Return of O'Neill - divided opinion

[glasses]

Strange all round although I console myself that at least they couldn't give it a free transfer to Doncaster three years after building it.

It's big, cumbersome, hideously expensive and they wheel it out now and again to little effect.

They should rename it The Emile Heskey.

Boom, and furthermore, boom

The Tumbling Bear sounds more 'Pub like'

[Big Dick Edwards]

Best I ever saw was the 76/77 team.

Man for man i'd put them above the Championship winning side.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what it was - a team. We had very little outside the first XI. If you remember, those three League Cup Finals left us with a fixture pile-up and an injury crisis to boot. It was mathematically possible in March we could win the League and if we'd had a bigger squad we'd have been very close to succeeding.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Best I ever saw was the 76/77 team.

Man for man i'd put them above the Championship winning side.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what it was - a team. We had very little outside the first XI. If you remember, those three League Cup Finals left us with a fixture pile-up and an injury crisis to boot. It was mathematically possible in March we could win the League and if we'd had a bigger squad we'd have been very close to succeeding.

Thing is BDE.
Did clubs back then ever have sufficient squads?

[Mister E]

Best I ever saw was the 76/77 team.

Man for man i'd put them above the Championship winning side.

Hear, hear. Now THAT was a season where we got the results and the exciting football. 1980-81 was pretty good, though!

[Big Dick Edwards]

Best I ever saw was the 76/77 team.

Man for man i'd put them above the Championship winning side.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what it was - a team. We had very little outside the first XI. If you remember, those three League Cup Finals left us with a fixture pile-up and an injury crisis to boot. It was mathematically possible in March we could win the League and if we'd had a bigger squad we'd have been very close to succeeding.

Thing is BDE.
Did clubs back then ever have sufficient squads?

Certainly not like clubs have today, no, but beyond the first choice starting XI - John Burridge, John Gidman, John Robson, Leighton Phillips, Chris Nicholl, Dennis Mortimer, Alex Cropley, Frank Carrodus, Brian Little, John Deehan and Andy Gray, we had Ray Graydon who was coming to the end of his career, a below average full back in Gordon Smith, and youngsters like Charlie Young and Gordon Cowans. That's a very small group of players.
Apologies if I've forgotten anybody obvious but I'll blame the passing of 35 years.

[dave.woodhall]

Ray Graydon was 29 and at his peak at the start of that season. Then we played a team from Smethwick.

[Big Dick Edwards]

Ray Graydon was 29 and at his peak at the start of that season. Then we played a team from Smethwick.

Agreed, he was a very underrated player, a goalscoring winger who'd be worth a fortune today, but I don't recall him playing for us again after that season. That injury at Albion finished his top level career.

[5ft811st2 Durham]

Best I ever saw was the 76/77 team.

Man for man i'd put them above the Championship winning side.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what it was - a team. We had very little outside the first XI. If you remember, those three League Cup Finals left us with a fixture pile-up and an injury crisis to boot. It was mathematically possible in March we could win the League and if we'd had a bigger squad we'd have been very close to succeeding.

Thing is BDE.
Did clubs back then ever have sufficient squads?

Certainly not like clubs have today, no, but beyond the first choice starting XI - John Burridge, John Gidman, John Robson, Leighton Phillips, Chris Nicholl, Dennis Mortimer, Alex Cropley, Frank Carrodus, Brian Little, John Deehan and Andy Gray, we had Ray Graydon who was coming to the end of his career, a below average full back in Gordon Smith, and youngsters like Charlie Young and Gordon Cowans. That's a very small group of players.
Apologies if I've forgotten anybody obvious but I'll blame the passing of 35 years.

Our squad was always smaller than most because Ron Saunders would tend to get rid of anyone he no longer considered a first team player, hence our title challenge was scuppered by having to play the likes of  Charlie Young, David Hughes, Mike Buttress, and Keith Masefield who just weren't up to scratch. That season it certainly would have helped to have still been able to call on  the likes of Bobby Mcdonald, Charlie Aitken, Ian Ross and Ian Hamilton.

[Legion]

Strange all round although I console myself that at least they couldn't give it a free transfer to Doncaster three years after building it.

It's big, cumbersome, hideously expensive and they wheel it out now and again to little effect.

They should rename it The Emile Heskey.

Boom, and furthermore, boom

Love it. Nicked and rewritten.

[Axl Rose]

Bloody Axl. What a load of old shit. We need 7 points? No we do don't. Best manager we have had in years? How many years? He threw more cash at it than any other I can recall and we didn't win anything.

