Poll: Are you going to give Alex McLeish a chance to prove himself?

[Damo70]

Actually oldtimer, the one thing which just might get McLeish a chink of light under the shithouse door is a game against the knuckledraggers.

It would give him the chance to demonstrate his loyalties, however insincere.

I don't think West Midlands finest could control the mutants if McLeish gave them the same two finger salute Redknapp gave us.

I thought AM gave them the two finger salute last Sunday. I've been winding up Noses for years by telling them every one of their players dream of playing for Villa. I'd never bothered to include the managers but the same principle obviously applies.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

I honestly don't think there will be much difference between the way his side play and the way MON's Villa team did. I also think we'll get similar league positions and cup placings (a final here, a semi there) to MON. Basically, he'll set us up how MON did. Which worked up to a certain point. The questions is, can he take us on that bit further, which is a big ask consdiering we don't have the money that other clubs do.

[RogerS]

What a stupid question. Anyone with any kind of common sense would give him a chance!

Given the purile rantings of some on here prior to AM's appointment, I can't see how this qualifies as a 'stupid question'. As you rightly point out, anyone with any kind of common sense will give him a chance. Stupid question? not at all.

[Toronto Villa]

What a stupid question. Anyone with any kind of common sense would give him a chance!

Given the purile rantings of some on here prior to AM's appointment, I can't see how this qualifies as a 'stupid question'. As you rightly point out, anyone with any kind of common sense will give him a chance. Stupid question? not at all.

hope you've been well Rog.

[RogerS]

Brian, Hold on to your seat

Are you Seattle Villain in disguise...?

[RogerS]

What a stupid question. Anyone with any kind of common sense would give him a chance!

Given the purile rantings of some on here prior to AM's appointment, I can't see how this qualifies as a 'stupid question'. As you rightly point out, anyone with any kind of common sense will give him a chance. Stupid question? not at all.

hope you've been well Rog.

Cheers, TV, not bad matey. Work sucks (no change there then). Hope life's treating you well and often.

[Toronto Villa]

What a stupid question. Anyone with any kind of common sense would give him a chance!

Given the purile rantings of some on here prior to AM's appointment, I can't see how this qualifies as a 'stupid question'. As you rightly point out, anyone with any kind of common sense will give him a chance. Stupid question? not at all.

hope you've been well Rog.

Cheers, TV, not bad matey. Work sucks (no change there then). Hope life's treating you well and often.

Thanks Rog, and the same to you. Coming on here means I'm using the real world for sanity if you can believe that. Work won't change mate, just keeps piling up. Let's hope after all this the rest of the summer gives us something to be cheerful about.

[RogerS]

What a stupid question. Anyone with any kind of common sense would give him a chance!

Given the purile rantings of some on here prior to AM's appointment, I can't see how this qualifies as a 'stupid question'. As you rightly point out, anyone with any kind of common sense will give him a chance. Stupid question? not at all.

hope you've been well Rog.

Cheers, TV, not bad matey. Work sucks (no change there then). Hope life's treating you well and often.

Thanks Rog, and the same to you. Coming on here means I'm using the real world for sanity if you can believe that. Work won't change mate, just keeps piling up. Let's hope after all this the rest of the summer gives us something to be cheerful about.

Hallelujah to that, mate!

[hilts_coolerking]

thing is hilts, the pressure is being created by us. The very people who should be supporting him as opposed to making his job more difficult. Now that he's here we should be doing everything we can to ensure he is as successful as possible. Unfortunately, there is going to be a section of fans who won't give him a chance, and will be on his case at the very earliest opportunity. I mean, heaven forbid we lose a pre-season match.

Not entirely.  The pressure on him is also as a result of Lerner inexplicably nailing his colours to the mast of a demonstrably inferior candidate.  I doubt whether we'll ever get to the bottom of why Lerner suddenly and irrevocably decided McLeish, with his at best mediocre record in the PL, was the man to take Villa forward.  I'll support the team of course but I can't pretend to be happy with the appointment of McLeish and I can't pretend that I'm optimistic about how things will pan out.  I truly hope they don't but if things do start to go wrong, especially if they go wrong quickly, I'll quite rightly be furious because it could so easily have been avoided.

[Toronto Villa]

thing is hilts, the pressure is being created by us. The very people who should be supporting him as opposed to making his job more difficult. Now that he's here we should be doing everything we can to ensure he is as successful as possible. Unfortunately, there is going to be a section of fans who won't give him a chance, and will be on his case at the very earliest opportunity. I mean, heaven forbid we lose a pre-season match.

