Club Statement

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Everyone is a drama queen these days.

Speak for yourself, Smithers.

Are we ignoring that it's been widely reported that Randy Lerner has been a long time admirer of McLeish and maybe he was top of the list?

You believe that Mark?  If so, would you like to buy some of my magic beans?

Sometimes the most obvious answer can be the right one.

To tell the truth, I really don't give a shit. McLeish is now our manager, we've had to bung the Rags a bone, big deal. Get over it. Sure, nerves are kicking in as we haven't signed anybody yet but now is not the time to start having a girly hissy fit. We've now got our backroom staff together, let's give them a couple of days to have a look at the lads before we start screaming. I'll reserve my judgement for a later date.

As for the beans, can you count them for me? (winky)

[cdward]

What a load of complete and utter horse shit.

I don't agree with it either, but i think we may be surprised at exactly how many people are not prepared to give AM a chance, or at least jump on him at the first sign of trouble. This is going to be one hell of a season, and if we thought support for MON or GH or DOL divided opinion, wait until the first defeat happens. Right now with the lack of transfer activity, i feel a lot of fans getting angrier by the day, how many season tickets do we have to sell to cover the compensation paid to Blose.
I don't doubt AM has done anything wrong so far, but he hasn't had anything to do except wave goodbye to Ash. A manager will always be judged on results. AM will not be any different.
However i do feel that the board have achieved their aim and appointed a puppet who will dance to their tune of cutting wage bills, selling players, and generally taking the flack from the fans regarding our ever diminishing levels of ambition.

We need some positivity and quick, and we need our luck to change. As far as i am concerned AM is the jammiest bastard around, let's hope it rubs off.

[RunRickyRun]

If you look again at the telegraph article, the £3 million figure only appears in the headline, meaning it was the sub editor rather than the journalist that decided to add the fee in. I doubt the sub editor would have conducted extensive research into that particular figure.

Twattum would have inflated any fee by a power of 3, so £1 million seems to be a reasonable amount.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

What a load of complete and utter horse shit.

I don't agree with it either, but i think we may be surprised at exactly how many people are not prepared to give AM a chance, or at least jump on him at the first sign of trouble. This is going to be one hell of a season, and if we thought support for MON or GH or DOL divided opinion, wait until the first defeat happens.

I think some Villa fans are suffering from bluenoseitus, a mental disease that eats away at the brain, whereby you starting to hate your neighbours more than you love their own club. Why, I've no idea, as I've said on here many a time, the Rags are our neighbours, not our rivals, they never have been and never will be our rivals.

I'm starting to think some want McLeish to fail because he used to manage the Rags. How fucking stupid is that?

[Legion]

Extremely.

[Chris Smith]

What a load of complete and utter horse shit.

I don't agree with it either, but i think we may be surprised at exactly how many people are not prepared to give AM a chance, or at least jump on him at the first sign of trouble. This is going to be one hell of a season, and if we thought support for MON or GH or DOL divided opinion, wait until the first defeat happens.

I think some Villa fans are suffering from bluenoseitus, a mental disease that eats away at the brain, whereby you starting to hate your neighbours more than you love their own club. Why, I've no idea, as I've said on here many a time, the Rags are our neighbours, not our rivals, they never have been and never will be our rivals.

I'm starting to think some want McLeish to fail because he used to manage the Rags. How fucking stupid is that?

They also want him to fail so that they can be right.

[hilts_coolerking]

I think some Villa fans are suffering from bluenoseitus, a mental disease that eats away at the brain, whereby you starting to hate your neighbours more than you love their own club. Why, I've no idea, as I've said on here many a time, the Rags are our neighbours, not our rivals, they never have been and never will be our rivals.

I'm starting to think some want McLeish to fail because he used to manage the Rags. How fucking stupid is that?

What they are is local rivals, by dint of their proximity.  And yes the occasional nutter on here does appear to get more out of hating SHA than they do out of supporting us.  But I think it's missing the point to concentrate on those at that extreme.

There are plenty of (relatively) sane Villa fans who think appointing McLeish was a bad decision, not because of where he has come from but because of his PL record, because of who else was available, because he plays mostly shit football and because he represents an opportunity missed. 

