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

[glasses]

Playing good football and getting results aren't mutually exclusive, a balance needs to be struck between the two. Chelsea under Mourinho didn't always play beautiful football, but won league championships. Stoke play awful football, but are currently enjoying some relative 'success' in stability and European football. On the other side of the coin you have West Brom under Mowbray, who played attractive, but weak losing football.

[pestria]

Now the problem we have is that Randy has already put £200M into the club and we have not made the champions league, the landscape has also changed, like it or not unless he is prepared to spend the same amount again we are only ever going to finish between 8-15 regardless of who the manager is. Sad but true.

Can we dispell the notion that he has 'put £200m into the club'.  He bought the club on the cheap for £80m ish.  He invested the rest in developing the squad and paying the staff he appointed.  As a result (and of football inflation) he has an asset now worth ?£150m.  In other words, his poor financial management has cost him £50m.

He hasn't 'given' this money away.  He hasn't put this money in the charity bucket.  He has made unwise investments.

[James]

Not 'unwise', he's just managed them badly!

[Monty]

Playing good football and getting results aren't mutually exclusive, a balance needs to be struck between the two. Chelsea under Mourinho didn't always play beautiful football, but won league championships. Stoke play awful football, but are currently enjoying some relative 'success' in stability and European football. On the other side of the coin you have West Brom under Mowbray, who played attractive, but weak losing football.

There are always exceptions but, by and large, the teams who dominate more games and score more goals finish higher in the league, and those who sit back and allow the opposition to dictate what they do finish lower. Swansea will stay up with possession football, Wolves direct approach will take them down. In the battle at the moment, the better football of Wigan appears to have given them the advantage over long-ball merchants Blackburn.

[Concrete John]

Playing good football and getting results aren't mutually exclusive, a balance needs to be struck between the two. Chelsea under Mourinho didn't always play beautiful football, but won league championships. Stoke play awful football, but are currently enjoying some relative 'success' in stability and European football. On the other side of the coin you have West Brom under Mowbray, who played attractive, but weak losing football.

There are always exceptions but, by and large, the teams who dominate more games and score more goals finish higher in the league, and those who sit back and allow the opposition to dictate what they do finish lower. Swansea will stay up with possession football, Wolves direct approach will take them down. In the battle at the moment, the better football of Wigan appears to have given them the advantage over long-ball merchants Blackburn.

I agree with glasses.

You mention the word 'dominate', yet you can easily use that word to describe how Stoke inflict their style on the opposition.  Man Utd, who are the best team of the last 20 years, weren't afraid to go longer to the likes of Hughes and RVN when they had them.  The sides with the best players win the most and the style they choose should be in relation to those players and what suits them best.  Chelsea under Mourinho is a great example.

As it goes right now, Villa should be playing a more passing style.  The reason?  Because it suits our players better.   

[Merv]

But can you think of a manager who meets all seven criteria you layed out?

Make it my job to, and I would. I don't really mean that as a dig or that I'm being evasive about the question, just that, if I were involved in the absolutely, absolutely vital process of recruiting the right manager for Aston Villa, I'd make bloody sure I'd have a shortlist of coaches who fit most of, if not all, those requirements. Some of which merge, really - modest budget, working with young players: a coach who has had relative success working within a club's means.

Come to think of it, Paul Lambert ticks every one of those boxes. But I'd also be looking at Championship clubs, reserve team managers at other PL clubs, overseas coaches.

[planet9]

COME ON,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, what about andy gray   he knows the game inside out ,,everyone knows him
what an appointment   you cant tell me he,d turn us down to sit next to richard hairy hand keys for the next 3 years when he could try and turn his beloved villa round  in one of there darkest eras of recent  times    ohhhhhhh ANDY ANDY   ANDYANDYANDYANDY ANDY GRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Still DiMatteo for me.

The only way he will keep the Chelsea job is by winning the European cup and that isn't going to happen.

As soon as he get's the push we should be straight in there.

[Chipsticks]

COME ON,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, what about andy gray   he knows the game inside out ,,everyone knows him
what an appointment   you cant tell me he,d turn us down to sit next to richard hairy hand keys for the next 3 years when he could try and turn his beloved villa round  in one of there darkest eras of recent  times    ohhhhhhh ANDY ANDY   ANDYANDYANDYANDY ANDY GRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I need to have a lie down after reading all of that.

