Welcome Roberto Di Matteo and Steve Clarke

[Nunkin1965]

I've been very critical of the guy because I think he was in a total no lose situation.
I don't think anybody on here would have criticised him if he'd mixed things up a bit.
Because he never ever tried anything different he won't be remembered for anything he did for us.

Sure he's a real nice guy though.

[Nunkin1965]

Welcome to the Villa Robbie & Steve btw.

[sickbeggar]

Black took a job that no-one else wanted and with no chance of it turning out to his advantage. For that he has my respect

[Dante Lavelli]

RDM on his own is okay.  Add Clarke and it's a very solid bit of work.

The BBC article stated that Clarke will take charge of the players on a day to day basis.  Anyone else think it was odd to highlight this when RDM is the manager?

[dave shelley]

Black took a job that no-one else wanted and with no chance of it turning out to his advantage. For that he has my respect

Well, as far as I'm concerned he could have:

a) Turned it down.

b) accepted it with a view to honing his managerial skills.

c) Most importantly of all as far as I'm concerned.  Tried to mix things up by changing tactics, introducing young and promising players thereby proving to supporters that he was aware that for some, the money they had paid to watch his shit could have been better spent elsewhere.

For that, he can fuck off, and when he gets there...

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Welcome gentlemen.
I hope you are both wonderfully successful in your new posts!

UTV!

[West Derby Villan]

The Steve Clarke appointment is interesting and very welcome.

Whilst I'm pleased we've got Di Matteo getting Steve Clarke in assistant is a real bonus. Onwards and upwards, we're on our way back!

Yeah looks a good partnership to me as well

[brian green]

It was not supposed to be to his advantage.  His duty was to the club not himself.

[Walmley_Villa]

Didn't RDM have a reputation at Albion of not being on the training ground? Same applied to MON and Lambert (except when the latter's staff were sacked of course).

[Dazvillain]

How can BBC get the scoop even before it's on the official Villa site?

They're on a tea break.

Because Jack WOODWARD also left AVFC today so reporting of this non existent too!?

[TB]

They would be barking mad to employ Black.  Utterly quackers.

Yes, definitely not any kind of bird dog (UK or US). Don't even think he'd be able to pick up the bill.

[sickbeggar]

Black took a job that no-one else wanted and with no chance of it turning out to his advantage. For that he has my respect

Well, as far as I'm concerned he could have:

a) Turned it down.

b) accepted it with a view to honing his managerial skills.

c) Most importantly of all as far as I'm concerned.  Tried to mix things up by changing tactics, introducing young and promising players thereby proving to supporters that he was aware that for some, the money they had paid to watch his shit could have been better spent elsewhere.

For that, he can fuck off, and when he gets there...

This is a pointless argument now, but if you think a caretaker manager with NO authority at all could come in and do something that the proper managers in sherwood and garde couldn't manage then i think you had very very high expectations of him. At the very least he at least mixed it with some of the ego's in the squad which is more than the preceding two guys did.

Like i said no-one wanted the poisoned chalice of the inevitable relegation, or not on what they were paying Black. If you know a whole host of managers or coaches who fancied managing that dressing room for the countdown to relegation then name them...

[dave shelley]

And as I said, he could have turned it down.

[sickbeggar]

And as I said, he could have turned it down.

yeah and that would have left us where? Lerner in his tracksuit?

[Monty]

I think he got paid to do a job and didn't do it all that well. There were some things he did that I liked, like telling Gabby to feck off, but sending out such meek teams for no reason was disappointing to say the least.