AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[Irish villain]

I'm getting to the stage where I don't like McLeish, never wanted him and don't want him here, but the team really needs to be supported. Get rid in the summer, but lets try and stay up first.

Also, I think its unfair to say that McLeish is the root of the problem at the Villa. The root cause for the current malaise is at boardroom level. They need someone with football knowledge desperately.

As others have said, they are getting away with murder. They are more to blame than the out-of-his-depth manager they appointed.

[Morten]

I have the Fulham programme in front of me, and in the Man City home game match report he is quoted saying: "I think we´re the unlickiest team in the Premier Legue this weekend". I also remembering him saying that the game plan worked. As I recall, we were horrible. If that is his idea of playing well and being unlucky, we should all be nervous.

After the Fulham game he said something along the lines as "people were expecting Fulham to beat us, because they are a good team full of Internationals". Sometimes he forgets who we are - Fulham should expect to be beaten at Villa Park, not the other way around.

[Clampy]

I see those running that Mcleish Out Website are having a whinge about Paul Faulkner not replying to their request to meet them. Is this the same group that turned down his original offer to talk to them or is that another group?

[villanic]

From McLeish out website

This is a copy of the letter I will be sending to Alex McLeish tomorrow morning.  I have also sent a copy of it to the email of Paul Faulkner and Nicola Keye.  So it should be read by somebody at the club.

 

Dear Mr McLeish,

I am writing this letter to urge you to consider your position as Aston Villa manager. You have been in charge of this great club for 292 days and it has been nothing short of a disaster. You have presided over the worst season seen at Villa Park since the relegation year of 1986/87. We have a truly awful record of 7 wins in 30 games and are in serious danger of being relegated. The similarities between Aston Villa and your relegated Birmingham City side are uncanny. From studying your record I see you have been in charge of a 130 Premier League games and yet you have only won 33, so our record this season is not a blip but it is the norm where you are manager.

So in the 3 seasons you have been a Premier League manager you have managed to oversee 2 relegations, and are a good bet to make it 3 this year. With this in mind I ask you to consider your position and as a professional admit the job is too big for you and walk away before any more damage is done.

I would like to ask you why you believe you are the man to take Aston Villa forward as even your record in Scotland leaves a lot to be desired, especially as you managed to achieve the impossible and finish 3rd with Rangers in a normal 2 horse race and lead them on their record streak of 10 games without a win.

Also I would like to ask you why throughout the course of this season 2011/12 you have managed to blame everybody for our current predicament, but have failed to take any responsibility for it yourself. Why is that? Surely as manager it is your responsibility? A true leader in whatever field of life show’s his/her true courage in taking responsibility when being at the helm. I liken you to a certain Captain Smith of Titanic infamy. We are in my humble opinion akin to the SS Titanic in being unsinkable and your tactics and that of your crew in particular a certain Peter Grant are in true fashion blind to the iceberg ahead. Once you sink Aston Villa, we will remain at the depths of the English Football League and you will leave with a golden handshake of millions of £££’s. Go look in the mirror and say to yourself  “Am I the man to lead Aston Villa Forward”  Your conscience should tell you to do the honourable and decent thing… Walk now Mr McLeish and admit that you could not do the job you said you could when interviewed. You tried, you failed, and are now a multi-millionaire who is unemployable at any other English Premier League club

I have been following Aston Villa for over 25 years now and come from a Villa supporting family with over 100 years’ worth of support, and I can honestly say this is the worst I have ever seen. Aston Villa FC are in major decline and you are at the root of the problem. A poll conducted by a Villa fans site suggests 96% of fans would like you to step down as manager, but still you suggest the silent majority are backing you? I can assure that you have managed to lose the backing of all Aston Villa fans with your negative brand of football. Also the fact your negative brand of football fails to deliver results. Correct me if I’m wrong but football is a results business?

So for the good of Aston Villa please tender your resignation immediately before irreparable damage is done.

Yours Sincerely

Chris Hearn

A good letter and some points well made but do you really believe someone will read it.?

The more likely out come is that it'll be tossed in the bin about 10 seconds after opening it because they don’t give two fecks about what the fans really think, if they did then he would already be gone.

