It's hit or bust for McLeish next season. So, what's his plan?

[old man villa fan]

Why does the answer to the question "How high will we finish?" nearly always be "depends on how much money we spend".

Granted, finishing in the top 7 generally relies on spending a fair bit of cash but from 8th down?  There have been many comments that where we are - 15th, is because we have cut back on spending.

What about coaching and management?  I do not see vast sums being spent on teams at the upper end of the teams below 7th.  There are, however, teams that are either well coached or, alternatively, highly motivated by managers that are good at this type of approach (personally, I believe this style only gets you so far).

We are at the bottom end of this group of teams because the manager is not getting the best out of a squad of players that are playing at a level far lower than they are capable of.

[paul_e]

I don't get the optimism at all.  The lot down the road had a squad he'd built, and in a similar fashion to how he's going to have to do it for us, so we can expect a decent defender or 2 but what else?  Craig Gardner was their best attacking player when he left, do you seriously think he's going to suddenly change and be able to spot a creative genius who will guide us to the top 6?

What is going to happen is that we're going to get better at playing shit football.  My worry, and why I've been wanting him out for the last few months, is this summer will be a bit of a watershed where we should be able to get rid of the vast majority of the overpriced dross MON left behind, if Lerner does want to make another shot of it, this summer is when that will happen, if we buy a load of shit again we might as well give up for the next 2-3 seasons whilst we go through another round of waiting for contracts to run down.

As Brian said way back near the start of the thread he's spent the season stumbling from game to game looking completely lost, the good performances have generally come when injuries, etc have forced him to change things.  Put it this way, would Dunne be playing currently if he was fit?  Would Gardner and Weimann have been on the pitch at the end of the fulham game if Petrov and Bent had been fit?

I just don't see any tactical ability at all from the guy, he just stumbles along relying on never being quite shit enough to get us in trouble.  As for people who are saying he's done as well as can be expected, if you really think this squad should be 15th then you must be mad.  outside the top 5 the league is poor this season, with our squad we should be top half.

[Dante Lavelli]

I don't get the optimism at all. 

I am guilty of writing optimistic opinions.  To be honest, in all probability your scenario is more likely to happen but I do not see the point in being all doom and gloom (not aimed at you) when no-one really knows what will happen.  For example Gardner could become "the next Gerrard" and we see an overall improvement in results.  That's not too crazy a suggestion.

I have to admit though, that when evaluating our situation, it is chunks of luck that are required rather than any faith or belief in what we are doing.

[paul_e]

I don't get the optimism at all. 

I am guilty of writing optimistic opinions.  To be honest, in all probability your scenario is more likely to happen but I do not see the point in being all doom and gloom (not aimed at you) when no-one really knows what will happen.  For example Gardner could become "the next Gerrard" and we see an overall improvement in results.  That's not too crazy a suggestion.

I have to admit though, that when evaluating our situation, it is chunks of luck that are required rather than any faith or belief in what we are doing.

I'd love to be optimistic, I actually think this is the first time in my life I've been so down on the club.  I hated o'leary but the rumours of takeover talks kept you feeling like we just had to get over that hurdle.  Now I just don't see any way out of this that doesn't involve a lot more bad times than good.

If I thought he was even doing a decent job with bringing the kids through it'd be bare-able but I think he's only playing them where he has no choice and I've thought that all season.

[Villanation]

Firstly, I for one don't believe McLiesh will keep his job simply because if you look at the coming fixtures we are far from safe, this could come down to a must win v Bolton for our Premiership survival, when you put that together with the fact we have exactly the right man for the job to take us down then you realise this season has a long way to go.

Simple question - do you think we will get relegated this season?

No I don't, in my scenario we beat Bolton....

Of course we could go and beat Arsenal at the weekend and go on a fantastic run, what do you think, I think its going to be a close run thing, that's why we are seeing week after week a " rally round the flag me boys" call to arms by McLiesh to try and get something going at the club, he well knows that if we suffer some serious defeats over the next few games heads will drop and it will take a mammoth effort to keep us up.

[ez]

His record in Scotland is irrelevant, it means absoloutely nothing with regards to the Premier League, Gordon Strachan was successfull in Scotland,He took Cov down. The place is a backwater in footballing terms.

if we're looking at his record in Scotland, we could also look at the fact he got Rangers third place in a two horse race.

Also Billy McNeil did well in Scotland but had a hand in getting us and ManCity relegated in one season.

[john e]

i didnt know that thing about Motherwell, did he really finish in 2nd place with them ?

[john e]

Yes. It was at the time when they were spending a fair bit, though.

still thats some achievment up there

[Ian.]

To be honest I can't be arsed to look back at what he has done in the past, maybe our board should have. He's here and he needs to start putting things right for us. I still hope he does and there has been the odd glimmer of hope. I actually don't believe all this about him holding players back to defend, I just think we have not been good enough or maybe just not confident enough. At times we have played a bit of football so we know we can do it.

Next season is hit or bust, not this season. Hopefully its a hit because there comes a time when we need to back a man and keep him here and build on it for our future.

[tepavilla]

I would like us to expand our scouting network throughout Europe and hopefully sign a couple of gems.

It doesn't matter if we sign capable players if our (= Mcleish's) system restricts their game way too much, as with N'Zogbia. If we continue to play like this, I'm afraid the only future signings that can really succeed in Villa shirt are defense orientated ones

[hawkeye]

we have seen enough of his style of football to work out how he thinks.

[hawkeye]

To be honest I can't be arsed to look back at what he has done in the past, maybe our board should have. He's here and he needs to start putting things right for us. I still hope he does and there has been the odd glimmer of hope. I actually don't believe all this about him holding players back to defend, I just think we have not been good enough or maybe just not confident enough. At times we have played a bit of football so we know we can do it.

Next season is hit or bust, not this season. Hopefully its a hit because there comes a time when we need to back a man and keep him here and build on it for our future.

you obviously missed heskey playing as a second right back, which makes the rest of your observations redundant

[mal]

i didnt know that thing about Motherwell, did he really finish in 2nd place with them ?

He took over from Tommy McClean, their most successful manager since WWII, and finished 2nd in his first season as that team was being broken up, players sold for big fees and the money spent on the team. They had won the Scottish Cup the year before. They were then 8th 8th and 9th avoiding relegation by just one place on each occasion.

[PaulWinch again]

I think his record in Scotland is largely irrelevant, and should be to the board since they seem obsessed with 'premier league experience'. The premier league experience involves two relegations in three years, and that is shocking.

[DB]

I think his record in Scotland is largely irrelevant, and should be to the board since they seem obsessed with 'premier league experience'. The premier league experience involves two relegations in three years, and that is shocking.

Yes and to think of all the managers out there the board decided to employ him. How on earth they thought a manager with that PL experience was the man for the job is beyond me. I don't blame AM as much the board - he is just doing the job the best he can (which is pretty cack) but the board saw fit to give him the job.