So who do you want as the next Villa manager?

[tomd2103]

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

He's also had a song written about him:

[tomd2103]

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.

Postmodern British?

[Villa in Denmark]

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.

Postmodern British?

Looking good in comparison to his predecessors.

[enigma]

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

I'm not sure establishing stoke in the Prem is that great an achievement considering he outspent every other club bar City and Chelsea over the course of his tenure. Despite that, he never managed a top half finish, something Hughes has managed in his first season there with largely the same players.

No arguing over what he's done at Palace though. I thought they were dead and buried no matter who took charge.

[mr underhill]

I thought we were dead and buried too, but look what happened; Lambert kept us up! How he didn't get the MOTY gong is beyond my comprehension. No money, the tweedles for assistants, injuries, loss of form, bad weather in the early autumn and then he wrong type of grass scandal early Spring. Absolute travesty.

[*shellac*]

Scolari after the World Cup.

If he's still unavailable, Gene Hackman then.

[LeeB]

Scolari after the World Cup.

If he's still unavailable, Gene Hackman then.

Hackman has good French connections.

[freethinker]

I'd ban baseball caps full stop. They're fine if you're American, but look ridiculous on anyone this side of the Atlantic.

We're veering way off topic here, but what headwear would you recommend for a follically challenged Englishman when out in the sun? A knotted hanky perhaps?

[Monty]

I'd ban baseball caps full stop. They're fine if you're American, but look ridiculous on anyone this side of the Atlantic.

We're veering way off topic here, but what headwear would you recommend for a follically challenged Englishman when out in the sun? A knotted hanky perhaps?

Topper.

[clash city rocker]

A knotted hanky was good enough for my dad...until a seagull shit on him on Saundersfoot beach...! The hanky didn't offer much protection so a baseball cap was quickly purchased.

[Beijing Villan]

Was a Laudrup fan then read a piece about the Swansea Rodgers-Laudrup reign - can't remember where I read it.

The gist was that for Laudrup's last 38 games (i.e. a season) they totalled 33 points or so. The article argued that their good start under him was due to them still playing the Rodgers way, once he fully took the reins their record was far less impressive. Would like to see more analysis but this cooled my ardour towards the Danish one.

[mr underhill]

Ancelotti for me. If Spurs fan's think they can nab him - why can't we. Failing that, Kevin Turvey.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Scolari after the World Cup.

If he's still unavailable, Gene Hackman then.

Hackman has good French connections.

I love Scalari. A complete fruit cake but wonderful and clever with it. The thought of him turning up at Villa Park and chinning Mourinho when the former Special One opens his mouth once too much, would be a joy.

[hilts_coolerking]

Scolari after the World Cup.

If he's still unavailable, Gene Hackman then.

Hackman has good French connections.

He might not go for it but there's no harm in having the conversation.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'd ban baseball caps full stop. They're fine if you're American, but look ridiculous on anyone this side of the Atlantic.

I pretty much agree, with a few exceptions.

Children up to the age of about 14, I have no problem with them wearing them, so long as they are worn at the correct orientation (ie not pointing to the side like you're in some sort of shit 1980s rap act). Baseball caps on adults, though, I find totally unacceptable.

As are replica shirts (retro are OK) on anyone over the age of 18 who is not a professional footballer, going about his day to day business.

Tell you the most depressing place in Europe? Alicante airport. Full of fat, tattoo covered idiots wearing replica shirts, stinking of fags and drinking lager at 9am. On the way back from a week in Benidorm.

Oh, and that is men AND women.