AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[Dante Lavelli]

No, based on two things;

1) Judging by the candidates to take over at Wolves, we'd hardly be improving the situation much would we.  Let's not kid ourselves that our 'names' would be any different from their 'names'. 

2) He's simply doing the job Randy wants him to do - keep us in the division whilst he draws down his investment so he can get some of his money back.

Basically, i've lost faith in Lerner's ability to take us forward - I hope McLeish stays until the Club is sold , which I now hope is soon, whilst keeping our Premiership status and then a new owner appoints a more ambitious, cultured Manager.  It's really the only hope I have left that our future isn't one of regular surrenders coupled with mid table tedium before eventual relegation.

This is a good point.  If we got rid of him now we could end up with another shit manager.  It might be better to wait until the summer when we'd have a realistic chance of getting someone half decent.

[villadelph]

No, based on two things;

1) Judging by the candidates to take over at Wolves, we'd hardly be improving the situation much would we.  Let's not kid ourselves that our 'names' would be any different from their 'names'. 

2) He's simply doing the job Randy wants him to do - keep us in the division whilst he draws down his investment so he can get some of his money back.

Basically, i've lost faith in Lerner's ability to take us forward - I hope McLeish stays until the Club is sold , which I now hope is soon, whilst keeping our Premiership status and then a new owner appoints a more ambitious, cultured Manager.  It's really the only hope I have left that our future isn't one of regular surrenders coupled with mid table tedium before eventual relegation.

This is a good point.  If we got rid of him now we could end up with another shit manager.  It might be better to wait until the summer when we'd have a realistic chance of getting someone half decent.

Why are you under the impression Randy is selling up? In a few recent talks he said he had no such plans.

[Holte L2]

Lerner selling up is the only hope I've got about how we're going to move forward unless his shares have miraculously increased, which is highly unlikely!
When you look at the Mcleish factor, the only sensible conclusion that he hasn't been sacked is he's working as the yes man until Lerner sells

[Jimmy Smash]

I'm still labouring under the probable misconception that Lerner is purging the club and balancing the books to maybe have another crack at turning us into something to be proud of again. I don't think CL football is possible even in the distant future, but we could a top 8 club again surely?

[Ad@m]

It doesn't need Lerner to sell up for us to be successful again.

Everton and Spurs have both been in the Champions League in the past 5/6 years without an Arab/Russian gazillionaire at the helm.  Stoke, Everton and Cardiff have all been in the FA Cup final over the same period, with Portsmouth having been there twice, winning it once.  When it comes to the League Cup - well, we all know what happened last year and Spurs won it a few years back too.

Granted, the gazillionaire owner makes these things more likely but it's not impossible without one.  However, I'm not convinced that despite him winning it with Small Heath last year AML is ever going to win anything with us.  His "success" at Blues was built around the plucky underdog factor - once they'd won something the players suddenly stopped thinking like that and promptly got relegated!  At the Villa we are not, and never will be, nor should we be, the plucky underdog.

I hope that AML has just been brought in to get the books back in order after MON let it get way out of hand.  Hopefully, once that's sorted we'll start looking up again, appoint a young, dynamic manager and start challenging again.

Or maybe I'm just being naive!

[claret and blue blood]

Well if we fail to beat Fulham it will equal our worst ever run of home games without a win since 1921. I've witnessed some terrible times since attending regularly in the sixties(currently have a season ticket North Stand lower) Never seen a worse level of apathy amongst fellow supporters, we even have fans arguing with each other before games.This club needs to be united behind a proper manager who wants to attack ANY opposition at our famous ground. HE HAS TO GO NOW OR WE WILL GO DOWN !!!!!!!!!!!

[Dave]

At the Villa we are not, and never will be, nor should we be, the plucky underdog.

We were the 'plucky underdog' in 1982 weren't we?

[andyh]

At the Villa we are not, and never will be, nor should we be, the plucky underdog.

We were the 'plucky underdog' in 1982 weren't we?

When he says 'at the Villa', I read it to mean 'at home'...in which case he is entirely correct.

[OzVilla]

No, based on two things;

1) Judging by the candidates to take over at Wolves, we'd hardly be improving the situation much would we.  Let's not kid ourselves that our 'names' would be any different from their 'names'. 

2) He's simply doing the job Randy wants him to do - keep us in the division whilst he draws down his investment so he can get some of his money back.

Basically, i've lost faith in Lerner's ability to take us forward - I hope McLeish stays until the Club is sold , which I now hope is soon, whilst keeping our Premiership status and then a new owner appoints a more ambitious, cultured Manager.  It's really the only hope I have left that our future isn't one of regular surrenders coupled with mid table tedium before eventual relegation.

This is a good point.  If we got rid of him now we could end up with another shit manager.  It might be better to wait until the summer when we'd have a realistic chance of getting someone half decent.

Why are you under the impression Randy is selling up? In a few recent talks he said he had no such plans.

I've no evidence at all just a hunch that he's looking to make the Club a saleable asset by getting the books on a more even keel.

That's the main reason why he's stopped investing and that's why he wanted a 'holding pattern' Manager.  It's got too expensive for him and he's lost faith and losing interest in English football.  Maybe he mentioned his feelings to MON and he walked, maybe that's why the Generals enthusiasm for Online forums bit the dust so soon afterwards.

And I really do want to believe this as that gives me some reassurance that there's atleast some sort of plan down there.

[Ad@m]

At the Villa we are not, and never will be, nor should we be, the plucky underdog.

We were the 'plucky underdog' in 1982 weren't we?

Agreed but I never used the past tense.  As far as I'm concerned, the fact we're one of the few clubs in Europe to win the most prestigious club trophy in the world means we should never, ever consider ourselves to be beneath anyone else, now or in the future.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I'm still labouring under the probable misconception that Lerner is purging the club and balancing the books to maybe have another crack at turning us into something to be proud of again.

Not a chance in hell.

[Rico]

I wish we could sack Lerner for dereliction of duty! Mcleish should never have been appointed in the first place, but sacking him now would probably be counter productive in the long term. Unless we have a top notch manager lined up as a replacement, but knowing how badly the powers that be actually plan things out at Villa we'd probably end up with Kev Mac in charge until the end of the season, and if things continued to go wrong we may lose him as a coach. Alternatively we'd probably end up with someone like Curbishley or Sven. Personally I think we've just got to tough it out this season and get rid of Mcleish in the summer. Then we need an appointment that gets everyone excited again. What's Rijkaard (think that's how it's spelt) doing now?

[OzVilla]

Unless we have a top notch manager lined up as a replacement,

No chance at all i'm afraid.

AM is the symptom but RL is the cause.

[VillaAlways]

Randy Lerner- custodian of the club

My arse!!

[Dave Cooper please]

Well if we fail to beat Fulham it will equal our worst ever run of home games without a win since 1921. I've witnessed some terrible times since attending regularly in the sixties(currently have a season ticket North Stand lower) Never seen a worse level of apathy amongst fellow supporters,

Really? 8,000 turn up against Southampton and this is the worst apathy you have seen since the sixties?