Villa Signings and General Rumours Thread

Helix

One Cold Hand wrote: »

Helix, I think it was you that mentioned a director of football. That would be something that I would be against, especially for MON. We saw the situation at Spurs where Comolli (sp?) was effectively buying the players and Jol had no input into the purchases. I know MON wants complete control over the purchases and he wouldn't settle for that.
It's a role that I don't really understand, like take the situation at Newastle. They brought in Wise as Director of Footie. Why? Do they not trust Keegan?

spurs is an example of it being done badly

on the continent you have presidents and directors of football working with the manager

he identifies potential areas in the team that need strengthening and the director of football gets the scouts out to look at players and file him reports which he goes through and draws up a short list of a few players. this is then presented to the manager as well as a brief outline on each player and between the manager and the dof they create an order of preference for the players, removing any that the manager definitely doesnt want

then the director of football begins work on getting the top target to the club, handling all negotiations with the club and player, the manager then hopes in on talks regarding contract if everything has been agreed, just to make sure that theres no clauses he doesnt agree to inserted like the player MUST play every game etc

obviously it needs the co-operation of everyone and a lot of trust

One Cold Hand

Helix wrote: »

spurs is an example of it being done badly

on the continent you have presidents and directors of football working with the manager

he identifies potential areas in the team that need strengthening and the director of football gets the scouts out to look at players and file him reports which he goes through and draws up a short list of a few players. this is then presented to the manager as well as a brief outline on each player and between the manager and the dof they create an order of preference for the players, removing any that the manager definitely doesnt want

then the director of football begins work on getting the top target to the club, handling all negotiations with the club and player, the manager then hopes in on talks regarding contract if everything has been agreed, just to make sure that theres no clauses he doesnt agree to inserted like the player MUST play every game etc

obviously it needs the co-operation of everyone and a lot of trust

Fair enough, obviously if it's done properly then it's an option. I'm only really familliar with the half-a$$ed English model which seems to cause more trouble than anything. MON deffo won't be having any of it tho!!!

One Cold Hand

Neil3030 wrote: »

This is descending dangerously close to a full-blown discussion on who to appoint as MON's successor...

Well now that you mention it, Mourhino is available!

Bounty Hunter

I rarely comment on here when I cant find anything positive to say and after Villa's recent results there havent been much to get excited about, but MON as Villa manager is a positive.

Villa are progressing nicely but as everyone knows we need more players. When i say everyone that includes MON, he isnt stupid and even if he was everyone else connected to Villa including the media would have pointed it out to him. Yes Transfers at least thus far have been MON's achilles heel which IMO is perfect for the non-MON fans as stats make arguements and transfers are very easy stats to throw around. Meanwhile it is almost impossible to quantify MON's motivation, influence, tactics etc from the outside. O'Neil on the topic of transfers has also said that he isnt going to sign inferior players just for the sake of it in certain positions, he is willing to wait for good targets to become available / for Villa to become more attractive to better players. His criticised signings are the long term backup squad players IMO i.e Harewood and Knight and even Routledge, players that will be happy not starting every game but is good as a 3rd or 4th choice.

as far as i know Portsmouth havent applied for the Intertoto and even if they have they most likely will get European football via the FA cup. So with Villa atm in 7th despite the fact that we are currently going through our worst patch of form all season IMO Villa are still in the intertoto spot and could get into Europe despite the fact that only 5th in the Prem are getting a Uefa spot via the league this year.

about 5pages back i asked what people predicted Villa would achieve this season and the people who responded both thought that 7th was the highest we could get. Well we are there now. A couple of good summer signing and everyone will be happy again

invincibleirish

@ those questioning MON records at his previous clubs, please dont, it makes you look genuinely very silly.

There is a lot of nonsense being talked here about MON, Villa are on a bad run, it happens, instead of what ifs & could have beens, lets focus on the last 6 games and the summer coming, we can take far more positives then negatives from this season with which to build on.

Director of Football? If Villa need a DoF, then let it be, but to me its simple, take one good manager & one non interfering, rich, owner, they are the 2 most important people when it comes to building a good team.

Nevermind all this nonsense over Cahill, MON took a risk and sold him and it didnt work out because Curtis Davies got KO until October. Cahill wanted 1st team football, would you pick him ahead of Davies/Laursen/Mellberg?, if he was so great then why was it only those giants of the Premiership Bolton & Blues who wanted him?)

