Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Will McLeish be that bad for Villa?
Friday 17th June 2011, 6:50AM BST.
New Villa blogger Matthew Turvey takes a closer look at the controversial appointment of former Birmingham boss Alex McLeish as the club’s new manager.
It has been a tumultuous period for Aston Villa.
A difficult season with safety only guaranteed by the end of the 37th game, player revolts, the manager’s health faltering, rumours linking our best players to other clubs and all ending with the termination of Gerard Houllier’s contract.
It certainly hasn’t been a classic season. One to remember sure, but for all the wrong reasons. And, to top it all off now, the club have given the job for Alex McLeish. Yes, the former Birmingham manager.
On the face of it, the anger that is being displayed by fans is akin to their belief that this is the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Appointing a manager who got his team relegated is one thing, but a manager who worked for Blues? Tantamount to treason.
We are already seeing signs of ‘Lerner Out,’ fans who are returning season tickets and slightly dramatic statements saying we are not favourites for relegation. Anyway, let’s stop it there with the drama.
Let us, for a moment at least, step back from the furore that has erupted. Tear yourself from Twitter, pour yourself a nice cup of tea, sit down and breathe deeply. All done? Then I’ll begin.
Imagine this for a second. A man, who has won the League cup and Scottish titles arrives at the club. What is the immediate reaction?
Anger? Joy? This is where it depends on who you are remembering.
Martin O’Neill was greeted with a crowd of joyous fans. McLeish seems more likely to be greeted by a lynch mob. Hypocrisy? Just a bit.
Now I know people will sit and argue that McLeish is a Blues man. True, he managed Birmingham City. True, they were relegated. True, he plays defensive football.
But the question Villa fans have to ask themselves is this – what exactly do you expect a Birmingham manager to do?
Play gung-ho attacking football? Perhaps Barcelona style tip-tap passing? Come on – you know that a Birmingham manager has limited options.
You’re not going to be attracting Lionel Messi to Small Heath, nor are you going to play his expansive, attractive looking football.
Ian Holloway played attacking football with a below-par Blackpool side and still went down. There’s not much you can do with a team that is outclassed.
So be sensible for a second. Get past the fact that McLeish managed Blues. Realise that he will have different goals set by the board to that of our associates across the city.
If McLeish plays football based on defence, we might actually learn to stop shipping goals. Last season we dropped 26 points from winning positions, so getting that sorted is a priority.
Who knows – he may even nick Blues goalkeeper Ben Foster, Scott Dann, and Roger Johnson, assuming they aren’t snapped up by the likes of Arsenal, with whom they have been linked.
McLeish had Cameron Jerome at Blues. He’ll have Darren Bent at Villa. So it’s suffice to say that scoring will be less of an issue on our side of the city.
I appreciate for all of us, myself included, that taking on an ex-Blues manager is a bitter pill to swallow. However, our only choice is to support him.
To do anything else is just going to destroy our team morale and create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Then we really would be looking at relegation. There could be dark days coming, but there may not be.
Aston Villa fans – a club is for life. For better, or for worse.
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YES!!!!
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Agree with what you have said. I was saddened to see people clambering over the gates at Villa Park last night. I fully understand that certain fans are raging over the possible appointment, but the scenes last night, however incensed the fans may have been, did not paint Villa in a good light. Protest by all means, but do it with some class. As for McLeish, i can’t say he would be my favourite for the job, but if he does come then i will still be going to Villa and giving them my support. I feel this whole episode has been blown out of all proportion, by Media and blogs, and when the dust settles perhaps we can go back to what really matters…the football.
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hello villa supporters.i am one and always will be while i am still breathing.we have great days and very bad days supporting villa but remember the bluenoses have a lifetime of suffering over that side of brum.if it is mcliesh to be manager he will get my support simly because i want what is best for my team.if he fails he will be moved on like all other managers are.i like, a lot of villa supporters do not understand why we have to make things as difficult as possible but if that is the way it goes so be it.support the villa and keep the faith.
