McLeish could be the manager to take this club forward

[Gulf Villa]

As put on the after match thread, he is a manager being asked to play a different style to what he is comfortable with, from pressure being brought on (quite rightly) by fans, who will not stand, by not turning up, for the dross that we have seen and to do this with players in vital positions, that are simply not good enough.
Unable to build the confidence of the senior players, for whatever reasons, so no time to start bleeding youngsters.
No funds to correct the problems highlighted above, so not a very bright outlook, or should that be future.
The cash situation he, you would think was aware of, before accepting the position, so whatever he thought he could bring to the table at the moment is not working.
So in answer to the question, the same as if I'd been asked when he first came and nothing to do with where he came from, No he is not.

[brian green]

The substitution of Warnock was not a tactical move, it was punishment for Warnock's errors.   With ten minutes to go it was a lollipop to the crowd to give Warnock the big hook and bring on the PR stunt which is Robbie Keane.   As I posted earlier Albrighton never has a so so game.   He is either brilliant or a total liability and yesterday was the latter.   He should have come off as soon as we were unable to continue the momentum the goal gave us.   Marc's all round game was dire.   His part in their goal, his crossing, his corners should have had him substituted on the hour mark and N'Zogbia brought on.

To return to the thread I think the most depressing thing about the appointment of Alex McLeish is that he is at Villa Park for the long term regardless of results on the pitch.

Using the half a season he has had in charge upon which to predicate the future I come the the very regrettable conclusion that if we do not get relegated this season we will be relegated next season.

If the second half of this season shows an upturn in his ability to get the best out of his players and equally important, the best out of himself, the future would be brighter.   I suspect that we will hobble along until May much the same way has we have done since July.

I must add that my view is not anti McLeish.   The problem as I have expressed on other threads is that he was not appointed for football reasons, he was appointed for financial reasons.

I think Randy Lerner was deeply hurt by the manner of O'Neill's departure and the subsequent bitter acrimony of his action against the club for constructive dismissal.   Add to that the total balls up being made by the board over a replacement for Houllier with the club being ridiculed on a daily basis in the media and Randy Lerner took matters into his own hands and appointed Alex McLeish.

From that moment on I think Randy fell out of love with the Villa and said to himself that the investment was to be run like any other of his business interests.

Alex McLeish was so grateful for being rescued from the living death which was Small Heath that he will do anything for Randy Lerner.

My view was the mainstream view I believe in that I thought McLeish was the wrong manager and we should have got somebody better but like many I did console myself with the belief that because McLeish is very much Lerner's man and Lerner holds the purse strings, the owner will back his man financially.   This has not transpired and every vibe coming out of the club is that we are as penniless as Everton.   The sticking plaster PR move of sporting a million quid on Keane to shut the fans up, the comment that the long awaited Villa museum will only go ahead when it is "financially viable" (a museum FFS from a man who sponsored a whole lump of the National Gallery) are very telling.

All the woes of the club from the decline in playing standards which were already showing when O'Neill flounced, to the madness of appointing an old sick man to a killer job, to the balls ups of the board in having no football savvy, to bad luck (Jenas), to declining crowds, to having to use players like Emile Heskey who was a long time figure of ridicule for the bulk of the fans, to coping with a crippling wages bill racked up by O'Neill - all of this shit is laid at the manager's door.

With his limited abilities and no money to speak of Alex McLeish has done just about what we have a right to expect.   If we go down he will stay because this board will say he is the perfect man to get us back in the Premiership.

Aston Villa's problems do not lie at managerial level, they are at board and ownership level.   The thread should enquire whether they can take us forward.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

I back McLeish 100% , and results willing and people keeping off his back, I back him long term for us to move forward.
From the outset, we had the ridiculous spectacle of `fans` wanting him sacked before he had even signed a contract and done a single days work on our behalf. All because of a stupid misguided tribalism, where some people are more concerned about rivalries with another club who should be irrelevant to us instead of what is best for the long term health of Aston Villa.
Of course now what most of  the anti - Mcleish crowd say is it not his former connections but his defensive minded tactics and poor managerial ability the reasons they cannot back him. Nothing to do with him having been employed by Birmingham City. What complete bullshit !
All managers live and die by results, but dont tell me that if any other candidate for the job had been appointed and they had exactly the same set of results and performances with the same resources they would be suffering the same level of antipathy and calls for their removal.
What I see is someone with strength of character and confidence in their own ability conducting themselves with integrity in the face of unjustified abuse. Those are the sort of people I want working in our club - professionals with integrity.
Those who are so anti - Mcleish, just be honest, you wont give him a more of a chance because you think of him as a bluenose. But no you wont do that because from day one you didnt want him and barring an absolutely miraculous set of results you were going to find every other reason under the sun to justify why he shouldnt be given a chance to do good for us.   