[pauliewalnuts]

The thing with the letter, though, it's probably true that a lot of us who are scared at what McLeish is doing have felt frustrated enough to think about sending an arsey email or letter, but then thought better of it.

To do so, but then to publish it as an open letter, and to seriously expect something to come of it is somewhat "look at me" and very naive.

It's not as if he's going to read that letter, and think, "hmm, this bloke's got a point" and go and resign, is it?

[Rick_avfc]

I know a lot of you on here hate talksport or talkshite or whatever you want to call it but apparently McTwat was on the Keys and Gray show so wondered if anyone heard him on there and if so, what he said?

[Ad@m]

The thing with the letter, though, it's probably true that a lot of us who are scared at what McLeish is doing have felt frustrated enough to think about sending an arsey email or letter, but then thought better of it.

To do so, but then to publish it as an open letter, and to seriously expect something to come of it is somewhat "look at me" and very naive.

It's not as if he's going to read that letter, and think, "hmm, this bloke's got a point" and go and resign, is it?

Exactly.

And equally, it's quite offensive.  I'm sure none of us would like to receive a letter from a random stranger telling us we're sh1t at our job.  If the guy feels the need to write the letter then surely it should be addressed to Randy with the suggestion that he looks at what AML is doing to his 'investment'.

[dave.woodhall]

The more likely out come is that it'll be tossed in the bin about 10 seconds after opening it because they don’t give two fecks about what the fans really think, if they did then he would already be gone.

The day any board does what the fans want them to is the day they're in trouble.

[Concrete John]

I don't think it's a good letter at all.  I think he starts off trying to be reasonable, but then descends into the trap of just slating his record with no balance.  If he wanted to be taken seriously, then he needed to quiz him over his team selection and tactics while at Villa.

[Monty]

The more likely out come is that it'll be tossed in the bin about 10 seconds after opening it because they don’t give two fecks about what the fans really think, if they did then he would already be gone.

The day any board does what the fans want them to is the day they're in trouble.

I agree. They shouldn't get rid of him because the fans want him.

Though they should get rid of him because he's an irretrievably inadequate football manager.

[dave.woodhall]

The more likely out come is that it'll be tossed in the bin about 10 seconds after opening it because they don’t give two fecks about what the fans really think, if they did then he would already be gone.

The day any board does what the fans want them to is the day they're in trouble.

I agree. They shouldn't get rid of him because the fans want him.

Though they should get rid of him because he's an irretrievably inadequate football manager.

If the internet had been around in September 1989 there would have been just as much demand to get rid of Sir Graham.

[hartman_1982]

It is also factually incorrect. This season is his 4th in the PL. You have coincidentally overlooked the season he lead the rags to 8th/9th.

[Monty]

The more likely out come is that it'll be tossed in the bin about 10 seconds after opening it because they don’t give two fecks about what the fans really think, if they did then he would already be gone.

The day any board does what the fans want them to is the day they're in trouble.

I agree. They shouldn't get rid of him because the fans [don't] want him.

Though they should get rid of him because he's an irretrievably inadequate football manager.

If the internet had been around in September 1989 there would have been just as much demand to get rid of Sir Graham.

Well yeah, but I'm not entirely sure of the bearing other examples have on this case. Without meaning to exaggerate, literally squadrillions of managers get sacked, some rightly some wrongly, some given a chance when they should've been, some given the boot prematurely. You can only judge a situation by its merits.

[dave.woodhall]

Well yeah, but I'm not entirely sure of the bearing other examples have on this case. Without meaning to exaggerate, literally squadrillions of managers get sacked, some rightly some wrongly, some given a chance when they should've been, some given the boot prematurely. You can only judge a situation by its merits.

Without a doubt, but I'm saying that Sir G then was getting almost as much stick as McLeish is now.

[Concrete John]

If the internet had been around in September 1989 there would have been just as much demand to get rid of Sir Graham.

I'm not so sure.  Sir Graham had a good track record behind him with, especially with the recent success ha had had at Watford.  With McLeish, those who want him out seem to be pointing at his Villa tenure as a continuation of a relatively poor PL record.  I thionk some, if not all, would be hanging their hat on his ability to turn it around had they seen more from him previously to suggest he could.