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

[Rudy Can't Fail]

If Lambert is indeed MON-lite, then are Culverhouse and Karsa the new 'Bibs & Cones'?

I keep telling you John, Lambert is a thinking man's MON. Captain Caveman is MON-lite.

In that case we can get the Teen Angles as coaches!!

Seriously though, I do like Lambert and think he's the right manager for us.

Reading a couple of Norwich forums, most reluctantly agree he'd be perfect for us. He will demand some money to spend though. It's the main reason why he's likely to quit Norwich, they in his words can't compete with Southampton or Reading this summer in the transfer market.

[VILLA MOLE]

so it is decided then all hail Paul   

[Concrete John]

It could be a fun afternoon on Sunday.

Not going myself, but I can imagine our away fans singing a few Lambert songs and winding the Norwich crowd up!

[Tony Boucher]

I don't want Hughton - I don't care enough about other peoples opinions to want to prove anything about our motives regarding ex-bluenose managers, i just want the best man for the job.  Yes, he's done pretty well to get them to the play-offs, but i didn't see any evidence of quality football last night (albeit on a horrible night).

The noses are just delighted that they're actually trying to win games, which is fair enough, but that's the bare minimum we should be aspiring to.

We should try & get AVB or Lambert.

[Risso]

It could be a fun afternoon on Sunday.

Not going myself, but I can imagine our away fans singing a few Lambert songs and winding the Norwich crowd up!

A few rounds of "Paul Lambert's claret and blue army" would be hilarious.  It would serve three purposes:

a) Remind McLeish is the nicest possible way that we don't consider him to be our manager any more
b) Let Lambert know that contrary to media reports, Villa fans are a lovely, cuddly bunch
c) Piss the Norwich fans off

[VILLA MOLE]

It could be a fun afternoon on Sunday.

Not going myself, but I can imagine our away fans singing a few Lambert songs and winding the Norwich crowd up!

A few rounds of "Paul Lambert's claret and blue army" would be hilarious.  It would serve three purposes:

a) Remind McLeish is the nicest possible way that we don't consider him to be our manager any more
b) Let Lambert know that contrary to media reports, Villa fans are a lovely, cuddly bunch
c) Piss the Norwich fans off

They will chuck their carrots at you me old muckers 

[KRS]

Cant we just do a swap deal with the filth for Hughton...they get McMinge back plus we get a refund on our compensation. Surely its just like taking a poorly fitting shirt back to Burtons? lol 

Can we please not. I know he's done well at Newcastle and that lot, but I think for our own collective sanity can we look a bit further afield and find a manager that is not linked to that lot. I just want a break from reading "Former Birmingham manager....." at the start of a sentence when reading about us. And I would certainly entertain an up and coming name from abroad. Why should we just be linked to domestic names?

Yeah I agree and I was only joking!

I would like us to at least make an effort to get AVB if the club has the balls to get rid of AM.

[Concrete John]

They can chuck their fucking tractors at us for all I care, provided we leave with Lambert as our new boss!

[garyellis]

It could be a fun afternoon on Sunday.

Not going myself, but I can imagine our away fans singing a few Lambert songs and winding the Norwich crowd up!

I remember when BFR came from Wednesday and the first match of the new season was at Hillsborough how our away support teased them with "Where's yer Ronnie gone where's yer Ronnie gon" Absolute great day out losing 2-0 and won 3-2

[NiiLamptey]

Vital Villa contributors are in agreement of a Zola - Poyet dream team to take the club forward...

Thoughts?

(PS would that be Zola DOF and Poyet Head Coach?)

[nigel]

You say he didn't spend it wisely, but, Given we all accept is a good buy. N'Zogbia, I think 95% of Villa fans (not me I hasten to add) wanted him. We needed him to hit the ground running, but, he's struggled to say the least.
Hutton, hmmm, we were desparate for a right back with Luke Y going back to London. My concern with him is lack of pace.

1) I'd say he was perfectly acceptable. But if we were so fretful about transfer fees and wages then play Guzan. Spend a million on Vorm. Use a bit of imagination. Given's a decent enough keeper, but if he is going to be a quarter of our transfer budget and a load more wages that we can't afford then don't do it.

2) Just because lots of people wanted him doesn't make him a good signing. The manager is paid enough to identify people who will work. Lots of Man Utd fans wanted Veron. Lots of Villa fans wanted Collymore. Lots of Chelsea fans wanted Shevchenko. Doesn't mean they were money well spent.

3) Lichaj? Herd? Cuellar? Beye? The same point applies as to Given. I don't think any of them would have been perfect. But again, he has to prioritize. If he wants to spend £4m on a fifth player in the squad who is capable (which itself is debatable) of playing right-back then he can't really whinge when we don't have any strikers anymore.