[Dante Lavelli]

Lets get one thing straight all those people saying we should appoint this man or that man because the football would be great ask yourself this, if we played a great passing game like Barcelona but were still 15th would people would still be moaning, its all about results

Nah, distance me from that. If we were still 15th but we were there as a result of losing three or four more games, while winning one or two more, if we were playing a more positive style of football (just actually trying to win games, not even playing remotely like Barcelona), if the manager had actually trusted the likes of Bannan, N'Zogbia, Clark (don't think he started a league game until December, still barely seen at CB all season), Albrighton, Agbonlahor to play in positions that suited them best, and actively encouraged them to play their natural games, if we tried to make the most of one of the most effective strikers in the league, if there was a genuine indication that foundations were being laid for advancement, and there were signs of positivity, then yes, I'd take 15th. Hand on heart.

Me three.  I do not expect us to win things and accept that our reality is around 15th place.
So if that is the case then I want us to try and entertain, trust the youngsters and ultimately have a bit of fun.

[stubbsyandy]

Lets get one thing straight all those people saying we should appoint this man or that man because the football would be great ask yourself this, if we played a great passing game like Barcelona but were still 15th would people would still be moaning, its all about results

Nah, distance me from that. If we were still 15th but we were there as a result of losing three or four more games, while winning one or two more, if we were playing a more positive style of football (just actually trying to win games, not even playing remotely like Barcelona), if the manager had actually trusted the likes of Bannan, N'Zogbia, Clark (don't think he started a league game until December, still barely seen at CB all season), Albrighton, Agbonlahor to play in positions that suited them best, and actively encouraged them to play their natural games, if we tried to make the most of one of the most effective strikers in the league, if there was a genuine indication that foundations were being laid for advancement, and there were signs of positivity, then yes, I'd take 15th. Hand on heart.

Me three.  I do not expect us to win things and accept that our reality is around 15th place.
So if that is the case then I want us to try and entertain, trust the youngsters and ultimately have a bit of fun.

Agreed....and it would be great if people realised that we feel like this

[supertom]

It's not so much purely good football I want. I'd settle for an ability to string 3 passes together. I'd settle for a team that looks like they have some kind of a gameplan and players understand their roles.

Wolves aside, we've been the most consistently awful team in the league this season. Looking back over most of our points won compared to points lost, we've been lucky to get what have a lot more than we've been unlucky. It's no false position we're in by any stretch, and if not for some fortune here and there and Given keeping us in a lot of games (especially during our unbeaten run early on), we could be dead and buried by now. As bad as the teams below us have been, all of them have pulled off the odd standout result and had something like a run of form at some point. We haven't. Our unbeaten run had a major whiff of fortune about it, and never felt like we were progressing. It was ugly stuff to watch. Hideous football.

In retrospect now, O Neill's brand of football, that particularly in his last season began grating a lot, looks like Barca in comparison to where we are now.

[ozzjim]

Still DiMatteo for me.

The only way he will keep the Chelsea job is by winning the European cup and that isn't going to happen.

As soon as he get's the push we should be straight in there.

He can bring Wilkins and Zola with him too. We would have both respect and a decent chance of playing football!!

[Big Dick Edwards]

COME ON,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, what about andy gray   he knows the game inside out ,,everyone knows him
what an appointment   you cant tell me he,d turn us down to sit next to richard hairy hand keys for the next 3 years when he could try and turn his beloved villa round  in one of there darkest eras of recent  times    ohhhhhhh ANDY ANDY   ANDYANDYANDYANDY ANDY GRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On the off chance you're being serious, can I just remind you that Andy Gray was assistant manager of a good Villa side in the 90s and pissed off to Sky without a second thought for a managerial career in general, or in particular, us.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

COME ON,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, what about andy gray   he knows the game inside out ,,everyone knows him
what an appointment   you cant tell me he,d turn us down to sit next to richard hairy hand keys for the next 3 years when he could try and turn his beloved villa round  in one of there darkest eras of recent  times    ohhhhhhh ANDY ANDY   ANDYANDYANDYANDY ANDY GRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You must be joking.

Unless you're on about the black Andy Gray we had.