Many of us bemoaned the sacking of MON, feeling that RL was starting a penny pinching exercise, and so it proved. The enemy is within my friends. Imagine having to suffer that boring one dimensional footy that Sunderland have to put up with every week! And many of us were screaming for someone to replace GH, who would make the team play football, someone like those awful Norwich and Newcastle bosses. But no, we got someone with proven EPL relegation experience instead; RL's criterion.
Meanwhile, on the SW board, the same old brainless planks are moaning about negative tactics; the very same people who called our protesting fans skum and the like, and demanded we get behind AM. Well, guess what, the so called skum knew what they were talking about. If more folk had protested, this relly battle could have been avoided and we might be enjoying the season. Oh yes, AM took the blouse down from the same sort of position last year!
And the lesson is this; it's better to be criticised and be right, than be a sucking up muppet all your life. Baaaaaaaaaaa!
MON: Baaaaaa!
posted on 7/4/12
The only person you were on about replacing GH was Owen Coyle.
Look how well he's doing.
posted on 8/4/12
harsh article, with some name calling to boot. easy does it.
my honest opinion is that Houllier was as bad an appointment as McLeish, albeit for different reasons.
Houllier was not the best manager in his time at Villa, and if you actually take into account just the results while he was in charge, he could be seen as far worse than McLeish; our best run was when Houllier was away due to illness at the tail end of the season.
McLeish, although a plucky and relatively courageous tryer, is far behind MON in terms of managerial skill, but unfortunately we are stuck with him for the remainder of this and probably next season at least.
It would be better to support him, as hard as that is for some.
any view that Houllier, in charge of this squad, would have done better in laughable.
With MON in charge however, well, we would have definitely been top half.
posted on 8/4/12
With MON we probably would be top half, but he'd be looking to sign us players like Kevin Davies and wouldn't bother using a scouting system to sign players... So when he leaves we'd be under strength for the next manager. This is how he'll leave Sunderland.
I believe with our current squad of players, without injuries, this would be our strongest first 11:
Given
Herd Dunne Clark Warnock
Makoun Petrov
N'Zogbia Ireland Agbonlahor
Bent
We look weak at full back, especially left back (Lichaj and Baker are other options) and Dunne is unpredictable but overall that's a decent team. Houllier would get that team passing and controlling and we'd easily be top 8. You say that we had our best run when Houllier was in hospital, but it was his team that had been put together. McCallister received all his instructions from Houllier.
posted on 8/4/12
Not true, a few of us floated the idea of a certain Norwich mgr, only to be told he wasn't proven! Well he is now! We should move heaven and hell to steal him asap.
posted on 9/4/12
I guess I am one of those 'planks' who complains about negative football on SW. However, I've NEVER criticised anyone for protesting against McLeish. I would have loved to have seen McLeish disposed of before Christmas but once we got to New Year, this was never going to happen. Villa firstly cannot afford to pay off another manager and secondly. it's simply too late to sack managers once we get to January. QPR and Wolves have found that out to their cost.
Sunderland acted at the right time and sacked Bruce in November.O'Neill came in and lifted the squad immediately, albeit with some very lucky results which helped to build momentum for them.
O'Neill did an 'OK' job at Villa, considering he had more resources, more time, more goodwill, more backing and more time than any manager in Villa's history. That's 'ok', nothing better, given the circumstances.
Houllier encountered a player revolt, the worst injury crisis for many a long year and extremely vicious and unfair supporter critisicm. In the circumstances, Houllier did a 'good' job, improving the football and beginning an impressive rebuilding job.
McLeish came with a very good track record, spoilt by very negative football and relegation at St Andrews. I have hated and detested the football played by the team this season and McLeish's negativity has cost us dearly this season.
As for Owen Coyle, I thought it was you, Boy from Brum, who aggressively championed this guy last season. To be fair, I would still take Coyle over McLeish.
posted on 9/4/12
I did champion Coyle, who i still believe to be a good mgr. I would have poached Lambert due to his Celtic big time connection and his rep for being a great coach who wants his team to play footy. Martinez, for similar reasons would have been nice but he said no. Pardew would have divided opinion if he'd been appointed but I would understand the logic behind appointing him. Appointing eck made no sense at all on almost every level.
posted on 9/4/12
*And no, you're definitely not one of the planks, that's the WC possee mate. I've agreed with most of what you've written the last two years, because it makes sense.
posted on 9/4/12
I'll give you 5 s mate. Good article.
posted on 9/4/12
Cheers Bhoy, and many congrats on your well deserved title. It should have happened sooner, had the filth not been cooking the books for years on end! lol
posted on 9/4/12
Haha...yep it is now biting them in the ass big time. Cheers mate.