AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[NeilH]

It seems to me that Faulkner is just a regent for Randy. There's no way he made any appointments without Randy's blessing. So I hold Randy fully accountable. Faulkner, in my opinion, is just a guy who has found himself in a job he has no credentials for at all. Rather than doing a bad job, he isn't doing a job at all.

I still maintain that the problem is not their ability to do their jobs, its their ability to do their jobs in the football business. They have tried/are trying to apply standard business practise in the very un-standard world of football club management. Its an exercise in futility and fuckwittery that is sending us down the gurgler.

Can you imagine Steve Stride sanctioning some of the stupid f**king decisions of the last year?

[dicedlam]

I want him gone, but I dont think it will happen sometime soon.

As someone pointed out earlier, its the lack of leadership from above which is the problem.
With the continued absence of Randy and him not feeling the frustration on the ground firsthand, then i'm afraid it will be pretty much more of the same to come.

[itbrvilla]

Can we make a huge banner that reads "Faulkning Clueless"?

[Phil from the upper holte]

Joking aside now, that group that faulkner asked to meet that refused. We on here should form our own, contact the club and go for a bloody meeting with the bastards and find out what the fuck is going on

[dave.woodhall]

Joking aside now, that group that faulkner asked to meet that refused. We on here should form our own, contact the club and go for a bloody meeting with the bastards and find out what the fuck is going on

There are several groups who do meet 'the bastards'. You should join one.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Awesome, i'd love to, can you point me in the right direction

[Irish villain]

Joking aside now, that group that faulkner asked to meet that refused. We on here should form our own, contact the club and go for a bloody meeting with the bastards and find out what the fuck is going on

There are several groups who do meet 'the bastards'. You should join one.

Then what's going on? Why the drift?

[dave.woodhall]

Awesome, i'd love to, can you point me in the right direction

There's the Supporters Trust, the Supporter Consultation Groups and the assorted Lions Clubs for a start. And also, have you ever tried talking to them yourself? 

[JUAN PABLO]

that Villa Fans Utd group have Talk Sport coverage tomorrow 

[stubbsyandy]

It seems to me that Faulkner is just a regent for Randy. There's no way he made any appointments without Randy's blessing. So I hold Randy fully accountable. Faulkner, in my opinion, is just a guy who has found himself in a job he has no credentials for at all. Rather than doing a bad job, he isn't doing a job at all.

The stupidest mistake was when replacing MON, putting "must have premier league experience" at the top of the list of criteria.

You can understand them making that mistake from inexperience, maybe, but then to find themselves all of twelve months later, making the same mistake *again* is just unforgiveable.

Not only is it unforgiveable, it is in large part why we found ourselves with a short list of two, Martinez and McLeish, two managers who inhabit the arse end of the league (and even lower in the case of the successful applicant).

Of course, not only is this a pretty fucking poor situation to engineer yourself into, it makes zero sense on a footballing level, as they are two managers with totally contrasting styles.

To then cap it all, they get out-manoeuvred by Dave Fucking Whelan, who makes us look a bunch of amateurs, and end up paying Small Heath a fortune to prise away the manager who had just got them relegated.

How anyone can look at a course of events like that and conclude anything other than a case of total fuckwittedness is absolutely beyond me, and I hope at some point Randy sits down and thinks about this, and works out that he's made a colossal mistake, and puts it right, before it is too late.

Right now the club is slowly ebbing away into obscurity and irrelevance again. If he sits back and watches that happen, then God help us.

Fair points made, Paulie.
I was listening to a radio debate about Wolves on Saturday and the argument was put forward - without dissent from anyone - that the mistake Morgan and Moxey made was not having a replacment lined up before shooting McCarthy.
How my mind went back to last summer and the shambolic recruitment process!

Clark, Lambert, Rodgers and Adkins were the managers we should have been looking at as candidates - and many people advocated this on here, IIRC. We could have put up with a season of transition if the manager was up-and-coming, recognised the value of the youth and got us to a place where investment could have started next season from a new, stronger base.

I could not agree more!

[Dante Lavelli]

"It's probably one of the toughest jobs in the Premier League. But I am willing to take that challenge on. And I still believe we will prosper.

I find this quote interesting.  Without unnecessarily slagging AMc off, I do not think the job he has been assigned is that difficult.  Yes the fans' have probably gotten used to finishing in the top 6, but I doubt many of us here thought this squad could achieve it this year.

Does anyone think he is hinting at something else?  At face value I cannot see how it is one of the hardest job in the EPL.

[Merv]

Whenever I've heard the Villa job described as one of the toughest in the PL - it's been said before, I think - I always take it that it's perceived as tough because 'the fans' expect a certain level of achievement. I'm pretty sure 'the fans' are realistic about what this team can do and the current situation we're in, so I don't think expectations are wildly high.

But expectations are higher here than McLeish is used to, I imagine. He's perhaps also alluding to the fact he hasn't had a significant amount to spend.

[Billy Walker]

Whenever I've heard the Villa job described as one of the toughest in the PL - it's been said before, I think - I always take it that it's perceived as tough because 'the fans' expect a certain level of achievement. I'm pretty sure 'the fans' are realistic about what this team can do and the current situation we're in, so I don't think expectations are wildly high.

But expectations are higher here than McLeish is used to, I imagine. He's perhaps also alluding to the fact he hasn't had a significant amount to spend.

Yep and I think the balancing act of blooding the youngsters and keeping the senior pro's onside and motivated is pretty much a challenge, too.  A positive that I'll give him is that he's really giving the young lads a chance.  Making Gabby skipper, too, was a nice touch.

[ez]

McLeish's brand of football has got me thinking back. Wasn't three points for a win brought in to discourage teams from settling for a draw?

[Rigadon]

It seems to me that Faulkner is just a regent for Randy. There's no way he made any appointments without Randy's blessing. So I hold Randy fully accountable. Faulkner, in my opinion, is just a guy who has found himself in a job he has no credentials for at all. Rather than doing a bad job, he isn't doing a job at all.

The stupidest mistake was when replacing MON, putting "must have premier league experience" at the top of the list of criteria.

You can understand them making that mistake from inexperience, maybe, but then to find themselves all of twelve months later, making the same mistake *again* is just unforgiveable.

Not only is it unforgiveable, it is in large part why we found ourselves with a short list of two, Martinez and McLeish, two managers who inhabit the arse end of the league (and even lower in the case of the successful applicant).

Of course, not only is this a pretty fucking poor situation to engineer yourself into, it makes zero sense on a footballing level, as they are two managers with totally contrasting styles.

To then cap it all, they get out-manoeuvred by Dave Fucking Whelan, who makes us look a bunch of amateurs, and end up paying Small Heath a fortune to prise away the manager who had just got them relegated.

How anyone can look at a course of events like that and conclude anything other than a case of total fuckwittedness is absolutely beyond me, and I hope at some point Randy sits down and thinks about this, and works out that he's made a colossal mistake, and puts it right, before it is too late.

Right now the club is slowly ebbing away into obscurity and irrelevance again. If he sits back and watches that happen, then God help us.

Difficult to argue with any of that.