Yes, Mr President

[flybo]

Brian Little

[Concrete John]

I love Brian as much as anyone, but he has this quiet air that doesn't necessarily strike me as 'presidential', so I'd doubt his suitablilty to the requirements of the job and whether he'd actually want it or not.

Perhaps the  thread needs a poll of the most likely candidates?

[PeterWithesShin]

Brian Little is my all-time Villa hero. But not sure his personality or profile these days is what the club will be after.

[dave.woodhall]

Genesis fans often refer to Tony Banks as the "keeper of the flame" as far as the heart and soul of the band is concerned, the member closest to the ideal of the music Genesis.

A Villa President should be in this mould, not working for any other club or media organisation associated with Football, a good public speaker, balanced and intelligent. Unfortunatley that rules out most of the suggestions in this thread.

Merv fits the bill as does SGT and as far as former players are concerned, Brian Little stands out but I'd plump for Merv.

That's exactly what I was thinking of but you've put it much better. It needs someone with gravitas, who is respected by all Villa supporters and while he doesn't have to be a big name within football, his achievements should command - that word again - respect. Mervyn King isn't a football man but we would be stupid not to utilise him in any way he feels appropriate. Brian Little is a great Villa man, although whether he has that gravitas is debatable. Charlie Aitken seems the best candidate to me.

[pauliewalnuts]

The other thing worth considering is that this almost certainly would not be a full time job, so people aren't going to be quitting their day job to do it, so maybe someone who has retired or not in gainful employment would be more interested?

[pauliewalnuts]

I added a poll after a very quick scan through to see who people had suggested.

If anyone else needs to be added, just post here and ask a mod to do it.

[Concrete John]

I think Laursen sees his future as a coach/manager, so doubt he'd be interested in a job away from the playing side of things.

[Small Rodent]

Hey! Hey! LBJ! How many goals did you score today?

[PeterWithesShin]

I think Laursen sees his future as a coach/manager, so doubt he'd be interested in a job away from the playing side of things.

Could be the ideal job though if it is part time while he gets his badges?

[Damo70]

I added a poll after a very quick scan through to see who people had suggested.

If anyone else needs to be added, just post here and ask a mod to do it.

After some deliberation I went for SMK over SGT on the basis a non football man would not be as likely to be perceived as undermining the manager.

[pauliewalnuts]

I added a poll after a very quick scan through to see who people had suggested.

If anyone else needs to be added, just post here and ask a mod to do it.

After some deliberation I went for SMK over SGT on the basis a non football man would not be as likely to be perceived as undermining the manager.

That's an excellent point.

[Mister E]

I added a poll after a very quick scan through to see who people had suggested.

If anyone else needs to be added, just post here and ask a mod to do it.

Depends what you mean by Club President.
Normally they are a figurehead - schmoozing with other club presidents and the FA, influencing behind the scenes, providing the owner / CEO with sage advice, etc.
In that context Sir Merve is the clear candidate, IMO.

If you want someone who - as in Dave's opening post - will bring fans, local community, ex-players, and other stakeholders together, then someone like Martin Laursen is yer man.

The roles are exclusive, so we would do well with both.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I love Graham Taylor but isn't he more associated with Watford by anyone who doesn't support Villa?

[dicedlam]

Genesis fans often refer to Tony Banks as the "keeper of the flame" as far as the heart and soul of the band is concerned, the member closest to the ideal of the music Genesis.

A Villa President should be in this mould, not working for any other club or media organisation associated with Football, a good public speaker, balanced and intelligent. Unfortunatley that rules out most of the suggestions in this thread.

Merv fits the bill as does SGT and as far as former players are concerned, Brian Little stands out but I'd plump for Merv.

Mervyn King isn't a football man but we would be stupid not to utilise him in any way he feels appropriate.

My choice.

[Concrete John]

Sir Mervyn got my vote.

I like the ex-player idea like Laursen/Dublin/Townsend, but ultimately Mervyn is head and shoulders ahead of them in most elements of the job description.