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

[Mazrim]

van Gaal was AZ Alkmaar's manager for fuck's sake. How likely is it he would think we're unworthy?

[Greg N'Ash]

yep, i'd have been happier if GH had been shifted upstairs as DOF with Martinez handling the coaching. As it is, I hope to god he realises what he's taking on if he comes or he could be in deep shit come christmas

[Maradona10]

He played for AZ Alkmaar as a player.

[murgsy]

van Gaal was AZ Alkmaar's manager for fuck's sake. How likely is it he would think we're unworthy?

...but he isn't coming fro AZ now...look at the caliber of players he worked with at Bayern. Look at us now.

Most of these guys seem happier to wait for a 'bigger' job

[andyh]

How many fans will turn up at Villa park to welcome RM ?
Not many, I suspect.   

[The Situation]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but did we actually have talks with Benitez and is the talk of transfer budget being too small a load of bullcrap?

[Mazrim]

van Gaal was AZ Alkmaar's manager for fuck's sake. How likely is it he would think we're unworthy?

...but he isn't coming fro AZ now...

Correct. He's unemployed.

[pauliewalnuts]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but did we actually have talks with Benitez and is the talk of transfer budget being too small a load of bullcrap?

I find that whole SSN story really hard to believe.

According to them, we had talks with Benitez yesterday AND they know why the talks failed? How on earth would they get that amount of detail?

All smacks of bullshit to me.

[cb]

In 1996, when Arsenal were hunting about for a manager and they hired some guy from Grampus 8, I remember everyone saying "Arsene Who?!"... I have long said that what we need to find is the new Wenger. Someone who can find large numbers of unheralded quality players, who we can buy on the cheap and sell for large profits, which can be reinvested in the side to progress. Only by taking this approach can we hope to break the top four. Randy is wealthy and supportive, but he cannot compete with the oil billions currently floating about the PL. I agree Martinez is a gamble (maybe even a huge punt), but he at least has that potential to be the next Wenger, so I'd be prepared to give him a chance. Much has been said about the "safe pair of hands" options, like Hughes et al. But we have to remember where these type of options have lead to before. Inevitably 6th and the glass ceiling that is the CL places. I at least want someone, who I can at least imagine breaking through that barrier. I think Martinez plays a brand of football, which I think becomes more potent, the higher the standard you play at, so I can at least see why Randy might take this approach. It is a gamble and he may not yet have a great statistical record, but football isn't played on paper. I think this is one which could be either inspirational or very poor, which bizarrely I'm ok with. I am at least intrigued as to how it might turn out...

[Mazrim]

SSN= Pretty ladies telling you porky pies. All night, all day.

[The Situation]

Sorry if this question has already been asked, but did we actually have talks with Benitez and is the talk of transfer budget being too small a load of bullcrap?

I find that whole SSN story really hard to believe.

According to them, we had talks with Benitez yesterday AND they know why the talks failed? How on earth would they get that amount of detail?

All smacks of bullshit to me.

Yea, it's really confused me too. One source says one thing and another source says another thing. I also remember SSN jumping straight on the bandwagon of 'Hughes to Villa' - then a few hours later its confirmed we're not interested.

MM said earlier that Benitez not being happy with transfer budget was laughable or something like that.

Who knows.

[MoetVillan]

Is that SSN or Babestation?

[CJ]

Can't say I'm over the moon about Martinez - had hoped for a 'bigger' name to help retain and attract better players and I'm not convinced he'll be able to do that.

I do wonder who is advising Randy on choice of manager, with neither him or Faulkner being 'football men'. While I'm pleased that to some extent fan feedback may have contributed to the non-appointment of McClaren, I'm concerned that they appear to be looking only at managers with previous PL experience and not looking at the likes of van Gaal, Flores, Balague or Boas. I won't pretend to know a lot about the relative merits of those managers, but limiting their field to previous PL experience reminds me uncomfortably of a certain recent manager's transfer policy.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

The Wenger/Martinez comparisons are completely out of whack.

[pauliewalnuts]

In 1996, when Arsenal were hunting about for a manager and they hired some guy from Grampus 8, I remember everyone saying "Arsene Who?!"... I have long said that what we need to find is the new Wenger. Someone who can find large numbers of unheralded quality players, who we can buy on the cheap and sell for large profits, which can be reinvested in the side to progress. Only by taking this approach can we hope to break the top four. Randy is wealthy and supportive, but he cannot compete with the oil billions currently floating about the PL. I agree Martinez is a gamble (maybe even a huge punt), but he at least has that potential to be the next Wenger, so I'd be prepared to give him a chance. Much has been said about the "safe pair of hands" options, like Hughes et al. But we have to remember where these type of options have lead to before. Inevitably 6th and the glass ceiling that is the CL places. I at least want someone, who I can at least imagine breaking through that barrier. I think Martinez plays a brand of football, which I think becomes more potent, the higher the standard you play at, so I can at least see why Randy might take this approach. It is a gamble and he may not yet have a great statistical record, but football isn't played on paper. I think this is one which could be either inspirational or very poor, which bizarrely I'm ok with. I am at least intrigued as to how it might turn out...

Wenger had won the French League, had finished second three times, the French Cup and had got to the Cup Winners Cup final. I appreciate that there are managers around with better pedigree than that, but it knocks two 16th places with Wigan into a cocked hat.

Incidentally, those quality players Wigan signed, the Figueroas, Rodallega, N'Zogbia, that lot - they weren't signed by Martinez, they were signed by Bruce.

We might as well get Bruce if those are our parameters.