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Two points. Firstly, yes we were all delighted when the charismatic, little Irishman came to our beloved club. We played with a belief in ourselves, got some great results and had some quality players come to the club. However, the wheels started coming off after the 3rd season with player revolts, a spiralling wage-bill and unattractive football. You say McLeish is similar to O’Neil, so why is it hypocritical not wanting a carbon copy appointment when we have already been down that path. Houllier, for all his faults, was getting there with an attractive passing game and some skilful players, who were comfortable in possession. McLeish is a backwards step regarding Villa employing a playing style which most fans crave.
Secondly, you say our only choice is to support him if appointed. I’d still like to know why we should offer that support when the club are not supporting us with this appointment? I think we have made ourselves pretty clear that this appointment is totally unacceptable to Villa supporters far and wide for a number of reasons, including his poor record and his past history. You say that our lack of support will create a self-fulfilling prophecy but are we really the ones who will have started it? Will it not be the owner and board of AVFC that have set this turn of events in motion? I will always support my club and I am sure this is what Lerner and Faulkner are counting on as Claret and Blue is in my blood. But I do not have to like it and I do not have to display tacit approval to a decision which has created a schism between the supporters and owner of our great club. UTV
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This is the first sesible article I have read on the subject.
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sorry bad spelling ,sensible
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Brilliantly summed up!
If fans do take a few minutes to look beyond the fact that he managed Birmingham, and take a level-headed look at his credentials, they might see that McLeish could do some great things with this club. He won’t be set the same goals as he was at St Andrews, can afford to approach a different breed of player, and may well be able to drop his defensive style of play in search of something more attractive.
But at any rate, did O’Neill not play defensive football? We became renowned for our counter-attacking style but, for me, it was our failure to rotate the squad, and our heavy reliance on two of three specific players, who could sometimes be frozen out of the game, that cost us. Hopefully McLeish’s approach could yield more fruitful rewards.
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Maybe i should mind my own, but from the outside looking in i think villa are making a shambles of this manager business!
From the minute they appointed Houllier i wondered why! then he gets ill! astonishingly you had nowt in his contract to prevent him walking away with all that money, after his health problems previously i find that mad! but even when he was taken ill you should have surely realised he may not return therefore planning for a new manager! but you just seem to be in panick mode!
I think a little arrogance was used with martinez! dont think randy believed he would say NO not alot of people did! then this! Its so obvious you have tapped him Mcleish up or why would he quit?
Buy why your club wants him is beyond me!
Blues have spent a fortune under him & play some of the dulliest football i have witnessed in prem! his record in scotland is impressive yes but thats championship level at best!
This appointment (if it happens) is another example of how out of touch clubs are with there fans! getting a average manager in is one thing but taking him from your bitter rivals in my eyes is a insult! but clubs dont seem to care!
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First of all Matt welcome to the world of blogging, i hope you have a tough mental attitude!!
Excellent blog.
My thoughts on the subject as an Albion fan are thus:
I do not understand why Villa want to even interview Mcleish. Surely the powers that be at Villa were not naive enough not to have predicted the revolt at the mere mention of his name???
For example if he was to be appointed, reduced season ticket sales, a match day fan base who would need convincing before offering full support, and the type of media attention no club needs. It just doesnt make sense, and maybe the most over whelming point that seems to be over looked is the fact that he is by no means the best candidate for the job.
No matter what resources he had or didnt have at Blues the football was one dimensional, and dare i say it boring. Blues fans will tell you that entertainment has long been missing from St Andrews, and i dont see Villa accepting this style of football.
The whole situation to me just does not make sense, it looks like a complete PR disaster, a miss match of football ideologies, and a very poor appointment if it does happen.
Again welcome Matt and excellent blog to begin with.
