OK, it’s not a new signing, but with the current sombre atmosphere, I thought it worth bringing some good news. Oh, and this was something I got a little sniff of back in June. I know, hold the front page, a major scoop for AVC and high fives all round!!
The details were correct, it is a new 3 year contract and Lichaj is looking forward to trying to force his way into the first team at Villa Park
It’s brief, it doesn’t reveal much, but the General’s words, which I’ll add below shortly, don’t paint a rosy picture of the scenes behind closed doors at Villa Park.
On the basis of what’s been emerging in the last few days, why Martin O’Neill signed another 12 month contract not two months ago is a mystery to me. I’m sure he’ll give his own version in due course.
Randy Lerner
Having had some time to reflect on Martin leaving, I can say
I’m tempted to apologise for the cynicism as it’s generally not my style… but no, forget it, the timing is little better than MON’s resignation.
I appreciate that information will be coming from the club in due course, but pumping out silly bits of PR guff as if nothing has happened is a little insulting. I’m sure it’s not as bad as I’m portraying in this cartoon, but it certainly feels a little like that.
However, my jadedness to one side,
If you’ve followed the James Milner storyline close enough you will have been aware that Randy Lerner flew into Birmingham ahead of last weekend, setting tongues wagging that the overly drawn out transfer would be wrapped up post haste. Then he flew back to America, on Sunday I think, and the conventional wisdom was that the deal was done, more or less, it was just about crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s.
Then the international break got in the
…he has now.
I’ve heard it said a lot in the last season. And the season before that actually. “MON has taken us as far as he can” the clairvoyants said. The evidence, for as much as evidence is worth in football, suggested the opposite to be more likely. Turns out those with physic powers were correct. The record books will forever record that this is indeed as far MON will take us.
It’s probably about 11
Big shock. That’s all I know right now, but it’s absolutely confirmed. Not a joke.
Martin O’Neill has resigned with immediate effect. Kevin McDonald has been named as caretaker manager ahead of the game against West Ham on Saturday.
I’ll drop links in here as they emerge.
This is the club statement in full:-
AVFC
Aston Villa can confirm that Martin O’Neill has resigned as manager of the football club with immediate effect.
Kevin MacDonald, reserve team manager, has assumed the role of
Aston Villa polished off the final game of the season with an entertaining 0-0 draw against Valencia, showing some encouraging signs right before the new season, surely impressing the watching England manager, Fabio Capello. The only concern might be the lingering lack of a genuine threat in front of goal, Stewart Downing’s injury time free kick rattling the cross bar being the one true chance on target.
The early taking point, of course, was the unsurprising absence of a certain
First it was Gareth Barry.
Then it was James Milner.
Now it’s our training gear…
…and our ex-players…
…and tomorrow they play Valencia.
They just love our sloppy seconds!!
I noticed that they already have a man with the microphone, but I wonder if they might be interested in this little deal…
…one careful owner, an absolute broadcasting legend.
I can’t claim it was a 37 to 1 shot since there were only six possible opponents once the groups had been created. However, although there was probably a little geography involved in the grouping procedure, it could easily have been Austria Vienna, not Rapid, in the group for instance, I don’t know what the chances were of Rapid being thrown into the same pot as Villa.
Maybe not quite lightning striking twice, but the odds of this being