It's not Sherwood!

[supertom]

Every club needs a good long term plan. For me I don't think that necessarily equates to having a manager come in long term. We're well past the days of managers being at clubs for years on end. No one will do what Fergie did again. Wenger is a rare breed. What must the Prem average be for managers? 2 years perhaps, even accounting for a Wenger who bumps up the stats).

For me long term is about the person running the club. Setting into a motion a plan of action that will achieve some semblance of consistency. Managers will come and either deliver or not deliver. If they deliver there will almost always come a turning point where they've done as much as they can, or they get pilfered by another club. There's less stability in managers than there is even in players.

I look at Southampton and Swansea as the models we should follow, and with the size of our club, we could go beyond what both have achieved. You have a set way you run the club, and a footballing philisophy that any new manager must adhere to. That is why there's been a consistency to the way Swansea have played from Martinez, through, Sousa, Rodgers, Laudrup and now Monk. Same goes for Southampton.

That is what we need. Will Fox start the ball rolling on this? Who knows. Randy needs to sell up if he's lost interest, or he needs to bring in some footballing people to the club to help us develop efficiently. Sherwood can start the ball rolling. When we see that his impact in the dressing isn't quite the same, or we stagnate again in 2-3 years (if that) we move him on and get fresh impetus in, but we have to have consistency. Going from O Neill to Houllier, then to McLeish was not consistent. Houllier actually started the seeds of something and should have been replaced by a more progressive and younger manager. But we effectively went back to the O Neill mode. Short termism with an archaic manager who was effectively a shitter version of O Neill. Lambert had the right ideas but couldn't deliver. He should have been replaced much sooner.

It's a balancing act. You can't gun a manager at the first sign of a bad run. But at the same time you can't blindly stick by him with no signs of improvement. We've got great facilities here. We're a big club. We've got a good academy. Everything is in place. Randy just needs to wise up to running a football club pretty quickly, or sell us to someone who knows what they're doing.

Long term isn't one manager. It's a line of managers, but you've got to have a consistent ideology they'll all adhere to.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

spot on Tom, Swansea is the best example for me

[Malandro]

spot on Tom, Swansea is the best example for me

and of course Southampton

[Singapore Villa]

Bang on the money SuperT, great post.

[Ian.]

Absolutely spot on Tom, great words. I really hope this is what Fox is thinking too.

[Damo70]

spot on Tom, Swansea is the best example for me

I always thought West Brom were the best example of everything that is good? From their 'managerial model' to their liquid football. Consistent brilliance in every department.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I look at Southampton and Swansea as the models we should follow, and with the size of our club, we could go beyond what both have achieved. You have a set way you run the club, and a footballing philisophy that any new manager must adhere to. That is why there's been a consistency to the way Swansea have played from Martinez, through, Sousa, Rodgers, Laudrup and now Monk.

Good post, ST. I had a look at a Swansea forum today and there was a thread about who was their best manager over the last ten years. All managers won a decent percentage in the poll, Rogers came out on top but from the comments it was clear that all had played a significant role in developing and furthering the team. Remember, this was a club that was one game away from dropping out the Football League.

[brian green]

This sequence of excellent posts have embodied in them the determination that we must never again be fobbed off with inertia masquerading as stability.

[Dante Lavelli]

spot on Tom, Swansea is the best example for me

I always thought West Brom were the best example of everything that is good? From their 'managerial model' to their liquid football. Consistent brilliance in every department.

I sense sarcasm in your post, but they're probably the most established they have ever been in the Premier League at the moment and that follows a degree of turmoil from the head coach perspective, so in many ways they do support the southampton/swansea/DoF model that a number of people (me included) want Villa to introduce.

[silhillvilla]

spot on Tom, Swansea is the best example for me

I always thought West Brom were the best example of everything that is good? From their 'managerial model' to their liquid football. Consistent brilliance in every department.

Reported to moderator.

[Des Little]

I always thought West Brom were a bunch of wankers. I still do.

[tomd2103]

I always thought West Brom were a bunch of wankers. I still do.

Me too, but I have to admit they got it right when Ashworth and Hodgson were there.  Needless to say both were off like a shot when a better offer came along, but their team is still full of players that they brought in.   

[pbavfckuwait]

If we are going down the DOF route and also with Fox now in position, I think the turnover of a Manager if it is not working will be alot quicker, as it is then becomes the situation do you sack the people who employed said Manager, or sack the Manager, present evidence shows it is the Manager, Sunderland being a prime example.
Reference Sherwood as previously stated, he has identified what over 50% of people on here identified 4 or 5 months back, the players were better than what they were showing and needed coaching and just as important direction, up to now he has given them both and with this, confidence has started to appear.
As for his persona, I honestly think alot of his showmanship at Spuds was down to the fact, he was well aware however well he did and 50% win rate is very good, he was not the foreign sports car model they were looking for, knew it was short term and was giving the likes of Levy the finger. He big's himself and his team up and at the moment thats what little lonely AVFC really required.

[Chris Smith]

spot on Tom, Swansea is the best example for me

I always thought West Brom were the best example of everything that is good? From their 'managerial model' to their liquid football. Consistent brilliance in every department.

I sense sarcasm in your post, but they're probably the most established they have ever been in the Premier League at the moment and that follows a degree of turmoil from the head coach perspective, so in many ways they do support the southampton/swansea/DoF model that a number of people (me included) want Villa to introduce.

I fail to see how going through a succession of managers to end up with Tiny Penis is consistent with the way Swansea and Southampton do things.

[Dante Lavelli]

spot on Tom, Swansea is the best example for me

I always thought West Brom were the best example of everything that is good? From their 'managerial model' to their liquid football. Consistent brilliance in every department.

I sense sarcasm in your post, but they're probably the most established they have ever been in the Premier League at the moment and that follows a degree of turmoil from the head coach perspective, so in many ways they do support the southampton/swansea/DoF model that a number of people (me included) want Villa to introduce.

I fail to see how going through a succession of managers to end up with Tiny Penis is consistent with the way Swansea and Southampton do things.

Good point I forgot about him, who does appear to be outside their previous blueprint.  I was more referring to the DoF and Head Coach style.  In many ways it will be interesting to see how they develop from here considering that they have now appointed probably the archetypal One Man in Charge / British Manager.  Does anyone know if they still have a DoF as I cannot see Pulis enjoying that arrangement.