So who do you want as the next Villa manager?

[LeeB]

He put a few noses out of joint with his behaviour last summer.

Essentially, he was angling after more funding and used his popularity with the fans (and other clubs owners) at the time to get it.

Relations were frosty with the Chief Exec since then, so -similar to BFR under Herbert- as soon as they hit a sticky patch, he was ditched. 

It's hard to escape the fact that he barely stays more than one year in a role.  Some of that has been of his doing, some of it has been down to the circumstances at the club at the time.   You could spin it and say the fact that he wanted to stay on at Swansea for at least a second year illustrates he is aware the perception of him as a mercenary, and wanted to do something about it. 

Again, I'd prefer a manager who could come in and guarantee 3/4 years of tenure minimum.  But you rarely get that these days. And if given a straight choice of a year of someone like Laudrup over two years of a McLeish/ Lambert-type appointment, it really wouldn't be a hard decision at all.

It would be nice to get back to something as simple as having the attacking intent to try to win football matches at home.

In a straight choice I'd agree.

[MoetVillan]

Swansea simply didn't have the depth of squad to cope with playing in the Europa league. Laudrup delivers a good brand of football. Pulis and Allardyce deliver results. With the quality of squad we have the latter two would be a better fit, but i'd bet that the majority of Villa fans would be dismayed at the prospect of their management. What is the expectancy these days? Villa are and always will be a great club, but it's been years since we have have had a team that matches that.

Yep, I'd be mortified with Pulis and even more so with Allardyce.

I said on the Villa-Swansea pre match thread this season that I'd jump at the chance to take Laudrup and shortly afterwards he got the boot.

I'd still love him as our manager, if we do have masses of money to spend in the summer then an international name as manager would certainly help attract international class players.  The brand of football he plays is also something we have seen all to scarcely down VP.

Why would we be mortified with Pulis?  He did a tremendous job with establishing Stoke as an ever present PL team.  His foundations led to a couple of canny signings making Hughes look like a genius.  Wouldnt it be nice to have a manager that leaves us something good for the next manager instead of a couple of ominous looking turds down the back of the freezer.  He went into Palace and turned a dead cert relegation team into mid table with practically no cash. Not having cash is likely to be an issue at our place as well at the moment.  He organises defences.  We havent appeared to do that for decades.  He doesnt get relegated.  That means something to us at the moment, because we are in for a tough year(s).  (He also knows how to use "wingers")

While im not saying he is a Champions league manager, he is shrewd, aggressive and organised.  I think he is very underrated, and would go a long way to establishing the fortress at Villa Park we dream about.  Looking down on Pulis is a poor attitude in my opinion.  If i had the job of finding a new gaffer, he would certainly be in my reckoning

[Toronto Villa]

He could get rid of the fucking cap for starters. How old is he again?

[Chris Jameson]

Cherie Lunghi.

[Tayls_7]

Cherie Lunghi.

Lunghi had more flare ups in the changing rooms than Sir Alex. It'd never work. I'll stick my tin hat on now but how about Steve McLaren? The guy is a coach first and foremost which would be a big shock to the lads but they'd adapt.

[hilts_coolerking]

He could get rid of the fucking cap for starters. How old is he again?

He could wear a fucking bonnet for all I care if he got us safely away from relegation before the end of April.  Besides that it'd look ace.

[Monty]

It's funny how people say that all Hughes needed to do was essentially put a cherry on top of Pulis' cake at Stoke with a couple of new players and good football was easy. The question should be, why didn't Pulis do that? I only know one Stokie, but he tells me all the time how much better it is and how much more fun.

I will say this for Pulis, though - he's clearly adaptable to some extent. He employed many of his trademarks at Palace, with the defensive organisation and so forth, but he didn't have the giants he'd had at Stoke for his apparently preferred long-ball game - he had Gollum's collection of pipedream skill-midgets. Therefore he got them playing organised at the back and good on the counter, and not many long balls to a target man, which is fair enough. The trouble is, that's what our current manager does (aside from the defensive organisation), and it's boring as hell and I, for one, have had enough of that down at Villa Park.

The biggest football club in the West Midlands, let alone the country's second city, should not be dreaming of playing it safe. I know that sounds perilously close to the 'but we're Aston Villa' argument, but I don't care. I want us to have just a bit more ambition than that.

[Sexual Ealing]

Two words: Howard Wilkinson.

[Toronto Villa]

He could get rid of the fucking cap for starters. How old is he again?

He could wear a fucking bonnet for all I care if he got us safely away from relegation before the end of April.  Besides that it'd look ace.

Fair enough, but it has to be a bonnet. I'm not softening my stance on the cap.

[saunders_heroes]

He could get rid of the fucking cap for starters. How old is he again?

I'd ban baseball caps full stop. They're fine if you're American, but look ridiculous on anyone this side of the Atlantic.
As for Pulis as a manager - well he's done very well this season but it won't be long till he reverts to type and the ball spends 99% of the time sailing over your head.
A big no thanks from me!

[Toronto Villa]

Caps are ok for golf. Otherwise not really a British thing is it. Yes, and let's not pretend Pulis won't fall back on who he is eventually. I'd hope that our next manager manages and dresses from the 21st century.

[hilts_coolerking]

Caps are ok for golf. Otherwise not really a British thing is it. Yes, and let's not pretend Pulis won't fall back on who he is eventually. I'd hope that our next manager manages and dresses from the 21st century.

Apart from his 19th century bonnet, obviously.

[Toronto Villa]

Caps are ok for golf. Otherwise not really a British thing is it. Yes, and let's not pretend Pulis won't fall back on who he is eventually. I'd hope that our next manager manages and dresses from the 21st century.

Apart from his 19th century bonnet, obviously.

I am hoping that George Washington takes over and writes it into the contract for all coaching staff. It would be a real signal of intent. That and he could arm our players with bayonets to give us some advantage at Villa Park.

[tomd2103]

It's funny how people say that all Hughes needed to do was essentially put a cherry on top of Pulis' cake at Stoke with a couple of new players and good football was easy. The question should be, why didn't Pulis do that? I only know one Stokie, but he tells me all the time how much better it is and how much more fun.

Still think he would have been a good appointment for us the summer when O'Neill started playing his face before leaving in pre season.  He's done a good job at Stoke and I think with a bit of money to spend in the summer, he'll get them into the top ten next season.  His teams are built on the same foundations as teams managed by the likes of Allardyce, Pulis, Bruce etc (well organised, defensively strong, good set pieces), but he seems to add a little more in terms of playing style.  A more modern MON.   

[Monty]

I don't like Hughes that much. I'm not entirely sure what his style actually is (other than vaguely more fun than his predecessor's), and he's a really prickly twat.