MON will sign players in the summer on Randy Lerners money, you are guaranteed they will not be the superstars you expect and they will not be signed on the first day of the transfer window.

For those who doubt MON and his ability remember this, remember back in the day in the late 90s when Emile Heskey was the business? remember how every club in the land wanted this powerful amazing forward and how i wished the day Liverpool payed £13m for him that Villa had done the same, Heskey has been a shadow of that player since yet MON keeps on doing it. Larsson was injured and not that well known and certainly not that well revered when MON walked into Parkhead.

He made Hartson & Sutton look like top european strikers, he has rehabilitated the career of Laursen, he has made Ashley Young & Agbonlahor the players they are (and will be next season when they are not *tired*.

Bottom line? MON is the man.

Neil3030

One Cold Hand wrote: »

Well now that you mention it, Mourhino is available!

Nah, I reckon we make a punt for Wenger, he'll deffo be getting sacked this Summer...

Helix

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

A couple of good summer signing and everyone will be happy again

and thats the test isnt it

a couple of good signings to prove hes got it in the transfer market and can push us on from grafters and ill be delighted

another summer of rubbish and its a clear sign that maybe his 3rd season should be his last

thats all anyones getting at

Bounty Hunter

taken from a bolton site.... The Reason Bolton are $hit and might go down is all down to the Villa

The body`s still twitching, but the post mortem`s begun. Bolton fans are so busy advancing theories about the club`s demise that some of them don`t even have time to go to matches. Some of them never have. The circle of blame is wide. Phil Gartside, Eddie Davies, Sam Allardyce, Gary Megson, Gerald Cid, Sammy Lee, referees, bad luck, the ball boys, poor finishing and the tea ladies have all come under fire. There`s even a retard on the Bolton News website claiming that relegation will be financially beneficial to the chairman and owner. There is one other factor that has been missed. It`s called Aston Villa.

Villa`s evil plan started even before the season began as they offloaded Jlloyd Samuel in the direction of the Reebok Stadium. Martin O`Neill`s maniacal laughter can still be heard on quiet evenings in the West Midlands, when the wind is in a certain direction. Samuel is so bad he should have a government health warning stapled to his chest. 'This Player Can Seriously Damage Your League Position.`

Gavin McCann seems a bit better, but that`s probably because he`s being compared to the hairy, geriatric disaster zone that is Ivan Campo. Then there`s Gary Cahill. On the face of it he looks more than decent, but that`s just a front. He gave away a penalty at Blackburn, which proved decisive and gifted two goals to Liverpool. They`re a cunning lot are Villa.

Not that shunting their duff reserves onto Bolton is enough. Oh no. Look at recent results. We asked on this site that Aston Villa do a job at Fulham. They lost, even after being given a goal start. Even that didn`t turn the screw sufficiently. At the weekend they lost at home to bloody Sunderland, who haven`t won away since 1926.

Look, we`re sorry that we beat you in the semi-finals of the League Cup in 2004. It was an accident, and Jay Jay Okocha, the architect of that result has been sent off to play for Hull. How much more punishment do you want?

It isn`t too late to redeem yourselves, Villa. You have two home matches coming up. One against Bolton, the other against Birmingham, who you must surely want to be relegated. Throw the first game and win the second and you can have as many League Cup wins as you want. How about it?

made me laugh, especially the bit about Samuel

invincibleirish

If only MON had got to Samuel 2/3/4 years earlier, he could have been brilliant! (am i dreaming or did he get into one of Svens England squads?)

One Cold Hand

Bounty Hunter wrote: »

taken from a bolton site.... The Reason Bolton are $hit and might go down is all down to the Villa


made me laugh, especially the bit about Samuel

I thought the bit about JayJay in the league cup was great. I remember that game really well (for some reason!). If i Rememeber rightly we were all over them, before Okocha pop up and scored a w@nky free kick that slipped past the outside of the wall.

Neil3030

Villa`s evil plan started even before the season began as they offloaded Jlloyd Samuel in the direction of the Reebok Stadium.

Hmmmm... does this mean we can hold Celtic responsible for Petrov?

homah_7ft

Praying Villa can play well as underdogs at the weekend. I'm heading over to see the match so here's hoping they at least put in a performance. I've got a feeling we can nick a result this year.

