Solskjaer

I think staying at Molde to help cement what he has started would be better. Those saying winning there doesn't mean pish are talking exactly that. Winning the league in Scotland means pish, but doing it with a club that breaks the mould and changing the whole club around to be able to be in that position is what made SAF a level above anyone else.

I'd rather have somone capable of running the whole club, getting the right people in than someone who can simply win trophies. Ole is showing he can do that at Molde, he should carry it on for at least another season. I'm sure there will be plently more offers on the table in a years time.

Saying that - what's to stop him doing it at Villa for a couple of seasons? I think everyone is assuming he won't go there with plans on sorting out the whole club.
 
Relegation battle? They have some cracking players and if Ole is as good as we hope he'll bring a few decent signings at a good price to complement what they already have.

Villa's squad should've never been in a relegation battle!

I agree, the only way is up for them next season. They were horribly set up last season and any half competent manager will improve them.

All that needs to be said is that McLeish started HESKEY 18 times!!
 
Relegation battle? They have some cracking players and if Ole is as good as we hope he'll bring a few decent signings at a good price to complement what they already have.

Villa's squad should've never been in a relegation battle!

Not really. They have a few decent players here and there, and if anything, they're going to lose more good players because they're skint. Ole would do a good job to not have them in a relegation battle if he went there.
 
its a bad job to take. without serious investment they are in a relegation battle next year. that ok for the likes of martinez and rodgers as there clubs epect that and 17 place is a success. Villa fans however want to see barcalona football and challenge for the title. anything else and they'll turn on the manager.

i think ole would be wise to see who goes where.....some big jobs available and potenial for other positions to open up.

Do you know any Villa fans at all? None I've spoken to expect incredibly attacking football or challenging for titles. In fact the ones I have spoken too merely want a young exciting manager to build a foundation to the club based on a mix of bringing through youth and playing good quality football.

None are expecting a top 6-7 finish for the next couple of seasons.
 
I think staying at Molde to help cement what he has started would be better. Those saying winning there doesn't mean pish are talking exactly that. Winning the league in Scotland means pish, but doing it with a club that breaks the mould and changing the whole club around to be able to be in that position is what made SAF a level above anyone else.

It means complete PiSH when it comes to landing a top job.
 
Snapshot of a Villa fan:

Code:
May I please go on record on page 1 of his speculation thread as saying: 

I am against this on the basis of him having been a Man Utd player for effectively his whole career. Aston Villa will never, ever, ever be his club. 

Other than that, nothing against him at all.

Been reading their forums and tbf vast majority would like him there.
 
Not really. They have a few decent players here and there, and if anything, they're going to lose more good players because they're skint. Ole would do a good job to not have them in a relegation battle if he went there.

Villa will not lose any of their best players.

Albrighton, Given, Bent, Warnock, Agbonlahor, Nzogbia, Jenas will all still be there next season. Ole just needs a few nice signings to complement them.

If Ole is any sort of decent manager he'll do a much better job than McLeish.
 
His first job will be too install a confidence in them.

They have a foundation of a top 8 team, but they need too start believing that.

Look how shaky there defence has gotten since losing O'neill. they are practically the same players?
 
I want him to take it. I doubt many of us have seen much of him managing Molde. It'd be nice to see how he takes to managing in the Premier League and how he can take over a side that already has quite an established first team, that should be doing better of course.

There's always the possibility he would one day manage Manchester United, I bet a lot of United fans wouldn't say no to giving him a chance. This experience from managing a PL side might just give him that extra something to succeed whoever he succeeds at United (if he ever does).

Good luck to him in whatever he does (give us six points next season too :D).
 
I don't think there's a bad decision to make here either way. Ole will know if he's ready.
 
Just throwing it out there, but I can assure you that Fergie, or "The Boss" as Ole still refers to him as, will have a proper say in the decision he ends up making.
 
I don't know about this move as being right

I see the obvious argument that Villa is at a low and the opportunity to enhance one's reputation massively if you turn them around, but it ultimately depends on what Lerner wants to do

If he's prepared to give a little backing to the manager to strengthen than it's worth it, if he's keeping the purse-strings tightly closed as he did with McLeish, then I'm not sure I'd be rushing to take it if I was OGS - I'd be wondering if the possible Wigan job wouldn't be more appealing

Personally, I think OGS would be better looking at a in between league, something like the Dutch/French league and then look to move to England from there, but if anything, he seems like he knows what he is doing - so I'm sure will make the right choice

And if that's Villa, I look forward to seeing some of our young players loaned there
 
His first job will be too install a confidence in them.

They have a foundation of a top 8 team, but they need too start believing that.

Look how shaky there defence has gotten since losing O'neill. they are practically the same players?

