Who do you want the next Villa manager to be?

[Legion]

He was not reluctant to join. I think he had obligations to his job at the time, which delayed the appointment.

[Toronto Villa]

Wasn't there an excruciating delay between Houllier being approached and finally taking charge? Or does it just seem like that now? I remember him not actually picking the team for his first game after appointment against Stoke.

Well look at it this way. MON walked out of the club before the home game with West Ham. Kevin Mac looked after things as best as possible until Houllier was announced September 8th or thereabouts. Then he couldn't start for at least two weeks because he was still waiting for FFF to grant him his release. I think his first game was Blackburn wasn't it? I don't think it would be as complex for Garde but that was a long time between MON and a permanent manager being appointed.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Wasn't there an excruciating delay between Houllier being approached and finally taking charge? Or does it just seem like that now? I remember him not actually picking the team for his first game after appointment against Stoke.

I think he had a previous speaking arrangement with the French FA. Pulis had to bury his Mum. One of them made the game.

[LeeB]

Can't the assistant manager and physio just resign from their positions at the clubs they are at?

Yes, but they have to take a penalty instead of Gareth Barry in order to be allowed to outbid their release clauses. Or something.

[saunders_heroes]

there seems to be a lot of ganging up and  bullying on here towards sillhillvilla

I don't know how long you've been coming on here (post count isn't always a true reflection) but we've literally endured years of his nonsensical melodramatic misery. So you'll find comments towards him quite polite relative to what we've put up with.

Charming!

[Monty]

Can't the assistant manager and physio just resign from their positions at the clubs they are at?

Yes, but they have to take a penalty instead of Gareth Barry in order to be allowed to outbid their release clauses. Or something.

No no you've misunderstood, they have to wait for Barry to leave the pitch and then decide if our net spend is higher than Tottenham's. If it is, we re-sign Reo-Coker.

[Sexual Ealing]

Can't the assistant manager and physio just resign from their positions at the clubs they are at?

Yes, but they have to take a penalty instead of Gareth Barry in order to be allowed to outbid their release clauses. Or something.

No no you've misunderstood, they have to wait for Barry to leave the pitch and then decide if our net spend is higher than Tottenham's. If it is, we re-sign Reo-Coker.

Who will have a tear in his eye at what's become of this once-great club.

[Monty]

He'll organise a submarine mission to investigate how low we've sunk.

[cdbearsfan]

there seems to be a lot of ganging up and  bullying on here towards sillhillvilla

If people regularly make nonsensical or contradictory posts they'll be challenged. I don't think anyone has been particularly personal or spiteful.

He was banned once for going out of his way to wind people up, deliberately referring to Old Trafford as "The Theatre of Dreams" for instance, which limits the amount of sympathy he deserves.

I could see how he got the Karsa thing mixed up though, in fairness. I'd forgotten entirely what his job was.

[damon loves JT]

Wasn't there an excruciating delay between Houllier being approached and finally taking charge? Or does it just seem like that now? I remember him not actually picking the team for his first game after appointment against Stoke.

I think he had a previous speaking arrangement with the French FA. Pulis had to bury his Mum. One of them made the game.

I was going to make some kind of tasteless remark about Pulis but realise that I rather like him, in spite of myself. There's just no bullshit about him at all, he takes himself seriously but isn't vain or self-regarding.

[dave.woodhall]

Wasn't there an excruciating delay between Houllier being approached and finally taking charge? Or does it just seem like that now? I remember him not actually picking the team for his first game after appointment against Stoke.

Yep GED was reluctant to join , we persuaded him £££

Which again isn't true. The French FA wanted him to serve a notice period so he ended up taking extended leave, or similar.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

Wasn't there an excruciating delay between Houllier being approached and finally taking charge? Or does it just seem like that now? I remember him not actually picking the team for his first game after appointment against Stoke.

I think he had a previous speaking arrangement with the French FA. Pulis had to bury his Mum. One of them made the game.

I was going to make some kind of tasteless remark about Pulis but realise that I rather like him, in spite of myself. There's just no bullshit about him at all, he takes himself seriously but isn't vain or self-regarding.

I, on the other hand, think he's a prick.

Deliberately plays shit football and is clearly all about ordering his players to "fuck 'em up, get into 'em".

[Legion]

Like most people in the crowd at any match.

[damon loves JT]

Yes, his football is atrocious but he seems a decent man. It's a contradiction, but there it is.

[Chris Jameson]

I don't like the style of football his teams play but I like Pulis, he's quite often refreshingly honest too.