AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[JUAN PABLO]

I doubt he would have got any credit if we had attacked Citeh and took a hammering paulie. This place would have been full of posts calling him tactically niave instead of unadventurous. He's on a loser whatever he does now. It was alwyas going to be a car crash appointment from the start but the next guy is unlikely to have a better record or style of football because good ones won't come under Lerner's conditions

When we played them at their place we tried to have a go and lost. Most of the post match thread apart from the usuals knew we had tried (more then Houlier against them) and conceded that they were just the better team.

In fact most of the time, the only times McCleish gets slagged in the post match thread is for playing defensively or playing Heskey in midfield. When we have tried to attack and take the fight to the opposition in matches, we normally dropped points because of individual defensive errors and he wasn't (always) being slagged off then.

spot on.   None of us would have been suprised getting beat by Shi££y , they have the quality with the dollars spent . So why not have a go , try and attack and play some football . 3-0 or 4-0 defeat would not have bothered me , the 1-0 defeat , play for a 0-0 bothered me more.

[pauliewalnuts]

Arsenal at home on the other hand was much more like it, we lost but you left the ground feeling good about what you'd just watched and it gave us all a lot of optimisim. We've only won 2 games since then though.

The most frustrating thing by far is that, just when he starts to suggest he can change, he falls back on the predictable, zero-ambition nonsense.

[Merv]

Not everyone wanted GH out, but I get your point. Thing is, there are hundreds of Academy and youth coaches out there who would never have made some the decisions AM has made in certain games. You can't just bulk out a midfield to keep the opposition out. But anyway, we've been here before, I don't want to keep going over old ground.

He'll be okay over the next four games because we've shown this season we can beat the worst teams in the league. I think we'll win two of the four - Wigan and Bolton at home.

It's the downward cycle I think we're in that concerns me, the overall feeling around the club. I can see a couple of our better players pondering a move away in the summer and I don't think we have the funding, or the right manager, in place to bring in good enough replacements.

[paul_e]

The problem for McLeish is that he needed to exceed expectations to be accepted.  If we all thought 8-12 was where we were likely to finish then he'd have had to finish 7th or better for the majority to be behind him for next year.  We can all see this isn't going to happen now which means we have a manager that a large portion of fans didn't want (for whatever reason) who is performing on par or worse than expectations.

That isn't a healthy situation to be in and was always going to lead to protests and 'fan groups' demanding his resignation.  These people might not know who they want to replace him but that's fairly irrelevant now.

I think I can count on 1 hand the number of people I've seen posts from/spoken to who genuinely think he's the right person for the job and will take us forward.  My biggest worry is the effect on season ticket sales and morale at the club if he's still here next season, the apathy is becoming all consuming and I really believe that we're going to be a huge risk to go down next year if he's still here, not because of anything more than I just think there will be too big a portion of the fanbase that expect nothing else.

[Compass]

He'll be okay over the next four games because we've shown this season we can beat the worst teams in the league. I think we'll win two of the four - Wigan and Bolton at home

He lost against Bolton at home in the Carling Cup. If I recall correctly it was against their reserves and it took us near the 90th minute to get a shot on target.

Also, the final third of the season in the league is where McLeish collapses. Last season at this stage his team had 30 points and they finished with 39 points. 9 points in 13 games. If we don't defeat Wigan tommorow don't discount the possibility.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think I can count on 1 hand the number of people I've seen posts from/spoken to who genuinely think he's the right person for the job and will take us forward.

I was wondering the other day, those who think it was a good appointment - not that he's doing a good job now, but when was appointed, thought "what a good appointment", what reasons do they have for thinking so?

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

He'll be okay over the next four games because we've shown this season we can beat the worst teams in the league. I think we'll win two of the four - Wigan and Bolton at home

He lost against Bolton at home in the Carling Cup. If I recall correctly it was against their reserves and it took us near the 90th minute to get a shot on target.

Also, the final third of the season in the league is where McLeish collapses. Last season at this stage his team had 30 points and they finished with 39 points. 9 points in 13 games. If we don't defeat Wigan tommorow don't discount the possibility.

And when we do win, you won't be seen on here until we lose again. You're starting to sound like a Roman Sooth Sayer now Compass, I really think you've lost your direction in life.

[cheltenhamlion]

We will win tomorrow. I have a feeling in my water. I also read the heart of a sacrificed dove earlier and that said the same.

[john e]

We will win tomorrow. I have a feeling in my water. I also read the heart of a sacrificed dove earlier and that said the same.

i was feeling a bit worried about tomorow, but that Dove thing you did has proper convinced me now,
110% as the great man would say

[Jimmy Smash]

Who out of all of us thought he was a good appointment? I for one was prepared to support him because he was the Villa manager, and I felt in that respect he deserved a chance even though when i heard he'd resigned from Small Heath my heart sank. Since Citeh though I just want him gone. I've supported the duds in the  past... Venglos, who I still think should have been given longer.. GT for obvious reasons... DOL simply because he was the only option at the time. McLeish in my opinion is a terrible manager. It's his obstinacy I find most frustrating. It's fine being a defensive manager. George Graham did it for years. The trick is however to not let a goal in and score more than the opposition (i.e one).unfortunately McL can't manage this.

[Villanation]

Who out of all of us thought he was a good appointment? I for one was prepared to support him because he was the Villa manager, and I felt in that respect he deserved a chance even though when i hear he'd resigned from Small Heath my heart sank. Since Citeh though I just want him gone. I've supported the duds in the  past... Venglos, who I still think should have been given longer.. GT for obvious reasons... DOL simply because he was the only option at the time. McLeish in my opinion is, a terrible manager. It's his obstinacy I find most frustrating. It's fine being a defensive manager. George Graham did it for years. The trick is however to not let a goal in and score more than the opposition (i.e one).unfortunately McL can't manage this.

This what sprang to mind when the rumor started he was coming.

McLiesh,.......................Regardless of what he did in Scotland, failed twice in the English leagues, the Premiership, probably the hardest and most demanding league in the Football world and he has engineered 2 relegation's and was unable to survive tactically in a very short period of time.

McLiesh...........Every time I looked at the blouses either playing us or anybody else, looked friggin awful, stale mundane and negative football, with a mentality that providing you didn't concede any goals everything else was surplus to requirement, I thought City where a joke football side for the Premiership, on top of this they now look a completely regenerated side under Chris Houghton and when they get promoted at the end of of this season, assuming we are still in the Premiership, will certainly give Villa a tough time.

McLiesh.......Finally, who other than an idiot would not only pay for the privilege of, but poach a manager form your rival club that is far worse than the bloke that's just quit and was never going to sit right with the fans, and so its proved to be.

 

[Fergal]

29 goals in 25 games.  Thats how he manages a team. Low scoring shit football is a recipe for disaster, scoring just over a goal a game is relegation fodder.
Has he ever managed a team that has scored much more than a goal a game?

[PeterWithe]

I was chatting to my mate today about Mick McCarthy and I attempted a snide dig with, 'Nice bloke but you cant lose 5.1 to your local rivals and expect to keep your job' he replied 'Yeah, unless you are Alex McLeish' 

Bastard

[hawkeye]

I havent met any one who thinks it was a good appointment, I think the only person that did was Mr Lerner Sir.
I do think that the majority were prepared to give him a chance, he has blown that chance, he has turned out to be the manager that we all feared.

[pauliewalnuts]

The thing I was most concerned about was that he'd resort to the same defensive, mind numbing dross he played in making Blues the most boring side in the league.

That is exactly what he has done, and I don't really like it much.