Next Villa manager

[tomd2103]

The Guardian, maybe speculatively, report that we want Wagner and have Bruce as the fall back option. That really excites me (Wagner) and would in my humble opinion represent more strategic thinking than the previous chuck it at the wall and see if it sticks thinking

Wagner is getting some rave reviews, but I didn't really see anything in Huddersfield that suggested a progressive style of football.  In fact, they were quite direct, especially when they brought Wells on. 

It's pretty simple for me.  I want a manager who can take us up this year and can solidify us in the Premier League for a season or two.  When we reach that position, then we can start having a look at more adventurous appointments.  I think Bruce or Allardyce would be the best option to achieve that.

[CT Villan]

Missed this bit out:

"On 6 July 2016, Bielsa was appointed manager of Italian Serie A club Lazio.  However, just two days later, on 8 July, Bielsa quit as the club's manager, prompting Lazio to issue legal action against Bielsa for breach of contract, suing him for €50 million".

Sounds like just the man we need in our current plight.

Why not also add the bit about leaving Marseille in 2015 after disagreeing with the executive management ? He doesn't suffer fools and has principals..."Sounds like just the man we need in our current plight"

[Malandro]

The Guardian, maybe speculatively, report that we want Wagner and have Bruce as the fall back option. That really excites me (Wagner) and would in my humble opinion represent more strategic thinking than the previous chuck it at the wall and see if it sticks thinking

I was reading about Wagner and in pre-season he took their squad away for a bonding session in the wilderness.  I really like the idea of taking the likes of Westwood and Elphick out to the wilderness, say the middle of Svalbard, and leaving them there.

Leonid Viktorovich Slutsky is available at a modest fee. I'd love him to take the unloved to Siberia. Bomb squad to Gulag.

[villadelph]

Missed this bit out:

"On 6 July 2016, Bielsa was appointed manager of Italian Serie A club Lazio.  However, just two days later, on 8 July, Bielsa quit as the club's manager, prompting Lazio to issue legal action against Bielsa for breach of contract, suing him for €50 million".

Sounds like just the man we need in our current plight.

Why not also add the bit about leaving Marseille in 2015 after disagreeing with the executive management ? He doesn't suffer fools and has principals..."Sounds like just the man we need in our current plight"

He left because the promised transfer budget was abandoned. Shouldn't be an issue here.

[tomd2103]

Missed this bit out:

"On 6 July 2016, Bielsa was appointed manager of Italian Serie A club Lazio.  However, just two days later, on 8 July, Bielsa quit as the club's manager, prompting Lazio to issue legal action against Bielsa for breach of contract, suing him for €50 million".

Sounds like just the man we need in our current plight.

Why not also add the bit about leaving Marseille in 2015 after disagreeing with the executive management ? He doesn't suffer fools and has principals..."Sounds like just the man we need in our current plight"

So that's two clubs he stormed out of in less than a year.  Sounds ideal.

[Louzie0]

Whoever it is, it's the players who will have the practical final say on how successful he is.
For some, he's their fifth manager here since summer 2015. For others, he's nearer the 7th, counting Lambert. Even the guys who arrived this summer will have to adjust.

I know they are professionals on a massive wedge, etc, but changes in management are always disruptive.  Sometimes, it's a breath of fresh air or, 'here's the latest, heads down, lads, he'll be off by Christmas.'  This happens whatever the workplace and, whoever he turns out to be, he will have a huge task in just getting the Villa squad to see him as their boss, given how many hopefuls have come and gone in such a short time.

It's not a job for anybody without huge self belief and fantastic people management skills.  The football has to yield results pretty quickly as well, given where we are, floating dangerously close to the bottom of the Division.

Looking at the list above and the names mentioned so far in this thread, the managers who fit that brief are not that obvious, to me anyway!

I tend to agree with the posters saying that experience at managing and developing a very successful team at the top, not necessarily in the UK, would be the best bet. Managing a national team successfully would also fit. 

Then Tone has to persuade Bielsa to sign up!

[TB]

I still thank Sherwood for 3 great months and getting to the FA Cup final and a near miracle keeping us up. Some great football including a great performance against Liverpool in the semi. He was unlucky losing Vlaar, Delph, Cleverley and Benteke and having no final say on recruitment. I still want Bruce to takeover as he will certainly tighten the defence and instill some much needed discipline.

You might want to re-visit his comments on incoming players when they were signed. According to TS at the time, he had the final say on each and every one of them, and apparently had been monitoring some of them for years. His stance after he was sacked after an abysmal start to the season naturally was 'nothing to do with me, guv, honest!'

I'll thank him for coming in and giving some good players the confidence they needed, enabling Villa to stay up. But I do wish Villa had replaced him during the summer.

 oh come on now.  I'm no sherwood fan but its blatently obvious he has little to do with a lot of the signings and while he got his say on some, a lot of them were part of a club policy of bringing in cheap/young/promising players with the hope of flogging them for millions 2 years down the line. Yes he lied at the time, but there was little else he could do apart from resign and he wasn't going to do that , anymore than TSM and Lambert did. You employ yesmen and that's what you get, though he shouldn't have moaned about it afterwards.

