AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[Lowendbehold]

Anyone else feel sick in the stomach at the prospect of enduring anymore of McLiesh's terrible brand of cowardly and  negative tactics? I,m really not looking forward to Saturday and if I have to hear any more loyal season ticket holders say there's no way they are renewing if he's still here next season I'll go mad.
Get him out he's killing our club !   

To help you not feel any worse, I'm renewing next season.

[cheltenhamlion]

Killing our club is going too far. Do you know what, if I had any faith in him, I could make a case for giving him the summer to shape the squad as he chooses and give him next year to see what he can do.

Unfortunately, he does not have the luxury of that faith from many and it will have a disastrous effect on attendances if he is still here next year.

And that is the problem with making such a divisive appointment and then tieing his hands on transfers.

[mrfuse]

Killing our club is going too far. Do you know what, if I had any faith in him, I could make a case for giving him the summer to shape the squad as he chooses and give him next year to see what he can do.

Unfortunately, he does not have the luxury of that faith from many and it will have a disastrous effect on attendances if he is still here next year.

And that is the problem with making such a divisive appointment and then tieing his hands on transfers.

I wouldn't want Mcleish to be trusted with a free reign for Transfers,  I think we have a decent team at the minute not outstanding but a good mix and with the current Team a lot of Manager's could get us finishing in the top 8 maybe higher.

Out of the teams above us we have a better squad in my opinion than, Swansea, Everton, Sunderland, Norwich, West Brom, Stoke and Fulham and all of those Managers would kill to have most of our players in their Team.

Its just obvious McLeish has very little tactical ability or cant get through to the players how he wants them to play.

Our defence for instance isint as bad as it looks, its just McLeish doesn't seem to want to defend from the front and is quite willing to let the opposition have plenty of the ball until the final third which puts too much strain on the back four which is how teams like Swansea and spurs ripped us apart.

So if he cant get our current players in the top half of the table I dont see how bringing in new faces is going to make such a difference

[ROBBO]

Lerner misread the situation once again, even if MCleish by some miracle had got Villa into the top six this season there would have been many still wanting him out,unreasonable i know but thats how some supporters see it. He needed to have us playing decent football winning as many as we're losing with a hint of promise to come, but instead he has us playing some of the worst football seen at Villa Park with the belief that if not this year then next we will be relegated. When season ticket sales hit rock bottom only then,maybe will he understand
that he got it wrong once again.

[Concrete John]

Killing our club is going too far. Do you know what, if I had any faith in him, I could make a case for giving him the summer to shape the squad as he chooses and give him next year to see what he can do.

Unfortunately, he does not have the luxury of that faith from many and it will have a disastrous effect on attendances if he is still here next year.

And that is the problem with making such a divisive appointment and then tieing his hands on transfers.

I wouldn't want Mcleish to be trusted with a free reign for Transfers,  I think we have a decent team at the minute not outstanding but a good mix and with the current Team a lot of Manager's could get us finishing in the top 8 maybe higher.

Out of the teams above us we have a better squad in my opinion than, Swansea, Everton, Sunderland, Norwich, West Brom, Stoke and Fulham and all of those Managers would kill to have most of our players in their Team.

Its just obvious McLeish has very little tactical ability or cant get through to the players how he wants them to play.

Our defence for instance isint as bad as it looks, its just McLeish doesn't seem to want to defend from the front and is quite willing to let the opposition have plenty of the ball until the final third which puts too much strain on the back four which is how teams like Swansea and spurs ripped us apart.

So if he cant get our current players in the top half of the table I dont see how bringing in new faces is going to make such a difference

The defenders have made individual error after individual error all through this season, so I'm afraid it is as bad as it looks.  If nothing else he needs to be able to rebuild that defence and give the better forwards we have more of a platform to win us games.

[mrfuse]

Killing our club is going too far. Do you know what, if I had any faith in him, I could make a case for giving him the summer to shape the squad as he chooses and give him next year to see what he can do.

Unfortunately, he does not have the luxury of that faith from many and it will have a disastrous effect on attendances if he is still here next year.

And that is the problem with making such a divisive appointment and then tieing his hands on transfers.

I wouldn't want Mcleish to be trusted with a free reign for Transfers,  I think we have a decent team at the minute not outstanding but a good mix and with the current Team a lot of Manager's could get us finishing in the top 8 maybe higher.

Out of the teams above us we have a better squad in my opinion than, Swansea, Everton, Sunderland, Norwich, West Brom, Stoke and Fulham and all of those Managers would kill to have most of our players in their Team.

Its just obvious McLeish has very little tactical ability or cant get through to the players how he wants them to play.

Our defence for instance isint as bad as it looks, its just McLeish doesn't seem to want to defend from the front and is quite willing to let the opposition have plenty of the ball until the final third which puts too much strain on the back four which is how teams like Swansea and spurs ripped us apart.

So if he cant get our current players in the top half of the table I dont see how bringing in new faces is going to make such a difference

The defenders have made individual error after individual error all through this season, so I'm afraid it is as bad as it looks.  If nothing else he needs to be able to rebuild that defence and give the better forwards we have more of a platform to win us games.

possibly because theirs a lot more pressure on them? Its pretty much the same defence that got us into the carling cup final, semi final of the FA cup and 6th in the League is it not?