Raekwon

[sarcasm] With Zat Knight & Scott Carson in such good form we could well nick a point at Old Trafford this weekend [/sarcasm]

DSB

Unfair to compare Carson to Knight. Whats happening to Carson is simply that, poor form. He is a good keeper and was excellent up until Croatia when his confidence has seemed to plummet. Knight has never been on form, he is just a terrible footballer.

One Cold Hand

Neil3030 wrote: »

Hmmmm... does this mean we can hold Celtic responsible for Petrov?

And MON for that matter....

DSB

One Cold Hand wrote: »

And MON for that matter....

Apparently Boruc will be next on the list of overrated players from Celtic to join Villa.

Raekwon

DSB wrote: »

Unfair to compare Carson to Knight. Whats happening to Carson is simply that, poor form. He is a good keeper and was excellent up until Croatia when his confidence has seemed to plummet. Knight has never been on form, he is just a terrible footballer.

Where did I compare them? Carson is a decent keeper but is in a bad run of form at the moment, the last think he needs is a run out at Old Trafford to face the likes of Ronaldo, Rooney & co. As for Knight, what I've said in the past and got slated for still stands

invincibleirish

If MON goes shopping at Parkhead maybe McGeady & Donati? Boruc would be better then Carson but then so would pretty much anyone at this stage?


..........Must resist pointless speculation...........


What are we hoping for Man Utd on Saturday, predictable Villa defeat or Villa continue their run of taking points away at the rest of the 'big 4'


If Knights playing its not hard to see Utd scoring a few, Utd have a habit of bringing impact substitutes against Villa, RVN, Rooney and Co. have hammered Villa over the years from the bench, Ronaldo to come on at 0-0 and score a brace?

kryogen

DSB wrote: »

Apparently Boruc will be next on the list of overrated players from Celtic to join Villa.

i think Boruc has looked good every time ive seen him. dunno about overratedm you hardly hear the rave reviews about him that you were starting to hear about Craig Gordon. Carson is a good keeper but there would be nothing wrong with Boruc either imo

Neil3030

Fletcher's out lads - 3 points in the bag.

deisedevil

Neil3030 wrote: »

Fletcher's out lads - 3 points in the bag.

Nice 1. In the bag is right. Another step closer to winning the Prem.

invincibleirish

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/7316219.stm

Mellberg replacing Gardner, meaning Zak is a definite starter, shaky Laursen & even shakier Carson have goals all over this, lets hope Ashley & Gabby can find some form!

DSB

I just don't understand what MON sees in Knight. It baffles.

villains77

all villains villa v manure live in the duke bar. should be a few of us in there. hoping for a draw at least

Neil3030

Only 6 Man U players in the box and they still couldn't clear it...

Villain

Reading the text commentary in work, I'm glad I'm not watching this, Villa's season is over and we will be lucky to get a top 10 finish.

IMO the team has lost all confidence and our squad is been shown up for what it is a mid table squad, (note I said Squad not best 11)

PHB

I think Villa have done well today, they have just been outclassed so far.

DSB

You can't be serious? That was one of the most unorganised displays I've seen in so long. Lots of effort but just absolutely terrible. We need new players and/or a new manager.

PHB

You were playing an onform United, they beat Liverpool 3-0 and Arsenal 4-0. You guys lost 4-0, and to be honest, I still think you did well in the game. Your midfield was where the game was lost, no doubt, but on another day, the game could have been a lot closer.

There's no doubt you need new players, but personally I was somewhat impressed with Villa today. They streched Uniteds defence much better than I've seen somebody strech it so far this year.

DSB

PHB wrote: »

You were playing an onform United, they beat Liverpool 3-0 and Arsenal 4-0. You guys lost 4-0, and to be honest, I still think you did well in the game. Your midfield was where the game was lost, no doubt, but on another day, the game could have been a lot closer.

There's no doubt you need new players, but personally I was somewhat impressed with Villa today. They streched Uniteds defence much better than I've seen somebody strech it so far this year.

I continue to be stunned by fans of other clubs opinion of us. United opened us up at will, it could have been alot more than 4. We haven't kept a clean sheet in like 20 games or something.

OPENROAD

PHB wrote: »

I think Villa have done well today, they have just been outclassed so far.

