How would you feel if we appointed Steve McClaren?

[citizenDJ]

An Arsenal fan I work with made a very good point about employing McLaren - he reckons Villa fans are simply scared that they will have a wave of micky-taking from rivals they cannot respond to until he achieves something.

The majority of comments here are about the accent and umbrella thing - his footballing record seems secondary to the argument so maybe the Gooner has something?

I would say he probably does.

McClarens managerial record, then, is very hit and miss. The triumph in Holland shouldn't be overlooked, and neither should the League Cup and Uefa Final - in fact I would say they're quite impressive, really. I don't know much about the Wolfsburg situation beyond the general perception that he made a tart of it, but perhaps wasn't afforded much time there. That's a chunk of experience for a manager there, which you would hope has served to make him wiser.

Then there is Middlesborough's league performance. I don't recall it being overly impressive at all, and of course we can all recall the season ticket being hurled at him. They were always a passing team under him, I think, and he did have some good players, albeit at a considerable cost.

It's a mixed bag, but there is enough there to make him worth considering (assuming he is against the likes of Hughes, Moyes, Martinez etc).

[ClarrieBlue]

I've just been outside and there are lots of grown men walking round under umbrellas. That's not to say I want him though.

[Slaphead]

If England had done well then the umbrella would have been a fashion symbol just like Mourinho's coat.

[achilles]

An Arsenal fan I work with made a very good point about employing McLaren - he reckons Villa fans are simply scared that they will have a wave of micky-taking from rivals they cannot respond to until he achieves something.

The majority of comments here are about the accent and umbrella thing - his footballing record seems secondary to the argument so maybe the Gooner has something?

Theres a lot in this I feel and I think that he is just an easy target before he even potentially starts to manage the Villa.

[SashasGrandad]

Whatever his record - he is still and experienced manager and coach. If he is keen to prove himself again in the Premiership and learn from the mistakes he has made in the past, then he might be worth a try. There does not seem to be a long queue offering their services.

[TopDeck113]

I might be alone, but were I ever in the situation where I was wearing an expensive suit and it was pissing down with rain, I too would put up an umbrella.

It can only be the money-is-no-object world of top professional football that not wanting to ruin hundreds of pounds worth of Armani tailoring is considered worthy of derision.

[Meanwood Villa]

An Arsenal fan I work with made a very good point about employing McLaren - he reckons Villa fans are simply scared that they will have a wave of micky-taking from rivals they cannot respond to until he achieves something.

The majority of comments here are about the accent and umbrella thing - his footballing record seems secondary to the argument so maybe the Gooner has something?

Theres a lot in this I feel and I think that he is just an easy target before he even potentially starts to manage the Villa.

That's partly the problem though, McLaren has such a poor reputation in this country, rightly or wrongly, that he isn't the strong, uniting figure we probably need right now. There are going to be a sizeable minority of fans who are against him from day one so he'd really need to hit the ground running to get people off his back. This doesn't do anyone any good, it just ratchets up the pressure. Think of previous appointments, BFR, MON, Sir Brian, even DOL to an extent, broadly popular (at the time of getting the job) which means they were given the benefit of the doubt for longer than Houllier, for example. I think McLaren would be given even shorter shrift than Gerard if things don't go well immediately.
Of course whether owners should take this into consideration and make more informed decisions looking at a longer term view than emotional fans is another matter entirely.

[ClarrieBlue]

I think Achilles makes a good point. I don't want SM because I don't feel he has the right credentials for the job. There are loads of comments and threads on H&V today about the raw deal we are currently getting from the media re the managers job. Lots of people are saying that we should ignore the biased coverage and they're probably right. So that makes the press right about SM but wrong about us does it. I don't reckon we can have it both ways folks.

PS:- I'm just about to take the dog for a walk now where's that brolly..................

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

No more need to be concerned.

He's going to Forest.

[Chris Harte]

I wonder what all the forum-dwellers who reportedly put RL off hiring McClaren think now McLeish is very short odds for the job?

[Dave P]

How would I feel if we got McLaren ?  A damn sight better then if we got McLeish.

[villa1]

How would I feel if we got McLaren ?  A damn sight better then if we got McLeish.

My thoughts exactly!

He's looking more appealing by the day!

[achilles]

I wonder what all the forum-dwellers who reportedly put RL off hiring McClaren think now McLeish is very short odds for the job?

That is being utterly ridiculous, NOBODY could be that stupid!

[Chris Harte]

I wonder what all the forum-dwellers who reportedly put RL off hiring McClaren think now McLeish is very short odds for the job?

That is being utterly ridiculous, NOBODY could be that stupid.

Time will tell.

If I'm not being utterly ridiculous I'll expect lines from you - 100 "Somebody CAN be that stupid", should suffice

[achilles]

I wonder what all the forum-dwellers who reportedly put RL off hiring McClaren think now McLeish is very short odds for the job?

That is being utterly ridiculous, NOBODY could be that stupid.

Time will tell.

If I'm not being utterly ridiculous I'll expect lines from you - 100 "Somebody CAN be that stupid", should suffice

If and if that happens I will send your request onto the general!