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

[Shoody]

Rogers, Lambert, Martinez. probably in that order to be honest.

Lambert will do well here but whilst hes a good manager his team like a HOOF* as much as we do and I dont want there to be any reasons to keep Collins and Dunne (although in fairness theyve been very good in their most recent matches... but awful most of the season).

*Not saying they play bad football as they are much more attacking that us. But im sure there was a stat that only Norwich and Stoke had played more long balls than us this season. That was a couple of months back though. Rogers and Lambert are my top choices for the job.

[Monty]

Rodgers might, just might, be more available for us if 'Arry now stays at Spurs. I'm still unconvinced he'd leave Swansea though, even for Spurs at this stage.

[Shoody]

Not convinced we'd be able to get him, he'd just be my first choice if we could. He'd face stern opposition from Dunne, Collins, Warnock though the second he started trying to implement that passing game.

[Monty]

Not convinced we'd be able to get him, he'd just be my first choice if we could. He'd face stern opposition from Dunne, Collins, Warnock though the second he started trying to implement that passing game.

And the high-tempo pressing game. Certainly Dunne and Collins would object to that. Frankly, however, I'm sure that Rodgers will tell them, with considerable backing, that they can piss off if they object.

[rob_bridge]

I used to get annoyed at Atkinson & Gregory's 'entertaining' soundbites, especially after we'd lost. No way could I cope with Gollum's.

Yep at least BFR and Gregory has previous links to the Villa.

Not Holla
oway he is at his level with a small club punching above its' weight. Like Plymouth before. He was shite at Leicester and took them down to the 3rd Tier.

[hawkeye]

We need someone that cares more about the Club than thier public persona. I cant stand Mangers and Chairmen that cant wait to get in front of the TV camera. MON, Kean, Allardyce and Holloway are right up thier.

[James]

I think that Lambert will be more 'gettable' than Rodgers who will surely have an eye on the Spuds job anyway, and from our board's viewpoint, possibly a safer appointment too in that his playing style is more mixed and that he's not likely to be courted by the 'Sky' teams this summer.

[cb]

Of those mentioned and who are semi-realistic I like Martinez the most. Yes Wigan have been inconsistent but his teams always play good quality football, and I just have the feeling that working with a higher class of player, he could do significantly better than he is currently. He strikes me as someone who could very easily become a top end manager in the next couple of years. I'd really like to see him given the chance to properly build something, rather than be stripped of his best players every year. While I know we're not averse to losing players, I think we'd represent a broader canvass than he currently has and could be a place that he'd do well at. I think he'd mesh very well with the academy and may be someone who could make sure that the whole club from top to bottom plays in the same way, something which a lot of the successful sides do.

Failing that, I'm not sure who I'd like us to go for. AVB might be of similar ilk, although I doubt we can afford him; nevertheless he would be someone who could do very well here. Like the previous appointment, this represents a massive opportunity to set the tone for the future of this club and we need someone who can come in and really become a part of the fabric of the club and create their own vision of a 21st century PL outfit. They'll probably need to be young and I think most people accept that now. I'm not so sure about Lambert and Rogers. They've done well this season, but could be just flavour of the month candidates, hence my preference for Martinez - think he has just a bit more experience of PL and for me has earnt his stripes.

[not3bad]

Some #avfc next manager odds: Martinez 2/1 - Lambert 6/1 - Benitez 8/1 - Solskjaer 12/1 - MacDonald 12/1 - Rodgers 16/1 - Hughton 25/1

[tomd2103]

A lot of talk about a Director of Football and I'm really not sure that is the way forward.  If it is the route they go down, then the Director of Football has to be appointed first and he should be the one making decisions about the new manager.  Where I think that system breaks down is if a manager is already in place when a DoF is appointed, particularly if they have no previous working relationship.  If that is the structure they want, then the DoF has to be the first appointment and he then has to take control of the managerial search.   

Should McLeish go and it appears that will be the case, we desperately need to ensure there is not a repeat of what happened last summer.  After Houllier left, players that needed to be shifted were kept on and were given another chance by McLeish.  Hopefully this will not happen again and that those who need to go are moved on. 

[Steve R]

At both Swansea and Norwich, the managers have a group of players who know that this is as good as it gets. With very few exceptions, they are getting a shot at the big time that would they would otherwise be nowhere near. Expectations of supporters are low - being in the premier league at all is success.

What we have yet to see from either Lambert or Rodgers is what happens when they start to buy (and manage) 'next level up' players or when the pressure is on to get a place in Europe or a decent show in one of the cup competitions.

Holloway, Phil Brown and even Steve Bruce looked like the next big thing in their early premier league days.

The situation at Villa is very different. Almost every player we have signed for significant money has probably seen Villa as a way to maintain a half decent contract rather than the high point of their career or a means to develop en route to playing for someone else.

