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

[Phil from the upper holte]

Di Matteo I think it will be

[villan1975]

"Compelling play and results that instil a sense of confidence that Villa is on the right track have been plainly absent.''

That statement from Lerner shows he won't be hiring McCarthy, Bruce, Megson or the like.

That sounds a perfectly compelling and reasonable argument.Then you think about the last appointment and the doubts set in.This for me the is the last chance for Lerner et al to salvage themselves.

[McGraths Dry Cleaning]

Sky reporting mick mccarthy odds tumbled from 25-1 to 2-1 2nd favourite in last hour - surely they wouldnt would they?

fuck me eastie. Have you learnt nothing good comes from watching that bollocks 24-7? Do you think the board, that just put out a damning statement, really about themselves would fire McLeish, and then turn around and appoint McCarthy. The same McCarthy that has been fighting relegation with a local rival every year he's been in the PL?

Yes. Who on Earth would have confidence in our board after the last appointment? Apart from people connected to Villa it really would be fucking hilarious though wouldn't it?? McLeish to McCarthy, it's like something out of some sick twisted nightmare. At least Randy might be sectioned after that appointment??

it is true TV, no one in the world thought they would appoint Mcleish but they did,

i dont believe they are looking at Mcarthy, but there track record suggests that anything is possible, and that has been proven in the past

The odds are nonsense - theres not much money on this market so any slight move and the odds swing wildly. On Betfair there is £21k in total staked and McCarthy is now back to 8's - I layed (i.e. bet against him being manager) when the odds were 6 so in theory I could now back him at 8 for a guaranteed win but I'm not going to bother - no way is McCarthy being considered - on various bet forums lots of people talkup/down certain managerial appointments (not just Villa job) to get people reading to lump some money on - they then lay off their bet for a guaranteed profit when the odds change. Pump and dump I think its called (exactly the same as when shares get ramped) and I could see McCarthy being talked up on a few forums - for no reason other than some gambler to make some money (admitedly I've had a slice but there you go). Same thing going on with Liverpool - you can actually make money by laying Martinez for both the Villa/Liverpool jobs as his odds are fluctuating for both - if you get it right you can make some money irrespective if he goes to either club.

[hartman_1982]

I honestly think we are more attractive now as an option than we were last summer.

1. Expectations from the fans could not be any lower.
2. They could not do any worse and, in a similar way when Harry took over Spurs, they will have "took them from relegation threatened to FA Cup winners" next to their name. (We can dream!)
3. Any man coming in will not be McLeish.

[VillaAlways]

From the OS Apologies if already posted

Chief executive Paul Faulkner insists the board are determined to bring in a new manager to "reinvigorate" Villa.

Faulkner is adamant the search is on for a boss to "bring the vibrancy" back to B6.

He is also confident that Villa are "very strong" as a club, despite the frustrating league placing in the term just gone.

Faulkner says managing Villa offers a magnificent opportunity because of, among other things, the "passionate owner and phenomenal fanbase."

He said: "I think we want to find someone who can reinvigorate the club, someone who can bring some vibrancy back to Villa. That's what we need and that's what we can get.

"You want someone who can inspire the players, inspire the fans and can deliver on the pitch.

"I think there are an awful lot of reasons you would want to come to Aston Villa. You look at the size of the club, you look at the infrastructure that we have here, both the facility at the training ground is one of the best in the country and our academy is one of the best in the country, our stadium is one of the best in the country.

"We have a fantastic owner who loves the club and has supported his managers, there's the club's history, the fans are phenomenal, why would you not want to come here?

"That's what Villa is, it's a great club. Now, the past two years the first team has struggled but Aston Villa as a club is very strong."

Faulkner accepts that the previous campaign simply wasn't good enough but he believes Villa can start challenging in the upper reaches of the table - and push for a European spot with the right man in charge.

He continued: "It's now a fresh start for us. The 2011/12 season is gone, obviously the decision has been made with Alex and for us now it's all about the future.

