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MON Wants Time To Bring Back Glory Days

Phew....! Must admit when I first saw an article on Setanta I thought Martin O'Neill had gone off on one and had another go at the fans, however it seems not, apart from him asking for more patience, which is fair enough!

Maybe all 'sides' need to take a step back and just relax a bit, enjoy the end of the season, the challenge is still there, 4th is still possible albeit tough and there is still 5th place to play for.

Looks like the press might try to spin this as the Villa having another go at us but from the quotes I've read in the Mirror, I don't think that is really the case.

It is never a good thing to see the boss have a go at fans, especially loyal and long suffering fans like the claret and blue army. Fans do pay a lot of money and have a right to have the odd whine don't they? This shouldn't deflect from what the manager is doing and there really should be little to no reason for the manager to react. Just look where having a go at fans got David O'Leary. Whatever is 'he' doing now!? But when there isn't a major issue, it seems a shame when the press want to make one.

Speaking in an article in the Daily Mirror he says that the club was 'unbearable' under Doug and remembers it wasn't that long ago fans were 'putting up all sorts of signs (against the regime). I’m not saying everything is absolutely right but we’re trying to improve the team.'

Again in the The Mirror he adds whilst talking to the 300 at the Moscow 'apology' meal:

'We want to bring the club round to its former glory. It might not be fast enough for you but I’m hoping to try. And if I don’t improve it in a certain time, the chairman might hire me but the crowd fire me.'

I do quite like that sentence, he obviously is very aware who ultimately judges a manager although I do think in this case Randy is likely to be a chairman much in the Steve Gibson (Middlesbrough owner/chairman) mold where he backs the manager and gives them plenty of time. Then again, if a crowd turn, that is usually that for managers. I can't see the fans or chairman turning yet though, MON surely - despite some criticism mostly centering around the Moscow situation - has time? I've not seen anyone in our forum suggest he needs to be sacked, that is for sure.

MON spoke at length at the meal and mentioned our former Chairman Doug Ellis who to be fair some (very few though?) are starting to imply wasn't that bad! MON is yet another manager who shows that he was THAT bad (and those behind the scenes know he was THAT bad AND MORE!)

'I remember seeing Mr Ellis on the Monday after that Arsenal game. He asked me to explain why Martin Laursen came off the bench in the last couple of minutes. I was taken aback because no chairman has ever asked me to explain a decision, as they know they would get short shrift. I was taken aback but knowing he wouldn’t be there much longer, I was very gracious. I said I would never explain as long as he never ever asked me again.'

Just shows, even though it was Doug that brought MON in, there was no way he was coming without knowing the end was in sight and if a takeover hadn't happened, I'm not convinced MON would have lasted long before walking in indignation!

As far as I can see fans are fans, some think he's doing an ace (love that word!) job, others a mixed job and many are just enjoying the ride hoping at some point for things to click in the transfer windows and for us to be able to really cement a top 4 place. There are always worries - and when you've been up and down as much as Villa fans that is bound to be amplified by so much promise this season seemingly just ebbing away isn't it? But I think the club is pushing forward, we've certainly never had it so good off the pitch and the infrastructure has been built to a fantastic level now, just look at Bodymoor Heath training facilities, they match the very best in the world.

Things are positive, whether MON proves to be the messiah only time will tell, I'd say at the end of NEXT season we'll truly know if he is the man and I would imagine - as he seems to be his harshest critic - that he will also know.

Time is never what we want to hear, we all get caught up in the passion and the here and now.. lets hope in a few years time we are all where we want to be...!

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Writer: J P Fear

Date:Thursday April 9 2009

Time: 11:10AM

Your Comments

Good article. It amazes me how people can be so stupid as to suggest things were ok under Ellis, it was a nightmare. Even looking back at pictures of the team in a Hummel kit depresses the life out of me. DOL was an idiot, at least MON has time and respect for his players instead of publicly putting them down on match of the day etc. What i mean is under time i think trophies will be coming and apart from his decision to take Milner off on sunday it was he best i've seen us play in years, if we played like that every week then....... Consistency and defence are key issues for next season, lets stay patient. Remember where Sir Alex Ferguson was after his first 2-3 seasons at Man U anyone?