Apart from Hutton who we could easily switch Carlos back their like we have done before and although isint a recognized right back has done well! 

[pauliewalnuts]

The defenders have made individual error after individual error all through this season, so I'm afraid it is as bad as it looks.  If nothing else he needs to be able to rebuild that defence and give the better forwards we have more of a platform to win us games.

I actually think the defence has looked more solid of late.

[Concrete John]

The defenders have made individual error after individual error all through this season, so I'm afraid it is as bad as it looks.  If nothing else he needs to be able to rebuild that defence and give the better forwards we have more of a platform to win us games.

I actually think the defence has looked more solid of late.

Over the last three games we've only let in two goals, one of which was to the league leaders, so there are some good sings there, I agree.

[Concrete John]

Its pretty much the same defence that got us into the carling cup final, semi final of the FA cup and 6th in the League is it not?

It is, but for whatever reason they've been largely shit since MON left.  We can't really blame AM for that, as Houllier had the same problem.

[DB]

The defenders have made individual error after individual error all through this season, so I'm afraid it is as bad as it looks.  If nothing else he needs to be able to rebuild that defence and give the better forwards we have more of a platform to win us games.

So do I, with exeption of Warnock. I defence is put under more pressure from the ball given away, Sat 2nd hald was terrible, no more than 2 passes before we gave it away.

I actually think the defence has looked more solid of late.

[JUAN PABLO]

The defence has looked better , maybe that is a lot to do with Cuellar .   But I know If Dunne was fit , McLeish would not be playing him .   He had plenty of chances to start with Cuellar when the defence looked shit but never played him.

[frank]

Its pretty much the same defence that got us into the carling cup final, semi final of the FA cup and 6th in the League is it not?

It is, but for whatever reason they've been largely shit since MON left.  We can't really blame AM for that, as Houllier had the same problem.

Even before MON left they weren't infallible. In over 50 years I've never seen us concede more than the 7 at Stamford Bridge in 2010, when Dunne, Collins, L Young and Warnock were playing.

[Tony Boucher]

Don't know if anyone else picked up on this match report from the Telegraph, but I thought it was a bit odd & in hindsight, it's not that surprising we played so badly in the second half - surely this sort of thing can only produce negativity for the rest of the game:

Aston Villa frustrated by their own failings as Blackburn Rovers fight back to earn draw

Aston Villa players had a heated exchange in the dressing room at half-time but the “shouting match”, as Alex McLeish described it, did not have the desired effect as Blackburn struck late to seal a 1-1 draw at Ewood Park.

By Arindam Rej

11:00PM GMT 04 Mar 2012

The Aston Villa players were furious that they led by only one goal at the break after a dominant first half but David Dunn headed home in the 85th minute to earn a draw for the home side.

“All the lads were disappointed we were not more ahead,” said McLeish. “They were lamenting and having a shouting match about that at half-time. But it was over and we had to concentrate on the second half.

“I want my players to be demanding of each other. They are quite a quiet bunch and, when you hear them talking like that, you are starting to see that fire as a group.”

Captain Stiliyan Petrov was still angry after the match. “It’s the story of our season – from being so good to being so poor,” he said. “That’s why we are in this position. We should have been away with three points and we couldn’t do it again.

“As I said to the boys, there’s no excuses this time. We are playing well and we can win games – it’s just getting more and more frustrating.”

At least Villa are being buoyed by Charles N’Zogbia’s improved attitude. After a fallout with his manager and public statement of unhappiness, N’Zogbia’s Villa future looked in doubt last month. Now, though, he looks back in form.

The 25-year-old winger scored their goal here with a superb finish, and was only denied a second by an excellent save from Paul Robinson, who kept Blackburn in the contest.

Petrov said: “Charles is motivated to go and show what he’s all about. He went through a tough period and now we need him for the final 11 games. He’s a strong character and some people need longer to settle.”

Blackburn face Wolves away next and the Lancashire side’s manager Steve Kean warned his players: “If we play like we did in the first half then we are going to struggle. That’s just the facts.

"You can ask any Villa midfield player and they will tell you that they had the time and space to pick their head up and play any pass they wanted to.”

I'd have hoped the manger would step in & say "forget about the missed chances - keep playing & we will score more" - but instead they seemed to be feeling sorry for themselves & played like it.

[NiiLamptey]

Its defo not a top 6 squad, but it is one of the best squads outside the top 6 surely!

On paper I think it is, but when you look at the defensive ineptitude we've shown, and factor in the rumoured attitude's of some of those defenders, then in actuality it's not.

I do agree there is enough there for top half though.

Lol if I said best team outside the top 6... meaning thats 7th, 8th, or 9th

and you say probably not, but defo a top half team... with is 7th, 8th or 9th...

How can you disagree with me?

[NiiLamptey]

The TEAM isnt good enough (i mean big eck's startign 11) but the squad should be good enough for top half finish if you pick the right players...

I have seen at least 10 teams this season that are awful and we should have been a lot better than them!

A few weeks ago I argued it is far more constructive to support the team including the manager, but I am starting to struggle now, Its not wholly Big Eck, he clearly isnt that great a tactician, it is also the owener, and his lack of communication and the aggressive cuts.

Just feels like we will end up in relegation fight next season with a load of ageing free transfers costing us a fortune in wages!