Remi Garde - Departs Aston Villa

[Chico Hamilton III]

Those banging the drum for another manager will be the same ones banging the same drum in a years time, and the year after that, and the year after that. GUARANTEED 

So we should still have Lambert as manager? what about those banging the drum for keeping shit managers in a job? they usually see sense when it's too late and we're too deep in the shit. I can't think if a club who retained a poor manager and succeeded. You're clearly a big fan of Garde and I think it's clouding your argument. Club first.

Not a big fan of Garde, nor was I of Lambert. If you think spending 3-4m pounds every 1-2 years chopping managers is the solution, your clearly deluded.

The club always comes first which is why we need to stop repeating the same failure time and time again. Said it before and will say it again - the manager (whoever it is) is the very least of our problems.

The average tenure of a football manager in England is 1.2 years. I can't think of a single club who have retained a poor manager in the hope that somehow things will improve. Certainly not one with such a miserable return as Garde. I agree that our problem is that we have consistently appointed inappropriate managers at will and held on to them long after they should have gone. As is the case here. As for your 3-4m guess at compensation paid to sacked managers, it's a drop in the ocean when compared with the money we will lose when we go down. And, if we're trading petty insults, it's "you're" as in you're deluded if you think this will end well with Garde

[Chico Hamilton III]

I was only nine at the time so i can't remember but was there this much support for McNeill in 87?

No. But he didn't seem to give a shit from the moment he rocked up here from working his magic at Maine Road.

Just about the worst manager we've ever had (certainly in my time - which now extends to watching us for 49 years) - and yet as I remember he came in on twice Graham Turner's salary and was full of big talk to start with.  Shame I'd always admired him as a player at Celtic - the only manager ever to get 2 clubs relegated from the big time in the same season ?

Ron Saunders did it with Blues and Albion

[django]

Those banging the drum for another manager will be the same ones banging the same drum in a years time, and the year after that, and the year after that. GUARANTEED 

So we should still have Lambert as manager? what about those banging the drum for keeping shit managers in a job? they usually see sense when it's too late and we're too deep in the shit. I can't think if a club who retained a poor manager and succeeded. You're clearly a big fan of Garde and I think it's clouding your argument. Club first.

Not a big fan of Garde, nor was I of Lambert. If you think spending 3-4m pounds every 1-2 years chopping managers is the solution, your clearly deluded.

The club always comes first which is why we need to stop repeating the same failure time and time again. Said it before and will say it again - the manager (whoever it is) is the very least of our problems.

Paying compensation every season or so is a disaster but less of a disaster next season than getting stuck in the championship with the wrong manager. What's going to cost more money in the long run keep McNeill and save the cash or pay him off and get Taylor in?

[dave shelley]

I was only nine at the time so i can't remember but was there this much support for McNeill in 87?

There wasn't social media as such back then otherwise IMO, it would just be the same.  There's always going to be divided opinion among football supporters, whatever the issue.

[django]

I was only nine at the time so i can't remember but was there this much support for McNeill in 87?

No. But he didn't seem to give a shit from the moment he rocked up here from working his magic at Maine Road.

Just about the worst manager we've ever had (certainly in my time - which now extends to watching us for 49 years) - and yet as I remember he came in on twice Graham Turner's salary and was full of big talk to start with.  Shame I'd always admired him as a player at Celtic - the only manager ever to get 2 clubs relegated from the big time in the same season ?

Ron Saunders did it with Blues and Albion

Legend.

[mr underhill]

the only way the Garde era can't end disastrously is if we stay up. Which is as likely as snow on Venus.

[conman]

I was only nine at the time so i can't remember but was there this much support for McNeill in 87?

No. But he didn't seem to give a shit from the moment he rocked up here from working his magic at Maine Road.

Just about the worst manager we've ever had (certainly in my time - which now extends to watching us for 49 years) - and yet as I remember he came in on twice Graham Turner's salary and was full of big talk to start with.  Shame I'd always admired him as a player at Celtic - the only manager ever to get 2 clubs relegated from the big time in the same season ?

Ron Saunders did it with Blues and Albion

2 or 3 seasons inbetween

[Chico Hamilton III]

I was only nine at the time so i can't remember but was there this much support for McNeill in 87?

No. But he didn't seem to give a shit from the moment he rocked up here from working his magic at Maine Road.

Just about the worst manager we've ever had (certainly in my time - which now extends to watching us for 49 years) - and yet as I remember he came in on twice Graham Turner's salary and was full of big talk to start with.  Shame I'd always admired him as a player at Celtic - the only manager ever to get 2 clubs relegated from the big time in the same season ?

