McLeish Football Focus interview Sat 6th Dec

[dave.woodhall]

It was an interesting interview with him and I'm pleased to see he's got a bit of enthusiasm back for football. They should a picture of him after the league cup win, only 3 and a half years ago. He seems to have aged about 10 years though. Possibly in now small part thanks to his year here.
Good luck to him. Decent bloke, but as others have said, this wasn't the club for him.

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

[hilts_coolerking]

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

It would have meant a lot less pressure on him but I just don't think he is quite good enough to consistently do well in the Premier League.

[john e]

In my opinion comparing now, as crap as it is, with the late 60s is entirely bogus. Any dewy-eyed nostalgia based on what subsequently happened as we rose again is just that, combined with the natural enthusiasm and optimism of the youth that we had back then.

Not sure there is any point in comparing. Surely, if it's shit, it's shit? And boy, it is shit.

True
But everything is always better or worse in the old days, it's just the way we think

Pick your ultimate sporting hero outside of Villa, and for most of us it will be someone from our youth, mines Botham who is from my younger days
My Dad's is Stanley Mathews same applies

Pick your favourite film of all times, bet it's something from yonks ago
So yeah it was really really bad in the mid eighties, but I still had more hope then than I have now

(So I've just proved my theory wrong there I think)

[Risso]

Well-meaning duffers aren't going to get us anywhere.  I'd rather be sat here in 10 years saying, "x was a total knobhead but you can't argue with two FA Cups and a season of Champions League football."

Indeed.  It seems it's almost the law to start any sentence about McLeish with the words, "Decent bloke, but....".

Look at the managers who win things regularly like Ferguson and Mourinho, utter ****** to a man, but then they're winners so get away with it.

[LeeB]

Well-meaning duffers aren't going to get us anywhere.  I'd rather be sat here in 10 years saying, "x was a total knobhead but you can't argue with two FA Cups and a season of Champions League football."

Indeed.  It seems it's almost the law to start any sentence about McLeish with the words, "Decent bloke, but....".

Look at the managers who win things regularly like Ferguson and Mourinho, utter c***s to a man, but then they're winners so get away with it.

I still mark him down as a chancer. I don't buy the 'nice guy' schtick.

[Fred]

I did not want him as manager but i did like him as a bloke. He took some stick but kept his dignity. I wonder what DOL would have done if he was in the same boat.

Once he got the job i wanted it to work out and wonder how we would have felt if Blues had stayed up and we had then taken their manager?

[supertom]

It was an interesting interview with him and I'm pleased to see he's got a bit of enthusiasm back for football. They should a picture of him after the league cup win, only 3 and a half years ago. He seems to have aged about 10 years though. Possibly in now small part thanks to his year here.
Good luck to him. Decent bloke, but as others have said, this wasn't the club for him.

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

As much as most of us gave him a fair stab at it despite his previous club, he still wasn't exactly warmly welcomed given his association with the shite. You'd have to say the fans have been more patient with Lambert, who's been just as bad.

Had he come straight from Scotland, who knows? He would have had a more positive entry into the club. Would the Bolton game have had quite the same vitriol in some sections? I still think the result would have been the same. We'd have struggled and he'd have been fired probably.

[old man villa fan]

It was an interesting interview with him and I'm pleased to see he's got a bit of enthusiasm back for football. They should a picture of him after the league cup win, only 3 and a half years ago. He seems to have aged about 10 years though. Possibly in now small part thanks to his year here.
Good luck to him. Decent bloke, but as others have said, this wasn't the club for him.

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

Not really.  He could not wipe out his average record in Scotland.  Although winning some silverware, he still managed to come third in a two horse race.  Saying that, it has been a long time since it was truly a two horse race.  For as long as I can remember, it has either been Celtic or Rangers dominant, not two teams battling it out together.

[Ads]

Not sure there is any point in comparing. Surely, if it's shit, it's shit? And boy, it is shit.

Not really. There is a huge distinction between finishing 16th/15th in the top flight and playing in the 3rd division.

[dave.woodhall]

It was an interesting interview with him and I'm pleased to see he's got a bit of enthusiasm back for football. They should a picture of him after the league cup win, only 3 and a half years ago. He seems to have aged about 10 years though. Possibly in now small part thanks to his year here.
Good luck to him. Decent bloke, but as others have said, this wasn't the club for him.

