Rank Villa's managers since Sky ruined football

[Des Little]

That end of season run under Gregory when we were taking teams apart was just magical. I remember being at Goodison when we gave as good an away performance as I can recall.

[Deano's Mullet]

That end of season run under Gregory when we were taking teams apart was just magical. I remember being at Goodison when we gave as good an away performance as I can recall.

Sheff Weds about 3-4 games later was even better. Absolute perfection.

[Damo70]

That end of season run under Gregory when we were taking teams apart was just magical. I remember being at Goodison when we gave as good an away performance as I can recall.

The run in league and cup under SGT in between losing at home to QPR in the September and losing at home to Wimbledon in the February was fantastic.

[Gregorys Boy]

Brian Little (the best Villa team I've seen, yes one of the things I about being on this forum us that I feel young! )

Big Ron (Awesome attacking football, and some great players, only petted out towards the en

Martin O'Neill (Could have been even better, but got some of our best results of the modern era, and made us proper contenders)

John Gregory (The true definition of a hit and miss manager, an equal amount of great and bad moments, left at the right time)

Graham Taylor (Did well to get a top ten finish when first returning, but was a poor choice long term)

David O'Leary (Is saved from the bottom three by that one good season, just shows how bad things have gotten recently than he's not bottom)

Paul Lambert (three awful seasons, and some of the worse results in history and one of the poorest win/loss records, still there were the odd bright moment, and he did sign Benteke)

Gerard Houllier (Once a great manager, but was just so pass it by the time he came to us, was devoid of ideas, and the football was really poor)

Alex McLeish (one terrible season, but what a stinker it was! Difference between him and Lambert was than at least there were promising signs at times, none of that under Alec, deadly dull! )

[Damo70]

The good

BFR
Brian Little
MON
Gregory

The not so good

Houllier/McAllister
O'Leary
SGT Mk.II
Lambert
McLeish

I can't believe I missed out SGT Mk.I . I would have him top over BFR. From second division and in his own words a shambles to second in the league in three years.

[JD]

SGT Mark I was pre-Sky Premier League though. Don't forget football was only invented in 1993.

[Tom_Mc9?]

I think that Houllier was beginning to get things together for us when he left. I think he was an unusual choice for Villa though.

[Gregorys Boy]

I think that Houllier was beginning to get things together for us when he left. I think he was an unusual choice for Villa though.

The signing of Bent was a big boast, but then I don't know if you can really call that a masterstroke.  I just felt that it was the wrong timing for Houllier and us, if he had replaced Gregory for example then I think the last ten years might have been very rosey indeed for us.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

1.  Ron Atkinson - Second place and a League Cup win.  Good footballing teams.
2.  Brian Little - League Cup win, and a good side
3.  John Gregory - The last Manager we had where I genuinely thought we could win the League.
4.  Martin O'Neill - Yeah, he fucked up our legacy, but it's the last time I enjoyed supporting Villa.
5.  David O'Leary - Didn't like him, but he put a stop to this losing to Small Heath crap.
6.  Graham Taylor - Never go back.
7.  Gerard Houllier - Seemed awful at the time, but was nothing compared to what followed.
8.  Paul Lambert - Only ahead of McLeish because no one could predict how bad he would be, whereas
9.  Alex McLeish - Was always going to be a disaster.  The living embodiment of Lerner giving up.

Too early for Sherwood, but I'd have him at Number 5 based on the FA Cup semi-final, the Albion double, and 4-0 at Sunderland.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

Very good - Big Fat Ron + Brian Little
Promising but ultimately disappointing - M'ON + John Gregory
Not great - Taylor + Houllier
Absolute dog shit - O'Leary + McLeish + Lambert

Can't argue with that

seconded

[Gregorys Boy]

1.  Ron Atkinson - Second place and a League Cup win.  Good footballing teams.
2.  Brian Little - League Cup win, and a good side
3.  John Gregory - The last Manager we had where I genuinely thought we could win the League.
4.  Martin O'Neill - Yeah, he fucked up our legacy, but it's the last time I enjoyed supporting Villa.
5.  David O'Leary - Didn't like him, but he put a stop to this losing to Small Heath crap.
6.  Graham Taylor - Never go back.
7.  Gerard Houllier - Seemed awful at the time, but was nothing compared to what followed.
8.  Paul Lambert - Only ahead of McLeish because no one could predict how bad he would be, whereas
9.  Alex McLeish - Was always going to be a disaster.  The living embodiment of Lerner giving up.

Too early for Sherwood, but I'd have him at Number 5 based on the FA Cup semi-final, the Albion double, and 4-0 at Sunderland.

This is so where close to what I think, except that Gregory was just too inconsistent to be quite that high, but there were some fun times anyway.  I think we actually played better Football during the Little era than under Big Ron, although the attacking talent we had under BR was more exciting maybe.  Also, people forget about the 4th and 5th league placings under Little I actually think he was a bit more consistent in the league than BFR.

No, you can't put Sherwood on the board yet, he has it to prove!  My guess is that if he sees out next season than he should do enough to be ranked above Lambert and McGleish, and maybe Houllier but not sure after that.

[LTA]

I could never put Brian Little above Big Ron.  The football we saw under him remains the best I've ever seen at Villa, even if it did peter out after the league cup final.

We had a brilliant 95/96 under Brian and played some really good football, but we never hit those heights again in 96/97 and I think there's a good chance we'd have gone down the season after if he hadn't left.

I'd put Gregory and O'Neill on a par.  Both spent a lot of money, but never quite delivered what we wanted.  Gregory's affection for the club nudges him just ahead though, but he got too preoccupied fighting with Ellis in the end.

Houllier had us playing some good football in fairness, but was having to work with too many players whose egos were massaged by MON.  His gaffes didn't help either.

Graham Taylor was the boss when I first watched us in 89 and he did so much for us in the late 80's.  Coming back was a mistake though, as his style of management didn't suit that time.

Lambert and O'Leary were big disappointments.  I had good expectations of both, but ultimately I found both patronising and they alienated too many people.

McLeish I knew would be a disaster and he was, so never had much expectations for him.

[Fred]

Brian Little - A cup and 4th place I think his team had a futre and wonder what would have happened if we had not signed SVC
Big Ron - A cup and 2nd place but he let the team get old with him and altohugh i was sorry to see him sacked perhaps it was due
JG/MON - Decent finishes but they spent a lot of money and not always well
Lambert - Could see what he wanted to do but it all got to much for him
Houlier - Too left field for me
TSM - Well he was a poor desiscion but i thought a likeable bloke who kept his dignity and never slagged the club/fansd off
Sir Graham - Heart ruling head on this one Did the decent thing and resigned

DOL - No respect for the club or fans and says something for the man that at a time the club were struggling he made himself more unpopular than Doug. Not worked again either.

[PGW]

SGT Mark I was pre-Sky Premier League though. Don't forget football was only invented in 1993.

Quite right, if you included Ron Saunders i know where he would finish in everyones ratings but people seem
to forget the effects Vic Crowe had on our club after the shambolic but eventful year of Tommy Docherty.

[PGW]

Forget my previous post just read the actual name of the thread...''Since Sky ruined football''