Manager for next season

[Richard E]

I had a Geography teacher like that, put me off the subject and until I met another Welsh person, the Welsh. He picked on the hardest lad in our year once (nice guy, very laid back), prodding him in the chest attempting to humiliate him in front of the class and hoping to provoke him.
He then made the mistake of turning his back on him. Only time I've seen a teacher flat on their back and a class cheering.

We had a Geography teacher from Wales and her nickname was "Welsh Mountains." I'll leave the reasons for that to your imagination...

She had such bad dandruff that it looked like she was Snowed on?

Badoom tish!

She may well have done, but none of us were looking at her hair so I've no idea.

[Bestmate]

The biggest wanker teacher I had was Mr Sewell, who taught modern languages at Aldridge. There has yet to be a word invented which could adequately define the loathing I have for that man.

I was at Aldridge school when Mr Fox was history teacher. He was eventually sent down for two years for speedoffeelya!

I never heard anything about that. It was either far before my time or a lot later. I was there 92-99.

Way before-this ol git was of the last grammar intake that left in 81. Win the league, european cup, then off to uni. Thsoe were the days!! I think Mr Jemkins was still there during your time. Good bloke from what i remember.

[lukey27]

I think it's important to make the distinction between really unpalatable, disruptive nutcases like Billy Davies / Paolo Di Canio and Nigel Pearson.

There was an interview with Alex Ferguson in the summer in which he said he told Pearson that he had to be nastier with everyone in order to keep them up. Nastier with the press, players, staff and create a siege mentality.

Since leaving Leicester, he seems to have picked up various monikers; Bully, Victorian tactician, nothing without his coaches etc.

His record is good, and he brought that team of coaches to Leicester, set that structure up and also bought very sensibly in the transfer market. He can also happily work with a sporting director and certainly isn't scared of flair players. This is no backward "stick it in the mixer" manager.

For me it's about perception. As football fans we love to run the rule over managers and 9 times out of 10 if they've been sacked by a club not in the 'Big 4' they're considered failures never to be employed again. Would we be rejecting Mourinho on bully grounds or would we just be saying, he's exactly what we need. [By the way I don't think Pearson is in the league of Mourinho]

I'm not advocating Pearson, but I find some of the wailing a bit far fetched "never set foot inside Villa Park again" etc. With the mess of the squad we have and the fact we'll be playing in the Championship next year, we should be convincing Pearson we're the right club for him not the other way round.

[curiousorange]

I appreciate that point about Pearson, but maybe he would have been the better option over Garde because a siege mentality would have helped back in November. It's of no use now, though, and hopefully if we get to clear the decks in summer it'll be a positive mentality that gets us moving forward.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

But I'm hoping it is Moyes if the next manager is British. Anyone after that seems a massive let down.

There's such little choice, it really is quite depressing. Moyes may be a respected name in the game, it will read well in the press and judging by the reaction on here most will be delighted but I'm really not a fan. It's all well and good saying we must have a British manager but when you look at the quality around it doesn't make sense. Just because Garde never worked out we suddenly close the doors to the rest of the world. There's managers like Frank de Boer out there that you'd hope could be convinced to take on the major job we so desperately require.

[Bestmate]

I appreciate that point about Pearson, but maybe he would have been the better option over Garde because a siege mentality would have helped back in November. It's of no use now, though, and hopefully if we get to clear the decks in summer it'll be a positive mentality that gets us moving forward.

Totally agree. Some of the current squad are going to be there next season and after the battering from all quarters this season will require almost therapy to get them confident again. That does not strike me as Pearson's forte. It going to be so tough for whoever comes in to get the right balance.

[oldtimernow]

Pearson reminds me of my Physics Teacher at Grammar School, a psychopathic bully. I've read nothing in a variety of articles to dissuade me from that view.

Sounds like mine Mr Lonsdale at King Edwards Aston. A wanker of such magnitude you can find him filed alongside the likes of Richards, M and Agbonlahor, G.

He must have been after my time, now H T was a hard man

[olaftab]

So new manager ITK is confined to news about the Welsh teacher with mountains? This is mysterious like twin peaks!

[Toronto Villa]

But I'm hoping it is Moyes if the next manager is British. Anyone after that seems a massive let down.