Not entirely.  The pressure on him is also as a result of Lerner inexplicably nailing his colours to the mast of a demonstrably inferior candidate.  I doubt whether we'll ever get to the bottom of why Lerner suddenly and irrevocably decided McLeish, with his at best mediocre record in the PL, was the man to take Villa forward.  I'll support the team of course but I can't pretend to be happy with the appointment of McLeish and I can't pretend that I'm optimistic about how things will pan out.  I truly hope they don't but if things do start to go wrong, especially if they go wrong quickly, I'll quite rightly be furious because it could so easily have been avoided.

fair enough. I think Lerner having made this decision will also support him more than most people think. In many ways that will be the first step in justifying the appointment. My hope is that fans give him enough time to put his stamp on the team. If we're in the shitter by November/December he's going to get a lot of deserved stick. I think we need to see signs of the future early on, and for it to go from there. Inevitably the litmus test will be when we hit a sticky patch; every team does. How does he react, and how do the fans react? It will be interesting. I just don't think he should be held to any higher standard than if we had hired a more acceptable candidate.

[hilts_coolerking]

I just don't think he should be held to any higher standard than if we had hired a more acceptable candidate.

Quite right but that cuts both ways.  Neither should McLeish be held to lower standards because better candidates weren't appointed.  Lerner has decided McLeish is the man to take Villa forward, and has been unusually vociferous in saying that; so that's what McLeish has to do.  He's either good enough to do that or he is not.

I can't for the life of me understand why Lerner believes he is but he's here now so we'll soon find out.

[Greg N'Ash]

This thread should be viewed again in 12 months time. Either 263 people know something the rest of us don't from his record or it will go down as the biggest case of mass delusion ever.

[Toronto Villa]

Gabby has his say on the matter:

Aston Villa: Gabby Agbonlahor urges Villa fans to respect McLeish for having courage to cross city
By Mat Kendrick

Jun 17 2011

BOYHOOD Villa fan Gabby Agbonlahor has urged the unconvinced Villa Park faithful to respect Alex McLeish for having the courage to cross the Second City divide.

Agbonlahor also believes McLeish can get the claret and blues playing attacking football after admitting his defensive style at Blues is not 'Villa's way'.

He knows all about the intense rivalry between the Birmingham neighbours after being the scourge of McLeish’s Blues team during derbies between the clubs.

But the Brummie striker has advised Villa’s fans to throw their support behind McLeish and “get on with it” following yesterday’s confirmation of his appointment.

McLeish has signed a three-year deal, rumoured to be worth £6 million, to complete the most dramatic and controversial managerial switch in West Midlands football history.

Agbonlahor, Villa’s current longest serving player having made his debut in March 2006, is immersed in claret blue after coming through the Bodymoor Heath academy ranks.

The 24-year-old forward has been public enemy No1 with Blues fans after scoring in Big Eck’s 5-1 first derby defeat at Villa Park in April 2008 and grabbed the winner at St Andrew’s in his next in September 2009.

So he impressed with the bravery his new manager is displaying in succeeding Gerard Houllier at Villa just five days after sensationally walking out on bitter rivals Blues.

“To those Villa fans who don’t seem to be happy with his appointment, my message is simply to give him a chance and see what he can do,” said Agbonlahor. “He’ll do a good job for the club.

“For him to take on this challenge shows he has the belief that he can do a job here at Villa.

“It’s a move that only a man with a lot of courage and self-belief would make and people have to respect that.

“The chairman has made his decision now and it’s up to everyone associated with Aston Villa Football Club to just get on with it.

“This is a new challenge and a new start and Alex McLeish coming here is a good thing because he is a good manager.”

Agbonlahor believes Villa fans should judge McLeish on his record north of the border rather than dwelling on his three-and-a-half years spent at their bitter rivals Blues.

And the Bodymoor Heath academy graduate reckons Eck will be able to play a more entertaining brand of football with the players he has inherited at Villa.

Agbonlahor suggested the 52-year-old Scot would adapt his philosophy with the claret and blues because his cautious style of play at St Andrew’s is not ‘Villa’s way’.

After his 2010-11 campaign was disrupted by illness, injury, patchy form and being played out of position, the England strike hopeful predicts ‘exciting times’ under the club’s new boss.

“Look at his record as manager of Rangers and Scotland, he’s always done well,” added Agbonlahor, Villa’s current longest-serving player.

“At Birmingham his team had to play a certain way. Some Villa supporters seem to be worried about that kind of style because it’s not Villa’s way.

“But with the talented group of attacking players he’ll have at his disposal here, it will be a lot different and I’m sure that’s another reason why he’s taking this challenge.

“He will have a really good group of players to work with here. It’s a strong squad, and I see exciting times ahead, I really do.

“We’ve got a tough game to start the season with against Fulham away and everyone at the club needs to give the manager their full backing.

“I have no doubt that once they give him a chance they’ll see he can do a good job as Aston Villa manager.”

[Toronto Villa]

This thread should be viewed again in 12 months time. Either 263 people know something the rest of us don't from his record or it will go down as the biggest case of mass delusion ever.

why? just because it differs from your standpoint. People want to see the club do well so are willing to give him a chance. So that makes the majority delusional in your eyes, but you remain the bastion of sanity?

[dave.woodhall]

This thread should be viewed again in 12 months time. Either 263 people know something the rest of us don't from his record or it will go down as the biggest case of mass delusion ever.

The key phrase is "give him a chance."