Return of The Mac

Following on from my last piece, permit me to present an argument that appears more positive than the ones we`ve been having of late.

Pretty soon I believe the poisoned chalice will be put down once more ready to take the next man. I also believe that the next man I propose has the antidote.

ould Kevin MacDonald be Aston Villa manager on a full-time basis? There`s no reason why not.

This man has been a part of our club since 1995 and is responsible for most of the players currently making up the first team. He has won several titles as Aston Villa Reserve manager. Most importantly, the players respect him and will play for him. Even more importantly, the fans will back him.

Who`s to say that if Super Kev didn`t carry on as manager that we wouldn`t be in a different position than we are now? Maybe he was unsure first time around because of the shoes he had to fill. He no longer has that problem, as any kind of footwear will be a godsend compared to a season of callouses and verrucas endured under Alex McLeish.

We had a howler against Newcastle under MacDonald, when a striker who used to be Andy Carroll scored a hat-trick and we lost 6-0. After that game Kev admitted that he`d screwed up. It was the measure of a man who isn`t afraid to admit his shortcomings and in the next few games performances and confidence began to come. Then Houllier was appointed and the cycle began again. Kev is now first team coach and must be pulling his silver hair out at what is happening. The fact that he squared up to Owen Coyle shows the passion that he has for us; the passion of an Aston Villa manager.

ompare this passion to the fact that most of his work is now taking pride of place at left-back, central defence, central midfield, right wing and up front in the first team. It must be hurting to have sired these young lions to the apex of the footballing side of the club and suffering for mistakes that the manager is making. Kev would not allow the kids to take flak like that in public; he`d stick up for them and reassure them that they still have the quality to do the job for Aston Villa. Exactly the type of motivation they need.

Chances are that the search for a new manager is on. I say call off that search, we already have the man right here. If the board has been so enthusiastic about cutting costs and stripping assets it would make no sense to get a new manager from outside. Andre Villas-Boas would cost too much. Roberto Martinez knocked us back. Any other manager linked with us by the bookies is not worth a look in my opinion and would be too expensive. We would be back at square one with someone who doesn`t know us while having the right man for the job in our midst the whole time. The attitude going forward seems to be one of youth development and fresh blood. I say if it ain`t broke then don`t fix it. Kevin MacDonald as manager, Sid Cowans as assistant and a backroom team of their choice. A club run by Villans for Villans. It couldn`t get more perfect.

This is all hypothetical of course, but if McLeish resigns/is dismissed, I say we get Kevin MacDonald in to rebuild the team and continue the great work he`s done with our younger players. He might not have won any major honours, but he is the man that I believe Villa fans need to see in charge of the club. He virtually has the team he`s developed at his immediate disposal. It's written in the stars. If anyone can get the best out of our team, I believe it`s him. I hope you`ll agree.

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