Who do you want the next Villa manager to be?

[aj2k77]

I went to that game up at Newcastle. From what I remember It was their first home game back in the division and we went with a very very attacking line up, which I thought was a mistake and we got hammered.

[Legion]

If I remember correctly, Carew missed a penalty before the goals started going in.

[PeterWithesShin]

Rapid Vienna at home was a really bad result as well. Forever remembered for some of the shambolic defending i've ever seen, including the comical clearance that went over our own crossbar.

[aj2k77]

If I remember correctly, Carew missed a penalty before the goals started going in.

Yep, nearly put it out the ground. After that it was all down hill, a very steep hill.

[brian green]

Again purely from memory we got a penalty at 0-0 and Carew blasted it into the Gallowgate. My son and I got chased by the Geordie nation as we made our way back to the station. Last time I ran anywhere.

[Percy McCarthy]

If I remember correctly, Carew missed a penalty before the goals started going in.

You are correct. We were all over them to start with. It looked like (I think) Young and Downing were going to run riot.

[Drummond]

Whoever comes in, Garde, Moyes, Rodgers, Redknapp, Pearson, the biggest and single most important ability they must bring is clarity of vision, and the longer they see our situation clearly the better they will manage us.

A new manager has to see what we have been seeing for five years and act on what he (maybe she) sees. He has to see N'Zogbia running down blind alleys with his head down, Westwood failing to track runners, Kozak at least deserving a few minutes off the bench, Gestede not getting square on in aerial challenges so at best the ball skids off the side of his head at worst missing it altogether, Gabby's weight, Richardson's lack of stamina, Lescott's half arsed attitude, Guzan's refusal to vary his kicking and his inability to throw out quickly.

What has been missing in the periods of management of McLeish, Lambert and Sherwood is failure to address the blindingly obvious with the inevitable result that the team punches three stones below its weight. For five long years less than the sum of its parts.

Any half competent manager should be able to fix that.

Amen

[TelfordVilla]

Randy Learner spotted an old woman struggling home with two heavy shopping bags. He stopped his limo and asked her "are you alright, can you manage" She shouted "Fuck off, I don't want your rotten job" !

[Legion]

Lerner.

[Ron Manager]

Randy Learner spotted an old woman struggling home with two heavy shopping bags. He stopped his limo and asked her "are you alright, can you manage" She shouted "Fuck off, I don't want your rotten job" !

Lerner!!

[brian green]

That would be funnier if the old lady was lost at the seaside and could not find her coach when Randy drew alongside in his limo and addressed her. "You looking for a coach........etc etc"

[Lastfootstamper]

If I remember correctly, Carew missed a penalty before the goals started going in.

You are correct. We were all over them to start with. It looked like (I think) Young and Downing were going to run riot.

Even at half-time, I was still convinced we'd win. But it seemed like every time the ball came within 25 yards of our goal, it ended up in the net.

[brian green]

Was Given in goal that day?

[Ron Manager]

 Does anyone have contact with French colleagues who could advise how Garde comes across as a pundit on Canal? Does he offer intelligent views or is he more of a Savage type?

[Toronto Villa]

Sorry if this has posted already

BY JULIEN LAURENS

about an hour ago
Aston Villa target Remi Garde close to realising his Premier League dream


Remi Garde is considered the favourite to replace Tim Sherwood as Aston Villa manager.
On Sunday, former Lyon manager Remi Garde was looking forward to paying a visit to Old Trafford, where he would commentate on Manchester United vs. Manchester City for French television

Over the last 16 months, Garde hasn't missed much of the action in the Premier League, partly due to the work commitment he took up after leaving Lyon, but also because it is his favourite league by some way and the one in which he has always dreamed to coach.

As it transpired, Garde never made it to Manchester and the French public didn't hear his voice commentating on the Manchester derby. The reason? Well, he is now the odds-on favourite to land the Aston Villa manager's job so you can put two and two together!

The aftermath of Tim Sherwood's sacking, which was announced hours before the Manchester derby, led to a change in Garde's plans. Instead of taking a position on the TV gantry, he began talks with the Villa hierarchy.

It is no surprise that Garde, 49, tops the wish list of club owner Randy Lerner and chief executive Tom Fox. Around Europe, Garde is seen as a bright and promising manager and, last season, was offered the chance to replace Alan Pardew at Newcastle. He turned the offer down. Garde was also approached by Sunderland recently, while German clubs also made enquiries over the summer.

With Lyon, Garde finished fourth, third and fifth in Ligue 1 between 2011 and 2014. He also won the French Cup in 2012, as well as the French Community Shield in the same year and then, two years later, took the team to the Europa League quarterfinal against Juventus.

Garde achieved all of this on a tight budget, as he had to compensate for the previously lavish spending by some of his managerial predecessors to balance the books. With no say, he saw Jeremy Toulalan, Miralem Pjanic, Hugo Lloris, Cris, Kim Kallstrom, Dejan Lovren and Lisandro Lopez leave.

In return for losing his best and most dependable players, Garde turned to the club's academy and gave Nabil Fekir, Clinton Njie, Jordan Ferri and Rachid Ghezzal their first professional contracts. He also launched Alexandre Lacazette's career.

Lyon played good football under Garde and club chairman Jean-Michel Aulas rated his manager so highly that he almost begged him to stay. Such was the esteem in which Garde was held that Bernard Lacombe, the club's former striker and now officially Aulas' advisor (but actually more like the club's sporting director) had a nickname for him: "Remi Gardiola".

Apart from losing on penalties to Apoel Nicosia in the 2011-12 Champions League last 16 and a League Cup final loss against PSG in 2014, Garde's time at Lyon was a success. He was one of the club's favourite children, a prodigy who had been club captain at 22 before one day returning as manager.

But after three years in charge, following many years as, among other job, academy director and first-team coach, he could not continue. He was physically and mentally drained. The pressure took its toll and the expectation, combined with the lack of resources, made for a challenging time at the club. In 2014 he decided not to renew his contract and take a sabbatical.