Who do you want as the next manager? New poll option.

[WA Villan]

I reckon it will be OGS. It will send cold shivers down Randy's spine when he hears Lamberts Scottish twang, and Moyes can do one as well, in fact all Celts need not apply.
Smiley Thing.

[john2710]

I'll settle for anyone who will send out his team to;

Keep possession of the ball
Attempt to win matches, particularly at home
Teach defenders how to defend
Puts players in their natural positions
Clear the deadwood out of our club & instills pride into the players
Invest the club's money wisely
Take away the fear of losing that has strangled the whole club
Can change tactics & formations when needed

Most importantly - can lift the spirit of our great club and get me excited about going to Villa Park again.

Who it is, what they have or haven't done in the past doesn't matter, it's what they do & what we do, when they get the job that counts.

Lambert or OGS for me

UTV

[Dave Cooper please]

I see no reason whatsoever why Lambert can't be inspiring. He's finished 1st, 2nd and 12th in his last three seasons so I also see no reason for your assumption that he'd finish 14th every year, managing a much bigger club.

Just a hunch really. I don't like the way Norwich play and I think they'll be found out next season if Lambert stays there.
Lambert and Rodgers just strike me as 'safe' managers. They have done well keeping small clubs in The Prem, they will do okay at Villa as well.
 There are dozens of managers who could just keep us in this division, I reckon my cat could give it a decent shot, why not go for something just a bit different?

[citizenDJ]

More or less sums up how I feel about it, CN'DC.

I've no doubt we can find a manager who'll do a steady enough job for us, but the idea of taking a different approach for once is really exciting. It's true that it's a risk, of course, but that's how you win the big prizes.

Plus, I reckon we've had a fair share of predictable or uninspiring years at Villa, on and off the pitch, and I think that's why this (the OGS move) feels like such a breath of fresh air to so many people. I think most people can see it's a bold move, and that it carries a lot of risk, but I also think that many people welcome that, and are fair-minded enough to give it time to bear fruit.

It could signal the kind of 'culture change' that I think we need. If he is successful, then great! He gets a well-deserved move to Man Utd or wherever, while we have an established team and a reputation as a club where promising young managers are given support and time to prove themselves at a very high level - which means that we will be an attractive proposition to the next generation, too.

I think OGS is a good choice to at least consider, and to me he is by far the most exciting option, not least because of that sense of adventure and the unknown (and God knows, we haven't seen too much of that at Villa Park for a while), coupled with the idea that he seems to play good football, develop young players and has the background of working with what appear to be very good coaches.

[Damo70]

If OGS was just one of a number of people we are planning to interview my worry is how many people will want to risk bad feeling at their current clubs (which seems to have already happened with OGS) just for an interview. I would imagine there must be more than one person out there who would love the job if actually offered it but wouldn't want to burn his bridges just for an interview and a chance of the job. You could cite Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool as a probable example. I don't remember Doug asking Taylor, Atkinson or Little to come for an interview.

[Steve kirk]

Did Lambert & Rodgers have CV's 12 months ago that suggested they were ready to manage in the PL?

No but they had pretty decent track record in managing in a league that is way ahead of the Norwegian league.

Okay, just to play Devil's Advocate, what about the oft-touted David Moyes? Most would say he's a great manager, done wonders at Everton on a budget etc etc. There is also the counter viewpoint that he's the archetypal master of mid-table mediocrity that lacks the ambition to move on and win things elsewhere so sits in his comfort zone doubtless pocketing a seven figure salary annually. He'd be safer pair of hands than McLeech was supposed to have been for sure and would be uber-expensive too, but would he inspire me? No, frankly. He'd be the 'happy just to be in the league' appointment that McLeech was supposed to have been. What have Everton ever done under him? OGS, or someone of his ilk, would be a bold 'sod it let's at least give it a go' appointment with maybe the longer term approach in mind. As Dave said above, it could be a huge disaster, but at least we'd be trying something new and haven't we all wanted the board to do just that? It'd be nice if wrote some more winning stuff on his CV with us wouldn't it?

I get where you are comming from, it looks like a pretty big gamble to me, going from his home town Club in Norway to managing Aston Villa looks like a huge leap of faith. I think after Mcliesh a lot of us are desperate to see something new and exciting. Does any one know what the style of football will be, what his vision is? No we dont, we are just hoping it will be better than the last bloke. I am not convinced that should be the only criteria.

I agree with Hawkeye, after last seasons disaster the OGS link feels exciting and fresh and he may just be what we are looking for but its one hell of a risk, if it is OGS I will back him all the way but surely other young candidates like Gus Poyet and Eddie Howe deserve consideration as well as just like OGS they match the boards criteria of being young up and coming vibrant managers.         

[Risso]

Just talking to a Norwegian lad on Facebook (Tarj, who used to post on here).  He rates OGS very highly indeed.  Apparently, he looked highly pissed off at his press conference, refused to answer a couple of questions and pretty well made it clear that he fancies the Villa job.

[Ad@m]

I think we should just go for it with OGS.  His wage demands will be pretty low given his lack of managerial experience and the fact he's coming from the Norwegian league where I'd imagine wages are significantly lower.

Yes it's a gamble of sorts but can he possibly do any worse than last season?  It's a clear change of direction which is exactly what we need and he might actually bring some players in from overseas.

Good managers have to start somewhere.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

It's nice to see that Randy is prepared to go out and get someone who is contracted elsewhere rather than pick up the shit that walks out on clubs like Small Heath by email.

[Ad@m]

It's nice to see that Randy is prepared to go out and get someone who is contracted elsewhere rather than pick up the shit that walks out on clubs like Small Heath by email.

It'll be a cheap contract to buy out though.  It'll cost a hell of a lot less than both McLeish and Houllier cost.

[Chipsticks]

Any update on the OGS situation? I've been busy for the last day or so and have completely lost track. Does it look like it's happening?

[Pete3206]

Does it look like it's happening?

No.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Any update on the OGS situation? I've been busy for the last day or so and have completely lost track. Does it look like it's happening?

It looks like it's off according to various sources on Twitter.

[JUAN PABLO]

well Lambert is 6/4 fave and Ole 10/1

[Chipsticks]

Lambert is still my first choice, but it is a shame being as I was getting so worked up about him.