Past Managers, Love or Hate?

[Meanwood Villa]

Lambert's up there with O'Leary for me. Absolute fucking bellend, in charge of the most soul destroyingly awful team I've ever had the misfortune to follow.

Lambert get's away with it for me because it was obvious by then that Lerner had given up.

I accept it's a matter of opinion but my retort is he's a fucking twat and I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire

[Chris Harte]

Lambert's up there with O'Leary for me. Absolute fucking bellend, in charge of the most soul destroyingly awful team I've ever had the misfortune to follow.

Lambert get's away with it for me because it was obvious by then that Lerner had given up.

I accept it's a matter of opinion but my retort is he's a fucking twat and I wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire

That's fair enough if that's how you feel. For me there are others at the front of the queue for firebombing and witholding of liquid dousing supplies.

[PeterWithesShin]

Billy fucking McNeill miles at the front of the queue.

[Allan C]

I have a soft spot for The Doc and Vic Crowe as they were my first managers
All in all I have say Ron Saunders was my favourite. There have been many that come close, Emery and Smith the most recent but I absolutely loved watching Villa under Ron.
We’ve had our fair share of shockers over the years but Bruce tops them all. His brand of football was left behind in the 80’s and he failed in a sub-standard league. One or two others would be worthy of a mention

[VillaTim]

Billy fucking McNeill miles at the front of the queue.

He won his first game , I was there . After that it went downhill fast.

[mike]

I’m surprised there is less hate for O’Neill, the man who wasted our best chance in decades and flounced off at a time deliberately intended to fuck us over. He had shedloads of cash and spent most of it on utter shite.

[brontebilly]

From the ones in my supporting lifetime:

Total C-words: Gerrard, O'Leary
Clueless twat: Sherwood
Really rather bad: McLeish, Lambert, Garde, SGT Mk II, Houlier, Di Matteo, Bruce
Nearly, but not quite: O'Neill, Gregory
A nice idea, but no: Dr Jo
Some great football but I cannot forgive the choice of language: Atkinson
Heroes: SGT, Little, Smith
Divine: Emery

Pretty much my thoughts exactly.
My only caveat would be around Gerrard and Lambert.

Gerrard, I detested with every fibre of my being from the second we were linked with him.

Lambert had a terrible hand dealt to him. But he was still useless and I vividly remember my celebrations when he was sacked.

We absolutely destroyed Paul Lambert, back to back promotions at Norwich (like McKenna now), remember that game at Norwich under McLeish where the Villa fans were chanting for him. Joining us after Lerner had already pulled the plug on the finance was a terrible career decision. His reign was painful, we were firmly circling the relegation drain throughout. That last night in Hull in the rain was as grim as it gets.

Gerrard was the worst really, no redeeming feature.
Houllier's reign was a disaster too, that was far from a bad team he inherited plus Lerner giving him crazy cash to sign Bent. If he gave that money to MON the previous summer we would have stayed competitive.

The most unlucky was McLeish. Should never have got the gig and the style of football was awful. But we were all set for a solid midtable finish until an unbelievable run of injuries/illness to key players.

Emery is by far the best we have had since the BFR days.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I’m surprised there is less hate for O’Neill, the man who wasted our best chance in decades and flounced off at a time deliberately intended to fuck us over. He had shedloads of cash and spent most of it on utter shite.

It's almost summer, we're in the Champions League, we love all our players, our manager, loads of football to relax to over the next few weeks, life is good and moves on, most have vented on their feelings regarding the pubeheaded chancing, self loving, twat. Those that haven't will get there eventually.

[Arsey]

Saunders Love
Barton Love
Turner Wasn’t keen
McNeill Muppet
Taylor Love
Venglos Likeable, too early for an English side
Atkinson Love
Little Love
Gregory Love
Taylor Mistake bringing him back
O’Leary ‘We’re not fickle, We don’t like you’
O’Neill More positive than negative
Houllier Nice bloke
McLeish Dislike but he didn’t have a chance, monumentally stupid appointment.
Lambert Came across like an arsehole but did a good job keeping us up with the players he had.
Sherwood Screw loose, certainly entertaining.
Garde Clueless
Di Matteo Clueless
Bruce Nice bloke, did okay steadying the ship
Smith Love
Gerrard Dislikeable, clueless, arrogant
Emery Best thing to happen to us in the last 20 years.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

LEGENDS: Saunders, Barton, Emery
RESPECTED:  Taylor, Atkinson, Little, Smith
DECENT: Gregory, O'Neill
MEH:Venglos, O'Leary, Houllier, Sherwood, Bruce
BAD: Turner, Lambert, Gerrard
UGLY: McNeill, McLeish, Garde, DiMatteo

Special dishonourable mention for Eric Black, who could at least have tried to do something but didn't.

Whilst the relegation season was dismal, the worst sustained period I've ever felt as a Villa fan was that Christmas/New Year (2012/13) period under Lambert, where we lost 8-0 to Chelsea, got walloped by nearly every one we played, and then got knocked out of a League Cup semi final against Bradford, and then out of the FA Cup by Millwall.

Sherwood is perhaps generously high because his brief spell in keeping us up and getting us to an FA Cup Final was the only spark of light in that entire post MON/pre Smith era.  I think he was also a bit unlucky in a few of the games that cost him his job in the following season.

