Alex McLeish confirmed as manager

[Legion]

Big 'Eck? If/when things go pear-shaped I can see Fletch's 'Fucking 'Eck' coming in to play.

[KevinGage]

I suppose one way to look at it is there was genuine excitement at the appointment of DOL and MON, and in the end they disappointed to different degrees.  I was neutral on the Houllier appointment and by the end he'd done moderately OK under the circumstances.

I'm dead set against this appointment, so hopefully he'll outperform all three.

[MarkM]

Regarding the £2m compensation that sky have been reporting we have agreed to pay blues- has this been confirmed anywhere else as I haven't seen or heard it mentioned elsewhere and blues are still reportedly taking legal advice?

£5.4m

I will put all of Dave Woodhall's money on it not being anything close to £5.4m, and top it up with the pennies left in my pocket that it won't be the £2m that it's being reported. I'm guessing it will be less and undisclosed because the LMA will tell Blues he had every right to walk because of they way they treated him and undermined his position. It will be a small compensation for acting like a small club.

It could cost a whole lot more...

Possible £5.4 to blues for Eck, then the compensation to be payed if he brings his back room staff from blues, plus the compensation for getting rid of our current back room.

We could be looking at over £20 Million

[wookster]

Have they said who his backroom team is.

Could we have a double helping of Mac management?

[maidstonevillain]

Regarding the £2m compensation that sky have been reporting we have agreed to pay blues- has this been confirmed anywhere else as I haven't seen or heard it mentioned elsewhere and blues are still reportedly taking legal advice?

£5.4m

I will put all of Dave Woodhall's money on it not being anything close to £5.4m, and top it up with the pennies left in my pocket that it won't be the £2m that it's being reported. I'm guessing it will be less and undisclosed because the LMA will tell Blues he had every right to walk because of they way they treated him and undermined his position. It will be a small compensation for acting like a small club.

It could cost a whole lot more...

Possible £5.4 to blues for Eck, then the compensation to be payed if he brings his back room staff from blues, plus the compensation for getting rid of our current back room.

We could be looking at over £20 Million

So Villa refuse to pay, and instead Blues have to pay up their contracts when the new manager brings his own team in. I am sure a very cheap compromise will be reached.

[DeKuip]

Does anyone know for sure what the shield is? And by that I mean its title instead of "Fucking big".

It's the Sheriff of London (Dewar) Shield which we won in 1901 and shared in 1899. It was something of a forerunner to the Charity Shield with a one off game played between the top professional and top amateur teams. We played in it three times - 1899 drew 0-0 with Queens Park, 1900 lost 2-1 to Corinthians and 1901 beat Corinthians 1-0.

From wiki...

"The Shield itself, commissioned by Dewar, was over six feet high - the largest trophy to be competed for in the history of football. In the 1980s the trophy was put up for auction and sold for £26,000 to a private American owner. It is on display in the Watford Museum."

[Matt C]

Heard the phrase 'Alex McLeish's Aston Villa' for the first time tonight - will take some getting used to.

[steamer]

Why, the big Eck ?
Is this a term of endearment, or some humorous nickname bestowed on some one from North of the Border ?

 More appropriate would be, Who the F,Eck is this.

[steamer]

Heard the phrase 'Alex McLeish's Aston Villa' for the first time tonight - will take some getting used to.
[/quot

For any mourning there should be a period of grace.
I can not see this bouncing around the ground at Craven Cottage.

[E I Adio]

He and his cheif scout have a pretty good hit rate with players in fairness. I would assume he will be joining up with him.

So, Bear Grylls is coming to the Villa. I'll have to find my woggle.

[The Situation]

I liked how they conviently left out the two relegations in 3 seasons...

Oh well, despite what we all think of him lets try and get behind him.

[E I Adio]

I liked how they conviently left out the two relegations in 3 seasons...

Oh well, despite what we all think of him lets try and get behind him.

It's getting late, I've had a long day and I'm a feeling a bit tetchy, so I hope you'll forgive my pedantry, but do you think that in future you could possibly modify your presumption that everyone thinks badly about AM's appointment?

[The Situation]

I liked how they conviently left out the two relegations in 3 seasons...

Oh well, despite what we all think of him lets try and get behind him.

It's getting late, I've had a long day and I'm a feeling a bit tetchy, so I hope you'll forgive my pedantry, but do you think that in future you could possibly modify your presumption that everyone thinks badly about AM's appointment?

I don't know anyone on here who wanted him, but now we've got him (unfortunately) we've got to be supportive and be positive.

I don't see the logic behind giving him the job, quite frankly it's bewildering but I'll still try and get down to the games and support the team and manager.

[villaman13]

From the OS

The Club are pleased to confirm that Alex McLeish has been appointed Aston Villa manager and will assume his duties with immediate effect.

The 52-year-old son of a Govan shipyard worker, McLeish began his managerial career in 1994 at Motherwell whom he guided in his first season to second place behind Rangers, then in the midst of their nine-in-a-row Scottish titles.

Following a three-year spell in charge of Hibernian, which included a Scottish Cup final appearance, he took over at Rangers where he unseated Martin O'Neill's then dominant Celtic team by winning the Scottish Cup and League Cup in his first season in 2001-02 and the Treble - including the Scottish Premier League title - in his second.