"It's about the new manager, it's about next season, it's about bouncing back and getting Villa back where we should be, where we feel we should be.

"Where we are right now, we're looking for a manager and we're looking to go into next season and be in those positions where we will be in there challenging. We should be in that top half of the table and fighting for the European places. Why not?

"I think that the priority is to get the manager. The next step is to sit with them and make sure we go into the season with a strong squad. We actually had our first signing of the summer here yesterday, Brett Holman, so that process has already begun and will continue.

"We know there needs to be improvement and that's what we're going to be aiming for."

Faulkner says Villa "don't want to hang around" although getting the right man is absolutely paramount.

He continued: "My phone has been going non-stop. We are very focused on this and we are going to give it absolutely everything.

"We have lots of people to consult and take advice from. That will be done as we aim to get the right man for Aston Villa.

"You never want to put a timeframe on it. We have made a quick decision on Alex and so now our aim is to bring someone in as soon as we can. The time element is something we only control a part of but we don't want to hang around now."

Faulkner also paid tribute to the character of outgoing Alex McLeish and said the decision to dispense with the manager was due to results on the pitch.

He added: "This has been a disappointing season for us. We had to make the decision with Alex McLeish. We did it with a heavy heart because Alex is a good man and he's a good manager with a track record of success.

"Obviously he had that as a player and I'm sure he will go on in the future to have success but the results that we had this year simply weren't good enough for Aston Villa."

[Walmley_Villa]

Good statement to be fair. Now get Lambert!

[MarkM]

"We have a fantastic owner who loves the club and has supported his managers, there's the club's history, the fans are phenomenal, why would you not want to come here?"

Perhaps he should ask all those that turned us down last year

[philthebar]

Good statement to be fair. Now get Lambert!

Not keen on Lambert, he will use us as a stepping stone as he has with all other clubs he has managed.  I want somebody for the long term.

[Greg N'Ash]

Aload of bobbins, fighting for europe ffs... No mention of resources being a good reason to come to us. I'd feel a lot more confident about who was arriving if Faulkner wasn't coming out with the same crap he did last season

[cdbearsfan]

Every manager will, potentially, use us as a stepping stone.

[James]

Cut the guy some slack, what else is he going to say? Apart from which, he's not entirely wrong is he?

[Virgil Caine]

Whoever we choose the important thing is that their first plus surname must have only three or four syllables thereby being able to fit into the .....claret and blue army rendition. Those managers who historically have fallen foul of this rule have either been failures, played negative football or both. Three syllables tend to favour the most entertaining sides eg Big Fat Rons Claret and Blue Army, whereas the last incumbent ran to 5 syllables, QED.
Interestingly Paul Lamberts Claret and Blue Army has the correct number of syllables and has proper poetic syntax, a definite winner there. Robert Martinez fails on all counts and is therefore doomed to failure.

[villan1975]

Whoever we choose the important thing is that their first plus surname must have only three or four syllables thereby being able to fit into the .....claret and blue army rendition. Those managers who historically have fallen foul of this rule have either been failures, played negative football or both. Three syllables tend to favour the most entertaining sides eg Big Fat Rons Claret and Blue Army, whereas the last incumbent ran to 5 syllables, QED.
Interestingly Paul Lamberts Claret and Blue Army has the correct number of syllables and has proper poetic syntax, a definite winner there. Robert Martinez fails on all counts and is therefore doomed to failure.

Mick Mcarthys' claret and blue army.

[James]

Apparently they are going to debate the Villa job and Midlands managers in general on R5 from 7pm tonight for those interested - which probably means 5 minutes of Pat Murphy after the news at nine! 

[Big Dick Edwards]

Good statement to be fair. Now get Lambert!

Not keen on Lambert, he will use us as a stepping stone as he has with all other clubs he has managed.  I want somebody for the long term.

If it does come to light Lambert uses us as a stepping stone to a Top 4 club it means he will have done a fantastic job at VP. Bring it on.