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Are the Villa fans a little bit thick? Alex Mcleish is no more a blues fan than I am a, god help me, Liverpool fan!! He went to Birmingham to do a job of work because they paid him to do it. Ok I can understand the fact that he managed to get relegated but they won a trophy more than Arsenal have done in the last 6 years and look at price tag on their squad!! Anyway just to castigate someone who, let us not forget, is actually SCOTTISH not a Brummie is quite frankly pathetic. At the momment boys an girls he’s the best yer gonna get cus Randy aint gonna give a top manager the purse, Raffa proved that, so get over it an be gratefull yer still in the Premier League!! Rant over Thank you.
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Cheers everyone for your comments.
My own blog where I write daily can be found at http://www.astonvillalife.com. Feel free to come along, register an account, and become part of the community.
Everyone is welcome – no matter your opinion.
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I am sure everything will work out, you have to admire the size of his melons to cross the divide, and for the immediate pressure he will be under. He must be very confident.
Give him a chance I know I will
Until death do us part villa forever
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Villa fans I feel for you, im not even a Villa fan but to get a manager that has never really achived anything, Ranger ( who couldnt win the title at Ranger you only have one real apponent ) Scotland always poor. Birmingham he took them down. As for him being ex Blues boss and going to Villa. WHAT ARE THE BOARD THINKING !!!!!!!
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I’ll tell you what the board are thinkin shall I they’re thinkin who’s the best we can get in that isn’t going to ask for a 50 mill purse. Why didn’t Martinez go to Villa? Ok he is Wigan through an through but you aint tellin me that if Man U Chelsea or even Spurs had come in for him he would still be at Wigan No sir!! So if martinez thought he could have done better at Villa he would have gone. Randy is Learning from Peter coates at Stoke who refuses to bow down to the managers and players if it comes to it who want to spend more than they earn. I feel that you will find more an more clubs who were once like the Villa a top 6 club not willing to break the bank. Randy hasn’t got where he is today by blowing his stash on over rated an over paid managers an players. Raffa’s got some pedigree and if Randy really wanted to go for it he would have given him the 60 Mill he wanted, however not even that amount of cash can guarantee top 6 footie. The villa will be another middle of the table club for a while yet an hey whats wrong with that!! Don get me wrong I’d luv t see Stoke in the top 6 but It aint gonna happen Not with the new breed of Multi billionaires around an i’m afraid Randy just aint in that league.
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It wasn’t only at Blues where his football was defensive. People seem to forget that he was hounded out of Glasgow Rangers because the supporters were sick of his negative style of football. “Lovely bloke,” the Rangers fans say, “But a terrible manager.”
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I’m a life long Villa fan but I’m prepared to give Alex Mcleish a chance.
Statisically speaking he has a better win/lose percentage that most other managers available or willing to come to Villa Park.
I do think however that Villa need to rethink/revamp it’s lines of communication with it’s fans. In this age of social media
better,more frequent and more frank information would go a long way to keep the faithful on-side. The General might be a close and trustest friend of Randy Lerner but someone at Villa Park needs to fill the information gap, and stop the “fog of war”.
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A terrible appointment for Villa and west midlands football as a whole.
If Mcleish goes to Villa there is a very real possibillty that in season 2012-13 Wolverhampton Wanderers will be our only premier league club.
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i wish people would get off mccleishs back and give this guy a chance yes he got regalted but he won carling cup and got them into europe its more then villa have done in past few seasons. and protest moan all u like but it wont stop him becoming manager will it? people should get behind team and manager instead of doom and gloom stuff. as im sick ofhearing it, when they got regelted first time it wasnt his side it was steve bruces side so fans should get the facts straight, and get bewhind manager it shouldnt be about him being ex blues boss it should be wether hes good enough for job.
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Well done Matt Good points raised….
We do need someone with big melons at the club! If he pulls this off he could be just what we need.
Not to sure on the footballing side of things with him though.
