Paul Faulkner interview.

[eastie]

What a waste of 15 minutes. PR led drivel, not really telling us anything we don't already know. I tell you what though, Lambert isn't going anywhere - Lerner & Faulkner are delighted with what he's achieving - in terms of league placement currently we are bang in line with  comfortable premier league survival, and all done on a shoe string. That's all they want - stay in the Prem, and keep sucking on the money teet. The days of Aston Villa being a football club is over and it's really bloody sad.

One thing you are totally right about is lambert is going nowhere, he will not be sacked  .

[Clampy]

The days of Aston Villa being a football club is over and it's really bloody sad.

a new contender emerges for being the most overly dramatic statement ever made on this site

It dose'nt beat a call on WM just from a villa fan, who wobbled on about us not getting crowds of 25k when we're in the championship next season, then said he was on the verge of tears as he spoke.

'I'm going to make a fool of myself in a minute'. He wasn't wrong.

[Villafirst]

Sorry, I forgot - everything at the club is rosy - especially the brilliant home form of 8 points from a possible 33. Keep up the good work Paul and Randy it really is looking like a "bright future"

[Rudy Can't Fail]

One thing you are totally right about is lambert is going nowhere, he will not be sacked  .

He's most certainly here until the end of the season. Much depends on how we do between now and then. Season ticket sales will be key. I'd imagine they'll be in for a shock with their 'early bird' numbers as I'm guessing a fair few will be having a serious think this spring about automatically renewing.

As for the interview, I'd imagine the questions were agreed before hand. A waste of time for all concerned.

[LTA]

The days of Aston Villa being a football club is over and it's really bloody sad.

a new contender emerges for being the most overly dramatic statement ever made on this site

It dose'nt beat a call on WM just from a villa fan, who wobbled on about us not getting crowds of 25k when we're in the championship next season, then said he was on the verge of tears as he spoke.

'I'm going to make a fool of myself in a minute'. He wasn't wrong.

Was he called Dennis by any chance?

[paul_e]

Sorry, I forgot - everything at the club is rosy - especially the brilliant home form of 8 points from a possible 33. Keep up the good work Paul and Randy it really is looking like a "bright future"

Do you realise that there is a massive amount of possibilities between wrist-slashing depression and thinking everything is perfect?  I'd normally assume that most people would but you seem to think that anyone who doesn't think it's the end of the world clearly thinks it's perfect so I assume you can only think in binary.

As for all the comments about it being a waste of 15minutes, would could he have said that you wouldn't be pissed off about?  1 example of something he could say that he wouldn't be ripped to pieces over is all I'm after.

[Clampy]

The days of Aston Villa being a football club is over and it's really bloody sad.

a new contender emerges for being the most overly dramatic statement ever made on this site

It dose'nt beat a call on WM just from a villa fan, who wobbled on about us not getting crowds of 25k when we're in the championship next season, then said he was on the verge of tears as he spoke.

'I'm going to make a fool of myself in a minute'. He wasn't wrong.

Was he called Dennis by any chance?

No, he was first on I think. He was his normal depressive self.

[dave.woodhall]

Sorry, I forgot - everything at the club is rosy - especially the brilliant home form of 8 points from a possible 33. Keep up the good work Paul and Randy it really is looking like a "bright future"

One thing you can always guarantee whenever we get an opposing view from The End is Nigh is that somebody will immediately chip in with the incredibly unfunny and tedious "No, you're right everything's perfect" even though no-one has said that or anything like it.

[chazvilla]

What I meant was we are a business first, football club second - but then I suppose that's Modern day football for you. I just wish we would show some ambition, remember who we are and what we are about. Surely we can do that whilst remaining financially prudent . Our squad has numbers now,  so we will see where we are come Feb 1st. A centre back and centre mid with experience and some quality and things will look a lot rosier.

[Legion]

What I meant was we are a business first, football club second - but then I suppose that's Modern day football for you. I just wish we would show some ambition, remember who we are and what we are about. Surely we can do that whilst remaining financially prudent . Our squad has numbers now,  so we will see where we are come Feb 1st. A centre back and centre mid with experience and some quality and things will look a lot rosier.

Very much so.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

As for all the comments about it being a waste of 15minutes, would could he have said that you wouldn't be pissed off about?  1 example of something he could say that he wouldn't be ripped to pieces over is all I'm after.

