28 Jun 2011 22:40:15
From reading the papers and all the speculation bout Milner coming back to villa park. I gather he's been told he's not first choice for a central midfielder spot with some of the superstars now pulling on a man city shirt and although they don't seem to want to use a player who plays his heart out and is relentless on and off the ball every game he plays. They've stated they will not sell him to any of the top 4 teams as well as liverpool and spurs and with how he was worshipped at Villa why can't he come back apparently 15 million would see the move happen. Just imagine Milner linking up with Bent even Ireland if Mcleish can get him playing again
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28 Jun 2011 15:56:12
Arsenal and Motherwell fan here (strange combination I know), just respectfully passing on a few thoughts about McLeish and a few questions to throw out there :).
With regards to McLeish, there was a time in the mid 90's that Motherwell were the main challengers to the Old Firm, playing what was widely recognised up here as a gorgeous brand of passing and moving football (I remember us going away to Dortmund and outplaying them for pretty much the full 90 minutes. Okay, we lost 1-0 but the mystery of how we lost is a question Columbo couldn't answer). In his first full season, McLeish single-handedly destroyed our brand of football, turned us into a defensive outfit and sent us into a relegation battle. A lot of Hibs fans also said that their (relative) success was not down to McLeish but down to a player at that time called Frank Sauzee, an experienced touch of midfield class who controlled and captained the team on the pitch. Of course, Birmingham fans (sorry for mentioning the name of that team) spent the last two seasons crying out for a more attacking philosophy. Where McLeish does score points though is he work he did with our national team, turning us into a hard working top 20 side achieving some outstanding results (maybe international football is his only true calling). This may read simply like a rant about him but it isn't. Just an appraisal of what I've seen over a long period of time (not dismissing what he did at Rangers but it's hard to look at success in a two team league objectively). I do wish him all the best at Villa as he is a genuinely nice guy (I used to get the chance to meet him regularly outside Fir Park), but I cannot see any radical lessons learnt nor any change to a lifelong tactical approach. To summerise:
Strengths: Work ethic, team spirit and togetherness (which will be a bonus after what Villa have gone through the last few months).
Weaknesses: Tactical diversity to change the course of a game.
On to a few questions :):
Where are we with Barry Bannan? The games I saw him play last season hinted at a creative MC which was great considering he started life as a winger. The fact that McLeish is there might help his chances of regular football. I really hope so, because I see the potential to be a Scotland regular for many years.
Chances of Hutton going to Villa? It would break my heart to see him return up here to an inferior product. He is far from the best at defending but if Downing does go, you could have a fast, direct touch of class bombing down the right wing and with a capable RB behind him, offering back up when the team is defending.
Is Gary Mac being kept on? Always felt he has been under rated both as a coach and a presence (you may be noticing a Scottish theme breaking through here).
As an outside observer it will be interesting to see which way Villa go as there are (or appears to be) a lot of good young players there, but what would constitute a realistic season for you lot? Consolidation and getting your breath back? Or a top 6 challenge? If come the end of the season you finished 10th but achieved that with a majority of kids who all looked committed and ready for the long haul, would you lot be happy with that?
Whatever may be, I wish you the best of luck next season and thank you for any responses to this post offered :)
Ajeno.
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LOLOLOLOL
arsenalyeti
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