How do you feel about Alex McLeish being the next manager?

[UsualSuspect]

If we'd said when Houllier got ill that our new manager would be McLeish, the reaction would have been utter disbelief, and for good reason.

It's all very well saying give him a chance - as if we'd have a choice.

If they think that two relegations in three years plus football so negative it was derided throughout the league is the answer, then proud history, bright future looks dead in the water to me.

Seconded

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Having slept on it, I'm not completely against McLeish. I'd put him in the same catagory as MON, Hughes and the so in-demand Moyes. It would be a risk and he'll have no honeymoon but I think he could certainly get us to the same level as either Hughes or Moyes could. Ideally, I'd have preferred to go with somebody like Van Gaal, a wealth of experience that could organise and move the club in the right direction. I think it's very shortsighted of the board to restrict the search to managers with PL experience.

As for McLeish, it's near impossible to judge him from histime at the Rags. Ask yourself what would MON, Hughes or Moyes acheived there with their circus owners and dwindling support? Not much more is the honest answer.

Does he play crap football? I've heard this many times on here but every time I've seen the Rags play, I've been surprised how they knock it about, at least until the ball gets up front. Admittedly up front they've been crap and so it's no surprise they've scored so few. I wouldn't see that as a problem with ourselves.

Motivation. His teams, like MON's, always seem to give their all. It can't be easy motivating players at a club like the Rags where their fans hardly help and have an away following that could half fill a coach. They really are a poxy little club and their players must know it.

My biggest concern is with transfers. Whilst I think he did a brilliant job getting both Hart and Foster in, not to mention that little shit Carr, who he picked up for nothing and has always given 100%, when given money he signed bloody Zigic. Dann and Johnson were good signings but like MON, I doubt he has an European scouting network in place.

Yes he relegated the Rags but with such a poor squad, no decent striker and losing Barry Ferguson, their only decent midfielder, it was always going to be a struggle. I don't expect him to be an overnight success but long term, I do think he could do a job, certainly as well as Hughes or Moyes. The only real issue is could he from Day 1 identify the players needed for the coming season. I really hope the board that thought it through. McLeish is a decent man, who certainly is better than that mob down the road deserve, I'm just not sure he could hit the ground running if he was named Villa manager.

[ktvillan]

Last season Blues were in a decent enough position when they wont he cup. Dann and a couple of others got injured, and they lost all semblence of form. He has could argue that his hands were being tied badly by the owners too. My friend who is a season ticket holder near where Pannu sits says game in game out he in continually on to the bench during a game and if Eck ignores him is seen stood up waving his arms to make subs etc, while Eck gives him pelters from the touchline. If it happens, he will have a much clearer run. If that was Krulak then the board are intenting to back him too. Listening to his chief scout who the board at Blues made the scapegoat for relegation, they were awful to work for. They had 3-4 almost signed last season - Pavlychenko, N'Zogbia etc then the board pulled the plug and said they were too dear when discussing personal terms. They then had a really short space of time to get in replacements and ended up with loans they didn't want and Zigic, who McLeish apparently was not sold on either.

His signings have been decent in comparison to Martinez for example. With more resources he may be a bit more expansive, I would think he would go in for the likes of N'Zogbia again. Players seems to like him too. I am trying to look on the flip side. I don't want him, but at the same time it is time to start looking at it rationally. Our biggest weakness is defensively being as loose as Jordan in a night club. We already have Bent, who will stay next season regardless and will score 15-20 league goals for a start. 2 wide forwards with him, Albrighton and say N'Zogbia, and we will score a lot more than Blues did. Foster and Dann at the back might be helpful. I am trying.

That's a good post Ozzjim and food for thought.  Woukd still  prefer a different manager though.

[eastie]

Let's see who he brings in pre season and how he sets up the side- defensively we were awful last season- he will sort that out and we have far more quality up front with bent a natural finisher , if he can get creativity in midfield we may be pleasantly surprised.

It may not be free flowing football but we will be hard to beat and he will have more resources than at blues to attrAct better players- there is a lot of transfer activity needed and I will be interested in what kind of targets he goes for.

It may well be that he can't go back to blues for the likes of Johnson and foster , but if he can they would be good additions.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Having slept on it, I'm not completely against McLeish.

I've slept on it Mark and i'm even more anti than yesterday.
Two relegations + 10-0-0 football = disaster for us.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I can honestly see no good side to this at all.
I've looked for positives, there are none.

Those that are trying make it sound better, you're just putting bay windows on a shithouse.