There's such little choice, it really is quite depressing. Moyes may be a respected name in the game, it will read well in the press and judging by the reaction on here most will be delighted but I'm really not a fan. It's all well and good saying we must have a British manager but when you look at the quality around it doesn't make sense. Just because Garde never worked out we suddenly close the doors to the rest of the world. There's managers like Frank de Boer out there that you'd hope could be convinced to take on the major job we so desperately require.

Had we somehow managed to stay up the likes of De Boer might have been an option. I imagine the pool of managers willing to drop to English footballs second tier isn't massive. Not saying there isn't someone out there but right now above all else we need to bring some stability back to the club. The board will want to make a sensible decision as opposed to one with any level of risk tied to it. It might not be a sexy choice but for right here and now, a measured one.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

But I'm hoping it is Moyes if the next manager is British. Anyone after that seems a massive let down.

There's such little choice, it really is quite depressing. Moyes may be a respected name in the game, it will read well in the press and judging by the reaction on here most will be delighted but I'm really not a fan. It's all well and good saying we must have a British manager but when you look at the quality around it doesn't make sense. Just because Garde never worked out we suddenly close the doors to the rest of the world. There's managers like Frank de Boer out there that you'd hope could be convinced to take on the major job we so desperately require.

Had we somehow managed to stay up the likes of De Boer might have been an option. I imagine the pool of managers willing to drop to English footballs second tier isn't massive. Not saying there isn't someone out there but right now above all else we need to bring some stability back to the club. The board will want to make a sensible decision as opposed to one with any level of risk tied to it. It might not be a sexy choice but for right here and now, a measured one.

Whoever we bring in will be a risk, I just hope that automatic promotion next season is the unique objective. We really can't afford to be pissing about in the Championship for a couple of seasons. I completely agree on "right here and now" solution but it would be rather nice if we could actually build some consistency in footballing terms rather than jumping from pillar to post with each new appointment.

Reading Brian's comment earlier, if we have already made the decision I expect we'll hear about it very soon for unofficial sources. Obviously, as others have mentioned, no manager wants a relegation on his CV, so we'll have to wait a week or two more. We're facing the most expensive summer in our history, I just hope that our board have persuaded Randy Lerner that he'll need to invest if he ever wants to see any return on his investment.

Another point that hopefully we'll be able to compare over the coming months is how Newcastle approach relegation and their managerial replacement. Two large, messed up clubs with similar problems. I'm hoping we for once are actually more 'prepared'.

[Chris Jameson]

Maybe it was a slip of the tongue but Bernstein definitely said "English". I've a feeling he meant British though because we've had tremendous success with them in recent years.

The position we're in we should be delighted if Moyes wants to join us, chance for him to start again, whoever took over from Ferguson was on to a loser and his spell at Man United shouldn't be held against him, Van Gaal has struggled there and he's got a pretty impressive record. He may have struggled in Spain but at least he wasn't afraid to give it a go, if the alternative is Pearson we should give Moyes anything he wants.

[Toronto Villa]

Moyes deserves a pass for his time at Man U because it's hardly been a piece of piss for LVG despite his vast experience and spending the GDP sufficient to support a number of nations on this planet, curing world hunger in the process.

[ClaretAndBlueBlood]

a lot of the names being linked are people who may well get us up but have dodgy premier league records meaning that if we were to employ them, we would most likely have to start again if we get promoted

Moyes doesn't fill me with any great excitement but, at least if it is him, we could justifiably expect him to be able to consolidate us back in the top flight following promotion, always assuming that he is given the tools to work with

I think its fair to say that none of the names linked are all that inspiring

[brian green]

Reading between the lines of my son's text to me that it is already sorted, the nugget of possible truth is that Remi Garde and Gianluca Vialli front up mainland Europe television football programmes.  They certainly know each other so perhaps they have spoken to each other in the past week.  Is it possible Remi said he wanted out after Liverpool but agreed to stay until Moyes/Pearson/Potatohead/Mad Mick/FatSam/Big Nose/Dyche on a Byche/Howesyerfather/Roy Rodgers has signed.  Who knows? Certainly not I but based on my lad having lunch with the ex Sporting Director of AC Milan last week and coffee with Vialli today, I gave him an unbreakable fatherly order.  If you come into contact with Berlusconi tell him to buy us, pronto.

[Steve67]

In the line of work my son met Gianluca Vialli in Cannes this morning. He asked him if he was interested in the Villa job.  "Too late" was the reply with heavy implication that the deal is already done.

Why didn't he ask him who? Brian, you're such a tease!! Full story please!! Ha ha.