McLeish could be the manager to take this club forward

[brian green]

In these McLeish debates the assumption is made by most parties that there are only two mind sets.   You are either supportive of McLeish and want him to do well or anti McLeish because you expect him to fail.   The pro McLeish faction says "we like him despite his previous" the anti McLeish faction says "we do not like him because of his previous".

There is at least one other camp including the one I inhabit.   Our gospel is "I want McLeish do brilliantly well for us because it would so piss off Small Heath" all else is just sound and fury.

[olaftab]

There is at least one other camp including the one I inhabit.   Our gospel is "I want McLeish do brilliantly well for us because it would so piss off Small Heath" all else is just sound and fury.

and this is the classic "travelling in hope" camp where most fotball fans reside!

[Risso]

I want McLeish to do well because that would mean Villa doing well.  However I remain convinced that he has no chance.  Firstly because he's a rubbish manager, and secondly because he's employed by a crap owner who won't back him, thus taking away the only slender chance that McLeish has of being successful here.  His past employment with that lot down the road is of no interest to me whatsoever, as I'm getting reasonably bored of reiterating.

[hawkeye]

I am with Risso, his previous allegiance means nothing to me, I allways want Villa to win. I just dont believe based on his track record and what I have seen is that he is the right manager for us.

[pauliewalnuts]

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.

Absolutely.

[The Laughing Policeman]

If the Internet had been around in 1974 I wonder what would have been the reaction on H&V to the Villa taking on a dour taciturn manager who wasn't noted for his scintillating style of football. And his only claims to fame were losing two consecutive  League Cup finals with two different teams and just escaping relegation with one of them.

[Yossarian]

Fuck, I'd take Satan himself as Villa manager if it meant we won something. And all McLeish is, is an ex-nose. But with no money and shit for brains we ain't going to win fuck all.

[paul_e]

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.

Absolutely.

This is what I was trying to get at as well, our squad is comfortably midtable in the premier league, our performances at home are relegation form.  However you break it down after that the root cause is something either the manager is or isn't doing.  He is responsible for buying Hutton for example.  He also isn't willing to drop Warnock despite the fact that he's put in some of the most abject performances I've ever seen over the last 5-6 games.

[Somniloquism]

If the Internet had been around in 1974 I wonder what would have been the reaction on H&V to the Villa taking on a dour taciturn manager who wasn't noted for his scintillating style of football. And his only claims to fame were losing two consecutive  League Cup finals with two different teams and just escaping relegation with one of them.

What? You mean taking a First Division manager whilst we are in the second division? Also the cup losses just meant he could be third time lucky with us.

[KevinGage]

I am with Risso, his previous allegiance means nothing to me, I allways want Villa to win. I just dont believe based on his track record and what I have seen is that he is the right manager for us.

I think it was Paulie who said a while back that if we had snared a promising up and coming player off them (or even the likes of Foster and Dann)  we'd have been chuffed.  Same goes if we'd taken a highly rated or promising manager.

And that's exactly where I am.   If anything, the connection to that lot would have made it even sweeter.

But we took a manager who would have struggled to get another job in the Premiership, yet alone a job as big as the Villa.  There's the difference. 

Now he's here he needs to be backed though.  Or given enough rope.  Whichever way you care to look at it.

As per Risso, my real concern is the cast of characters higher up the foodchain than McLeish. 

[Fergal]

Think Swansea would swop managers if we threw Heskey in as a sweetener?

[KevinGage]

As sweetners go, that's like one giant turd in the punchbowl.

[James]

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.

Absolutely.

This is what I was trying to get at as well, our squad is comfortably midtable in the premier league, our performances at home are relegation form.  However you break it down after that the root cause is something either the manager is or isn't doing.  He is responsible for buying Hutton for example.  He also isn't willing to drop Warnock despite the fact that he's put in some of the most abject performances I've ever seen over the last 5-6 games.

Comfortably mid-table? Jesus! Take the claret and blue tinted specs off, we're down at the shit end and scrapping (poorly) for life!

[pauliewalnuts]

He said our squad is comfortably mid table, James, not that we are.

[Risso]

He said our squad is comfortably mid table [quality], James, not that we are.

Bit of square bracketage required there I feel.