AGM - Protest

[cheltenhamlion]

What an eternal pity a few thousand more of you couldn't be arsed to join the anti Mcleish protest on the steps of the Holte.

Why? If those people were protesting at his shit football and the stupidity of flip flopping from Martinez to him I would have joined in.

They weren't though. What we instead git was some minor criminal damage and lots of shouting that we "don't want a nose".

It was embarrassing at the time and used as a stick to beat our entire support with throughout his tenure.

[tomd2103]

What an eternal pity a few thousand more of you couldn't be arsed to join the anti Mcleish protest on the steps of the Holte.

Why? If those people were protesting at his shit football and the stupidity of flip flopping from Martinez to him I would have joined in.

They weren't though. What we instead git was some minor criminal damage and lots of shouting that we "don't want a nose".

It was embarrassing at the time and used as a stick to beat our entire support with throughout his tenure.

Don't think it would have made any difference anyway, as they seemed set on McLeish.  I still have absolutely no idea why - it was a baffling appointment on every level. 

[kippaxvilla2]

Martinez or McLeish - that tells you all you need to know about the collective football knowledge of the custodians of the club at the time.

[conman]

Martinez or McLeish - that tells you all you need to know about the collective football knowledge of the custodians of the club at the time.

wasnt the job offered to martinez first

[AVH87]

What an eternal pity a few thousand more of you couldn't be arsed to join the anti Mcleish protest on the steps of the Holte.

Why? If those people were protesting at his shit football and the stupidity of flip flopping from Martinez to him I would have joined in.

They weren't though. What we instead git was some minor criminal damage and lots of shouting that we "don't want a nose".

It was embarrassing at the time and used as a stick to beat our entire support with throughout his tenure.

Not quite how I remember it from being stood on the steps of the Holte End. Lots of 'we don't want Mcleish', and 'first game, and you've got no fans'. I didn't want him because I thought he was a crap manager, who played a dull style of football and had just been relegated from the division. How do you know others didn't feel the same?

The media, Shearer etc. on MOTD spent half the season saying 'they won't accept him because of where he's come from', and would have done that whether we'd protested or not, due to their sheer ignorance.

[Lucky Eddie]

What an eternal pity a few thousand more of you couldn't be arsed to join the anti Mcleish protest on the steps of the Holte.

Why? If those people were protesting at his shit football and the stupidity of flip flopping from Martinez to him I would have joined in.

They weren't though. What we instead git was some minor criminal damage and lots of shouting that we "don't want a nose".

It was embarrassing at the time and used as a stick to beat our entire support with throughout his tenure.

There was a protest at his appointment - you didn't have to agree with every protesters reason for being there. 

Everyone I spoke to that day was protesting the appointment of a poorly qualified manager, if small heath had been playing attractive structured football I wouldn't have been there - but they weren't - they were awful and the heathens were glad to see the back of him.

MON's departure gave Lerner a bloody nose and he's been taking it out on us ever since - the time to stand up to him was five years ago; and in our thousands we failed to do so.

[AVH87]

What an eternal pity a few thousand more of you couldn't be arsed to join the anti Mcleish protest on the steps of the Holte.

Why? If those people were protesting at his shit football and the stupidity of flip flopping from Martinez to him I would have joined in.

They weren't though. What we instead git was some minor criminal damage and lots of shouting that we "don't want a nose".

It was embarrassing at the time and used as a stick to beat our entire support with throughout his tenure.

There was a protest at his appointment - you didn't have to agree with every protesters reason for being there. 

Everyone I spoke to that day was protesting the appointment of a poorly qualified manager, if small heath had been playing attractive structured football I wouldn't have been there - but they weren't - they were awful and the heathens were glad to see the back of him.

MON's departure gave Lerner a bloody nose and he's been taking it out on us ever since - the time to stand up to him was five years ago; and in our thousands we failed to do so.

Agreed, less than 1000 turned up to protest and that appointment was where the downward spiral really started. Instead fans just drifted away meekly, hoping things would improve and then they could return rather than being pro-active, reflected by gates of just 32 and 30 thousand for our first two home games that season, when the season before we'd averaged 37 thousand.