Thom85

I can not understand why he needs to be judged after next season. David Moyes has been at Everton since March 2002, has won nothing, is below the Villa (for the moment at least) and is widely acknowledged by his peers and the fans of his club as the right man for the job. So after 7 years he is below us and we should consider changing OUR manager next year??? The logic of some people astounds me. For the Villa it may not be this year, or next or maybe even the year after, but for the first time since Ron Saunders we have a chance to build this club in to the great, world superpower we want it to be. More importantly it has the potential to be. What will hold it back is the impatience, short sightedness, ignorance and absolute stupidity of some fans.

voiceoftheholte

Has Moyes had the money O'Neill has then ? Does Moyes have the best owner in the PL over him ? It may have skipped your notice but he's qualified for Europe several times and his team are still in with a good chance of a Wembley show. That's been achieved with an injury list that would have put O'Neill's bench warmers in a relegation battle. We lose 1 cf and 1 lb and collapse. Some fans really do need to get out of O'Neill's arse and think straight.

avfc48

voth I couldn't say it any better myself so I won't!!! How people can complain about a period of ten or so matches as much as some of our 'fans' is unbelievable!!

AVNath

Moyes has had no money to spend. Baines, Jagielka, Andy Johstone, Yakubu, Howard, Fellaini (£15 million alone), Lescott + many more all arrived for free didn't they? It was 3 years into his reign and they stayed up by the skin of their teeth. And yes he may get to a cup final this year ,but so did we under Gregory so maybe we should get him back?? It shows the benefits of stability in a club. We have been with out a lb and a ch and we have collapsed. What you actually mean is that M'ON has put us up there competing and we have 'collapsed' to 5th. Stop the world, we have collapsed to 5th. Southampton have collapsed, Leeds have all but collapsed, Notts forest like wise. Having a poor few weeks is not collapsing. But these are typical comments from somebody who rarely goes to the games but feels qualified to judge because he was a regular many years ago.

voiceoftheholte

Well said voiceoftheholte, villa fans are fickle and sumtimes i get fed up with them, Mon is doing a good job and we should stick with him and give him time 5-6 years at least. Avfc48 you really are a plonker who is only happy when u moan, try supporting ur club and manager 4 once!!

astonsteve

astonsteve, is there any need to call someone a plonker, just for having an opposing opinion to your own? If 48, didnt support the his club, then do you really think he would be on here? People are allowed views, some like O'Neill, some don't. Get over it. The thing that makes me laugh is so many get on their high horse and have a go at people who cricise the manager by getting personal. He is not allowed to say anything about O'Neill, but you are allowed to say something about 48? Here is an idea, don't have a go at your fellow fans, make your point without getting personal.

young_jonah

young jonah you are correct. There is no need to get personal and people will always differ in opinions. It would be nice if those offereing opinions actually came and supported the club though. We are often subject to the wonderful insight of people who do not even go to the games. A bit like me watching golf on the tv and when a bloke hits a shot in a bunker complaining on the websites that he is useless. I mean fancy hitting a shot in a bunker when he is meant to be on the green and he is probably earning £5 million a year. It shouldn't be allowed, he's rubbish, fancy going in to the bunker when the green is 3 times as big. he is obviously rubbish and needs to get a new coach.

voiceoftheholte

Come on YJ, the guy is a plonker, not for his dislike of MON but for the snidey way that he expresses his views or has a go at MON and fails to EVER offer an alternative. Of course everyone has different views and they are entitled to them but the guy is only happy when we are losing. He should be supporting the manager if he is a fan, no matter who the manager is.

Villan444

A manager will get stick if he doesn`t win for a few games let alone 9 !!! That includes Wenger and Fergie, it`s down to MON to get us back winning and not just talking media-bull, he`s had the money and he`s had 3 years so can he stop using excuses and clouding the current issues by talking about the past.

ASPINALL

aspinall - as I say it is the short sighteness of some supporters who hold this club back and their constant whinging if things aren't to their liking. Wenger has had 11 years, hasn't won anything for 4 and is only 6 points ahead of M'ON despite having an extra 8 years of team building. And last season they almost scored as many goals as us. So lets sack our manager then and everything will be much better. Is that ok with you?

voiceoftheholte

Yep,it`s the supporters who have spent a shedload of cash on players who don`t get into the team, they also have picked players to play in positions they look pants in, they also bought Heskey which was a total waste of time when 3 players in the right areas would have got us CL.Villa fans turn up week in and week out home and away no matter how bad we`re playing.

ASPINALL

I've said it before and I'll say it again. As far as I'm concerned, avfc is NOT a Villa supporter. You have opinions, YJ, and you back them up with critical but positive comments. I may not agree with you (quite often don't) but I know you're stimulating debate, which is good. avfc on the other hand has NEVER to my knowledge said anything positive about Martin O'Neill, without at least taking it all back in the next sentence. He clearly has a HUGE chip on his shoulder about O'Neill, which makes whatever else he writes a load of tosh.

