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In another article featuring fans views, we have the opinion of USA-based Villan Gregg Miller, a former Birmingham resident who now resides on lovely Rhode Island.
This is what Gregg, a coach himself, has to say about David O'Leary and the talk of the sack: -
"I'm speaking from afar, having only seen Villa live once this season. But, I'm going to try and give a perspective on much of this talk about David O'Leary and his job security from an outside view.
Let me begin by saying that I'm not a big fan of the man. Well connected people that I have come into contact with all say that he is very arrogant and not an easy man to relate to. However, they all agree that his players love playing for him, and have the utmost respect (something that could not have been said about our two previous managers!).
I think, to be honest, that it is a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to be calling for the man's job at this stage. Here's my reasoning?
Villa have over-achieved for the past two years. He inherited an average group of players, was given a pitiful amount of money for new players and was very lucky with injuries (especially in his first year).
This season, he has added a lot of new blood, yet he has been made to wait until the very last moment to acquire them (Baros and Bouma especially). As a fellow coach, I have a great deal of sympathy for a manager who has been forced (by a penny-pinching board) to go through a pre-season preparation program without all of his players. Had he been given the opportunity to integrate his new players from the start of pre-season we may have seen an improved start. Pre-season is a critical time where the players do most of the learning work in regards to tactics, on-field relationships and styles of play.
The majority of his signings have been an improvement on those who have left. The jury is still out on Djemba Djemba, Bakke and Berger, but I don't think anyone can argue that Hughes, Sorensen, Phillips, Baros, McCann, Laursen (has looked excellent when fit), and Bouma are all quality players and have upgraded the playing staff.
You also cannot argue about the players he has let go. Vassell was never going to be a consistent goal scorer at this level, Hitzlsperger was vastly overrated (especially in his own mind), Stefan Moore doesn't have his brother's quality, and Allback was far too slow to beat a half-decent premiership defence. Crouch was poor for Villa, he did well for ?Arry, but he's hardly lighting the world on fire at Liverpool.
Don't forget that he inherited some very average players and still managed to put a decent team out there.
The most refreshing thing about O'Leary is the fact that he has given youth a chance. Players such as Davis, [Luke] Moore and Ridgewell have all performed well. Milner has been excellent (in my opinion he is more consistent and works harder than Solano ever did).
One of the things leveled at O'leary constantly is the fact that he talks too much about the Leeds past. I agree that he did this in his early time on the job, but then again it was the only past experience that he had to fall back on. This past summer, O'leary could easily have moved in for Bowyer, Alan Smith and other ex-Leeds players but chose not to. Bakke and Milner may be an exception, but both were free.
I completely agree that results have to improve, but we have to realise that this is the most competitive league in the world, with a very fine dividing line between success and failure (ask Everton).
Perhaps if I was still living in Birmingham (I now reside in the USA) I would also be calling for the man's head. But, do we want yet another change of manager on the Deadly Doug three-year-average bandwagon? Or, should we be evaluating the man again in January or February if results fail to improve?
And, is George Burley the answer? There's no disputing his recent record, but we all know that short-term success is possible in Scotland with just a little bit of financial backing.
Other than Burley, is there another manager out there who can do a better job? I doubt it, to be honest.
Let's do something that us Villa fans rarely do, give the manager the benefit of the doubt, wait for him to put his ?best? team on the park for half a dozen games, and then see where we are. I have a gut feeling that the doom and gloom talk will have subsided.
We have to realize, like it or not, that the glory days of the late 70's and early 80's will never return under the current ownership. So until that changes, let's try to make the best of what we've got.
I might be wrong???
A big thanks for Gregg for talking the time to write such an informative and lengthy piece.
It is still to be seen whether we will get into the groove this season, but, if Gregg is right, then when this does happen the "doom and gloom" talk will soon disappear.
D'you feel Gregg's done justice to David O'Leary? Think O'Leary should be kicked out of Villa Park? Let me know,
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