Ron Saunders did it with Blues and Albion

2 or 3 seasons inbetween

Do you wanna bet against me?  Both went down 86, he managed both teams that season

[conman]

I was only nine at the time so i can't remember but was there this much support for McNeill in 87?

No. But he didn't seem to give a shit from the moment he rocked up here from working his magic at Maine Road.

Just about the worst manager we've ever had (certainly in my time - which now extends to watching us for 49 years) - and yet as I remember he came in on twice Graham Turner's salary and was full of big talk to start with.  Shame I'd always admired him as a player at Celtic - the only manager ever to get 2 clubs relegated from the big time in the same season ?

Ron Saunders did it with Blues and Albion

2 or 3 seasons inbetween

Do you wanna bet against me?  Both went down 86, he managed both teams that season

Certainly not mate , if you say they both went down in 86 thats good enough for me ,

[Villa Lew]

I was only nine at the time so i can't remember but was there this much support for McNeill in 87?

No. But he didn't seem to give a shit from the moment he rocked up here from working his magic at Maine Road.

Just about the worst manager we've ever had (certainly in my time - which now extends to watching us for 49 years) - and yet as I remember he came in on twice Graham Turner's salary and was full of big talk to start with.  Shame I'd always admired him as a player at Celtic - the only manager ever to get 2 clubs relegated from the big time in the same season ?

Undoubtedly one of Celtic and Scotland's greatest ever defenders, captain of Celtic's European Cup winning team of '67, the first British team to achieve that honour. Always felt he would make a good manager, couldn't have been more wrong.

[Steve67]

Interestingly, it was actually Graham Turner, on being sacked by Doug, who recommended Billy McBingo for the job! WTF!!

On the point about Randy. Frankly, his poor decisions early on have cost him what he now has; a broken shell of a club that he can't seem to sell. He wants nothing more to do with football or its fickle fans ever since the loyalty of MON in taking him to court kicked the crap out of him. Selling Villa? No buyers? Perhaps it's because we are just not that attractive or that Birmingham isn't as attractive? Who knows. Hollis has been brought in to basically do a Doug. Run it as a business, get it on a level but don't overstretched the finances. That said, the board know that the big money is in the Premiership, so get back there, and quick.

[KevinGage]

I'd say our entire squad is better talent-wise than Norwich, Bournemouth and the Olbiyun and there shouldn't be much in it between Sunderland and worselves.

On what evidence ?

Just the individual ability of the respective sides, our league position compared to most of that lot over the last few years and how much we spent in the summer. Small little indicators like that.

[supertom]

I'd say our entire squad is better talent-wise than Norwich, Bournemouth and the Olbiyun and there shouldn't be much in it between Sunderland and worselves.

On what evidence ?

Just the individual ability of the respective sides, our league position compared to most of that lot over the last few years and how much we spent in the summer. Small little indicators like that.

Agreed and our squad didn't cost peanuts by any stretch of the imagination either. If someone wants evidence about one contributing factor to Bournemouths success in comparison to ours, given they're squad on paper should have been going down, is that they've covered more miles than any other club in the top flight. By comparison (last time I checked anyway) our side have covered the fewest. Does that point to a lack of work-rate? Not entirely of course, nothing is that black and white but it's certainly a suggestion that our squad doesn't give enough and that for a supposed lack of talent our gameplan isn't effective enough in accounting for that lack of ability by "running about a lot more." It might sound simple but we don't close down enough and our players don't track back effectively enough. That's key. As it is I do actually think our squad doesn't work hard enough, regardless of any stat. Bournemouth conversely, do work their bollocks off. They're staying up, we're going down and good luck to them.

[sickbeggar]

yep. Our problem isn't just ability. it's a failure of them to play as a coherent entity. Ability wise we're a struggling premiership side, have been for 4 or 5 years. Possibly the sales of delpth and benteke and the failure  to replace them adequately were the final straws but it doesn't explain why we'd get a good kicking from half the championship now imo. There;s obviously some not putting in a shift but moreso there's a lack of confidence and understanding of what the manager requires.  Whatever his tactics are, they're not getting them or not able to put them into practice

[passitsideways]

I think we badly need a competent striker and a wide player who can get defences wobbly on a relatively consistent basis; we wouldn't be amiss with a midfielder who actually makes forward runs either. I mean, the only stretch of the season where we sort of looked competent was when Kozak started, as crap as he was, simply because he worked hard, held the ball up, and kept the centrebacks busy. Not saying it definitely would have continued if it weren't for the injury (which was always bound to happen given that he was being asked to run his balls off not very soon after coming back from a major injury), but it was at least something. It's pretty clear now that Gestede is only good for 20-30 minute cameos off the bench at PL level.