BobTheBuilder

We turn up week in week out?? Why have then have we had up to 8000 empty seats for league games this season and 20,000 empty seats for cup games. A squad will always be about 25 strong, so that is 14 people who don't get in the team, so what are you going on about? The only reason we have a chance of CL is because oe M'ON. God give me strength.

voiceoftheholte

We haven`t got a chance of CL and we didn`t from Feb 1st, not hindsight as people said it there and then. MON is a good manager but isn`t the be all and end all of Aston Villa as some will lead you to believe, i would put Randy down as best thing to come to us for a very very long time. MON has had the cash and wasted it IMO.

ASPINALL

And if you listened to Arsenal phone-ins when they were 5th they were giving Wenger much worse !!! Villa fans are saints considering what we`ve had to watch over last 10 years.

ASPINALL

He is doing a fantastic job

Pking

Bob the builder, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't believe you are a real builder and in fact, I would go so far as to say I think Wendy was the one that ran the operation and sorry to disappoint you but she's having it large with Farmer Pickles. :o)

The Fear

voice, same as anyone you are entitled to your beliefs but I do wish you'd stop blaming the flipping fans for all the ills!

The Fear

Some people are forgetting that times are hard at the minute. Theres alot of empty seats because its not cheap to go VP every game unless your a season ticket holder. MONs doing a awesome job. Yes, we're on a slump at the min and yes, He probably could have spent the dosh a bit better but its the progress thats the important th

medzy

ing. It takes time to build a quality squad and signings dont always work out. Thats why we have transfer windows to buy/sell players and improve the team whilst at the same time being sensible with the £ available. Mons made some good signings so ive got faith he'll carry on the trend. He knows the type of player he wants and for a long time this season those types players have been doing the buisness for us but as soon as things go tits up, fans get their backs up and criticise MON. Theres no other british manager id want other than MON so some fans need to stop being so ungrateful and open they're eyes and see how lucky they are. MON and Randy are the key to bringing back the glory days IMO

medzy

Huh, don't talk to me about Wendy, Fear - I'm fed up with her getting all the plaudits. That and all the scaffolding (or is that cuckolding?) I have to deal with. I tell you, times is hard ...

BobTheBuilder

lol, Bob!!!! I agree with the one point medzy, some people just can't afford tickets at the moment, they HAVE to put family first and remember the impact the Rover plant shutting down has also had on families and also loads of other businesses around the Birmingham area. It isn't a cheap thing to follow and although I would love to see VP sold out each week, I can understand why some have to pick and choose. I'd also say that - deep intake of breath - some of the football at home this season has been dour and so maybe, just maybe some of the floating fans (as opposed to the usual hard core that any club relies on) are looking at finances and value and deciding to hand pick games. I would also say, without trying to stir things, that I've read a good few fans saying after the Moscow thing they have drifted and a few are season ticket holders who (again having mentioned finances) aren't renewing. I know Voiceoftheholte that you then think that makes them fickle, but it doesn't in my opinion, not everyone is as obsessed as the likes of us - even I started to doubt the point after moscow and it was the lowest I'd ever felt as a fan to be honest.

I agree with medzy that Randy is the right man, I don't think we've ever had it so good OFF the pitch. I remain to be convinced by MON and don't feel I need to show gratitude to him, just support to the club and team BUT I DO want to see where he can take us, the manager merry go round is something I truly believe Randy won't get involved in like Doug did (his single biggest mistake in my opinion) but the pressure is on MON, he hasn't been at a top PL club before and so his record in the SPL and for Leicester (another era of football) doesnt' really count for anything here (something I am sure he is only too aware of) and he has to get it right this summer with perhaps Laursen having to retire and certainly Barry going. That is our contingent of world class players out in one go (hopefully the whispers on Laursen aren't true but the latest comments from MON don't look too positive when he says 'Laursen is struggling and that is all I will say'. I fear next season, I think we might well have been sussed now BUT again, as a fan I really hope that isn't the case, MON hopefully knows more than all of us experts (!!!) and will carry on moulding things as he sees fit in order to get us to the glory days he spoke of yesterday once again.

The Fear

JF, away support has been magnificent as usual but home? The bitching and moaning in the Holte is as bad now as when O'Leary and Ellis were here. In fact, I think we gave the players far more support back then due to the awful regime we had. It was set up for us this season... charity on the shirt, team of predominantly English players, one of the best managers in the business. But a vocal minority at home have really given us a bad rep.

Rawlie

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