When McLeish was appointed Villa manager, I only had one fear about the decision.
It WASN'T the fact that he had managed Blues. It also WASN'T his managerial record, which actually stacks up at least to that of Martin O'Neill. No, I knew that we were getting a good manager with a very good track record, but there was a problem.
I had enjoyed the improved football played by Villa last season and if it hadn't been for the horrendous injury list before Christmas, things would have been very different. But that's in the past now. What really concerned me was the style of football employed by McLeish. Birmingham City were a bore to watch for the past two seasons. All of their wins were achieved by strangling the life out of games, accompanied by demonic and heroic defending and a nicked goal here and there (usually from nowhere). It wasn't good. It wasn't entertaining. In fact, even the Blues fans hated the style of play, despite it bringing a 50-year high league finish and the first ever major trophy tp the club!
Which brings me to the crux of the matter. McLeish will bring good results to Villa. He IS a very good manager (probabaly the best we've had since Atkinson) BUT he will bore the pants off us. It was in evidence yesterday. I know it was very hot and not condusive to attractive football but the McLeish trademarks were there - a team based on heroic defending, no width, conservatism, no attacking ambition. Blues fans will know what I'm talking about.
I'm optimistic for the coming season - of course. I'm right behind the team - of course. I'm looking forward to August 13th - of course. But I am very wary of McLeish and his negativity.
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Winning the 'McLeish' way
posted on 30/7/11
I will have to respectfully disagree. I don't think you have got a "good chance" of overtaking Spurs. Spurs' squad in the last couple of seasons hasn't got weaker, but Villa's has. You are further behind Spurs today than you were a few years back.
"And not all of the top 5 are going to have a good season"
Why not? And even if one (or two) of them don't, there is no guarantee that Villa will have a good season themselves anyway. But to be honest, it says a lot to me that you are "hoping" (or expecting) one or two of the top teams to not have a good season just so that you can have an OPPORTUNITY in finishing above them. It wasn't too long ago that Villa were a real threat to the top four, and now the way you yourself word it makes it seem as though you're just fighting for scraps.
Losing Young and Downing will hit you hard. Ok, you've signed N'Zogbia, but that's one good player arriving for 2 quality players leaving. That is a backwards step, no matter how much anyone wants to dress it up.
And your new manager is also a backwards step. Simply put, Villa are big enough to attract a better quality manager than McLeish.
posted on 30/7/11
Why not? And even if one (or two) of them don't, there is no guarantee that Villa will have a good season themselves anyway. But to be honest, it says a lot to me that you are "hoping" (or expecting) one or two of the top teams to not have a good season just so that you can have an OPPORTUNITY in finishing above them.
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Yes, but just being realistic. There are the top 5 wealthy teams who you'd expect to bag the top 5 places; only change is its gone from 4 up to 5. And yes, they might just do that. But the PL is tough, even for those teams. They're all going to get some bad results against lower teams, and the results between themselves are unlikely to be even. So it's more expecting than hoping that things stack up badly against at least one of those.
That gives Villa and the teams around them (Everton etc) the opportunity to creep in. Yes, opportunity is the word, but I expect at least one of us to be challenging the top 5. Spurs managed it, others can. If you're not one of the rich clubs, you do it by the quality of your play and management; it doesn't always take money.
And you're right that on paper we've gone back a bit. You mentioned some players; another way of looking at it is that we gained around £64m on selling 3 major players but have only re-invested about £36m (plus Ireland, if that's an investment). However, we still have a load of good players, and maybe the McLeish way will win. But as the OP said, it could be dire to watch, and we don't know if WIN is the right word anyway.
But stepping back a bit from the present situation, Villa is not a poor club and has a load of good resources. It definitely should be one on those breathing down the necks of the rich 5. Could we have attracted a better manager than McLeish? There were certainly better ones making it clear they were interested (it was Lerner who wasn't). They wouldn't necessarily have got better results over the next season or so. But they were more likely to produce the sort of modern football we had our appetites wetted for last season, than what we fear we may get this.
posted on 31/7/11
IMO, I'd rather play boring football which gets us 7th than entertaining football which gets us 9th.
posted on 31/7/11
Darren,
Boring football and winning is good, because any winning is good.
The issue is that, essentially, the consolation for watching such a dross performance is a win - but that wont be the result every match. When you play poor and don't win, then you feel like you've wasted your money.
Europa League place i'd let you off, but what is so special about finishing 7th? May aswell finish 9th, or even 17th - that'd be a lot more entertaining and you have achieved just as much as finishing 7th.
posted on 31/7/11
7th is Europa League, makes a key difference mate. Saying finishing 17th is entertaining? So loosing matches then surviving on the last day is entertaining? Its entertaining for the neutrals not for the fans. I'd much prefer a top half position than a bottom half position. Thats surely natural for any fan to feel.
posted on 31/7/11
7th is only Europa League if teams finishing in position 1-5 win and runner-up both domestic cups.
Last season 6th place Liverpool did not qualify for Europa League, just Spurs in 5th.
Stoke & Birmingham got in via the cups and Fulham via Fair Play draw.
posted on 31/7/11
I'd rather play boring football which gets us 7th than entertaining football which gets us 9th.
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Trouble is, winning is about scoring goals, which entertaining sides tend to do. Playing safe did OK for Blues for one season for Blues, but only one season. I'm not too worried about which place we get this season, so long as it's top half, and shows that we're on the road to something good next season.
posted on 1/8/11
Look, the difference is we have better attacking players than birmingham had. And mate top 7 can win league cup final or reach cup final and the top 7 spots will be still free. Look I may sound boring but I'd rather play boring football and win 5 1-0's instead of a 5-0. Football is about winning not being entertaining.
posted on 1/8/11
Look I may sound boring but I'd rather play boring football and win 5 1-0's instead of a 5-0. Football is about winning not being entertaining.
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But if you can only win 1-0, you're sunk if the other side score a goal. We drew at Chelsea last season because although they scored 3 goals so did we, and what a game! We had that resilience and flair to do it. If we'd gone there hoping to stop them scoring and us nicking a goal somewhere along the line we'd have been slaughtered.
posted on 1/8/11
You have a point however Villa have never been a if you score 4 we'll score 5 club. I'm not saying I'd rather we have a team who can only win 1-0 I'd prefer to have a team who can win by 2+. I'm saying if we had a choice between winning all of our first 5 games 1-0 and winning 5-0 vs wolves but then drawing/loosing the rest of our 5 games I'd choose winning all of our first 5 games