He won two championships and seven trophies in total in his five years at Ibrox before succeeding Walter Smith as Scotland boss in 2007.


Only a 2-1 win by Italy at Hampden Park in the final qualifying game prevented McLeish from leading his country to the Euro 2008 finals.

He pursued his ambition to manage in the Barclays Premier League and led Birmingham City to their highest top-flight finish in 51 years in 2009-10.

When his team beat Arsenal to win the Carling Cup four months ago at Wembley he became one of the only current managers in the Barclays Premier League who has won a major piece of silverware.

That Alex McLeish is a well-respected, well-rounded and accomplished football man is not in question.

As a formidable central defender in Sir Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen team which broke the Old Firm's stranglehold on Scottish football, he won three championships, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup.

He was also capped 77 times by Scotland and played at three World Cups and throughout his playing and managerial careers he has maintained an unfailing grace and humility and an unflinching will to win.

He also understands and supports the Board's vision and strategy for Aston Villa in our ongoing efforts to grow the Club and to ensure its sustainability and he is determined to confront the challenges of managing the Club.

He said: "I am honoured to have this opportunity to manage a club with such a fantastic history as Aston Villa's.

"The heritage, the history of success and the tradition of Aston Villa are compelling and irresistible. The challenge for me is to try to add my own chapter.

"Since first becoming a manager at Motherwell, my desire to succeed and my energy and drive have never waned. My objective is to impart that drive and will to win to the players and fans of Aston Villa.

"I know that some of our fans have voiced concerns and I can understand why. It will be up to me to convince you that I am the right man to drive the Club forward and I intend to give absolutely everything to prove that I can be a success at the Club."

Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Aston Villa, said: "We believe we have appointed the right man for the job.

"Unquestionably, Alex meets the criteria we set out at the beginning of our search which was based on proven Premier League experience, leadership, a hard-working ethic and, most importantly, a shared vision for Aston Villa.

"Alex is someone with whom we will work close and work well together.

"With our strong squad combining the necessary virtues of experience and the exciting potential of our young players, our objective is to compete as strongly as we possibly can.

"Alex's vast experience and proven abilities demonstrate clearly that he is a strong leader and an ambitious man and we are looking forward very much to the exciting new season about to start."

[villaman13]

From the OS

The Club are pleased to confirm that Alex McLeish has been appointed Aston Villa manager and will assume his duties with immediate effect.

The 52-year-old son of a Govan shipyard worker, McLeish began his managerial career in 1994 at Motherwell whom he guided in his first season to second place behind Rangers, then in the midst of their nine-in-a-row Scottish titles.

Following a three-year spell in charge of Hibernian, which included a Scottish Cup final appearance, he took over at Rangers where he unseated Martin O'Neill's then dominant Celtic team by winning the Scottish Cup and League Cup in his first season in 2001-02 and the Treble - including the Scottish Premier League title - in his second.

He won two championships and seven trophies in total in his five years at Ibrox before succeeding Walter Smith as Scotland boss in 2007.


Only a 2-1 win by Italy at Hampden Park in the final qualifying game prevented McLeish from leading his country to the Euro 2008 finals.

He pursued his ambition to manage in the Barclays Premier League and led Birmingham City to their highest top-flight finish in 51 years in 2009-10.

When his team beat Arsenal to win the Carling Cup four months ago at Wembley he became one of the only current managers in the Barclays Premier League who has won a major piece of silverware.

That Alex McLeish is a well-respected, well-rounded and accomplished football man is not in question.

As a formidable central defender in Sir Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen team which broke the Old Firm's stranglehold on Scottish football, he won three championships, the European Cup Winners' Cup and the European Super Cup.

He was also capped 77 times by Scotland and played at three World Cups and throughout his playing and managerial careers he has maintained an unfailing grace and humility and an unflinching will to win.

He also understands and supports the Board's vision and strategy for Aston Villa in our ongoing efforts to grow the Club and to ensure its sustainability and he is determined to confront the challenges of managing the Club.

He said: "I am honoured to have this opportunity to manage a club with such a fantastic history as Aston Villa's.

"The heritage, the history of success and the tradition of Aston Villa are compelling and irresistible. The challenge for me is to try to add my own chapter.

"Since first becoming a manager at Motherwell, my desire to succeed and my energy and drive have never waned. My objective is to impart that drive and will to win to the players and fans of Aston Villa.

"I know that some of our fans have voiced concerns and I can understand why. It will be up to me to convince you that I am the right man to drive the Club forward and I intend to give absolutely everything to prove that I can be a success at the Club."

Paul Faulkner, chief executive of Aston Villa, said: "We believe we have appointed the right man for the job.

"Unquestionably, Alex meets the criteria we set out at the beginning of our search which was based on proven Premier League experience, leadership, a hard-working ethic and, most importantly, a shared vision for Aston Villa.

"Alex is someone with whom we will work close and work well together.

"With our strong squad combining the necessary virtues of experience and the exciting potential of our young players, our objective is to compete as strongly as we possibly can.

"Alex's vast experience and proven abilities demonstrate clearly that he is a strong leader and an ambitious man and we are looking forward very much to the exciting new season about to start."