Remi Garde - Departs Aston Villa

[kippaxvilla2]

As someone alluded to earlier the very least I would have expected after 18 or so games in charge was for us to be difficult to break down - turgid but effective just to give us an outside chance of winning a game or two by the odd goal. 

I know people say this is the worst squad bla bla but anyone really worth his salt and who has the respect of the players can at least deliver this.  Sunderland have kind of managed it.

Sunderland also kind of managed to sign a few better players in January.

This is true of course.  But even before that they at least looked more organised.

[Chico Hamilton III]

When you've let in 8 goals in 2 games, he was always going to make changes. Other than throw a load of kids in, I can't see what else he can do.

He could put a rocket up their arseholes, bounce a few of them off the dressing room walls at half time, put some steel in them, encourage them, scare them, keep them on their toes, praise them in public, raise expectations, coach them. It's a shit squad, we all know that, but he seems to be hiding behind that and using it as an excuse for being, frankly, shit himself. I think there are a number of managers who would have made a better fist of the shitty position that Garde was landed in. He's a fucking football manager, his job is to send players out every Saturday ready to fight for the cause. Like the fans do. And if anyone thinks that this shower of absolute pish will do anything other than struggle next season then they must be yampy.

I'm glad I waited until this morning before posting on this thread. I was baying for his blood after last night's result but I've calmed down now

[walsall villain]

We want Lerner out but I expect it won't happen any time yet. Yet more chopping and changing is more likely. There was talk recently of consultants being brought in to carry out a review. What is the remit and timeframe for this and do we know who is doing it? If heads are going to roll lets get on with it.

[Witton Warrior]

Several people I spoke to last night were saying they now wonder if we would have done better sticking with Tactics - personally I don't think it would have made a blind bit of difference apart from he may have had the personality/reputation that would have convinced a couple of players to come in January.

I did think that Garde was a steady hand but he appears to be utterly impotent and unable to change anything. He's marking time to his pay-off and starting to throw players under the bus just like Tim did.

[ciggiesnbeer]

We want Lerner out but I expect it won't happen any time yet. Yet more chopping and changing is more likely. There was talk recently of consultants being brought in to carry out a review. What is the remit and timeframe for this and do we know who is doing it? If heads are going to roll lets get on with it.

I wouldnt get excited. The heads rolling will be the people who add value to the club (backroom staff). Hollis so far has made it very clear his mandate is to cut costs and stop the red ink on Lerners bank balance. Fox for all his faults at least gives a damn about revenue.

[Witton Warrior]

We want Lerner out but I expect it won't happen any time yet. Yet more chopping and changing is more likely. There was talk recently of consultants being brought in to carry out a review. What is the remit and timeframe for this and do we know who is doing it? If heads are going to roll lets get on with it.

I would love it if the Executive Summary of the report just said "We want Lerner OUT!"

[Jimbo]

It's not that the squad is shit, it's that they don't give a shit. They play for a club that's used to losing, so what harm is another defeat going to do? Why bother busting a gut when all is lost anyway? Whether they try hard or not, they still go home in a super car, to a mansion and model wife. They're young millionaires being told what to do by an older, slightly poorer man from a foreign country. Now the die is cast, motivating them is an impossible task.

[cdward]

When you've let in 8 goals in 2 games, he was always going to make changes. Other than throw a load of kids in, I can't see what else he can do.

Yes i get that, but the new formation lasted 5 minutes before conceding.
Regardless of the formation, he needs to identify the weak points, i.e conceding from corners, ball watching etc',  and fix them first.
Then look at marking, covering, tracking, movement as a team, shape when losing the ball, counter attacking and tell the team what they should be doing.
This is what a Sam Allardyce, or Pulis or Moyes would have brought to this team.
This shuffling and juggling the team for the sake of it doesn't work, and just looks like a manager who has lost direction.

[Olof's Beard]

When you've let in 8 goals in 2 games, he was always going to make changes. Other than throw a load of kids in, I can't see what else he can do.

Yes i get that, but the new formation lasted 5 minutes before conceding.
Regardless of the formation, he needs to identify the weak points, i.e conceding from corners, ball watching etc',  and fix them first.
Then look at marking, covering, tracking, movement as a team, shape when losing the ball, counter attacking and tell the team what they should be doing.
This is what a Sam Allardyce, or Pulis or Moyes would have brought to this team.
This shuffling and juggling the team for the sake of it doesn't work, and just looks like a manager who has lost direction.

He did concentrate on these elements when he came in and for a while we saw an improvement. We were much more solid defensively and picked up plenty of draws. The last three games have proven that whatever improvements were made were not sustainable and Garde has to take his fair share of the blame for that. If you pick as negative a line up as he did yesterday and still concede three goals, then you are going to be criticised. Fuck knows about the sudden capitulation in set pieces though. Richards and his usual shite marking was responsible for the first goal, the third was beyond a joke.

It looks like we have all lost faith in Garde at the same time. I don't think he is just 'waiting for his payoff' - that's a lazy opinion. But I don't think he knows what to do about this either. People have said that we don't know whether he is a good manager or not but the evidence is beginning to point towards the latter. I am not sure we can take a chance of believing that he is and place the most important season in the club's recent history on his shoulders, whether he is a nice guy or not.

[mr underhill]

I said last night that reluctantly I'm not sure Garde's the guy. I don't know who 'the' guy is, but he needs to have solid experience of managing and motivating shite.

[cdward]

It's only a matter of time before Merson, Thompson et al start saying
 
" for me, he's lost the dressing room Geoff"

[chrisw1]

I said last night that reluctantly I'm not sure Garde's the guy. I don't know who 'the' guy is, but he needs to have solid experience of managing and motivating shite.

And I'm very worried the answer our inept Board will come up with is Pulis, once he's sacked by the Baggies in the summer.

[mr underhill]

you might well be right, but I'd rather that if it stabilized the ship for a year than the unremitting crap we've endured under a succession of other managers.

[FranzBiberkopf]

Several people I spoke to last night were saying they now wonder if we would have done better sticking with Tactics - personally I don't think it would have made a blind bit of difference apart from he may have had the personality/reputation that would have convinced a couple of players to come in January.

I did think that Garde was a steady hand but he appears to be utterly impotent and unable to change anything. He's marking time to his pay-off and starting to throw players under the bus just like Tim did.

I don't think we would be any worse off if we'd have kept Sherwood. Either in terms of points, or in terms of a settled line-up/formation, or in terms of some belief for a better season next. Garde I'm afraid hasn't changed a single thing for the better.

He did concentrate on these elements when he came in and for a while we saw an improvement. We were much more solid defensively and picked up plenty of draws.

I'm not sure whether that was anything Garde did or more a case of a slight, temporary improvement that statistically all teams at the bottom go through for 4-5 games over the course of a season.

Sherwood/Garde - all a pointless arguement now. Both found wanting. Both will be looking for new jobs soon enough.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I dont think we need to worry about Pulis as our manager next season. He would , probably rightfully, regard himself as too good to manage a Championship club in freefall. And besides the board will be looking for cheaper options.