brummie

equally, it is easy to comment when you dont see it every week Granted, but I'd give owt to be in their position ah aye! i'd swap them anyday! And I understand that sentiment, but from the inside looking out, it isn't quite so simple.

I genuinely, really understand where you are coming from, and I see why you can arrive at that point, but trust me, it is really not that clear cut. We bailed out halfway through the UEFA cup last season because we didn't have the depth. Now, I went to all those home matches, right back to Odense in the Intertoto in July. Others I know went to all the away games as well, spending a fortune. In the end, the manager made the call that we couldnt compete in the league and Uefa, so opted for the league, and - truth be told - I supported him. I don't like that it is like that, but that is the way modern football is. So now, we're starting against Rapid Vienna this week, with an even weaker squad, and an even more sapping competition. There is no way we can even think of competing. Forget it, it won't happen. So, given that, and given that we've qualified for Europe for two years running, really, what is the point? What is the point if the manager neglects the squad so much that we have no hope of competing?

I dont want him to be replaced, in that I think he has earned the right to carry on. The problem is, I don't trust his ability turn things around. We are now in the position where we absolutely MUST push on. I've been watching Villa since the early 1970s, but yesterday was one of the more depressing experiences, as I realised that, actually, nothing has changed since the end of last season, and despite him having months and months to replace Laursen and Barry, let alone strengthen the squad, he hasn't even begun to do it. He'll pay the price, and it will be all his own fault.

Neither would I. The animosity towards him yesterday was really surprising. He's lost the spine of the team (not his fault) but failed to even begin replacing it (entirely his fault). Yesterday was a performance straight out of the O'Leary era. Absolutely and utterly lacking in art, in skill and in cohesion. Seems ridiculous to me, you've had two very solid seasons under O'Neill. The progression has always been constant since he arrived, I'm struggling to see how he can be replaced, you've had a poor result on the opening day of the season and clearly expectations are high but I honestly don't think O'Neill leaving is the solution. In terms of activity in the transfer market, I don't really know what's happening (Or what isn't happening) But O'Neill seems like the type of manager who'll sign players who are 'right' for the club, Ashley Young,James Milner,Emile Heskey and John Carew all seem pretty assured business and he's probably a safe guy, he doesn't want to buy players who aren't going to improve the team and will wait till the death until a player does become available, whether that will be too late, I'm not too sure. Our "natural" position is somewhere around 6th. He's got us back to that. He has spent a vast amount of money, but still we have enormous holes in our squad. The main problem is that he can not come to terms with the modern transfer market. He's got a billionaire owner who is willing to write pretty much any cheque he asks him to, yet we've not replaced (or tried to replace) Laursen or Barry. We've got two CBs at the club. We did have three, but we sold him to Bolton a month ago without having a replacement. If you'd watched us play yesterday, you'd understand the general feeling here that the chickens really have come home to roost, and it isn't just about being fickle and complaining about one result, it runs much, much deeper than that.

Neither would I. The animosity towards him yesterday was really surprising. He's lost the spine of the team (not his fault) but failed to even begin replacing it (entirely his fault). Yesterday was a performance straight out of the O'Leary era. Absolutely and utterly lacking in art, in skill and in cohesion. honestly?? villa appear, to me, to be such a well run outfit. young, predominiantly english players, with plenty of pace and a real hunger. considering where you came from, he has done an outsanding job imo. the animosity surprises me. but then again, i dont watch you every week. it could be 'scott parker/kevin nolan' syndrome on my part. THe football last season was pretty awful. Well, the football at home was very awful, horrible to watch. He's screwed up every transfer market since he has been here, and now we're starting to pay the cumulative price. yesterday we were looking for a break from the last part of last season, but what we got was actually much worse. Even the basics, we are lacking in. He will be gone by Christmas, I genuinely believe that (and have stated that here before). We're very well run at board level, but shipshod at manager level. No excuse for it. If you'd seen us yesterday, you would understand it. It isn't just about one game, it is about the cumulative effect of the last 7 or 8 months.

Neither would I. The animosity towards him yesterday was really surprising. He's lost the spine of the team (not his fault) but failed to even begin replacing it (entirely his fault). Yesterday was a performance straight out of the O'Leary era. Absolutely and utterly lacking in art, in skill and in cohesion.

Titus Bramble was superb today. Yes. Yes, really.

Even wor Habib? He didnt have much to do, everything from them came down the other side. The entire day was thoroughly, thoroughly horrible.

