AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[jembob]

I lost my last shred of sympathy for McLeish on Tuesday when he said we conceded soft goals. We've been conceding soft goals all season long, I saw stats today claiming we're the only team not to score from a corner and have the joint highest record of conceding from corners. All season this has been going on and with three games to go he states the blindingly obvious, didn't he notice before?

He should not have a future here, he had a chance and has blown it by not being able to get the basics right.

I was particularly impressed with his observation that the Davies substitution at half time changed the game in their favour.  Just a shame that this Eureka moment came to him 30 minutes after the game had finished, and he didn't do anything to actually redress the balance during the match.

That's just one of his shortcomings as a manager. As soon as we saw Davies taking to the pitch it was clear that Coyle was going to try to stop us playing the same way in the second half. Almost immediately we saw the difference in the Bolton side but Mcleish did absolutely nothing apart from trying exactly the same long ball tactic with Gabby. We sit in the Upper Trinity behind the dug out and we watched Mcleish just standing there with his hands in his pockets, unable or unwilling to respond. He just didn't seem to know what to do to influence the game. Really, really poor.

[mr woo]

You get the feeling the club hired the manager in the same way you would hire a dodgy cowboy builder i.e. you aren't 100% sure how to do the job yourself, but you've heard about a builder who's a friend of a friend of a friend, who's supposed be able to do a half decent job on a limited budget. However, even though you start to hear concerns about him from other friends, you bite the bullet and give him the job to do.

After three weeks you realise you should have listened to the warnings when the wall he's knocked down has given you an en suite to the garden.

I still maintain Vanilla, that it was his charming and sociable behaviour after the 5-1 mauling against us that led them to believe he the man for them.


By all accounts the board were very impressed with his attitude that day.

This was confirmed at the time he was appointed. Rob Dorsett on SSN said (last june) something about Randy saying to him in private about how much he admired McLeish. So what we can conclude is that two relegations in three years and a renowned reputation for piss poor football becomes irrelevant so long as you are good company and wipe your feet when you go over for tea and biscuits at Randys house.

[Vanilla]

You get the feeling the club hired the manager in the same way you would hire a dodgy cowboy builder i.e. you aren't 100% sure how to do the job yourself, but you've heard about a builder who's a friend of a friend of a friend, who's supposed be able to do a half decent job on a limited budget. However, even though you start to hear concerns about him from other friends, you bite the bullet and give him the job to do.

After three weeks you realise you should have listened to the warnings when the wall he's knocked down has given you an en suite to the garden.

I still maintain Vanilla, that it was his charming and sociable behaviour after the 5-1 mauling against us that led them to believe he the man for them.


By all accounts the board were very impressed with his attitude that day.

This was confirmed at the time he was appointed. Rob Dorsett on SSN said (last june) something about Randy saying to him in private about how much he admired McLeish. So what we can conclude is that two relegations in three years and a renowned reputation for piss poor football becomes irrelevant so long as you are good company and wipe your feet when you go over for tea and biscuits at Randys house.

That sort of represents RL's intimate knowledge of English football. Purchase a football team in Birmingham; be aware that there are two teams in that same city; when you need a new manager approach the person managing the 'other' team.

[tomd2103]

You get the feeling the club hired the manager in the same way you would hire a dodgy cowboy builder i.e. you aren't 100% sure how to do the job yourself, but you've heard about a builder who's a friend of a friend of a friend, who's supposed be able to do a half decent job on a limited budget. However, even though you start to hear concerns about him from other friends, you bite the bullet and give him the job to do.

After three weeks you realise you should have listened to the warnings when the wall he's knocked down has given you an en suite to the garden.

I still maintain Vanilla, that it was his charming and sociable behaviour after the 5-1 mauling against us that led them to believe he the man for them.

By all accounts the board were very impressed with his attitude that day.

Yep and guess what he came out with after the game:

"You have to say that Villa's agenda is totally different to ours - the bottom line is that they are a better team".




 

[Stu]

Turn the sound OFF:

That game was like a dream sequence. Unforgettable. I know we had beaten them before in the Prem, but that match put to bed the Enckelman game, Stern John's equaliser, and 03/03/03. Absolutely marvellous.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

You get the feeling the club hired the manager in the same way you would hire a dodgy cowboy builder i.e. you aren't 100% sure how to do the job yourself, but you've heard about a builder who's a friend of a friend of a friend, who's supposed be able to do a half decent job on a limited budget. However, even though you start to hear concerns about him from other friends, you bite the bullet and give him the job to do.

