merits of such a position are instantly dismissed.

I did think Gerrard would be ideal for the overlord role but having two high profile personalities would potentially lead to conflict (houllier vs Ancelotti).  I think the meeker southgate would compliment Ancelloti better.  Initially I would see Ancelotti dictating the club's philosophy but it would be implemented at youth level etc by Southgate. 

When Ancelotti eventually/inevitably left the footballing philosophy would remain at the club through southgate, but another coach would be brought in (or promoted) as first team coach (not southgate, he would be the guy that provides the continuity).

I read an old interview with Houllier the other day and he said his main job at the FFA (second time round) was to coach the coaches.  A manager or coach does not have time to coach the coaches and the players, yet I think it is required.  It's what Barca have done since Cruff and it is what Klinsmann introduced when he was appointed as Germany manager.

I want us to think big, but we need to also plan for the long term.

[holtepaul]

And (although Moyes is my second choice so its a bit or a u-turn) that is the whole point.

Moyes achieved OK with Preston and got the Everton job.

Now I like Moyes, but maybe it could be said Everton employed a 2nd rate manager, and 9 years on, are a mid table side that have won absolutely nothing.

Yet around the same time (maybe 3 yrs before), a team that was always considered a Division 2 side started to have some vision, started to appoint some big names, Hullit, Vialli, (and remember this was before Russians so you cant say it was money) , and went from stregth to strength, because when each manager left, they were in  a better position, and could attract a better manager.

The rest was history.

Maybe its about time we stopped this "amiable liking" for Everton and showed the ambitions of big clubs, we may then become a big club ourselves !

^^^^ just seen above, totally agree, not sure Southgate is the man, but certainly agree with the principle.

Now others , dont shoot me down for being in fairyland, I am only asking out of interest. If you want a dream team that could do this, Ancelloti and Wilkins as manager coach, then a younger guy to work with these in the long term plan - and one that could work with Ancelloti

I have one name - the name Ancelotti wanted with him at Chelsea - but he turned it down, but the role you are talking means he could do it from home, without affecting his family life

PAULO MALDINI !!!!

As I said, think big - I remember seeing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge when they parked cars next to the goal-line - and as I said - Hullit, Vialli, Zola and all was BEFORE Abramovich - so it can be done !

[Legion]

We ARE a big club.

[paul_e]

Ok, lets go with that list, how many of those sides are looking for a manager?

Just Chelsea and Ancelotti clearly isn't on the the list to replace himself so we're still the biggest club in england that are looking for a manager that would be a viable choice for him to join.  Widen the net and include clubs in france, germany, spain and italy that are looking for managers and we're still in the top 3-4 even for the most pessimistic of people.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Great couple of posts there, Paul_e. Absolutely spot on.

[The Situation]

I don't want him, but Hughes keeps reminding me of Ron Saunders for some unfathomable reason. The supporters didn't want him, either.

I can't stand him Dave, but I have to concede I've watched Fulham play a bit this season and every time I've been impressed.

I'd like us to play that way, and I think with better players and a bigger budget Hughes could do a good job.

The dirty, moaning, bitter bastard.

The only time they've been awful when I've seen them play was against us when they got last minute winner. That was football murder how they got away with a point that day. They were woeful for the whole game with us dominating and them doing nothing, up they pop with the last kick of the game and score. I was still seething about that months later.

However, the most fun I've had watching them play was them all but relegating the evil scum.

[KevinGage]

I can see merit in some of the gripes about Hughes based on his track record (lack of honours as a manager, some of the scufflers he had on the books at Blackburn -even if he did inherit a fair few of them).

I don't even have a huge issue with the more irrational dislikes; his Man U connections, his resemblance to Ailsa Stewart and all the rest of it.

But some of the other justifications don't stack up.

Not a big enough name to attract players? He's played for Man U, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea.  And at the last club where he had the finance available to actually sign big names, he didn't seem to have any issues in that regard.

His teams don't play good football? Blackburn had more that their share of thugs, 'tis true. But aside from Savage and Bellamy, he inherited the rest. Truth be told, we could probably do with a few 'orrible barstewards. With better resources though, Man Citeh played a far more expansive game (yet could still dish out the physical stuff when required). His Fulham side have looked more entertaining this year compared to Woy's defensive killjoys. They've even improved on the road.
That shows me he is capable of (a) working with what he has and (b) overseeing a form of progression.

And on a side note, haven't Fulham just qualified for Europe via the Fairplay league? So maybe he's modified his approach in that regard too.

[Toronto Villa]

We ARE a big club.

it's our biggest problem Leeg. So many of our own talk us down so much. We're quick to claim big club status for the Midlands(which in itself is massively small time) but for whatever reason become shrinking violets when we compare ourselves to other clubs.

And in reponse to th new pillock on the block luke 95, what the fuck have Man City done in their entire history that we should be ashamed of? We're one of a select band to win Europe's greatest prize. They've just this minute shown up in the game.

[Greg N'Ash]

Ok, lets go with that list, how many of those sides are looking for a manager?

Just Chelsea and Ancelotti clearly isn't on the the list to replace himself so we're still the biggest club in england that are looking for a manager that would be a viable choice for him to join.  Widen the net and include clubs in france, germany, spain and italy that are looking for managers and we're still in the top 3-4 even for the most pessimistic of people.

that depends if he's looking for an immediate return. I doubt he needs the money so he can afford to wait.

[jonc73]

We're Villa fans, why should we care whether other clubs deserve anything?  Villa fans are, as a group, about as manic-depressive as you could get.  We want to win stuff and all go crazy if anyone at the club dare suggest we can't but then don't  think we're capable of attracting people to the club who will help us to win stuff.

Manic depressive yes-I remember having a heated argument in a pub the day Villa hit the top spot under Gregory.one fan was moaning about the style of football, and then went onto say we were the worst team every to win the European cup.Some people will never be happy.Villa fans I find are largely like England fans who expect a world cup win when we have a terrible tournament record, its unrealistic.

I think Ancelotti would find life at Villa a total anti climax after being at Chelsea, simply because of the money, current quality of players and no Champions league.I don't like that being the case, but in my view it is.It's not being negative but an acceptance of where we are currently, and wanting the best man possible to move Villa up to where we want them to be.