Who will Randy appoint next?

[AlwaysAVFC]

One things for sure, there is not going to be a huge queue of candidates. If the last appointment process is anything to go by.
The new manager would HAVE to be given funds to stand half a chance of someone decent.
The best we can hope for I reckon is someone like Lambert who would want the challenge to be seen as the manager to finally succeed in getting Villa where they should be. Even that might be pushing it at the moment.

Anyway McLeish is still here and may not be going anywhere.

[itbrvilla]

It has to be a long term plan to change the style of play.  Although I wasn't overly impresses with being linked with Martinez, I thought it fit a partern of trying to change the emphasis of hoofball by MOM, to a more passing expansive game which we occassionally exhibited under Hou.  But them McCleish?  Doen't fit any rational thinking at all!

[villanic]

re Brendan Rodgers - how much of Swansea's style is down to him, and how much the previous managers they had?

Agreed that he has continued the good work of previous Swansea managers but he has been there long enough now to make his own impact. Also he did not change there style after the promotion, he has kept them playing attractive, passing football with a squad of mainly championship players.

I actually think we would struggle to attract him because of our lack of ambition. If he keeps it going at Swansea then he could get a big job elsewhere.

     

[NeilH]

I think the only people who get the rationale behind McLeish are Randy and Faulkner, the rest of us are left scratching our heads.

I’ve personally always seen the appointment as the ideal way to make huge cost savings, deflect criticism away from the board whilst the cost savings are made (and boy is this working right now) and ensure that we don’t go down whilst achieving this goal. In fact I’d say that as plans go then it’s going pretty much on schedule right now.

Had Martinez decided to take on the job, then I think the board would have taken another direction, still focussing on cost cutting, but pursuing more of a long term youth development and ‘Villa way’ approach to football.

[Dave Clark Five]

I think the only people who get the rationale behind McLeish are Randy and Faulkner, the rest of us are left scratching our heads.

I’ve personally always seen the appointment as the ideal way to make huge cost savings, deflect criticism away from the board whilst the cost savings are made (and boy is this working right now) and ensure that we don’t go down whilst achieving this goal. In fact I’d say that as plans go then it’s going pretty much on schedule right now.

Had Martinez decided to take on the job, then I think the board would have taken another direction, still focussing on cost cutting, but pursuing more of a long term youth development and ‘Villa way’ approach to football.

How do you think youth development would have been any different under Martinez?

[pauliewalnuts]

re Brendan Rodgers - how much of Swansea's style is down to him, and how much the previous managers they had?

Agreed that he has continued the good work of previous Swansea managers but he has been there long enough now to make his own impact. Also he did not change there style after the promotion, he has kept them playing attractive, passing football with a squad of mainly championship players.

I actually think we would struggle to attract him because of our lack of ambition. If he keeps it going at Swansea then he could get a big job elsewhere.

I dunno about that.

True, we are in a spell of reining in the costs and "transition" so we keep on hearing, but this is still a very big job, and a very good one. Let's not do ourselves down and pretend it isn't.

Obviously, we got knocked back by Martinez (and it was a knock back - we didn't offer him the job, so he didn't refuse it, but we offered him an interview and he didn't want to), but those are peculiar circumstances with him and Whelan.

Our main issue will be this insistence on PL experience, which seems to have been at the top of the list again (even when the PL experience of the man who got the job included two relegations).

If we insist on that, then straight away we're ignoring plenty of up and coming managers with potential in the UK, not to mention options from abroad.

It was daft last time, and the time before that, and if they insist on it again, they deserve whatever it is they end up with.

[mattjpa]

Andre villas boas please.

[not3bad]

Ancelotti couldn't get Torres to score goals. The fault is with the player completely losing his mojo.

The rumour is that like Shevchenko, Torres was an "Abramovich signing".

[NeilH]

I think the only people who get the rationale behind McLeish are Randy and Faulkner, the rest of us are left scratching our heads.

I’ve personally always seen the appointment as the ideal way to make huge cost savings, deflect criticism away from the board whilst the cost savings are made (and boy is this working right now) and ensure that we don’t go down whilst achieving this goal. In fact I’d say that as plans go then it’s going pretty much on schedule right now.