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

Not really.  He could not wipe out his average record in Scotland.  Although winning some silverware, he still managed to come third in a two horse race.  Saying that, it has been a long time since it was truly a two horse race.  For as long as I can remember, it has either been Celtic or Rangers dominant, not two teams battling it out together.

And the last time it wasn't a two horse race, whose team came second?

[old man villa fan]

It was an interesting interview with him and I'm pleased to see he's got a bit of enthusiasm back for football. They should a picture of him after the league cup win, only 3 and a half years ago. He seems to have aged about 10 years though. Possibly in now small part thanks to his year here.
Good luck to him. Decent bloke, but as others have said, this wasn't the club for him.

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

Not really.  He could not wipe out his average record in Scotland.  Although winning some silverware, he still managed to come third in a two horse race.  Saying that, it has been a long time since it was truly a two horse race.  For as long as I can remember, it has either been Celtic or Rangers dominant, not two teams battling it out together.

And the last time it wasn't a two horse race, whose team came second?

Romanov?

[dave.woodhall]

It was an interesting interview with him and I'm pleased to see he's got a bit of enthusiasm back for football. They should a picture of him after the league cup win, only 3 and a half years ago. He seems to have aged about 10 years though. Possibly in now small part thanks to his year here.
Good luck to him. Decent bloke, but as others have said, this wasn't the club for him.

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

Not really.  He could not wipe out his average record in Scotland.  Although winning some silverware, he still managed to come third in a two horse race.  Saying that, it has been a long time since it was truly a two horse race.  For as long as I can remember, it has either been Celtic or Rangers dominant, not two teams battling it out together.

And the last time it wasn't a two horse race, whose team came second?

Romanov?

Alex McLeish's, I believe.

[old man villa fan]

It was an interesting interview with him and I'm pleased to see he's got a bit of enthusiasm back for football. They should a picture of him after the league cup win, only 3 and a half years ago. He seems to have aged about 10 years though. Possibly in now small part thanks to his year here.
Good luck to him. Decent bloke, but as others have said, this wasn't the club for him.

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

Not really.  He could not wipe out his average record in Scotland.  Although winning some silverware, he still managed to come third in a two horse race.  Saying that, it has been a long time since it was truly a two horse race.  For as long as I can remember, it has either been Celtic or Rangers dominant, not two teams battling it out together.

And the last time it wasn't a two horse race, whose team came second?

Romanov?

Alex McLeish's, I believe.

Lost me.  In 2005-06 it was Celtic (Strachan), Hearts, Rangers (McLeish).  How Hearts managed to come second with 3 managers in a season.

[QBVILLA]

Didn't McLeish also manage to get second with Hibs?
Anyway, i'll echo the thoughts of many others. As a bloke I always found him likeable before,during and after his time at the club. The fact he came from the Blues never bothered me, if he's have been a success it would have made it even better, but the football under him was absolutely dire. I do wonder what might have been though had Bent not got injured when he did. If I remember correctly we were sitting comfortably around 9th and Bent was scoring regularly, once again proving the fine margins in football.

[dave.woodhall]

It was an interesting interview with him and I'm pleased to see he's got a bit of enthusiasm back for football. They should a picture of him after the league cup win, only 3 and a half years ago. He seems to have aged about 10 years though. Possibly in now small part thanks to his year here.
Good luck to him. Decent bloke, but as others have said, this wasn't the club for him.

I wonder if it would have been had he come here straight from Scotland.

Not really.  He could not wipe out his average record in Scotland.  Although winning some silverware, he still managed to come third in a two horse race.  Saying that, it has been a long time since it was truly a two horse race.  For as long as I can remember, it has either been Celtic or Rangers dominant, not two teams battling it out together.

And the last time it wasn't a two horse race, whose team came second?

Romanov?

Alex McLeish's, I believe.

Lost me.  In 2005-06 it was Celtic (Strachan), Hearts, Rangers (McLeish).  How Hearts managed to come second with 3 managers in a season.

I meant before that one. I think it was Motherwell under McLeish.