I'd drop him from Beachy Head given the chance. He's fucking rubbish, as is our entire defence.

We were absolutely fucking shocking today. We played like we did in the latter part of last season, absolutely terrible. O'Neill is genuinely starting to lose the crowd.

Strictly speaking, if you get into a car whilst pissed then drive off and crash it, it isn't an accident, it is an incident caused by your own sheer fucking stupidity.

Milner on fire, done much better than Ashley did.

Not a bad start, either.

Good on you, James.

Poor Gareth. Having read his "I had to move to keep my England place" bullshit today, I must say I'm smiling like a mentalist at that.

Yes, and all he had to do was bankrupt them in the process. He's a chequebook manager, and when he hasn't got the cash, he's all about excuses. I'm getting bile coming up into the back of my throat just thinking about him. I'm departing this thread for good. So what's so great about O'Neill? Spent more money than 90% of PL managers and still can only scrape into the UEFA Cup. O'Leary isn't the greatest manager out there but neither is he the worst, I don't want him at Newcastle because I want a takeover but if the did come it wouldn't be the end of the world. Kinnear showed even the most out of touch mangers can improve a team temporarily. Where did I say O'Neill was so great? I didn't. O'Neill, however, had to clean up O'Leary's shite after him, and whilst O'Leary got us to sixth, true, he also had us on a one way course for the Championship, which we were lucky to escape under him and - had he stayed - would have been our final destination, absolutely without doubt. Don't take it from me, though. Seriously, it is neither here nor there to me if O'Dreary gets your job, I'm just telling you what it was like under the one manager who - incredibly - managed to make himself more hated amongst Villa supporters than Doug Ellis.

Yes, and all he had to do was bankrupt them in the process. He's a chequebook manager, and when he hasn't got the cash, he's all about excuses. I'm getting bile coming up into the back of my throat just thinking about him. I'm departing this thread for good.

He was brilliant for us.

He's a cunt, not an expletive deleted.

I would rather either of those two returned to my club than DOL. In fact, what's Sir Brian Little doing these days? Had us playing the best football we've played in years. Local lad for you lot, too.

He won't have that. According to him, Mourinho recommends him for some massive job every day of the week. With good reason. Excuse number one right there for him. Unless it is more propitious for himself to side against the chairman, that is. Christ, who must the rest be then?

He's an absolute *expletive deleted* of the highest order, whose only interest is himself. Basically, a compensation package waiting to happen. At the first sight of things going wrong, he'll be pointing the finger everywhere - the chairman, other clubs, the fans ('fickle', calling us 'shitbags', slating the 2,000 who travelled to Doncaster on a winter Wednesday night to see us get beat 3-0 and dared to express their dissatisfaction), anyone but himself. You'd better get yourselves used to hear him talk ENDLESSLY about his young side at Leeds, to him talking you down at every opportunity (you may be in the Championship, but I guarantee he'll be talking you down into League Two in no time - I remember him telling us that both Boro and Charlton - FFS - had a "different agenda" to us), he'll slowly suck the lifeblood out of the club at the very first sign things aren't going well. He also has an absolutely monstrously high opinion of himself which he will be expressing to you at every opportunity. He'll also side with the chairman against you when that suits him, and with you against the chairman when that suits him, and with the players against the chairman when that is the best option. And I mean best option for DOL. To an outsider, it looks like Ashley has had you on a pre-planned crash course for destruction, but appointing him, you may as well give up right now, i absolutely guarantee you, it will end in tears. Big, big tears. Oh, and another thing, if you thought Allardyce's football was turgid, O'Leary makes his style look like Brazil 1970. I've followed Villa for 35 years, and in that time we've had some truly shit managers (Billy McNeill, Graham Turner), but neither of those two had the lack of grace to combine their shitness with such a glowering self of self-importance as "Dave" O'Leary. So, in short, I'm not a fan.

In fact, if Ashley stays and DOL gets the job, I am seriously off to my nearest turf accountant with a large wedge on you finishing in the bottom six.

Why appoint a proven Premiership and European manager, when we could appoint a rookie. Yeah great logic. I recognise O'Leary has a great track record and has the potential to be a top manager and i'm surprised he's still out of work. If that means i'm on a wind up then so be it. FFS. I just wrote a long response to that, but I've deleted it and opted to sit here slowly shaking my head instead. Honestly, no. Just no. Trust me.