Had Martinez decided to take on the job, then I think the board would have taken another direction, still focussing on cost cutting, but pursuing more of a long term youth development and ‘Villa way’ approach to football.

How do you think youth development would have been any different under Martinez?

I’m not trying to sell Martinez, but I do believe that had he decided to come to us then he would have been given free rein to stamp a Villa way approach to the game. Faulkner has said on more than one occasion how much he admires the Ajax way and I suspect that he saw Martinez as the man to implement this. As it was, he turned us down and I think that we then just decided to bring in McLeish, knowing that the furore would deflect the criticism off the board when the cost cutting began.

[Concrete John]

re Brendan Rodgers - how much of Swansea's style is down to him, and how much the previous managers they had?

Agreed that he has continued the good work of previous Swansea managers but he has been there long enough now to make his own impact. Also he did not change there style after the promotion, he has kept them playing attractive, passing football with a squad of mainly championship players.

I actually think we would struggle to attract him because of our lack of ambition. If he keeps it going at Swansea then he could get a big job elsewhere.

I heard an interview with Martinez a week or two ago when they brought up Swansea.  he said what we're seeing now is the culmination of about 15 years worth of planning and building, where the philosophy was laid down and thye kept faith with it.

Anyone think he'd be given anything near that much time at Villa?

No, me neither.

And Rogers won't get a 'big job' on the back of what he's doing at Swansea.  He'll need to go up level or two first with the likes of us, Everton, etc. before the CL clubs would consider him a serious candidate.       

[Mister E]

One things for sure, there is not going to be a huge queue of candidates. If the last appointment process is anything to go by.
The new manager would HAVE to be given funds to stand half a chance of someone decent.
The best we can hope for I reckon is someone like Lambert who would want the challenge to be seen as the manager to finally succeed in getting Villa where they should be. Even that might be pushing it at the moment.

Anyway McLeish is still here and may not be going anywhere.

Ironically, the next appointment might well be the beneficiary of all the current pain.
When the Billy-Big-Bollox players and those on the high wages are jettisoned this summer, the finances will be in a state - perhaps - where judicious investment in new, decent players can  be made. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone with a bit of pedigree of squad-building and decent football actaully doing the investing?!

I'm not sure that is McL but it could be one of a number of up-and-coming managers - Lambert, Lee CLark, Poyet for example.

Brendan Rodgers? - I think he'll be at Everton within 12 months (Moyes must be close to departing but would not grace us with his presence. Perhaps Sppppppuurrrrrs after Harry's anointment at Wembley?).

[villanic]

re Brendan Rodgers - how much of Swansea's style is down to him, and how much the previous managers they had?

Agreed that he has continued the good work of previous Swansea managers but he has been there long enough now to make his own impact. Also he did not change there style after the promotion, he has kept them playing attractive, passing football with a squad of mainly championship players.

I actually think we would struggle to attract him because of our lack of ambition. If he keeps it going at Swansea then he could get a big job elsewhere.

I dunno about that.

True, we are in a spell of reining in the costs and "transition" so we keep on hearing, but this is still a very big job, and a very good one. Let's not do ourselves down and pretend it isn't.

Obviously, we got knocked back by Martinez (and it was a knock back - we didn't offer him the job, so he didn't refuse it, but we offered him an interview and he didn't want to), but those are peculiar circumstances with him and Whelan.

Our main issue will be this insistence on PL experience, which seems to have been at the top of the list again (even when the PL experience of the man who got the job included two relegations).

If we insist on that, then straight away we're ignoring plenty of up and coming managers with potential in the UK, not to mention options from abroad.

It was daft last time, and the time before that, and if they insist on it again, they deserve whatever it is they end up with.

Sorry if i gave the wrong impression Paulie. I do think the villa job is one of the biggest but sadly it is not being treated that way by the people who are running the club and there for i can't see us going for a manager like Rogers.

[Chris Jameson]

Has Ian Dowie got a mention yet? He gets my vote.

[garyshawsknee]

I still think we have a chance of getting up and coming managers,even in our sorry state. The teams in the CL are still obsessed with foreign managers and won't go British. And even if we can't offer a massive purse for players,we can pay quite high wages for a manager,far more than the likes of Swansea.

[Vanilla]

As it is obvious RL and those around him have no networks within European footballing circles, I would see us getting a NFL manager.