They were awful today imo.

invincibleirish

An entirely predictable result, but still it makes my belly ache reading the match report:

Aston Villa were not just beaten here, they were hammered into the muddy ground.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/Match_Report/0,,2269360,00.html

The fairweather fan in me was enjoying the 0-0 at St. Colmans, but really this was terrible, with Ronaldo & Rooney on from the start Sir Alex didnt even give Villa a chance, This is what you are up against Randy!

PHB

Villa weren't great in defence, but United just utterly outclassed them. One weak link and a good attacking team will destroy ya. Today the link was certainly Reo-Coker, who United worked extremely hard.

Going forward, Villa were very good, even unlucky not to score. I haven't seen a team trouble United that much in defence probably since the Spurs game actually, but it was very impressive.

Villa showed today imo that they are close to being a really good team. I know that seems crazy, but like, how is any team meant to deal with Ronaldos first goal?
Tevez's goal would have been stopped by any decent RB.

In the 2nd half, United really turned it on, and you can't read too much into a game where Ronaldo, Rooney, and Tevez all perform. That happens once in a while, and when it does, no team can stop it.

invincibleirish

I think we'll all like to see the summer now though, Mellberg is gone, maybe Zak let the speculation begin, i imagine Villa are going to be linked with every never-heard-of-but-sounds-promising-foreigner plying their trade at the middle teams of their leagues and wanting out according to his agent type player,Lets just focus on the game with the Blues, good result there then in summer Randy better start throwing his Credit Card around!

Buy Buy Buy! Sell Sell Sell!, You can do it Martin!

http://www.news.com.au/common/imagedata/0,,5476447,00.jpg

Savman

DSB wrote: »

We need new players and/or a new manager.

Oh for crying out loud. Coming from the same guy who once called MON a "halfwit" on this very thread, I think I'll be taking your views with a pinch of salt.

invincibleirish

I cant wait to hear whats said of MON if Villa lose to blues*! Hanging? Crucifixtion? surely that'll be too good for him!

*looks like they are on form too (second win of 08!:D)

http://www.football365.com/report/0,17033,8741_3362884,00.html

PHB

I heard Villa are interested in Kallstrom, he's one of my favorite football manager buys, looks a decent player in real life too

DSB

Savman wrote: »

Oh for crying out loud. Coming from the same guy who once called MON a "halfwit" on this very thread, I think I'll be taking your views with a pinch of salt.

I've never been a fan before. I still amn't. Do list his achievements as Villa manager please.

Helix

cant really argue about being done by united today, theyre just better, no questions asked

DSB

Helix wrote: »

cant really argue about being done by united today, theyre just better, no questions asked

You're right in this, I don't think anyone necessarily expected a result but being hammered 4-0, with that result possibly being kind to us isn't good enough.

Savman

DSB wrote: »

I've never been a fan before. I still amn't. Do list his achievements as Villa manager please.

Oh let me see, in his first season he won the FA Cup and League Cup double. In his second season, after qualifying for the Champions League, he reached the final while again winning the Fa and League cups but this time adding the Premiership to the Villa Park trophy cabinet. And all of this on a relatively modest spending budget and all within in 2 years.:rolleyes:

You want instant success? Go support Chelsea.

Man United are a class above Villa, dunno why that's so hard to live with. Liverpool lost at Old Trafford 3-0 last week, does that mean they are a crap side too? I'm sure their fans went thru the same process of self-defeating criticism and slating their own players, manager, tactics yadda yadda yadda. Simple fact is Old Trafford is an impossible place to get a result and any team with Rooney/Ronaldo/Tevez all playing to their potential will literally stroll past any team not up to the task, and very few are. So we were beaten by what looks like the Champions-elect, hardly cause for panic now is there?

We're back to 8th, which is about right. I agree with PHB though, just a few players off being a really good side.

Time Magazine

On an entirely different topic, there's a very "interesting" post here.

DSB

Savman wrote: »

Oh let me see, in his first season he won the FA Cup and League Cup double. In his second season, after qualifying for the Champions League, he reached the final while again winning the Fa and League cups but this time adding the Premiership to the Villa Park trophy cabinet. And all of this on a relatively modest spending budget and all within in 2 years.:rolleyes:

You want instant success? Go support Chelsea.

