He got Birmingham to 9th place in the league which was their highest position for 50 years I think and won a cup with them, that's an achievement. With Houllier France was a one horse race, you could have won the league with that Lyon side and the UEFA cup for a team like Liverpool isn't good enough. Houllier at Villa was pretty poor, they had to buy their survival with Darren Bent.

Houllier did a poor job at man management, made some bizzare decisions and spoke nonsense half the time.

But I liked how he brought positive football, his strong connections and the youth setup.

I would have prefered him to move move upstairs. If he was in that position I think we would have got a better manager for sure, while we had some strong pull in the transfer market.

We won't get none of that with McLeish. I'll get behind him, but I'm done with the board. They've totally alienated the whole fanbase with their lies, hypocrisy and clueless antics.

annual?

bit of an exaggeration, last year wolves finished a safe 15th. Its only been this year they've been in the thick of it.

I say he does not deserve a chance and that saves AV from looking around again for a manager come Xmas and a pay off for him

Nevermind.

Well it's too late for that, he's getting the chance. I think the guys' got massive balls to take this on in the knowledge of the shit that's gone down in the past few hysteria-filled days. Good Luck to him.

Right so Mcleish got 9th in the prem and carling cup for Bham and a few releagtions thrown in and won championships in a two horse race

Houllier got 2nd, 3rd 4th etc for Lpool and a caling cup, uefa cup, in fact I think he got 5 trophies in all that season and won championships in a 2 horse race also

So Im still struggling to see how you can justify your initial comments about being a step up compared to the clueless Houllier?

Houllier took what, 3 years to bring a trophy? Winning these cups or the UEFA cup with Liverpool's team and budget is nothing to write home about. They are expected to be top 4 and in the latter stages of all cups by definition of being a big club. Even when they finished second they were nowhere near the winners.

He managed 21 points in 20 games and somehow took a club like Aston Villa with all the talent at their disposal into the relegation zone.

Wolves only finished 15th because of a very late surge in form.

It's confirmed

The statement doesn't convince me he is the right man at all. It doesn't even mention the fact he relegated a Premier League team twice in three seasons. It mentions the 9th position though. Christ, the board really need to go.

Oh well. Welcome aboard McLeish. Good luck. You're gonna need it big time. First fixture is away against Fulham. Very tricky debut.

I think they worded that wrong (Dalgleish, Wenger, Redknapp, Mancini, Sir Alec).

I'll give McLeish his chance, and I'll get behind the team as always. I really hope he shocks everybody and does a really good job, but Randy Lerner and the cowardly, hypocritical board are on very thin ice as of this point. McLeish bringing success to Villa would spare them a very furious backlash from fans, so they'd better start praying AM does well.

VTID.

You claimed McLeish was a step up from clueless Houllier, you have offered nothing to support such a comment, your basis being he bought Pires, wow.

Of course winning all the trophies he's won is something, managers before and after Houllier couldnt get them 3 trophies a season...even if you stick to the "thats nothing to write home about" attitude, then in response neither is Mcleish's one 9th place finish and 2 relegations....as I keep saying no evidence of a step up to be seen.

Finally Villa finished 9th, once injuries eased, performances got better. Anyhow Mcleish is in now so you can be happy!

Houllier managed 21 points in 20 games, that is abysmal for a team like Villa with the talent they had and if that isn't clueless then I don't know what is. In the end the only thing that saved them was Bent and Houllier parting with the club on health grounds.

McLeish did very well with Birmingham and deserves a crack at doing well with Villa.

I'll leave it there

The best league position in 50 years and their first cup since about the 1960s is doing well. Relegation doesn't mean you didn't do well. Look at Holloway or Scott Parker or Charlie Adam, all relegated and all did well in the Premiership. Someone has to go down, it doesn't mean you are hopeless at your job.

Houllier's team stayed up in the end and he was utterly clueless.

The fact of the matter is he relegated them twice, so best league position in 50 years and a cup win mean absolutely nothing. SHA are big time in debt thanks to getting relegated.

Well, I shant be paying a ****ing penny into Lerners pocket. Arrogant, ignorant, typical American ****.

McLeish will either work out or he won't. A few weeks ago the thought of him as Villa manager would have seemed so far fetched, it still does even though he is.

Supporters or those that can be found outside Villa Park all say the same thing we don't or didn't want him because he managed Birmingham.

What they should be saying is that we don't or didn't want him because he is not good enough. What other Premier League owner would employ a man that has managed a team to two relegations.

McLeish might surprise us all but I doubt it. The first three games of the season are winnable, away at Fulham and then home against Blackburn and Wolves.

McLeish and Lerner can't afford a poor start.

December seems to be a real testing month, with games against

Man U
Liverpool
Arsenal
Chelsea

Let's be optimistic and say that's 12 points in the bag

when George Graham, went to Spurs despite winning the League cup in his first season he was never accepted by a lot of Spurs fans. I can see the same thing happening with Mcleish, at Villa, the only way he will win them over is to get off to a good start a bad start and he's going to have big problems.

I seem to remember when George Graham went to Spurs he still had the Arsenal crest built into his porch floor.

Graham is Arsenal through and through for McLeish Birmingham like Villa is just a job.

I am less concerned that he managed Birmingham than I am about him being totally not good enough.

Time will tell.

Not sure if Charlie Adam was at Rangers when AM was there. Would be a good signing

Yeah I think Adam was at Rangers when McLeish was manager there.Although I think that a goalkeeper is in priority in terms of transfer targets!

Are you guys a bit worried he will fill the team with players with Rangers connections.

Cuellar will be going nowhere now.

Barry Ferguson anyone

I am sure Kenny Miller is ready to jump on an easyjet as soon as he makes the call