It was blatantly obvious at the time that he tried to take all the credit for every new signing. The 'little to do with the signings' bit came afterwards, when he began to see that it might turn pear-shaped. And when he was sacked, every single player apparently was forced upon him.
A total charlatan busily re-writing history. I wouldn't trust TS any further than I could throw him - which would be appx. 4 inches unless I was lucky enough to stand at the edge of a very high cliff at the time.

[old man villa fan]

I am at a loss as to who to suggest.  We are between a rock and a hard place.  There are no stand out candidates and however much people talk about "we are Villa .....", I do not believe there are good managers out there ready to jump at the chance.  They haven't before, so why would they now.

The right solution would be to get somebody in that would give his all for the club, so this would probably mean an established lesser known manager, rather than a media whore name manager and give him time.  The problem with this is that any new manager will probably only have 60% support of the fans.  People are less tolerant of not getting their own way and, if results starting going the wrong way, they will jump on the manager.  So, where does this leave us?  I don't know.

We need a manager of the present and future, not of the past.  Somebody else raised the point, football has changed in the last 5 years and unless current managers have changed in this time, managers from the past should not be considered.

A few other points:

1.  We do not have  a good team
2.  We have a collection of good Championship players
3.  Good players do not always equate to a good team
4.  People forget that we only have a couple of PL quality players (and only lower level at that).  The rest are Championship players and need time to work together to form a team.  They cannot just hit the ground running like PL players or come in and go out of the team frequently without it affecting them.
5.  RDM failed because he did not recognise during the summer that we have a very weak midfield.  Training ground performances do not equate to the heat of the game on match days.  We are 2 players short in the squad.  We should not need 2 defensive midfield players at this level if we want to finish at the top.  I believe that if we had had two extra decent players, we would not be in the current position
6.  We cannot afford to have more than one 'luxury' player in the side at any one time

It will be interesting if Steve Clarke is picking the team against Wolves (assuming we have not appointed somebody by then), who he will pick and what formation he plays.  If it is very similar, it will demonstrate that he is also part of the problem.

[olaftab]

The Independent also going big on Wagner link.

[footyskillz]

The reliable daily telegraph has interesting info
 They cited both Bruce and Wagner as the 2 options (I'm sure there 'll be others )
Steve Mcclaren to not be considered but and i quote ' Clarke will also be considered for the permanent position'
I don't think Clarke should remain in any capacity apart from 'taking over for this week' he is part of the rdm show and should be moved on when new manager and his own staffing team come in.

[tomd2103]

I am at a loss as to who to suggest.  We are between a rock and a hard place.  There are no stand out candidates and however much people talk about "we are Villa .....", I do not believe there are good managers out there ready to jump at the chance.  They haven't before, so why would they now.

The right solution would be to get somebody in that would give his all for the club, so this would probably mean an established lesser known manager, rather than a media whore name manager and give him time.  The problem with this is that any new manager will probably only have 60% support of the fans.  People are less tolerant of not getting their own way and, if results starting going the wrong way, they will jump on the manager.  So, where does this leave us?  I don't know.

We need a manager of the present and future, not of the past.  Somebody else raised the point, football has changed in the last 5 years and unless current managers have changed in this time, managers from the past should not be considered.

A few other points:

1.  We do not have  a good team
2.  We have a collection of good Championship players
3.  Good players do not always equate to a good team
4.  People forget that we only have a couple of PL quality players (and only lower level at that).  The rest are Championship players and need time to work together to form a team.  They cannot just hit the ground running like PL players or come in and go out of the team frequently without it affecting them.
5.  RDM failed because he did not recognise during the summer that we have a very weak midfield.  Training ground performances do not equate to the heat of the game on match days.  We are 2 players short in the squad.  We should not need 2 defensive midfield players at this level if we want to finish at the top.  I believe that if we had had two extra decent players, we would not be in the current position
6.  We cannot afford to have more than one 'luxury' player in the side at any one time

It will be interesting if Steve Clarke is picking the team against Wolves (assuming we have not appointed somebody by then), who he will pick and what formation he plays.  If it is very similar, it will demonstrate that he is also part of the problem.

In response to some of the points above, it was interesting listening to Gary Rowett talk about his approach on the WM phone-in earlier.  Thought he came across well to be honest and seemed to have a pretty clear vision and plan. 

As for the bit in bold, I hope we will have someone in place by then.  To be honest, I hope we have someone in place in the next few days, as there is a lot of work that needs to be done. 

[cdbearsfan]

Clarke would be the most "meh" appointment of all time.

[Des Little]

Clarke would be Lambert mk II

[footyskillz]

Agreed someone said they couldn't handle another Scottish manager I'm earlier posts though I'm sure humours I get his comment if it's a passionless and dour  guy irrespective of nationality not what we want.  Clarke is too passive and considering coaching was his strong point and not actually being the manager then he's failed already . It worries me in article that it says ' Clarke will be considered' why would we keep him and get rid of just RDM

[Louzie0]

Heimir Hallgrimsson and Lars Lagerback.

Sorted!