Eric Black

[passport1]

As ever with a lot of Villa fans when they take aim at a culprit they exhibit the same accuracy as many of our forwards.

[saunders_heroes]

Wrong you moron.  It was YOU who got booed!

No chance. The club was a disgraceful mess from top to bottom and he was just a symptom of it.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Never could understand  the bile against Eric Black.  He was faced with an  impossible task when he  took over from Gard.  He is right in so far  that the Club was at such a low edge.  Not quite sure what fans actually wanted from him (except the obvious to go away).

Because he could have tried something/anything, but tried nothing different to try to change things.  He had a risk-free shot.  No-one would have blamed him if they didn't work out, and he'd have been a hero if he managed to get a lucky win from somewhere. It's not as if he even managed to steady the ship and pull out a few 0-0 draws with backs to the wall. 

Even the one draw he managed against Newcastle, merely bit us on the arse this season.

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

As I have said before, I consider him to be the worst of the bad bunch of post MON managers because he was the only one who got a free hit and still managed to enrage the long suffering fans while allowing rigor mortis to set in.

I'm with you on this Brian. The difference between Black and the others was that he was under no real pressure. We were already doomed, all he had to do was instil some professionalism and salvage some pride; anyone with an ounce of either and some integrity should have been capable of that. He did nothing at all to address any of problems he inherited. I wanted someone who at least appeared to care, instead we got another arrogant, self-serving coward, only this one rubbed our noses in it by serving up and tolerating the same and worse.

Frankly I'm sick of people who were complicit in our demise queuing up to tell us how none of it was their fault.

[peter w]

He's right, the whole place was a mess but he didn't help himself with some of his awful team selections.

I agree. Why he didn't pick all those stars that we had last season was a mystery.

[Gareth]

Never seen a mgr whose height of ambition was a 0-0 draw, had a free hit to go for it but refused to try.

[paul_e]

I honestly think our shitty start to the season could have, in part, been mitigated by someone at least trying to get us setup and ready to go this season, much like we're wanting Bruce to do now.  Playing a bunch of wasters that most of the fans wanted out and not giving any thought to the future is why I disliked him at the time and everything I've seen from him since seems to back up the idea that he was just coasting.

[peter w]

I honestly think he was trying as much as possible to write off the season, return some solidity, and protect the younger players as much as possible from the toxicity that was surrounding the club. Fans abusing players constantly, the club seemingly going from one headline mockery after an other on a daily basis, an owner that didn't care, and a backroom staff - as we are now finding out, that we either shambolic, didn't care, or just weren't there.

He absolutely was trying to prepare us for the league below and by letting the players that had got us into the position we were by and large be the players who shouldered the burden for the clubs last few games. I think he was absolutely right to do so. We were long gone by the time he took over and the free hand people believe he was handed was a myth. he took over a horrible club at a horrible time.

[Rigadon]

I honestly think our shitty start to the season could have, in part, been mitigated by someone at least trying to get us setup and ready to go this season, much like we're wanting Bruce to do now.  Playing a bunch of wasters that most of the fans wanted out and not giving any thought to the future is why I disliked him at the time and everything I've seen from him since seems to back up the idea that he was just coasting.

Yes agree.   Yes, the vibe at the club was toxic, but still... Awful period in the clubs history made somehow worse by pretty much everyone involved.

[Dave Cooper please]

I'm not sure throwing the kids into that mess would have helped us and more importantly, them. They were better off out of it until we could start to rebuild. The kids coming into the side now are guaranteed the full support of the fans and are coming into a side that is starting to find it's feet in this division and gaining the confidence that comes with winning games.

[OzVilla]

Agreed, I think throwing the kids into that situation would've done them far more harm than good.

The whole club was in anarchy, playing staff and supporters, but pulling in totally different directions.  By February I just wanted the season to end and to see no young, promising Villa careers wrecked along the way.

[chrisw1]

I honestly think he was trying as much as possible to write off the season, return some solidity, and protect the younger players as much as possible from the toxicity that was surrounding the club. Fans abusing players constantly, the club seemingly going from one headline mockery after an other on a daily basis, an owner that didn't care, and a backroom staff - as we are now finding out, that we either shambolic, didn't care, or just weren't there.

He absolutely was trying to prepare us for the league below and by letting the players that had got us into the position we were by and large be the players who shouldered the burden for the clubs last few games. I think he was absolutely right to do so. We were long gone by the time he took over and the free hand people believe he was handed was a myth. he took over a horrible club at a horrible time.

I entirely agree with this and recall saying similar at the time.  The atmosphere was really toxic, but I was told in the thread it was 'targeted booing' and the kids would have been fine.  He didn't cover himself in glory and I wouldn't want him back, but I kind of felt he 'took one for the team' at the time.  But in other peoples eyes he's a coward etc.  It's amazing how differently we all see things I guess.

[TheTimVilla]

The kids would have been supported, I'm sure of it. Those who got booed had already exhausted our patience. In fact, whenever a youth player came on, I can only remember total support for them.

[paul_e]

It's not just saying 'throw the kids in' though.  It was saying that we should've been looking at who had a future at the club and who didn't and going from there.  The best player in that period was very probably Lyden who looked interested like he was playing for a spot in the squad.  A lot of the others had clearly downed tools and given up on the basis that they either didn't care as long as they got paid or knew they'd be looking for a new club as soon as the season finished.  The toxic atmosphere was as much because of the attitude of the players as anything else.

On top of that I disagree that bringing kids in when things aren't going well doesn't help them.  That is very dependent on their own personality, giving them an early insight into the level required and an experience of failing can be a kick up the arse to get an extra bit of effort.

[john e]

I honestly think he was trying as much as possible to write off the season, return some solidity, and protect the younger players as much as possible from the toxicity that was surrounding the club. Fans abusing players constantly, the club seemingly going from one headline mockery after an other on a daily basis, an owner that didn't care, and a backroom staff - as we are now finding out, that we either shambolic, didn't care, or just weren't there.

He absolutely was trying to prepare us for the league below and by letting the players that had got us into the position we were by and large be the players who shouldered the burden for the clubs last few games. I think he was absolutely right to do so. We were long gone by the time he took over and the free hand people believe he was handed was a myth. he took over a horrible club at a horrible time.

don't agree with any of this Peter
managers don't tend to think to much about anyone else just themselves, especially ones who know they will be out of a job soon and need to show what they can do
this was a shop window for Black, he bottled it
a free pass, he bottled it
a chance to show he was a bit different than what had gone before, he bottled it

the players were getting a load of abuse but all we wanted was something to cheer, something to at least get behind and all we got was a team full of wasters every week, it was a absolute joke, and he was a joke of a manager and to say he was somehow looking out for the kids is to give him a whole load of respect that he does'nt deserve

if he was to blood a few new players the fans would have backed them to the hilt, iv'e absolutely no doubt about that, that's what we do, but what we also do is give dogs abuse to them that deserve it, and that's what they got

the atmosphere especially at away games was incredibly jovial, actually some of the best times atmosphere wise I can remember, thousands every week going to watch the worst team in living memory, but we still a ball, the players were a disgrace mind, and some should never have been picked and the fact they were is down to Black,
the worst manager if you include caretakers we ever had, it was tantamount to a dereliction of duty

you saw what he was like in that undercover operation on tv, there's no way he would be 'taking one for the team' take the money and run more like,
 he typifies everthing I hate about football managers especially old school British ones, no imagination, no tactics, no idea, useless really