AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[Irish villain]

I think he's taking us down. Not this season, but likely next.

I am left wondering what on earth the boards plan was?

Me too. This season is reminiscent of 05-06 under O'Dreary and Ellis. I think we'd have gone down the following season if the takeover hadn't occured.

McLeish should be sent packing in the summer. The sad thing is I don't have much faith in Randy coming up with a better alternative.

As I've said before, I think this is much worse. At least there was leadership back then, even if it was out of date and almost laughable. The lack of fight, spirit and leadership at all levels of the club today is frightening. It's like there is nobody at the helm, anywhere. We are drifting into oblivion and nobody seems to care.

Shame on you Randy for the way you have screwed us over for the past twelve months. Shame on you and Faulkner for inflicting this manager on us and for taking no responsibility for your pathetic decision making.

[ozzjim]

We had Steve Stride back then who we could well do with around the place now

[brian green]

We used to accuse Doug of being like Meg out of Crossroads but at least he was a communicator.   A vain, curmudgeonly communicator I agree but however bad it got we never had this feeling that Aston Villa was the Marie Celeste, devoid of human habitation and adrift without reason.

[Risso]

I think he's taking us down. Not this season, but likely next.

I am left wondering what on earth the boards plan was?

Me too. This season is reminiscent of 05-06 under O'Dreary and Ellis. I think we'd have gone down the following season if the takeover hadn't occured.

McLeish should be sent packing in the summer. The sad thing is I don't have much faith in Randy coming up with a better alternative.

As I've said before, I think this is much worse. At least there was leadership back then, even if it was out of date and almost laughable. The lack of fight, spirit and leadership at all levels of the club today is frightening. It's like there is nobody at the helm, anywhere. We are drifting into oblivion and nobody seems to care.

Shame on you Randy for the way you have screwed us over for the past twelve months. Shame on you and Faulkner for inflicting this manager on us and for taking no responsibility for your pathetic decision making.

Also, whilst things were going down hill under Doug, at least he realised that he needed to sell up, and left us while we were still vaguely saleable.  Lerner has crippled us financially, so finding a new owner would be exceedingly difficult, unless they are the oft-quoted "oil billionaire".

[villadelph]

Unless there's another magical shot up to 9th I can't see Randy sticking with McLiesh now. There needs to be a mass uprising if you all want something to be done. These 500 man protests are child's play.

Really? I think Lerner will be pretty happy with staying up and the reduction in wage bill for last year to this. Let's face it Lerner didn't bring in Mcleish to push for Europe, he knows that Mcleish won't moan about lack of funds and he'll keep trotting out in front of the press ruing our bad luck etc. Also with Mcleish being hated by so many fans he take the heat of Lerner and Faulkner who have been downgrading the ambitions of the club for a few years.

Lerner is certainly one for complacency. He preaches financial stability to no end yet this managerial dent in his pocket ie. McLeish's compensation, is the most ridiculous financial decision since Beye's contract negotiations. You can't turn around a financial hole without proper attendances and commercial merchandizing, both of which are going to be serious low points at the club next year. Bosman's won't bring the hope or fill the seats, and the little loyalty amongst the supporters still left for McLeish will have worn too thin.

I've thought all year that McLeish was safe no matter what, but there's no such thing as a one-year contract for an American businessman, two is the lowest. Or else the manager in charge will have no hope or motivation to improve for the next campaign. It's easy to give the sack, it's even easier to pretend you back the manager.

These next few fixtures are going to be a rough ride, fully showing our inability to perform no matter the line up. McLeish will be exposed and left for dead, Randy will have no choice. Villa Park won't see over 25k on a good day.

Randy's dumb, but hopefully not that dumb.

[TonyD]

A month ago had RL sacked AM we might have got Brendan Rodgers.

Is he now out of grasp/league  in the summer?

[pauliewalnuts]

I'm merging this into the McLeish thread, it doesn't really need another one, there seem to be three or four new AM threads every day

[NeilH]

We had Steve Stride back then who we could well do with around the place now

Oh for Steve Stride back at the club right now. A proper football business man, who understand the game and the decisions that had to be made as part of it.

I am getting increasingly uneasy with the feeling that under Doug we were simply better off. For all those times I protested against Doug, for all those times I bemoaned his thrift and steadiness I now feel that a fair amount of schadenfreude is being exacted upon me and many other Villa fans.... Hell if Doug were in charge now we’d be up in arms with pitchforks and torches descending on VP.

[Irish villain]

How long before Randy out protests start? Would it take relegation?

[Rip Van We Go Again]

How long before Randy out protests start? Would it take relegation?

He seems amazingly fireproof.

Eckythump's inability at the job has taken a lot of the heat off him.

[john e]

Randy has made one big mistake, thats all, he has to be given a chance to put that right.

in my view Mcliesh will have to go and then its up to Lerner to get the next appointment right, if he does that we should be OK

[Risso]

Randy has made one big mistake, thats all, he has to be given a chance to put that right.

in my view Mcliesh will have to go and then its up to Lerner to get the next appointment right, if he does that we should be OK

No he hasn't John, he's made a whole host of huge mistakes that we're going to be paying for for years to come.

[john e]

Randy has made one big mistake, thats all, he has to be given a chance to put that right.

in my view Mcliesh will have to go and then its up to Lerner to get the next appointment right, if he does that we should be OK

No he hasn't John, he's made a whole host of huge mistakes that we're going to be paying for for years to come.

Randy has made one big mistake, thats all, he has to be given a chance to put that right.

in my view Mcliesh will have to go and then its up to Lerner to get the next appointment right, if he does that we should be OK

No he hasn't John, he's made a whole host of huge mistakes that we're going to be paying for for years to come.

i think with the event of a decent manager a lot of the other 'problems' melt away, Mcliesh was just such a bad decision that it makes everything else look all the worse

i know we have financial problems, so has most of the teams in the prem, including some at the top end, football has been living beyond its means for years now and at least Lerner has recognised that now and is doing something about it.

when he first came he gave MON to much control that was nieve, but he will learn his lesson from that.
Houllier was a risk, but one worth taking, it didnt work out through health problems, randy cant be blamed for that.

Mcliesh is the big blunder, massive in fact, if he puts that right soon, i still think we can be OK. but he does need to act, i think he will, but obviously time will tell on that one

[Concrete John]

The thing is, if he doesn't 'act' at the end of the season he simply has to re-evaluate the financial position as further cost cutting with the same manager will only lead to one thing.

It really is back him or sack him time.

[pauliewalnuts]

The thing is, if he doesn't 'act' at the end of the season he simply has to re-evaluate the financial position as further cost cutting with the same manager will only lead to one thing.

It really is back him or sack him time.

I honestly don't think it is even going to pan out like that, John.

He's clearly bought into the notion of McLeish as our manager, and he's also all about recouping his investment, which is why, although we'll bring players in, most of them will be Bosmans.

I think anyone expecting big money transfer business at Villa Park in the summer is going to be disappointed.