[Official] McLeish named as Villa boss

• zocoss

  9 Jun 11, 00:59

  Villa move for Rafa

  Spaniard contacted and gives Villa transfer budget he wants

   

  

  Benitez: Contacted by Villa about their vacant manager's post

   

   

  Sky Sports understands that Aston Villa have contacted Rafael Benitez about becoming their next manager.

  Sources say the club have made preliminary contact with the former Liverpool boss to replace Gerard Houllier in the Villa Park hotseat.

  It is our understanding that Villa have sounded out the Spaniard's availability and he has given the club the budget he wants for players.

  A flood of bets on Wednesday has seen Benitez come into favouritism for the job.

  Benitez has been out of work since leaving Inter Milan in December, after lasting just six months at the San Siro.

• CKeer

  9 Jun 11, 09:38

  Good Move! Good days ahead for Villa!

• zocoss

  9 Jun 11, 12:13

  Rafa wants to know if there is enough money for him to squander first before taking on the job... lol.

   

   

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• zocoss

  9 Jun 11, 13:32

  After discussion, Villa won't get Rafa lah... Cos they want a manager that won't spend money kind and Rafa isn't that sort of a manager... lol...

   

   

   

   

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• Y_Shun

  9 Jun 11, 16:48

  Wigan have given Aston Villa permission to speak to Roberto Martinez about the vacant managerial job at Villa Park

  

  The Spaniard, who kept the club in the Premier League thanks to a four-game unbeaten run at the end of the season, has spoken to Villa officials who are on the look-out for a successor to Gerard Houllier, who stood down earlier this month for health reasons.

  Latics chairman Dave Whelan confirmed Villa had approached him but expects the 37-year-old to remain at Wigan.

  He told the Daily Telegraph: "Aston Villa have acted above board and in a totally professional manner.

  "They wrote to me asking for permission to speak to Roberto. He was on holiday at the time and I granted Villa permission.

  "He arrived back yesterday and I presume he has spoken to Villa. I have made it clear to him I will be extending his contract.

  "I have never let him down on anything and he has never let me down. I know I can never say never in football, but I would be very surprised if he is Aston Villa's new manager."

• zocoss

  9 Jun 11, 17:10

  Well, he fits the bill alright...

  Don't spend much, No money never complains...

  Make do with what the owner is willing to spend that's all...

  But it would be a real blow for Wigan if he takes the Villa job cos they stick by him even when they were relegated...

  Those like Rafa, M Hughes, Lotti won't be considered...

• The man who was death

  9 Jun 11, 23:28

  charles n'zogbia to villa

• NeverSayGoodBye

  9 Jun 11, 23:53

  If martinez goes...wigan will be in trouble

• zocoss

  10 Jun 11, 00:44

  Not necessary lah, he isn't exactly a great manager also... Every year Wigan at the bottom fighting for their lives... Maybe they might get a better guy who knows?

• NeverSayGoodBye

  11 Jun 11, 00:16

  Originally posted by zocoss:

  Not necessary lah, he isn't exactly a great manager also... Every year Wigan at the bottom fighting for their lives... Maybe they might get a better guy who knows?

  Better guy? Carlo Ancelotti perhaps?

• zocoss

  11 Jun 11, 13:11

   

  What on earth do Villa do now?

  

   

   

   

   

  IT'S straight back to the drawing board, Randy.

  Roberto Martinez's snub to Aston Villa has left owner Randy Lerner and his board desperately searching for options to be their new manager.

  And Villa now face the embarrassment of chasing a manager who was clearly not their first choice.

  Everton and Bolton are bracing themselves for approaches over David Moyes and Owen Coyle respectively but, understandably, neither of those will have taken kindly to not being Villa's No 1 pick.

  Having ruled out Steve McClaren, Mark Hughes and Rafa Benitez - plus a friendly 'no thanks' from Carlo Ancelotti - Martinez was sought out to replace the departed Gerard Houllier.

  Both Moyes and Coyle fit what Lerner is looking for - but both have secure jobs and Villa are clearly not the attraction they once were.

  Being rejected by a 37-year-old manager who just avoided relegation with Wigan last term is just another kick in the teeth for Villa.

  A Villa source told SunSport: "The club are now furiously moving on to their next target. They had made some plans in case this happened but there will not be an appointment as soon as they would have liked. It's a case of going back to the list now."

  The prospect of crawling back to Hughes or McClaren is getting increasingly likely.

  After Martinez decided to stay loyal to current chairman Dave Whelan, Villa claimed they had not discussed the managerial role with him.

  Although they may not have got down to the nitty-gritty of contracts, they had certainly made contact with the Martinez camp. It is a significant snub to Villa with Martinez choosing to stay and sign a new three-year deal at a club which has little or no money to spend.