[Risso]

The substitution of Warnock was not a tactical move, it was punishment for Warnock's errors.   With ten minutes to go it was a lollipop to the crowd to give Warnock the big hook and bring on the PR stunt which is Robbie Keane.   As I posted earlier Albrighton never has a so so game.   He is either brilliant or a total liability and yesterday was the latter.   He should have come off as soon as we were unable to continue the momentum the goal gave us.   Marc's all round game was dire.   His part in their goal, his crossing, his corners should have had him substituted on the hour mark and N'Zogbia brought on.

To return to the thread I think the most depressing thing about the appointment of Alex McLeish is that he is at Villa Park for the long term regardless of results on the pitch.

Using the half a season he has had in charge upon which to predicate the future I come the the very regrettable conclusion that if we do not get relegated this season we will be relegated next season.

If the second half of this season shows an upturn in his ability to get the best out of his players and equally important, the best out of himself, the future would be brighter.   I suspect that we will hobble along until May much the same way has we have done since July.

I must add that my view is not anti McLeish.   The problem as I have expressed on other threads is that he was not appointed for football reasons, he was appointed for financial reasons.

I think Randy Lerner was deeply hurt by the manner of O'Neill's departure and the subsequent bitter acrimony of his action against the club for constructive dismissal.   Add to that the total balls up being made by the board over a replacement for Houllier with the club being ridiculed on a daily basis in the media and Randy Lerner took matters into his own hands and appointed Alex McLeish.

From that moment on I think Randy fell out of love with the Villa and said to himself that the investment was to be run like any other of his business interests.

Alex McLeish was so grateful for being rescued from the living death which was Small Heath that he will do anything for Randy Lerner.

My view was the mainstream view I believe in that I thought McLeish was the wrong manager and we should have got somebody better but like many I did console myself with the belief that because McLeish is very much Lerner's man and Lerner holds the purse strings, the owner will back his man financially.   This has not transpired and every vibe coming out of the club is that we are as penniless as Everton.   The sticking plaster PR move of sporting a million quid on Keane to shut the fans up, the comment that the long awaited Villa museum will only go ahead when it is "financially viable" (a museum FFS from a man who sponsored a whole lump of the National Gallery) are very telling.

All the woes of the club from the decline in playing standards which were already showing when O'Neill flounced, to the madness of appointing an old sick man to a killer job, to the balls ups of the board in having no football savvy, to bad luck (Jenas), to declining crowds, to having to use players like Emile Heskey who was a long time figure of ridicule for the bulk of the fans, to coping with a crippling wages bill racked up by O'Neill - all of this shit is laid at the manager's door.

With his limited abilities and no money to speak of Alex McLeish has done just about what we have a right to expect.   If we go down he will stay because this board will say he is the perfect man to get us back in the Premiership.

Aston Villa's problems do not lie at managerial level, they are at board and ownership level.   The thread should enquire whether they can take us forward.

Spot on as ever Brian, especially the bit I've taken the liability of putting in bold.

[PeterWithe]

McLeish has been relegated twice in the last few years and bored the arse of every nose I know, I'd have been as opposed to Mick McCarthy's appointment.

[Risso]

I back McLeish 100% , and results willing and people keeping off his back, I back him long term for us to move forward.
From the outset, we had the ridiculous spectacle of `fans` wanting him sacked before he had even signed a contract and done a single days work on our behalf. All because of a stupid misguided tribalism, where some people are more concerned about rivalries with another club who should be irrelevant to us instead of what is best for the long term health of Aston Villa.
Of course now what most of  the anti - Mcleish crowd say is it not his former connections but his defensive minded tactics and poor managerial ability the reasons they cannot back him. Nothing to do with him having been employed by Birmingham City. What complete bullshit !
All managers live and die by results, but dont tell me that if any other candidate for the job had been appointed and they had exactly the same set of results and performances with the same resources they would be suffering the same level of antipathy and calls for their removal.
What I see is someone with strength of character and confidence in their own ability conducting themselves with integrity in the face of unjustified abuse. Those are the sort of people I want working in our club - professionals with integrity.
Those who are so anti - Mcleish, just be honest, you wont give him a more of a chance because you think of him as a bluenose. But no you wont do that because from day one you didnt want him and barring an absolutely miraculous set of results you were going to find every other reason under the sun to justify why he shouldnt be given a chance to do good for us.   

That may be true for the small minority, ie the kind of simpleton who sprayed anti-SHA slogans on walls after he was appointed, but the majority of right minded fans just don't like his rubbish style of play and two relegations in three years.

[olaftab]

Aston Villa's problems do not lie at managerial level, they are at board and ownership level.   The thread should enquire whether they can take us forward.

Depressingly that is so true. However what choice do we have there? 
Supporters  can  influence a manager change but not board change.