 

[adrenachrome]

I have a soft spot for The Doc and Vic Crowe as they were my first managers
All in all I have say Ron Saunders was my favourite. There have been many that come close, Emery and Smith the most recent but I absolutely loved watching Villa under Ron.
We’ve had our fair share of shockers over the years but Bruce tops them all. His brand of football was left behind in the 80’s and he failed in a sub-standard league. One or two others would be worthy of a mention

I agree.

Vic Crowe is often forgotten, but we played some great football when was in charge.
Ron Saunders was a wonderment.
Unai is out of this world.

[RamboandBruno]

In my supporting lifetime/memory.

Saunders: my first ever game was the one after he resigned, a 1-4 loss at man u, not that i knew much about it at 8 years old.

Barton: ditto, too young.

Turner: even as a teenager I was meh and so it proved, but seemed a nice enough chap, all Dougs doing.

Mcneil: i was excited for a few games, then it was shit and read stuff since that he really didnt want to be there.

SGT: Absolute hero, to take us from a newly relegated team that had been in decline to runners up in Div 1 in 3 years, unbelievable.

Venglos: Sigh, after the lord mayors show.

BFR: so excited when he came, 92-93 one of my favourite seasons, pure razzmatazz. Like SE said, I struggle to square he comments later and can’t forget those.

Little: shone really brightly for not long enough. 95-96 was brilliant though.

Gregory: first half bolshy and brilliant. Second half lost his nerve. Can’t really forget the ultra negative tactics in a very winnable cup final.

O’Leary: Really poor manager who didnt want to be at Villa.

O’Neil: hard one as was genuinely excited when he signed. Felt a big statement in a new era when we could achieve stuff, and the first two years  reflected this. Ultimately ran out of steam and ideas and then shafted us. Compare him to the driven but humble Emery now, really highlights his flaws.

Houllier: A more talented O’Leary for me. Thought he was better than us. Whimsically touching the ‘this is anfield’ sign when we played them, oh do feck off.

McLeish: took them lot down and we then appointed him and he nearly did the same with us. Nice man but uninspired appointment.

Lambert. Given a club to manage in decline and he managed that decline. We aged him and he aged us. Dour, dreadful times, with Benteke being the only light.

Sherwood: his bombast actually felt like light relief compared to Lambert, but God he was just a bit of a gobshite and out of his depth.

Garde: wrong man for a sinking ship.

De Matteo: wrong man for a sunk ship.

Bruce: he did stabilise us for a couple of years and we won a lot of games, but Villa, like Newcastle was a job too big for him. Should of gone after the 2018 play off final and made a real hash if it thereafter. Saving grace is that we didn’t get promoted with him in charge.

Smith: loved him for a while. Felt like the best managerial appointment we’d made since O’Neil 12 years earlier. The 10 game run, promotion, a cup final, just about staying up, some great football, beating Liverpool 7-2. It was a rollercoaster. Villas own chicken and egg scenario, did Grealish make him or visa versa, a bit of both I feel. Sadly it was time when he went.

Gerrard: a more bombastic, twatish, arrogant version of O’Leary and Houllier. What a disaster of a football manager.

[mike]

I’m surprised there is less hate for O’Neill, the man who wasted our best chance in decades and flounced off at a time deliberately intended to fuck us over. He had shedloads of cash and spent most of it on utter shite.

It's almost summer, we're in the Champions League, we love all our players, our manager, loads of football to relax to over the next few weeks, life is good and moves on, most have vented on their feelings regarding the pubeheaded chancing, self loving, twat. Those that haven't will get there eventually.

Lots of people on this thread have him as decent, more good than bad etc. I thought he’d probably be the most hated.

[rob_bridge]

I’m surprised there is less hate for O’Neill, the man who wasted our best chance in decades and flounced off at a time deliberately intended to fuck us over. He had shedloads of cash and spent most of it on utter shite.

It's almost summer, we're in the Champions League, we love all our players, our manager, loads of football to relax to over the next few weeks, life is good and moves on, most have vented on their feelings regarding the pubeheaded chancing, self loving, twat. Those that haven't will get there eventually.

Lots of people on this thread have him as decent, more good than bad etc. I thought he’d probably be the most hated.

Well he had a modicum of success before acting like a total cnut.

I put him with DOL and Gerard as the biggest pricks to manage us although StevieMe was the worst of the 3 in terms of managerial ability and even more deluded than anyone to have managed us

[AV82EC]

I’m surprised there is less hate for O’Neill, the man who wasted our best chance in decades and flounced off at a time deliberately intended to fuck us over. He had shedloads of cash and spent most of it on utter shite.

It's almost summer, we're in the Champions League, we love all our players, our manager, loads of football to relax to over the next few weeks, life is good and moves on, most have vented on their feelings regarding the pubeheaded chancing, self loving, twat. Those that haven't will get there eventually.

Lots of people on this thread have him as decent, more good than bad etc. I thought he’d probably be the most hated.

He was a useless ****** and unprofessional charlatan who pissed a quarter of a billion quid up the wall and it’s all the more galling as I was all in on the project. The stuff that has come out from various ex players over the last few months has made my blood boil. We could at a bare minimum have been semi competitive in this league for the last 15 years if we’d appointed a half decent manager at that time but we got Mr Thought he was the new Clough and have had a decade of utter shite to show for it. He can fuck off, and when he gets to there he can fuck odd again the big pubeheaded wanker. God I’d forgotten how much I actually fucking hate him, what a total ****** who seems to get a pass from all his media lickspittles. ******.