I have no issue with his answers, it was the questions that made it a waste of time.

[paul_e]

As for all the comments about it being a waste of 15minutes, would could he have said that you wouldn't be pissed off about?  1 example of something he could say that he wouldn't be ripped to pieces over is all I'm after.

I have no issue with his answers, it was the questions that made it a waste of time.

I'd agree with you on that, but given the amount of people on this thread lining up to slag off Faulkner I don't think that's the common sentiment on here.

[JJ-AV]

Does anyone have that Faulkner quote that appeared from a SCG a few months back?

Something along the lines of Lambert being able to spend the money however he sees fit?

Was that reported anywhere?

[rob_bridge]

Sorry had to work a bit late.

In response to the earlier exchange (Dave W and Toronto) I could see Doug's reasoning (wrong as it turned out) in hiring possibly the next bright thing in Turner. Someone on the way up. Howard Kendall, SGT, Redknapp and David Pleat were a new brand of managers who had impressed around this time and guess he thought he could poach him with minimum fuss. Not sacking him in summer 1986 was a worse decision.

I could even see the switch to someone with extensive experience and an exceptional playing career and McNeill was one of Scottish football's all time greats when they were good. He was the worse appointment of them all - even worse than TSM.
 
However, I could never see the reasoning behind Houllier (and Lacky) or McLeish in the 2nd decade of 20th century for different reasons. It would have been probably different if either had been hired 10-15 years earlier. The botched approach for Martinez and Whelan - say what you like about him - making Villa look like a bunch of amateurs and he was right.

McLeish prior to running down the engine at Rangers had an impressive record. However hiring someone based on a reference from a 'legendary' manager in charge of a superior competitor and making it public is a further embarassment to behold.

I could understand the hiring of Lambert for sure. I was one who thought the best practical available option. I am still bemused about the overt courting of OGS in such a public way prior to Lambert's appointment. Another Fergie accolyte potentially.

The upshot is as and when Lambert's replacement is hired, Herbert won't be involved, Faulkner will be as things currently stand. I'd rather he wasn't. Therefore, I hope for everyone concerned at Villa we want that to be a good few years away - for multiple reasons.

[dave.woodhall]

Sorry had to work a bit late.

In response to the earlier exchange (Dave W and Toronto) I could see Doug's reasoning (wrong as it turned out) in hiring possibly the next bright thing in Turner. Someone on the way up. Howard Kendall, SGT, Redknapp and David Pleat were a new brand of managers who had impressed around this time and guess he thought he could poach him with minimum fuss. Not sacking him in summer 1986 was a worse decision.

I could even see the switch to someone with extensive experience and an exceptional playing career and McNeill was one of Scottish football's all time greats when they were good. He was the worse appointment of them all - even worse than TSM.
 
However, I could never see the reasoning behind Houllier (and Lacky) or McLeish in the 2nd decade of 20th century for different reasons. It would have been probably different if either had been hired 10-15 years earlier. The botched approach for Martinez and Whelan - say what you like about him - making Villa look like a bunch of amateurs and he was right.

McLeish prior to running down the engine at Rangers had an impressive record. However hiring someone based on a reference from a 'legendary' manager in charge of a superior competitor and making it public is a further embarassment to behold.

I could understand the hiring of Lambert for sure. I was one who thought the best practical available option. I am still bemused about the overt courting of OGS in such a public way prior to Lambert's appointment. Another Fergie accolyte potentially.

The upshot is as and when Lambert's replacement is hired, Herbert won't be involved, Faulkner will be as things currently stand. I'd rather he wasn't. Therefore, I hope for everyone concerned at Villa we want that to be a good few years away - for multiple reasons.

We'll never know how Houllier would have worked out - there's evidence on both sides but I would like to have seen what would have happened had he been able to bring in his first (or second) choice no. 2.

The managers you mentioned as bright young things in 1984 were a different situation to Turner. Sir Graham and Pleat had joined their clubs when they were in the lower divisions and worked their way up with them. Kendall was already a Goodison legend and had joined Everton when they were at a low ebb - think of Brian Little in 1994 for a similar scenario. Redknapp was at the start of his decade with Bournemouth. None of them had gone to a club that was massively in excess of anything they'd done before; as someone said the other day, it was like putting Dean Smith in charge of Chelsea, then within a few weeks he'd stuck John Terry at right-back and told him and Frank Lampard they were finished.