And as for the petulant spouting at all and sundry associated with the club, I give up.

Its shit at the minute I grant you but I have had it up to the back teeth in the last few days with ever more illiterate posters desperately trying to do outdo each other as to how its "even worse" in their opinion and on every fucking thread.

Are there questions to be answered? Without a doubt, some serious soul searching is required at this club in the summer.

But when we are discussing the return of Pube Head, does it really require another anti McLeish, anti Houllier, anti coaching staff, anti Board or anti Scouting whinge?

Bloody cheltenham-what a load of old shit from yourself too. Yes, in my opinion, he is the best manager we have had in the last 10 years, which is a long time in football. I am not illiterate and absolutely love Aston Villa. Why not rant about all of these people who have brought misery and constant anti this and anti that threads. Why not? I am sure you never delve into such delights.

Sheffield Villain-why is what I am saying out of context? What a drab response. Boring

I apologise for having an opinion that you do not agree with.
Get over it-it's my opinion. You have had yours and here is mine. I could not care less about your views when you just want to attack a fellow fan who is simply fed up with how the club is being ran

[Sister of Top Cat]

For me it's simple: MO'N massively disrespected the fans and the club by walking out without so much as a "cheers and thanks"; by taking his 5-6 cronies with him; by being unable to accept criticism at any time; by overplaying players when others in the squad were available. Even if the club / the chairman were at fault, he could have been much more gracious and magnanimous about the club, its employees and its fans. He wasn't: he went off in a hissy fit, spitefully and vindictively.

To be clear: IMO, in 2006 he was the messiah for the club. He brought back some pride and purpose to the club after a - frankly - awful 5-6 years and he he complemented the work being done by the new owners to 'up' the club's standing on and off the field.

He undid all of that  and in the process took us back to the dark days of O'Dreary and Doug's final hours as Chairman.

That's why I cannot give him any positive acknowledgement and - when challenged by fans of other clubs - have to lay out these negatives as 'evidence' of a man whose public persona is simply wrong!

I agree with every word of this, Effdee.

[usav]

For me it's simple: MO'N massively disrespected the fans and the club by walking out without so much as a "cheers and thanks"; by taking his 5-6 cronies with him; by being unable to accept criticism at any time; by overplaying players when others in the squad were available. Even if the club / the chairman were at fault, he could have been much more gracious and magnanimous about the club, its employees and its fans. He wasn't: he went off in a hissy fit, spitefully and vindictively.

To be clear: IMO, in 2006 he was the messiah for the club. He brought back some pride and purpose to the club after a - frankly - awful 5-6 years and he he complemented the work being done by the new owners to 'up' the club's standing on and off the field.

He undid all of that  and in the process took us back to the dark days of O'Dreary and Doug's final hours as Chairman.

That's why I cannot give him any positive acknowledgement and - when challenged by fans of other clubs - have to lay out these negatives as 'evidence' of a man whose public persona is simply wrong!

I agree with every word of this, Effdee.

Yep, said very well.

[dave.woodhall]

Bloody Axl. What a load of old shit. We need 7 points? No we do don't. Best manager we have had in years? How many years? He threw more cash at it than any other I can recall and we didn't win anything.

And as for the petulant spouting at all and sundry associated with the club, I give up.

Its shit at the minute I grant you but I have had it up to the back teeth in the last few days with ever more illiterate posters desperately trying to do outdo each other as to how its "even worse" in their opinion and on every fucking thread.

Are there questions to be answered? Without a doubt, some serious soul searching is required at this club in the summer.

But when we are discussing the return of Pube Head, does it really require another anti McLeish, anti Houllier, anti coaching staff, anti Board or anti Scouting whinge?

Bloody cheltenham-what a load of old shit from yourself too. Yes, in my opinion, he is the best manager we have had in the last 10 years, which is a long time in football. I am not illiterate and absolutely love Aston Villa. Why not rant about all of these people who have brought misery and constant anti this and anti that threads. Why not? I am sure you never delve into such delights.

Sheffield Villain-why is what I am saying out of context? What a drab response. Boring

I apologise for having an opinion that you do not agree with.
Get over it-it's my opinion. You have had yours and here is mine. I could not care less about your views when you just want to attack a fellow fan who is simply fed up with how the club is being ran

Play nicely, children.

[Cuz]

Bit worried about the atmosphere on Saturday, think I may leave the kids at home.

[Tom Sawyer]

He should be roundly booed on Saturday for the unholy mess he left at VP. His sides don't do pressure, so it might work in our favour.