So putting things into perspective …
AM is just a cheaper version of MON then lol…
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This is a wonderful, positive article. Most articles just add fuel by showing negative remarks and talking about how the club is supposedly in trouble. And by the way, to all those out there who think MON could have done better, think again. Our club’s financial losses are all a result of his reign. He never believed in the club’s youth policy; just wanted to keep buying and buying. He burned a hole in Mr. Lerner’s pockets. Look at what might have happened if we had held on to Cahill. Sold him for 5m and now, he’s going for 17m+. We could have done wonders with a defender like him.
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ABOLUTLEY SPOT ON !!!! NEAR ENOUGH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SAID IN THIS BLOG, I PUT ON MY FACEBOOK WALL LAST NIGHT !!
VILLA FANS YOU NEED TO LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE, LIKE I AM DOING SOO !!
LOVE TO ALL,
LEE ‘DIRTBOX’ BIRCH !
VILLA TIL I DIE, THROUGH THICK AND THIN, ALWAYS A VILLAIN !!!
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Hi I’m a Wolves fan & I can’t believe what’s happening at Villa Park. Randy Learner has been very badly advised if he goes after McLeish.
Why not go for Mad [Square Pegs in Round Holes] Mick…? He has a better record than McLeish & I along with many other Wolves fans would drive him to Villa Park myself..!
Martin O’Neil or Mark Hughes for Wolves…!
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I have also read all the negative crap and feel a great urge to add more positive comments; why don’t the dissenters look at this opportunity from Big Eck’s point of view:
1. Aston Villa is a bigger club than Blues
2. Aston Villa has a more successful track record that Blues
3. Aston villa is a better supported club than Blues
4. Aston villa is a Premiership club and always has been
5. Aston Villa Board will back him if they can afford it (where would we have been without the investment in Darren Bent?)
6. The Aston Villa squad is better than Blues
7. I wouldn’t trust Carsen Young or Peter Pannu with a barge pole as they have set Alex up for a fall
If I was Alex McLeish I’d want the Villa job as well.
Not only that, we’ve got one over our neighbours by getting their manager!!
Up the Villa!!
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MATT
Are you any relation to Kevin ???? .
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I’m not Rik Mayall’s brother or son, no.
Right age for his son maybe, but no… I don’t even have the Brummie accent even though I am from Aston originally…
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It was an interesting recruitment. I’m sure that Randy has assessed how best to position the Villa in the future.
Could he see Villa as being a dependable addition to the top 4 sides. The investment required to just ease into it and then stay there is probably outside his reach. Can you get into the top six……maybe, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult. A cup run in the Carling and FA Cups and then into Europe via the back door after being beaten in the final…..very possible. Eck certainly has the pedigree to get to at least the quarter finals in both competitions.
Eck has certainly the eye for a solid defender that he will sell to at a higher price. He certainly is able to develop the work ethic and a never say die spirit to the team (apart from our collapse against Liverpool away, which certainly helped to send us down). he did it with Rangers, Hibs and Scotland too. So maybe if you keep hold of your better players (Young (oops), Albrighton and Downing) then maybe, but maybe not.
Ok I support the Blues, but unlike many I’m still know that Villains are also Brummies, which means that a bit of friendly banter is all that is required. We’ll all miss the derbies and lets hope that we get back up as soon as possible. Best of luck, just not as much as we hopefully get.
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Well balanced article. However,Villa really should be aiming higher than this. I understand and appreciate both this blog and most of the related articles. But we’re ASTON VILLA! Surely that still means something in this ever changing world? It’s not just that he’s coming from Small Heath,but to me,he just doesn’t cut it. With reference to previously working on reduced budgets,he was simply working at his level! The reason he hasn’t stayed at any of his previous clubs for long is because he’s always been rumbled after an admittedly good start by both fans and boards alike. I don’t care if he’s a nice bloke,or helps old ladies to cross the road on his day off! We need someone for the long term,not this!!!!!!!!
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