Club Statement

[Mazrim]

They didn't just ask Fergie for fuck's sake.

They also did a magic 8 ball, read some tea leaves, palmistry, a Gypsy fortune teller and asked Paul Tait who the best man for Villa was.

[Stu]

Not now, no. Two seasons ago they edged us in the League Cup Final and at one stage we were pushing them close in the league - talk of being outside title contenders. But that was then.

I actually found it staggering we consulted/were influenced by the opinions of a current, active, Premier League manager.

Did the board actually consult Ferguson? I know there was a lot of talk about it and I read the quotes from him, but is this actually true?

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Tey didnt just ask Fergie for fuck's sake.

Didn't the General cite Fergie's remarks as proof it was a good appointment?

[Villanation]

Sadly I don't think we are even on Fergie's radar as a threat.

Not any more were not.

Remember looking at him after we had just beaten them with a superb Gabby goal, he was that wound up you couldn't understand a word the man said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8402301.stm

[Mazrim]

Tey didnt just ask Fergie for fuck's sake.

Didn't the General cite Fergie's remarks as proof it was a good appointment?

Yes. I was taking the piss.

[Mac]

The one thing I can't understand is, if the board asked the question, "right, so Houllier has to go.  Who is going to replace him?"  That if the answer was, "Alex McLeish," why they bothered getting rid of Houllier?

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Sadly I don't think we are even on Fergie's radar as a threat.

Not any more were not.

Remember looking at him after we had just beaten them with a superb Gabby goal, he was that wound up you couldn't understand a word the man said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8402301.stm

I seem to remember Ferguson once saying that he loves our ground and facilities and loves bringing his team there.
At the time I thought, yes, I bet you do, you make us your bitches virtually every time.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

The one thing I can't understand is, if the board asked the question, "right, so Houllier has to go.  Who is going to replace him?"  That if the answer was, "Alex McLeish," why they bothered getting rid of Houllier?

Problem is Mac, that for whatever reason, they went through a few names before his.
Thin Spanish waiter at Wigan being one of them.

[Villanation]

The one thing I can't understand is, if the board asked the question, "right, so Houllier has to go.  Who is going to replace him?"  That if the answer was, "Alex McLeish," why they bothered getting rid of Houllier?

Obviously Houllier was a lot poorer health wise than we know, thing is, who sat there and said " OK lads who's next, I know lets go and tap up AM from the noses".

I mean what a dumb fessin dessin twat,

[Mazrim]

The one thing I can't understand is, if the board asked the question, "right, so Houllier has to go.  Who is going to replace him?"  That if the answer was, "Alex McLeish," why they bothered getting rid of Houllier?

That's exactly what I thought when it became more likely that McLeish was a candidate. Which I couldn't quite believe to put it mildly.
In fact I offered anybody 1000-1 odds and nobody took me up on it... phew!

[brontebilly]

for the cost of shay given, we brought in mcleish and peter (relegated with two clubs) grant.

Martin (rolling 12 month contract) O'Neill also gets a pay off somehow.

Firing Houllier, GMac etc also cost a fair whack.

Not sure this cost cutting is working out too well. No wonder we are seemingly waiting for Downing to be sold before signing a keeper.

Not too much to get enthused about despite his awful record, reckon McLeish will be a better manager for us than Houllier who imo was truly awful. (more that he cant be any worse) But when the first bad run happens, the pressure on McLeish and the board will be unreal.

Instead of spending millions hiring and paying off managers in 12 months, maybe the board might be better off seeking out someone like David Dein as CEO. How Lerner was seeking out the opinion of Fergie on his former captain beggars belief really. We need a Levy type of figure badly.

[andym]

has it actually been confirmed that the compensation is for mcleish?.  in the bit that actually talks about paying money, it says "to end disputes including the recruitment of peter grant and ian mcguiness". if the compo was also for McLeish surely he would have been specifically mentioned in this bit as well?

if there was any chance of us been found guilty of tapping him up and then employing him illegally, then surely we would have held off actually having him working for us until everything was sorted. blues would be pushing for a massive sum and ensuring it was all over the press, and we would have heard from the relevant authorities about how we were breaking the law. sounds like after pannus initial attention seeking outburst, blues realised Mcleish had a case for constructive dismisssal as the LMA said at the time, and he was within his rights to leave blues and join us. given the character of the blues board, i cant believe that if we actually had a case to answer and massive compo to pay regarding mcleish, it would have all been settled in the quietly negotiated and undisclosed manner it has.  of course, where we do owe them is for the backroom staff.  they hadnt quit and they hadnt been sacked. so as they were still employed by blues we had to pay to get them. we have negotiated the payment and they will now join us - hence the statement yesterday.

hopefully now everything is sorted we can get on and actually sign some players. this summer has been so depressing so far!

[Lee]

Nothing will be explained either.

Lee - Sometimes in football, as in life, TOUGH decisions have to made.
We KNOW that the fans will not always agree with the decisions that are made, but Randy makes them with the BEST INTERESTS of the club at heart. Randy is as commited today as the day he took over the club, he still has the Villa tattoo on his ankle and it upsets me when his commitment is questioned.
Let's rally round the club, YOUR CLUB and with the help of our footballing network and Southampton Council style cutbacks WE WILL come through the other side in a better shape than before.
I would urge our supporters to not give up at this crucial time, I would also urge them to use the Holte Pub...Please...The bar staff are bored rigid every day and they need something to do.
Now then, who wants a free scarf?

Many thanks for that General Bentfletch  -  my idiocy is something that I have to learn to live with.

[hilts_coolerking]

I think that the board's stipulations in terms of what they wanted from the manager led to a number of better candidates either being ruled out or ruling themselves out.  With time pressing and the field thinning, I think the board panicked, hence tapping up McLeish.

[Lee]

I know that they have made the appointment and we have to carry on for the greater good, but I would like just one, just one ditty of the logic that they used to even contemplate employing him in the first place.

As Spock would say "it's illogical captain"