Dr T has pulled the trigger

[brian green]

I think you are right PW.  He is on notice.  He and Steve Clarke and Kevin Bond need to be told, personally by the owner that the performances this season are massively unacceptable.  For good measure they should be told that another spending spree in January would not be acceptable as an alternative to making the existing squad deliver.

[Risso]

Sacking him would be pretty daft I think. Who on earth do you think will come in who's better?

He's got to have at least til Xmas.

You can't sack someone after a handful of games.

No you're right and we shouldn't. The internet brings out the impaitence in some fans though.

Patronising nonsense.  It isn't the 'internet' making people impatient, it's the fact that we haven't won an away game in over a year and so far this season nothing much seems to have changed.  It wasn't people on the internet booing against Brentford.

[olaftab]

Internet does nothing more than how fans react in the ground during the match and after the match. This forum exactly reflects the rumblings or otherwise I pick up  at Villa Park.

[Meanwood Villa]

As bad as things are at the moment I just don't see how anyone can say he's been given a fair chance if he's given the boot after 8 games. Graham Taylor wouldn't have still been our manager in 89/90 if some people on here were making the decisions.

[Ormy Droid]

It's worrying that RDM is now seemingly in full on Sherwood mode already...Failing to shore up the midfield against Forest and leaving Westwood (Westwood!) on his own...Shoving Kodija (who'd just completely re-invigorated our forward play) out wide in favour of The Walking Dead...And now reaching for the 532, always a desperate move.

But at least we have stopped losing every single game we play, so there had been some kind of progress. He does need to start showing he can win some games fairly soon though.

[mr underhill]

drawing every game in this league isn't progress though after spending the money we have - a  spanking against the Toon and Robbie's toast.

[Ormy Droid]

Of course we should be doing better, and we would be if we hadn't thrown away so many points from conceding late goals. But once a losing mentality takes its grip, it can be difficult to shift, regardless of the division. But if we lose to Birmingham, I'd happily decapitate him myself.

[Clampy]

Internet does nothing more than how fans react in the ground during the match and after the match. This forum exactly reflects the rumblings or otherwise I pick up  at Villa Park.

Let's take yesterday. 10 minutes into the game, someone posts on here 'I wonder what Tony's thoughts are on this' and that was just 10 minutes into the game. Like someone said above, if the internet had been around in 1987, people would have been wanting Sir Graham out after a similar start. 2 years later, he nearly won us the title. I do think a bit more patience is needed, especially after what an absolute mess we were last season.

[john e]

Sadly we arnt improving any,
in fact we played better in the two games we have lost this season than the last two draws

[Chico Hamilton III]

Why have so many people lowered their standards? We were going to romp the league a couple of weeks ago, now we need to "gel" and consolidate. Next thing we'll be glad to stay in this division. Not acceptable to me, RDM knew his brief before he took over - to get promotion, not to spend a season down here to sort things out. And unless he wins the next 7 games we can stop the silly comparisons with Graham Taylor. I Would imagine that Xia will be even less patient. Newcastle, Blues and Wolves coming up soon- pressure's on.

[Villafirst]

The very things the Manager was brought in to do, like organisation, tactics and motivation, he's failed on all of them. Pull that trigger and call for Bruce.

[Risso]

Like someone said above, if the internet had been around in 1987, people would have been wanting Sir Graham out after a similar start. 2 years later, he nearly won us the title. I do think a bit more patience is needed, especially after what an absolute mess we were last season.

Maybe.  So you're guaranteeing that RDM's career path is going to take the same trajectory as Taylor's?  If it doesn't, at which point do you stop insulting fellow posters for holding a different opinion to you?

[KevinGage]

Internet does nothing more than how fans react in the ground during the match and after the match. This forum exactly reflects the rumblings or otherwise I pick up  at Villa Park.

Let's take yesterday. 10 minutes into the game, someone posts on here 'I wonder what Tony's thoughts are on this' and that was just 10 minutes into the game. Like someone said above, if the internet had been around in 1987, people would have been wanting Sir Graham out after a similar start...

I don't think that's quite right.

Graham Taylor had shown himself to be one of the best managers in the First Division. Him coming to Villa at that time was an enormous coup for the club. He was a popular appointment, and that always buys time with the fanbase - see Lambert.

He also didn't have the luxury of completely rebuilding the side in one summer with the type of financial backing Di Matteo has enjoyed.

Di Matteo could field virtually a full XI of his signings.  Taylor's sides in that opening run of 87/88 were made up of most of the mentally scarred rag tag band who had dragged us down to the Second Division in the first place.

Under normal circumstances, I would say it is perfectly reasonable to say a side that has had so much money spent on it needs time to gel. But our issues this season aren't (for the most part) personnel based. It's fundamental tactical naivety/stupidity from the manager. And that -as we have witnessed all to often- doesn't tend to improve with time.

[brian green]

And there is the small matter of RDM being paid £3 million a year to do Sherwood impersonations.

[KevinGage]

It's utterly bizarre that a player who has played in midfield for the Azzuri over a long period of time could field the sort of tactically bereft sides we have seen so far.

Surely even by osmosis he would have picked up something during that time.