Remi Garde - Departs Aston Villa

[cdward]

Since Garde has been here there has been upheaval at the club.  His boss Randy Lerner has shown he is not interested, Tom Fox has shown he is only interested in himself, the players are underperforming and clearly not motivated. The sporting director has been sacked, the fans have been protesting against the owner and players for their lack of commitment. The players have no confidence, and keep dropping clangers. He identifies areas in the team to strengthen and doesn't get anybody in the transfer window. All round he has been dealt a shit hand. He has called it as straight as he can, Ginola is only reiterating it.  Now the whole set up at the club has changed, with a new chairman and board.
Any manager needs to identify our areas of weakness and strengthen them, personally i would prefer the board to come out and back him in the summer, he knows who needs binning the same as the rest of us. But is it any wonder he seems to have lost faith himself, when you see the likes of Guzan, Lescott, Richards dropping you in it week after week, then looking at Gabby and N'Zog on the bench.

[croatian]

I've got a deal of sympathy for Remi, or Remy as the AVFC web site know him. Or R.E.M.E. as the Gen might know him.

Take away the players that are plainly not premier, or even Championship quality.
Take away the wasters that apparently have a point to prove by withdrawing their effort on the pitch.

Who's left? Anybody?

What chance of success did Remi have?

None.

[Ron Manager]

It is blindingly obvious he should have withdrawn his services immediately after the January transfer window.But he did not and that was a major error on his part.His reputation is now shattered and he will probably be dispensed with.The thought of the huge grin on Agbonlahors face when he goes makes me wish that they do employ Nigel Pearson just to sort the flabby one out.

[mike]

It also sits very badly with me.  My metaphor that the mechanic will be sent packing and the man with a big hammer and a can of Easy Start sent for is, I admit, simplistic but in essence true.

We either accept that the whole Villa machine is broken or we don't.  I believe it is broken.  This calamitous season has been coming for the last five years. It is not something that has suddenly happened that can be fixed by a Nigel Pearson character grabbing players by the throat or managerial methods of the same style.

The team needs to be rebuilt totally.  Stupid long term contracts with players of negative value have to be sorted out.  Nothing short of a new start will be needed.

I think Remi Garde has been treated shamefully by the club and nowhere near enough appreciation of the magnitude of the mess he was thrown into extended to him.

If he is replaced whoever takes his place will owe Remi Garde a very big debt of gratitude for having been put in front of the firing squad and having his football career severely damaged by being held to account for circumstances beyond his control and not of his making.

Facing up to a new season in the Championship in August will be a walk in the park compared with walking into the snake pit that was Villa Park last November.

The only part of this I disagree with, Brian, is that this will affect Garde's reputation or future career. It was already obvious to the neutral observer that he had been given in an a hopeless task with no support but the failure to back him in January was the final evidence they needed. I think the reputation that is tarnished is ours, not his.

He seems to be polarising opinion at the moment but I think the actual truth is we will only find out whether he is a good football manager when he takes on his next job. if you give me two pieces of bread and a turd I will struggle to provide anything other than a shit sandwich but I would not expect my culinary skills to be judged one way or the other.

[mattjpa]

Ultimately, I dont think he will outlast this, I think he will be gone as a victim of circumstance. Something needs to change and we cant sack and pay off the whole squad. but in a few years time, I imagine we will look back on his short time here as contributing more than the previous 4-5years of self serving depression. He hasnt towed the line, He has called out the board for hiding, he has called out the players for what they are - poor quality, unmotivated, self serving wankers. He has told the management what is required and put his own reputation on the line to prove that what we have is not good enough. He has identified what is wrong and has not hid when questioned on it.

If we had him here 5 years ago, we would be in a better place than we are now, im sure of it. As has been said many times before, Right man, wrong time. I think he is someone that could have restored us to the top echelons of world football but we are simply in too much of a mess for someone of his ilk right now.

[Tom_Mc9?]

It is blindingly obvious he should have withdrawn his services immediately after the January transfer window.But he did not and that was a major error on his part.His reputation is now shattered and he will probably be dispensed with.The thought of the huge grin on Agbonlahors face when he goes makes me wish that they do employ Nigel Pearson just to sort the flabby one out. Po

I really do like Garde. At risk of repeating others, he is very dignified in press conference and has done what he can with a horrendous hand. I also think that his reputation will still be intact, particularly in France where he will probably do well at his next club. What you have put your finger on with regards to Gabby Agbonlahor is my fear going into our next appointment: we have far too many players whose poor attitude somewhat amazingly trumps their lack of ability as their main problem and I would hate us to get a manager who lets them get away with it. Gabby, Lescott, Richards and Guzan have shown degrees of poor attitude this season and longer. I'm not even counting N'Zogbia who is thankfully not our problem going forward. There are others too. If we don't get a manager who is strong enough to stand up to them and get rid of them if at all possible (unlikely) then we cannot progress.

Going back to Garde - whilst I like him, I cannot say I will be too sad if he goes. Him and Villa don't seem to 'fit' at this stage - with mistakes being made primarily in January.

[Chico Hamilton III]

It also sits very badly with me.  My metaphor that the mechanic will be sent packing and the man with a big hammer and a can of Easy Start sent for is, I admit, simplistic but in essence true.

We either accept that the whole Villa machine is broken or we don't.  I believe it is broken.  This calamitous season has been coming for the last five years. It is not something that has suddenly happened that can be fixed by a Nigel Pearson character grabbing players by the throat or managerial methods of the same style.

