Brian Little and David Bernstein to join the board

[Stirchley Villain]

Stirchley, are you saying that you'd sack the current management team, appoint a new manager with the aim of making us stand still, in the Championship, for five years? Surely that change of management would be a forward thinking step to get us back quicker, even if we spend no money, as you seem to be suggesting?

Sorry your post makes no sense.

[Steve67]

Stirchley, are you saying that you'd sack the current management team, appoint a new manager with the aim of making us stand still, in the Championship, for five years? Surely that change of management would be a forward thinking step to get us back quicker, even if we spend no money, as you seem to be suggesting?

Sorry your post makes no sense.

I suggest you reread what you posted on the previous page and amend it. Get ready for five years in the Championship you said, select a manager to bloody noses, but select someone who is happy to stay in the Championship and spend no money?  Not sure I agree with your strategy but each to their own I guess.  May I ask, which manager would you choose? I presume you don't want to stick with Garde?

[edgysatsuma89]

As much as we all love Sir Brian, I think it will make no difference. Why isn't he an employee or proper board member?  To me it's similar to when Krulak was on all the fan sites. A quick and easy sop for the fans to take the pressure off Lerner.

Probably because he hasn't got the time to be an employee or director.

Window dressing I suppose.

They're doing what's been demanded for years and it's window dressing. What exactly would you want them to do?

Oh Dave... you poor misguided fool.

Really? In what way? Do tell me how I'm misguided and a fool for seeing the appointments of a) a respected football man and b) one of the three or four most respected Villa men of all as anything other than a good move. I'd love to know.

Dave I think this is a trust issue more than anything else. Many of us cannot quite believe that it is all going to turn around and be OK after telling the Owner/Board for years what we think might be a good idea. It is a bit of a shallow move when we are all but relegated and looking at a season in the Championship so hoping that crowds don't fall, shirts are still sold etc.

You are absolutely correct in your what you say and I do not believe you are misguided or a fool - but you may be a little too trusting? I for one hope this is a sea change in attitude.

I wholeheartedly agree with the move but this is it for me. I'm too cynical to not think it. I wish I was less cynical to be honest as I'd enjoy things more. Glad SBL is on (advisor to the) board.

[ozzjim]

Why does someone with the experience Little has need to have been a manager in the last 10 years?

Brian Marwood - with next to no coaching experience advised the Man City board for a long time. Leicester have a director of football that was an academy coach.

The Spurs board is mainly financial people, with their director of football operations being someone that worked for QPR previously and is not, and was not a manager etc in the last 10 years.

The difference with Villa now is that we have the genuine financial expertise in Hollis, King and Bernstein that we have not had at all previously, and on top of that there is a realisation that there is not enough common sense football knowledge (although adding the former chairman of the FA and the guy that brought City back up through the divisions is not a bad addition on that front) so have pulled in someone with genuine affinity with the club, who is respected in the game, as an advisor.

It is about his ability to be a sounding board and offer advice on the strategic direction of the club surely. A board of directors are not there to all be the subject experts, but one or 2 that know different aspects of the business and can offer scrutiny of that and ask the uncomfortable questions to allow the chair to run it properly can only be a positive thing. Questioning if Little has the right credentials to do that is just odd. He is not the one who is going to be doing the tactics, taking team talks and signing players. He might well be the one who is asked advice on ideas about appointments, club structure, and strategic direction of the team. Of which I think he is perfectly placed. It is not an onerous role, but very helpful I would think to Hollis and King.

And if not him, who is?

[Stirchley Villain]

Stirchley, are you saying that you'd sack the current management team, appoint a new manager with the aim of making us stand still, in the Championship, for five years? Surely that change of management would be a forward thinking step to get us back quicker, even if we spend no money, as you seem to be suggesting?

Sorry your post makes no sense.

I suggest you reread what you posted on the previous page and amend it. Get ready for five years in the Championship you said, select a manager to bloody noses, but select someone who is happy to stay in the Championship and spend no money?  Not sure I agree with your strategy but each to their own I guess.  May I ask, which manager would you choose? I presume you don't want to stick with Garde?

