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

[Toronto Villa]

Sorry Paulie - same thought but I hit send later.

ah the joys of being a miserable Brummie

[ozzjim]

Does that motivation factor come into play though - would Rafa be more driven once appointed than Carlo?

[Mazrim]

How could you prefer somebody who has dnoe ok in this league rather than somebody who was won it?
The players will see that. They wont care how many years hes done and neither do I.

It's more than a PR stunt. If Randy is looking to pay a top manager and seriously back him, I'd want to make sure we're not being used until something better comes along. Hopefully that's not the case but it's something that should be considered.

Who mentioned a PR stunt?
To me its quite simple; hire the best manager you can. Certainly dont consider a hypothetical scenario a couple of years down the line.

[The Situation]

How on earth can people say they think hiring Bentiez as manager would be better than Ancelotti? It's madness.

"Are we appointing a manager or making a statement"... child please. We want to hire the best candidate. Would you still want Benitez over Guardiola?

I know what you mean, and I think (think) I'd prefer Ancelotti, but it's not as simple as you make it sound.

Hire the best candidate, yes, but what are the criteria on which you judge the best candidate?

On the surface, Ancelotti's CV outstrips Rafa's. That's pretty clear. However, although I want CA to get the job, I will admit I have a nagging doubt about how committed he'd be. Benitez, on the other hand, has taken a couple of kicks to the bollocks, and definitely has something to prove. I also suspect this would be reflected in the fact that Benitez would snap our collective arm off to get the job, whereas Ancelotti would take some persuading.

I want us to appoint the best manager we can, and I want him to do well for us, but I also want him to do well over a considerable period of time, to build something. To do that, you have to look deeper at the candidates than a look at their list of trophies.

Yea, I can see where you're coming from.

Obviously we have to consider who would be the best candidate to do the job and that includes different criterias, but when you've got a world class manager like Ancelotti you've got to go out and get him. It's the equivalent of us being in the position to sign a world class player who would vastly improve the team - why wouldn't you want that player?

Yea, I'd like to see some foundations put down and with some managerial stability, I'd like to see a manager come in a buid something special at Villa and I an see where people are coming from when they say Ancelotti might be a long-term appointment because of his reputation and that at some point he might get a more attractive proposal.

Who knows though, only Ancelotti knows what he wants to do in his mind and he'll do what he thinks is best for him - maybe he wants a new challenge and see's Villa as project to work with because he can see our potential?

[paul_e]

Yes the future is important and a long term choice would be ideal but Ancelotti would be such a positive for the club that even if he left after 1-2 years the signal he sent to other managers and players about how big a club we view ourselves to be would be huge.

Losing Barry and Milner and potentially Young is hitting our reputation hard, we really need something to turn that around and we're in a unique position to do that by taking on Ancelotti.

We've done dependable and got regular 6th place finishes.  We've had a transition season with a manager who I believe was trying to play the long game (we'll never know how things could've turned out and this isn't the place to argue it).  Lets turn the excitement up and have someone to manage in the now and make us all believe we've hit the big time.  Benitez or Rijkaard would be the 2nd and 3rd choices for the same reason, but to a lesser extent.

[JJ-AV]

Darren Bent becomes the latest #avfc member of the Carlo Ancelotti appreciation society. See tomorrow's Birmingham Mail for full interview

Bent also reassures fans 'Don't worry about me', insisting he loves #avfc and doesn't want to leave

Kendrick on Twitter

[Mazrim]

Going after the likes of Ancelotti is what we hoped for when Randy arrived.

[The Situation]

Yes the future is important and a long term choice would be ideal but Ancelotti would be such a positive for the club that even if he left after 1-2 years the signal he sent to other managers and players about how big a club we view ourselves to be would be huge.

Losing Barry and Milner and potentially Young is hitting our reputation hard, we really need something to turn that around and we're in a unique position to do that by taking on Ancelotti.