Dunne was a big loss and nearly all their other defenders had spells out injured as well.

I think its potentially a decent move for Ole. They have a good academy and id imagine he will be given a fair crack at it unlike McLeish who was always gona fail there. Stupid appointment given Brummie politics!
 
I'm so surprised that many of you don't realise what a great opportunity the Villa job is right now, it's similar to Redknapp when it took over Spurs, the only way is up. They have a much better squad already than their results last season, easily a top 10 side capable of playing some good football.

That is a good point. There are a few similarities between Spurs around the Ramos era and Villa now, but Spurs still had a very strong squad while Villa do have a reasonably good squad but it has been gutted of some of its best players. I agree the only way is up, but he would need to be backed in the transfer market too to help. It's a tougher prospect to get into the top 10 now than it was when Redknapp took over at Spurs but if the fans back him from the off (if Solskjaer does get the job) he should do well - I can see him doing well whether the fans like him or not but it's better if they do.

Best of luck to him whatever he decides to do.
 
That is a good point. There are a few similarities between Spurs around the Ramos era and Villa now, but Spurs still had a very strong squad while Villa do have a reasonably good squad but it has been gutted of some of its best players. I agree the only way is up, but he would need to be backed in the transfer market too to help. It's a tougher prospect to get into the top 10 now than it was when Redknapp took over at Spurs but if the fans back him from the off (if Solskjaer does get the job) he should do well - I can see him doing well whether the fans like him or not but it's better if they do.

Best of luck to him whatever he decides to do.

:lol: Spurs had a far better squad then not to mention a board who were willing to spend some serious cash. The situation is nothing like Spurs back then who were massively under performing. The Villa squad simply isn't good enough, it lacks quality everywhere, they sold their decent players and replaced them with mediocre players. There's very little money in the club at present. They were in a relegation fight for one simple reason, their squad is terrible even Villa fans will accept that compared to 3 seasons ago, they've gone in the wrong direction and they pretty much all blame Lerner for that.

Spurs Squad in 2008/2009

Compare that to Villas present squad! I hear this day in day out at work who all complain about Villas present situation.
 
:lol: Spurs had a far better squad then not to mention a board who were willing to spend some serious cash. The situation is nothing like Spurs back then who were massively under performing. The Villa squad simply isn't good enough, it lacks quality everywhere, they sold their decent players and replaced them with mediocre players. There's very little money in the club at present. They were in a relegation fight for one simple reason, their squad is terrible even Villa fans will accept that compared to 3 seasons ago, they've gone in the wrong direction and they pretty much all blame Lerner for that.

Spurs Squad in 2008/2009

Compare that to Villas present squad! I hear this day in day out at work who all complain about Villas present situation.

Hence what I said right after :p the only real similarity is that both clubs were low down in the league and both had their managers sacked. I said Spurs' squad is much better and in order for Villa to be anywhere near up there they need to be backed in the market which is unlikely as that was O'Neill's main complaint that one of their better players in Milner was going to be sold and he wouldn't be able to spend that money.

Spurs were being backed in the transfer market and were only where they were due to terrible management, while Villa haven't really been backed in the transfer market and also have been managed badly.

Downing, Young, Friedel, Milner, Barry and many more have left in the past three seasons. They've brought Given and Bent in but their squad is much weaker compared to what it used to be.
 
Hence what I said right after :p the only real similarity is that both clubs were low down in the league and both had their managers sacked. I said Spurs' squad is much better and in order for Villa to be anywhere near up there they need to be backed in the market which is unlikely as that was O'Neill's main complaint that one of their better players in Milner was going to be sold and he wouldn't be able to spend that money.

Spurs were being backed in the transfer market and were only where they were due to terrible management, while Villa haven't really been backed in the transfer market and also have been managed badly.

Downing, Young, Friedel, Milner, Barry and many more have left in the past three seasons. They've brought Given and Bent in but their squad is much weaker compared to what it used to be.

I glossed over after your first line :lol:

Damn these pancakes making me not read!
 
This is certainly a tough one from an outside perspective.

My first reaction was that I'd like to see him stick with Molde for another year, managers who are quick to jump at the first decent job they're offered seem to often be the less impressive managers.

But, considering what he did at Molde I think he's earned the right to leave if he finds the perfect sort of job he's looking for, and I don't think Ole is going to jump the gun too early.

Villa has to be one of the best jobs a rookie manager could expect to get coming from Norway no matter how good his team played there, it's hard to see how he could get a much better job by staying for another season. It's a club with a fantastic tradition, large stadium and one of the better owners in the EPL.

