Who do you want the next Villa manager to be?

[brian green]

I fully agree Mr e and considered that point as I wrote and decided that people skills and trade skills are almost entirely dependent on intelligence levels.  People who are termed "good with their hands" or "good with people" can never get to exercise those great gifts if they cannot think about their work.  The best chippie in the land will let you down if he leaves his tools on the bus. I respectfully submit that we have in recent times had people in place at the club who have been chippies who leave their tools on the bus.

[Ormy Droid]

Is he actually any good?

By all accounts, what he has done so far he has done well.

The only question is whether three seasons in Ligue 1 is enough data on which to base an opinion.

As opposed to half a season with Spurs, which was enough to earn Sherwood almost messiah like status in PunditWorld.

[conman]

Is it the fact he's foreign?  Or inexperienced?

I think it's more the foreign thing that is worrying people more than the experience - if we announced that we were hiring Francesco Guidolin or some other foreign type who has been managing consistently since the 1980s then they would still be saying that we should be hiring Nigel Pearson or Sean Dyche.

In the last 20 years, other than Roy Hodgson has there been other British coaches who have managed successfully in the 'Big' Leagues

I know McLaren did well in Holland but not so in Germany. Anyone else?

Bobby Robson ?

John Toshack.

Peter Withe

[Villa in Denmark]

Is it the fact he's foreign?  Or inexperienced?

I think it's more the foreign thing that is worrying people more than the experience - if we announced that we were hiring Francesco Guidolin or some other foreign type who has been managing consistently since the 1980s then they would still be saying that we should be hiring Nigel Pearson or Sean Dyche.

In the last 20 years, other than Roy Hodgson has there been other British coaches who have managed successfully in the 'Big' Leagues

I know McLaren did well in Holland but not so in Germany. Anyone else?

Bobby Robson ?

John Toshack.

Peter Withe

If you're having Withe (I'm guessing for his time as national coach for Thailand), then I'm claiming Colin Todd and Bruce Rioch over here.

[conman]

Is it the fact he's foreign?  Or inexperienced?

I think it's more the foreign thing that is worrying people more than the experience - if we announced that we were hiring Francesco Guidolin or some other foreign type who has been managing consistently since the 1980s then they would still be saying that we should be hiring Nigel Pearson or Sean Dyche.

In the last 20 years, other than Roy Hodgson has there been other British coaches who have managed successfully in the 'Big' Leagues

I know McLaren did well in Holland but not so in Germany. Anyone else?

Bobby Robson ?

John Toshack.

Peter Withe

If you're having Withe (I'm guessing for his time as national coach for Thailand), then I'm claiming Colin Todd and Bruce Rioch over here.

Ian Ross

[Holte L2]

Is it the fact he's foreign?  Or inexperienced?

I think it's more the foreign thing that is worrying people more than the experience - if we announced that we were hiring Francesco Guidolin or some other foreign type who has been managing consistently since the 1980s then they would still be saying that we should be hiring Nigel Pearson or Sean Dyche.

In the last 20 years, other than Roy Hodgson has there been other British coaches who have managed successfully in the 'Big' Leagues

I know McLaren did well in Holland but not so in Germany. Anyone else?

Bobby Robson ?

John Toshack.

Peter Withe

If you're having Withe (I'm guessing for his time as national coach for Thailand), then I'm claiming Colin Todd and Bruce Rioch over here.

Graeme Souness
Terry Venebles
David Platt

[conman]

Is it the fact he's foreign?  Or inexperienced?

I think it's more the foreign thing that is worrying people more than the experience - if we announced that we were hiring Francesco Guidolin or some other foreign type who has been managing consistently since the 1980s then they would still be saying that we should be hiring Nigel Pearson or Sean Dyche.

In the last 20 years, other than Roy Hodgson has there been other British coaches who have managed successfully in the 'Big' Leagues

I know McLaren did well in Holland but not so in Germany. Anyone else?

Bobby Robson ?

John Toshack.

Peter Withe

If you're having Withe (I'm guessing for his time as national coach for Thailand), then I'm claiming Colin Todd and Bruce Rioch over here.

Graeme Souness
Terry Venebles
David Platt

Ian Ross again
Ron Atkinson

[Smirker]

Is he actually any good?

By all accounts, what he has done so far he has done well.

