Oh dear - the Birmingham Mail has weighed in with another of it's readers polls about who the next Villa supremo should be. These polls usually consist of an unpaid intern wandering around the Fort shopping centre asking the retired and the jobless for a quote - it doesn't matter if they've been down the Villa in the last 200 years - or indeed if they are a bitter Bluenose - there are empty pages to fill - and fill them they will.
The Mail proclaims the Villa fans choice as Mr Paul Lambert.
But hang on - I'm acutely aware that at the moment I am suffering from post traumatic stress disorder - as are you. In fact - if you'd have offered me Keith Harris and Orville as the new coaching team instead of McLeish and Grant - I would have said yes - such was my desperation. And desperation and judgement do not good bed fellows make. We've got to face it - we don't want to make a mistake on the rebound.
So with this in mind I have done some thinking about Mr Lambert and the Villa. And there is some great news...
He is not Alec McLeish.
But apart from that - is he the right man to lead Villa into a new era?
Because let's not kid ourselves - that is what it is. We are on a path of producing more homegrown talent - we aren't going to be Man City or Chelsea. We can't buy a new team. Though the owner has shown he will buy big in key areas as with Darren Bent. This could be a minus - or it could be a plus. A definite plus is Villa's Academy and youth set ups - both are among the best in the country. And check out our reserves - kids all - and section winners for the fourth time in five years.
So it's not all gloom.
I hear some say that our kids are not good enough - not star names - not world class.
I think they can be ... with the right coach.
Which leads me the the Mail's choice - Mr Lambert. No doubt - the boy done good. But what is it he did? How did he do it? I post some links now - links that make interesting reading. They are about style and methodology.
http://thinkfootball.co.uk/norwichs-direct-style-of-play-is-paying-dividends/If you want a version of MON football - then Lambert's your man.
But if like me - you yearn to watch football - to see a team grow and develop and achieve something together then I think there is a better candidate.
And some links why...
http://www.totalfootballmag.com/features/premier-league-features/the-myth-of-swanseas-attacking-football/http://footballblog.co.uk/swansea-city-a-touch-of-pass.htmlhttp://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/association=eng/news/newsid=1741772.htmlI love the last paragraph in the UEFA article - that is what I want from a Villa manager - it's all I've ever wanted from a Villa manager.
He started as a youth team coach under Jose Mourinho - and was then promoted to reserve team coach. He served his managerial apprenticeship in the lower leagues - sometimes failing but never dishonest - always seeking to improve. To me he is the perfect fit for Kevin Mac and Gordon - they will speak the same language - but he also has something they don't - charisma and vision.
He has been invited to join up with the Spanish national side for a few days by Del Bosque. He is a man who commands respect among football folk around Europe.
You may disagree with me - that's fine - but let's try to talk about facts where we can in this - and get the message clearly across to Mr Lerner and the rather stiff and not very football savvy Mr Faulkner - that we need to appoint a coach with a football philosophy - a real vision - not just a CV that reads well on paper.
So to those of you who think our kids are not 'star' material - or not 'world class' - tell me who Swansea bought this season? The big money signings? The Star Names?
So Birmingham Mail reader (I know there's at least two of you) - the Villa need more than a manager to bring the fans back into Villa Park - we need someone to believe in - we need, in truth, a new messiah - and after the last 12 months - we deserve one - I just don't think it's the one you are pedaling.
Just my 2 pence - and can we get on with it before the Scousers move in please...
UTV