Rodgers and Lambert may well turn out to be very good managers, but they have as yet proved very little by way of ability to manage at the top end of the premier league. Villa is a very different job to the one they have so far done very well at.

whatever else happens, what we don't need is another summer (the third in a row) where we are chasing a managerial appointment rather than developng the squad.

If McLeish does indeed go, the next guy should not come in making noises about 'I will wait until pre-season to see what I have' or 'I'm a man manager, me. I can get Villa's underachieving stars playing'.

We have now wasted two seasons learning the exactly same lesson over again and doing very little other than wait for problems to solve themselves.

[tomd2103]

At both Swansea and Norwich, the managers have a group of players who know that this is as good as it gets. With very few exceptions, they are getting a shot at the big time that would they would otherwise be nowhere near. Expectations of supporters are low - being in the premier league at all is success.

What we have yet to see from either Lambert or Rodgers is what happens when they start to buy (and manage) 'next level up' players or when the pressure is on to get a place in Europe or a decent show in one of the cup competitions.

Holloway, Phil Brown and even Steve Bruce looked like the next big thing in their early premier league days.

The situation at Villa is very different. Almost every player we have signed for significant money has probably seen Villa as a way to maintain a half decent contract rather than the high point of their career or a means to develop en route to playing for someone else.

Rodgers and Lambert may well turn out to be very good managers, but they have as yet proved very little by way of ability to manage at the top end of the premier league. Villa is a very different job to the one they have so far done very well at.

whatever else happens, what we don't need is another summer (the third in a row) where we are chasing a managerial appointment rather than developng the squad.

If McLeish does indeed go, the next guy should not come in making noises about 'I will wait until pre-season to see what I have' or 'I'm a man manager, me. I can get Villa's underachieving stars playing'.

We have now wasted two seasons learning the exactly same lesson over again and doing very little other than wait for problems to solve themselves.

Totally agree.  Houllier had identified that the likes of Dunne, Warnock and Ireland needed to go, yet they remained at the club and look at what has happened.  If McLeish goes immediately after the season, maybe the heirarchy should consult K Mac and Sid, and seek their advice on who should be moved on and get it done before the new appointment.  That way, the new manager could hopefully start afresh and we can avoid those problems.

[Dante Lavelli]

Any of the losing Championship play-off managers will fit Lerner's needs.  Ambitious & hungry. 

Holloway or Mackay - yes please.  Allardyce - no thanks.

Hughton - a good manger, but once bitten...

Really wouldn't want Holloway.

Favour the link to Lambert.

why not Holloway,
 bright atractive attacking football, stands up for whatever club he's at, doesnt talk absolute bullshit all the time with manager soundbites, has a good record with teams with a low budget

yes he is a big mouth, but i quite like that, i loved big Ron, rather that than a mealy mouthed Hughes

As I said before he is very old school in his training methods.  I get the impression from what my mate said (having watched him and the Plymouth Albion train) that Holloway basically wings it, using his sense of humour and personality to cajole the players rather than applying any sort of science or theories to his actions.

Maybe his gut instinct is (always) correct but he has enough failures on his CV to suggest this is not the case.

[Dante Lavelli]

IMO is some overarching structure to the footballing side of the club that ensures some continuity, and the development of a larger project. Comparisons with Barcelona are obviously a bit far-fetched, but it is great that their assistant manager can slip seamlessly into the hot seat following Guardiola's exit.

Correct.  This is why I want us to have a DoF so we can build a club philosophy.  Mangers will come and go but I would like the "Villa way" to stay the same.  If this happened then I think that players will be more inclined to become (youth) coaches at Villa, and if they’re good enough, managers at the club.

[Dante Lavelli]

A lot of talk about a Director of Football and I'm really not sure that is the way forward.  If it is the route they go down, then the Director of Football has to be appointed first and he should be the one making decisions about the new manager.  Where I think that system breaks down is if a manager is already in place when a DoF is appointed, particularly if they have no previous working relationship.  If that is the structure they want, then the DoF has to be the first appointment and he then has to take control of the managerial search.   

Should McLeish go and it appears that will be the case, we desperately need to ensure there is not a repeat of what happened last summer.  After Houllier left, players that needed to be shifted were kept on and were given another chance by McLeish.  Hopefully this will not happen again and that those who need to go are moved on. 

I agree that the DoF should be appointed first.

With regards to your second paragraph, I think this is one of the major justifications for a DoF as he will retain a lot of the clubs knowledge rather than it leaving with each manager (See MON and again with Houllier). 

Take the scouting and running of the academy, both these things take time (years) to build and develop.  On average I’d guess a manger leaves every 2.5 years which is (IMO) less time that it would take to build a world class academy or build a genuine scouting network.