We've done dependable and got regular 6th place finishes.  We've had a transition season with a manager who I believe was trying to play the long game (we'll never know how things could've turned out and this isn't the place to argue it).  Lets turn the excitement up and have someone to manage in the now and make us all believe we've hit the big time.  Benitez or Rijkaard would be the 2nd and 3rd choices for the same reason, but to a lesser extent.

Exactly. If Ancelotti got the job it'd give the club, fans and players lots of belief in achieving our goals we all want to se be achieved.

It would be an inspiring appointment.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

How could you prefer somebody who has dnoe ok in this league rather than somebody who was won it?
The players will see that. They wont care how many years hes done and neither do I.

It's more than a PR stunt. If Randy is looking to pay a top manager and seriously back him, I'd want to make sure we're not being used until something better comes along. Hopefully that's not the case but it's something that should be considered.

Who mentioned a PR stunt?
To me its quite simple; hire the best manager you can. Certainly dont consider a hypothetical scenario a couple of years down the line.

That should save a lot of time on planning.
I recognise a lot of Italian clubs operate this way but generally in the PL, unless you're going to throw countless amounts of money around, it normally takes more than a couple of years to see the real benefits a top class manager can bring. Hopefully Randy and Villa will just be what Anceloitti is looking for after Abramovich and the circus that is Chelsea.

Paulie is right about our reputation needing some work if we are to attract and keep the best players. Those players are only going to be interested in signing for us if the manager has a plan and intends to stick around. Even if you don't see this as important, I'm sure the man holding the purse strings does. The fact that Ancelotti spent 8 years at Milan can only be a good sign not lost on Randy when making his decision.

[eamonn]

The ''hypothetical situations a couple of years down the line should Villa be successful'' actually favour Carlo in terms of longevity at the Villa over Rafa I'd argue. If, as reported, Ancelotti wants to stay in England, it more or less confirms that he's done what he wants to do in Italy. I can't see him managing Inter after being in charge of Milan, he's won almost everything there and at Juve. The only other big job in Italy is up for grabs this summer at Roma and he doesn't seem interested.
Only one of the bigger teams in England would interest Carlo if he did well at Villa and we'd cover ourselves, like Chelsea have apparently done(?), in not allowing him move to a direct competitor straight away.
Whereas Rafa would be understandably tempted by Real should he succeed in his next job.

Can't believe I'm even thinking of this...must lower sights.Repeat: Hughes or McLaren, Hughes or McLaren, Hughes or McLaren....

[eamonn]

But Aston Villa is no fugly Dyna-Rod bloke. More like a famous 80s rock star trying to make a comeback, if only the emo kids and Bieber clones would shut the fuck up for a minute and give us a chance.

*Applause* (as long as we're not Def Leppard)

[Dante Lavelli]

Mark, I agree, but I also think Lerner et al will be thinking the same. An interview is a 2 way thing and I would imagine they would be sussing out whether Ancelotti is in it for the long term. If he is, then jobs a good un.

Or in it for the next two years but there is a contractual obligation to plan a proper succession plan.  Grooming the next manager, building a scouting network, establishing a villa philosophy.  All of which would be left when he leaves.

[ROBBO]

A lot depends on Randys thinking, lets face it trying to get into the top four will take a lot more than bringing more youth through, as we saw last season when we were forced to play youngsters to soon they  lose confidence when not battle hardened.
If it is to be Ancelotti he will need assurance that there is considerable transfer funds available and i'm not talking about 20 million. Someone of his profile will not be happy trading in the bargain basement and will want to bring in top talent, this is a quandry for Randy, how much of a gambler is he?

[Brazilian Villain]

Jesus wept!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/8558313/Steve-McClaren-set-for-Aston-Villa-managers-job-as-Martin-Jol-appears-bound-for-Fulham.html

Let's hope it's ill-informed journalism.

[Risso]

Jesus wept!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/aston-villa/8558313/Steve-McClaren-set-for-Aston-Villa-managers-job-as-Martin-Jol-appears-bound-for-Fulham.html

Let's hope it's ill-informed journalism.

It is.  They have no more clue than the rest of us.