Alex McLeish confirmed as manager

[Monty]

Define "succesful". Winning a cup maybe?

I said successful in the league, as in finishing in high position, and consistently over a few years as well. The sheer number of games is a better way to statistically judge the success of a style as the sample is bigger.

We've seen with Burnley, The Baggies and Blackpool what happens when promoted teams try to play pretty football in this division against teams with much better players. He built a side based on a strong defence and but for an injury to Dann would probably have seen them stay up and win a cup. By their standard that would be success.

As has been stated he spent a reasonable amount of money (more than Burnley and Blackpool, certainly, and quite possibly Baggies) on clearly sub-standard players. With that money you should be playing better football than that.

[Chris Smith]

It is all semantics now. I don't expect an awful lot. Good cup runs and middle to upper end of table. Any less is unacceptable.
I don't like it but this is The Villa and we, the fans, are stuck with it.
Villa Boas cost £12.5m and we pay £7m for McLeish...great stuff..shheesh. I hope he is at least half as good!
This is The Villa we're talking about!

Where have you got the £7m figure from?

As it stands we haven't paid a penny as he resigned and s claiming constructive dismissal. They are claiming £5.4m but he appears to have a strong case.

[Chris Smith]

Define "succesful". Winning a cup maybe?

I said successful in the league, as in finishing in high position, and consistently over a few years as well. The sheer number of games is a better way to statistically judge the success of a style as the sample is bigger.

We've seen with Burnley, The Baggies and Blackpool what happens when promoted teams try to play pretty football in this division against teams with much better players. He built a side based on a strong defence and but for an injury to Dann would probably have seen them stay up and win a cup. By their standard that would be success.

As has been stated he spent a reasonable amount of money (more than Burnley and Blackpool, certainly, and quite possibly Baggies) on clearly sub-standard players. With that money you should be playing better football than that.

Their problem was they had no depth. A reasonable first team but they struggled to cope with injuries. My mates reckon the two cup runs took it out of them and they had nothing left by the end if the season A similar thing happened to Bolton but they had enough in hand although no trophy.

You must do nothing but watch football, Monty, such is your knowledge of how every team in the world plays.

[PaulTheVillan]

McLeish has said....

"I know there is interest from Rangers, but it may be we will have to keep Carlos and he has to fight for his place again. Every player will start with a clean slate."

So that's answers the questions about Warnock, Dunne & Ireland.

[JUAN PABLO]

McLeish has said....

"I know there is interest from Rangers, but it may be we will have to keep Carlos and he has to fight for his place again. Every player will start with a clean slate."

So that's answers the questions about Warnock, Dunne & Ireland.

It wont take them long to dirty it ...

[hilts_coolerking]

The worrying thing for me is that McLeish was unable to arrest the post-League Cup slide and didn't even attempt to change their style at a time when wins were clearly needed and his Plan A wasn't working.  It's one thing to argue that circumstances weren't in his favour, which they may or may not have been, but he manifestly wasn't getting the best out of his players when he most needed to.

[itbrvilla]

The worrying thing for me is that McLeish was unable to arrest the post-League Cup slide and didn't even attempt to change their style at a time when wins were clearly needed and his Plan A wasn't working.  It's one thing to argue that circumstances weren't in his favour, which they may or may not have been, but he manifestly wasn't getting the best out of his players when he most needed to.

That's the way I see it. Poor manager in every sense. Still got no choice but to back him.

[Dan England]

The worrying thing for me is that McLeish was unable to arrest the post-League Cup slide and didn't even attempt to change their style at a time when wins were clearly needed and his Plan A wasn't working.  It's one thing to argue that circumstances weren't in his favour, which they may or may not have been, but he manifestly wasn't getting the best out of his players when he most needed to.

Exactly like MON after our League Cup final. Come to think of it, just like MON after Feb every  season!

[brian green]

Now that some of the dust has settled  and we are getting some of the excruciating PR cliches - the scarf over the head, the name on the shirt, the standard wonderful club great history parrottings out of the way, the impression seems clearer to me that Randy Lerner became so fed up and bored with the process he said to Paul Faulkner "I want somebody cheap, I want somebody healthy, I want somebody who will do as they are told."   That is how we come to have Alex McLeish as our manager.

