Time for Randy to go?

[dave.woodhall]

I think the board and Randy need help, someone with a bit more football knowledge to offer advice.

They do, but of the usually quoted suspects, Sir Graham's at Watford, BFR's retired and Ian Taylor is a great bloke but whether that transfers into business ability remains to be seen.

Steve Stride would do nicely.

If ever history has treated someone well... Seriously though, he's in his sixties now and I think he enjoys retirement and his part-time job with UEFA a bit too much.

[KevinGage]

I think the board and Randy need help, someone with a bit more football knowledge to offer advice.

Cherie Lunghi or Margaret Thatcher would be my choice.

[PeterWithesShin]

I think the board and Randy need help, someone with a bit more football knowledge to offer advice.

Cherie Lunghi or Margaret Thatcher would be my choice.

Cherie would by choice. Nothing to do with football mind.

[dave.woodhall]

I think the board and Randy need help, someone with a bit more football knowledge to offer advice.

They do, but of the usually quoted suspects, Sir Graham's at Watford, BFR's retired and Ian Taylor is a great bloke but whether that transfers into business ability remains to be seen.

I think it is also too easy to point at someone who clearly loves the club and assume they'd be the man. Ian Taylor is a Villa fan who played for the club, and does a bit of meet and greet. Like you said, how does that transfer to the skillset he'd need?

Also, there's always the question f whether people mentioned would even want to do the job. Martin Laursen is a good example of that. Perhaps he likes doing a bit of media work and seeing his family?

It is too easy to go for the sentimental option, although I understand the thinking, when what we need are cold hard business decisions.

I'd rather have a tough, cold bastard who had no prior attachment to the club, but who'd do a fucking good job.

That's always been our problem. We've had too may Villa people working for us. Now we have too many Randy people. Was it you who said Houllier gave the impression of being a consultant, here to fix a problem with no company loyalty or feeling for any other department?

[Risso]

The club needs a shake up from top to bottom.  Appointing a decent administrator like Stride wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to the overall running of the club.

[saunders_heroes]

I think the board and Randy need help, someone with a bit more football knowledge to offer advice.

They do, but of the usually quoted suspects, Sir Graham's at Watford, BFR's retired and Ian Taylor is a great bloke but whether that transfers into business ability remains to be seen.

Steve Stride would do nicely.

If ever history has treated someone well... Seriously though, he's in his sixties now and I think he enjoys retirement and his part-time job with UEFA a bit too much.

I'm sure Stride would have talked Lerner out of employing McLeish as our manager. He may have had faults, but by Christ he wouldn't have let that numpty anywhere near our football club.

[hawkeye]

This get a good football man in is hokum, you need a good CEO, someone who can appoint the right people Head Scout, 1st Team Manager and so on, most football people know nothing about running organisations.

[dave.woodhall]

I'm sure Stride would have talked Lerner out of employing McLeish as our manager. He may have had faults, but by Christ he wouldn't have let that numpty anywhere near our football club.

I get the impression - and I may be wrong - that being overruled one or two decisions in particular might have led to his departure. But that's only guesswork.

[hawkeye]

I think the board and Randy need help, someone with a bit more football knowledge to offer advice.

They do, but of the usually quoted suspects, Sir Graham's at Watford, BFR's retired and Ian Taylor is a great bloke but whether that transfers into business ability remains to be seen.

I think it is also too easy to point at someone who clearly loves the club and assume they'd be the man. Ian Taylor is a Villa fan who played for the club, and does a bit of meet and greet. Like you said, how does that transfer to the skillset he'd need?

Also, there's always the question f whether people mentioned would even want to do the job. Martin Laursen is a good example of that. Perhaps he likes doing a bit of media work and seeing his family?

It is too easy to go for the sentimental option, although I understand the thinking, when what we need are cold hard business decisions.

I'd rather have a tough, cold bastard who had no prior attachment to the club, but who'd do a fucking good job.

That's always been our problem. We've had too may Villa people working for us. Now we have too many Randy people. Was it you who said Houllier gave the impression of being a consultant, here to fix a problem with no company loyalty or feeling for any other department?

No that was me

[saunders_heroes]

The club needs a shake up from top to bottom.  Appointing a decent administrator like Stride wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to the overall running of the club.

As I've just said though, I'm absolutely positive Stride would have made it his mission in life to prevent Villa from employing McLeish.

[dave.woodhall]

That's always been our problem. We've had too may Villa people working for us. Now we have too many Randy people. Was it you who said Houllier gave the impression of being a consultant, here to fix a problem with no company loyalty or feeling for any other department?

No that was me

There was probably a lot of truth in it. His biggest problem was trying to do things too quickly.

[Risso]

This get a good football man in is hokum, you need a good CEO, someone who can appoint the right people Head Scout, 1st Team Manager and so on, most football people know nothing about running organisations.

THis all goes back to O'Neill.  When you take over a business in a field you know nothing about, you need to employ people who know what they're doing.  Lerner inherited O'Neill on Ellis's recommendation, and at first having an old fashioned manager who looked like he'd run most aspects of the football side must have been a weight off Lerner's shoulders.  It became increasingly obvious though, that without anybody at all putting the brakes on O'Neill's ego, that Lerner was effectively just signing away the future of the club and the value of his investment with every blank cheque.

[Risso]

The club needs a shake up from top to bottom.  Appointing a decent administrator like Stride wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to the overall running of the club.

As I've just said though, I'm absolutely positive Stride would have made it his mission in life to prevent Villa from employing McLeish.

And he'd have been ignored.

[hawkeye]

I think the board and Randy need help, someone with a bit more football knowledge to offer advice.

They do, but of the usually quoted suspects, Sir Graham's at Watford, BFR's retired and Ian Taylor is a great bloke but whether that transfers into business ability remains to be seen.

I think it is also too easy to point at someone who clearly loves the club and assume they'd be the man. Ian Taylor is a Villa fan who played for the club, and does a bit of meet and greet. Like you said, how does that transfer to the skillset he'd need?

Also, there's always the question f whether people mentioned would even want to do the job. Martin Laursen is a good example of that. Perhaps he likes doing a bit of media work and seeing his family?

It is too easy to go for the sentimental option, although I understand the thinking, when what we need are cold hard business decisions.

I'd rather have a tough, cold bastard who had no prior attachment to the club, but who'd do a fucking good job.

That's always been our problem. We've had too may Villa people working for us. Now we have too many Randy people. Was it you who said Houllier gave the impression of being a consultant, here to fix a problem with no company loyalty or feeling for any other department?

No that was me

And I agree with you here, the best organisations have a disconnect between the Executive and the Shareholders, The Chairman represents the Shareholders the CEO represents the business and is accountable to The Chairman. As soon as these lines get blurred you have problems.

[ktvillan]

Some people amaze me - they're entitled to their opinion but whatever happens they can't find it within themselves to criticise the club, it's owner, CE or manager. It's almost worth getting relegated to see what they would say then.

Why don't we have one moaning and whingeing thread? It would be much easier to follow.

There is an element of repetition, but clearly many people feel the need to vent their frustration, anger, despair etc. over the clueless manager and owner, the threat of relegation, the lack of direction or apparent plan, the dire football,  and many other things that aren't right at the club.  If you don't like these threads, why not ignore them?   You could always start a  "support the manager and owner" thread.  Don't get too lonely over there though.