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

[pauliewalnuts]

He took Hleb and Bentley there and ... then what? What did he get out of that pair?

I appreciate the need to keep an open mind, and I am not going to be throwing abuse at the guy, regardless, but I fail to see how, 563 pages into this thread, appointing McLeish is anything but a desperate last throw of the dice for a board who have been flapping like a fish on a rod for two weeks, totally out of their depth.

If you'd have said this when GH left, you'd have got laughed out of town, and for good reason.

[CJ]

NOT sure what all the fuss is about tbf
they will interview Alex Mccleish as a point of course , rule him out and appoint Mark Hughes on the 1st July

I wish - and I'd happily run with that but.....

*drowning man clutching at straws emoticon*

[garyshawsknee]

We can forget about conceding too many. Unfortunately, that defensive wall of 11 players means we can also forget about scoring any.

long balls for Bent and Gabby to chase?

I think the defence will be markedly better. Like everyone I have major concerns about the rest, but he'll have arguably the best forward he's ever coached so you have to think he'll look to get him the ball as much as possible. One would hope anyway.

I want to hear what he says, and where he starts to use player like Bannan, Makoun, Bradley and kids like Gardener and Hogg. He'll need to bring in a star player or two though to calm the masses, because the first few weeks are going to be rough seas

That's a good point,if he makes a couple of meh signings,the pressure will rise even more,even before a balls been kicked. Not sure if he'll go for blues players,could add fuel to the flames,and their board will only wanna rip us off.

[Claret trim]

There is one thing I don’t get in all of this…

So you’re a board member of a company, with some really difficult news to break to your stakeholders.

Let’s say, to overcome economic difficulties, you’ve decided to shrink headcount by 10% and discontinue an unprofitable activity that was nevertheless appreciated by its few clients.

The news of your intentions leaks partially into the public domain.

How do you handle it? Do you make no comment or something along the lines of “we’re certainly examining every avenue in determining the best way forwards”, allowing bad will to fester and leaving your clients mired in uncertainty?

Or do you get it all out of the way asap and upfront, take the sting and move on?

[The Laughing Policeman]

I never thought it was possible for 40,000 people all to have exactly the same nightmare simultaneously.

[Merv]

I'm doing my best to keep an open mind about this.

Me too, but it's hard work. I've lost the will to discuss this at length but what I will say is that this would be a truly amazing appointment: it's already creating an explosive atmosphere, and all this for a manager with a mixed - and that's being generous - record in the PL. McLeish faces an uphill battle to convince many Villa fans, and he'll be absolutely hated by a good many Blues fans as well; I can imagine his life being pretty difficult for a while.

All in all, it's a highly controversial decision by the Villa board and I'm totally stunned they've even taken things this far.

[Surrey Villain]

There's no way we'll get Foster now, unless he has a clause in his contract something like he can leave if the club is relegated or another club offers £5m.

[Concrete John]

Sky Sports earlier claimed that the estimated figure of replacing Houllier with Mcleish would be £20 million.

 This includes all the money paid to Houllier and his backroom staff. It also includes the money that will be paid to Birmingham City for there relegated manager.

 To put it into context. All the money we recieve for the Ashley Young fee will go into making Alex Mcleish our new manager.

Thats a quote from somebody else on another forum , it just makes me sick thinking more and more about it

Will it bollocks.  OK, we had to pay off Gezza to the tune of £4-5m, but McLeish had good grounds to walk out, so we should be able to successfully defend any compensation claim.

[Surrey Villain]

I'm doing my best to keep an open mind about this.

Me too, but it's hard work. I've lost the will to discuss this at length but what I will say is that this would be a truly amazing appointment: it's already creating an explosive atmosphere, and all this for a manager with a mixed - and that's being generous - record in the PL. McLeish faces an uphill battle to convince many Villa fans, and he'll be absolutely hated by a good many Blues fans as well; I can imagine his life being pretty difficult for a while.

All in all, it's a highly controversial decision by the Villa board and I'm totally stunned they've even taken things this far.

He'll need the General and an army outside his heavily-fortified house in Sutton Coldfield.

[mazrimsbruv]

The people who defaced the wall of Bodymoore Heath are mindless idiots, it's looking more and more likely that McLeish could be our new manager I will continue to give one million per cent support to whoever is in charge because I love my club Aston Villa we have to pull together whichever manager we get even if some people don't like it the club is bigger than any person but spraying graffiti on the walls is really not the right thing to do.

Trying to moralise about this is utterly pointless. There was a simple way to avoid it happening: Don't tell your fans their opinions are irrelevant and set about hiring a shit manager from Small Heath.

The Board might as well have have graffittied it themselves, it was so inevitable. Are you all going to sit there at VP next season tutting and shaking your heads whilst so called 'idiots' boo the manager, rip up their season tickets and throw them in his face, deface his car etc and be satisfied that you hold the moral high ground?

Where is your indignation at the Board's utter contempt for their fans or their jettisoning of all common sense and determination to prove that they will not bow to fan pressure?

This is only the tip of the iceberg and it is avoidable. Randy - aim the shotgun away from your foot. Put the safety catch on. Put the gun down.

[The Situation]

Paying £5.4 million for McLeish as manager is the equivalent of paying £5.4 million for Keith Fahey.

[Dave P]

Paying £5.4 million for McLeish as manager is the equivalent of paying £5.4 million for Keith Fahey.

That will be next week.

[Fuse]

Personally I am appalled at this appointment for two reasons. Firstly the style football that McLeish favours and his poor record in England, however my real sickness about it is what it says about Randy Lerner and his plans for Aston Villa.

Mazrim hit on it earlier in that I truly believe that Randy wants out and I predict we will see a fire sale of all f the best players at the club. Young, Bent, Downing, Gabby, Delph, Albrighton & Clarke will all be sold over the next 12 months allowing Lerner to trouser the best part of £100m to recoup money he has spent since he came here. He will then put the club up for sale. I think it is case of damage limitation for him now and with the appointment of MCLeish he has a manager who will work under those conditions. I honestly think Lerner has given up.

Why else would he be showing such ignorance and contempt for the fanbase?

I am rapidly coming to the same conclusion!

Eh? I said no such thing.

Sorry mate but did you not say you thought Randy wanted out earlier in the thread? Apolgoes if I got the wrong man if so.

[caster troy]

Trying to moralise about this is utterly pointless. There was a simple way to avoid it happening: Don't tell your fans their opinions are irrelevant and set about hiring a shit manager from Small Heath.

The Board might as well have have graffittied it themselves, it was so inevitable. Are you all going to sit there at VP next season tutting and shaking your heads whilst so called 'idiots' boo the manager, rip up their season tickets and throw them in his face, deface his car etc and be satisfied that you hold the moral high ground?

Where is your indignation at the Board's utter contempt for their fans or their jettisoning of all common sense and determination to prove that they will not bow to fan pressure?

This is only the tip of the iceberg and it is avoidable. Randy - aim the shotgun away from your foot. Put the safety catch on. Put the gun down.

100% agree, sums up my feelings very well.

[ozzjim]

His first 2-3 signings will be crucial. If they are top players then he will get a bit of time. If they are shit, then he will be hounded from the first whistle.