Remi Garde - Departs Aston Villa

[four fornicholl]

As I have said before, my approach to the players that do not want to give it all for the club is not to pay them off but to exclude them from the squad and tell them to stay away from the club.  We will still have to pay their wages but seeing their careers going down the pan without football might just make a few think about asking to be transferred.

I think Garde should start to pull together a group of the younger players and building some spirit amongst them that might start to snowball a bit.  Start this now and it might be a springboard for next season.  It will be divisive but something has to be done to change what appears to be a lack of respect from some players towards the club and the supporters.

I think there are a lot of assumptions being made about lack of discipline and splits in the dressing room without and hard evidence of this and we (myself included) may be blowing this out of proportion.  However, if it is true and there is a clear ring leader or outspoken individual, I would make an example of him and suspend him from the club and bring it out into the open.

Some wally on WM tonight said he wanted us to lose every game this season as he wants us to beat Derbys record.

I'd say trying to get some momentum is vital going into next season if we want any chance of getting back straight away.

ill tell you now
we aint down yet no fkn way

[Villa in Denmark]

We might also have an internal bunch of saboteurs, who like when Houllier  was here, didn't liked his approach. Sometimes it feels like the mistakes are done on purpose, and they hope they can get rid of Garde by this performance. Cut the head of the snake (Gabby?) and sell him asap - maybe the others will stop thinking they are in control of the club.

Cheapshot answer is we sold him in the summer.

The not so cheapshot answer us that this has felt more like a Hydra of Greek legend, where for every head you cut off, two grow back since the days of Houllier.

The more we see the false edifice of Lerner's construction fall, revealing the fact that there's nothing behind holding it up, the more the scale of the miracle of not being relegated sooner becomes apparent.

I think it's becoming clearer what McLeish and Lambert meant with their occasional hints at "you don't know what's going on behind the scenes" was all about.

It also looks to me like Sherwood was a final attempt to paper over the cracks and Garde's appointment was with a remit to do whatever was necessary to sort it out, regardless of the consequences this season. Unfortunately like embarking on any form of restoration, no matter how good your evaluation work before you start , it's only when you start stripping back the years of misuse, poor maintenance and neglect that you can truly see whether what's underneath is actually salvageable and Remi has discovered that this rebuild is a bit more than a superficial tidy up.

[tomd2103]

Well after tonights reports its clear he is not fucking around , certainly he is no yes man

That is the kind of attitude and management we have been missing for years.  I'm sure if Houllier had stayed on for at least the beginning of a second season, he would have got rid of the shirkers, but as it was they were allowed to stay and a culture of comfort and complaceny has set in. 

[Villa in Denmark]

Well after tonights reports its clear he is not fucking around , certainly he is no yes man

That is the kind of attitude and management we have been missing for years.  I'm sure if Houllier had stayed on for at least the beginning of a second season, he would have got rid of the shirkers, but as it was they were allowed to stay and a culture of comfort and complaceny has set in.[\]

I think that had been there from the day's of MON if you believe the stories of the training regimes, added to the fact that if you were one of the favoured few, you were pretty much guaranteed you place and if you weren't then why bother.  The difference being that, come the day of a game, he could rouse a better quality squad to perform to something approaching it's potential most of the time.

Subsequent managers have never really turned that around and it looks like the last one to try was Houllier, so the shrug the shoulders, why worry, lackadaisical approach has become engrained.

[CT Villan]

Remi is Houllier 2, except it feels like the cancer is deeper rooted and more invasive than when Gerard took a scalpel to the squad...and even then with all of his experience and respect within the game, it took months to make any progress. Notwithstanding the mistakes he appears to have made, Garde is still probably many months away from arresting the disease and getting the club breathing without a ventilator...and there's always the concern that even at his best, the job may be beyond him.

[Matt C]

He's starting to sound like a man who is either going to walk or be given license to break out the sledgehammer.

[Matt C]

Double post

[Bad English]

TV has Garde actually said that Mr "look after number one" Houllier is one of his influences? Serious question. I fucking hope not.

[brian green]

The analogy for the Villa period post Houllier that appeals to me is Animal Farm.  The farmer's authority is flouted and overturned and the power is taken by the pigs lead by Napoleon.

Bit extreme I know but successive managers' authority has been flouted and the players have ruled the roost. Cliques and cadres have overwhelmed attempts to build team spirit and leadership.  How often have we seen players come to us, play well for a period then sink into indolence? Gana is a typical example. KEA is another.  Bertrand is a third.

Another problem area, as though the poor man does not have enough, is players managing their appearances to suit themselves through recurring injuries.  Our medical staff needs the same hard examination as every other part of the club rebuilding exercise. If whispers are true we have key players who have come in with serious injury issues.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Good observation about KEA, Gana & Bertrand Brian.

I am actually pretty happy Garde is rather openly calling out those above him now. I always wondered whether the club did the old switcheroo on managers promising them X funds then changing their minds when the window arrived. I now believe it, which would account for McLeish, Lambert & Sherwood all having that change in attitude over time with grimaced references to things behind the scenes. Garde is just calling bullshit right out the gate. Good for him.

I hope it spurs some action and more importantly spending from Lerner. Sadly I reckon it will spur Garde to lose his job by the end of the month rather than the end of the season.

[exigo]

I really do hope that Garde stays. He seems to be the first manager we've had for a while who actually fully understands the level of shit that we're in, and has a plan to sort it.

[brian green]

I am sure you are right ciggies about promises for funds being massaged at the last moment.  It is what I hinted at possibly happening when Remi next meets Lerner (ignore Fox he is on the naughty step) and says I want players A, B, C, and D out of the club.  If past form is anything to go by he will be told C and D can go but A and B should be let off with a jolly good talking to about their attitude.

[PaulWinch again]

I really like what Remi is trying to do, the club need to back him. It's an incredibly tough job to rid this club of the players who have dragged it down. We're getting relegated anyway, so the important thing is to get the squad in the best possible shape mentally to come back up next year.

[Proposition Joe]

I really do hope that Garde stays. He seems to be the first manager we've had for a while who actually fully understands the level of shit that we're in, and has a plan to sort it.

Agree. I almost think he'd be a better DoF/sporting director so he can sort it all out from a position of more authority.

[chrisw1]

There are so many analogies and bullshit theories here.

The reality is we just had a legacy of overpaid very average players from MON compounded by a reduced budget and some very average managers. 

It is just plain wrong to say we haven't tried to address this.  The club has tried very hard to root out the overpaid and disruptive (the two aren't necessarily the same) - look at the bomb squad for instance.  Misguided, but exactly what someone above has suggested.

The fact is, whilst we may say 'sell Gabby for this, Richardson for that' (read in Bent, Ireland, Dunn, Collins, etc etc) other clubs are less keen to take our expensive problems off our hands.

I don't buy that it is a 'deep rooted culture' or any of the other hysterical theories.  We just have had some shit players, poor managers and not enough money to sort it out.