brummie

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.

Oooh, that wouldn't go down well. He'd be summoned to London to explain himself. Just reading his name in the press today has made me feel rather queasy. I'm going to have to go for a lie down.

That's it. If we spent 10m on a player in a position we're already pretty blessed in, on a player who can't play until January, that gives an indication of what sort of budget we have. We're clearly nothing like Man City's budget, but then again, nobody is, but there is definitely a large sum of money there. (incidentally, thus far it is Downing, Beye and Delph in, total 20, Barry and Knight out, total 16.5, so we've barely started spending yet). We got a profit for Zat Knight. That's remarkable.

Without wanting to sound coarse, we've got shit loads of money, Lerner has made it clear to O'Neill he can basically spend as much as he wants (in fact, his fellow director General Krulak actually said openly 'if Martin wants 30m for a player, he can have it". In fact, the word in informed circles is that if anything, Lerner is annoyed at O'Neill's reluctance to spend. The money isn't the problem. It is persuading the player to come to a non CL team that is the issue.

God, just when I thought it could get no worse for you, there are the O'Leary rumours. Just wait until he starts talking you down and telling you you can't compete with the Middlesbroughs and Doncasters of this world.

Delph is looking very, very good for us today.

What on earth is that supposed to mean? Did I diss Inter at some point? My only football memory of Inter is us pissing all over them 2-0 in the UEFA CUp in 1991 (I closed my eyes and ears for the return leg). Although I kept my eyes and ears profoundly open when we twatted them out of the same competition three years later. So that's two memories. Slain by the mightly Phil King. Muhahhahaha! EDIT shit, I forgot beating them 3-0 pre season last year.

*that dog emoticon, here*

Tuncay is far from a weasel. Very good player that does more than his fair share defensively. Apparantly Liverpool are signing Tainio. By weasel, I mean a player with a bit of flair, a bit of guile, something a bit different.

Benitez will still no doubt whine about his lack of transfer funds. Alonso they got 30 million, they forfeited outstanding money owed to them from Portsmouth for Glen Johnson, Arbeloa(sp) sold, then there is the Robbie Keane 15million - they have yet to spend. I think Benitez has a point. Although the RK 15 million they'd only spent a few months previously. Benitez wastes money. He'll probably just spend it all on a pacific island, or a coal mine or something.

At every opportunity, Ashley has done the worst thing he could possibly do for the club. Whether that is down to incompetence or vindictiveness, I don't know. My faith in the human spirit makes me want to think it is just incompetence, but Christ, you really do have to ask yourself how anyone could thing that the situation now is in anyway protecting his investment (and I choose that criteria as it is the one thing which he should be worried about, even if he doesn't really give a shit about the club beyond that). It really beggars belief. When you went down, I thought if you managed to keep hold of a nucleus of half decent players (for that level) and indulged in some sensible purchasing you'd come straight back on, you'd be a stick on for it. But looking at what has happened since, and looking at some of the other decent clubs in that division next season, I really do fear for you. The tragedy of it all is that - to an outside observer - it actually does look like it has happened by design, and not through circumstances.

I don't rate Taylor, but at least he quite clearly gives a shit, which judging by the way they rest of them scurried off the pitch last game of the season puts him in a minority of one. Off on a tangent a bit, but i read this on a Villa forum the other day, talking about Alan Smith Now, you can say what you like about the fan taunting him, but I think his response probably says quite a lot, too.

I hope we do buy Tuncay. He's exactly what we need, a slightly weaselesque player with a bit of guile about him. A Merson, an errr Benito Carbone.

Luke Young is there I think. LB - Shorey, Bouma RB - Luke Young, Beye, Lichaj CB - Cuellar, Davies. Spot the holes.

I'm glad someone got what i was hinting at.

Why did he never get a chance for Scotland? *wink*