Would you be happy with Ole Gunnar Solskjær? Now with added poll.

[dave.woodhall]

He's 39 and never had a big job.  Even if he does really well he's got to be at least ten years off getting the Man U job.

Not unless they are after a young manager.  Fergie was, what, mid-forties when he got the job?

And he'd just put together a better and more successful team than any Manchester United manager for the previous 18 years. Still, there must be somebody else.

so dave from the way you have been replying all night you seem to know more than your letting on, how far off an official announcement are we either way

I don't know; I would guess something might be said either way tomorrow. All I do know is that I like the sound of him.

[Billy Walker]

Strikes me that "we'd better not employ such and such a manager in case he gets really good and leaves" is about as small time and short sighted as it gets.

Indeed, cannot believe the number of people that are worried by his association with another club and the possibility that he will leave Villa. It's all part of the game, managers and players no longer spend their entire careers at the same club. If he's appointed and we play Man U I'd expect him to say" had a great time there, the club means a lot to me but I'm Villa manager now and I'm aiming to win ad many games as possible, starting with this one". Let's get behind him and give him some encouragement after all he's not McLeish.

Indeed, should no English club ever take a punt on him in case manure are ever interested? And he'll have to have done a damn good job at B6 for manure to be remotely interested in him.

Well, let's at least take a punt on him after he's genuinely proven himself in the game.  Let's see him build a club up in Division One and lead it to the Premier League as opposed to buying the bloomin' title in Norway.  His qualifications for the job at Villa are flimsy.  If he had exactly the same managerial record but was called something like Åge Hareide would we all be happy? 

[Stu]

Did you watch the documentary on youtube that was linked earlier? His team look like they play some lovely stuff. Could be a couple of years before we see that here though.

Yes, and it made me want him more (ooerrr missus).
I'll take a couple of years of decent football and mid-table obscurity while he builds a team.

Oh, so would I. There's no use getting someone in and expecting them to get everyone playing great stuff immediately. I hope the fanbase as a whole have the same level of patience, I get the feeling lots of people are expecting us to turn in a season like Newcastle did this year. I'd prefer steady foundations to be laid, the club needs a new outlook.

Hope springs eternal.

[Monty]

Strikes me that "we'd better not employ such and such a manager in case he gets really good and leaves" is about as small time and short sighted as it gets.

Indeed, cannot believe the number of people that are worried by his association with another club and the possibility that he will leave Villa. It's all part of the game, managers and players no longer spend their entire careers at the same club. If he's appointed and we play Man U I'd expect him to say" had a great time there, the club means a lot to me but I'm Villa manager now and I'm aiming to win ad many games as possible, starting with this one". Let's get behind him and give him some encouragement after all he's not McLeish.

Indeed, should no English club ever take a punt on him in case manure are ever interested? And he'll have to have done a damn good job at B6 for manure to be remotely interested in him.

Well, let's at least take a punt on him after he's genuinely proven himself in the game.  Let's see him build a club up in Division One and lead it to the Premier League as opposed to buying the bloomin' title in Norway.  His qualifications for the job at Villa are flimsy.  If he had exactly the same managerial record but was called something like Åge Hareide would we all be happy? 

Honestly, had he also been United reserves coach, yes. It's a similar route to Brendan Rodgers', for instance. Or AVB.

[Greg N'Ash]

Come on Greggers, when was the last time you actually had a good word to say about the club you say you support?

Anyway, who do you want as manager?

Well i  was pretty solid behind GH, tried to stick with Mcleish even if the heart wasn't in it. More than most on here in both cases. I'm critical of the Lerner and Faulkner but then they are not the club.

as for who i want as manager goes none of the candidates are particulary enticing but i'm realistic enough not to expect a top name. Personally i want someone who given how close we went to relegation, will steady the ship and isn't a huge gamble. OSG for all his possible potential is a total leap of faith

[Brend'Watkins]

So, did Lerner's jet arrive in Oslo and did it fly back to Birmingham tonight with OGS on it.  Has this been verified? 

[Holy Trinity]

He's 39 and never had a big job.  Even if he does really well he's got to be at least ten years off getting the Man U job.

Not unless they are after a young manager.  Fergie was, what, mid-forties when he got the job?