[Le Lapin]

Alex McLeish, if appointed, will signal the end of the optimism that has infused the club since Randy came on board.
We will be working the young lads coming through, the likes of Bent and Downing will be off, why should they stay when they see no progression.
But despite all that, we can start again, build up a team from a few signings and with the likes of Gabby, Collins, Delph, Clarke and Albrighton and the some of the lads that might come through.
As long as agent Ridgewell stays where he is I will have to deal with abject dissapointment. It's not ideal, but if it happens there is nothing we can do about it. Maybe Alex McLeish will the man to grow with the team and build up something special.
The Scots haven't done too bad at managing in this league.
I keep hanging on to the hope that McLeish ends up at Bolton, Coyle goes to Everton and Moyes to us. Or even Coyle to us would be something.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I didn't realise that he also relegated Hibernian as well.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Alex McLeish, if appointed, will signal the end of the optimism that has infused the club since Randy came on board.

For me, the same could be said for Hughes, Moyes, Coyle and Martinez.

The way I look at it is if tomorrow Spurs were looking for a new manager, would any of those 5 be on the list? I very much doubt it.
I think we're trying to find a David Moyes that isn't David Moyes, as he wants to stay at Everton. I see it as a great opportunity lost but then that was always going to be the case if you adopt a MON strategy and limit your search to England.

[Nev]

Theres an awful lot of gobbing off from the Small Heath end, Pannu calling us "borderline criminal" in our pursuit of McShit.

For once, I'm in agreement.

[godzvilla]

A moment please , to  consider  the facts  . As far as I can discern, McLeish left  Bloose of his own volition, just like Mark Hughes did at Fulham .
The wannabe tycoons that own that odorous little club immediately went into high snit and assumed  that Villa had tapped him up , this a few days after the Club had been praised to the high heavens for the manner in which they dealt with Wigan and the Martinez  ( non ) situation .
As we know , ‘ assume ‘ makes and ass out of u and me and the ass that is Peter Pancake over at the Sty went into hyperbolic overdrive . While  telling anyone who would listen how busy he was conducting transfer talks on the Continent ( Holland) in an effort to sign a well known  (32 yr old , out-of-contract ) Dutch striker  he also stated that  Aston Villa had  refused to answer any of a flurry of e.mails he,d sent on the topic of Mr Mcleish . When the Villa finally had had enough of his BS , their Legal Dept  sent a mildly rebuking  e.mail to the irritation that is Mr Pancake , reminding him that , should they want   to approach Mr McLeish they were perfectly within their rights to do so , as he was now a free agent .  They have not , as far as I can see , actually asked Small Heath for  such permission, they have merely stated their right to do so .
I,m in the “ it would,nt be the end of the World but I would be disappointed “  camp re the possible appointment of McLeish , solely because I feel GED took the Club on another , more Continental style , course , especially in the Fitness and Training departments .........Godzvilla

[Chris Smith]

A moment please , to  consider  the facts  . As far as I can discern, McLeish left  Bloose of his own volition, just like Mark Hughes did at Fulham .
The wannabe tycoons that own that odorous little club immediately went into high snit and assumed  that Villa had tapped him up , this a few days after the Club had been praised to the high heavens for the manner in which they dealt with Wigan and the Martinez  ( non ) situation .
As we know , ‘ assume ‘ makes and ass out of u and me and the ass that is Peter Pancake over at the Sty went into hyperbolic overdrive . While  telling anyone who would listen how busy he was conducting transfer talks on the Continent ( Holland) in an effort to sign a well known  (32 yr old , out-of-contract ) Dutch striker  he also stated that  Aston Villa had  refused to answer any of a flurry of e.mails he,d sent on the topic of Mr Mcleish . When the Villa finally had had enough of his BS , their Legal Dept  sent a mildly rebuking  e.mail to the irritation that is Mr Pancake , reminding him that , should they want   to approach Mr McLeish they were perfectly within their rights to do so , as he was now a free agent .  They have not , as far as I can see , actually asked Small Heath for  such permission, they have merely stated their right to do so .
I,m in the “ it would,nt be the end of the World but I would be disappointed “  camp re the possible appointment of McLeish , solely because I feel GED took the Club on another , more Continental style , course , especially in the Fitness and Training departments .........Godzvilla

I reckon that's about the size of it.

[Outcast2006]

Yesterday people were saying there is no way we will sign him,  he is a smokescreen for Randy pursuing other better managers.  Now there seems to be an acceptance and worse than that arguments for why he is a good appointment for us.

For me appointing him as manager should be a massive reality check for our fans who up to this point were still believing our ambitions were top four

That is not going to happen with Randy in charge.

[pauliewalnuts]

One thing I would say is that if he had done really well at Blues, I wouldn't give a shit that he'd been their manager.

He didn't, though. He got them relegated twice, and played dreadful football in the process. I suspect, though, that if they do appoint him, we'll be told we're petty in not liking him because he managed Small Heath, when that is far from the biggest objection.

[Jimbo]

Some people - well, eastie - are talking like we've already appointed him. As far as I know, we haven't.