If he's under pressure from the word go that's down to Lerner for making such a bizarre appointment.  They've taken a big risk on McLeish which just adds to the pressure.  I'm sure the vast majority of Villa fans, including me, hope he succeeds but some, including me, won't be at all surprised if he doesn't.

[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"
 

Ferguson's comments on the appointment are the only logical explanation I have seen, albeit with obviously worrying implications for our ambition.

"At Rangers, for instance, by the time Alex took over, they weren't spending the kind of money which they had done previously, so Alex did a great job there. He managed to unite a unit there and do very well. In all his jobs he's had to deal with that kind of situation of making do with what you have and making the best of it and that's a quality that. He's got the experience now of doing all of these things and Aston Villa will represent the same type of challenge."

Blimey, hadn't seen that before. Makes grim reading.

But it does at least provide a logical explanation to the question "why McLeish?".

Sorry have to disagree. What it does explain is that this is a very naive Board or at worst just plain stupid if THAT is their reason for getting him.

 

[Lee]

Gordan Strachan!! Weve got McLeish now get over it and get on with it.

... and the award for completely missing the point goes to ...

[Eigentor]

It's true that there is no alternative to backing McLeish and hoping that he'll do well. But while GH was a surprising, and perhaps odd, choice, you could argue that he was the best of a not very good bunch. So it was easier to get on with it and give him a chance. Watching the club appoint McLeish when there were lots of good (and supposedly attainable) managers available, makes it a bit harder to move on.

As for reports that Lerner has been a fan of McLeish for a long time: it smacks revisionism. If it was true, the club would not spend weeks roaming around before appointing him.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I think some Villa fans are suffering from bluenoseitus, a mental disease that eats away at the brain, whereby you starting to hate your neighbours more than you love their own club. Why, I've no idea, as I've said on here many a time, the Rags are our neighbours, not our rivals, they never have been and never will be our rivals.

I'm starting to think some want McLeish to fail because he used to manage the Rags. How fucking stupid is that?

What they are is local rivals, by dint of their proximity.  And yes the occasional nutter on here does appear to get more out of hating SHA than they do out of supporting us.  But I think it's missing the point to concentrate on those at that extreme.

There are plenty of (relatively) sane Villa fans who think appointing McLeish was a bad decision, not because of where he has come from but because of his PL record, because of who else was available, because he plays mostly shit football and because he represents an opportunity missed. 

If he's under pressure from the word go that's down to Lerner for making such a bizarre appointment.  They've taken a big risk on McLeish which just adds to the pressure.  I'm sure the vast majority of Villa fans, including me, hope he succeeds but some, including me, won't be at all surprised if he doesn't.

If you want the full title, we are now 'bitter local rivals' which goes some way to explain the current mentality amongst some Villa fans. The Rags really are dragging some down to their level.

As for McLeish, if he is the wrong man, then the error is Lerner's. McLeish is the innocent party in all this. As for his shit football, most never complained with Martin O'Neill. I hope that at least Lerner gives him the same kind of financial support he's given previous managers.

[pauliewalnuts]

I've got my own objections to AM - poor results, shit football - but I can't see why anyone would give a flying fuck that he had managed Small Heath.

Honestly, who cares? I'm more concerned about his too-frequent relegations. The fact it was Small Heath has no bearing on it at all.

If we had nicked their manager and said manager had been incredibly successful, it would surely be a bonus we had taken him from them, wouldn't it?

[ozzjim]

Spot on Paulie.


Our lack of any real intent in the transfer market fill me with more dread each day that the season approaches

[Hoppo]

Havent missed the point at all. People are being negative for the sake of it. Went out got a season ticket for me and my two kids and looking forward to the season. Would prefer us to spend 15mill on a player and 20mill on another realise it aint going to happen! Instead want to see Delph play want to see Gary Gardner coming through. If Bent gets injured bring on Weimann. Give Ireland and Warnock till January if they persist in being shit move them on!

[Greg N'Ash]

The whole thing's embarrassing, paying the blose for a rather shit manager. Hopefully the manky catapillar that is AM will hatch into a SGT/RS butterfly and launch into the stratosphere, but its more likely he'll hatch out as a moth that got too near the light and will be brushed under the carpet come christmas.