  Bolton chairman Phil Gartside also knows he has a special manager.

  Any phone call from Lerner over the next few days would not be welcomed by the Trotters board.

  Gartside said: "They all make comparisons between him and Alex Ferguson. Owen's 44 and I'm not sure he will work until he's 70. But he's got that ability to be an all-round manager, he's not just a coach.

  "Man-management wise he's got all the abilities and coaching-wise he's got all the tactical knowledge."

  
  
• AEW5001

  12 Jun 11, 11:36

  aston villa is a club on free fall.

  now young looks to be out of there.

• zocoss

  12 Jun 11, 11:59

  When a young manager turns down the Aston Villa job over the Wigan one, you know there is a problem at the club liao...

   

   

   

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• dragg

  12 Jun 11, 12:08

  its sad villa is back to its old days before o neil.  from bottom half to euro challenge then now back to bottom half.

   

• The man who was death

  12 Jun 11, 17:36

  Originally posted by dragg:

  its sad villa is back to its old days before o neil.  from bottom half to euro challenge then now back to bottom half.

   

  before o'neill, villa also finished in the top half lots of time including a couple of sixth under o'leary and gregory,  we finish in the top half as well this season..

   

• Rooney9

  12 Jun 11, 23:45

  Villa was european champions in 1982 mind you. how the mighty has fallen so far

• zocoss

  13 Jun 11, 12:34

  VILLA PARK LOOKS A NO-GO AREA

  

   

  Roberto Martinez had been high on Aston Villa’s wanted list since the departure of Houllier

   

  ASTON VILLA could be faced with two more Premier League managers turning them down after Roberto Martinez rejected their job yesterday.

   

  Everton’s David Moyes and Bolton manager Owen Coyle are set to say no if Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner comes calling.

  Lerner and his chief executive Paul Faulkner both refused to admit any embarrassment that Martinez, who only escaped relegation on the last day of the season with Wigan, turned them down. Neither would comment directly, hiding behind a club statement.

  Villa did not even get to talk to Martinez about their job, the Spaniard meeting his friend and Wigan owner Dave Whelan, inset, yesterday before announcing he did not want to speak to Lerner and was staying put. Martinez has signed a new three-year deal with Wigan worth £2.1 million, leaving Villa to go back to a short list that gets shorter every day. 

  Villa say they still hope to have a manager in place by the end of next week, but it is unlikely to be Coyle or Moyes.

  Coyle would have been interested but is not happy at being ranked behind Martinez in Villa’s pecking order and Moyes, who has seen winger

  Ashley Young being sold for £20m with the chance Stewart Downing might follow, is not interested.

  Carlo Ancelotti, Steve McClaren, Mark Hughes and Rafa Benitez have all been discounted by Lerner for various reasons, but Martinez turning Villa down is a huge blow, no matter how the club try to dress it up.

  It took Lerner and Faulkner six weeks to find Gerard Houllier after Martin O’Neill walked out on them and fans have been told that will not happen again. 

  “We remain focused and are working hard to secure the best candidate for Aston Villa and will have the new manager in place to prepare the players for the pre-season programme and next season’s campaign,” said a spokesman in a club statement.

  
  
  
• Y_Shun

  13 Jun 11, 13:08

  Mr Randy forgot 1 man...

   

  AVRAM GRANT! 

• The man who was death

  13 Jun 11, 14:46

  Originally posted by Rooney9:

  Villa was european champions in 1982 mind you. how the mighty has fallen so far

  you can say that of just about every club if you want to look waay back.....

• charlize

  13 Jun 11, 15:00

  Originally posted by Y_Shun:

  Mr Randy forgot 1 man...

   

  AVRAM GRANT! 

  Desperate times call for desperate measures.

• Y_Shun

  14 Jun 11, 12:26

  It seems that Villa does not have a lot of transfer warchest.... is that why no manager want to pick up the team?

• Y_Shun

  14 Jun 11, 12:26

  Villa should raid West Ham for some of its players...like Robert Green

• CKeer

  14 Jun 11, 16:45

  Originally posted by Y_Shun:

  Villa should raid West Ham for some of its players...like Robert Green

  They wore similar jersey anyway.

• Y_Shun

  14 Jun 11, 19:04

  Free players from West Ham:

  Scott Parker
  Thomas Hitzlsperger
  Demba Ba

  Villa should get Hitzlsperger... and sell Ireland.

  Then Newcastle/Wigan should get Demba Ba... since they need a striker.

• Rooney9

  14 Jun 11, 23:16

  Villa should hire Ranieri. is he managing any club now, since he left Roma?