Paddy Reilly, Director of Recruitment

[Risso]

I think the club should have replaced Sherwood straight after the FA Cup final, that showing, and the one at Southampton showed me he was out of his depth when it came to changing a game.

.

Things had really started to go south towards the end of the season, and the Southampton battering combined with the loss to Burnley showed Tactics at his head-scratching, clueless worst.  And then the FA Cup final happened.  I have to say though, that if anything, Garde was even worse.

[paul_e]

I think the club should have replaced Sherwood straight after the FA Cup final, that showing, and the one at Southampton showed me he was out of his depth when it came to changing a game.

.

Things had really started to go south towards the end of the season, and the Southampton battering combined with the loss to Burnley showed Tactics at his head-scratching, clueless worst.  And then the FA Cup final happened.  I have to say though, that if anything, Garde was even worse.

I disagree, Garde in at the start of the summer and we would be a premier league club still. Sherwoods biggest failing was how badly wrong he got the rebuild, left us with a disjointed squad that was massively short of fitness and with Lescott, Richards and Gabby as the "leaders". Garde didn't fix the problems but he didn't create them either.

[SoccerHQ]

Sherwood was too out of his depth to handle a major rebuilding of the first 11 so early in his managerial career...you've seen managers like Rodgers and AVB really struggle when key players like Bale and Suarez left so to expect a novice to replace Benteke was a bit optimistic.

His reign divides opinion but at least in his short time we had some highs and memorable matches...

Aside from a purple patch in second half of his first season the Lambert reign felt like being locked in a room with a Radiohead compilation being endlessly played...It went on and on and on.

We had plenty of embarrassing defeats under him and remember that run of games when we couldn't score...7 I think. Benteke was actually playing for us during that period aswell.

I couldn't care less about Paul Lambert tbh.

[Toronto Villa]

Sherwood's time is bizarre on reflection. Some of the best memories and team displays (Liverpool, Everton, Sunderland, Baggies) in the past 5 years coupled with some of the very worst (Burnley, almost everything in the 2015/16 season). Some really good tactical decisions and blunders (Spurs away comes to mind) and some of the very worst (Leicester, Southampton). Some really good signings (Ayew, Amavi), and some of the worst (Richards, Lescott). What a disastrously odd time it was.

[Mister E]

The only positive from Sherwood was reaching the FA Cup Final again. But given that was one of the lowest experiences of my life, maybe it's not a positive at all.

Sigh...it was awful wasn't it.  A lot of people say at least we got there, and the semi was magnificent, but I'd rather have not got there than what we did that day.

Fortunately I got pissed enough beforehand that I was anaethetised to the pain of the game and have since pretended it didn't happen (a bit like our 2000 FAC final experience as well).
I share the prevailing opinion on here that Dim Tim was awful, although Lamberk's Villa was like a slow death by a 1000 cuts.

[Witton Warrior]

The only positive from Sherwood was reaching the FA Cup Final again. But given that was one of the lowest experiences of my life, maybe it's not a positive at all.

Sigh...it was awful wasn't it.  A lot of people say at least we got there, and the semi was magnificent, but I'd rather have not got there than what we did that day.

Fortunately I got pissed enough beforehand that I was anaethetised to the pain of the game and have since pretended it didn't happen (a bit like our 2000 FAC final experience as well).
I share the prevailing opinion on here that Dim Tim was awful, although Lamberk's Villa was like a slow death by a 1000 cuts.

Mr E were you the chap who I spent a drunken second-half leaning against as we seem to have shared the same experience?  ;-)

[Virgil Caine]

The only positive from Sherwood was reaching the FA Cup Final again. But given that was one of the lowest experiences of my life, maybe it's not a positive at all.

Sigh...it was awful wasn't it.  A lot of people say at least we got there, and the semi was magnificent, but I'd rather have not got there than what we did that day.

Fortunately I got pissed enough beforehand that I was anaethetised to the pain of the game and have since pretended it didn't happen (a bit like our 2000 FAC final experience as well).
I share the prevailing opinion on here that Dim Tim was awful, although Lamberk's Villa was like a slow death by a 1000 cuts.

