Welcome Tim Sherwood- Great appointment for Aston Villa and great opportunity for Tim Sherwood!

Agree about the Marshalls Delboyvilla as you could see in the first half against Leicester that Lambert was still managing the team. Read somewhere that one of the Marshalls had actually asked for Lambert's advice prior to the game on Sunday.

It was pretty evident though after the half time team talk that those shackles were taken off with four to five of our players immediately getting into the opposition's box.

Concerning the unrest issue it is a concern for me as is Sherwood's demeanour when things don't go right but we'll just have to see how Sherwood progresses and maybe he will have learned to pull back a little. Nothing wrong in showing passion just as long as it's channelled right.

Sherwood was a way down on who I actually thought we'd appoint also considering his inexperience and where we are currently placed in the league but I do hope he pushes those concerns right back down my throat again.

Sherwood is bucking the trend for English Premier managers. The expected route is lower league and progression upwards if you do alright, but what does it really teach a manager? How to play limited football with very ordinary players, in circumstances that are far removed from the challenges of the Premier League.

Sherwood has chosen to stay involved with the Premier, and has spent years at a big club, seeing the pros and cons of working with a team in the the top league 24/7. Even when he lost his Spurs job, the guy has spent his time attending the matches of clubs that he thought might require his services in the near future, so that he would hit the ground running.

Sherwood might not succeed (we are Villa and we don't make it easy), but in my opinion he shouldn't be judged on not having managed the Wycombe's of this world.

Marshall and Lambert: I noticed during the game that he even held his drink bottle the same way as Lambert. Clearly he had some dickhead-worship going on so I'm glad he's gone.

I wonder is Big Sam at Spam about to be given the bullet? Rumours on Twitter it's going to happen with Spam in no hurry to renew his contract which is up at the end of the season.

I'd have preferred Big Sam or even Moyes who is apparently unhappy in Spain but it's done now so it's very much a wait and see policy from me.

You wonder why the Porn Dwarf and Tumnus (© Mazrim) are clueless clowns?

When people asked me who I wanted to replace Lamberk my answer was generally 'anyone' as I considered it was 100% down to his ineptitude that we were in the relegation spots. Trouble is finding a manager at this stage of the season. I don't think Spam will sack Big Sam now but just not renew at the end of the season and Moyes won't want another fail on his CV atm. So without trying to poach at the end of the season we were short of candidates.

Personally I would have liked to have tried for DeBoer from Ajax or Cocu from PSV but no club is going to let their manager leave now?

I quite like TS. He could spot straight away that he needed to step in on Sunday and was man enough to do so. A blind man in a snow storm can see what's wrong with the team but doing something about it is quite another matter and hopefully he has watched some of his Spuds interviews back and realized that sometimes things are best not said in the media?

It will be interesting to see his first team for the Stoke game but at least he has bought a bit of good will this week with the second half on Sunday and the interviews this week.

Truth be told, I put zero stock in the opinions of Spurs fans or their board. The board has consistently underperformed and Levy is quick to sack anyone to deflect from this, they're onto the 9th manager of his reign (I think) which is ridiculous. The fans are massively deluded too.

Well a week or so ago we were stuck with Lambert and as Maz so concisely put it. With him we were definitely down, without him we have a chance. I'm all for that chance and a little hope. Sherwood brings that and I've warned to him (a lot) since his appointment. Feels like a breath of fresh air.

Stage 1 keep us up. Then look to the future. I do hope he's afforded the same luxury of time that was given to Lambert (seemingly as he was not Eck) so no quick judgments from me, just my support and hope that we pull clear and remain in the top flight.

Tim Timothy Tim Timothy Tim Tim Sherwood, he'll manage the villa, better than Lambert could!! (Think Mary Poppins) and yes it's mine, however crap, some people like to steal tweets

Villa_Dan wrote:Truth be told, I put zero stock in the opinions of Spurs fans or their board. The board has consistently underperformed and Levy is quick to sack anyone to deflect from this, they're onto the 9th manager of his reign (I think) which is ridiculous. The fans are massively deluded too.

