McLeish could be the manager to take this club forward

[Chris Smith]

and he's ad to deal with losing more than half of the first team from last season

"It's the attempt to paint things as worse than they are to win an internet argument" - your words

The 6 you constantly refer to were part of the squad and not "more than half the team".  You can't have it both ways, Chris.

He was given money to replace some of them.  Friedal replaced with an equivalent and with more 'shelf-life' but he has wasted money on Hutton and overspent on N'Zogbia when you consider other shortcomings of the team.  The big loss has been A Young.

Friedel, Walker, Young (L), Reo Coker, Downing and Young (A) were all regular starters last season, it's not spin it is a fact.

That's half the defence and three quarters of the midfield. Any manager taking over in similar circumstances would have struggled but because it's McLeish no mitigation is allowed and everything as to be his fault.

[Hoppo]

Chris. I have always admired your stand on all things Villa. I dont post as often as I would like but I think not using the kids is the problem not the cause. Herd, Lichai, Clark. Bannan, Albrighton Gardner The Fonz and Weimann should be part of every squad. We have no money we have no plan so go with the Youth. Something we can identify with. from Bryan Jones to Tony McAndrew to Sid these are the people I trust down there I have had enough of the idiots at the back picking up obscene wages without caring a shit for us. Have a plan! we havent got a plan A let alone a plan B. Go with the youth at least the fans would be on side.

[Villanation]

I was going to ask who the other Walker was, but he's deleted him, thought we'd dipped into the transfer market and flogged him while i'd dropped of.

[Risso]

Or we've won 2 of our last 3 away games and not lost any of them.

It's the attempt to paint things as worse than they are to win an internet argument that is the most annoying thing about this site. To ignore anything that doesn't suit the McLeish is shit and everything is his fault stance. We've put in decent performances, we've defended well in some games, we've scored three goals at Chelsea and he's ad to deal with losing more than half of the first team from last season yet all we hear from certain sections, because they cannot allow anything to interfere with their absolute certainty, is that he got  Blues relegated.

We're 13th in the league, not enough points away from a relegation scrap, playing poor football and are scoring a whisker above a goal a game.  Exactly the same as McLeish did at Blues that saw them relegated twice.

[Chris Smith]

Hoppo, my impression is that they're giving them all a chance this season to see which have a long term future. So far I'd say only Clark and Herd get an unequivocal yes. Bannan has been good in patches but can go missing. Gardner is now being eased through and will surely get more opportunities.

I think due to the number of games he's already played Albrighton is a step ahead but I'm not as convinced about him as many of you are, he's a decent enough player but his decision making is suspect although that can improve with experience. 

[Chris Smith]

I was going to ask who the other Walker was, but he's deleted him, thought we'd dipped into the transfer market and flogged him while i'd dropped of.

I put two Walkers and only one Young in the first version.

[old man villa fan]

and he's ad to deal with losing more than half of the first team from last season

"It's the attempt to paint things as worse than they are to win an internet argument" - your words

The 6 you constantly refer to were part of the squad and not "more than half the team".  You can't have it both ways, Chris.

He was given money to replace some of them.  Friedal replaced with an equivalent and with more 'shelf-life' but he has wasted money on Hutton and overspent on N'Zogbia when you consider other shortcomings of the team.  The big loss has been A Young.

Friedel, Walker, Young (L), Reo Coker, Downing and Young (A) were all regular starters last season, it's not spin it is a fact.

That's half the defence and three quarters of the midfield. Any manager taking over in similar circumstances would have struggled but because it's McLeish no mitigation is allowed and everything as to be his fault.

Walker and L Young played 38 games together, so other players played the other half.  Reo-Coker played because he was preferred by Houllier to other players.  McLeish preferred to let him go.  Refer to my previous comments on the others.

You keep on making it sound (for effect) that he was forced into getting rid of them and not having the chance to replace them.  Also do not forget that Bent was added In January because Lerner knew that he would be losing A Young.

[Chris Smith]

Look at the team sheets for the second part of the season, the six players I mentioned featured more often than not. I'm not adding anything for effect, I'm describing what happened. It doesn't really matter how or why, the point i'm making that any new manager coming in was already in a difficult position and that anyone but McLeish would have been given some leeway because if it.

[Hoppo]

Off to watch Sherlock might get in touch with Dr Watson to see if they can find out how the hell our back four are all internationals...

[Villanation]

I think with the exception of Ash Young and Downing and some would question Downing, AM has spent money to cover, the point has to if, he's got the right players in remains to be seen, but certainly his replacement of Friedal in the fact we now have Given IMO is a better option, hell, Given has kept us in more than one game this season including the Everton game without which we'd already be in the relegation zone.

Hutton, N'Zogbia, Bannan (now established) Albrighton, now Clark coming back on the scene and in actual fact with the reborn Stephen Ireland its like we have just got in a new top player, so other than Ash I'm utterly convinced we have a good enough squad and way better than Swansea, as to them playing as a unit, well that relies on other things.

[Risso]

Look at the team sheets for the second part of the season, the six players I mentioned featured more often than not. I'm not adding anything for effect, I'm describing what happened. It doesn't really matter how or why, the point i'm making that any new manager coming in was already in a difficult position and that anyone but McLeish would have been given some leeway because if it.

Of course the team is weaker for the loss of those players, but an important point is that those players never played under McLeish, so it's not like he really knows what he's lost.  He's still got a team full of players who are more than good enough to be playing better and scoring more goals than we are at present.  And of course, two of the players who have been amongst our most disappointing performers he bought himself, ie N'Zogbia and Hutton.

[Clampy]

It dose'nt really matter who our manager is, with the players we have available, we should be creating more chances, let alone trying to stop a losing run at home.

[Ad@m]

Two goals at home since Norwich at the start of November.

Simply not good enough.

[Somniloquism]

I accept that we're not scoring enough goals, but that's through not making the most of our chances, not through sitting back and clinging on.

Well it is hard to make the most of one or two chances created on target in most matches.

[hawkeye]

His failure to sort out the defence is his problem, one reason we are not playing better and scoring more goals is because Hutton and Collins keep giving the ball away, If they are available they play regardless of form.