AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[Toronto Villa]

Well I can only speak for myself but I'll be devastated if we don't replace him in the summer. This season has been absolute torture. There is no evidence that he has what it takes to turn us around, in fact most evidence suggests we'll just get worse the longer he is here.

I'll just stay away next year and hope he proves me wrong.

be prepared to be devastated then Caster. He isn't going anywhere.

[cheltenhamlion]

If they had any intention of giving him the boot we wouldn't be letting him sign Holman. He will be here next season.

[N'ZMAV]

I also think that McLeish is here to stay, we need to let him dodge his way out of this season, have another 3-4 transfer windows and see what he can do then, it's only fair, i suppose....

[Merv]

he has still not sorted out the defence. 

Just picking up on this bit... thought about this yesterday. What's the feeling about the defence in recent games? Modest opposition, sure, but in the three matches since we've been without Dunne we've conceded once. Collins looks steadier, Warnock has cut out the silly mistakes, Hutton settling in.

Was Dunne the problem, after all? Maybe needs a thread of its own.

[Brend'Watkins]

We look far more solid that's for sure.  We still need to strengthen in this department even with the improvements.  Let's re-visit the situation after Arse, Chelsea and ManU.

[Greg N'Ash]

I said we wouldn't miss him at all and so its proved. Mind, i wouldn't put it past him to claim he's masterminded the defences' improvement from the sidelines

[KevinGage]

If they had any intention of giving him the boot we wouldn't be letting him sign Holman. He will be here next season.

Possibly.

But another way to look at it is, if they're restricting him to free transfers and cut price deals they're far from certain he has a long term future with us.

Ii does increasingly look like he will still be with us by the start of next season though.

[Percy McCarthy]

Gabby up front certainly helps us concede less as the ball is up the other end a lot more when he plays.

[Ger Regan]

When you actually look at the goals against column, our defensive record isn't really that bad. We've conceded one more than Spurs, 4 fewer than Arsenal, and 6 fewer than Newcastle, to pick just 3. It's scoring goals that's our big problem, and something that will need to be looked at in the summer.

[pauliewalnuts]

If they had any intention of giving him the boot we wouldn't be letting him sign Holman. He will be here next season.

Possibly.

But another way to look at it is, if they're restricting him to free transfers and cut price deals they're far from certain he has a long term future with us.

Ii does increasingly look like he will still be with us by the start of next season though.

Don't agree with that, KG, they've been telling us for ages that we are cutting back / need to live within our neans etc etc. I suspect this would be the case, whoever the manager.

I also don't think AM would have got the boot under any circumstances, even relegation. The owner has forked out a lot of money of late for departed managers, but he also seems to have thoroughly bought in to McLeish (frighteningly).

[KevinGage]

I agree Paulie.

I tend to think whoever came in would be under similar constraints. 

But they might still be viewing him as on probation, so to speak. 
If he proves his worth with the existing squad and a few cut price deals, they'll free up the purse strings.   If he fouls up, no huge harm done.  Most of the big earners will have been ditched and we might even get a fee for some of those signed on bosmans. 

[pauliewalnuts]

Well, if we're going to keep him, we need to support him with money.

I disagree with the board re McLeish as a manager, but if they think otherwise, then they absolutely have to support the guy, otherwise he's never going to get a chance to prove people (like me) wroing.

I actually think his signings so far are far from disastrous. Given and N'Zogbia are quality players (the latter taking a while to settle, mind) at the price paid. Hutton I think is pretty hopeless, but two out of three isn't too bad.

[Concrete John]

I think Hutton is a slow burner and will develop into a competent, if not spectacular, RB for us.

On the flipside of that, I don't give him much credit for Given, as I think that deal was already in place before he came and he just didn't object to it.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think Hutton is a slow burner and will develop into a competent, if not spectacular, RB for us.

On the flipside of that, I don't give him much credit for Given, as I think that deal was already in place before he came and he just didn't object to it.

Seems a bit harsh to give him no credit on Given, to be honest. We don't really know anything about when the deal was first mooted or discussed.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

I think Hutton is a slow burner

Is he?

I'll get the fucking petrol then.