Only surpassed by Newcastle fans. Out of this ose 8/9 managers TS has the biggest win ratio by a distance. Yes yes I know people say "well he only had 25 odds games" but if it we're 20% and not 59% people would sure as hell still be using it to judge and form an opinion. So it stands for me

I'm going to do something I never thought I'd do - defend Newcastle  :)

I do absolutely loathe Newcastle fans, but at least, like us, they get frustrated by knowing that with the right people in charge, there is massive potential for them, as there is for us. Also, both us and Newcastle, in the early days of the Prem, came far closer to winning it than Spurs ever have, so like us, they are frustrated that they faded away rather than building on it.

Now Spurs, history wise at least, I consider more of a peer than Newcastle, I often say that us, Spurs and Everton are the next tier down from Man U, Liverpool, Arsenal and now the two clubs that bought their way in, but man, they ain't even the biggest club in North London, and Arsenal are no longer even the biggest club in London.

Plus having seem them all at Villa Park numerous times, Newcastle fans are always a lot louder than Spurs - and Arsenal for that matter. Must be a North London thing. Bunch o'pricks.

Of course on the flip side of that, Liverpool fans are possibly bigger arseholes than all of them 

Anyway back to the far more important subject - completely agree on the win ratio. Statistics can be made to suit any argument (and are often made up on the spot, 73.2% of all people know that) but the fact is it is a valid one.

The reason we didn't want McLeish here was that he was a proven failure. Yes the Blues factor was the big salt pot in the very open wound, but the fact is, in the top division of this country, he was a proven failure, and he failed again with us - although he possibly considered staying up a success, but, whatever.

Lambert, for whatever reason, was give a lot more time than any failing football manager I have ever seen at any football club but he too was proven to be a failure during his time here, despite being a relative success before his arrival.

Sherwood? His loss record was also pretty high (higher than AVB) too. But if that is anything to go by then I'd rather see our last 13 matches as W6 D0 L7 than what it would have been under Lambert (something like W1 D4 L8) or McLeish (probably W1 D10 L2) for that matter!

When it comes to Sherwood my mind is completely open, but yes I have to say if he'd had a poor record at Spurs, I feel like the people who would be using it as an argument are the same people dismissing his win record now.

Lies, damn lies and statistics, eh!

http://mobile.avfc.co.uk/default.aspx?s=news-display&aid=4500465

Backroom staff appointed

Sky wrote:http://mobile.avfc.co.uk/default.aspx?s=news-display&aid=4500465

Backroom staff appointed

The performance analyst is an interesting one as we just appointed a new one a few weeks back (When Paddy Reily came in) So I wonder if he's an addition to this chap, probably so. Interesting to see and read TS thoughts later at the presser on those two and where we're at with a No2.

Old piece on the stats guy but interesting nevertheless.

http://www.hoganstand.com/Meath/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=142587

The cup match against Leicester reminded me of one of those old washing powder adverts .... "can you tell the difference between Persil and another well known brand madam? My goodness this tee shirt is so white in comparison to that one!"

The side by side presentation of 1st half Lambert, 2nd half Sherwood showed that TS is blindingly white in comparison to grey Lambert.

Performance analyst would have been easy last few seasons:

"Shit but had no help, shit, better than usual, played well considering what was going on around him, shit, shit, surprisingly okay, shit but he's better than that, forgot he was playing, did okay under the circumstances, shit..."

Our analysis and stats team are called Paddy and Seamus. There is definitely a joke in there somewhere.

GadgetMan wrote:

Villa_Dan wrote:Truth be told, I put zero stock in the opinions of Spurs fans or their board. The board has consistently underperformed and Levy is quick to sack anyone to deflect from this, they're onto the 9th manager of his reign (I think) which is ridiculous. The fans are massively deluded too.

Only surpassed by Newcastle fans. Out of this ose 8/9 managers TS has the biggest  win ratio by a distance. Yes yes I know people say "well he only had 25 odds games" but if it we're 20% and not 59% people would sure as hell still be using it to judge and form an opinion. So it stands for me

Newcastle fans I still like, even if they HATE us now ("Who's YOUR next messiah then? Nigel Kennedy. Southern cnut" I had shouted at me in the street last time I went), better than any London lot. And infinitely better than Scousers.

It seems as though the player's performances are going to be put under the microscope with Seamus Brady's appointment. No hiding place for those that don't put it in. I like that.