[Risso]

If anything will make the board take notice that the way they are running the club is all wrong, it will be yesterday's crowd.  A Saturday 3pm kick off, not on the telly, and no other distractions, and a truly dismal crowd.

[mrfuse]

If anything will make the board take notice that the way they are running the club is all wrong, it will be yesterday's crowd.  A Saturday 3pm kick off, not on the telly, and no other distractions, and a truly dismal crowd.

Very true can you imagine how poor it will be next season

[nigel]

Paul Lambert is our man. Young , hungry, innovative  playing  modern day football.

I agree, Lambert is doing well at Norwich, so too the chap at Swansea.
Remember, though, these clubs supporters don't have the expectations like at clubs like ours.
They can play with no fear, just like Blackpool last season, and because everyone expects them to go straight back down there is no pressure.
I just wonder how they would cope at a club where to finish below 8th is deemed failure, just as some supporters of our club do.

[villan1975]

The substitution of Warnock was not a tactical move, it was punishment for Warnock's errors.   With ten minutes to go it was a lollipop to the crowd to give Warnock the big hook and bring on the PR stunt which is Robbie Keane.   As I posted earlier Albrighton never has a so so game.   He is either brilliant or a total liability and yesterday was the latter.   He should have come off as soon as we were unable to continue the momentum the goal gave us.   Marc's all round game was dire.   His part in their goal, his crossing, his corners should have had him substituted on the hour mark and N'Zogbia brought on.

To return to the thread I think the most depressing thing about the appointment of Alex McLeish is that he is at Villa Park for the long term regardless of results on the pitch.

Using the half a season he has had in charge upon which to predicate the future I come the the very regrettable conclusion that if we do not get relegated this season we will be relegated next season.

If the second half of this season shows an upturn in his ability to get the best out of his players and equally important, the best out of himself, the future would be brighter.   I suspect that we will hobble along until May much the same way has we have done since July.

I must add that my view is not anti McLeish.   The problem as I have expressed on other threads is that he was not appointed for football reasons, he was appointed for financial reasons.

I think Randy Lerner was deeply hurt by the manner of O'Neill's departure and the subsequent bitter acrimony of his action against the club for constructive dismissal.   Add to that the total balls up being made by the board over a replacement for Houllier with the club being ridiculed on a daily basis in the media and Randy Lerner took matters into his own hands and appointed Alex McLeish.

From that moment on I think Randy fell out of love with the Villa and said to himself that the investment was to be run like any other of his business interests.

Alex McLeish was so grateful for being rescued from the living death which was Small Heath that he will do anything for Randy Lerner.

My view was the mainstream view I believe in that I thought McLeish was the wrong manager and we should have got somebody better but like many I did console myself with the belief that because McLeish is very much Lerner's man and Lerner holds the purse strings, the owner will back his man financially.   This has not transpired and every vibe coming out of the club is that we are as penniless as Everton.   The sticking plaster PR move of sporting a million quid on Keane to shut the fans up, the comment that the long awaited Villa museum will only go ahead when it is "financially viable" (a museum FFS from a man who sponsored a whole lump of the National Gallery) are very telling.

All the woes of the club from the decline in playing standards which were already showing when O'Neill flounced, to the madness of appointing an old sick man to a killer job, to the balls ups of the board in having no football savvy, to bad luck (Jenas), to declining crowds, to having to use players like Emile Heskey who was a long time figure of ridicule for the bulk of the fans, to coping with a crippling wages bill racked up by O'Neill - all of this shit is laid at the manager's door.

With his limited abilities and no money to speak of Alex McLeish has done just about what we have a right to expect.   If we go down he will stay because this board will say he is the perfect man to get us back in the Premiership.

Aston Villa's problems do not lie at managerial level, they are at board and ownership level.   The thread should enquire whether they can take us forward.

If I could write eloquently I would have written exactly that.I can't so I didn't.
In other words I agree with this entirely.

[villan1975]

If anything will make the board take notice that the way they are running the club is all wrong, it will be yesterday's crowd.  A Saturday 3pm kick off, not on the telly, and no other distractions, and a truly dismal crowd.

Agreed and according to an Everton supporting mate they sold their allocation.
Looking at the fixtures remaining the average attendance is only going to get worse.

[TonyD]

He is a poor manager and will NOT take us forward.   End of. 

[preston28]

If anything will make the board take notice that the way they are running the club is all wrong, it will be yesterday's crowd.  A Saturday 3pm kick off, not on the telly, and no other distractions, and a truly dismal crowd.

I think they will blame the poor crowd on the post christmas squeeze on finances and the continued economic depression rather than the dire fare served up on the pitch along with increasing fan apathy? It's like the goverment - a ready made excuse when heaping more financial woes on the population!

[MarkM]

I agree with all you have posted Brian.

I have no expectation that the board will reverse it's current strategy and this can only lead to a prolonged period of mediocracy and possible relagations.