The only metaphor I can use will be understood by the fathers of daughters.   It was like being in a shoe shoe trying to find back-to-school shoes.   You eventually finish up saying.   "They have to be size 5, black with laces.   I am going down the pub".

[Legion]

When I was younger, I used to get taken round all the shoe shops in Brum by my Mom. We then ended up back at the first one to get my new pair of school shoes. I'd long since given up and I'm beginning to think that this is the same way Mr. Lerner Sir now feels.

[Ad@m]

Define "succesful". Winning a cup maybe?

I said successful in the league, as in finishing in high position, and consistently over a few years as well. The sheer number of games is a better way to statistically judge the success of a style as the sample is bigger.

We've seen with Burnley, The Baggies and Blackpool what happens when promoted teams try to play pretty football in this division against teams with much better players. He built a side based on a strong defence and but for an injury to Dann would probably have seen them stay up and win a cup. By their standard that would be success.

I'm sure the comparison has been made before but Stoke got promoted the year McLeish took over at the Blues.  They've got no real budget, don't play great football, and have steadily progressed.  They may not have won a trophy but they weren't far off.  I'd say that in very similar circumstances to the Blues Tony Pulis has performed much better than McLeish.  Stoke look like a side that is now comfortable in the top flight whereas the Blues clearly weren't.

That said, I don't think Pulis could cut it if he had money to spend.  And I'm not alone or I think he would be managing a bigger club now.  The hope is that McLeish knows how to spend money better.  My concern is that the only success McLeish has actually had was with Rangers, and let's be honest, most of us typing on here could be successful as manager of Rangers.

The conclusion therefore is that I don't think McLeish's record is good enough to be Villa manager and the evidence of his style of play at the Blues worries me unless he knows how to play more attractive football with better players.  Time will tell.

[Somniloquism]

It is all semantics now. I don't expect an awful lot. Good cup runs and middle to upper end of table. Any less is unacceptable.
I don't like it but this is The Villa and we, the fans, are stuck with it.
Villa Boas cost £12.5m and we pay £7m for McLeish...great stuff..shheesh. I hope he is at least half as good!
This is The Villa we're talking about!

Where have you got the £7m figure from?

As it stands we haven't paid a penny as he resigned and s claiming constructive dismissal. They are claiming £5.4m but he appears to have a strong case.

And they probably have a strong case on tapping up as Randy and Alex happened to be in the same area of Europe at the same time and we were interviewing him less then 48 hours after he quit. In the end we will probably pay something towards what they requested with him not pressing the constructive dismissal side of it.

[Brend'Watkins]

Now that some of the dust has settled  and we are getting some of the excruciating PR cliches - the scarf over the head, the name on the shirt, the standard wonderful club great history parrottings out of the way, the impression seems clearer to me that Randy Lerner became so fed up and bored with the process he said to Paul Faulkner "I want somebody cheap, I want somebody healthy, I want somebody who will do as they are told."   That is how we come to have Alex McLeish as our manager.

Possibly those two and "I want somebody who is hungry to prove themselves and who doesn't think they're bigger than the club". 

[Rigadon]

Now that some of the dust has settled  and we are getting some of the excruciating PR cliches - the scarf over the head, the name on the shirt, the standard wonderful club great history parrottings out of the way, the impression seems clearer to me that Randy Lerner became so fed up and bored with the process he said to Paul Faulkner "I want somebody cheap, I want somebody healthy, I want somebody who will do as they are told."   That is how we come to have Alex McLeish as our manager.

Possibly those two and "I want somebody who is hungry to prove themselves and who doesn't think they're bigger than the club". 

The thing is, any manager would've said the exact same cliches wouldn't they.  Same with players. 

Villa are a massive club with a rich history,  I just want to kick on now and do the very best I can to help the lads achieve something special. 

Blah blah.

I'd say it's better to go by the look in the eye of the incoming employee and he looked pretty determined and hungry for it from my perspective.

Not sure how you can use this in particular as a stick to beat McLeish or indeed Lerner for that matter. 

[Legion]

I lasted about 4 minutes through his press conference. Sorry.