Why would I amend? You obviously understood it.

[pbavfckuwait]

Can see the cynical point of view, a scoop to appease what was getting rather nasty down at B6, but we seem to have tried previously to put this structure off the field into place, but I believe filled it with the wrong people.

Football is like a lot of businesses," who you know as well as what you know" and you have someone like Bernstein who knows the corridors of power within football as well as any one, an example we would probably have not got the visa refused for the goalie, as Bernstein would have seen the list of people on the panel and immediately objected to the woman from Sunderland being allowed to sit on it, Fox probably was not aware of who she was, more than likely.

Holis and King offer a financial balance and then Bernstein with the knowledge and contacts overall, add to it Sir Brian who as has been stated even if they use him as the voice from the boardroom to the masses, will be listened to and respected and I also believe loves the club so much that if he was being fed a load of bull would tell them what to do with his advisory role. King and Sir Brian as Gregory stated feel the hurt like we do, when the results go against us, my only concern is how Randy is going to play the purse strings, all the good people in the world need some financial backing to get us out of this mess.

[brian green]

My view is that the purse strings are much more likely to be slackened by financial competents like Hollis, King and Bernstein if there is a plan in place that is more than the sopping up or proposed sopping up of players like Cole, Senderos, Adebeyor, Lescott, Richards, Townsend or Berbatov. If we are to endure more financial stringency, which I think is very much on the cards I hope it prioritises the cutting out of wasting money, not just not spending any.  We desperately need a striker, a centre back, a goalkeeper and a midfield bully whatever division we are in.  They must be a priority over cost cutting elsewhere.

[pbavfckuwait]

Brian we have needed that spine for quite a while, but the losses posted last week makes me more worried about Holis and the de-facto administrator.

[brian green]

Agree Kuwait but I think the triumvirate of Hollis, King and Bernstein are expert enough to make savings of sufficient size to permit those vital acquisitions.  A garage sale of the non triers should raise enough money for one, maybe two strengthenings.  The staunching of the wound that is N'Zogbia could fund another.  Other winning clubs manage on tight budgets, why shouldn't we?

[Neil Hawkes]

As Brian has said, the appointment of 3 x experienced money men, 1 of which knows how a successful football club works and another who knows what a successful Villa see used to look like; then I would hope that the purse strings would be loosened for the right acquisitions at the right time.

[dave.woodhall]

It strikes me that the bottom line is - we asked for something, got it, and for some it's still wrong. These two appointments are not all we need but no-one is claiming that they are. They may, though, prove to be part of what we need and that's not spin, being conned or wishful thinking. It's a fact.

[PaulWinch again]

It strikes me that the bottom line is - we asked for something, got it, and for some it's still wrong. These two appointments are not all we need but no-one is claiming that they are. They may, though, prove to be part of what we need and that's not spin, being conned or wishful thinking. It's a fact.

I'd agree there are some people that'll always see the negative.

[Ron Manager]

Summer will be interesting I think. Mr Lerner may release a few pounds for the manager,be it Remi Garde or not, but not a significant  ammount that could make a big difference. As we know N'Zogbia and Richardson will be leaving so that will help. Its possible that Richards also will move on to somewhere like Crystal Palace or a newly promoted club. I think Paddy Reilly and the stats bloke will quietly disappear but Fox may stay and work on the commercial side which is his forte.

Assuming Randy does not find a buyer it will be down to the manager ,who on reflection with the new input at Board level will more than likely be British,to hit the ground running and get a few early wins.

Two things of which you can be certain. The away support will be magnificent and Gabriel Agbonlahor will still be there and still weasel his way into the first team from time to time.

[Mister E]

... the manager ,who on reflection with the new input at Board level will more than likely be British ...

How do you draw that conclusion?

[Ron Manager]

... the manager ,who on reflection with the new input at Board level will more than likely be British ...

How do you draw that conclusion?

Because Mervyn King and Bernstein should have an extensive knowledge of players and managers in the British Isles as should Brian Little through his pundit work. To get a top class foreign manager, such as Simone, you have to pay big money. British managers in the lower divisions come cheap and that I fear is what we will get.