AVFC statement - McLeish sacked.

[Risso]

I'm not one for mindless protest, but I think now we're safe those going next week should dedicate the entire 90 minutes to leaving the club with no doubt as to what course of action they should take following the final whistle.

Quite agree, so the Norwich game should be spent giving McLeish 90 minutes of non-stop disapproval.

[Pete3206]

I'm more in favour of having a few drinks, juggling beach balls and laughing at middle aged men in fancy dress costumes. The anti McLeish stuff will follow anyway.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm not one for mindless protest, but I think now we're safe those going next week should dedicate the entire 90 minutes to leaving the club with no doubt as to what course of action they should take following the final whistle.

Quite agree, so the Norwich game should be spent giving McLeish 90 minutes of non-stop disapproval.

Correct, I'm almost to the point where I hope Norwich beat us comfortably just to highlight how bad he is. He must go or we are absolutely fucked next year. If they keep him the club and the fans will be more a less completely at odds, and that cannot happen for a club to succeed.

[TopDeck113]

I'll be gutted if he's still in charge come next Bank Holiday weekend.

[old man villa fan]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/06/aston-villa-alex-mcleish

Interesting stuff...almost pleading to be kept on.

I cannot believe he has the temerity to say "But with planning we can rise. At the clubs I've worked with before, with proper planning, I've done well." - ask genuine Blues fans how well he did!!!!

His CV reads PL seasons 4 - 19th, 9th, 18th and possibly 16th.

Please tell me where in that record can he say he did well in the context of being a manager that can achieve the aims of a club like Aston Villa.

The season the Blues finished 9th was the 1st season bounce of a promoted club and then they only scored 38 goals.

Also, he bangs on about having to cut the wage bill through the season.  I have not seen him do much about this.  Young had gone and Downing was on his way before he arrived.  Alright, he let Reo-Coker, Friedal, L Young, Makoun and a couple of others go but brought in Given, N'Zogbia, Hutton and Jenas on high wages.  He failed to get rid of the under performing high wage earners like Dunne, Warnock, Collins, Beye, Heskey etc.  If he had achieved that he might have had some more money to spend on the key area of central midfield.  Something he failed to recognise.  Sorry, chose to ignore because when he was manager last season at Blues he saw that as our weakness in all our games against them.

I am not having a go at any supporters on here but with an owner and a CEO that say very little, how come many seem to know what there plans are for the future.  To say that it is a done deal and McLeish is staying on is half way to accepting it.  Well, sorry, I will not accept it.  The man does not have the ability to manage Aston Villa.

[PaulWinch again]

Has Kendrick said anything else yet?

[old man villa fan]

From the Guardian:

Staying up is not something Aston Villa fans should be celebrating

One of the great joys of the league format is that surviving relegation is so often celebrated like a championship trophy. Despite a creditable 1-1 draw with Spurs, there was no such jubilation at Villa Park. Perhaps the overwhelming emotion was simple, inglorious relief, as the home side secured their Premier League status, barring a mathematical miracle. The sense of a narrow escape is borne out by the statistics: Villa were dominated, scraping 37% possession, and creating four chances to Spurs' 22.

Despite the footballing gods apparently being with their team today, Villa capitulated. With Spurs reduced to 10 men, Richard Dunne's needless challenge gave Spurs an easy route back into the game, following Ciaran Clark's fortunate opener. Villa have now dropped 22 points from winning positions this season. Had they never relinquished a lead, Alex McLeish's side would be one point behind Chelsea. If that were the case, furiously daubed banners would be in short supply in the Holte End.

The reality is that Villa have scored fewer than all but Stoke, and have won fewer games than doomed Blackburn. It is possible they will fail to reach 40 points, surviving only by others' shortcomings. McLeish has been fighting an uphill battle since his move across the second city, yet he has done little to stem the tide of ill feeling. He has introduced several young, promising players, yet they have transferred from a vibrant, successful youth team to a dispirited first XI that is ritualistically set up simply to avoid defeat.

One protest sign unveiled at full time summed the fans' feelings up: "It's not where you came from, it's where you're taking us." For now at least, the destination seems to be nowhere, rather than down. There may be hope for renewal somewhere amidst the frustration and recriminations, but McLeish seems the wrong man to lead the recovery

Great article and how most Villa fans see it.

I believe that more of the media will start to report like this over the coming weeks.  Some of them will be genuine and others will jump on the bandwaggon as they sense the blood of a possible manager sacking as, afterall, it makes news and sells newspapers etc.

[eastie]

An afternoon of ' one paul lambert' and ' sack mcleish my lord ' should get the message across nicely!

[Ad@m]

Didn't Norwich decide to get Lambert when they were stuffed by Lambert's team 7-1?!

Now I don't for one minute want us to be on the end of a 7-1 hiding but it would be nice if history repeated itself in some respects.

[eastie]

I would take a 7-1 one thrashing if it meant paul lambert taking over from mcleish as a result!

[Vanilla]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/06/aston-villa-alex-mcleish

Interesting stuff...almost pleading to be kept on.

I cannot believe he has the temerity to say "But with planning we can rise. At the clubs I've worked with before, with proper planning, I've done well." - ask genuine Blues fans how well he did!!!!

His CV reads PL seasons 4 - 19th, 9th, 18th and possibly 16th.

Please tell me where in that record can he say he did well in the context of being a manager that can achieve the aims of a club like Aston Villa.

There are three issues here though.

1. He was chased and recruited by AVFC, knowing full well what his PL record was like.
2. He has probably achieved his remit this season by keeping us in the PL.
3. If RL doesn't act now it will show they think he's done and good job, and will no doubt entrust him next season to not be relegated again.

[stuart r]

Interesting quote from the McLeish/Guardian interview at the end: "Listen, I've taken a lot of weight on my shoulders this season and I was happy to take the pressure off of the players. I'm not doing that again next season. They'd better get their finger out."

[Risso]

Interesting quote from the McLeish/Guardian interview at the end: "Listen, I've taken a lot of weight on my shoulders this season and I was happy to take the pressure off of the players. I'm not doing that again next season. They'd better get their finger out."

Hopefully you won't need to Alex.

[old man villa fan]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/06/aston-villa-alex-mcleish

Interesting stuff...almost pleading to be kept on.

I cannot believe he has the temerity to say "But with planning we can rise. At the clubs I've worked with before, with proper planning, I've done well." - ask genuine Blues fans how well he did!!!!

His CV reads PL seasons 4 - 19th, 9th, 18th and possibly 16th.

Please tell me where in that record can he say he did well in the context of being a manager that can achieve the aims of a club like Aston Villa.

There are three issues here though.

1. He was chased and recruited by AVFC, knowing full well what his PL record was like.
2. He has probably achieved his remit this season by keeping us in the PL.
3. If RL doesn't act now it will show they think he's done and good job, and will no doubt entrust him next season to not be relegated again.

1.  If the club really felt like the statement made by the General, they thought he could do a far better job and were getting another Moyes - they have now seen that his Blues career was par for the course.
2.  Was his remit to keep us up or to try and achieve PF's target of Europe
3.  Realistically, Lerner has 4-6 weeks to make the change and it depends on how he wants to play it, sack straight away or sound out a few managers first.

Hopefully, the club have learned a few things over the last 2 years.

[Mellin]

"Listen, I've taken a lot of weight on my shoulders this season and I was happy to take the pressure off of the players. I'm not doing that again next season. They'd better get their finger out."

I think everyone should just take a minute to digest that.