Who do I want? (in answer to someone asking me below)

Howe or Lennon. Would be delighted with either - but I don't think we'll get either.

Would be very happy with McInnes: but he's my number 3 because he failed in England last time, and I don't think we'd get him anyway.

Would consider Warburton; and would more strongly consider Rosler. Yes, he'd be a risk - but my hunch is the body of work in his favour is the rule, rather than the exception of a few months this season. Something's gone very, very wrong at Wigan: I doubt much of that is his fault.

So that's five names, with Howe or Lennon very much my favoured options. Below that, there's Zola I suppose. I don't want Phelan and I DON'T FUCKING WANT SHERWOOD - but in truth, it may all be irrelevant.

Many football managers don't succeed or fail because they're good or bad. It very often depends on the circumstances. How much power do they have? How many bad eggs are in the dressing room? Who are their contacts, who do they sign? Are those running the club good people who know their business? What's the manager's relationship like with key individuals? If good, ok (even a great relationship can be a bad thing if it blinds the board to problems); if bad, can that dysfunction be managed for the common good? What's his budget? And so on and so on.

Paul Lambert was probably never as brilliant as he appeared in his time here; and never as awful as he's often appeared at Villa. My mounting suspicion is he's actually done an underrated job in completely impossible circumstances there. Chris Hughton did great everywhere else, but failed here. Sorry: but that doesn't make him s**t.

So it doesn't just depend on who we appoint. It depends on everything else too. And if we persist with this joke 'football board', that'll almost certainly kill our chances of getting someone good in anyway. If Phelan gets the gig, I'd take that as a sign that little off the pitch will change - and if it doesn't, the problems will almost certainly just continue.

Posted By: thebigfeller, Jan 5, 21:31:56