Man United are a class above Villa, dunno why that's so hard to live with. Liverpool lost at Old Trafford 3-0 last week, does that mean they are a crap side too? I'm sure their fans went thru the same process of self-defeating criticism and slating their own players, manager, tactics yadda yadda yadda. Simple fact is Old Trafford is an impossible place to get a result and any team with Rooney/Ronaldo/Tevez all playing to their potential will literally stroll past any team not up to the task, and very few are. So we were beaten by what looks like the Champions-elect, hardly cause for panic now is there?

We're back to 8th, which is about right. I agree with PHB though, just a few players off being a really good side.

By achievements I wasn't referring to trophies. I meant strengthening of the team, adding a new element to our side, bringing in players that will serve us well for years to come. Curtis Davies and Ashley Young would rank as his achievements as far as I'm concerned. Our defence has gone to the dogs under O'Neill, when was the last time we've kept a clean sheet? We don't have any footballing element to the side really. We're far too reliant on set-pieces. But do continue to make out like people are just jumping on a bandwagon because of a 4-0 defeat. As far as I can see, people have been sceptical of him for quite a while in this thread.

Helix

DSB wrote: »

when was the last time we've kept a clean sheet?

20 games ago

JPA

Ibid wrote: »

On an entirely different topic, there's a very "interesting" post here.

I read something similar to that before and I think it's pure BS.
Are they suggesting that all us fans have been deceived and will continue to be deceived?

Any lack of spending is entirely down to MON in my eyes.

Neil3030

Ibid wrote: »

On an entirely different topic, there's a very "interesting" post here.

"Interesting" is certainly a good way of putting it. His points aren't even true (we've spent over 40mil) and the presentation and tone of his piece strikes me as an unjustified rant following a comprehensive defeat to arguably the best club in the world at the moment. If you analyse the situation there is definitely still cause for optimism with the current Villa set-up.

First and foremost, Aston Villa over performed hugely in the early half of this season, which gave fans a false sense of optimism and a deluded sense of expectancy, particularly in the transfer window. The rational, methodical several year plan that fans had accepted was completely forgotten about once we began flirting with Champion's League places, and once the results inevitably levelled off, calls for O’Neill’s head followed.

There are two important things to remember - 1. Randy Lerner is not a cash slinging idiot and 2. Aston Villa are not yet high enough up the prestige rankings to attract top-quality players.

I believe Lerner when he says he didn't take over Villa strictly to make a profit and it is unfair to criticise the disposal of the dead-weight (Samuel et al) when O'Neill took over, and use it to support a conspiracy theory suggesting Lerner is using Villa as a cash-cow. There is a big difference between generosity and stupidity and the latter is certainly manifested by hanging onto every relegation-contender standard player in our squad.

This brings us to the issue of player acquisition and at the moment we simply do not have the pull for the big boys for a host of reasons:- Villa were batting to avoid relegation only a few years ago, we can't yet compete with wage-bills of bigger clubs, Birmingham is not the most desirable location to live in England and O'Neill simply hasn't had long enough a career at the top level to establish an international reputation.

Yes, there were good players available in the last 12 months, but they were not passed over or lost as a result of anyone being a tight-wad or dropping the ball in negotiations. Defoe chose Portsmouth ahead of us (I'm convinced) to stay living near London, Sven (a Seria A winner and former England boss) signed Petrov and Elano, and Hutton and Woodgate presumably chose Spurs for more money, a London home and the prestige of the club (current position notwithstanding).

But O'Neill's most disappointing signings are behind him. Villa are a work in progress who will gradually solidify their status as a top team and begin attracting the big names and this will take time. Don't be heart-broken if Robinho, David Villa and Heinze aren't signed by O'Neill over the Summer, Lerner is not Abramovich and Villa are not Manchester United. In the beginning, O'Neill took gambles with the devils he knew from Celtic, and has now learned his lesson. He refuses to splash big money on players who simply will not make a difference to the overall quality of the team. He has key players in a number of areas who comprise a solid backbone for further investment and development. This will happen gradually and systematically over the next few years and anyone who begrudges this process might take the advice of a previous post and go support Chelsea.

Helix

youre clearly mixing up "will happen" with "might happen"

Neil3030

And what makes you so certain it won't?

DSB

Neil3030 wrote: »

"Interesting" is certainly a good way of putting it. His points aren't even true (we've spent over 40mil) and the presentation and tone of his piece strikes me as an unjustified rant following a comprehensive defeat to arguably the best club in the world at the moment. If you analyse the situation there is definitely still cause for optimism with the current Villa set-up.