After three weeks you realise you should have listened to the warnings when the wall he's knocked down has given you an en suite to the garden.

I still maintain Vanilla, that it was his charming and sociable behaviour after the 5-1 mauling against us that led them to believe he the man for them.

By all accounts the board were very impressed with his attitude that day.

Yep and guess what he came out with after the game:

"You have to say that Villa's agenda is totally different to ours - the bottom line is that they are a better team".




 

F**k me! How many times has he said that about the opposition this season?

[PeterWithe]

We all had a laugh and he spoke the truth but it said a lot about his character, defeatist and a good gubbing wasn't his fault, no siree.

[PeterWithesShin]

Can I get a coolio.

He came into the bookshop I worked at a few years ago.

Wa he as coolio as he comes across?

Seemed a decent enough chap, he likes his fantasy novels. Was a bit put out we didn't accept Euro's so had to get his PR chap to put it on his credit card. I hope he paid him back.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I lost my last shred of sympathy for McLeish on Tuesday when he said we conceded soft goals. We've been conceding soft goals all season long, I saw stats today claiming we're the only team not to score from a corner and have the joint highest record of conceding from corners. All season this has been going on and with three games to go he states the blindingly obvious, didn't he notice before?

He should not have a future here, he had a chance and has blown it by not being able to get the basics right.

I was particularly impressed with his observation that the Davies substitution at half time changed the game in their favour.  Just a shame that this Eureka moment came to him 30 minutes after the game had finished, and he didn't do anything to actually redress the balance during the match.

And it's not the first time he has made the same kind of observation. Somebody correct me but I think it was after the Blackburn game. Dunn came on for them at half time and changed the game til they got the equaliser with 5 minutes to go. So AM watched it happening and did fuck all about it.
Shit football brain.
Shit management of our team.

[FrankyH]

His position is untenable and I think the board know it's not going to get any better, but will stick with him till the last game.I was one of the fans who didn't want him, but when he got the job thought  he's our manager now give him a chance.

He liked to mention the vocal minority earlier in the season, well it's a deafening majority now calling for his head.

[Martyn Smith]

His position is untenable and I think the board know it's not going to get any better, but will stick with him till the last game.I was one of the fans who didn't want him, but when he got the job thought  he's our manager now give him a chance.

He liked to mention the vocal minority earlier in the season, well it's a deafening chorus now calling for his head.

Stuart James in the Guardian, whose report I trust, says it was a clear majority who were calling for him to be sacked. Can't help thinking that in such a situation the owners have an obligation to do what the fans are clearly asking for...

[Tom Sawyer]

It was definitely the majority from where I was sitting.

[Vanilla]

Stuart James in the Guardian, whose report I trust, says it was a clear majority who were calling for him to be sacked. Can't help thinking that in such a situation the owners have an obligation to do what the fans are clearly asking for...

They hired him in the first place regardless of what Villa fans thought, so I doubt they would take much notice now. 

[Ad@m]

I lost my last shred of sympathy for McLeish on Tuesday when he said we conceded soft goals. We've been conceding soft goals all season long, I saw stats today claiming we're the only team not to score from a corner and have the joint highest record of conceding from corners. All season this has been going on and with three games to go he states the blindingly obvious, didn't he notice before?

He should not have a future here, he had a chance and has blown it by not being able to get the basics right.

I hate the team getting corners - it just increases the chance of us conceding one on the counter-attack!

[garyellis]

What about this for a scenario:
After Tuesday night McLeish finally accepts there is no way it's going to work for him in this job, all the stats support the fears that the majority of fans had he simply is not up to managing Aston Villa. He confides in both Chair and CEO his tenure as Manager needs to come to an end its just a case of when and what is best for the club. They agree that we need to tough out the next three matches as there is nothing to be gained by him going now (I know a fact hotly disputed on here) it's agreed that he resigns at the end of the season. He walks away with some degree of credibility if we stay up and does not take a big pay off, if we go down he's toast anyway. Hence the emphasis on pulling togehter over the three match time horizon and no vote of confidence beyond this period.