[conman]

What an eternal pity a few thousand more of you couldn't be arsed to join the anti Mcleish protest on the steps of the Holte.

Why? If those people were protesting at his shit football and the stupidity of flip flopping from Martinez to him I would have joined in.

They weren't though. What we instead git was some minor criminal damage and lots of shouting that we "don't want a nose".

It was embarrassing at the time and used as a stick to beat our entire support with throughout his tenure.

There was a protest at his appointment - you didn't have to agree with every protesters reason for being there. 

Everyone I spoke to that day was protesting the appointment of a poorly qualified manager, if small heath had been playing attractive structured football I wouldn't have been there - but they weren't - they were awful and the heathens were glad to see the back of him.

MON's departure gave Lerner a bloody nose and he's been taking it out on us ever since - the time to stand up to him was five years ago; and in our thousands we failed to do so.

Agreed, less than 1000 turned up to protest and that appointment was where the downward spiral really started. Instead fans just drifted away meekly, hoping things would improve and then they could return rather than being pro-active, reflected by gates of just 32 and 30 thousand for our first two home games that season, when the season before we'd averaged 37 thousand.

There was a bigger turnout to sing the bells are ringing

[kippaxvilla2]

Martinez or McLeish - that tells you all you need to know about the collective football knowledge of the custodians of the club at the time.

wasnt the job offered to martinez first

We never actually spoke to him.  But they hardly continued their search for a cultural football genius did they?

A Villa statement read: 'The club would like to thank Wigan Athletic Football Club and its chairman, Dave Whelan, for their professionalism in dealing with our request to speak to Roberto Martinez. 'Roberto's qualities as a young and aspirational manager ensured him of a position high on our short list of potential new managers.
'Given that he had one year remaining on his contract at Wigan, we made an official approach through the proper channels, though we were aware of a commitment he had made to his club to agree and sign a new contract following the final game of last season.
'Roberto met with his chairman earlier this week and he has made the decision to honour his commitment to Wigan.
'Therefore, we have not met Roberto and we have not had the opportunity to discuss the vacant managerial role with him.
'We remain focused and are working hard to secure the best candidate for Aston Villa who will complement the club's commitment to be true to our heritage, competitiveness and passionate fan base, and will have the new manager in place to prepare the players for the pre-season programme and next season's campaign.'

[luke95]

Martinez or McLeish - that tells you all you need to know about the collective football knowledge of the custodians of the club at the time.

wasnt the job offered to martinez first

He was never offered the job but an interview about the job. Which he refused... Well that's what was reported at the time .

I wonder how different things might've been if we simply offered him the job & not an interview about the job .

[tomd2103]

Martinez or McLeish - that tells you all you need to know about the collective football knowledge of the custodians of the club at the time.

Steve McLaren was in their thinking at the time as well, wasn't he?

[SoccerHQ]

Yes and Benitez also turned down the job that summer after discussions.

[cheltenhamlion]

Some things get confused with when we took on Houllier. That was the first time you knew they were out of their depth.

Randy offered it to Moyes and thought he would walk here. He wouldn't drop Everton in it like MON had with us, so we asked for CV's to be sent in!

If I remember correctly both McLaren and Curbishley were on the same shortlist before the job went elsewhere. Venues fucked off in 5 minutes flat once he was told "the vision" (and budget).

Hughes was dismissed out of hand after less time for being too full of his own self importance and presumptuous for ditching Fulham before we called him.

Throw the McLeish/Martinez brain fart in and then sit back and wonder how we ended up here (and that is before you even start on Lambert and fucking Sherwood).

[saunders_heroes]

I'm not so sure it's down to us taking on the wrong manager, I think it's more down to the better managers turning us down on every occasion.

[themossman]

Immediately after MON left we should have still been a highly attractive proposition. The problem was most of them seemed to see straight through Randy's BS and realised it was going to be a hiding to nothing.