The only question is whether three seasons in Ligue 1 is enough data on which to base an opinion.

Sounds promising, to be honest I hadn't even heard of him until he was linked with us. Couldn't even remember him playing for Arsenal late 90s.

Is he actually any good?

Looks like we're about to find out

Yeah that's why I asked, I think ITV saying it's imminent now.

[KevinGage]

As in every other walk of life the single most important quality anybody can bring to their work is intelligence.  Garde comes across has being smart and thoughtful.

The one single fault that is marbled through our record since Randy Lerner took over is stupidity. Everything from Moscowgate to hiring McLeish to the Bomb Squad the bullying to publicly disowning players within a few months of their arrival.  The whole sorry litany of our deterioration can be attributed to important decisions being made by people without sufficient intelligence to work out the consequences.

Brian - spot on.

Many see the folly without purpose of such decisions. Within the senior echelons of the club between Steve Stride leaving in 2007 until this summer, there was no person of sufficient football knowledge of the professional game at that level. Witness the recruitment to the most important role at the club in the last decade:

Martin O'Neill
Gerard Houllier (out of semi retirement)
Alex McLeish
Paul Lambert
Tim Sherwood
Remy Garde (assuming it is him though am not against the other front runners)

Now it is totally unfathonable in order to spot any sort of trend or commonality between those recruits, lurching from one type/approach/style to another. Whereas Swansea have had a series of 'progressive' appointments in the same time.

Kenny Jackett
Roberto Martinez
Paulo Sousa
Brendan Rodgers
Michael Laudrup
Gary Monk

I agree, to an extent.

But the vast majority here were happy to see Lambert appointed at the time, so there was a degree of logic to that move. 

He'd earned his stripes dragging Norwich from the third tier to the Premiership and had his sides entertained on the way, with plenty of goals at either end.

Sherwood coming in for Lambert looked like a positive step too, though not without risk.

But what I'll never understand is wanting Roberto Martinez and ending up with Alex McLeish.  That is like going out for a bottle of milk and coming back with a chainsaw.

[Sexual Ealing]

Is it the fact he's foreign?  Or inexperienced?

I think it's more the foreign thing that is worrying people more than the experience - if we announced that we were hiring Francesco Guidolin or some other foreign type who has been managing consistently since the 1980s then they would still be saying that we should be hiring Nigel Pearson or Sean Dyche.

In the last 20 years, other than Roy Hodgson has there been other British coaches who have managed successfully in the 'Big' Leagues

I know McLaren did well in Holland but not so in Germany. Anyone else?

Is Eck still at Genk?

Would it surprise you to hear they conceded the least goals but drew the 3rd most games and only finished 7th?

Ha! It's comforting to know that certain fundamental principles remain constant.

[Mister E]

I fully agree Mr e and considered that point as I wrote and decided that people skills and trade skills are almost entirely dependent on intelligence levels.  People who are termed "good with their hands" or "good with people" can never get to exercise those great gifts if they cannot think about their work.  The best chippie in the land will let you down if he leaves his tools on the bus. I respectfully submit that we have in recent times had people in place at the club who have been chippies who leave their tools on the bus.

Nice analogy!

[onje_villa]

Not sure it sounds "that" definite from KMac, but I'm hoping it is.

[gpbarr]

Sherwood coming in for Lambert looked like a positive step too, though not without risk.
[/quote]

It looked to me exactly what it turned out to be - a disaster. Lambert had to go but the appointment of Sherwood made no sense to me at all.

Garde (if it is him) is IMO another very big gamble - no PL managerial experience at all is a very big concern. If we have a chance of surviving this season, it's got to start to get turned round fast and I'd prefer a short term appointment to deal with the immediacy of the situation with Garde coming in May so he has time to sort out the squad and imprint his style.

[mr underhill]

I guess that depends on if short term survival is the pre requisite. Of course I want us to stay up, but I think an appointment like Garde only makes sense in the longer term ; i.e. developing a coherent, sustainable footballing ethos and strategy and if that means taking a relegation hit on the way, so be it.

[VILLA MOLE]

I guess that depends on if short term survival is the pre requisite. Of course I want us to stay up, but I think an appointment like Garde only makes sense in the longer term ; i.e. developing a coherent, sustainable footballing ethos and strategy and if that means taking a relegation hit on the way, so be it.

this