Cha Ching wrote:Old piece on the stats guy but interesting nevertheless.

http://www.hoganstand.com/Meath/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=142587

It was interesting, nice one for finding that dude.

An American, an Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a bar. The American says to the Irishman "Let's leave this dull, mumbling sugarbag here and go watch a game that involves goals".

Trotters wrote:An American, an Irishman and a Scotsman walk into a bar. The American says to the Irishman "Let's leave this dull, mumbling sugarbag here and go watch a game that involves goals".

Is Seamus Brady Irish?

I'm sure the analysis could have been done by any of us this season and for each player it would simply be "Not doing well enough but can't blame him because he's not being allowed to play the football he or anybody wants"

I fully expect the performances to improve massively from now purely down to the style of football the players will be allowed to play and not because of the analyst.

Poor Fabian Delph, 5 minutes after being told he was allowed to get into the box on Sunday he gets a free header from 6 yards and was so shocked he instinctively missed it. A week of Sherwood should have put that right now.

Can't wait to hear the managers name from the Holte this week!

Villa_Dan wrote:

GadgetMan wrote:

Villa_Dan wrote:Truth be told, I put zero stock in the opinions of Spurs fans or their board. The board has consistently underperformed and Levy is quick to sack anyone to deflect from this, they're onto the 9th manager of his reign (I think) which is ridiculous. The fans are massively deluded too.

Only surpassed by Newcastle fans. Out of this ose 8/9 managers TS has the biggest  win ratio by a distance. Yes yes I know people say "well he only had 25 odds games" but if it we're 20% and not 59% people would sure as hell still be using it to judge and form an opinion. So it stands for me

Newcastle fans I still like, even if they HATE us now ("Who's YOUR next messiah then? Nigel Kennedy. Southern cnut" I had shouted at me in the street last time I went), better than any London lot. And infinitely better than Scousers.

Just me then, delusional bas*ards imo haha! Maybe it is becasue they hate us?! I don't know, I just have grown to dislike them. i think it's the whole "We're a bigger club than you" Really? They've won nothing....But then Don't get me started on Chelsea, Liverpool and Spurs fans

Villa_Dan wrote:Truth be told, I put zero stock in the opinions of Spurs fans or their board. The board has consistently underperformed and Levy is quick to sack anyone to deflect from this, they're onto the 9th manager of his reign (I think) which is ridiculous. The fans are massively deluded too.

All fans become deluded at some point in the eyes of others Dan. Its not just Spuds, Newcastle or plop fans. I mean take us for example. We champion our youth set up and players from that to the point for instance that Jack Grealish is the next best thing since sliced bread or if you want to go back further we thought the same at one time about Bannan or indeed the Fonz and you could go back even further still. There is a very fine line between delusion, hope and expectation throughout the fan base of all teams as generally we all think our teams should be doing better than they are.

Just to touch on another point in your post about the number of managers used. I agree that nine managers does seem excessive under one chairman but would any other Premiership club have kept Lambert as long with his record? Under a different chairman (even Doug) our turnover in managers would have been more.

Not sure how long Levy has been chairman at Spurs but he might have been there longer than Lerner with us?

Morpheus wrote:

Villa_Dan wrote:Truth be told, I put zero stock in the opinions of Spurs fans or their board. The board has consistently underperformed and Levy is quick to sack anyone to deflect from this, they're onto the 9th manager of his reign (I think) which is ridiculous. The fans are massively deluded too.

All fans become deluded at some point in the eyes of others Dan. Its not just Spuds, Newcastle or plop fans. I mean take us for example. We champion our youth set up and players from that to the point for instance that Jack Grealish is the next best thing since sliced bread or if you want to go back further we thought the same at one time about Bannan or indeed the Fonz and you could go back even further still. There is a very fine line between delusion, hope and expectation throughout the fan base of all teams as generally we all think our teams should be doing better than they are.

Just to touch on another point in your post about the number of managers used. I agree that nine managers does seem excessive under one chairman but would any other Premiership club have kept Lambert as long with his record? Under a different chairman (even Doug) our turnover in managers would have been more.

Not sure how long Levy has been chairman at Spurs but he might have been there longer than Lerner with us?

2001.