Mr E were you the chap who I spent a drunken second-half leaning against as we seem to have shared the same experience?  ;-)

Mr E- certainly the pre match festivities warranted a better performance on the pitch than the pile of slop that was served up. When I think that our particular group had you from Yorkshire, your brother from the USA, Woody from Thailand and lightweight me who had travelled in from Bedfordshire plus the guy who we met who had flown in from Malaysia, all to witness such a non performance.I do think that the amount of alcohol drunk was a reflection of the nerves and trepidation we all had- I think we all knew in our hearts we were going to get a bit of a pasting.I remember you saying that you thought we had a chance but your tone of voice lacked commitment, either that or you were beginning to slur somewhat.

[steamer]

Sorry if moving off topic, thoughts of being pissed at cup finals, 1st game against Everton in LCF, I fell on the terraces just after kick off and woke up to a half empty stadium with every one going home. Best game I have ever missed.
Two games later at Old Trafford, one of my most treasured memories.

[Marton]

Some research suggest that this guy signed Luna and Holman and most of the others under Lambert with the exception of Benteke and Vlaar. The dissent between Reilly and the current Manager escalated after Lambert lost his job. After that Reilly had to clear his signings with Fox instead of the Manager (Sherwood). Sherwood supposedly had nothing to do with the wasting of funds during the 2015 summer transfers. The breakdown between the Manager and Recruitment staff (specifically Reilly) culminated during the Transferwindow winter 15/16 as Reilly summarily rejected every target Remi Garde requested without even approaching or scouting them.

Its also suggested (several sources, papers and blogs) that Reilly is the responsible for terms and conditions in the players contracts that have caused Villa to seemingly waste money and talent in numerous transferwindows during his reign. The latest example is Gana who was signed by Reilly for £9M and then handed a contract with a release clause of £7M. by the same man. The huge running cost of contracts, with conditions that make unwanted players reluctant to leave or failing to incite performances, (N'Zogbia,  Lescott, Richards and Gabby are just a few listed) are also negotiated by PR.

Supposedly PR was pleading innocence , ready to swear allegiance to the new Bosses and renouncing his old cohorts but thankfully word had gotten around ahead of time and this pound of rotten flesh was shredded.

If even a fraction of all this is true, and it does provide some clue into how the unimaginable heartbreaking destruction of our beloved Villa came about....then this guy deserves a fair share of the blame.

[eamonn]

The value of the clause in Gueye's contract was likely the same as we paid for him, any shortfall explained by the change in the exchange rate in the year between buying and selling him (exacerbated by Brexit) plus the fact we were relegated also likely triggered the clause - his wages take a hit but so too does the fee we can charge for him. In other words I don't think there was anything too dumb about it from our side.

[Trinitymiddle]

I would imagine a release clause amount is like a bargaining chip in contract negotiations. With regard to the most (in)famous one (delph's), that contract probably wouldn't have been signed if the club had not inserted that ridiculously low release clause. I'm guessing the same is true for Gana. The low release clause gives him an easy escape route and also the chance to negotiate higher wages at his next club.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Sorry if moving off topic, thoughts of being pissed at cup finals, 1st game against Everton in LCF, I fell on the terraces just after kick off and woke up to a half empty stadium with every one going home. Best game I have ever missed.
Two games later at Old Trafford, one of my most treasured memories.

steamer, I was sober mate and I can inform you now, several years after the event, you didn't miss much. Two of the best sides in the league "froze" on the day and it was like watching paint dry...uneventful!

So, now you know.
;-)

[Mister E]

The value of the clause in Gueye's contract was likely the same as we paid for him, any shortfall explained by the change in the exchange rate in the year between buying and selling him (exacerbated by Brexit) plus the fact we were relegated also likely triggered the clause - his wages take a hit but so too does the fee we can charge for him. In other words I don't think there was anything too dumb about it from our side.

And accounting depreciation: in the books we will not have 'lost' anything on him.

[Dave]

And while we're picking the post apart, given that Riley was employed by Liverpool when we signed Luna I'd it's unlikely he would have had much to do with it.

As for "dissent between Riley and the current manager which escalated after Lambert lost his job". This is just a very confusing sentence.

And "Sherwood supposedly had nothing to do with the wasting of funds...", I think it is safe to say that this is revisionism and buck-passing of the highest order.

[AVH87]

"Sherwood supposedly had nothing to do with the wasting of funds...", I think it is safe to say that this is revisionism and buck-passing of the highest order.

Exactly, it's been said on here before by people that Sherwood wanted Gestede (who wasn't anywhere near good enough for the Prem), Richards and Lescott. That's a lot of resources wasted right there.