Lambert's replacement

[Hillbilly]

I see the next referendum campaign has kicked off.

[Gregorys Boy]

I disagree, surely ruining your career potentially comes before a quick payoff?

If i potentially ruined your career, how would you feel if i gave you £10 million ?

Money does talk no question, but then I do think people like Klinnsman and Moyes would consider the decision beyond just the money aspect.  But actually I don't think there is much to lose for managers like that.  They have enough about them and have done enough in the game to still get decent jobs even if it didn't work out.  We are a big club, with a strong fanbase, and certainly not the worse group of players in the world.  Unless we do actually go down (which I don't think we will now) then you would think that things can only get better (sorry to quote Blair at a time like this...) so from that point of view it would be a good chance for that kind of manager to build something. 

I think Klinnsman would be tempted as long as he had a decent amount of money to spend.  In which case we would have to wait for the club to be sold before we could even think of him.  Whatever happens we won't be getting anyone major until the summer at least.

Could you struggle on ?

[Toronto Villa]

I wonder if the board will look at how well Koeman has done at Southampton and consider Ronald de Boer? He was linked to Newcastle recently, and I believe is the assistant manager at Ajax. Also someone else worth considering is Paul Clement who is currently at Real Madrid, assistant to Ancelotti.

[Damo70]

We have the reputation, quite rightly of being a career killer for managers.

Do we fuck. MON got jobs after leaving; Houllier was pretty much at the end of the line anyway; McLeish has got jobs at Forest and Genk since leaving, not exactly complete rubbish; and Lambert will undoubtedly get opportunities in the Championship, given how easily he strolled through there his first time around. It's fair enough to say we aren't an attractive proposition, but any managerial careers that have been killed can only be attributed to personal incompetence.

Name me one manager in the past 45 years that has gone on to better things after leaving us.

Interesting debate. Ron Saunders, Graham Taylor, Brian Little and John Gregory made their choices and it is nothing to do with Villa that they struggled in other jobs. I have respect for all of them but they all seemed to be good at being in the wrong place at the wrong time after Villa. Saunders took over a skint Small Heath,  then an Albion who had already been in decline for five years post BFR, Brian Little went to clubs who had been doing nothing for years and couldn't turn them round, John Gregory went to a Derby side already going down and then a QPR side going nowhere and wasn't given much time at either and SGT took over England at a bad time with top players coming to the end of their careers and the players that became the Euro '96 squad still to peak. He wasn't given enough time at Wolves. Graham Turner to be fair left Wolves two divisions higher than when he took over, Billy McNeil did the double with Celtic and BFR kept Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday up. Tony Barton and Houllier unfortunately suffered ill health, Dr Jo's reputation was strong enough to survive a season with us. I would imagine he is still highly regarded everywhere except England. I would say DOL's spending at Leeds and TSM's two relegations with Small Heath did their careers more harm than  their time at Villa. MON walked away without a scratch as far as most of the football world is concerned and Paul Lambert may well be remembered by the same football world for his time at Norwich and keeping Villa up in times of belt tightening. I don't think too many of them, if any apart from maybe Tony Barton can blame Villa for anything that happened to them afterwards.

[ROBBO]

Well it's all very well to dream about who will be our next manager but i would point out that there is an enormous obstacle to getting a quality replacement and that is money,not for the manager, i would imagine Lerner would pay a kings ransome to get the right man but for players in the summer. All the top guys would want at least 50-60 million possibly more because they will not come to a club whos owner is happy with mid table they will want to compete at the top. Over to you Randy.

[Matt C]

Given the suggestion from Fox that we'll recruit a DoF in the summer I wonder if that suggests a Head Coach type will be the target now.

[Steve67]

What a mess the club is in. Those players purchased by Lambert and out on loan will all come back and need moving on.

Does Randy now think of getting to the summer and doing the whole recruitment thing again or does he select a new Manager now and stick with him for the longer term, even if we go down? Give them time to rebuild? Not currently a motivated seller, I wonder if he has changed his mind!  Not a clue who I want. But another to consider: Mark Hughes?

[ciggiesnbeer]

I think Hughes is very happy at Stoke. Besides, why would he come to Villa with a smaller budget? Sad to say but thats the reality

[Hillbilly]

Could do much worse than the Postecoglou and Vidmar Australian double act.

[mr underhill]

other media outlets are reporting compo of £2m which to me is more realistic. Either way it ain't bad for making a total fuck up.

[pbavfckuwait]

The timescale this needs to be done (quickly) will dictate, also the field will be narrowed by the financial restrictions for new players going forward, who will be willing to accept
(a) Don't worry fella we are being bought by a billionaire in the summer, he will see your ok
(b) Yep as long as you can make do with 6 maybe 7 mill, plus 50% of any sales you bring in, it is all yours.

The change had to be made and I would like to thing Fox's flip of the coin statement was only partially true and that feelers had gone out to perspective candidates, lessons need to be learnt from other appointments and as stated time is against us.
So out of the names out there,
Prandelli definatly
Sherwood maybe.
Hoddle no way, what has his insight done with Harry and QPR.
Laudrup just something about this guy, I dont think would fit.

I would go short term until the end of the season with Sir Brian, then when we know where we are, evaluate what sort of manager, head coach is looking to taking us forward in the Prem, or what we need to get out of the Championship, because like it or lump it we are 3rd from bottom, so could still make the dreaded drop, all we have done now is give ourselves a better percentage chance of it not happening by ridding us of Lambert. Interesting times.

[Archbishop Herbert Cockthrottle]

Latest betting (highlights):
Sherwood        1/2
Hoddle              2/1
Klinsmann     12/1
Keane              33/1
South gate      16/1

[pbavfckuwait]

The other thing the new guy needs as the window is now closed, is to get those he can back from loan , have a look at them, if any of them fit into the style of play he wants going forward, get them back playing for the club that is probably still paying the majority of their wages.

[cheadlevilla]

What chance have wd got in attracting a high grade manager from Europe with the budget that will undoubtedly be on offer in the summer? I'm sure Prandelli of Klinsman would be much more gettable with the promise of 80 million or so to spend . When the contents of Randys purse amount to 3 washers and a bus ticket to Long Island I'm convinced we will be looking much lower down the managerial food chain....
Neil Lennon I reckon so we can fork out even more compo!!!

[ozzjim]

Sherwood with Hoddle as DOF? Or assistant? Sherwood at 2-3 recent home games with fox suggests too much smoke I reckon.