McLeish confident of avoiding the drop

[Greg N'Ash]

Are these the same shit players that O'Neill got to finish 6th and to Wembley twice? If they're past it, are we blaming him for them not staying the same age for the last two years?  Sooner or later we're going to have to concede that he is a better manager than a lot of others and he gets the best out of "shit" players, regardless of how he left.

erm no it isn't the same players. most of the good ones have gone and those that are left who were good are past it.

[olaftab]

If you want us to stay up, give the manager your support.

Rubbish. Sack this useless buffoon and the fans will unite. It's so bloody obvious.

Sorry for being thick.

Dont appologise. But you like a few others heve been caught up in this spin from the
club that backing the manager will turn this sinking ship around. Didn't want him at the club, never did and still don't. Throw in all the terrible football and there is only 1 easy decision, get rid.

I don't think he is apologising .......

[ozzjim]

Problem is nodge, you are right he gets more from them, without question, he is a very good manager of shit players. The problem is he packed the squad with ageing shit players on HUGE contracts, which only he could get form from consistently. He left Celtic, Leicester and Villa in a right mess 18 months down the line. Celtic were lucky that there are only 2 teams in scotland and could recover by trading cheaply, Leicester still have not recovered properly, and Villa, well. The worst is yet to come I fear.


At the same time, this summer, whatever happens, is going to be a squad rebuilding exercise. I would prefer the likes of Zola and Poyet oversaw that and bought in players with technical qualities than McLeish.

[Clampy]

I think we can all agree that with the players that McLeish has had to work with for most of this season, we should'nt be 5 points off relegation.

[VillaAlways]

I don't think Dunne has been that bad thus season but when you're ordered to sit deep and defend1-0 leads then mistakes wil be made under that constant pressure

[ROBBO]

Wasn't that long ago that we were two good players off Europe, now we are two good players off relegation.

[Hoppo]

Hope the players dont read the Guardian. Didnt realise going to Anfield was so formidable. Wigan thought that to.

[nodge]

Ozz, I think he payed the going rate at the time.  I don't think he payed people more than he needed to as part of his evil plan to destroy Aston Villa, like a few on here.

I know one thing though, even with these shit, overpaid, has-beens, every game I watched when he was in charge I had that one thing that every fan needs, hope.  Everywhere we went, Old Trafford, Anfield, even Wembley against Man U I felt that we had a chance to win.

I go to games now fearing the worst.  I suppose I do have hope, I hope that we don't get hammered or hope that we put up a fight.

[Ian.]

No one denies MON is a good manager, he is good at motivating some players to play above their means. He has a style which can work to achieve results. He is limited though as it proved at Villa. We started to slide during the last months of his time here, he might have turned it around who knows, but I doubt it.

Warnock's form plummeted while he was here, Dunne became very unfit while MON was here, he would not play Carlos regularly unless we had no full back. He bought Luke Young for 3 Million more a year after deciding he was not good enough. Sold Cahill for Knight, bought Marlon and Heskey. Bought Beye and never played him, waisted money on Sidwell and Shorey.
He seemed reluctant to play any of the youngsters unless it was a cup game which he never really took very seriously.

Ok he brought in some great players like Ashley, Carew. Milner was a no brainer after his first stint with us. He seemed to get the best of Gabby and at times it was exciting being a Villa fan.

I got all caught up in the MON fairy tale I admit, but then we threw away the European match for glory of fourth place before we lost the Semi and the final to Utd. He seemed to lose interest in us and should have left at the end of the season. I would have had some respect for him if he did that instead of days into the new season like he did.
He left us up shit streak and we have been left with his baggage.

He might be good but he is not great and I certainly do not miss him. It will turn around I'm sure. I can not blame the Chairman either, he has shown probably a little naivety and maybe believed the legendary status that comes with MON and had too much faith in him like a lot of us. He too has been left with the baggage. OK he has made another mistake in AM, in the summer I'm hoping he will re-assess the situation.

[Clampy]

Hope the players dont read the Guardian. Didnt realise going to Anfield was so formidable. Wigan thought that to.

That's what i dislike about him the most, he comes across as a terrible motivator and at the moment it's what we need most. He needs to get the team believing they can go there and win.

[Hoppo]

Clampy. Its what has killed any hope i had in him. He must have wrote off 20 games this season.

[Mister E]

Cant say Zola and Poyer fill me with joy unless Lerner is backing them financially. We tried getting the current lot to pass under Houllier and they couldn't do it, which was persumably why Lerner appointed the current car crash. Now we're gonna try and pass it again - ho hum, good luck with that one.

With a few adjustments to the personnel (Dunne, Warnock for example) a decent manager could get this squad playing passing football! Just go watch the reserves / academy sides sometime. GHou recognised that the players had the potential to become a better footballing side but was stymied by a few of the 'old guard'.

We're not going go to forward till Lerner realises the fundmental problem at the club - Too little quality, too many shit and past it players and not enough cash to replace them. Yes, someone may do better than Mcleish under the current conditions but not much better.

Clearly, any manager needs the owner's backing ... but  even so, McL came here with a poor P'ship record and seemingly a footballing philosophy that has tactical and motivational limitations.
If RL has got any sense, he'll be taking a long, hard and dispassionate review of this season - perhaps in the company of 2-3 people who have good perspectives on the English game - and decide that he and the club can do a whole lot better.

[JUAN PABLO]

Are these the same shit players that O'Neill got to finish 6th and to Wembley twice? If they're past it, are we blaming him for them not staying the same age for the last two years?  Sooner or later we're going to have to concede that he is a better manager than a lot of others and he gets the best out of "shit" players, regardless of how he left.

erm no it isn't the same players. most of the good ones have gone and those that are left who were good are past it.

Greg , thanks for saving me the time to post - even thou I just have

[JUAN PABLO]

Just think If we had got a good manager , MON would never be mentioned on here.

 Because we have this clown , people will and still keep harping back to pubehead .     

[Greg N'Ash]

Trouble is EffDee, i think Lerner's bought totally into this "free transfers, low wages, play the kids" thing, just like he fell totally for MON's flim flam. Whether its a decision he's made by himself or the likes of Faulkner have convinced him. I don't think a change of manager is going to alter that until it goes horribly wrong, and it will. If you could do what the club is attempting and make a success of it then everyone would try it. Even the Mancs with Beckham and Co, supplemented the youth with proven expensive quality players