First and foremost, Aston Villa over performed hugely in the early half of this season, which gave fans a false sense of optimism and a deluded sense of expectancy, particularly in the transfer window. The rational, methodical several year plan that fans had accepted was completely forgotten about once we began flirting with Champion's League places, and once the results inevitably levelled off, calls for O’Neill’s head followed.

There are two important things to remember - 1. Randy Lerner is not a cash slinging idiot and 2. Aston Villa are not yet high enough up the prestige rankings to attract top-quality players.

I believe Lerner when he says he didn't take over Villa strictly to make a profit and it is unfair to criticise the disposal of the dead-weight (Samuel et al) when O'Neill took over, and use it to support a conspiracy theory suggesting Lerner is using Villa as a cash-cow. There is a big difference between generosity and stupidity and the latter is certainly manifested by hanging onto every relegation-contender standard player in our squad.

This brings us to the issue of player acquisition and at the moment we simply do not have the pull for the big boys for a host of reasons:- Villa were batting to avoid relegation only a few years ago, we can't yet compete with wage-bills of bigger clubs, Birmingham is not the most desirable location to live in England and O'Neill simply hasn't had long enough a career at the top level to establish an international reputation.

Yes, there were good players available in the last 12 months, but they were not passed over or lost as a result of anyone being a tight-wad or dropping the ball in negotiations. Defoe chose Portsmouth ahead of us (I'm convinced) to stay living near London, Sven (a Seria A winner and former England boss) signed Petrov and Elano, and Hutton and Woodgate presumably chose Spurs for more money, a London home and the prestige of the club (current position notwithstanding).

But O'Neill's most disappointing signings are behind him. Villa are a work in progress who will gradually solidify their status as a top team and begin attracting the big names and this will take time. Don't be heart-broken if Robinho, David Villa and Heinze aren't signed by O'Neill over the Summer, Lerner is not Abramovich and Villa are not Manchester United. In the beginning, O'Neill took gambles with the devils he knew from Celtic, and has now learned his lesson. He refuses to splash big money on players who simply will not make a difference to the overall quality of the team. He has key players in a number of areas who comprise a solid backbone for further investment and development. This will happen gradually and systematically over the next few years and anyone who begrudges this process might take the advice of a previous post and go support Chelsea.

No1 here is moaning about us not having a squad full of 20 million players. We'd like a squad sizable enough to compete properly. We have to bring on players like Salifou and Osbourne as subs who lets be honest haven't shown anything to suggest they are of Premiership standard. That'd be grand if we were suffering an injury crisis or something but I think its just Davies thats injured from the first team? When you leave the squad that small it stinks of nothing other than negligence. We haven't had an injury crisis at all this season and god knows what position we'd be in if we had. We don't even have a right back, nor do we own a goalkeeper upto Premiership standard.

The man has had no problem bringing in ****e like Knight and Petrov, and players who are yet to light the world alight (although I think they both may do great for us, even though they arent exactly young) Maloney and Carew. Why couldn't he bring in a few temporary measures to bolster the squad. We've seen what the alternative has been this season and Reo Coker's performance in right back reflects that.

And this isn't a sudden thing, people have been complaining about this since the end of January transfer window. Of course, people are going to have a problem, when the very thing that people predicted would happen, did. Does anyone honestly see O'Neill getting our squad upto the level we need to compete this summer? I'd say thats about 6 more top 10 standard players.

I've seen no progression from Villa as a club, the squad has gotten weaker and smaller and we have far too many areas where we've pretty much nothing. The negative influence of O'Leary may be gone (in my opinion that was the reason we underperformed so much in the past) but I've seen no progression on the pitch, or in the transfer market. I've never fully understood the stigma surrounding O'Neill as a manager.

Savman

DSB it must get awful lonely sitting there in your sunday best with your party hat and your balloons in anticipation of the wonderful news of MON leaving AVFC. "Rejoice! Hallelujah"" I hear you say.

I'm sure once the alcopops wears off and in the cold light of day you wake up and think to yourself "what now?"

Oh wait, we're covered there right? Martin Jol was it? Or Jose Mourinho? Sorry my memory's not what it once was, who did you say is the league-title winning manager with massive European experience that is waiting, neigh begging, for the coveted Aston Villa hotseat?

*sigh*