Remi Garde - Departs Aston Villa

[onje_villa]

I feel sorry for him. He's got 5 months till we're down where realistically all he can do try and restrict the damage till we regroup in the summer and see exactly where he stands in terms of personnel and funds. It's not going to help his reputation one bit but there it is..Even buying players in January will look bad as they won't keep us up even if they're bought for next season

I hope we don't throw money at ageing former Prem stars after a last pay day in January. We're down now, we need to have next season in mind, not spunk yet more money on a desperate, low probability gamble.

Agreed but I don't think we'll return to that formula.

[rob_bridge]

Pearson who was in an almost identical situation last season?  We should have win today short of the timing of the injury to Sanchez and poor finishing from Gestede. We made enough chances to win the game. To lament  Garde for making us much more organised and looking like they are a united group and actually fighting the situation is just bonkers. Sure we need to win games but long term I would sooner have Garde than Pearson.

Agree - plus a combustible nutter like Pearon immediately after Sherwood would be shooting ourselves in both hands - the feet long since having been blown off

Was it you I said Garde was four years too late to?

No but I would have agreed with you having said it to 2 work colleagues on Christmas Eve and my Dad and my Missus just yesterday.

We were chatting about the futility of an organised protest against Lerner's mismanagement.

Probably had a chat or two in person with you most seasons for a couple of decades.

Always a pleasure.

[Villafirst]

Pearson who was in an almost identical situation last season?  We should have win today short of the timing of the injury to Sanchez and poor finishing from Gestede. We made enough chances to win the game. To lament  Garde for making us much more organised and looking like they are a united group and actually fighting the situation is just bonkers. Sure we need to win games but long term I would sooner have Garde than Pearson.

What I said was Garde is the wrong choice for a relegation scrap. He'd be ok if we were mid-table.

[Dave]

A Garde-style appointment would have been ideal after GH. Our stock was still relatively high, and you could give a manager like that two to three seasons to build and really make his mark on the club. The calibre of players open to us would have been better then, too.

Ironically, a McLeish, style appointment (ie, Allardyce or Pulis) was what we needed now. What we have, we hold. Dull, unimaginative, but capable of grinding out the required 9-10 wins over the course of a season.

Yeah, Allardyce grinding out a 4-1 defeat to Man City or a defeat to Southampton was far better than what Garde managed.

[ROBBO]

Pearson who was in an almost identical situation last season?  We should have win today short of the timing of the injury to Sanchez and poor finishing from Gestede. We made enough chances to win the game. To lament  Garde for making us much more organised and looking like they are a united group and actually fighting the situation is just bonkers. Sure we need to win games but long term I would sooner have Garde than Pearson.

What I said was Garde is the wrong choice for a relegation scrap. He'd be ok if we were mid-table.

Don't agree, no matter who the manager is we have players in key positions that are not up to the job, this is the first manager I have had confidence in for a long time. I will be interested to see who he can bring in.

[berneboy]

I think Remi is potentially the best manager we've had for years. I don't know what or who persuaded him to come but I hope he stays - whatever.

[DaveD]

I think Remi is potentially the best manager we've had for years. I don't know what or who persuaded him to come but I hope he stays - whatever.

It's way too early to tell. He will get the same patience from me that all Villa managers do - ask me again in early November.

[damon loves JT]

The Garde appointment makes sense if the board have already accepted that we are down. Which is forward thinking of a kind.

[Jimbo]

When he speaks I can hear with my own ears that he isn't thick, which is more than can be said for the previous two managers; and he's not arrogant and out of touch, which makes him a marked improvement on Houllier. I'm backing Garde.

[rob_bridge]

Me too Jimbo . May as well he seems to know what's wrong and how to approach the task.

And he isn't or at least not yet a bullshit merchant.

[claret and blue blood]

I think Remi is potentially the best manager we've had for years. I don't know what or who persuaded him to come but I hope he stays - whatever.

Agreed.

[David_Nab]

A Garde-style appointment would have been ideal after GH. Our stock was still relatively high, and you could give a manager like that two to three seasons to build and really make his mark on the club. The calibre of players open to us would have been better then, too.

Ironically, a McLeish, style appointment (ie, Allardyce or Pulis) was what we needed now. What we have, we hold. Dull, unimaginative, but capable of grinding out the required 9-10 wins over the course of a season.

Yeah, Allardyce grinding out a 4-1 defeat to Man City or a defeat to Southampton was far better than what Garde managed.

Allardyce known for good defences yet even he can't do much quality of players he has to play in defence , same as Garde here with what he has available to play at fullback.

[Dave]

A Garde-style appointment would have been ideal after GH. Our stock was still relatively high, and you could give a manager like that two to three seasons to build and really make his mark on the club. The calibre of players open to us would have been better then, too.

Ironically, a McLeish, style appointment (ie, Allardyce or Pulis) was what we needed now. What we have, we hold. Dull, unimaginative, but capable of grinding out the required 9-10 wins over the course of a season.

Yeah, Allardyce grinding out a 4-1 defeat to Man City or a defeat to Southampton was far better than what Garde managed.

Allardyce known for good defences yet even he can't do much quality of players he has to play in defence , same as Garde here with what he has available to play at fullback.

Which suggests that he's not this relegation-avoiding Jesus that some have pegged him as.

His myth will survive when he relegates Sunderland, just like "it woz the transfer committee wot did it" will be the narrative when we go down.

[Pat McMahon]

Sadly, there's a lot of truth in this.

http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/12/26/paul-merson-shares-his-strong-opinion-of-remi-garde-comments-on/

I can see the words 'Paul Merson shares his' so won't bother reading. The guy is a moron, an inspiration to thickies the world over who wish to get into the world of television or punditry. He's the class idiot in a room full of them, takes some doing when you look at the competition.

a few years ago birmingham opened its first residential facility for those with drug and alcohol issues. we approached merson to open it, would have been half an hour, cut the ribbon, few photos etc. all was going well until he asked how much we would be paying him.

I had completely the opposite experience with him when I asked him to be a patron for the young people's drug service (about 15 years ago now). He didn't hesitate to agree and spent about 3 hours with us one afternoon chatting about the different ways he could be involved.

Sadly - the organisation concerned tended to talk a good game but not actually follow up with very much, so it didn't come to anything, but he was really positive and helpful, and money was never mentioned once.

I have heard more similar experiences to Amfy. My nephew had to spend a few months in hospital in Brum around 1999 and the Villa players occasionally made visits.  He was 10 at the time and to this day his favourite ever Villa players are Merson and Southgate because of the one on one time they gave him when he was struggling and the fact they remembered him on each visit.

My recollection from my sister is that the players volunteered for these tasks. Obviously no fees involved.

I never thought Merson was bright, and I think he is overrated in the Villa pantheon of greats, but I wouldn't diss him because he presumably doesn't rate Garde( I say presumably as I haven't clicked on the link, since I very rarely click on links).

[Tony Erdington]

Remi talks a good game, but the fact is we are 1 win from 18 games, we've been circling the plug hole for a while so this was enevitable with our circus of a club.