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

[charlie659]

What a fkin stupid poll.

He's the manager of Aston Villa, and as such gets everyones 100% backing (surely FFS)

[Chris Smith]

Has he, what's he said?

Seriously?  You haven't read the club's statement?  Faulkner may have been the mouthpiece but do you actually believe Lerner's view is any different to this?  Or maybe you think Faulkner is using the Royal 'we'.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13770519.stm

"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 closely 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."

You seem to be on a one-man mission to bury your head in the sand.  On the one hand you're disputing the claim that McLeish's teams play terrible football, and on the other you appear to be challenging the claim that Lerner thinks McLeish is the man to take us forward.

So you made it up.

You described Lerner as being unusually vociferous when in fact we've just had what we always get, board members backing their manger but no word from the owner. It's standard practice for Villa.

[Big Dick Edwards]

The board see this as a rational appointment, while more than a few fans (me included) look at it as a gamble. How much of a chance can you honestly say you give him? We really need the good start, don't we?     

I agree it's a gamble. Lots of appointments/signings are to a certain extent, but what is to be gained by not giving the man a chance?

[Bad English]

I will back Alex if somebody makes a ginger dot for the match threads.

[tim]

I would rather achieve something with him than have the doubters proved right.
To start the season off in a negative frame of mind is a daft and seeing as there's very little anyone of us can do about it, we MUST get behind the team and AMc. Like it or not, he is one small part of a much bigger picture that is Aston Villa.
He's here, they're still our team - lets not act like children and get united.

[PeterWithe]

Why is how he played five years ago, in a two horse race, in a weaker league, a better indicator than how he played in our league, with financial backing, a few weeks ago?

[hilts_coolerking]

You described Lerner as being unusually vociferous when in fact we've just had what we always get, board members backing their manger but no word from the owner. It's standard practice for Villa.

So you believe Randy's view is different from the board members? 

That statement is unusual in that it continually stresses how much the club believe they have made the right decision, rather than the customary recitation of the new man's accomplishments.  It reads to me like a defence of the decision, rather than the heralding of a new era.

I think the weirdest phrase is "proven Premier League experience".  Either you have Premier League experience or you don't; "proven" doesn't come into it.

[Chris Smith]

I think it's just a bit of PR bumf for the website but people with an axe to grind will read into it what they want.

To my mind giving him a chance means having an open mind, not paying lip service to it while all the time using it as an opportunity to suggest you know best.

[jibba81]

Yeah they probably just got a work experience lad to knock up that statement.

[Ads]

I am giving him a chance. I was shocked, outraged and then given days to accept and finally get behind the appointment.

I cannot shake off the nagging feeling that he may just prove to do really well at B6. We’re all aware of his perceived limitations through his time at Small Heath in particular; the football equivalent of trench warfare and two relegations.

But he also won them a trophy, something to this day I cannot quite fathom how. I also think he’s got more motivation than any new manager stepping into a new job this season, as his task of winning the fans onside is monumental to start with. But yet he’s done it anyway. Alright the £2 million softens the blow, but he didn’t have to take the job. He could have picked up a million elsewhere and I agree with Gabby. McLeish has shown some large cojnes. It suggests it’s more than just a job on the road to something “bigger” as we’ve had in the past few bosses. Cynics will be saying this is as big as it will get and he shouldn’t have got it anyway. And that may turn out to be the case.

But thenI disagree with the media’s view of the apparent nightmarish and thoroughly thankless task it is to pick up the pieces at Villa Park. I don’t think there’s a lot wrong with us, at last not with Darren Bent up top. Sort out the defence, which was riddled with fundamental errors last season, with soft goal after soft goal conceded would be step one. Keep the supply lines open for Darren with a canny replacement for Young and a bit more guile in the middle is step two. Adam has been rumoured, he may be able to get inside Irelands head, either way, we know what needs to be done.

 That’s all it is. Easy peasy. In theory at least. That little précis of squad issues would of course been the same job for any new manager, but I’m getting an intangible vibe that I cannot quite explain that McLiesh might just get it, which is why I am giving him my backing.

And no, I haven't stolen Mr Smith's log in.

[PeterWithe]

It was a ludicrous appointment two days ago and I'll hold that view until McLeish proves otherwise.

[Chris Smith]

It was a ludicrous appointment two days ago and I'll hold that view until McLeish proves otherwise.

I can understand why you feel that way but it will take at least a season to "prove" it.

[hilts_coolerking]

I think it's just a bit of PR bumf for the website but people with an axe to grind will read into it what they want.

To my mind giving him a chance means having an open mind, not paying lip service to it while all the time using it as an opportunity to suggest you know best.

There you go again, unable to tell the difference between someone holding an opposing view and someone claiming to "know best".  You have no more an open mind than I do - you're just being good old contrarian Chris.

Given who else was available it was a poor appointment.  It would have been underwhelming under any circumstances but given the other candidates it's a shocker.  Just because he's now Villa manager doesn't mean there are grounds to alter my previous opinion of him which is that he is a mediocre manager with a poor PL record who plays terrible football.  The board have taken a massive gamble and are seeking to justify it wherever they can.

[Chris Smith]

No, I am being open minded but I accept that you aren't able to recognise it.

He's not the man I wanted but I'm prepared to see how he performs in this job.

[Villa'Zawg]

I think it's just a bit of PR bumf for the website but people with an axe to grind will read into it what they want.

To my mind giving him a chance means having an open mind, not paying lip service to it while all the time using it as an opportunity to suggest you know best.

There you go again, unable to tell the difference between someone holding an opposing view and someone claiming to "know best".  You have no more an open mind than I do - you're just being good old contrarian Chris.

Given who else was available it was a poor appointment.  It would have been underwhelming under any circumstances but given the other candidates it's a shocker.  Just because he's now Villa manager doesn't mean there are grounds to alter my previous opinion of him which is that he is a mediocre manager with a poor PL record who plays terrible football.  The board have taken a massive gamble and are seeking to justify it wherever they can.

Give over will you.

"Lerner has decided McLeish is the man to take Villa forward, and has been unusually vociferous in saying that;"

Pointing to Faulkner's comments in a press release doesn't make the assertion that Lerner has been unusually vociferous correct. Why not accept Chris's point whilst expressing what you meant more clearly?