Oi Randy! Don't hire a namby-pamby Andy Pandy as Villa manager

For a brief time anything is possible, we could end up with a Ron Saundersesque genius or we could end up with Steve McLaren.

When we are looking for a manager all the loonies come out to play, tweeting and facebooking things like ‘Mourhinho would be great for the Villa’ or ‘Ancelotti would do a decent job down Villa Park’.

Which I dare say they would but if we are going down that road it would be nice if the Government removed the tax from cider and I’m sure if we can raise Brian Clough from the dead he might win us two Champions Leagues in a row.

Oh perhaps we could persuade Pep Guardiola to give up his God like status at Barcelona to come to Villa so some balding overweight prat from the West Midlands can shout abuse at him when we only get a draw against Arsenal at home.

Then of course there are complete and utter idiots who call for the return for John Gregory, I know it is hard to believe, but these people are out there, wasting the very air we breathe and supporting our team!

The favourites for the job will not see a run on season-ticket sales, none of them are that inspiring, but that is not surprising considering the position of our club.

We are further away from the impregnable billionaires top four club than for years. Maybe if we had kept our best players over the last few seasons then we might still be fighting with the big guns.

Cash happy Man City, canny spending Tottenham and reassurgent Liverpool are all streets ahead of us at the moment so that leaves us fighting for a respectable 7th, if all goes well.

I was not the biggest fan of Mr Houllier, the Man City debacles almost kicked the football out of me, but I can not deny him the fact that I saw some pretty decent football down the Villa this season for the first time in a long time.

OK, we always looked if we could lose, and often did but it would have been interesting to see how he would have fared with his own players this season.

And after being given a taste of seeing attacking and passing football I dont want a manager who might squeeze an extra higher place in the league through playing anti-football.

After all it costs a pretty penny to watch the Villa and I wouldn’t mind getting some excitement for my money.

That is why I don’t want Benetiz, his teams play awful football even when he has decent players at his disposal, and after being a regular Champions League team manager I doubt he would have the fire in his belly for the Villa, who let’s be honest he would see as a second rate club.

And if he had a great season he would be off quicker than a irate Holte fan could scrawl something vaguely racist or offensive on a bedspread.

And I think it is vital for the club whoever comes in stays in the hotseat for several years to come.

Hughes looks to be a front runner. I do like the fact that he has that Graeme Souness air about him which gives overpaid players an inkling that he is capable of knocking ten bells out of them in a quiet room if they cross him.

And with footballers being paid millions and acting more like pornstars and than sports stars these days I think it is vital to have a strong manager.

If I had my way we'd have a Ron Saunders type manager, you know the type, the type who makes his subordinates stand as human goalposts if they annoy him.

However, after seeing many of Hughes' teams play at Villa Park I do worry he is a bit of a draw specialist and doesn’t set his teams up to play attacking free flowing football.

He does have a point to prove though after being booted out of Man City so publicly and though I wont be jumping around the room like that magical day when we signed Ron Atkinson he’ll get my backing.

Then there is David Moyes who I would like down the Villa. If he came I think he would be our manager for years and could really build something special so when hopefully the new finance rules start to bite for the big clubs we could be in pole position to make a tilt at those gilded Champions League spots.

He has shown he has got the loyalty and will be grateful for some decent cash to spend in a transfer market which has done pretty well in the past.

Then of course we have Martin Jol. The amiable Dutchman whose teams play attacking football and has bags of experience in the game. I’d be very happy to see him in the dugout at Villa Park.

Wigan’s nice and clean cut manager Roberto Martinez is also said to be in the frame, but though he likes to play nice football I do think the job could overwhelm him so early in his managerial career.

Well that is the main candidates. But who knows there might be a Dr Jo Venglos lurking somewhere in a far off league that might have convinced Mr Lerner that he has what it takes.

But whoever gets the job they should be made aware that this great club of ours have not won anything since 1996, which is shocking, and as we are not going to win the League anytime soon, if ever again, we should concentrate on being a bloody good cup team!

If not only for the great days out down Wembley!

There is nothing more to say that have faith in Mr Lerner and Up the Villa!

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