New assistant manager

[Dave]

I think we should have kept Clarke on as number two myself.

Because he was such a great success in the job?

And on what planet are you blaming our form at the start of the season on him.  I blame on the manager, the players, and on the fact that club had no direction.  Clarke has a great record as a number two.

I'm blaming everyone involved, including him. If you think he had nothing to do with the way we were playing, why was he even on the staff?

As for this great record, let's hear it then. I make it failure and sackings at Newcastle, Liverpool, West Ham and us.

Success at Chelsea. And I'm pretty sure that in the list of things that made Chelsea successful during the Abramovich years, the identity of the assistant manager isn't high up the list.

[LeeB]

I think we should have kept Clarke on as number two myself.

Because he was such a great success in the job?

And on what planet are you blaming our form at the start of the season on him.  I blame on the manager, the players, and on the fact that club had no direction.  Clarke has a great record as a number two.

I'm blaming everyone involved, including him. If you think he had nothing to do with the way we were playing, why was he even on the staff?

As for this great record, let's hear it then. I make it failure and sackings at Newcastle, Liverpool, West Ham and us.

Success at Chelsea. And I'm pretty sure that in the list of things that made Chelsea successful during the Abramovich years, the identity of the assistant manager isn't high up the list.

If he can't be blamed for our failure, he can't take credit for the success of Chelsea. On my planet anyway.

[Gregorys Boy]

The difference is that Clarke was at Chelsea a lot longer than he was at Villa and clearly played a big part in their success.  And he wasn't let go at Liverpool because of change of manager as far as I know.  He did a very good job when manager of West Brom.  To me he has more pluses than minses.

[itbrvilla]

Liked Calderwiod when he came to us from Spurs. Can't remember the circumstances but seem to remember he was cgeap, maybe £200,000, and brought in due to injury. Remember him doing a reasonable job for us too. But I was quite you and it was nearly 20 years ago so I might be wrong.

[Matt C]

He did a very decent job alongside Southgate and Ugo if memory serves.

Clarke has a good coaching reputation and would have been fine as a coach but the minute he threw his hat in the ring for the manager's job it was either all or nothing. He was never going to stay having been overlooked for the top job.

[Dave]

Clarke has a good coaching reputation and would have been fine as a coach

Where's the evidence for this though? It strikes me as one of those things that are just said with little to back it up. Like Martin O'Neill being a brilliant motivator or Randy Lerner not giving his managers any money to spend.

His first real period of coaching happened to coincide with Chelsea winning loads of things. Had their assistant manager at the time been say, Eddie Newton would that hugely expensive Mourinho side NOT won various trophies?

Or would it be Eddie Newton who was thought of as having a good coaching reputation whereas Steve Clarke was just that bloke who was sacked from Liverpool, West Ham and Villa*?


* allowing for the fact that he wouldn't have got those jobs without his time at Chelsea, obvs.

[The Man With A Stick]

Well if Bruce and Calderwood can't sort out our defence then nobody will.

[SoccerHQ]

He must be mad, why would you leave Brighton, where you are doing a similar role (and who have more chance of promotion than ourselves) oh I forgot it is all about the MONEY!

Easy, he still lives in Northampton, he will earn a lot more money and we are Aston Villa.

I thought so.

I remember a few years back I was getting a London Midland train back to Brum and he got on at Rugby I think (Norwich were playing West Brom that weekend) so I did wonder if his family home was in the Midlands so salary increase and easier commute.

Would've taken that to quit as he has followed Hughton all over the country.

[Duncan Shaw]

Confirmed in the post match interviews.  Bruce very keen to pint out "we did everything right"

[avfcpg]

Confirmed in the post match interviews.  Bruce very keen to pint out "we did everything right"

Yea hasn't gone down well with Brighton...

[adrenachrome]

I thought Chris Hughton, and Liam Rosenior conducted themselves very well in the post match interview in the circumstances.

[PaulWinch again]

Welcome back Colin.

[Toronto Villa]

Along with Calderwood, new Head of Sports Science is Danny Donachie. Worked previously at Everton, so likely someone Round knew.

[Steve67]

All shaping up nicely.

[Malandro]

I hope we are going to have a decent period of stability now. We've had more than enough managers/coaches/boardroom members over the last decade.