Dave,
I won't argue any of those points because as far as 1 & 3 go that's along the lines of what I thought anyway (probably not Beye though, but he couldn't have been much worse).
On the N'Zogbia front, though, I get what you're saying. But he obviously thought he would work. We'd just sold, arguably, the 2 best wingers in the prem, and he'd just had a good season on the wing for Wigan.  I know it's hypothetical now, but, imagine if AMcL hadn't signed him and he ended up having a great season elsewhere and we were where we are now?

[Mazrim]

Vital Villa contributors are in agreement of a Zola - Poyet dream team to take the club forward...

They are? Well I wonder why they haven't been installed already then.

[Risso]

You say he didn't spend it wisely, but, Given we all accept is a good buy. N'Zogbia, I think 95% of Villa fans (not me I hasten to add) wanted him. We needed him to hit the ground running, but, he's struggled to say the least.
Hutton, hmmm, we were desparate for a right back with Luke Y going back to London. My concern with him is lack of pace.

1) I'd say he was perfectly acceptable. But if we were so fretful about transfer fees and wages then play Guzan. Spend a million on Vorm. Use a bit of imagination. Given's a decent enough keeper, but if he is going to be a quarter of our transfer budget and a load more wages that we can't afford then don't do it.

2) Just because lots of people wanted him doesn't make him a good signing. The manager is paid enough to identify people who will work. Lots of Man Utd fans wanted Veron. Lots of Villa fans wanted Collymore. Lots of Chelsea fans wanted Shevchenko. Doesn't mean they were money well spent.

3) Lichaj? Herd? Cuellar? Beye? The same point applies as to Given. I don't think any of them would have been perfect. But again, he has to prioritize. If he wants to spend £4m on a fifth player in the squad who is capable (which itself is debatable) of playing right-back then he can't really whinge when we don't have any strikers anymore.

Dave,
I won't argue any of those points because as far as 1 & 3 go that's along the lines of what I thought anyway (probably not Beye though, but he couldn't have been much worse).
On the N'Zogbia front, though, I get what you're saying. But he obviously thought he would work. We'd just sold, arguably, the 2 best wingers in the prem, and he'd just had a good season on the wing for Wigan.  I know it's hypothetical now, but, imagine if AMcL hadn't signed him and he ended up having a great season elsewhere and we were where we are now?

If we were that skint, why a pay a fee for Given and give him such a long contract?  Why not just give Friedel an extension or play Guzan as Dave says?

[nigel]

You say he didn't spend it wisely, but, Given we all accept is a good buy. N'Zogbia, I think 95% of Villa fans (not me I hasten to add) wanted him. We needed him to hit the ground running, but, he's struggled to say the least.
Hutton, hmmm, we were desparate for a right back with Luke Y going back to London. My concern with him is lack of pace.

1) I'd say he was perfectly acceptable. But if we were so fretful about transfer fees and wages then play Guzan. Spend a million on Vorm. Use a bit of imagination. Given's a decent enough keeper, but if he is going to be a quarter of our transfer budget and a load more wages that we can't afford then don't do it.

2) Just because lots of people wanted him doesn't make him a good signing. The manager is paid enough to identify people who will work. Lots of Man Utd fans wanted Veron. Lots of Villa fans wanted Collymore. Lots of Chelsea fans wanted Shevchenko. Doesn't mean they were money well spent.

3) Lichaj? Herd? Cuellar? Beye? The same point applies as to Given. I don't think any of them would have been perfect. But again, he has to prioritize. If he wants to spend £4m on a fifth player in the squad who is capable (which itself is debatable) of playing right-back then he can't really whinge when we don't have any strikers anymore.

Dave,
I won't argue any of those points because as far as 1 & 3 go that's along the lines of what I thought anyway (probably not Beye though, but he couldn't have been much worse).
On the N'Zogbia front, though, I get what you're saying. But he obviously thought he would work. We'd just sold, arguably, the 2 best wingers in the prem, and he'd just had a good season on the wing for Wigan.  I know it's hypothetical now, but, imagine if AMcL hadn't signed him and he ended up having a great season elsewhere and we were where we are now?

If we were that skint, why a pay a fee for Given and give him such a long contract?  Why not just give Friedel an extension or play Guzan as Dave says?

I was agreeing with Dave "I won't argue any of those points because as far as 1 & 3 go that's along the lines of what I thought anyway "
All I've said is that the buys he made were considered good buys at the time.
If you go back several pages you can pick up the start (109 & 110), as Dave has cut out parts of my posts.

[Virgil Caine]

It has been confirmed today that Slavin Bilic will step down as Croatia manager after the Euro's. He was often touted as a potential- what are people's thoughts now?