Sir Graham has his say

[Lambert and Payne]

The Small thing didn't bother me in the slightest but it does for so many. Instead of just 'f off mcleish' its 'f off mcleish you bluenose wanker'
I'd gladly take Chris Houghton off their hands, many others wouldn't. But I doubt there would be protests....

[VILLA MOLE]

Again the same twaddle about him being ex Blues being the reason why we don't like him. Perhaps it's just us?

Maybe subconsciously we do give him a harder time because he is ex blues but how do you know when everything is bloody awful ? 

[VillaAlways]

Again the same twaddle about him being ex Blues being the reason why we don't like him. Perhaps it's just us?

Maybe subconsciously we do give him a harder time because he is ex blues but how do you know when everything is bloody awful ? 

On the contrary,I think he's had a much easier time from the fans than Houllier last season

[VILLA MOLE]

Again the same twaddle about him being ex Blues being the reason why we don't like him. Perhaps it's just us?

do you think ? Last year was crap but I thought (Maybe alone) that it was working towards a new goal a new type of football.

so eased Houlier

this year I think ............ nothing no hope just struggle   

Maybe subconsciously we do give him a harder time because he is ex blues but how do you know when everything is bloody awful ? 

On the contrary,I think he's had a much easier time from the fans than Houllier last season

[PaulWinch again]

I do wonder what the reaction would have been if he'd left Small Heath the week after they'd won the League Cup, with his record including a succession of promotion, top half finish, mid-table and a trophy. 

Promotion isn't much to boast about, seeing as he got them relegated in the first place.

For me, it wouldn't have changed anything - the stultifyingly negative football was still there

Wouldn't change anything for me either. I'm against him because we are so desperately poor from a results and aesthetic point of view, it has nothing to do with where he came from.

[VILLA MOLE]

do you think ? Last year was crap but I thought (Maybe alone) that it was working towards a new goal a new type of football.

so eased Houlier

this year I think ............ nothing no hope just struggle   

[paul_e]

Again the same twaddle about him being ex Blues being the reason why we don't like him. Perhaps it's just us?

Maybe subconsciously we do give him a harder time because he is ex blues but how do you know when everything is bloody awful ? 

On the contrary,I think he's had a much easier time from the fans than Houllier last season

Agreed, I think the media making a big thing of the ex-blues angle has meant that a lot of fans have held back with protesting (other than complaining on the internet) in an attempt to show the media we're not as small-minded and pathetic as they're trying to portray.

[Damo70]

He also didn't fall into the lazy trap of saying we don't like him because he is ex blues, he just pointed out that someone coming from them is going to need to get off to a better start than if they had come from somewhere else.

That's the same thing isn't it? I mean, I don't factor in the Blues thing at all, I couldn't care less.

The where he came from thing has been massively exaggerated in the media to the point where they have almost ignored the fact that it just might be the style of play and results that we are not happy about. Having said that, to go the other way and suggest his previous club is totally irrelevant to every single one of our supporters would for me be equally untrue.

[Rioch is King]

If AM had been managing say... Burnley, Blackburn or Bolton and he'd just got them relegated how would we have felt about him being appointed as our new manager? not exactly a champagne moment. We then have a negative, uninspiring start to the season followed by worse - what would the feeling towards the manager have been like? The media have got the ex-Blues thing wrong.

[Monty]

He also didn't fall into the lazy trap of saying we don't like him because he is ex blues, he just pointed out that someone coming from them is going to need to get off to a better start than if they had come from somewhere else.

That's the same thing isn't it? I mean, I don't factor in the Blues thing at all, I couldn't care less.

The where he came from thing has been massively exaggerated in the media to the point where they have almost ignored the fact that it just might be the style of play and results that we are not happy about. Having said that, to go the other way and suggest his previous club is totally irrelevant to every single one of our supporters would for me be equally untrue.

Oh I agree, doubtless there are those for whom it is an issue. But I would go as far as to say it's a minority issue, and even those who do use it against him don't care as much, as you say, as the media would suggest.

[dave.woodhall]

He also didn't fall into the lazy trap of saying we don't like him because he is ex blues, he just pointed out that someone coming from them is going to need to get off to a better start than if they had come from somewhere else.

That's the same thing isn't it? I mean, I don't factor in the Blues thing at all, I couldn't care less.

The where he came from thing has been massively exaggerated in the media to the point where they have almost ignored the fact that it just might be the style of play and results that we are not happy about. Having said that, to go the other way and suggest his previous club is totally irrelevant to every single one of our supporters would for me be equally untrue.

Oh I agree, doubtless there are those for whom it is an issue. But I would go as far as to say it's a minority issue, and even those who do use it against him don't care as much, as you say, as the media would suggest.

For a small minority it's a reason and for a small minority of them it's the main reason.

[kippaxvilla2]

I agree with most of what he said, but he missed out one salient point, McLeish is a crap manager.

[pauliewalnuts]

The most important thing about people thinking we dislike him because he used to manage them is that Randy and Faulkner need not to be fooled that that is the reason.

[PaulWinch again]

The most important thing about people thinking we dislike him because he used to manage them is that Randy and Faulkner need not to be fooled that that is the reason.

That is potentially the biggest problem of all, I hope they have more intelligence than that and they can see with their own eyes that we are dreadful. Also that they've been duped by Ferguson.

[Concrete John]

He also didn't fall into the lazy trap of saying we don't like him because he is ex blues, he just pointed out that someone coming from them is going to need to get off to a better start than if they had come from somewhere else.

That's the same thing isn't it? I mean, I don't factor in the Blues thing at all, I couldn't care less.

The where he came from thing has been massively exaggerated in the media to the point where they have almost ignored the fact that it just might be the style of play and results that we are not happy about. Having said that, to go the other way and suggest his previous club is totally irrelevant to every single one of our supporters would for me be equally untrue.

Oh I agree, doubtless there are those for whom it is an issue. But I would go as far as to say it's a minority issue, and even those who do use it against him don't care as much, as you say, as the media would suggest.

For a small minority it's a reason and for a small minority of them it's the main reason.

I think most people dislike hime due to crap results and performances, but of those some never liked him in the first place becuase of where he came from.