The team needs to be rebuilt totally.  Stupid long term contracts with players of negative value have to be sorted out.  Nothing short of a new start will be needed.

I think Remi Garde has been treated shamefully by the club and nowhere near enough appreciation of the magnitude of the mess he was thrown into extended to him.

If he is replaced whoever takes dinghis place will owe Remi Garde a very big debt of gratitude for having been put in front of the firing squad and having his football career severely damaged by being held to account for circumstances beyond his control and not of his making.

Facing up to a new season in the Championship in August will be a walk in the park compared with walking into the snake pit that was Villa Park last November.

In other threads you've talked about the dignity that Bernstein, King and Hollis will restore to Villa. Yet these will be the people who will be sacking Garde. I'm a bit confused because you seem to be slating the old regime that hired Garde and lauding the new Board who will be sacking him? In which case, I'm in total agreement with you.

[DeKuip]

It also sits very badly with me.  My metaphor that the mechanic will be sent packing and the man with a big hammer and a can of Easy Start sent for is, I admit, simplistic but in essence true.

We either accept that the whole Villa machine is broken or we don't.  I believe it is broken.  This calamitous season has been coming for the last five years. It is not something that has suddenly happened that can be fixed by a Nigel Pearson character grabbing players by the throat or managerial methods of the same style.

The team needs to be rebuilt totally.  Stupid long term contracts with players of negative value have to be sorted out.  Nothing short of a new start will be needed.

I think Remi Garde has been treated shamefully by the club and nowhere near enough appreciation of the magnitude of the mess he was thrown into extended to him.

If he is replaced whoever takes his place will owe Remi Garde a very big debt of gratitude for having been put in front of the firing squad and having his football career severely damaged by being held to account for circumstances beyond his control and not of his making.

Facing up to a new season in the Championship in August will be a walk in the park compared with walking into the snake pit that was Villa Park last November.

Spot on.

The senior players are the biggest problem and any manager we appoint will only be as successful as their attention span allows.

[chrisw1]

For all his dignity and lack of backing we simply should have secured more points that we have since he was appointed.

Ultimately, the love in when we hired him seemed more based on him being different, sounding eloquent and, if people are honest with themselves, I suspect the hope he could be the next Wegner.

But frankly, he appears to have shown absolutely nothing on the training ground or in the dug-out to justify the level of backing he has had (from the fans and on here) and continues to get.  In all honestly he has done a worse job than John Carver.

I would love him to be the next great manager, but for fucks sake he has to show something, surely?

[clash city rocker]

Perhaps the players will now see a board who are less likely to suffer fools and this may make it easier for the manager going forward whoever that may be.

[sid1964]

I could not agree more Brian

For me the biggest problem and has been for 5+ years are the players at our club

I watched Gabby in the warm up before one of our home games, they play 2 touch (supposedly pass and move) football between the 10 outfield players who are starting in the game

Gabby stood at the corner of the pitch and hardly moved, and therein lies the problem, everything they are asked to do is too much like hard work

For me the likes of Gabby / Richards / Guzan etc... will always look to blame someone else it is never there fault

Roy Keane realised that they were all on easy street, and their attitude etc.. could not be changed, we need to get rid of them quickly in the summer.

I think that at the next home game, instead of having a go at Lerner / the Board etc... we ought to let certain players know what we think of them! they are a disgrace to this great Football Club

[peter w]

Garde has been let down by his players. They are not good enough obviously but they were the same players that he knew we had when he decided to take the job. That the board and backroom staff them were inadequate is symptomatic of where we are as a club and for that Garde will have my sympathies. But he has to shoulder a lot of blame because he has failed to get any fight from them. That is his job and he's failed and has also clearly given up. The January window is also a red herring because there is no evidence that he wasn't backed other than our targets went elsewhere for a variety of reasons.

I too like Garde and like every other Villa manager in the Lerner era post MON he can just argue that the club was a mess and nothing that he could do. His reputation of anything will be stronger for the experience.

No Garde has to shoulder his fair proportion of the blame and as has been said if he can't get this lot to run for him then he be they need to go.

[Phil from the upper holte]

So has he gone then?

[paul_e]

Garde has been let down by his players. They are not good enough obviously but they were the same players that he knew we had when he decided to take the job. That the board and backroom staff them were inadequate is symptomatic of where we are as a club and for that Garde will have my sympathies. But he has to shoulder a lot of blame because he has failed to get any fight from them. That is his job and he's failed and has also clearly given up. The January window is also a red herring because there is no evidence that he wasn't backed other than our targets went elsewhere for a variety of reasons.

I too like Garde and like every other Villa manager in the Lerner era post MON he can just argue that the club was a mess and nothing that he could do. His reputation of anything will be stronger for the experience.

No Garde has to shoulder his fair proportion of the blame and as has been said if he can't get this lot to run for him then he be they need to go.

As I've said, I think he started to get something out of the team until the defeat to Liverpool and since then it's looked like everyone has given up on trying to stay up which ties in with what Ginola has said.

What I find interesting is that the 6 games (including the cup games) where Kozak came in are the ones where we looked like we knew what we were doing.  Since then we've had Gabby turn up for his 1 game this season against Norwich and we've lost the rest.  It shows, for me, that having a striker who offers movement and forces defenders to make decisions makes us a better side and probably one that could stay up.  I know it's a small sample but 5 points in 4 games in the midst of this season is a significant 'bump' and the only real difference was up front.

[DBTW]

A good friend who works in the media has just text me to say the story is just about to be released, Garde has gone