And he'd just put together a better and more successful team than any Manchester United manager for the previous 18 years. Still, there must be somebody else.

so dave from the way you have been replying all night you seem to know more than your letting on, how far off an official announcement are we either way

I don't know; I would guess something might be said either way tomorrow. All I do know is that I like the sound of him.

yes he sounds good. i said on one of the mcleish threads that i would like a young manager to work with an ex villa player in particular laursen so even if the manager does a runner laursen is there ready to step into the hot seat, great prospect, stacks of youth players from united to pick up on the cheap or loans, fergie might even suggest talent to him. strong links to norway in general and very well respected in the game.

my favourite villa manager was john gregory and he managed to step up well enough so i dont see the problem people have, benitez wants total control or that was our reason for not wanting him last year it was suggested, rodgers is as potential owen coyle and it is widely accepted within the game that it was martinez that is responsible for laying the ground work and rodgers is just reaping the benefits. martinez is most likely off to the dippers, villa-boas dont make me laugh he wouldnt be at all interested in us the man eats sleeps and breaths football from the age of 16 i think it was he has been at a big club and i honestly think he will go onto manage portugal, so who else do people expect us to get, i mean we accuse liverpool of living in the past daily yet we think we have a god given right to have the best managers in the world.
get him in, give him cash and watch him go, good or bad hes not mcleish and we cant possibly be this bad again next season

[junxs]

I really dont get the excitement here, ive just read the whole thread and discovered the main reason for the excitement is that "he's not McLeish". NEWSFLASH McLeish has been sacked and is not coming back, so whoever the next manager is, its not going to be McLeish.

As for "he's spent a lot of time with Fergie so he must have learned something from him".. look up the history on the fella we just sacked! Theres also Bruce, Hughes, Ince, Keane all of which have pretty much proven they're not the next Fergie.

Paul Lambert has taken Norwich up with back to back promotions and then had a brilliant first season in the top flight with Norwich, it just puzzles me why people would prefer OGS over Lambert?

If you really want a young manager with fresh ideas for the sake of it then why not Martin Laursen?

[ozzjim]

Watch the youtube doc on him. He looks destined for big things. If i were him though, I would stay there for a while. Lovely town.

[Toronto Villa]

Yes. It's a brave appointment but he likes to play the game the right way. If it is him I am really looking forward to who his transfer targets might be. I want to see us playing football again and Solskjaer will bring that.

[usav]

my favourite villa manager was john gregory

I was with you until then.  Gregory's style of football was one level above that of McLeish - just.

[tomd2103]

Watch the youtube doc on him. He looks destined for big things. If i were him though, I would stay there for a while. Lovely town.

What channel was that documentary on?  Oh yeah, it was on MUTV which is probably the equivalent of Fox News doing a piece on the Republican candidate in the upcoming American election. 

[junxs]

Ozzjim, ive just scanned the thread again and theres no link to any doc on youtube.. but im sure somebody could make Eck look brilliant in a documentary too

[Monty]

I just think he fits the Molde.

...

I'll get me coat.

[paul_e]

I really dont get the excitement here, ive just read the whole thread and discovered the main reason for the excitement is that "he's not McLeish". NEWSFLASH McLeish has been sacked and is not coming back, so whoever the next manager is, its not going to be McLeish.

As for "he's spent a lot of time with Fergie so he must have learned something from him".. look up the history on the fella we just sacked! Theres also Bruce, Hughes, Ince, Keane all of which have pretty much proven they're not the next Fergie.

Paul Lambert has taken Norwich up with back to back promotions and then had a brilliant first season in the top flight with Norwich, it just puzzles me why people would prefer OGS over Lambert?

If you really want a young manager with fresh ideas for the sake of it then why not Martin Laursen?

Bold bit - None of the people you've named were talked into becoming a coach by Fergie and handed the job of developing the youth team.  I've also never seen Fergie suggest any of them as having a great chance of being his successor as he has with OGS.

Paul Lambert - I've said this elsewhere and I know at least a couple of other posters have said the same... he is too similar to  mon for me.  It would be percentages football with lots of balls whipped in from out wide for a big man and then a couple pacey guys around him.  Don't get me wrong I think he's a good manager but I think he will have the same limitations as a guy a lot of people wanted rid of for not improving on 6th.

I suggested Laursen as an option before but he genuinely hasn't done anything yet and is too big a gamble so for that to work we'd need an older head as DoF.  OGS is about 3-4 years ahead of him in terms of development and has been incredibly successful in the roles he's had.

It is a risk, but it's a very sensible risk to take.  His reputation is largely based on hi as a player but everything about him suggests he's a winner, and that's what we need after the most defeatist manager I've ever seen.  If he comes in and gets everyone playing with confidence it will make a huge difference straight away.