If the details behind the scenes match what Ole is looking for then it's hard to imagine him turning it down. But considering Villa was a shambled this season it's quite possible the situation isn't irresistible.
 
Like has been said, Villa have a good bunch of players. They're certainly better than the league position they ended up in. Only Mcleish could turn that team into a dross long ball side. Ole couldn't do much worse.
 
I'm a bit conflicted on this. The last shirt i ever bought had Soskjaer on the back, it'd be odd seeing him at another Premiership club.

He has of course in his several years as a coach shown much promise, culminating in a title in his first season at home in Norway. Aston Villa one of those "sleeping giants" of the English game but at a low ebb, he could be very good for them if given the time [McLeish made a right mess of the potential in younger players it seemed to me]. Another positive of BirminghamCity not being promoted perhaps.

There has been a lot of patronising waffle from journalists in the UK over the last 24-48 hours, a bit like when it was actually felt to be realistic for Ole to take the Wolves job. Bunch of saps who don't know their own limitations.

He needn't rush his return to these shores, let the conditions be just so.
 
It'd be great to hear him every week on Match of the Day. I've decided I want this to happen even if the arguments against make a lot of sense.
 
Relegation battle? They have some cracking players and if Ole is as good as we hope he'll bring a few decent signings at a good price to complement what they already have.

Villa's squad should've never been in a relegation battle!

What Cracking players does Villa have apart from Darren Bent?
 
Hope he does well. Heck even if Ole turned up to manage Liverpool or City there'd be a small part of me wishing him all the success. The man is pure class in everything he does.
 
I think staying at Molde to help cement what he has started would be better. Those saying winning there doesn't mean pish are talking exactly that. Winning the league in Scotland means pish, but doing it with a club that breaks the mould and changing the whole club around to be able to be in that position is what made SAF a level above anyone else.

I'd rather have somone capable of running the whole club, getting the right people in than someone who can simply win trophies. Ole is showing he can do that at Molde, he should carry it on for at least another season. I'm sure there will be plently more offers on the table in a years time.

Saying that - what's to stop him doing it at Villa for a couple of seasons? I think everyone is assuming he won't go there with plans on sorting out the whole club.


I just think it's too soon. What he's been doing at Molde is fantastic and it would be good for him to continue with that. He's learning the ropes and taking the PL job, no matter what club it is, is no easy task at all. What's going to happen if they don't get off to the right start? Will they give him the time to turn things around?

It really does depend on what Lerner wants to do but I think if he does take the Villa job, he'd be better off at Molde where he could actually build some continuity there.
 
What Cracking players does Villa have apart from Darren Bent?

Ireland, N'Zogbia, Agbonlahor, Albrighton, Bannan and Given are all players who could play for clubs around 7th and below.
 
On paper it's a solid team that underperformed dramatically this year.

It's not a bad squad to inherit: Given, Dunne, Collins, N'Zogbia, Bent, Heskey, Albrighton, Bannan, Ireland.

It needs investment obviously, but it's far from a poor group.
 
Just having had a look at the Villa squad it is a bit depressing in some ways, the current policy of low investment is not sustainable surely? Too many senior players either at the wrong end of their careers with little sell-on potential or others just drifiting along so to speak. Evolution of the playing staff has not been consistent.

I would say that Albrighton and Agbonlahor are two players Ole would hopefully be able to restore to the peak of their powers.
 
Ireland, N'Zogbia, Agbonlahor, Albrighton, Bannan and Given are all players who could play for clubs around 7th and below.

I'm not sure why Albrighton is rated by everyone. Just have a look at VT, they think Albrighton is shit. Ireland is also very inconsistent, never really built upon his one good season.
 
I'm not sure why Albrighton is rated by everyone. Just have a look at VT, they think Albrighton is shit. Ireland is also very inconsistent, never really built upon his one good season.

Ireland is a good player, the problem he has had is that when Villa bought him they had a new manager almost immediately after.
Now when he's had a season to have a fresh start both him and Albrighton have had the problem with Mcleish who is defensive.

I thought Albrighton looked great last year, poorer this season but most of this Villa side have been.
 
I'm not sure why Albrighton is rated by everyone. Just have a look at VT, they think Albrighton is shit.

A player in a period of decline needn't stay there permanently, not at his age and with the talent he showed in his first season.

I'm sure we all remember that game against them where Villa's new crop of youngsters had us firmly on the back foot.
 
I'm not sure why Albrighton is rated by everyone. Just have a look at VT, they think Albrighton is shit. Ireland is also very inconsistent, never really built upon his one good season.

Yes, but we are talking about Villa here. It seems that the fans expect a season with good football and a top half finish. Albrighton, Ireland, Dunne, Given and N'zogbia are excellent players to accomplish that.