Herbert Ellis

[SoccerHQ]

I don't want to plough the same furrow again, but Sir Graham appointed us, DrJo was about seventeenth choice, BFR was a no-brainer and Brian was always going to be our next manager at that time. Gregory was the real wasted opportunity and O'Leary was the only time there wasn't one outstanding candidate and we got the right one.

With Gregory I remember the Evening Mail running a poll a day before he was appointed and Ruud Gullit got about 80% of votes. Could see logic at the time as he had just been sacked by Chelsea despite winning the FA cup and a big name like him would've attracted some good players but he then went to Newcastle and lasted a year and dropped Shearer in his final game.

Terry Venables was also mentioned but he was past it at the time and nearly running Portsmouth and Palace out of business....

Seemed a bit random to appoint the Wycombe manager but Gregory was well known to the players and had the respect of them and first two years were largely fine although he did have that poor run in 99/00 when he was arguably a game off the sack (so bit like DS last season).

We should've let him go after May 2000 and had a complete rebuild at that point. Mad to think he stayed nearly another two years.

It's not easy appointing managers sometimes, most of Lerner's picks said it all and we were probably in better positions than some of Ellis picks e.g. we appointed O'leary after finishing 16th in the league and with  minimal budget, Lerner appointed TSM after we finished 9th and had just spent 18m on Bent.

Lambert looked a logical appointment at the time but need I say more on that....I could even see logic for Sherwood but it was the ultimate short term bounce style manager and really by that point Lerner had pretty much given up anyway.

Really interested who NSWE would appoint as next manager although hopefully we won't have that decision for a few more years. Get the feeling they'd go all out for a big name like Everton have done given we were strongly linked to Henry for a week after Steve Bruce was sacked.

[SoccerHQ]

Joe Jordan had only been a manager for two years at that point so find it hard to believe he was actually approached. After he went to Stoke for a season and flopped and then went back to Bristol City but was again mediocre. Since then mainly turned up to coach at clubs Redknapp has managed.

Around 1990 period I assume someone like Howard Kendall was looked at given he was actually a really good manager at that time. Went to Bilbao and didn't work out and he quickly came back to manage Man. City. Problem would've been him always wanting to manage Everton every couple of years.

I also wonder why we didn't just say to FA at the time, o.k you want SGT, let's have Bobby Robson in return although I guess he'd already agreed to go to PSV or Porto or wherever he went after Italia 90 but he would've been a very logical appointment.

No real harm done when Big Ron eventually decided to come.

[KevinGage]

Joe Jordan had only been a manager for two years at that point so find it hard to believe he was actually approached.

He gave an interview a few years after saying he regretted not taking the job at the time.

A few months after that approach he joined, eh, Hearts.  And didn't do fantastically well there.

There wouldn't be too many managers who turn down a top flight job having spent the previous season in the old Third Division. Particularly when the offer comes from the club who had just finished runners up and are on of only two English clubs back in Europe that season.

He never gave his reasons, but - as Lee says -  as it was Ellis doing the asking and we spent puck all under Jo Venglos that summer - that might have contributed to his reticence.

[SoccerHQ]

Sums us up a bit though dosen't it? We do really well and overachieve and instead of continuing to act big in thinking the mindset is just we got a bit lucky so need to appoint average manager who can guide us back to safety of lower mid table. Or how about a nice relegation battle.

Not just our thinking under Ellis at times but more disappointed in 2010. Yes the timing wasn't great but we'd just finished 6th on three occasions.

There's no way Spurs this summer for instance will appoint someone who hasn't managed in club football for over 3 years as we did with Houllier then.

Ironically the Houllier equivilant now is probably Harry Redknapp who last managed at SHA in September 2017.

[Villan82]

Spot on. Any time I have seen us at a crossroads, after a decent period, where a good appointment could take us on, we have gone backwards. Hoping we may have finally broken the cycle under these owners.

[Damo70]

Graham Turner? Billy McNeill? Desperate appointments.

I was certainly no fan of Graham Turners but looking back his appointment back then would have been similar to a big Premier League club giving Eddie Howe a job once he had taken Bournemouth from League Two to the Championship. Billy McNeil was a strange one as his Manchester City side were struggling against relegation the same as we were.

[Damo70]

I definitely recall Joe Jordan's name being mentioned back in 1990 when SGT left for England. I also seem to recall that before SGT was surprisingly appointed in 1987 most of the rumours were suggesting Dave Bassett was the front runner for the Villa job.

[ez]

Spot on. Any time I have seen us at a crossroads, after a decent period, where a good appointment could take us on, we have gone backwards. Hoping we may have finally broken the cycle under these owners.

Agree with that.  It's annoying how some clubs get the desired continuity but we lapse backwards.

[cdbearsfan]

We never strengthened from a position of strength. Hopefully that will change now. From first team transfer policy to all the youngsters we are bringing in, it seems like the owners are unwilling to settle for mediocrity.

[Risso]

Joe Jordan and Gerry Francis, according to Google. They must have been insane to turn Villa down.

Gerry Francis and his mullet. Remember singing "Gerry Francis, Gerry Francis, what a difference you have made" at Spurs in his first game, a mental last minute 4-3 win down there after giving up a 3 goal lead, was our next game after sacking Ron.

Wasn't it Francis who said something like "I'm glad we only have to play Villa twice a season" as we handed them regular pastings.

[Sexual Ealing]

We never strengthened from a position of strength. Hopefully that will change now. From first team transfer policy to all the youngsters we are bringing in, it seems like the owners are unwilling to settle for mediocrity.

The youngsters policy makes me think we have perhaps learned from Chelsea (vomit). They hoover up talent and then make a fortune from loan fees, sales or end up with the best young players to pick from. Often it's a combination of all three.

[LeeB]

We never strengthened from a position of strength. Hopefully that will change now. From first team transfer policy to all the youngsters we are bringing in, it seems like the owners are unwilling to settle for mediocrity.

The youngsters policy makes me think we have perhaps learned from Chelsea (vomit). They hoover up talent and then make a fortune from loan fees, sales or end up with the best young players to pick from. Often it's a combination of all three.

The success breeds success as well, win the youth Cup and suddenly the talk is of Villa's exiting crop of youngsters, which brings teams ending up paying you fortunes for players that haven't even played for you like Brewster and Solanke.

[SaddVillan]

Daniel Levy - megalomaniac in charge of Spuds. Tight as a duck's arse when it come to signing players and negotiating contracts. Knows more about football than the people he employs.

Remind you of anybody?

[SaddVillan]

Daniel Levy - megalomaniac in charge of Spuds.

Tight as a duck's arse when it come to signing players and negotiating contracts.

Knows more about football than the people he employs.

Remind you of anybody?

[VILLA MOLE]

Daniel Levy - megalomaniac in charge of Spuds.

Tight as a duck's arse when it come to signing players and negotiating contracts.

Knows more about football than the people he employs.

Remind you of anybody?

Levy is a glorified CEO at least Ellis owned the club